Dear
Julie
Amazing---I was thinking of you just at the weekend,
and thinking I must send you an email just to say hi----so it's so good to hear
from you!
I am
so sorry for the awful time----the hel*lish ordeal---you and your husband have
endured. I can totally understand that while you both feel fortunate for the
outcome, you must indeed be very angry about what could have happened. I hope
you and your husband can now look forward to his continuing
recovery.
I'm
sorry too about your workplace yuckiness--who needs that?---and I really hope
things improve vastly and soon on that front for you too.
Good
to hear Brownie is feeling a lot better, but I'm sorry Tater Tot is having such
a difficult time. I'm sending out lots of positive healing vibes for the
little soul, and praying along with you that his condition is treatable. When
will you know?
Wish I
had some advice about the fleas, but I know others will jump in. (Is this a time
to get professional help--is it even worthwhile? ie do they use the "real thing"
whatever that may be? I've hired mice people in the past and it worked like a
dream in contrast to my efforts--never saw a mouse again---but I don't know
about fleas.)
A thought: my building (I live in a 12-unit condo building) has had an
invasion of roaches this year for the first time in my 9 years of living there.
So far, knock on wood, I haven't seen one yet, and I don't know if this is the
reason, but I bought 2 electronic repellents from
I just checked, and they profess to
repel fleas too. They offer a 30-day guarantee, so you can't lose--I did have to send one
back, because it was defective (it's supposed to be silent to the human ear but
I could hear the buzz it made) and the
company were good to deal with---they sent a replacement immediately along with
a postage paid envelope to send the original back. Anyway, just a
thought!
Hope the remainder
of 2005 improves hugely for you and all of yours---I can't think of anyone
who deserves a BIG break more,
take care, Julie,
love and hugs,
Kerry
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Julie Johnson
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 9:41 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Hi Everyone
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Julie Johnson
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 9:41 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Hi Everyone
Dear Friends,
I tried to get thru my overflowing (months!) of email and it just wasn't
going to happen. I can see that we have suffered some terrible losses and
my heart goes out to everyone who has lost a beloved companion; I hope your
memories will comfort you. It also seems that we have new members; the
reason for finding this group is always sad, but you will never find a group of
more loving, caring friends.
Some of you might remember that last winter my husband was diagnosed with
multiple aneurysms; the most serious was in his abdomen and after weeks of tests
and referrals, he was scheduled for surgery because the abdominal aneurysm was
felt to be in danger of rupture. He had that surgery and came through it
well. He was home for about a week and one morning we were up having
coffee and he suddenly got this really strange look on his face; I asked if he
needed pain medication and he said, "no; I'm blind". OK; bit of a heart-stopper
there. He was rushed to the ER and it was finally determined that his left
carotid artery was completely blocked and he'd actually had blood flow stop
temporarily. He was transferred by ambulance back to the hospital in
Hartford where he had his prior surgery (we live about 30 miles east) and had
emergency surgery to clean out the artery. I repeatedly asked how this
could have been missed after all the screening that was ! done pre-surgery since
he is a high-risk patient (diabetic and known cardiac blockage). I really
got no answers and I am angry to this day that he could easily have died or
been left permanently impaired. His sight did return and we feel
fortunate, but once again, I feel my trust in the medical community erode a bit
further. We absolutely did not intend to sue anyone; we simply wanted to
be sure that absolutely everything that he SHOULD be screened for (how can you
ask for it if you don't know about it?) he was screened for. He's left
with some numbness on one side of his face that primarily bothers him when he
trims his beard (says it feels weird), and a big scar from behind his ear to his
collar bone; big deal, right? I told him it just makes him look tough! I
was out of work for a bit caring for him (he's now back to work, too) and came
back to a nightmare of project deadlines, office moves, a new boss, and a
generally toxic workplace!
On the kitty front, Brownie (FIV+) had both his eyes removed and he is like
a different cat! He rubs his head all over now; it obviously hurt too much
to do it before. I will never use the vet who initially screened him
again.
Tater Tot is in the hospital on an IV and being evaluated. He had a
mild cold about 2 weeks ago and I took him in and we decided to give sub-q
fluids and Lysine since he does have herpes and it just seemed to be a
particularly bad flare-up (I was given a sample of a new veterinary lysine gel
to try and evaluate; thumbs down! It was way too think and 500mg worth was
a really big blob that he was having no part of; so stick to the capsules until
they reformulate, is my advice!). Since then, I've observed him straining
to poop and passing tiny little stools and by this weekend it was obvious that
fluid was collecting in his belly. The aspirate didn't look like typical
FIP fluid, but it's being sent out and bloodwork and many other tests are being
done. My heart is just breaking for him; he's only six years old and been
sick so much of his life. They've already warned me that whatever is going
on is not good but I just pray that it's treatable. Please think good
thoughts for him.
It's been a hot, muggy and miserable summer here in the Northeast and I am
having a terrible flea outbreak; I swear that I have some mutant strain of
super-fleas that nothing will kill! I've used Borax successfully for
years, and at one point (in a room I have sealed off) they were jumping out
of it! I'd left an absurd amount on the floor (like half an inch;
thinking, "I WILL kill you") and I went in to check and vacuum it up after a few
DAYS and they were leaping out of it biting me! I swear they were bigger
and stronger than before I put the Borax down! I've had to use Frontline
on everyone (Program for the ferals because I can slip it into their food) which
I hate to do because I think it's so dangerous (it takes fingernail polish
off!!!) but I have 3 cats who get terrible dermatitis from flea bites and I
couldn't let them be miserable, but I really, really don't like using it.
So, that's what I've been up to! 2005 officially
sucks!
A big, group hug to everyone and headbutts to all the kitties!
Love, Julie
"I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is
to protection by man from the cruelty of man. "
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged
by the way its animals are treated."
Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948)
Paws Come WITH Claws!!!
If you're thinking about de-clawing your cat, you need to re-think your decision to acquire a pet.
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