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The mobile vet came by early this evening, palpated various parts of Micawber's anatomy, looked in his eyes and ears, and stuck a thermometer up his butt (as Dr. M, the vet, sees it, the thermometer is the last thing you do, because it will exhaust ALL of the cat's remaining good will in one shot!)... but it was the mouth exam that turned up the probable culprit. The gum around Micawber's left top canine tooth is very red and inflamed, and the rest of his teeth and gumline look like they can use a good cleaning too. That would be enough to put anyone off his food.
The prescription: take him to our neighborhood vet clinic and have them clean his teeth under general anaesthetic -- the only way you really CAN do that kind of work. The clinic will give Micawber a basic bloodwork suite anyway, and extract the canine tooth if necessary. The condition isn't life-threatening in and of itself, but if it puts him right off his food long enough, his liver might fail the same way Emmie's did almost three years ago.
Micawber was looking MUCH better today, so much better that the vet, upon coming in the front door and seeing him in the hallway, asked in surprise: "Is THAT the cat?" His coat quality has rebounded, he's put on a bit of weight, and he's alert, interested, and active. :-)
Dr. M suggested that he might also have a case of acute pancreatis which has gotten better over the past few days, which would account for the observed symptoms. The rich treats he had over Christmas might have been enough to trigger it, since fat in the diet provokes the condition. We're to change Micawber to a low-fat senior cat food and watch his appetite, and call Dr. M back if he goes off his food again. Pancreatis is almost impossible to catch in blood or radiology tests -- the best method of diagnosis is observation. If Micawber does have chronic pancreatis, treatments are available and the prognosis is fairly good.
Good news all around; it could have been a lot worse.
The prescription: take him to our neighborhood vet clinic and have them clean his teeth under general anaesthetic -- the only way you really CAN do that kind of work. The clinic will give Micawber a basic bloodwork suite anyway, and extract the canine tooth if necessary. The condition isn't life-threatening in and of itself, but if it puts him right off his food long enough, his liver might fail the same way Emmie's did almost three years ago.
Micawber was looking MUCH better today, so much better that the vet, upon coming in the front door and seeing him in the hallway, asked in surprise: "Is THAT the cat?" His coat quality has rebounded, he's put on a bit of weight, and he's alert, interested, and active. :-)
Dr. M suggested that he might also have a case of acute pancreatis which has gotten better over the past few days, which would account for the observed symptoms. The rich treats he had over Christmas might have been enough to trigger it, since fat in the diet provokes the condition. We're to change Micawber to a low-fat senior cat food and watch his appetite, and call Dr. M back if he goes off his food again. Pancreatis is almost impossible to catch in blood or radiology tests -- the best method of diagnosis is observation. If Micawber does have chronic pancreatis, treatments are available and the prognosis is fairly good.
Good news all around; it could have been a lot worse.
Hello from MR
MR