An Oliver Update (and an eensy weensy little freak out)

Overall Oliver has been doing well. He is eating and drinking and urinating and defecating (all good things). He is completely unaware of his broken pelvis and would just as soon roam about the house and cavort with the dogs. Only we have a little problem.

Earlier this week my son noticed a small wound on Oliver's tail base. I, thinking it was chewing secondary to pain from his healing pelvis, didn't worry about it too much. He got his e-collar back on, I brought him to work and shaved the area and we started another round of antibiotics.

And then today I saw it. The clear fluid drip drip dripping from this wound. Crap. This is not an infection. Now I suspect he has a fistula connecting his spinal column bladder/urethra with the outside world and he is dripping cerebral spinal fluid urine out the hole (from the top of his tail!!). Crappity. Crap. Crap. Crap.

Hopefully this little problem can be cured by surgery with prolonged urinary catheterization (bummer for him). He has an appointment tomorrow with a specialist for a contrast uretherogram to determine if this is indeed the case.

And here's where I am with my thinking.

• Am I crazy? What have I gotten myself into? This is an unexpected expense right when money is the tightest (i.e. the holidays).
• Oh Mr. Peculiar is going to kill me (not literally of course but he won't be happy)
• Thank God my sister and her family doesn't mind thrifted gifts.
• What am I going to tell the kids? I hope this is a correctable problem. Please please be correctable.
• Am I crazy? Why do I do this to myself?
• What ever on the planet am I going to get my children for Christmas? What does a teenage boy want that's a) homemade or b) thrifted. (ideas more than welcome here!)

I already know that if this is surgically correctable I will have the surgery done. This is not a financially astute plan of action (I can just see Dave Ramsey shaking his head in disappointment). Criminy.

So here's my plan.

• I emailed a day practice (i.e. not an emergency practice) to see if they had any shifts I could pick up.
• I'm going to continue to list new and exciting items to my Etsy shop with the hopes that folks will want to buy them.
• I'm going to scour the house and see what we can put up for sale on Ebay.
• And finally there is a donation button on the sidebar of the blog should others want to continue to help with Oliver's care ( I am soooo grateful for all the help I've already gotten. You people are AMAZING!!).

And here's what I am determined not to do: feel sorry for myself. There are many reasons why. First and foremost Oliver does not feel sorry for himself. He has a broken pelvis, is stuck in a cage and now has a spinal urinary fistula. Yet he remains a happy kitty. Animals are amazing in this way. If this were a human we'd be moaning and groaning and generally no fun to be around. Second -- this situation was one of my own choosing. Something akin to making my own bed and laying in it. As such I am going to pull up those boot straps and do what I need to get things done. Looks like my family is getting a cat for Christmas.

Thank you for listening to me grouse. It feels good to vent. I'll update you after Oliver's appointment this afternoon.

XOXO,

Shalet

And the update is this may be a urinary fistula rather than a spinal fistula. Which is funny because I originally thought the fluid might be urine but then talked myself out of it because it is anatomically quite strange. But, of course, veterinarians can't have animals with simple problems.

The good news is: if this is indeed a urinary fistula it may heal with prolonged urinary catheterization (i.e. several weeks) and not need surgical repair. Emphasis on the might. So I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping against hope this is the case. Tomorrow he will have a contrast urethrogram (radiographic dye in the bladder) to determine just what is going on. I'll update again tomorrow.

XOXO.