Callie update - Part I

Callie's condition has not improved - or worsened - since we transferred her yesterday from the emergency vet to her regular doctor. But we do know more about her condition and possibly the cause. It seems a type of treat we had been feeding her might have been contaminated with melamine.

The treats themselves - Nutra brand Max Cat Gourmet Kitty Treats - Albacore Tuna flavor - were not on the recall list. In fact, the company insists that none of its dry food was contaminated. Yet Callie's symptoms match up with those of cats who ate the contaminated food. As a precaution, I brought my other cat, Mazzy, into the vet this morning to get blood work done. Had I realized the company was even on the list...well, you know.

Right now the vet continues to pump Callie with more fluids and is hoping that will lower her creatinine count. From what we understood from our vet, who threw out lots of numbers, a healthy cat's creatinine count should be around 2. A level of 4 is considered dangerous. Callie's is somewhere in the double digits.

So if that number is going to go down it will take some time. The vet plans to do another blood test tomorrow instead of today to allow the fluids and Callie's body more time to work. Again, we've been told that tomorrow we'll know more.

Emotionally I think David and I are doing as well as could be expected. We were able to sleep better last night than the night before because we had a little more to hope for. But I think it will get harder and harder the more nights that pass when she's not at home with us, curled up on one of our pillows and purring next to our heads.

In the meantime, I urge all of you to check your cat and dog treats and foods against the recall list - even if you already have, check it again. I thought I had been closely guarding my pets against the contaminated food but it seems some of it slipped past even my watchful eye. Be suspicious if you see a brand name you use, even if the company claims that the exact food you're using is fine. It appears the list may not yet be complete.