Taz Takes Charge

Taz Takes Charge

It's hard to believe that it's already Tuesday and Taz is still in the hospital. The news we got on Monday morning was guarded. We got the positive news first - the ultrasound showed that the mass in his intestines was as much as 50% smaller than when it was first discovered. The rest of the news was not so good. Taz was still congested and having trouble breathing through his nose. His red blood cell count was dropping, falling to 15% by morning, which was into the danger zone. Additionally, his stomach and the intestines around the mass were dilated, which was an indication of at least a partial blockage. If the obstruction becomes a total blockage, surgery might be required.

The most immediate concern was the red blood cell count. A drug was administered to help Taz make more red blood cells, but it did not stop the percentage from falling further to 12%. We agreed to give Taz a blood transfusion. The procedure was simpler than we expected. He was placed in an isolation room to minimize the chance of any further infection. No blood was taken from Taz. New, fresh blood from a donor kitty was added to Taz's blood through an IV. It took about four hours, but Taz remained alert and calm. After the doctor was sure that there were no complications from the transfusion, they administered Asparagenasee, which is a quick acting chemo which we hoped would help further reduce the size of the mass more quickly and reduce the obstruction.

Taz got to see us Monday night in his isolation room. He also made fun of the fact that we had to wear protective gear to keep from leaving any germs in the room. He tried not to show it, but he was very tired. He put on a good face, though, and let us fuss over him. Then all we could do was wait.

This morning the doctor called with an update. Taz's red blood cell count was up and remaining steady between 18-20%, which was very good. He had been syringe fed small amounts of food several times in the late evening and had held down the food, another good sign. We are waiting on another red blood cell count to determine whether he is ready to come home and resume his regular treatments.

I'm guessing that right now Taz is lording it over the doctors and staff, having moved from outpatient to taking over the dog wing to having his own private room. And of course he's going to get a private room when we get him home. We are really hoping that's today.