I know we’ve touched on some hard luck cases lately but unfortunately for EHS, rescues in general and the animals especially they don’t stop just because you’re feeling overwhelmed.
A few weeks ago before EHS or anyone had even suspected a small apartment in Scarborough could hold 70+ cats we rescued Eclair. A sweet little three-year-old grey and white cat who came to us from Quebec. She arrived crouched, looking timid with wide eyes and no appetite. Immediately we knew something wasn't right.
Within minutes of examining Eclair, the vet pronounced she had liver disease. She was severely jaundice. One vet even went as far as to say “end stage jaundice”. She was malnourished, dehydrated and lethargic. She was very near the end if she'd continued to go untreated.
She was immediately taken to the Emergency Vet to be put on IV fluids. There blood and urine were taken and the results showed her liver values were sky high. The words “a very sick kitty” were repeated over and over. Despite her lethargy, she had her eyes wide open and after a few seconds of back rubs, she was purring like she hadn’t a care in the world.
We were told that we needed to make some tough decisions. There was no certainty that if we pursued treatment she would survive past the weekend (this was Saturday). Plans of action were discussed and with a glimmer of hope that if all went well she could recover it, was decided we’d give Eclair a fighting chance.
She was boarded at the Emergency Vet over the weekend then transferred to one of our vets the following Tuesday, after the long weekend. There, little improvement was shown over the next week or so. One vet tech volunteered to take Eclair home and give her the specialised attention she needed.
Eclair is still with us after all these weeks. She’s doing better and her latest blood tests show her liver values are in a somewhat normal range. This sweet girl is not out of the woods yet. She still refuses to eat. The vet tech had to force feed her in order to get her to a stable condition.
Eclair has now been moved to a long-term foster where she has an oesophagal feeding tube. She needs to be fed three-four times daily and the feeding process is a slow one. She’s on four different medications including antibiotics and anti-nausea drugs that have to be given at very specific times.
She’s only three-years-old, which was one of the reasons we felt we had to rally behind her and give her a chance at life. This young girl can be a cuddly purr-monster. If she’s enjoying being pet and you stop she has no qualms about letting you know you’re not done until she says you’re done. Despite all she's been through she still has some sass in her.
We are determined that she will eat on her own and recover fully. Until now we have waited for news that our hope wasn’t in vain. Time will tell but we have high hopes for our sweet Eclair.
