May18

Bouncin’ with Basette

by Ceffyl Aedui on May 18th, 2004 at 13:36
Posted In: Cats
Basette

Basette could drive someone (like her caretaker or vet) to being giddy and depressed on alternating days. For a while after the antibiotic treatment with Clavamox, she responded well to the insulin. Little by little, however, her glucose levels crept back up and over 500. It has seemed like every option has only provided a temporary solution which lasts, at most, two weeks.

My vet just came up with a suggestion: what if Basette was responding because we cleared up an infection? Maybe that infection wasn’t caused from a urinary tract infection but from a bacteria that lived some place else — like her teeth? Definitely worth a shot!

Basette will have her teeth cleaned and then we’ll start her on another round of two weeks on Clavamox with a slightly lower insulin dose.

Here’s hoping!

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May15

New pasture, new ‘tude

by Ceffyl on May 15th, 2004 at 02:12
Posted In: Horses
Isis Bint Sirdar

The first week Isis had her grazing muzzle on, she discovered how to take it off by rolling. A few minutes after she was turned out, she would roll and rub her head back and forth against the ground. The strap behind her ears slipped off, and she dropped the muzzle on the ground. She did this four out of the six days I turned her out at lunch. The one time she kept it on was only because she had taken it off and I put it immediately back on her.

She was incredibly pleased with herself. Turned out, eating grass, gaining weight… life was good. And we couldn’t have her gaining weight when it threatened her legs and a laminitis flare-up. The muzzle became even more important when Isis and her herd were to be moved to a new pasture — a lush, prime pasture where she would easily gorge herself silly.

Saturday she was turned out for a half-day and came back without her muzzle. Sunday, when she was turned out in the new pasture, I talked to her about the muzzle.

Some times horses really understand what you are saying. Some part of the message is conveyed. Maybe it was the worry in my voice when I asked her to please keep the muzzle on because otherwise she could become seriously lame. The alternative was to put her by herself in the drylot paddock, where she would be miserable.

It’s been more than a week since she was turned out into the new pasture with her muzzle on full time — and every day she comes in with it on.

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May14

On vacation

by Ceffyl on May 14th, 2004 at 02:36
Posted In: Epona.net

On vacation from May 14-25, so not very many posts.

Working on research.

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May05

Unhappy Horse

by Ceffyl on May 5th, 2004 at 04:12
Posted In: Horses
Isis Bint Sirdar

Isis is thoroughly pissed at me. I’ve purchased a grazing muzzle for her to wear in hopes that it will reduce the amount of grass she is eating.

Isis Bint Sirdar

She had it on for the first time on Saturday. She was not a happy camper. The grass in her diet paddock (dry lot) was so low that she couldn’t get any grass through the hole in the bottom of the muzzle. She walked around, tossing her head, glaring at me. For 30 minutes, she tried to rub the muzzle off on trees, fences, posts, her legs… anything that might free her from the annoying contraption.

She figured out how to get it off, alright. The next day when I was out and turned her out with her buddies with the muzzle on. She tossed her head a few times, took out her frustrations on her herd-mates, then went down to roll. Gracefully rolled side to side, got up, and the grazing muzzle was on the ground.

I’ve seen her do this several times now. Usually within 10 minute of being put out, she rolls and gets the muzzle off, even after it’s been readjusted to be tighter and fight well. If the muzzle is much tighter it won’t fit properly.

If she doesn’t keep it on, she really won’t be happy. She will be sequestered in her diet paddock instead of out with her buddies. I pity the horse that ends up in with her…

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May04

EPONA.net is live!

by Ceffyl on May 4th, 2004 at 04:05
Posted In: Epona.net

My coauthor and I have been researching the Gallo-Roman horse-goddess Epona for the past few years. We were both interested in researching her history and were frustrated by the lack of information available in English. There is plenty of material in French and German, but very little in English.

We’re starting to change this. Yesterday our Web site, Epona.net, a scholarly resource, went live. This site contains a synopsis of our research to date, including summaries of artifact distributions, inscriptions, depictions, worship, timeline, and an annotated bibliography.

Comments and criticism are welcome.

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May03

Doin’ the Basette Boogie 2

by Ceffyl on May 3rd, 2004 at 03:58
Posted In: Cats
Basette

Some times miracles never cease to amaze! This might be overly optimistic, but Basette’s glucose was much lower today. She is actually responding to the insulin at long last. This morning when I took her into the vet’s, her glucose level was 444. This afternoon, her glucose was 290. Finally below 300! Party on, Garth!

Unfortunately, a second exam of her retinas confirms that they are detached, and one eye has had a little bleeding.

When I came to the clinic to pick “Basetters” up, several of the vet techs were quite excited about the Little Black Wonder Cat(tm)’s glucose levels. They all said their good-byes while Basette purred her content with the attention.

Basette’s eyes are also responding to light now. When she is in bright sunlight, her pupils respond to the light and shrink. Maybe this is good news for her retinas? Maybe they will heal?

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May01

Bubble bubble toil and trouble…

by Ceffyl on May 1st, 2004 at 03:53
Posted In: Cats
Basette

Basette’s eyes still look like saucers. It is obvious that her vision is much diminished. I’ve watched her stop just an inch or so before walking into a wall. Poor kitten followed me into my office and instead of leaving back through the doorway, tried to go through the closet.

She seems to be happy to be home. She isn’t in any pain, nor is she distressed. She sits and purrs. Such a sweet kitten. Why do things like this happen to the gentlest cats?

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Apr30

Super trooper kitty

by Ceffyl on April 30th, 2004 at 20:19
Posted In: Cats
Basette

Some good news, and some bad news.

Good news: Basette’s insulin dose is having some effects and appears to be helping her. She is feeling better and has been up and around more.

Bad news: She has lost more of her vision.

This morning I sat and watched her before going in to work. For 30 minutes, I sat and talked to her watching how she reacts to my voice. How she turns her head in my direction without looking at me. Every time I said her name, she mrowed in her half-purr, half-hoarse meow. She headed towards me, turned once too early and stopped just before walking into a cabinet. She continued out of the kitchen to where I sat, and sat in front of me, facing away from me, purring like an out-board motor.

Basette

I’ve situated things in the kitchen carefully so she can have everything where she needs it, and it won’t be rearranged any time soon. She seems to be adapting to using her other senses very quickly.

Every time I walk into the kitchen she purrs and mrows at me. She can’t see me clearly but she hears my voice and tells me to pet her. She is an amazing little kitty.

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Apr29

Retinas and diabetes

by Ceffyl on April 29th, 2004 at 16:03
Posted In: Cats
Basette

I waited anxiously at work all day after dropping Basette off at the vet’s this morning. Her eyes hadn’t improved any from the night before. She still seemed to be able to see where I was. She came over and sniffed my feet, purring loudly. She even followed me into the office the night before.

However, she seemed confused. Patient, purring, and not sure what was going on. With her eyes like that, I assumed she had trouble focusing. The once-vicious now having trouble seeing her prey…

The vet called in the afternoon with not-so-good news: Basette has retinal damage, maybe detached retinas, maybe diabetic retinopathy (less likely). Either way, the condition was probably caused by high blood pressure related to her diabetes and reduces vision, sometimes causing blindness.

There is basically no viable treatment to help the Little Black Wonder Cat(tm). The best we can do right now it try and get her glucose levels under control.

We have to wait and see what happens with her vision. She’s already had trouble focusing, the question now is will it keep deteriorating, or will it stabilize?

The one good point? Her glucose in the evening was 290, so the insulin dose is at least having some effects.

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Apr28

Brave kitten

by Ceffyl on April 28th, 2004 at 21:56
Posted In: Cats
Basette, Thursday night

Something strange is happening with Basette’s eyes. This evening her pupils looked completely dilated. Even when I picked her up and looked at her eyes in bright light, the pupils didn’t respond. She isn’t looking directly at me. She looks in my direction, but never meets my gaze, unlike my other kitties.

This isn’t right. Click on the picture to see what I mean. Take a close look at her eyes.

I called the vet at her house — the only time I’ve ever done that — and she said to bring Basette back to the clinic if her eyes hadn’t improved by morning.

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