Ooohh the blood

Thanks for the wishes cat_aunty...

is something I need but have not enough of....

Megat had a review yesterday at about 4.30 pm. Dr L had to do bone surgery on a dog and so was late. Dr L took a look at him and showed me his gums. They were very pale. He was also rather lethargic but I took that to mean he was just tired out from waiting. The decision was to put off the vincristine for this week and to stop the Leukeran for the moment as it is a chemo drug. He had been on Leukeran for about a month at 1/4 tab every two days.

So Dr L has him on Aranesp (a substitute for Eprex) for instead on alternate days and he had a CBC. Although the indicators were not good, they were also not too bad for a kitty like him.

WBC 1.96 (5.5-19.5)

RBC 5.07 (5-10)

PCV 18.93 (24-45)

PLT 77 (300-800)

PCT 0.07%

So we have to see if the new protocol will help him be less anaemic.

Of course he was very well-behaved as usual, unlike Toro who did not like the jabs at all. He sat quietly, looking at the doc and when he was outside, he rested on his toy woofie and looked at the world passing by. Toro was not at all pleased with the needle but he was all eyes and ears when we had to wait for the doc as well as the results of his blood test.

While we waited we saw 2 kitties, one ragdoll and one ragamuffin. They were very beautiful but one of them had problems with the kidneys and it was only 3 years old. We aslo saw one very small 3 year-ol Tuxie who came to get a check-up. There were altogether 5 cats on one end and many many doggies at the other end of the waiting room.

However the most heartbreaking scene was a little dog with kidney problems. When her owner brought her in, she was trembling and breathing raggedly. She strained to stand up and when she was put outside her carrier, she tried to walk with very faint steps. Then she just flopped on her stomach and could not continue. Then the nurse came to take her inside to rest. The other people tried to comfort the owner who was crying and although I think everyone feels for the owner, I would be lying if I do not say that I was feeling relieved Megat is still able to walk, talk very loudly, eat well and when he feels like it, give the other kitties a *flying kick or even box them.

*He actually gave Toro a flying kick last week when Toro dared to walk beside him on the way to dinner. Toro was so shocked that he ran off. Even Bujang knows to walk behind Megat at dinner time although we still give Bujang the first top up. The rule is always Bujang, Megat, Toro and Tanaka in the kitchen and then the Diva in the computer room.

Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa) is a drug given to patients who have chemotherapy-induced anemia (low red blood cell count). An injection of Aranesp stimulates red blood cell production, with a synthetic version of erythropoietin, a protein made in your kidneys. It is a clear liquid that can be given through an intravenous infusion (IV), or as a shot.