Sunday, July 5, 2009
Cats in BROOKLYN that need new homes... HELP!
They are now in Brooklyn and need a new home asap.
Are there any Brooklyn cat lovers who can help?
http://picasaweb.google.com/andreaforanimals/HonorSCats?source=mmail
Friday, July 3, 2009
A poem for Lady Muffin (? - July 3, 2009)
By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
When their time on earth is over and done.
For here, between this world and the next,
Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.
No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
They romp through the grass, without even a care,
Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.
For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
Together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past, The time of their parting is over at last.
The sadness they felt while they were apart,
Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.
© 1998 Steve and Diane Bodofsky.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Hope is waning
Both eyes became scratched (possibly by her hair) and she had an abscess form on her shoulder. This picture shows one eye - and its apparently better! (Looks horrific to me!)
Hope for Muffin's (temporary) recovery is waning. Its been about 6 weeks, and if she were going to walk again, we'd see some signs by now. I asked Dr. Rovner if he still has hope and he did agree that he's not as hopeful as he was before.
I think it may be time to set a date by which we need to let her go if she's not significantly better.... What do you think?
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular
Friday, June 26, 2009
Muffin's abscess
She suddenly developed an abscess on her left shoulder. It opened up and was bleeding and oozing pus. It had to be cleaned and drained, and (mostly) stitched up. It appears another one is forming on the other shoulder, as well.
She also has scratches on both corneas suddenly. We've been treating her for an eye infection but the crust there has apparently scratched her eyes. (Its possible that she may be sleeping with her eyes open, which would also cause them to be dried out and easily scratched.) We really don't know how these things have come about so suddenly.
She's on pain medicine again and new eye drops, and will be back to see Dr. Rovner on Tuesday morning.
:(
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Progress
I cannot help but notice the slight - but very meaningful - improvement. Note the way her forelegs are bent around my leg in this picture. Her back legs are also relaxed. The stiffness seems greatly diminished. Something is beginning to work.
I feel compelled, also, to discuss a moral dilemma with which I have been dealing. Considering the hemangiosarcoma, is it right to "keep her going" and trying to enable her to once again walk on her own? I think so.
My family and a few of my friends do not agree. In fact, I had a huge argument with my younger sister and several smaller ones with both of my parents about this subject. Everyone seems to be telling me to put her to sleep.
My friends and acquaintances met through rescue work and facebook, however, seem to agree, instead, with me. Dr. Rovner, her veterinarian, also agrees that we are doing what is right for Muffin. There is hope.
First of all, if she were in pain, this would be a totally different story. She was in pain from her infected teeth and mouth - we took care of that. She is *not* in any physical pain now.
Second, the cancer was, at the time at least, isolated in her spleen. We got it out. She healed well. For the cancer, we are treating her with: 75,000 IU of Vitamin A with 3,000 IU of Vitamin D, plus a Chinese herb combination called Shao Fu Zhu Yu Tang, which is specifically designed to combat hemangiosarcoma. It contains 9 herbs, including fennel seed and Corydalis. There is hope here.
She's already been very lucky in that 1) it was isolated to the spleen whereas in most
cases its already too late once diagnosed, and 2) we found Dr. Rovner. We could not have afforded to treat her, nor could we have known about the Chinese remedy. He put in a lot of his own personal time and effort to research this. He is our hero.
Finally, even though progress is slow, I believe Muffin will walk again. We are treating her with prednisolone twice daily, Pepcid AC to protect her stomach from the medications, and acupuncture. There is also a Chinese herb for back problems on the way.
I met a lady and her dog Tuesday in Dr. Rovner's waiting room whose dog recovered from one sided paralysis through acupuncture and chiropractic treatment. It took her 2 months to recover, but she is still walking 8 years later. There is hope.
Dr. Rovner has hope for Muffin. I have hope for Muffin. Her supporters who have donated money and spread the word about her to get her what she needs have hope. Most importantly, though, I believe Muffin has hope. She communicates very effectively, eats well, and is happy despite her condition. She is *not* ready to go.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Cosmetic and Convenience Surgeries in Companion Animals | The Humane Society of the United States
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular
Friday, June 12, 2009
OMG
Muffin was crying and stopped. I turned around and was amazed seeing this. Eddie has always been mean to Muffin, even trying to bite her when she accidentally nudged him when he was sleeping not too long ago.
I am so happy!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular
