Marty has had teeth problems. He had bleeding gums. At I-20 Animal Medical Center, Dr. Bonnie Bloom performed oral surgery.
Marty
Category Archives: Pets Are Family
Klyban’s Third Chemo Session
Klyban sharpening his claws
May 24, 2019, we took Klyban to the veterinary oncologist for his third chemo treatment. We’re keeping a close watch on our kitty. So far, he’s tolerating the chemo meds. They haven’t given him any side effects.
Again, I ask all animal lovers to pray that Klyban undergoes a complete cancer remission. Thank you for your prayers!
Kliban My Baby Kitty
We call Klyban our baby kitty because he has a cute meow that he uses when he wants something, and it’s usually food.
Last year, we took Klyban to see his regular veterinarian because he was vomiting more often than usual. The doctor put him on a prescription diet that calmed down his vomiting; he also warned us that if we noticed Klyban was vomiting more often, we should have him rechecked. Apparently cats should vomit once or twice a month. More than that indicates a serious condition.
Klyban was doing very well until a few weeks before May 6, 2019. May 4th and 5th he was vomiting several times a day. So, we took him Monday for a checkup as soon as our clinic opened. The veterinarian examined him, discovered fluid around his lungs, and recommended that he should be taken to the emergency clinic on the south side.
May 6, 2019 we put him in the pet carrier and rushed to the emergency clinic. After many tests, the emergency doctor recommended that an oncologist should see him. More tests were performed.
Eventually, we learned that Klyban has lymphoma. The tumors are concentrated around his intestine. Surgery was not recommended because lymphoma spreads throughout the body. Chemotherapy was the best option. Klyban will undergo 25 weeks of chemotherapy.
Please pray, along with us, that he has a complete remission. We love Klyban and his brother, Marty. They love and care for each other as shown in the following picture.
The Swinger
Marty
Marty
“The Swinger” is the nickname that my husband and I gave to our cat, Marty.
When Marty lived in our backyard as a feral cat, we tried to befriend him by trying to pat him. But each time we tried, he would quickly turn around and swing at us with a paw. Hence, that’s how he acquired the nickname. Now, he’s strictly an indoor cat, but his swinging habit hasn’t disappeared, yet, he loves pats!
Kliban and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Kliban, my quasi-feral cat
July 18, 2018, we are used to having our cats cough up a furball every once in a while, but Kliban started vomiting often. That worried us, so we took him to our veterinarian. He recommended a change in diet and gave him some medication. According to the vet, cats normally vomit once or twice a month.
The vomiting slowed down, but Kliban was still vomiting more than usual. We took him to the vet again. He suspected irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and recommended an ultrasound scan. So, on the day after Labor Day, very early in the morning, my husband took Kliban for his ultrasound. I stayed home, tears in my eyes, hoping and praying that Kliban would be all right.
That same day I got a call about 9 AM that the ultrasound had already been performed. The radiologist had noticed an enlarged lymph node close to the small intestine. Other than that there were no signs of cancer. He wanted to perform a needle biopsy, so I woke up my husband, who likes to sleep late, and the three of us talked but decided against the needle biopsy. I hope we made the right decision because the needle biopsy in Twister’s case did not help. A tissue sample would have been better, but we had been through so much with Twister that we also decided against this procedure.
Kliban resting
Kliban is home now. We feed him a prescribed diet and he was on a medication for intestinal bacterial parasites for three days. He looks so much better. He eats his prescribed diet/food and has not vomited. He’s back to sleeping on my lap, getting brushed, and his tummy hair is growing back; it had to be shaved to perform the ultrasound. So far, he seems to be fine. And I pray that he stays well.
Celebrating Father’s Day
June 16, 2018. For me, Father’s Day is a special time to officially thank our Lord for protecting and helping us in so many ways and our fathers who as disciplined role models unselfishly molded us into responsible, caring, successful beings.
Father’s Day afternoon my husband started clearing the yard of all debris that might get Twister in trouble. Meanwhile, although I feared getting a Fibro flare-up, I started to pick up the logs that apparently Twister had tumbled from the firewood rack. As I cleared the area where the logs had fallen, I discovered that the shed had termite damage because the logs had fallen close to the shed and had been there for a while, a few months or longer. I told my husband, and he moved the firewood rack to another spot away from the house and the shed.
In addition, when the logs hit the side of the shed, they created dents and holes on the wall. And Twister more than likely continued to enlarge the holes to chase an animal that had crawled into the shed. So, my husband sealed the holes with plywood.
In the meantime, I picked up logs and loaded them on the rack. When I finished, I noticed that our stack of bricks had been disturbed. Some had landed on the back side of the shed. As I removed some bricks, I discovered another hole. This one was large! Again, I suspected Twister was responsible. He was probably trying to get an animal that had gone into the shed. So, my husband had to patch the hole with plywood.
This is how we spent Father’s Day. And as a reward for having worked so hard, we went out for supper at Furr’s cafeteria. My husband loves their liver dish, beans, pastries, and salads. How did you spend Father’s Day?
Twister-friendly yard
June 21, 2018, we got the ultrasound results. There was no indication in the ultrasound pictures to indicate that there was any cancer in Twister’s foot. The scratches on his neck are gone. He’s healthy and as strong as an ox. The veterinarians and technicians agreed.
Now all we need to do is to keep a close watch on his foot. In about three months another ultrasound will be performed to make sure that Twister ‘s foot is okay. In the meantime, we’ll walk Twister with a leash until the backyard is Twister-friendly.
Twister’s not too happy with the arrangement. He’s used to inspecting the yard on his own, but we are concerned that he might reinjure himself. We suspect that he knocked down the pile of firewood on the firewood rack and the bricks we had stacked on the back side of the shed.( I have no idea how he knocked down the stack of firewood and the bricks. I suppose he saw something move, such as a lizard, and then relentlessly dug into the stack of firewood until it landed on the side of the shed. Then he continued to dig until he made bigger holes. The same story probably happened to the toppled bricks. In this case, Twister made a large hole, trying to get to a possum.)
Our yard is now Twister-friendly. The shed is patched. The bricks have been moved to another spot. The area around the shed is clear. But, we probably need to replace the shed. Should it be replaced with one made out of resin, wood, or steel? Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your prayers.
Raw Skin on Twister’s Neck
June 2, 2018 . We noticed a skin rash on Twister’s neck. We suspected that the cone rubbing on his neck was responsible. My husband took him to Dr. Doolittle who recommended the following: Neosporin and another medication. For the time being, in order for his skin to heal, he is wearing no collar and no harness. Bob takes him out for a walk in our backyard regularly and only puts the harness on during that time. During this time we did not let Twister wear his collar. Besides, he’s always inside with us, so there is no chance that he would get lost. Plus, he’s also microchipped.
June 9, 2018. Bob took Twister to the veterinarian because he was scratching at his neck and irritating the wounds. Our veterinarian told us to wipe the area with a warm, damp clean cloth then apply Neosporin to the area where the skin was raw. The medication that was Apoquel (Oclacitinib)16mg. Give one half tablet by mouth every 12 hours for seven days. Then give one half tablet by mouth every 24 hours until gone.
The vet also noticed a pink area in Twister’s tummy. The vet suspected the pink area was due to an allergy. Twister no longer has the pink area.The medication helped to get rid of this. He scratches a little which is normal. His neck is better.
June 11, 2018. Because we were worried about fleas bothering Twister, we started scattering diatomaceous earth in our backyard, especially in the areas where Bob takes Twister for a stroll. Twister is still taking his meds. But he only wears his harness when he goes for a walk. He looks so much better and the wounds on his neck that were caused by the scraping of that stiff cone are healing.
We are also trying to patch up the holes that Twister made in our backyard tool shed. Apparently, he must’ve seen something go in there and was trying to capture it. (Maybe that’s how he injured his foot.)
To keep Twister away from the tool shed, my husband set a have a heart trap inside the shed. He captured a possum and released it in a habitat near a creek where he would be happier. He repeated the procedure on another day and captured a field mouse that he also released in the same area.
A Better Way to Make Twister Swallow a Pill
May 22, 2018. Twister’s stitches and cone were removed. During this time Twister had to take medications. One was a pill that he just didn’t like. Maybe it had a bitter taste. Anyway, he just didn’t want to take it even if we inserted the pill in a weiner or coated it with butter. But, my husband was smart. Fortunately, my husband knew dogs liked peanut butter. He knew about this from seeing a dog show where an object containing peanut butter entertained the dog while the owners were away. So, he lightly coated the pill with peanut butter and handed it to Twister who devoured the pill as though it was a dog treat..
Did you know that dogs like peanut butter? For sure, I didn’t know!
Ultrasound time
I am happy to report that Twister looks fine. He acts like a normal dog. He wants to chase squirrels and lizards. In short, anything that moves. He doesn’t limp or hurt when we examine his leg. My husband walks him with a leash in the backyard as often as possible.
In about 2 1/2 weeks, an ultrasound will determine if there are any changes in his leg that the CT scan didn’t capture. In the meantime, we wait, pray, play with Twister, and keep him happy.
M. E. Murray 
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