Emergency Prayer Needed For Emma... UPDATE

[Jessika]

i'm extrememly confused here--i know people who regularly express bowels and bladders for their pets, and have done so for years.

it's terrible that she has suffered this trauma--yet another story to remind us all that it is NOT safe to let our cat children outdoors unless they are in an enclosed area, because it really is NOT safe out there--but to compound it by killing her?

if the vet involved can't teach you how to express her, you might want to find one who can! and if you're learning how to do the urinary bladder in school, read ahead a few chapters and you might find the next set of instructions.

or go to HP and ask the people who do this every day. HELP HER, for heaven's sake, don't abandon her again!


MC

Abandon her again? When have any of us ever abandoned her???

It's not a matter of being able to manually express them or not, she has other medical problems that go along with the trauma of being hit by a car. Maybe she isn't going because she lost the nerve function, maybe she isn't going because it hurts, maybe she isn't going because it's blocked... they don't know...

I've talked to my MIL about manually expressing her and that many cats live long, healthy lives by having to do that. But the vet doesn't feel this would be a viable option for her longterm health and longevity.

Sadly, he is giving her until Monday and if she doesn't improve by then, I actually don't know what's going to happen.

But I really don't think you think I or anyone else involved on this side of Emma's care thinks that we aren't doing all we can, but unfortunately money IS a factor in this; they aren't exactly made of money, they've struggled their whole lives, but they never hesitate to give emergency medical care to ANY of their animals if they need it... and in my opinion, in any case with any person, if the animal is going to suffer because a family can't afford necessary treatment to make the animal better, I would rather it be euthanized than subjected to a life of pain.

Please all of you understand, I'm not the one calling the shots here, and my in-laws are trusting their vet's opinions and advice when it comes to this situation. I really hope this vet will do all he can with what he has, but unfortunately the sky ISN'T the limit here. I keep bringing up manual expression, but I am obviously not a vet, and not that my MIL doesn't trust me or value my opinion, the vet DID go to school a bit longer and he may know something that I don't about her condition.

You've all been to the vet before when your pet is sick or injured and the vet is yammering on about what's going on, what happened, etc etc, but you don't hear every single word - your focus is on your pet and getting it better. So when you go home and people ask you what's wrong, you give them the synopsis and may leave out some information. I'm sure that's what's happening in this case. Unfortunately I do not have the opportunity to go with them to the vet since I leave for school at 7am and oftentimes do not get home until after 4pm; the vet office closes either by then or close to 5. I am not sure if it is open on weekends, I will have to ask her and maybe I will go with them next time and get more detailed information and ask questions that she may not have thought to ask. But with my school schedule it's really, really hard...

For now, all that I ask is that you still keep her in your thoughts, and please know that I'm trying to get all the information I can and give all the help I can for her...

[mamaducky]

Abandon her again? When have any of us ever abandoned her???

It's not a matter of being able to manually express them or not, she has other medical problems that go along with the trauma of being hit by a car. Maybe she isn't going because she lost the nerve function, maybe she isn't going because it hurts, maybe she isn't going because it's blocked... they don't know...

I've talked to my MIL about manually expressing her and that many cats live long, healthy lives by having to do that. But the vet doesn't feel this would be a viable option for her longterm health and longevity.

Sadly, he is giving her until Monday and if she doesn't improve by then, I actually don't know what's going to happen.

But I really don't think you think I or anyone else involved on this side of Emma's care thinks that we aren't doing all we can, but unfortunately money IS a factor in this; they aren't exactly made of money, they've struggled their whole lives, but they never hesitate to give emergency medical care to ANY of their animals if they need it... and in my opinion, in any case with any person, if the animal is going to suffer because a family can't afford necessary treatment to make the animal better, I would rather it be euthanized than subjected to a life of pain.

Please all of you understand, I'm not the one calling the shots here, and my in-laws are trusting their vet's opinions and advice when it comes to this situation. I really hope this vet will do all he can with what he has, but unfortunately the sky ISN'T the limit here. I keep bringing up manual expression, but I am obviously not a vet, and not that my MIL doesn't trust me or value my opinion, the vet DID go to school a bit longer and he may know something that I don't about her condition.

Jessika, I have to admit that I've been starting to feel a little upset on your behalf at the tone that one or two of these postings have taken on. Though I'm sure that people do not mean to sound as judgmental as they do, I think some of what has been said to you would make me feel upset and defensive as well in this already stressful situation.

I am going to try leave my own opinion out of this post, except to say that Emma remains in my prayers, as do you and your entire family. It sounds as though your in-laws are trying very hard to do what's best for Emma based on the advice of their veterinarian and their amazing daughter-in-law!

And since Emma is, after all, from the "Show-Me State", I'm rooting for her to "show us" that she's improving!

With much love and big hugs,
Diana

[Ginger's Mom]

Jessika, I have to admit that I've been starting to feel a little upset on your behalf at the tone that one or two of these postings have taken on. Though I'm sure that people do not mean to sound as judgmental as they do, I think some of what has been said to you would make me feel upset and defensive as well in this already stressful situation.

I totally agree with you. I am surprised at how much this little girl's plight has been on my mind. I will keep her in my prayers and keep checking for updates.

[Medusa]

It's easy to offer an opinion. It's difficult to walk in another's shoes. Sometimes we have to make difficult decisions and sometimes we have to live w/the decisions that others make. No finger pointing or guilt trips here; just a bit of compassion towards you and your unfortunate situation. I've said this many times before but it bears repeating: sometimes we can only save them for a day. Peace to you and prayers that all will work out for the best for everyone involved. After all, it's our prayers and good thoughts that you asked for, not recriminations.

[Catty1]

It depends on what Emma's vet says...diapers may not be an option for Emma. Hopefully if her purrents take the links on expressing to their vet, they would get feedback and know what the vet said.

Jessika - would it be easier for them to get a photocopy of the diagnosis and bring it to you? If they said you were a vet student (and you are), the vet might be happy to help your 'education'.

Just a thought.

PT Prayers for Emma and all that love her.

[Jessika]

You guys; thank you, you are all wonderful beyond words.

I have printed out some references on diapering and manually expressing bowels and bladder. Today is my little Bro in law's 8th birthday party, so I don't want to talk to my MIL about this today. She is so depressed over this. She takes her animal's injuries really hard, and eventhough she may not show it, she's really upset and depressed about Emma right now. Not to mention I found that their dog, Angel, has an open infected "sore" that I found on her yesterday where it appears her incision from her spay has reopened, eventhough it was healed up and stitches were taken out over a month ago... It's almost too much for her to handle right now.

Hubby and I were talking, and we both strongly agree that IF the ONLY problem with Emma's condition is not being able to urinate or defecate on her own, there is absolutely NO reason why we can't manually express her. I even told him, HJ look, if your parents don't or can't take on that responsibility, *I* will take her, I will teach your mother, I will adopt her, and if down the road I find I can't, I will find someone or some place that will. We both agreed that she needs to go to another vet for a second opinion (and HE said this, not me, though I agree also!!!), and there is absolutely no reason for her to be euthanized *IF* the only problem is her not being able to urinate or defecate.

Now, again, there may be other problems going on with her that I'm not aware about. Obviously her spine is broken; easy fix - amputate the tail. They are/were already planning on doing that anyway, but wanted to wait to see if she goes on her own first.



Also, she has a very nasty infection on her rear end... her anus and vulva are green and purulent and very enflamed. They do have cream that they put on it daily but I'm not sure why that may be an issue or what the cause of that is.

That is a good idea, to ask for a "vet report" so I can get everything straight from the vet, and maybe even take it to school and ask my instructors to "translate" it for me and maybe they can give me their advice and opinions.

Don't worry guys, this little girl is NOT going down without a fight, not as long as I'm here and have anything to say about it, and Hubby is behind me and Emma 100%. My MIL does trust and value my opinion and so far she HAS NOT been euthanized, otherwise it would have been done on Wednesday if it were up to the vet. She's just very stressed out right now with other personal issues as well as the issues with her pets, and I'm sure me coming up to her every day with "well manual expression blah blah" and her vet telling her something different probably isn't helping the situation any, either.

[gini]

All I can say is "what a wonderful person you are - and your hubby too."

And I will continue to offer prayers for Emma.

[critters]

Hubby and I were talking, and we both strongly agree that IF the ONLY problem with Emma's condition is not being able to urinate or defecate on her own, there is absolutely NO reason why we can't manually express her. I even told him, HJ look, if your parents don't or can't take on that responsibility, *I* will take her, I will teach your mother, I will adopt her, and if down the road I find I can't, I will find someone or some place that will. We both agreed that she needs to go to another vet for a second opinion (and HE said this, not me, though I agree also!!!), and there is absolutely no reason for her to be euthanized *IF* the only problem is her not being able to urinate or defecate.

Now, again, there may be other problems going on with her that I'm not aware about. Obviously her spine is broken; easy fix - amputate the tail. They are/were already planning on doing that anyway, but wanted to wait to see if she goes on her own first.



Also, she has a very nasty infection on her rear end... her anus and vulva are green and purulent and very enflamed. They do have cream that they put on it daily but I'm not sure why that may be an issue or what the cause of that is.
...
and her vet telling her something different probably isn't helping the situation any, either.

YAY!!! I really suspect she'll be OK in the end, or at least mostly so. If she's expressed regularly, she may not need diapers; what ain't in can't leak out! LOL I only diapered Buddy at night sometimes; occasionally he got into a thing where he slept so soundly he'd drown the place.

The butt infection is NOT typical; I wonder if those injuries came from the same incident that damaged her tail? If she's not on abx already (to prevent UTI), ideally they should pick one that covers both.

As for vets, like everybody else, not all vets are created equal. The BEST vet we've ever had was here during Buddy's first 6 months here, and she is also an RN. Vet med tends to lag behind human med, especially in relation to disabilities, so it was unheard of, at that time, to use gabapentin for nerve and spinal pain in critters. She immediately saw the validity of what I was suggesting and got right on a dose for it, whereas most vets would've given me a hard time. Now, 2 years later, it's rare but not unheard of, and Buddy helped spread the word. It broke my heart when I found out she'd gone to a practice 50+ miles away.

[TenHouseCats]

i was so happy to see this post--i am sorry that you felt that i was attacking you before, but i was really expressing my frustration, more, i think, with vets who do not, or will not, take the time to admit that they don't have all the answers.

who expects them to? there is no way any one vet can be on top of everyone that is going on in every species--that's understandable. what is NOT acceptable is those vets who will not listen, or actively look for solutions--there are specialists out there, doc, call one of them!

i love my vets, but i expect them to treat me with the respect that i, as the caretaker of my cats, deserve. i can trust them to listen to me, to tell me when they don't have the answer or haven't heard of new research or new treatment protocols yet, and to go look things up or track down the experts when that is what's indicated.

there are too many vets in this country who still consider cats nuisance animals, tho i wouldn't have believed that ten years ago. there are WAY too many who haven't opened a book since they graduated, and in the cases of catastrophic injury, or viruses like FIV and FeLV, find it much simpler to chose the easy way out--immediate euthanasia--rather than taking the time to discover that that is no one's professional recommendation any longer. it's so hard to watch someone whose beloved companion has just been sent to the bridge unnecessarily, because someone used their "credentials" to excuse their own laziness--as the guardians, we have to say, "wait a minute--i KNOW that other people have done this, i want to try."

thank you SO much for hearing what we were really saying: give emma a chance, she's been terribly injured, but who knows--love alone can work miracles. if she sees, in your eyes, that she's just fine as she is, no matter what, that's gonna help her fight to stay. i'm sure you're scared about what it gonna mean, but you are NOT alone, and this little one needs you.

MC

[Emeraldgreen]

We both agreed that she needs to go to another vet for a second opinion (and HE said this, not me, though I agree also!!!), and there is absolutely no reason for her to be euthanized *IF* the only problem is her not being able to urinate or defecate.

Now, again, there may be other problems going on with her that I'm not aware about. Obviously her spine is broken; easy fix - amputate the tail. They are/were already planning on doing that anyway, but wanted to wait to see if she goes on her own first.

I hope and pray that Emma will make it through this difficult ordeal. It sounds like you and your whole family love her very much.
It makes sense that her inability to urinate and deficate on her own at this time could be due to a number of different issues. I just hope that your MIL and the vet will give her more time than Monday to figure this whole thing out. It might be something that could ultimately resolve itself or be resolved without major intervention but might require a week or 2 weeks rather than 2 more days.
But it sounds like Emma may be going for a second opinion which I think is a great idea. Hopefully this will give your MIL some peace, just having some more information available to her, either way.

Also, she has a very nasty infection on her rear end... her anus and vulva are green and purulent and very enflamed. They do have cream that they put on it daily but I'm not sure why that may be an issue or what the cause of that is.

Do they have Emma on an antibiotic drip? Seems like this girl could use all the infection power she can get at this point. She has sure been through alot but it sounds like she is a fighter! The mere fact that she made it home on her own after whatever happened to her is a miracle.

That is a good idea, to ask for a "vet report" so I can get everything straight from the vet, and maybe even take it to school and ask my instructors to "translate" it for me and maybe they can give me their advice and opinions

I think this a really good idea too. The more veterinary inclined people looking at this case the better. Emma sure has alot of people working hard on her behalf. Especially you!

[jennielynn1970]

Also, she has a very nasty infection on her rear end... her anus and vulva are green and purulent and very enflamed. They do have cream that they put on it daily but I'm not sure why that may be an issue or what the cause of that is.

Poor Emma... do you think someone abused her and that is what is causing the infection? It's horrendous to think about, but that's what the description is making me think.

[Catty1]

I hope she can get an antibiotic, a strong one...it may help with healing the nerve areas if they are compressed by infected and swollen areas.

She might be on one already - but maybe the vet didn't want to 'waste' meds on a cat that was going to be PTS.

Could Emma get a second opinion at your school? With vets that are teaching you guys all the NEW stuff - ask around! It can't hurt - especially to get a recommendation on someone to get a second opinion from!

Prayers for all of you. Give Emma a scritch for me.

[Emeraldgreen]

Poor Emma... do you think someone abused her and that is what is causing the infection? It's horrendous to think about, but that's what the description is making me think.

I was wondering the same thing.