Mancat Monday

The mancats had a great weekend.  We spent most of Friday cleaning and getting ready for our parents and an Aunt and Uncle to visit on Saturday for Easter.  We tried to pick up most of the boys toys and put them away so our house didn't look like a pet store!  

 Tanner laid on this circle, which had some toys piled in it, so we wouldn't put it away too!

When mom came down, she brought Oliver his new blanket.  She has crocheted a blanket for each of my boys and didn't want him to be left out.  I love the burnt orange with the grey and white! 

Here's Oliver and Cousin Georgie checking out Ollie's blanket.  And yes, Cousin Georgie got a new blanket too...his is red, white and grey. 

We hope everyone enjoyed their week and holiday weekend.

Come back tomorrow as we celebrate Tanner's 13th birthday!  There might be some cute baby pics :)

Tanner Tuesday

Tanner has enjoyed his week off from appointments.  He continues to eat well and be active.

He did lose about 3 ounces this week, even with all of his eating...so we continue to work with him.

His GI bloodwork came back mostly normal.  His B-12 and his folate levels were fine.  The pancreas levels were mildly elevated, but she isn't concerned about that because he isn't experiencing any symptoms (vomiting, inappetence, etc...)  She also stated that there wasn't any real treatment for pancreatitis, just supporting them through the episode.

Tanner continues to be a mystery and a good medical case study for these students.  My cat mom instinct makes me think that it will just take a bit more time for his system to settle down after all he went through.  We continue to see improvements in his appetite (he eats at least 4 cans of food a day, along with dry food), we see increases in the desire to play, his coat is improved and he feels much softer.  Even though, the vets don't think we are seeing side effects from the chemo, I can't help but think we are.  

I know humans that have been through cancer treatments and they aren't 100% back to normal the day or week or month after the chemo has stopped, so I don't know why they would think an animal would bounce back that quickly.  Now, I know he didn't have the same damaging levels of chemo that humans receive, but there still has to be some effects.

For now, I will continue to support him and offer him all he wants to eat.  Either he will start to gain weight, or he will make his condition more obvious!  We will enjoy our break and live life to the fullest.

I woke up last night to the sound of two brothers washing each other in the bed...music to my ears!

Mancat Monday

The mancats had a wonderfully relaxing weekend. The weather was too cool to open the windows, but we were able to bring in some fresh catnip to enjoy. We had a couple of shipments come in from Amazon (Tanners gifts) and the boxes had brown paper in them for the boys! 

Oliver was loving it!  I think it reminded him of his kitten days because when he came to live with us, we also had brown paper on the floor.  That was his safe spot, and he would stay on the paper when he was downstairs with us at night.  It took him a while to start venturing around the living room. 

Tanner is feeling much better these days, and I hope to hear results soon on his GI blood work from last week.

Here's a quick video showing the boys play fighting...

It's also HERE on youtube.

Tanner Tuesday

So Tanner spent the day at the vet school yesterday...short answer - All Clear!  He does not have to go back for 5 weeks!!!

Now for those that want details :)

Tanner had his abdominal ultrasound which showed that the kidneys and other organs they look at remained stable or mildly improved.  His kidneys always look abnormal on the ultrasound, which is why they did the aspirates to check for disease in January.

The cardiology team performed an echocardiogram and his HCM is still stable as well.  Recommend recheck in 12-18 months.

Remission Status: NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE

His weight was down slightly this month 5.34kg or 11 lbs 7 ounces.  They ran a GI Panel on him (more blood work) but it can take up to a week to get those results.  His eating has actually improved over the past week.  We increased his dose of famotadine and I think that is making a huge difference for him!  This morning, he ate his can of food, finished Oliver's plate and then needed a second can, which he did not finish yet.  This is much more normal for Tanner, so I hope to see some weight gain soon.  I don't want him to put on a ton of weight, but a pound would be nice and at least show us that he CAN gain weight.  It is important, I think, for a cat to have a little cushion, so if they do get sick, there is some wiggle room for losing weight.

Blood work:

Still slightly anemic - monitoring only at this time

All other values (BUN, creatinine, phosphorus, potassium) are within the correct range, either high normal or low normal.

His medications remain the same for us at home.

Tanner is spending more time playing, as the photo above shows.  These crinkle balls are his favorites and he totes one around quite often.

His 13th birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks (April 7th) so I am trying to think of something special to do for him!

Mancat Monday

This weekend was lovely here in the South...it was perfect window opening weather.

Everyone came to a truce and enjoyed the front window.  Left to Right - Tanner, Georgie, Pirate, Sophie. 

Oliver hung out in the living room...there is a tree right outside this window with suet feeders, so it gets a lot of activity :) 

Tanner jumped in the stroller and acted like he wanted to go for a ride, so I took him for a walk.  Today, Tanner is hanging out at the vet school getting another monthly checkup.   

These daffodils were given to me by a friend.  She saw the name of them and thought of my boy Devon.  These are called "Red Devon"  This is their first year blooming, so they look a bit scrawny...they will get stronger each year!

Do you have blooms where you live yet?

Wacky Wednesday

Today's Wacky Wednesday, features Oliver again!  He has learned how to give a high five, sort of, and would like to show off his new skill.  Enjoy!

Once he does the trick, we go and play, so he has learned this is a great way to ask to play :)

Here it is on youtube, if the above doesn't work.

http://youtu.be/DybzxCJAi_k

Tanner Tuesday

Tanner has been working hard at eating more.  He downs a few cans of food a day and some hard food, but he still lost a few ounces this week of weight.  His Thyroid test came back normal, so they will be doing the GI test to see if there is an absorptive issue in a couple of weeks when he goes back to the vet school.

Trying to find flavors that he likes and are still low in phosphorus, or a special kidney diet is challenging.  So far, we have tried all the kidney canned diets we can find. He will take a lick or two, but then walk away.  I went to Tanya's CRF site and found a bunch of foods that are low in phosphorus.  I picked up about 20 cans of various flavors to see what he would like.  I am keeping a list so we will know for the future.  He is doing better with these, but they still don't measure up to his favorites (ProPlan Chicken and Liver, Chicken Entree, or Fancy Feast Turkey Florentine)  I usually end up giving him a can or two of his favorites because he needs to be eating.

He goes to the vet on Thursday for blood work...kidney values, phosphorus, and potassium levels.

He is doing well overall and plays hard in the evenings.  He is taking his pills better this week too, but I am going to ask if any of his meds come in an injectible form.  At least it will give us some options.  He has been taking pills daily for 10 years now, so I can understand that he is getting a bit tired of it!

Tanner's daily medicine schedule is as follows:

Morning:

1/4 Atenolol

1/2 Benazepril

1 Tamil-K

Evening:

1/4 Atenolol

1/4 Clopidogrel

1 Tamil-K

Evening:

0.07cc injection of Famotadine

75mls sub q fluids

Well, that's it for Tanner this week...thanks for the continued purrs.  Your support during these last months has sustained us more than you realize!

Mancat Monday

The mancats had a quiet week.  It was well deserved and needed.

Tanner and Oliver were able to get in some snuggles and washes.  Sorry for the quality, I was sitting across the room, and tried to zoom with the phone.  This was nice to see, as Oliver has not wanted to hang out with Tanner as much lately. 

Tanner found a nice sunny spot and soaked up the rays.  His back leg is completely dangling from the chair! 

Our weather turned beautiful and fairly warm this weekend, so we opened the windows!  Oliver loved it, as he is now the only one we don't trust to take outside.  He gets spooked very easily and tries to run away when you go to catch him...not a good combination for going out in the big world! 

Cousin Georgie was able to go out some with the big cats.  Now keep in mind, that we are standing there with them...they are supervised.  He did pretty well, but was happy watching the birds from inside too.

By the evening, all the cats were completely wiped out and sleeping hard in the den.  We normally don't see Oliver resting so much, so it was quite funny.  Of course, he woke up when it was time to go to bed and he talked for about two hours!  I finally convinced him to come to bed and be quiet about midnight...silly boy!

Tanner Tuesday

Once Tanner was finished with his vet appointment the rest of his week was pretty laid back.  During the snow days and time off with him, I focused on making sure he ate well.  I did an appetite stimulant to see if that would encourage him to go ahead and eat the kidney diet food, but he still refused.  This food is lower in phosphorus than most other foods and would help bring this number down for him.  

He spent a good bit of time in the sun, soaking up the rays.  Notice his freshly shaved belly again! 

Back to eating...he is doing well, as long as it isn't kidney diet.  I need to order some of the different kidney diets in canned variety to see if he maybe would prefer another one.  He started out liking the Hills KD canned, and will still take a few licks, but will not just eat it.  We waste the majority of the can.  

For those of you with kidney cats, which brand did your cats prefer?  Or did you just not worry about it and feed whatever they want?

Here's a quick video of Tanner playing on Sunday...he has been extremely frisky lately and he asks to play a lot.  He and Oliver are doing really well about taking turns during playtime!

http://youtu.be/RdEFpIyW6jQ

Mancat Monday

The weather this past week was a special treat for those of us in the South.  We were blessed with two snows in the same week!  The first was just a small amount that was practically melted by the afternoon.  The other left us with several inches of beautiful, heavy wet snow!

The trees were weighted down! 

Oliver and Tanner loved watched the big clumps as they fell off the branches.  Of course the birds were out in mass as well! 

Tanner didn't get tossed out in the snow because of his shaved belly this year...I think he was thankful to just sit and watch! 

Oliver had to endure our fun and games...as Auntie went to sit him down in the snow, he had all of his toes spread out...he really didn't want to get his feet wet!  He quickly ran back inside!  The cold and wet are not for these mancats.

Tanner Tuesday

Tanner spent yesterday at the vet school having his monthly recheck.  This involved a physical exam, blood work and an abdominal ultrasound.

The results of the ultrasound were unchanged, so he remains in remission!

His blood work showed an improvement in the kidney values

BUN = 30 (was 71)

Creatinine = 1.7 (was 2.7)

His phosphorus was slightly elevated and will need to be rechecked in two weeks.  If this doesn't go back down on its own, then there is a supplement he can take to help him.

His potassium was within normal limits, so the supplements are working!

He is anemic again...nothing needs to be done at this time.

He has lost more weight.  Current weight is 5.45kg or 12 pounds.  The vet ran a T4 (thyroid) test and we are waiting on the results.  She said if he doesn't come back Hyper-T then next month we will run a GI panel to make sure he doesn't have an absorptive disorder.

At home, Tanner is eating well and playing hard.  He is taking his meds and fluids like a champ!  I will continue to cherish my moments with him and do what I can to keep him healthy and stable.

Wordy Wednesday

This week, our Wednesday post will combine all the posts for the week!

We will start with Tanner...who has learned to love sitting on laps these days!  He seems to enjoy snuggling in the evenings while we are watching tv, although he thinks he should be petted the entire time he is sitting there!  He loves his head rubbed, he face and his arm...

Tanner gained a couple of ounces this week, so that is good for him!  He weighs 12 lb 11 oz now.  He has been doing well with his eating, although I am starting to see it taper a bit.  I think an appetite stimulant is in his near future :)  We have decreased the fluids to 50 mls daily, and I wonder if he is starting to feel the effects of slight dehydration again?  I will speak with the vet school on Monday when he goes in for his monthly appointment.  At this appointment they will checking blood work and repeating the abdominal ultrasound to make sure the lymphoma is still in remission.

We have had a couple of days off work, due to a small amount of snow but a fair amount of ice.  It's been nice to be home with the boys!  I do believe they were ready for us to go back to work today though.  Oliver gets so tired when we are home because he won't allow himself to miss anything...he HAS to know what we are doing!  By the evening, he is just wiped out and can't go any longer.  This is a quick video of him playing with one of their favorite toys.

It's HERE on youtube if the above doesn't work.

We hope everyone is staying warm and safe this winter...we are ready for Spring!

Wacky Wednesday

Today's Wacky Wednesday post is brought to you by Oliver...

Oliver does not like when we mess with the silverware, especially trying to dry it and put it away.  It's quite funny to us, because it doesn't matter where he is, he will talk and tell you to stop :)  If the video above doesn't work, here is a link to youtube.

http://youtu.be/5Aq0Us7fhss

Have I mentioned lately that Oliver is a nut?

Tanner Tuesday

I don't want to jinx us, but I feel Tanner has turned a corner to wellness again!  Last week, he went to the vet to once again check his kidney and potassium values.  The BUN has decreased, and creatinine remained the same.  The potassium level is on the low end of the range, but is at least within the range now!   Symptomatically, Tanner was still experiencing dehydration and not wanting to eat much.  He had lost more weight and now weighs 12 lbs 7 ounces.  The vet wasn't overly concerned about the weight loss, as he felt most of it was water weight from the dehydration.

We devised a new plan to try for a week, and then re-evaluate.  Tanner is getting 100 mls of fluid daily to help with the dehydration.  He is getting a shot of famotidine daily in case his stomach is too acidic.  He gets an appetite stimulant every two days.

This morning, Tanner was the first one down the stairs to get breakfast!  Last night, he did not want to sit still for his fluids...the fight is coming back in Tanner!!  He is feeling better!

He still seems slightly dehydrated to me before getting his fluids, but less than he was a few days ago.  The appetite pills have him chowing down, so maybe he will gain a bit of weight this week for me.  He is on a fish kick right now and prefers those flavors over chicken or turkey.

Notice, in the picture above, Tanner is wearing his new survivor bandana.  According to the etsy site we ordered from, the lime green ribbon is for lymphoma.  I think this looks very pretty with Tanners orange furs.

What's coming up for Tanner?

Thursday, February 12th - Check up with the regular vet, revisit our plan, repeat blood work

Monday, February 23rd - Vet school visit for blood work, check up, and ultrasound

Thanks for checking in on my boy and sending him purrs!

Mancat Monday

This post is mostly about Oliver...he is a mancat that keeps life interesting!

The black tornado at work...getting into cabinets can lead to messes :)  Thankfully, no one tried to eat these pods of  dishwasher liquid!

Here is a video of Oliver, trying to drink from the bathroom faucet.  He loves running water and wants to drink several times a day.  The problem is, that he seems to snort the water more than drink it!  I don't want him to create a problem, like pneumonia...does anyone else have a cat that just can't figure out how to drink safely from running water?  We have unplugged their fountain for this reason too!

http://youtu.be/dIDeFQh45io

Mancats are crazy!!

Mancat Monday

Tanner has had a pretty good week at home.  He has turned into quite the lap cat too!  He insists on either sitting completely on your lap, or propped up on your legs, and prefers to be covered up with the down throw.  He gets all toasty warm and takes a nice long nap, complete with twitching paws!

Tanner lost weight again this week and now weighs 13 lbs 1 oz.  I was actually hoping he would gain, as he really doesn't need to lose anymore weight.  You can easily feel each bone in his spine!  He is still eating pretty well, but I can tell there are times when he is hungry, but nothing seems to be what he wants.  We are opening multiple cans to find one that smells good to him.  I gave him a shot of famotidine over the weekend to see if that would help his stomach to feel better.  I wish he could tell me how he is feeling!

We stopped the antibiotic because he is having major diarrhea, even with the probiotic in his food.  I hope getting this out of his system will perk him up too.

He is doing well with taking his potassium pill, and he regular heart meds.  He is asking to play more, and will run around some.  His back legs are getting stronger looking, but if he stands with his feet too close together, he wobbles.

He seems dehydrated, so I have brought out the fluids and gave him 50ml on Thursday and Sunday.  This seems to help.  Tanner goes to the vet on Thursday afternoon for blood work recheck, and I made an actual appointment to have time with the vet as well.  I want to talk about how much fluid and how often can we safely give them.  I need to know that we are doing all we can right now to support Tanner and give him good quality.

Mancat Monday

Oliver and Tanner had a big week last week.  The stress of time away from one another, and the relief of achieving complete remission after so many months of fighting, have taken their toll on the boys!

This weekend was a time for catching up on sleep!  The Mancats are tired!  Tanner is trying to get his strength back and catch up on lost sleep from spending two nights at the vet school.  Oliver seems to be coming down with a cold, lots of sneezing and a crusty nose, so he is more subdued lately too. 

This photo is from Saturday, Tanners first day back home.  He was simply exhausted!  Do you see one of his bruises on his side? (purplish spot near the blanket edge)  This is from the kidney aspirates.  He has a couple other smaller places on his belly from the liver and spleen aspirates. 

Tanner is eating pretty good these days.  He is now on a canned kidney diet, and seems to enjoy it.  He actually needs to put a bit of weight back on, as he is really bony. (yes, I see his pouch)  He currently weighs 13 pounds 7 ounces.  This is down a pound from where he had been maintaining.

He is feeling better though, and playing more each day.  We will go next week and have the renal values checked again.  Then in late February we will have another ultrasound to monitor him.  The oncologists are hoping that we just did a small amount of damage to the kidneys, and this increased value will be his new normal, and we will just hang out here for a long while to come.  We will be closely monitoring the values to watch for rising trends and respond/treat accordingly.  Right now, he only needs special food to help make it easier for the kidneys to process.

Tanner is enjoying some play time as well.  This video doesn't show a lot of movement, but he is getting around better each day...last night he was jumping some for his string!  The potassium levels have come up slightly (at least he is in the correct range now, just the low end), so he is less wobbly.  Enjoy the photo bomb by Oliver!

If it doesn't play above, here is a link to the youtube site...

http://youtu.be/f11RBrkafjg

Tanner Update

UPDATED at 5:30pm to add:

The results of the kidney aspirates are back...NO LYMPHOMA!!!  He has achieved COMPLETE remission!

He is going to spend one more night at the vet school though getting more fluid, as his kidney values did not come down as much as they would have liked.  I hope the increased values are simply side effects from the chemo, and we can get it back under control now that we are getting a break.  I will learn more tomorrow when I pick him up.

Original Post:

Tanner went to the vet school yesterday for a checkup, bloodwork, abdominal ultrasound, and potentially chemo.  They called in the early afternoon and said he was not going to get his chemo, because the kidney values came back slightly higher than they were on Monday.  The doxorubicin is known to be hard on kidneys, so they did not feel comfortable giving it.  

They did the ultrasound, and it remained unchanged from all the previous ones, so that is good news.  They took aspirates of his liver and spleen and the results came back not showing any lymphoma in those organs!

They tried to get aspirates of the kidneys, but Tanner was not cooperating for that, even with a mild sedation. 

Due to the increase in the kidney values, they recommended keeping him over night, giving him fluids to see if the numbers will improve.  He was slightly dehydrated at the visit as well.  So Tanner spent the night in the intermediate care ward getting fluids and being monitored.

They called a few minutes ago, and he did well overnight.  They took him out of his cage several times and tried to play with him, or just let him explore.  It sounds like they tried to make his stay pleasant.  He had a box in his cage, as well as the fleece blanket I had put in his carrier.  He ate well for them, but did fast overnight again, as they are going to more heavily sedate him and try the kidney aspirates again today.

So to summarize...

Renal Values - UP

Potassium - Still low

Red Cell Count - Anemic

Ultrasound - Unchanged

Liver and Spleen - NO Lymphoma

Kidneys - Pending aspirates today

Keeping sending those prayers...they are working!

Tanner Tuesday

Well, Tanner started eating a little better last week after starting him on the nausea pills, so I did not take him to his "reserved emergency" appointment on Thursday.  I should have known better since we were heading into a holiday weekend!  By Saturday, Tanner was not eating well at all.  I could tell he just didn't feel real well, but wasn't sure how to help him.  He also seemed a bit wobbly on his back legs.

Sunday we weighed like normal, and he had lost a significant amount of weight.  I knew I was taking him somewhere on Monday (the holiday) and hoping our regular vet was open, because I knew the vet school clinics were closed.  Thankfully, when I called Monday morning they answered!  They worked us in that morning and we ran blood work.  I thought maybe his renal values would have gone up considerably and that would be the cause of the lack of appetite.  They were not too high actually when the numbers came back...even the vet was a bit surprised.  His potassium levels were very low though...this could explain the weakness and overall icky feeling. 

We started on some potassium supplements, an appetite stimulant and he was given a small amount of  fluids because he was dehydrated.  By the afternoon, he was snacking away pretty well,but still wobbly as you can tell by his back legs.  We had beautiful warm weather, so some time in the sun was good medicine too.

He will be going to the vet school on Thursday for a check up, ultrasound, blood work, biopsies maybe, and potentially his last dose of chemo, if they deem he is able to handle it.  I hope these new symptoms and issues are just side effects from all the chemo, and once we get it out of his system he will bounce back for me.  Right now, we are just supporting him through this and waiting to see what is found on Thursday.

Everyone keep sending purrs...we have another hurdle to cross!

Tanner Tuesday

Yesterday, Tanner and I zipped over to the vet school for a quick blood draw.  He did great, and his blood work showed he was fine to receive his cyclophosphamide. 

There are three capsules in the bottle, and they give me these gloves to wear. Of course, no chemo pills would be complete without some yummy ice cream to wash it all down! The flavor of the week is Butter Pecan. 

Tanner did great as usual and enjoyed a small portion of ice cream.  He did not want to come into the kitchen this week, so I just put a little in a bowl, and let him lick between pills.  He did not eat all of that, by the way.

 

Tanner continues to lose weight, and is actually not acting very hungry these days.  He is eating, but not all the time like normal.  He will actually leave canned food on his plate and just walk away.  I am going to call and see if I should try giving the anti-nausea pills daily for a while to see if he will perk up.  He still asks to play some, and enjoys getting brushed.  His eyes are running some, so I wonder if he is coming down with a cold?  We are adding lysine to his food to help fight that off.

 

Please continue to send healing purrs to my boy...we have come so far!

Wacky Wednesday

Here are two videos showing what Oliver has learned...do any of your cats do this?

 

 

http://youtu.be/CCNkGG-p1ug

 

 

http://youtu.be/G4pDxv9szGs

 

 

Tanner Tuesday

Tanner is at the vet school starting the last round of his current chemo protocol!  Today is vincristine day, which is an iv chemo for him.  He continues to do well, and is eating anything you give him basically.  We have been giving higher calorie cans of food, instead of his calorie control because he is starting to lose weight. 

 

The photo above is him and Oliver.  Tanner is trying to get Oliver to move because Ollie is in the best hole in the couch cushions!  Please tell me I am not the only one with squashed couch cushions!  Oliver finally took the hint and moved to another location. 

 

This is what Tanner wanted to do...

 

 

Pick his toes! 

 

If this video doesn't play, here is a link to youtube

 

http://youtu.be/mfMPzCcV8Ac

 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all of our readers!  We are a bit behind on getting this posted and we are combining a few different topics in this one post...Christmas and a Tanner update.

Tanner and Oliver had a wonderful Christmas as far as Santa visiting.  He was very good to the boys, as they have been very good this year!  Oliver is loving his new cardboard scratcher/bed. 

Tanner immediately took over the bed that was bought for Oliver.  I picked up this bed at PetSmart after Halloween.  It is hard to find orange things at Christmas, so I had to get creative :)  Tanner is laying with his green toys he got...a new frog catnip toy, catnip pillow, a bunch of crinkle balls, a new paper style toy, and some yummy shortbread cookies! 

Tanner also loved the new circle scratcher and loved his crinkle balls!  He carried one around every where he went the rest of the day.  The next morning, there were two in the water fountain, and one in the potty! I think the boy had a great time. 

The boys got a couple of new ornaments this year...Oliver had to have an "O" 

Even Smokey got a new ornament...a beautiful purple heart. 

Ollie scored a new orange bird...he loves to chatter at his birds! 

Tanner's ornament is actually a phone charm from Japan.  I thought the orange cat, holding a green flower was perfect! 

Of course a new family ornament for my sweet boys!

Here is a photo of their goodies...Oliver has the orange crab and orange pillow.  He also got some crinkle balls and a couple of other toys.  This new circle is a hit. Tanner also scored another X scratcher.   

Our parents ended up sick for Christmas and were unable to come up...we will celebrate later with them.  Auntie and I took the extra time to touch up the paint on the walls...Oliver has to help.  He ended up with paint on his nose, his tail, his side and his foot.  He had to get a quick wipe down when we were done! 

We took the tree down pretty early this year.  We were unable to plug it in and enjoy the lights because a certain black tornado kept chewing on the cords and plucking the lights off the tree!  We also only put a few ornaments on the tree because a certain cousin climbed the tree every day.  It was a bit sad in the decoration department this year at our house, so we were glad to just take it down!  Due to several severed cords, the tree was a fire hazard, so we just threw it away.  Oliver and Tanner helped us with this process.  They decided, Santa had already visited, so being good was not needed any longer!

All in all, we have had a wonderful holiday, and I have enjoyed my time off with the boys.  2014 has been a year with many highs, such as my wonderful trip to Kenya, and some terrible lows...the death of Smokey and Tanner's cancer diagnosis.  Even with the ups and downs, we remain a family, and I have learned to cherish every moment we are given.  I love the friendships this blog has brought to our family.  My wish for 2015 is for good health, cherished memories, love and friendship to us all!

Tanner's medical update: He spent part of Tuesday at the vet school.  They did a few blood tests and a physical exam to see how his kidney values are looking.  His phosphorous levels were back down to normal.  The BUN and creatinine were still high, but remained about the same as the week before.  They are not sure if this is actually the beginning of chronic kidney disease, or if it is a side effect from the chemo.  For now, we are just monitoring.  I am still adding the water to his canned food, and since I had some kidney diet food left over from Smokey, Tanner is getting some of that mixed in with his regular hard food.  Tan becomes a bit complicated again because of his heart disease, so if the numbers continue to go up, we will need a consult with oncology, cardiology and internal medicine to determine the best treatment course for him.  He continues to act normal, and eat well.  Tonight, we were playing and he was even jumping for his string!  I pray that 2015 will bring around the miracle that he so deserves.  Thank you all for the continued purrs!