Lola's Vet Visit - August 2015

[DeeDee]

Too bad topicals like benzocaine in Orajel are toxic to cats.

[Middle Child]

I do feel bad that she hurts, though she hides it carefully.  She's still eating so that's a plus. And she is not hoping away from her food as if it bit her (on of the symptoms Tolly used to have)

She still plays with Queen Eva a little, but only for a few minutes, then goes to sit under the table.

I am focusing on how much better she is going to feel after.  This should actually be in Mazy's own dental thread over in Cat, thread, not Lola's! LOL

[Pookie]

Lola cat is hurting, too, so it can apply to either thread (or both).   

I just checked my Natural Remedies for Cats book, and it had 2 suggestions.  One was applying ground cloves to the sore area, which I would NOT recommend, as a search found that cloves are toxic to cats.  The other was a tincture of echinacea and goldenseal, which from what I could find appear to be safe in cats.  The book mentioned Echinacea-Goldenseal Supreme by Gaia Herbs.  If anyone wants to research the safety of these herbs further, please feel free to share what you find.

I do have to say, that book is rather out-dated, which is why I check the information first.  The information in it isn't always reliable.

[DeeDee]

Yeah. As well as being toxic, cloves can cause blistering in some cases when the oil is still fresh enough in them.

But goldenseal and echinacea must be okay b/c they sell it at Only Natural:

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Animals-Apawthecary-Goldenseal-Echinacea-Blend/148012.aspx


And I found this on goldenseal:

http://theanimalherbalist.com/?page_id=174

As an anti-inflammatory, goldenseal is effective for ulcers and irritations of the mouth, upper respiratory tract, eyes,  and to lesser avail, the digestive and urinary tracts.  For conjunctivitis which is secondary to bacterial or fungal infection in dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, rodents, horses, or reptiles, a goldenseal eyewash will serve as a strong antimicrobial agent which also acts quickly to reduce inflammation and redness.  To use goldenseal in this capacity, make a strong tea from the chopped dry root, then add 12-20 drops of the dark golden yellow fluid into one ounce of sterile saline— the stuff marketed for people with contact lenses.  A few drops in each eye (or a fraction of a drop in small birds, rodents, and such) two or three times daily, will usually bring relief very quickly.  Internally, we like to use goldenseal in conjunction with garlic for ridding our dogs and cats of tapeworms, and we have received good reports from veterinarians we work with who find this combination useful for treating giardiasis or Escherichia coli (E-coli) infections in dogs, cats, and larger animals.  Studies of the active component, berberine, substantiate these claims2,3.

[Pookie]

The book mentioned Echinacea-Goldenseal Supreme by Gaia Herbs.

Bummer.  I just looked at this and uses an alcohol base.     I wouldn't use that in cats or dogs.

I don't know how safe saline solution is for pets (I suspect some of them have more than salt and water), but maybe using distilled water and salt as a base would work?

What concerns me is that comment mentioned using garlic to rid dogs and cats of tapeworms.  Garlic is toxic to cats, and from what I've read, it can cause anemia in dogs as well.

[DeeDee]

What concerns me the most is someone possibly thinking garlic would get rid of tapeworms in the first place. Then there's the ones that say use black walnut extract. No telling how many people have killed their dogs or horses letting them get into black walnuts that are on the ground.

There's a fine line of what's enough and what's too much when it comes to garlic and dogs. I'll use a very small bit for flavoring meaty cookies sometimes, but not often and not much. IMO, it would be just way too much for the dog if it killed anything inside of them.

[Middle Child]

Lola cat is hurting, too, so it can apply to either thread (or both).   

I know but I use threads to keep track of things sometimes.  So I need to copy some of these posts over to her thread so it is all in once place.  Maybe I'll work on that later today.

[Lola]

Just for the record, I don't care what others post in a thread.  I only separated this one from my other one, for my own sake.  Same reasons as MC. 

[Lola]

I also forgot to mention that Lola does this stretching thing with her paws and nails.  It is kinda like kneading, but isn't.  I took video of it on my phone, but the video is too large to transfer (easily) to my computer. 

I'm putting this info here, so that I will (hopefully) remember to see if that is one of the things that goes away after her dental. 

[Pookie]

Sending purrs to Lola (the person) and Lola-cat that the dental goes well today!   

[DeeDee]

  Too

[Lola]

Lola sleeps with me.  I had last night off.  4 am is breakfast time.  I got up, closed my bedroom door, and fed everyone else.  Boy does that ever SUCK!  More for her because I can't even explain why she is getting "miss-a-meal" for breakfast. 
First, she sat in the kitchen for a long time looking around.
When she couldn't get breakfast from me, she cried for a very long time.  I held her, talked to her, and petted her.  I tried to explain to her what was happening today.  She tried to explain to me that she didn't get breakfast!  Hello?! 
She gave up on me, and went to the sofa.
I went and cried in the shower.  She had no idea not getting breakfast was a walk in the park, compared to what was coming.

She was very quiet in the car.  I talked and petted her a bit more, while waiting to drop her off.  She stayed glued to the back of the carrier... wide eyed. 

They said she was first on the list today.  I hope so.  She should be ready for pick-up at 1 pm. 

As you all know... it is the not being able to explain and comfort their fears... that rips our guts out. 

Thanks for the purrs.  hugs to you all. 

[Pookie]

   I'm so sorry!  You tried to explain, that's all you can do.  I wonder if Feliway sprayed in the carrier would help her at all with the stress.

She will be fine, and she'll be feeling much better very soon.  Try to hold on to that.

HUGS

[Lola]

When I dropped Lola off, they told me that I could pick her up at 1.  Sooooo, when I saw they were calling at 10 am ... my mind started racing! 
They called to tell me that she is doing fine and I can pick her up at 1. 

When did I become such a drama queen...

[DeeDee]

Glad to hear she's doing okay!