Selwyn's Ongoing Health Issues

(September '24)

I'm updating this to be more current, but leaving in last year's saga, as it is relevant.

This is the present state of Selwyn's health. He was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism back in February '24. Since then he has had four comprehensive blood tests, which cost about $200 a piece. Fortunately, his meds are extremely inexpensive, since he only needs 1/2 of a pill per day, split into two doses. At his last vet visit, in early August, his Urea Nitrogen level was high, which can indicate that he is likely to develop chronic kidney disease in the near future. His Amylase was also high, which can be a sign of chronic pancreatitis. Because of these numbers, we need to have him checked again, very soon, both blood work and another urinalysis. On top of that, his vet said he really needs to get in to have a dental cleaning, as his gums and teeth are in terrible shape. He may also need extractions, but we won't know til the cleaning happens. I am currently setting the goal to cover just his next visit and lab work. I may end up getting titers checked for both rabies and FVRCP, since his health concerns make vaccinating him right now a little risky, given his history of robust reactions to vaccinations. Those run about $200 per test, but I feel like they would be important, just for peace of mind. If I decide to go ahead and have those tests done, I will post the invoice and raise the goal to account for the cost.

Fortunately, Selwyn has not had any bouts of cystitis since going on food that is balanced to control the formation of crystals and stones, and my feeling is some of his issue may also have stemmed from the things a hyperactive thyroid can do to ones body.

(October '23 information)

For the past year and a half, Selwyn has suffered from what two different vets have diagnosed as Idiopathic Cystitis - basically cystitis with no discernible physical cause. They both deduced that it was likely brought on by stress, and we have been treating the flares with Gabapentin as they come along, usually clearing up in 3 - 7 days.

Selwyn's most recent bout of cystitis started over two weeks ago, and would seem to get better, only to be worse a day or two later. Over the weekend he developed some worrisome symptoms that required a visit to the vet.

Yesterday (10/10/23) we took him to a new vet practice, where they did the usual urine and blood work, but also took an x-ray to check for stones. It turned out that yes, he had two bladder stones and they needed to be surgically removed. We left him overnight to prep for today's surgery. The cost of yesterday's visit, plus surgery, is a little over $1000, and we hope to be able to cover that.