I suppose it is kismet or karma or just luck that today I decided to toss out my old shower curtain in favor of another one. What also plays into what just happened is Mike has been put on oxygen 24/7 but taken off it for tonight because they are testing his stats and he is hooked up to another machine.
Adding to this, my one unit for CityPet, I hadn’t taken the outside packaging to the trash yet…so what am I talking about? I am talking about Manchester.
He began to open mouth breathe big time about an hour ago. So with Mike’s help we made a makeshift oxygen tent for him using Mike’s oxygen tank, the shower curtain liner and the packaging from CityPet. When I just dropped the tubing into the cubbyhole where Manchester was struggling to breathe, he moved away from the hissing air (and who wouldn’t?) Frantically I looked around the room and saw the packaging for city pet. Dumping the litter box air filter out of the container, I flipped it over and discovered the perfect little culvert where the tubing can be laid down through the passage and the oxygen directed near Manchester but not on him.
It is not air-tight so I am hoping we did the correct thing and this will help him through the night. Open mouth breathing is generally thought to involve the heart- yet the vet took films today and said the heart and lungs looked perfectly fine. It’s 2 a.m. and I doubt I will get any sleep over this. I just hope he has an easier time of breathing until the clinic opens in the morning.
Might Manchester have a kidney issue and/or infection? If his kidneys aren’t working properly he may have blood pH issues.
His bloodwork should be back today- but for now, thank God he is asleep and breathing easier.
So clever! Hope Manny finds out what is ailing him soon so a treatment can be worked out.
I just had to write in since I took my diabetic cat, Apu, in for another round of all day glucose testing this morning. Always stressful for both of us. He was howling in his carrier in the car when I popped in the Harps of Hope CD. It took about halfway through one song and he started quieting down and instead of being scrunched up at the back of the carrier, he was calmly lying outstretched on his fluffy cat mat. He still gave out a few cries now and then but nothing like his usual “she’s going to kill me” howls. Pretty amazing!
Dr. Diane’s gift is truly amazing! I put the CD in for Manny last night when he was in crisis mode, because if he wanted to get out of that tent, he could have. Instead, he just laid there getting the benefit of the oxygen and resting. He is better today thank God, because Mike’s test is over and he needs the oxygen now.