Please help save Sydney's life!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to read that you had such a bad day. Like others have already said, I'd try to report your old vet. What she did is inexcusable. I hope that your new vet will be able to help you and he/she sure sounds much more qualified too. When my Starr was very sick, I decided to go and get a second opinion because my old vets just didn't seem to know what to do for him. Now I have a new vet clinic and a wonderful new very caring vet. Good luck. Sydney continues to remain in my thoughts and prayers. Please take care.

[kittykatharine]

Thank you so much for this link - I have gone ahead and posted my wish - hopefully someone will come to my aid. Thank you for the great resource!

Just an idea. there is a website called Wish Upon A Hero. You make a wish! You could wish for donations for Sydney. You may get some responses, it is worth a try.

http://www.wishuponahero.com/

You should also plan some fundraising.

[kittykatharine]

Ok everyone, here is an UPDATE! I just got back from my consultation with my new vet and I really like her. She seemed very knowleagble and was extremely helpful. Sydney's right eye has been swollen shut ever since I had her biopsy done last week and I had taken her to my old vet twice after that and she just looked at it and said it was fine - no tests or lights or anything. With the new vet, The second she walked in the room she was like, "tell me what is up with that eye". She put some pain drops in her eye and stained it and looked for any abnormalities and found that the fluid in between her cornea and lens was inflammed. She gave me drops to help ease the pain and swelling. Secondly, my old vet would charge $25 for a shot of pain medicine that only lasted 72 hours and wouldnt give me any pain meds for home- so I was paying the $25 for the shot and $28 for a "checkup". This vet gave me 6 syringes of pain medicine and told me that she is not stingy with pain medicine, so to just ask if needed - and they were only $13 for all six. My new vet said that she was going to call all the vet hospitals around my area to see if their were any radiation studies she could get sydney into - which would be significantly cheaper! Also, she has three pets on chemo already, and said that she has given this type of treatment many times before. She is going to call me later tonight and give me an estimate on the chemotherapy treatment costs - although she stated it will probably cost the same as the other place. I am just happy that she seems to be more knowledgable and able to help - I am just so sad that it took me this long to find her. She seemed to emphasize sydneys comfort - which the other vet seemed to forget. Keep us in your prayer.

If you are still intersted in making a donation to help with Sydney's chemo treatment, this is my new permenant vet contact information:

Cordova Animal Medical Center
2433 E. Langley Ave.
Pensacola, FL 32504
Phone: (850) 479-2222
Veterinarian: Dr. Shelly Ashley
Patient: Sydney
Species: Feline
Owner: Katharine G. Herman

Thank you so much for your support and prayers - you guys on pet talk are the only thing that has made this expereince bearable. Thank you!

[Moesha]

I just called the vet's office and used a credit card to apply to your account. I talked with a very nice lady. She said she would mail my credit card receipt to me tomorrow. Just make sure that it gets applied. I told them it wasn't a secret. I wish I was able to give more, but maybe I'll be able to give more later. Please keep us posted and I'm so glad she was concerned with keeping Sydney comfortable with pain meds.

[kittykatharine]

Moesha,

Thank you so much! You truly are an angel! Sydney and I appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts! You have been so wonderful and helpful, words can't even describe how thankful I am for your help. I can promise all of you this, once I am in a position where I can help out others, I promise that I will - just knowing how all of you have helped me so much, I want to be able to repay that to someone in the future that may be in the same situation as I am. Again thank you and I will keep everyone posted!

I just called the vet's office and used a credit card to apply to your account. I talked with a very nice lady. She said she would mail my credit card receipt to me tomorrow. Just make sure that it gets applied. I told them it wasn't a secret. I wish I was able to give more, but maybe I'll be able to give more later. Please keep us posted and I'm so glad she was concerned with keeping Sydney comfortable with pain meds.

[Moesha]

You and Sydney are very welcome. I wish I could help every animal in need and make them better. Sydney's story touched my heart, sort of like Emeraldgreen's Tiger. Did you hear anything from the vet tonight?

[kittykatharine]

OK, the vet called me this morning to go over the expected costs - for the chemo drugs, blood work, two ultrasounds, xrays, visit charges, and administration of drugs, and sadation if needed - the estimated cost was approximately $4100. This is only if there are no complications. My vet is still calling around to see if there are any raditation studies currently happening, but nothing yet. I have an appointment with her on Monday, so we can talk about the whole payment thing. Sydney is scheduled to start chemo on Wednesday, because it is going to take her that long to get the drug shipped to her. I just gave Sydney her prednisone and eye drops, and she seems to be feeling alright. She is so cute, she won't leave my side for a second. Anyways, hopefully, we are on our way towards remission. I will let everyone know how Monday goes and Sydney's first chemo treatment. Thanks everyone!

[Catty1]

HUGS and prayers!

I will have more money early in July...you have almost half (IF there are no complications, as you said) from your family, etc.

Your prom gowns should sell...it's that time of year, isn't it?

Bake sale?

HUGS! Glad Sydney is being sweet!

[kittykatharine]

Sydney has developed a new and very unfortunate problem. She is having difficulty eating. Apparently the tumor in her face is pushing down on the right side of her mouth and she is no longer able to eat dry food or some of the wet food. I have been having to sit with her while she eats and pick up wet food and mold it into a mountain so it is easier for her to grasp. I know that if she stops eating all together, it will only be downhill from here. The vet told me it would take at least 4 or 5 weeks of chemo before I would notice any of the swelling in her face to decrease - I just hope that she can hang in there that long. It just seems like every time I help fix a problem, another one arises - it is very frustrating. Anyways, I hope everyone has a wonderful fathers day and I will be posting Sydney's reaction to her first chemo administration on wednesday. Thanks!

[Catty1]

Is Sydney getting any prednisone? There is another kind too, forget the name...

It's supposed to help the swelling...don't know if tablets would work, if there is a patch for it...maybe an injection (not INTO the tumour, unless the tumour itself doesn't have any nerve endings).

Prayers and positive thoughts for you and Sydney!

[kittykatharine]

Sydney is on prednisone - we are currently crushing it and adding into some really soft food. This has been working really well so far, and the vet said that we could also add it to a little water and use a syringe to add into her mouth, if she has any further problems. I am trying to get her to eat as much as possible because I know once she starts the chemo, she may loose her appetite. I have her on this one wet food that says it is nutritionally balanced and I am giving her small helpings several times per day.

[jenluckenbach]

Is placing a feeding tube an option? that way you can always make sure she get the nutrition she needs until the swelling can go down. Also, ask about nutri-cal or other nutritional suppliment. Maybe it would help the food she DOES eat more "complete".

I am so sorry that every time there is progress, there is an equal set back. I know it is very hard to keep the faith. Prayers for Sydney.

[Emeraldgreen]

Wow, you guys have been through alot! I've just been catching up on all the latest posts in this thread and there have been so many developements since I last read!
I'm so sorry to hear that the cancer has been found in one of her kidneys but I was really relieved to hear that you have found a wonderful new vet. I think she will make this whole experience so much more managable for you, emotionally and financially. It sounds like Syndey will have a much better chance of success with a vet who has more experience and who is compassionate.

The prednisone usually increases a cat's appetite so hopefully that will help make her more hungry. Jen's suggestions of a feeding tube might be the way to go, especially when the chemo starts to ensure that she maintains her weight and health. But I guess you'll know soon if she continues to eat or not.
You might want to pick up all kinds of different cans of cat food to spark her interest. The stinkier the better. My cats LOVE the cat tuna and it is usually quite inexpensive as well.

If you find that it becomes difficult to give Sydney the prednsione mixed in her food, you can ask your vet about transdermal gel. The veterinary pharmacists can mix the prednisone into a cream and they load into a syringe and you simply squirt the dosage out (usually 1/10th of a ml which is a tiny amount) onto the back of a spoon and then you just smear it on the inside of her ear flap. Her body will absorb it and the prednisone will enter her system.
I used it for years for my cat Jimmy who has asthma and and IBD, both of which are helped with prednisone. If your vet thinks it's a good idea, she can order it from the pharmacy and have it delivered to the clinic, usually within the week.

I'm praying for both you and Sydney. Hang in there!
p.s. I will make a donation to the clinic tomorrow sometime. I wish I could give lots but right now I'm not able to. I will definitely donate something though!

[kittykatharine]

I swear, this experience has truly made me extremely jaded and angry towards the field of veterinarian science or heathcare in general. So I went to the vet to go over my consultation and they made a mistake and accidently left of 7 weeks worth of chemo off the estimate. My mother thank God came with me because all I could do during the eniture estimate was cry. The price for the 6 month chemo protocol has gone up another $1500. This makes the chemo now more expensive than the radiation treatment I originally wanted to get - and the estimate does not include outside prescriptions and complications. I have decided that I will start her on the chemo on Wednesday (max out the ole credit cards), but I am going to watch her very carefully. If it comes to the point that I dont think she can handle the chemo, then I will switch her to palliative care -where I will most likely be forced to put her to sleep when the pain becomes to much. The only nice thing is that the vet said she would come to my house and do it if it comes to that, that way Sydney can be in her home with the ones who love her most. She would be placed next to her companion that died two years ago due to a neglectful veterinarian that gave him a powerful steriod when he was having liver problems, which put him into liver failure and he died. Luckily he only sufferred for a week. When I was younger I had wanted to become a vet so badily. I volunteered at a vet hospital and everything becuase I new I loved animals and I wanted to help them. While I was there this horrible family came in and asked that there cat be put down because his health issues (which were not that bad) were becoming annoying - and the vet did just that put this innocent baby to sleep. I remember leaving that vet office knowing that I could never ever be in this profession because I have too much heart. So I chose to study mental health counseling and work with people who need help working with grief issues - irony. Horrible thing is, when I become a mental health counselor, you help others but get paid nothing. Here I am choosing a profession because I want to help others but when it comes down to it, even if I had graduated from school and everything, I still would not have been able to afford both the chemo and radiation therapy that was needed to save sydney - totalling now at $12,000. You'll have to forgive me, I have had such a hard three weeks and I have dedicated every free moment of my time to help her. Everytime I felt that I made some progress I got shot down with some dissappointment. Last night was the first night I actually slept well because I thought everything was going to be just fine -and of course it is not. This is the first time in my life that i have given my all at something and then failed anyways. I am just really upset.

[Catty1]

{{{{{HUGS}}}}}

If she had been the first vet you went to and one mistake was made, that would have been one thing - but you sure have had a lot of things hit you in a short time.

KK - you do have some funds to start this. 6 - even 3 - months is a long time in the fundraising department. I can't send anything til early July.

Keep checking back with iMom - donations come in and they can accept some cases again, and with you having raised a fair percentage of the money, that will help.

HUGS - Sydney loves you, you love her. Take care of yourself and be healthy for her, as much as you can.