UPs and DOWNs...

 Three weeks ago I was awakened by Lukas scrabbling madly in his litter box, As the morning fog cleared the brain, I realized he was having difficulty and called to alert his vet, forgetting that she was on vacation until the following week. What transpired over the next few hours led me to beg a friend to take a very grumpy feline to a veterinary emergency clinic nearby. She did so and was seen while I was contacted regarding cost and sedation for a de-ostipation procedure. He was so uncomfortable that sedation was the only way to handle Lukas. Risk was involved because of his vascular/cardiac issue so I spent a restless night not knowing whether he would come home. Fortune smiled on both of us as the majority of his bill was covered by insurance and he came back happily relieved of the giant poo ball clogging his rectum. He now gets 2ml of lactulose with his meals and subcu fluids at the vets three times per week. He is for the most part happy and affectionate but also  requires three daily meds which he takes in flavored pill pockets and considers treats.

The head tech at the cat hospital he normally goes to decided, on the day of the vets return to let her know that Lukas was down a pound in weight via text. This was followed by a request for blood and urine samples and a decision to give Lukas lactulose in the office because the small bottle from the emergency clinic was still in the bag. All of these decisions and actions were done without a word to me which left me furious. That only increased when Lukas left a small lake of red blood in his box later in the day. The bottle in the bag has been removed and I now leave verbal warnings not to medicate him in the office when he visits. I even called a recommended Mobile Vet but she is not set up to come here three times per week for his fluids. In the meantime I've had to hire a second pet transport person because the first is taking a month off in September...

The new person is experienced, licensed and bonded and has a cats-only pet sitting concern. She has been reliable and kind to my cat, a win for us both.

Cheers!