Lily has a heart condition. Her test results came back showing that her thyroid, kidneys and liver were good. Her heart...not so much. She has a rapid heart murmur and I could take the next step and have ultra sound and other intrusive tests done on her but I have decided not to. Tests would give the vet direction as to what pills Lily would go on for the rest of her life but there are side effects. Lily stopped eating because of the steroids in the ear medication. It knocked her to the floor. She was lethargic and had no appetite whatsoever. When the problem was discovered we took her off the steroids and her appetite is now back to normal.
I had a long talk with my vet. She thinks that if Lily is eating well (which she is again) and acting quite normal, considering she is slowing down in her 17th year, holding onto and hopefully gaining some weight in the future and all around content, the best to do for her, other than on-going B12 shots, is nothing. I'm told she is not in any pain and to just keep her life 'stress-free'. Well, I think her life is pretty stress-free so we'll just carry on. And that's that!
Thank you all for your kind thoughts for Lily. I appreciated your heartfelt concern for this sweet girl.
Hugs to you and Lily... blessings ~ tanna
ReplyDeleteI gotta say, doing nothing is sometimes the hardest thing! I think Lily will be happiest that way. May her days with you and Mr. Ed be many and filled with love.
ReplyDeleteoh your babies are so cute and precious together..glad to hear she is eating and enjoying..it is so hard when they get to her age..just love and more love.;)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Lily is so lucky to have you. Enjoy your time with her.
ReplyDeleteThank you for removing the snowflake mugs...Spring will now feel welcome. Poor baby Lily..we had an elderly cat with a heart problem ...we had her meds compounded as a cream to rub inside her ear....much easier on our dear old girl. She looks so content with Mr Ed.
ReplyDeleteGive her an ear rub from me..
Jane x
Lovely Lily! I think she is happy and that is all we can ask for our sweet pets. Snuggly hugs to you all. Linda
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad when our furbabies get old and the health starts to go. You have made a wise decision friend. Just take each day as it comes.
ReplyDeleteAwww...sweet Lily. It's so difficult sometimes to decide the best course of action, but I think you're doing the right thing. I sure wish I lived near you so you could cat sit for me when I travel! It's so hard to find someone who really understands cats!
ReplyDeleteI hope Lily does well and you have much more time together.
Hugs, Cindy
I think you're doing the right thing. It's hard to see out pets grow old.
ReplyDeleteLily is so pretty. I hope and pray that her murmur heals up and you all have many many more wonderful years together.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a good decision to me--yea for Lily!
ReplyDeleteI love that plan. So glad she is eating well! Being happy is the best that one can have in life!
ReplyDeleteSweet Lily. I do hope she continues to do better. It's a lovely photo. And down here in Michigan, no snow, though they're threatening for the weekend.... I'm so ready for spring!
ReplyDeleteKeep on keeping on Lily girl..we love you!!
ReplyDeleteHi Deb,my little girl with the heart problem also had progressive kidney failure. If there were any side effects I do not remember them (our vet was great and discussed everything with us in detail)..all I remember is that she seemed better..enjoyed having her ear rubs (meds) and lived to be 20..when the kidney failure finally just tired her out.
ReplyDeleteHope Lily is doing well.
Jane x
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ReplyDeleteHugs to you and Lily. You are so lucky you have had her for 17 years! I adopted Rocky and Riley when they were very young ... feral kitties. Rocky had a heart attack at three years of age and died at home. What a trauma for all of us -- two legged and four. I still miss him. Little Riley was given a more thorough exam her next vet visit and was found that she also had a heart condition ... one of the most difficult to treat. She had ultrasounds every 4 months and her meds were changed as needed. We added another year and half to her life. She seemed to enjoy her time with us. She played and purred and then one day she started nesting and quit eating and I knew that was the end. Too young! Give your Lily a hug and a big one for you, too!
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