Simply Sunday Night Already?!

Let's start out saying we are furry sorry we haven't been very good friends lately. It's been many weeks since we visited anyone, and we've missed out on some important celebrations, too, 
like Mo-Cats Day, Meow Like a Pirate Day, and a dozens of Blog Hops!

We haven't joined in on Glo Girly's Campaign for a Cause, or posted any Purrs Needed Badges on our blog (though we have been trying to get by all our friends blogs who need purrs right now to let them know we are thinking about them, and purrin', too).

So much has been happening around here that we no doubt have furgotten some of the details, but we will try and catch up our friends who have been asking about us... and so today, Teri set aside time to make one of our long, newsy posts and just got done, after about 2 hours and added the photos, and Poof, gone into cyberspace!

She has never had that happen before as it periodically saves as she writes... she blames it on the new blogger format---not so new and improved maybe?? So she took a deep breath (wasn't about to take her BP now!) opened up a bottle of Red Guitar Sangria, turned on the BBQ (yes, it's electric, hahameow) and put on some cilantro lime chicken thighs, and made up some mexican rice from some leftover chinese take away and back to blogging.

As you know, Disco has been sick now for over a month, but finally getting a diagnosis and then for our vet to come up with a treatment plan for him has Teri feeling like at least she is working towards a goal now, instead of just wait and see.

Disco has IBD and it's the lymphocytic-plasmacytic kind (very similar to what can cause stomatitis and gingivitis and pododermatitis and EGC, too). It is an allergic response, but we don't know to what.

For those of you who like to know the details, here's Disco's treatment plan:

Dr Ellison's treatment plan for Disco per Dr Michele Gaspar, McConnell

Imodium 1/2 tab bid, until stool firm?

Sulfasalazine 83-100mg sid long term?

Budesonide 2mg 1 sid, to start, may go to 1mg sid eventually?

Leukeran (chlorambucil) 2mg 1 sid x 3 days, 18 days off, repeat cycle

Stop Metronidazole when starting Budesonide and Leukeran (had been on 62.5mg bid since 8-7-12)

Stop Pancrezyme for now, as it's pork based

Sprinkle of Fortiflora bid

Continue B12, .25ml once a month (just finished the once a week for 6 wks cycle)

z/d canned and dry for 3-6 months. Can then try novel protein. Dr Gaspar likes Nature's Variety Raw medallions (3 medallions, microwave 10-15 seconds, top and bottom along with Fortiflora)

Teri has also been consulting with Dr Patrick Mahaney, a holistic veterinarian we met at BlogPaws and he has some recommendations, too. He said he's not a big fan of Purina FortiFlora as a probiotic, as it contains animal digest. He recommended Rx Vitamins for Pets Nutrigest. Besides pre-biotics and probiotic bacteria, it contains many beneficial substances that help to support digestive tract and immune system health, or Purina Proviable (capsules) - pure pre-/probiotic.

He agreed with Teri that any change should be made gradually and over the period of a week and one thing at a time, so that monitoring Disco for any problems would be easier. He started his chemo on Thursday and no problems with discontinuing the metronidazole or pancrezyme that she can tell.

He is still having diarrhea but it is no worse than before. So there is still the occasional 'Clean Up on Aisle #2, hahameow) but he is back to sleeping with us and happier for that! He is eating and active and doesn't seem uncomfortable, and his weight is stable. Teri said that she isn't in so much a rush to get him down to 12# now... in fact would be worried if he started dropping weight fast...

In between being a nurse's aid to Disco, Teri has been busy! She and Coco participated in a fashion show fund raiser at Posh Pets, and she power washed the house, and even had a couple of 'vet' visits herself. 

(Yes, those are shoes on Coco!)

She said getting old isn't for sissies and she needs some dental care now--a fractured tooth on a root canal tooth--that means extraction (Oct 5) then waiting 6 months and having an implant done. She is glad it's over time as she is going to put it all on CareCredit, the same thing she did for Coco's surgery back in January. She has a creaky back and is due for her mammo and bone density test, too (she has osteopurrosis) and she has some numbness in her feet so some worries but hopefully nothing serious.

In between all that, she has been shopping! Not for her...for us! Before you all get jealous, thinking that we got a shopping cart full of noms, or a case of furry mice, she has been shopping for Cat Couture! 

(ManCat Couture? More like Casual Friday, hahameow!)

Teri has to post a bunch of new photos on our Cat Walk page, but here's some of us at the Fashion Shoot this weekend:

(as you can see, Brighton says his ears are squashed!)

(something about a fat guy in a mesh tank, hahameow)

We are going to a cat show next weekend, our first in over a year, and we will be strutting our stuff in our new Couture (though Coco won't have to wear those pink shoes--Teri said they are just for taking photos in--like some human shoes, hahameow!)

Not that we are trying to talk your servants into dressing you up too, but maybe they would like to window shop where Teri shopped? Here's the links: 

http://www.pampered-pets-boutique.com/

http://www.foofoofido.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/NakedDogPJs 

http://www.zkcatcouture.com

www.sewdoggystyle.com

And the other big news is that Teri has opened up the Furry Dance B & B for Cats! It means our favorite room will be reserved for visiting cats from time to time. We are kinda bummed about that, but Teri said she has to be inventive when it comes to bringing in the green papers!

We used to pet sit some of our extended family when they would go on vacation but one family moved away, so it's been a while. Right now, we have an orangey kitty named Gizmo staying with us while his new home is being remodeled.

He was being boarded but his servant said the kennel didn't understand him (he has a bit of an attitude) and was in a small cage. So, now he has a sunny bedroom with fuzzy blankets and even a Sunny Seat to watch Cat TV from. It's a much happier holiday for him and he even gets playtime with his favorite toys before Teri turns out the light at night. 

Next month, we will have 2 kitties staying here while their servants house hunt in California and in November, 3 kitties will stay in our B & B so their servants can go on vacation--the first one they've taken in a couple of years as two of the kitties need daily medication.

And sometime soon, Teri will open up a Zazzle store with things that our fans might like--Sphynx and Cornish Rex related, of course! One of our friends who has 2 kitties from us has even donated some of her Cornish Rex artwork for us to use on things like mugs and totes and T-Shirts!

And even though we haven't be around visiting our friends very much either, we are thankful for the CB and ML for keeping us informed of our friends who need purrs--ML included as she had a bad bitey bite from one of her kitties! We heard from Kiril that she is moving out our way and heck, she may even be able to visit Coco again! That would be cool!

Well, now that Teri is done with dinner and has had 3 glasses of Sangria, she says she can't remember anything else that happened this past couple of weeks, hahameow. So we will leave you with a sunny Sunday thing that make all of us purr--window whiffin'...