What the Doctor Said

This morning, as soon as the veterinary hospital opened, I called and told them that I had sent pictures of Neville, asking if one of the doctors could take a look and recommend something for what I suspected was an abscess. The receptionist said that there was but one doctor on duty today, and she would be too busy to give suggestions based solely on pictures. She is a relatively new veterinary at the hospital; she’s been there a year, but I have never consulted with her. I realized that there was little to be done, and made an appointment for Monday.

However, about half an hour later, the receptionist called me back and reported the cancellation of an appointment at mid-morning. I was able to take Neville to see the doctor then.

Not having examined the Nevsky before, the doctor found a number of concerns (his heart sounded good but perhaps a bit arrhythmic; his lymph nodes were a little irregularly sized; he had a tiny divot on the cornea of an eye). These were all legitimate concerns but with little to be done about them; most were addressed previously, and Neville is too old and on too many medications for still more to regulate his heart and other organs. Besides, there was a more immediate worry. (She did stain the eye to make sure the divot was not an ulcer. It is not.)

The swelling on his chin is very likely an abscess. The doctor noted a small scratch on the chin. While I doubted that one of the other cats produced that, Nev may have done that himself. He may have been itchy; as well, I have noticed that he is grooming himself in a minor fashion, which he has not done in a long time (the influence of the Solensia, perhaps?) so the actions may not be as familiar as they once were. In any case, he is on a liquid anti-biotic. I am prepared for this to cause some fluidy stools, and am adding more probiotic to his soft-food. In any case, I expect the medicine to help him. I did not cancel the appointment on Monday, just in case.

Thank you to all those who expressed their concerns about the old lion. So far, he is staying with me and enjoying his simple life - except for the periodic pokes and force-feeding of medicine…