Kaylee's in the vet hospital. Big surprise, huh? She just wants us to be poor.
She's jaundiced. There is something compressing her bile duct, but they're having a problem getting a good look with ultrasound because, after three days of not eating, she had a big breakfast at the vet's yesterday, and then her full stomach blocked her view. I'm pleased she finally ate, but couldn't they have tried the ultrasound before they fed her? :)
In any case, we went to go see her last night (she's been at the hospital since Sunday when I noticed she was bright yellow - like post-it note yellow). At first, she was a little pissed at us, but then I picked her up and she fell asleep in my lap. I'm not surprised. According to the vet, she spent the entire day standing up in her cage, bitching and complaining about her treatment (cruel confinement, taking her food away, CONFINEMENT!, the stupid needle in her leg, did you not hear: CONFINEMENT!!!, cold ultrasound gel, and hey, still locked in a CAGE!). But they're taking good care of her, and she's being very much fussed over.
I'm calling later this morning to see if they managed to get a look past her big belly. If not, they might have to do it the hard way. I'll update later.
Update (1:08 p.m.):
Just talked to the vet. They're still not exactly sure what's wrong with her, other than somehow, inflammation is/was obsructing her bile duct. What was/is inflamed, they can't tell. However, IV fluid and B-vitamin therapy is helping and her levels are returning to normal. Unfortunately, they need to keep her in for several more days.
They're also going to consult with a specialist, since they're not really sure what's going on. Her ALT (alanine aminotransferase) should be high if her liver is involved, but it's not; it's normal. And by everything that's going on, her liver should be involved. Her albumin level is a little low, but she hasn't been eating much lately, either.
They're going to run bloodwork again on Thursday and determine if we can take her home. I sure hope so! She hates being caged. We're going to go see her tonight. I'm also having her bloodwork faxed to me so I can look at it a little more closely. I'll try to remember to scan it in and post it for those who are interested (see below).
(deviations from normal are highlighted; if you can't read them, make sure they're displaying at full size in your browser)
Went to visit Kaylee and she's eating (she ate in front of us, so I really believe it), her bloodwork is so much better (they did it today because she looked sad - I'm pretty sure she just hates it there), and she's charming everyone, as usual. Again, she pretty much just wanted to nap on my lap, but that's probably because it's so loud (and maybe she misses her mommy).
The vet has some ideas about what might be wrong with her, but they're still not absolutely positive. They think that she got a very nasty bacterial infection somewhere in her gut and that caused inflammation and compromised her bile duct. There are a couple suspect things right now, including the possibility of inflammatory bowel disease or Cushing's disease (though the symptoms don't sound right to me for her). But we'll have to wait until she's well to test for those.
I'll go see her tomorrow and hopefully we'll be able to take her home by the end of the week!
I like my fiction in series. It's nice having a reliable author and world I can happily fall back into any time they write a new book. My favorite genre is what I guess can be called contemporary fantasy - where the denizens of the fantasy world live in our time and place. Luckily, this is a popular genre. Unluckily, this this a popular genre.
Why both? Because that means a lot of complete crap gets written. And a lot of it just devolves into soft core (or occasionally hard core) porn after a while - and I have no idea why. Are there those who just can't have their vampires and werewolves and witches without them getting some, in graphic detail? Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a prude, but I don't need for all my novels to have sex scenes. As a matter of fact, Irarely need my novels to have sex scenes. Generally, it's a sign of lazy writing - sex sells, generally no matter how crappy the plot is. Look at the romance shelves in a bookstore sometime.
This big flaw is why I don't read books by Laurel K. Hamilton anymore. At first her books were just fine, but after a while, sex was about half the book. And if you have to skip half the book out of disinterest, why read it in the first place?
There are, however, some good - or at least decent - series out there. They could all also probably be classified as mysteries, as well. I think it's just an easy way to have a reason for a person to keep having interesting stuff happen to them. :) My favorite series of this genre:
Rachel Morgan is a witch in Cincinnati in a world where vampires, werewolves, fairies and more live side by side with humans. Rachel, with her vampire and pixie partners, runs a detective agency that deals with the darker side of Cincinnati's population. I thought at first that I wasn't going to like this series, but I got sucked in and now I really like it. It's got a bit of alternate history to it, too, which adds a little extra spice.
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher First book: Storm Front
An "out" wizard, Harry Dresden, is a private detective in Chicago when most of the world doesn't know about the reality of the supernatural around them. It's an nteresting world and the writing's pretty good. The recurring characters are also pretty good.
Southern vampire mysteries by Charlaine Harris First book: Dead Until Dark
Sookie Stackhouse is a telepathic waitress in this series, set in the south shortly after vampires out themselves to the world after the development of artificial blood. The writing's good, even if the plot's a little on the thin side sometimes.
John Taylor is a private detective in the Nightside, an evil reflection of our own world. This isn't the best writing in the world, but it's got enough entertainment value in it that I recommend it.
Any other series of this type you'd recommend? I'm always looking for books to read!
So I've waited a month or so to post this photo, since I didn't want to freak anyone out. But let me just say that Kaylee has healed completely and is absolutely, perfectly fine. Really. Absolutely fine. And it wasn't as bad as it looks.
However, this is what I came back to when I came back from my shortvisittoSoCal:
So Indy is crazy. Really. And sometimes, he sleeps very deeply. And he doesn't like to be disturbed. Not that Kaylee disturbed him; she just walked past him and he attacked her, totally and completely asleep. Jeff pulled him off her, but she got a bit ... savaged.
The worst damage you can't even see: he ripped open her lip about a half-inch (apparently Jeff nearly fainted when the vet showed it to him). I was very grateful Jeff called me (when I was on the beach) to warn me, because she looked even worse when I got home (late - from a flight that had to land because it was running out of gas.) - this is a day or two after I got home and got used to seeing the little Frankendog.
But she's fine now. And Indy hasn't attacked anyone in his sleep lately. So that's good. But I just thought I'd share to show that it's amazing how the silly little shar pei can heal so well.
(And I couldn't think of anything else to post and I found this photo in my files. :)
... you are giving your pet a mix of all manner of supplements and her bloodwork comes back fine doesn't mean that they "must" be helping. It just means that you haven't yet managed to hurt her with them.
Also known as "Why did I buy ten pounds of potatoes?" Curry.
This uses only things that are on my pantry essentials list, mostly because curry is usually an "Oh crap, Kaylee just used all our money to pay the vet's car payment" dinner.
Heat oil in medium pot (or small wok) over medium heat, then add potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are soft.
Add curry powder, broccoli and peas and stir well. Cook 5-10 minutes until broccoli is tender.
Serve!
Optional: Serve with rice and plain yogurt. Fresh broccoli and peas can be substituted for the frozen, but I don't usually keep the fresh stuff in the house (Jeff dislikes both, but will eat them in a curry. Plus, frozen's cheaper and just fine for curry.). Carrots are a good substitute for the sweet potatoes. You can add frozen cauliflower, too.
Pantry essentials, or with these, I can cook anything
Pantry
rice
pasta
polenta, quick cooking
black beans, canned
coconut milk
diced tomatoes
tomato sauce
tomato paste
peanut butter
salsa
tortilla chips
flour
sugar
yeast
adobo seasoning
curry powder
italian seasoning
herbes de Provence
sea salt
peppercorns
red pepper flakes
cilantro
potatoes
sweet potatoes
onions
olive oil, extra virgin
canola oil
veggie broth
balsamic vinegar
roasted red peppers
sundried tomatoes in oil
Refrigerator
half & half
cream cheese
yogurt, plain
sour cream
garlic, minced
ginger,minced
mustard, dijon
spring onions (scallions)
carrots
peppers
cheese, cheddar
tortillas
butter
soy sauce
lime juice
lemon juice
Freezer
peas
peppers & onions
broccoli
chicken breasts (for Jeff & the dogs)
faux hamburger crumbles
From only the ingredients on this list, I can make any number of things to feed me and Jeff (and the dogs, too, sometimes), from appetizers to desserts. If any of these are on sale and I have spare cash, I stock up. And since I cleaned out the cupboards this weekend, I've got plenty of room!
Note: you can safely assume that almost anything on this list is bought in a low fat or fat-free version if available. Except for the oils and butter, of course.
That's how far we are above sea level, according to Jeff's nifty new GPS toy. (My mom got it for him for his birthday, since he travels a lot and is, um, directionally challenged. Thanks, Mom!)
Our latitude and longitude are 40° 01.20 and -83° 00.13. (By the way, any crazy stalkers out there, those aren't exact. You could find our neighborhood, but not us.)
Jeff took it out with him today while he runs errands before the big game today, so we'll see what he has to say when he comes back. If it's good, I may very well have to steal it from him. :)
Soon I'll have the pattern written up, so if you're interested in testing it by any chance, click here.
It's made with Paton's Katrina in Lagoon and Ocean. Katrina's nice because it's got some stretch to it - always good in a bikini! I had a hell of a time getting the bottoms right, and as it is, they're a rather Brazilian cut - not for everyone. But overall, I'm pleased with it!
This 8" dog bowl is packed full of Cordy fur that I pulled out by hand - I didn't even have to use the brush. Ah, the joys of owning a double-coated dog!
