A Last Minute Reprieve

On Monday, Mummy took Pixie to the V-E-T. Last Shabbat, She decided it was time, so we had a very tearful weekend - and on Sunday evening, She didn't go to her usual choir practice because she was so unhappy. And She took the day off work on Monday, so as to spend the whole day with Pixie. She had intended to ask the V-E-T to come here so Pixie could cross the Bridge surrounded by her Family - but when She spoke to him on the phone and voiced her concerns that She might be making the wrong decision and was thinking of herself rather than Pixie, the V-E-T said She could bring Pixie to him and he would be able to tell if she was in any better shape than she was on her last visit. That was Dr. Shimon, who is the third V-E-T at the clinic. So Mummy put Pixie in her carrier on Monday afternoon and whispered to Me (Possum) to say goodbye to her and called a taxi and went off to the V-E-T (half way across town), accompanied by her own Daddy, because She said she couldn't face it on her own.
Well, Fellow Felines, I waited and waited - and a few hours later, back She came, with Pixie, curled up in her carrier - still alive and miaowing! I was fur-labbergasted! And so relieved! 

Pixie told me that when they got to the clinic, Mummy still couldn't come to a decision and the V-E-T (not Dr. Shimon, but Dr. Adrian, who is the head V-E-T, Pixie thinks) asked her if it would make it easier for her if She knew Pixie had moved into Stage 4 of her illness. Mummy said yes, so the V-E-T stuck a needle into Pixie and took some more of her blood. Mummy sat outside and waited with Pixie while Dr. Adrian took care of a C-A-N-I-N-E and then he checked the results of her blood tests and lo and behold, Fellow Felines! Not only had she not moved up into Stage 4 - she had actually dropped down into Stage 2!!! But - and this is a big BUT - she had a very high white blood cell count, showing she had an acute infection of something. He didn't know of what - but it could be treated with antibiotics.
So Mummy decided that if Pixie wasn't in immediate danger of succumbing to her kidney disease, and if the infection that was making her so miserable and even more off her food than usual could be treated with a 2-week course of antibiotics, then She wasn't going to give up on Pixie just yet.
Pixie also says the V-E-T felt her chest and back and tummy and said he could feel what seemed to be a big tumour - but he couldn't tell exactly where. Then he added that it might not actually be a tumour, it might be that one kidney had grown to compensate for the loss of the other. At least, that's what Pixie thinks he was saying, she was just so relieved at being able to come home again with Mummy, she wasn't taking everything in. At any rate, the V-E-T said he couldn't be sure without doing an ultrasound, but he couldn't do it on the spot, it has to be by appointment and he had an emergency case of a C-A-N-I-N-E just come in. So Mummy brought Pixie home and She has said She won't be carting Pixie back off to the clinic to do an ultrasound. If it is a tumour, there's nothing that can be done about it anyway. Pixie is sixteen and a half years old and an operation would kill her as surely as cancer would. So She's just going to give Pixie her antibiotics and other medications and as long as she doesn't seem to be suffering, we'll just take every day as it comes and spend as much time together as possible. 
So now Pixie is having antibiotics in liquid form twice a day - and Mummy is having much more success administering them than she is having with all the pills - about which She is having to be very creative.

Pixie did seem to be a bit better - but yesterday and today she has been very quiet and subdued. She has taken the sad, sad news about our dear friend, Admiral Hestorb, very hard - as have we all.The Admiral was a tower of strength for Us - when I, Possum, was sick last year and now, when Pixie needed encouragement. We shall miss her sorely.