Came home from work Tuesday night to find Dorian had a patch of thinning/missing fur on his right flank, and a couple of ashy scaly looking areas. Wednesday night, the ashy spots had opened up and were oozing. Called the vet on Thursday, and took him in today.
Dorian is female. I repeat... Dorian is female. Imagine my surprise when the vet told me that! I think my stomach relocated to my toes. I'm glad we had already discussed the wound and treatment prior to finding this out, because my brain exploded.
While they were cleaning the wound and giving HER (It's going to take a while to adjust!!) a shot of antibiotics, they shaved her belly and found what is most likely a spay scar. Which explains a lot, really. I haven't heard any "heat screams," and no little bundles of drama prior to Smoak's litter, and she really doesn't get along with Roo all that great. All of that, coupled with the fact that her back end is very fuzzy and looks like she has harbles, is why I was convinced she was male. Guess who knows to look closer next time.
The wound itself was most likely a cat bite that got infected. She was given a shot of antibiotics so I didn't have to worry about trying to give her pills, especially since she disappears sporadically, and she should be fine. I got her in before a fever took hold, so hopefully the antibiotics will kick in really soon.
After making the call to the vet and freaking myself out (I did the thing you should never ever do... ask the google about your symptoms - it's never Lupus, and you have cancer), I found a site called justanswer.com. They have a team of experts in just about any field you could think of, on hand to answer any questions you could think of 24 hours.7 days. There is a charge, but they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee - if you don't like the answer/aren't satisfied with the service, you don't pay. And the rates are remarkably reasonable. My cost was only $20, and the response I got was spot on. Once you've made the initial contact and paid the deposit, you can chat with your expert to get as much information and detail on your situation as you want/need. I sent a few follow up questions after my doctor's (yes, a real vet answered me - they are screened and 3rd party verified) initial response, and everything was answered professionally, courteously and knowledgeably. I ended the conversation feeling calmer than I had in hours, and confident that my Dorian was going to be just fine. She told me it sounded like an abscess cause by an infected bite. I sent her a picture that I had taken, and she explained to me what I was seeing in the picture in both professional and general-people terms. When I got to the vet today, they confirmed everything she had told me.
She asked to be updated after the vet appointment, so I let her know what I found out and even received a response back to that! Even after the conversation was ended and she was paid, she still showed interest in my situation.
So, yeah, I know it sounds like an advertisement, but I have no problem squawking about something so freaking awesome. I will be posting a link in the Info and Entertainment section.
For now... I'm going to go check on the babies (who are getting a little bigger and totally rambunctious!) and do a few things. Hoping to make it back and post again later/sometime this weekend.
Have a safe 4th!!!
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