[llapan]

I am so choked up from reading all the kind and caring posts, I'm having to type through my tears. You people are wonderful, and I'm so thankful for all your advice--lots of it very detailed, very helpful, and extremely encouraging. I especially want to thank Dwerten for the many posts, with very specific and incredibly knowledgeable information about possible diagnoses.

I'll cut to the chase:

I was able to bring Miss Kitty home from the vet's today, after being on an IV from Saturday morning through today. Her blood work values were WAY, WAY, better today:

current BUN: 37 (down from 192. [Normal value is around 25].
(In a previous post, I reported her initial elevated BUN reading as being 400. I don't know where I came up with that figure. I apologize. This time, I had the presence of mind to write down the numbers, so I wouldn't get them mixed up.)

current Creatinine: 0.8 (down from 4.3) [Her current 0.8 is a normal value]

Talk about bouncing back!! As many of your posts suggested, she has fought back valiantly. I'm sure all the heartfelt prayers on her behalf, coming from this forum, helped her turn the corner.

The vet does think that Pancreatitis might be an issue (which is the diagnosis that just about everybody on this forum has been suggesting from the very beginning!!) The vet says we'll need to monitor her blood work for awhile before he can lock in that diagnosis positively. Although Dwerten's posts (and posts of others) gave me specific blood work values to inquire about which are indicative of Pancreatitis, I am ashamed to admit that I can't report on those blood work results. I was at work when the vet called today with the happy news that Miss Kitty was much better and could come home; I didn't have access to the posts in the forum telling me what Pancreatitis items to ask about in the blood work results; and I couldn't linger on the phone, getting all the blood work values, because my boss is not very understanding about personal calls. My husband picked Miss Kitty up from the vets (I so wanted to do that, but I couldn't get off work !!). Therefore, since it is hopeless for me to ask my husband to obtain that kind of information without a specific written list--the bottom line is that I wasn't able to get any more specific information from the vet today.

We are supposed to take Miss Kitty back to the vet on Thursday, for more blood work, and this time I'll be more prepared. Although I'll be sending my husband with Miss Kitty again (I still won't be able to take off work)--this time, I'll send a list of the "Pancreatitis-indicative items for him to ask about, so I can get the blood work results on those items and can report that information back to this very valuable forum.

She is very lively, just like "normal," but I can't believe how much weight she has lost since last Friday morning. If I thought she was frail and had no fat reserve before -- boy, she's a walking skeleton now. But what an appetite she's now showing, and hopefully, that walking skeleton appearance will disappear soon, if she keeps eating like she ate supper tonight!! The vet sent home low protein food for her (in case it is Pancreatitis she is suffering from). It is called Purina EN Gastroenteric Formula. The protein is 6.5% / crude fat is 3%. She scarfed her normal supper serving down in a heartbeat. By "normal," I mean that I gave her the amount I normally do--expecting her to eat a teaspoon or so, then have to be coaxed to eat another teaspoon or so, then turn her nose up at the 3/4 remaining. Instead, tonight, she finished the whole portion without any coaxing, then started sniffing around and under the food bowl trying to find "leavings." After watching her continue to do that for awhile, I decided that if she was that persistent, she must still be really hungry. I gave her another full portion. (I was afraid to give her too much -- afraid that she would start throwing up again, but she was so persistent, I couldn't help myself.) Anyway, she ate almost all of that second portion, then laid down for awhile, then got up and finished that portion. She has kept it all down for over an hour, so I think we're good --that she is not in danger of throwing it back up. She has never eaten that well, the whole time I've had her!!

Concerning your many posts about your fears that I was trusting my sweet Miss Kitty to an incompetent vet--I certainly believe your fears were warranted with respect to the FIRST vet I saw at the clinic. The first vet I saw there was young, inexperienced--but that doesn't excuse him for his failure to do any blood work, or take an x-ray when I first brought Miss Kitty in on Friday. That was totally irresponsible !! I don't think she would have gone so far down, if good vet treatment had been offered at that initial visit.

Anyway, all's well that ends well -- although I realize this hasn't "ended" and that Miss Kitty will need to be monitored very closely, probably for the rest of her (hopefully) very long life. I think I can trust the second vet I saw at the clinic--one of the top small animal vets there (there is one other vet at that clinic that's considered to be "his equal" or maybe slightly above him. Anyway, that second vet did all of the tests each of you were recommending, and I believe I can trust him to continue to treat Miss Kitty successfully.

In the event, however, I DO need a specialist for kidney malfunction, or Pancreatitis, does anyone care to suggest a specialist in the Tarrant County / Johnson County, Texas area?

I have to let Miss Kitty out to go potty, now, and then we're going to bed and cuddle and sleep. Thanks again for everyone's support. I am blown away by it.

I will of course keep everybody updated, in case there is more advice you'd care to give, about her continued treatment. I'll let you know more specifics about blood work, as soon as I have that information myself.

Take care to all, and to all a good night.