Monroe update

[phesina]

I'm so glad Monroe is overall doing well and has gained some weight! Well done, Monroe and Heidi!

All our good wishes and prayers and healing energies continue on their way..

[cats4ever]

I'm so glad Monroe is overall doing well and has gained some weight! Well done, Monroe and Heidi!

All our good wishes and prayers and healing energies continue on their way..

Thank you, Pat!
Unfortunately, Monroe's cough got a lot worse today. I still think it's heart related, and I guess his vet is convinced now, too, because she increased the frequency of his fluid pill. I hope it helps. It breaks my heart watching him cough so hard.

[phesina]

Oh, Monroe.. I hope the new fluid pill frequency helps, too.

We send our loving good wishes, and I wish I could hold you gently or pet you or whatever might feel nice to you.

from Pat, and Poppy and Sparkler too

[cats4ever]

Oh, Monroe.. I hope the new fluid pill frequency helps, too.

We send our loving good wishes, and I wish I could hold you gently or pet you or whatever might feel nice to you.

from Pat, and Poppy and Sparkler too

Thank you, Pat! Monroe would love to be petted, and he would response with the loudest purr imaginable.
He had a couple more spells this evening, and he wouldn't eat his treats. Needless to say that I'm even more worried now.

[Catty1]

Oh, Monroe! I do hope the more frequent fluid pills start working soon!

I am sending prayers and hugs to you, Heidi, and Monroe. I wish I could do more.

PT Prayers are powerful - I am sending a whack of them!

[Randi]

I so hope the fluid pills will help Monroe. I'm sending lots of positive thoughts and gentle kisses to you dear boy - he is lucky to have you to take such good care of him.

[cats4ever]

Thank you, Randi and Candace!
Here's a new twist to the Monroe saga: Today I showed the vet a video of Monroe's cough, since she's never seen him doing it, and she said that this is definitely not a heart cough.
Most likely it's bronchitis or asthma, and it's only surfacing now that his steroids are out of his system. Monroe might have had those conditions for a while, but nobody knew because he has been on prednisone all of his life.
This means...more meds. If the cough is still present on Friday, he's supposed to start on a bronchodilator.

I don't know how I would do without everybody at PT, and if Monroe wasn't such a good boy.

[phesina]

What good news, it's not a heart cough!

Now, it's more meds, and perhaps a bronchodilator. We are with you, dearest Monroe, and Meowmie, every step of the way, with all our prayers and loving good wishes and hopes and energies and all...

[Karen]

As a life-long asthmatic, I can assure you it can be manageable! Prayres on the way still for Monroe!

[cats4ever]

So far, the Apoquel is not helping. Monroe is sooo itchy and he is tearing himself up. His vet did more research, and she found that we can double the dose. It still could take many weeks for it to start working. By then, Monroe won't have any healthy skin left. She did even consider a low dose of prednisolone, but she has not given me a dosage yet.
It does scare me since the pred could affect his heart negatively.
It just makes me so incredibly sad that I was able to keep him pretty comfortable for 9 years, and now I can't help him.
He's still keeping his sweet disposition and he's eating well (including his meds).
Please keep him in your thoughts.

[mbsmum]

Purryers and healing thoughts on the way to Monroe and you.

[phesina]

Loving thoughts and healling energies and prayers are on their way for Monroe and you, Heidi.

[cats4ever]

Thank you, Pat!
This afternoon, I got a pred dose from Monroe's vet. I hope he (and his heart) will tolerate it.
Monroe is on 7 (!) meds now. Never in a million years would I have anticipated all that when I bottlefed him
9 1/2 years ago!

[cats4ever]

Monroe has been doing well up until Thursday. Both of his eyes started draining and he could barely keep them open.
I took him to work, and his veterinarian said he had conjunctivitis, probably stress induced. No medicines needed, just his daily lysine.
At lunchtime, a co-worker alerted me that Monroe was standing in his kennel, coughing. When I got there, he had coughed up fluid, and his breathing was labored. I caught the vet before she left for lunch, and we took x-rays.
He had quite a bit of fluid around his lungs, most likely caused by the low-dose prednisolone he was taking for his skin. I felt horrible because I knew the pred was risky in his condition (the vet, though, had approved of it).
So now I have to stop it without weening him off (which can be dangerous as well) and double up on his fluid pill.
He is still not feeling well today, his respiratory rate is still faster than I like it to be and his eyes are draining badly.
He is resting right now. I hope the furosemide (fluid pill) will take care of this soon.
Please send some positive thoughts.

[phesina]

Positive thoughts and prayers and warm healing energies and loads of love are coming your way for Monroe and you all.

{{{{{HUGS}}}}} and ~~~~PURRRS~~~~ and from Pat and Sparkler and Poppy