Giselle, I am so sorry you lost Pixie. Gentle Bridge vibes to her and hugs to you. You did the very best you could for her, and in the end you gave her the gift she most needed. It's always so hard, both that decision and then the days of waking up and remembering they're gone. Pixie sounds like she was a great little fighter and a wonderful friend.
Diane R. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of G D Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 11:43 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Felvtalk] Pixie is a fluffy orange angel It is with profound sadness that I share that my sweet baby Pixie Katzenellenbogan passed away yesterday evening. She was euthanized by a gentle and sympathetic vet while I stroked and talked to her. I told her she was deeply loved. Yesterday I got second and third opinions from vets I felt were genuinely interested in Pixie (unlike the apathetic first vet) and it was terrible news all around (see the bloodwork analysis below). In the last two days she deteriorated quickly before my eyes despite the regimen of syringe-administered diluted wet food prescribed by the vet. Her breathing had become increasingly fast and shallow (a vet explained she was gasping for oxygen due to the anemia). She was crying out in pain, even while lying still, too weak to stand up or walk, and staring blankly. It was heartbreaking to see her suffering. Things she once enjoyed held no interest (favorite stinky foods, lying in a sunbeam, toys, going out in the yard, being brushed). I emailed the lab results from Pixie's bloodwork to a friend who's a vet in Canada and her analysis was: "There are a couple of things on her bloodwork that are alarming. First of all, she is very anemic (ie very low red blood cell count). In conjunction with what's going on with her high white blood cell count and platelets though, I'm less concerned about the anemia itself and more concerned about an actual leukemia (ie cancer). Her red blood cells and platelets are both very low which indicates that the bone marrow is likely diseased and not producing them properly. On top of that, according to the written interpretation at the bottom, the red blood cells and platelets that do exist are all showing signs of immaturity- this means that they are not sticking around in the bone marrow long enough to mature completely because something (ie the leukemia that is pumping out cells) is taking up space in the bone marrow. Besides the changes in her CBC, some other parameters also point towards this diagnosis: her calcium level is elevated which is often seen in association with cancer and her CPK is high which might indicate muscle wasting. Muscle wasting is often also seen with cancer." I thought yesterday was hard (choosing to end Pixie's suffering & helping her cross over) but today is even worse. Waking up with no Pixie at the foot of the bed, no Pixie meowing for her tuna, no Pixie scampering down the stairs. Seeing her things everywhere -- food bowls, toys, blankets, cat grass, scratching mats, the armchair she shredded, a brush full of orange fur -- is devastating. HOW can I possibly live here without her? Pixie was born in South Philadelphia in spring 2005, rescued from the streets during a snowstorm in February 2006, and came into my life in March 2006. She was a feisty little champ like Rocky. Pixie became a Dutch cat in August 2006 when we moved to the Netherlands (her permanent & final home), flying Northwest so I could bring her in the cabin, tucking her carrier under the seat in front of me, and carrying a pop-up make-shift litterbox, food, water, vet documents, and Rescue Remedy. She was the perfect companion. _________________________________________________________________ HotmailR goes with you. http://windowslive.com/Tutorial/Hotmail/Mobile?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Tutorial _Mobile1_052009 _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list [email protected] http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list [email protected] http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
