So, the (non)news on Chibi...

The vet looked at the growth and nixed the (hopeful) thought of taking it off under local. He thinks it looks bigger (and after only about a week or so). I agree, but I'm not a really good judge; worry has made it bowling-ball sized in my mind. (Not really, but you get the idea. I think it's about 1cm, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was, e.g., only 7mm, and my mind just imagined the extra 50% in size.)

General anesthesia means bloodwork; even though Chibi's survived general just fine, many times, I always get the pre-anesthetic bloodwork done, after Silverstreak never woke up from being spayed at a clinic (run by the SPCA? I can't recall, but it wasn't an ordinary vet). Usually that blood work takes a short time; they do the bloodwork and the surgery the same day, but the doctor wants to run a thyroid check. If he has hyperthyroidism, it explains the weight loss, so that's one cancer symptom off the table. The thyroid check won't be done until tomorrow, and the way the doctor explained it, doing both at once is about as cheap as doing either one alone (and the thyroid check is $120).

Anyway, the vet wants to keep Chibi overnight, and do the surgery tomorrow. I've decided that's best. As much as I hate not having him here, he *hates* being in the car, and I think saving him two car trips is probably best. Plus, he vomited up food on the way to the vet. I stopped feeding him at 8, as they instructed, but this way, they can be sure when he got his last food.

(I kinda wonder if maybe I should have dosed him with hairball medicine last week, and again over the weekend. Do hairballs slow down stomach emptying? It would seem possible that they could....)

So, alas, no answers today, damn it all.

So, the (non)news on Chibi...

The vet looked at the growth and nixed the (hopeful) thought of taking it off under local. He thinks it looks bigger (and after only about a week or so). I agree, but I'm not a really good judge; worry has made it bowling-ball sized in my mind. (Not really, but you get the idea. I think it's about 1cm, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was, e.g., only 7mm, and my mind just imagined the extra 50% in size.)

General anesthesia means bloodwork; even though Chibi's survived general just fine, many times, I always get the pre-anesthetic bloodwork done, after Silverstreak never woke up from being spayed at a clinic (run by the SPCA? I can't recall, but it wasn't an ordinary vet). Usually that blood work takes a short time; they do the bloodwork and the surgery the same day, but the doctor wants to run a thyroid check. If he has hyperthyroidism, it explains the weight loss, so that's one cancer symptom off the table. The thyroid check won't be done until tomorrow, and the way the doctor explained it, doing both at once is about as cheap as doing either one alone (and the thyroid check is $120).

Anyway, the vet wants to keep Chibi overnight, and do the surgery tomorrow. I've decided that's best. As much as I hate not having him here, he *hates* being in the car, and I think saving him two car trips is probably best. Plus, he vomited up food on the way to the vet. I stopped feeding him at 8, as they instructed, but this way, they can be sure when he got his last food.

(I kinda wonder if maybe I should have dosed him with hairball medicine last week, and again over the weekend. Do hairballs slow down stomach emptying? It would seem possible that they could....)

So, alas, no answers today, damn it all.