blood pressure med.  Such a Pumpkin he is!
Charleen

Howard, many thanks for this information.  The vet and I played phone tag
and did not connect before today, the day of Mr. P's surgery.  I put a big
letter on the carrier as well as had the tech put a big note on the chart to
have the vet do a blood pressure before surgery and to not proceed if the bp
looked problematic.  It is now 10:30 am and I have not heard from the clinic
so am believing that all is going well.

I am talking myself into not being nervous, but am not doing a very good job
of it!

Will let everyone know how the Pumpkin is doing as soon as I hear.

Charleen

Hi Victor,
Thanks for all the dental purrs, they worked so well!  Pumpkin had to have
four teeth out instead of just two.  Dental for an older cat is scary as
most of us know and I thought I knew how scared I was until the vet called.
He identified himself and I couldn't speak.  He then said, "Everything is
alright, Mr. Pumpkin is fine."  Whew.

He goes back in two weeks for a bp check-up.  At that time we will see how
he is doing on bp med I have to give him every day from now on.  If I feel
it is necessary I will look for a feline cardiologist.

Charleen

Hi Christine,

Thank you so very much for the purrs.  They were needed and they worked.  He
had to have four teeth out instead of two.
I was a total wreck through the whole four hours, even though I kept telling
myself I was really kewl!!!!

His blood pressure was high as brought to my attention by Howard and a very
nice person who was lurking.  So the Pumpkin now has a B/P med which he has
to take every day.  It is 1/4 tablet crushed and mixed into pureed baby
meat.

He returns to the vets in two weeks for a B/P check-up.  Depending on the
reading is where we go from there.

I have three cats.  Two are Senior Citizens, one is the Neighborhood
Terrorist, who gets himself caught up in things.  We are frequent visitors
to this vets.  I could not believe the bill.  I was billed for "teeth
cleaning with anesthesia."  I called this morning to tell the secretary
there was an error on the bill and she explained that the Dr. told her to
write it up that way!  What a wonderful place that place is.
Charleen

Sending purrs for the Pumpkin.  MLB

Thanks so much Britta,

He is home.  Finally sleeping after roaming around for quite a while.  I'm
sure he was checking to see that we didn't make any changes in the four
hours that he was gone.

He had four teeth removed.  His blood pressure is a bit high at 210, the vet
would like it to be 160 to 180.  He is now on a bp med which he will get
daily.

Dennis and Vino are so much like David and Mr. Pumpkin.  Both are gone for
long streches for their jobs.  Both are dedicated to their cats and their
cats are as dedicated in return.  If David falls asleep wherever, thats
where the Pumpkin falls asleep.  If David is cleaning the garage, or working
in the gardens, thats where Mr. P is and that is what he is doing.  I see
your photos and I have photos that almost match them.  Aren't husbands and
cats wonderful!!
Charleen

Hey Suz and Spicey,

Thank you so very much for the dental purrs for the Pumpkin.  He needed
them.  He had two rotten teeth and two broken off teeth with their roots
removed.

I was waiting until 2:00 to call the vets, as I was told to do, to check on
him.  At 1:00 the phone rings and it's the vet.  I can't even respond I was
so stunned and perhaps frightened, as in he's calling because something
awful happened, oh no!  Then he said, everything is alright, Mr. Pumpkin is
fine.  Then I was able to breath again!

The cat does have high blood pressure, but not seriously.  I have been given
tablets and must crush up 1/4 tab daily in food for him to take.  Check-up
in two weeks.  Depending on what that shows is where we will go from there.
The popped blood vessels behind the retinas in his eyes can lead to
blindness so it is important that Pumpkin get the right treatment in a
timely manner.

Thanks again for the purrs, they worked!

Charleen

Hi Susan,
Many Thanks for the many purrs.  The dental work was fine.  The P didn't
require any pain meds at home. He has now been started on blood pressure
medication as his bp was elevated; 210 from the 160 t0 180 the normal range.

David and I were a train wreck!  I had not expected the vet to call, I had
planned to call him.  When he did call I couldn't speak because I was so
startled, he had to say my name and tell me that every thing was fine!
Whew.  When I got the bill I couldn't believe what a discount he gave us.
We have been going to that vet for many years and appreciate him and the
staff so much.
Charleen

Hello Helen,
Thank you so very much for the purrs and prayers.  They worked very well in
both instances.  Mr. Pumpkin came through his dental fine.  He had the two
bad teeth removed as well as two teeth that had been broken off and their
twisted roots removed.

He had his blood pressure checked before the dental work was done.  The
upper number was 210.  The vet wanted to see it in the 160 to 180 range
which is WNL, as I'm sure you know.  He is now on 1/4 tablet of Benazepril
daily for control of the bp.  We will be going back for a bp check-up in two
weeks and go from there.

The P is a most precious cat.  He is joined at the hip with my husband
David, when David is home.  David is an over the road, long haul truck
driver so he isn't home often so the P is joined at the hip to me!  He is in
every room I am in, beside me wherever I stand or sit.  Naps or sleeps with
me. We take walks around the house together.  He is a true friend.

Thanks again for your kind and supportive thoughts.
Charleen

Hi Tweed,
Thanks so much to you, BF and KFC for your purrs and best wishes for the
Pumpkin.  He came through the dental surgery just fine.  Better than David
and I did!!

The problem of the blood vessels behind his eyes could also be a result of
the high blood pressure.  He was tested for kidney problems and diabetes as
was KFC and did not have either.  He is now on high blood pressure medicine,
1/4 crushed up into baby meat once a day.  He goes back to the vets in two
weeks for a check up.

I'm still concerned about his back legs.  There are plans to do an X-ray.
When Dr. Beaudry did the exam he could not feel any problem with his legs or
lower back.  P can walk fine, he is in no pain or distress, he just falls
down when he goes around corners.  He is such a wonderful cat and a dear and
wonderful friend.

Thanks again Tweed and scritches to BF and KFC (if possible).
Charleen

Yahoo, hooray!!  Mr. Pumpkin is home!!
He had four teeth out not just two as expected.

For you folks who have been here for seven years you may remember that it
was Mr. Pumpkin who was caught by two Dalmatians.  One had P's head in his
mouth, the had P' left leg in his mouth and they were not gentle with what
they were doing.  Pumpkin's leg was pulled from the socket, his body was
full of tooth marks, and his dear, darling head was terrible.  He had a
concussion, his pallet was cracked into many pieces but stayed attached to
the membrane, but, his jaw was broken and crushed.  All was fixed or put
itself back together except for his jaw.  It healed crooked so some of his
teeth were pulled, some filed down.  This is his second dental, we were told
to expect it through out his life time as his mouth and jaw could no longer
work like a normal cats would.  This is to explain why he has such teeth
problems and why when the vet says he is going to take out x number of teeth
and he takes out y number it is no problem for us.

The Pumpkin's blood pressure taken on his tail was, the upper number, 210.
Dr. B told me that ideally it would be between 160 and 180.  He allowed for
Pumpkin being upset from the car ride, being at the clinic and all the
activity and animal smells.

I was given a liquid pain medication for him; Buprenex.  I was also given a
blood pressure medication for him; 1/4 tablet of Benazepril daily.  He has
to have his B/P checked again in two weeks.

The poor little dear has been walking around for half and hour. I thought
for sure he would come in, lie down on his sheep skin rug and drift off to
sleep.  Nope.  I am so happy that he is home and healthy he can do anything
he wants to do.  Thank you all so very much for your purrs and prayers.

Charleen

Hi Ginger-lyn,
Many thanks for the purrs for the Pumpkin and the People.  He came through
the surgery just wonderfully.  I was a wreck!

Four teeth were removed rather than the two that were planned.  He has had
problems with his mouth and jaw since a two dog attack seven years ago in
which he was badly injured.  I wrote about that in one of the posts in this
thread.  The vet told me that a piece of his pallet, which had been broken
in to pieces not unlike a picture puzzle and then rejoin through natural
healing had fallen out since his last exam.  Hopefully no other pieces will
fall out and this one will not cause him any problems.

He is on blood pressure med daily.  There is a follow up exam in two weeks.
The vet is super great.  I just have to make sure that he has the expertise
to  handle the particular problems that Mr. Pumpkin presents.

Many thanks again.
Charleen

Poor Mr. Pumpkin
Hope he's better very soon and his old self again.

Hello Marina,

Everything did go well.  He does not travel well in the carrier in the car.
Besides the yowling he tears at the wire mesh door, causing his paws to
become bloodied.  I finally put a towel over the top of the door, it hangs
down both sides.  He can not see the mesh or the shadow of it.  So now he
just lies in the carries with an ocassional, "I don't like this very much,
Mom." meow.

So he was fairly calm when we got to the vets.  He had his blood pressure
taken and it was high, 210.  The range the vet wanted to see it in was 160
to 180.  He attributed some of the high bp to the trip, the surroundings,
the dogs barking.

The procedure went smoothly, four teeth were removed.  Two that were planned
for and two that were broken and their twisted roots that could be a problem
in the future.

He came home and was high as a kite.  Instead of sleeping it off, he walked
around and around and around for an hour and half until he find crashed in
his favorite hiding place, he slept for hours and hours.  He didn't required
any pain medication.

We will address the problem of his back legs/lower back when we return for
his two week check up.  Also, the problem of the popped blood vessels behind
the retinas of both eyes.

Thanks for asking about him.  He to me, is so special, as yours are to you.
I love to look at the photos you post.  I am one of those who go back a
number of times to see the same pics again and again.  Also I go to to
Britta's photo album.  Such great cats, such great pictures!
Charleen