Well, Lucy screamed while they were feeling around her belly trying to find
the place to put the needle in, but while they drained she just laid in my
arms and purred. The fluid, which I was told was clear and thin on January 16
and 17 when samples were taken, looked pale yellow to me and the vet said the
consistency was a bit thick. He sent some more out to be analyzed, but he
feels quite sure it is fip.
He filled a small bowl 2 or 3 times with fluid-- I would guess at least 100
or 200 cc's. And when the fluid stopped coming, he said he had reached the
end of that "pocket," but she still has a huge belly. He said he did not want
to keep poking her all over trying to find the pockets to drain it from, and
wants me to just see how she does with that much drained. He did not think her
breathing was bad to begin with. He put the 1/2 cc dexamethasone shot into
the catheter when it stopped draining. He said her belly may fill up faster
now, since proteins were taken out of circulation by draining from the abdomen
and lower proteins enable more effusion. I guess that is why some people
have said it filled up faster after being drained.
He was amazed that she is still eating. I think it must just be all the
pred. I asked for leukeran. He wants to wait a couple of days and see what the
new fluid analysis says and how she does on the increased pred and the dex that
she got in her belly today. He is worried the leukeran might suppress her
bone marrow more. He really does not think the fluid is from ibd or lymphoma,
as he said he has never seen either create anywhere near this amount of fluid.
She was happy to get home and walked around a little, though she looked a
little wobbly. At one point she actually ran for about 20 feet or so, and her
poor jelly belly swung from side to side as she did. Now she is camped out on
the heating pad by her new favorite spot, a bookshelf where she heard a mouse
this morning. She has been purring a lot more today, I think because I gave
her more pred this morning and maybe she has had some fever and that took it
away, I don't know.
I so don't want to lose her, but know what Hideyo said is right. I asked
the vet about coming to the home for euthanasia at some point and he said he
will if he can schedule-wise. I asked him what will get her, as I have never
had a cat with wet fip before. He did not know, as most people euthanize at
diagnosis of wet fip he said. Does anyone know? Is it likely to be her
anemia?
Or will something else happen? He said she will probably stop eating at some
point, despite the steroids. I do not think I will want to force-feed her,
unless she seems to be otherwise feeling good.
Right now she is falling asleep. She is my baby.
Michelle
