Friday, January 22, 2021

The old lady vet visit

 Ivy is going to be 13 years old this year. Per our vet, she won't be vaccinated any more (she has been regularly up to this point so mom is OK with this decision - please talk to your vet about they recommend based on lifestyle and age). But she still needs annual wellness check ups. Plus it has been 2 years since she had bloodwork done so they did that as well just to give us a good read on where she is health wise.

She weighs in at 10 pounds 4 ounces and no comments from the vet about her weight, so she is good there (she is about the same weight as last year and scores a 3 out of 5 on the body score so she is in good shape). She got her ears cleaned and is on meds for 14 days to get those cleaned up. Yuck. 

Mom was disappointed to hear that Ivy's teeth look pretty bad still. It is frustrating since they were just cleaned and she had some pulled in September. Her gums are pretty inflamed and look painful. So mom has to make some decisions about how to move forward. Certainly she isn't comfortable considering annual dental cleanings based on Ivy's age. 

All of her blood work came back completely normal except for a high globulin level which usually indicates inflammation of some sort. Since we know her teeth are bad, for now the vet is presuming that is the reason. Rather than trying to put a band aid on everything, Ivy is scheduled for total extractions on May 25th. Better to just do it to clear up any issues she is having plus is avoids issues in the future as she gets older.

As a side note, our purple Sleepypod stays on the coffee table at all times. We suggest this to adopters all the time - leave the carrier out so it doesn't become a huge event when you have to pull it out to make a vet visit. There is generally someone asleep in it most of the time. Ivy actually spent most of Monday afternoon napping in it - getting out just before she and mom had to leave. haha


13 comments:

  1. We are all at the age that vaccinations may be out from now on too. We are glad that Ivy is doing well in her very young elderly age. Hope those teeth work out alright

    ReplyDelete
  2. She looks so comfy in the Sleepypod. I hope all goes well in May!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aw that's a shame about her teeth, but if it makes her feel better it's a good thing. We hope the inflammation is taken care of with the medication.

    Smart kitty!

    ReplyDelete
  4. ivy...sorree ya had two go to de ewe noe wear place N sorree ta heerz bout yur teeth...
    we sendz earl lee best fizhez that de pro seed ure goez smooth lee...ya still be gorgeouz at 13 :) ☺☺♥♥

    ReplyDelete
  5. We're sorry to hear about Ivy's teeth. Our vet doesn't vaccinate us anymore because Lexy is 12 and I have chronic respiratory issues.

    ReplyDelete
  6. She's got years to go! But a good idea for her teeth to eliminate pain and future surgeries when she's older.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Purrayers to Ivy for the good reports !

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am glad Ivy is doing well except for needing more dental work.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ugh, poor Ivy. She probably doesn't feel 100% if her gums are inflamed. I'm glad you're looking after that.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Glad to hear that Ivy is doing well. Teeth are a nuisance for anyone, human or feline!

    When Ollie got his boosters this week, the vet told #1 that the protocol would be changing next year, with fewer shots needed. That's always good news!

    Purrs,
    Tama and Genji

    ReplyDelete
  11. We're sorry to hear about Ivy's teeth. But glad she is, overall, doing good.

    ReplyDelete
  12. My cat is an 18-year-old. A few years ago, all of her side teeth were removed due to stomatitis. Her vet said she wanted Jenna to be comfortable however long she lives. Even then, we had a hard time getting rid of the redness in her gums.

    ReplyDelete

We love to hear from you.....