Healing Purrz and Funds Needed Fur Chiquita

Last Sunday, dear Chiquita was hiding under the bed and would not come out...

Chiqui's red ear deep inside.

When I finally got her out from under the bed, she ran to the laundry room shelf behind the curtains. Her face and nose were red and she favored her right ear. These visible signs of something wrong were not there Saturday. My first thought - she had jumped off the bed in the night when I kicked covers off and banged her head on the metal bath chair at the foot of the bed.

She would not let me near and ran under the bed again. Hoping to her get out later that day, I went on to work. Coming home after nine pm, brother and I got her to run onto the laundry room shelf. I could tell her face and ears were swollen. Brother helped me get Chiquita into a carrier. She and I went to Emergency Vet Clinic. Brother went home to bed - he gets up at 4 AM for work.

At the ER Vet Clinic, found out Chiquita was running a temp and right ear was red and covered in crust and way down inside, right ear starting to get red too. Vet found two mammary glands also swollen. Suspecting mites or fungal infection, vet took samples of dried up scrappings and checked the microscope, yet only found opportunistic bacteria - no mites or fungal problems. ER vet suspected allergy or immune mediated response.

Just made no sense that this much swelling in her ear would happen over night. Apparent that the places on her chest were older so the rash seemed to have spread from her chest to her face.

Before leaving ER Vet, Chiquita received an anti-bacterial shot and Monday morning, I made an appointment for Chiquita to see Dr. Johnson at Willowbend Animal Hospital on Tuesday.

Tuesday, I'm with Chiquita at vets. Doc checked for yeast infection in her ear and found several more inflamed spots on her body besides the two on mammary glands. One on her back by her tail. The sores on her face and infection in her right ear. Ear mites and ring worm were ruled out. If allergy then prednisilone can help yet no telling what the allergen is. Dr. Johnson said that to completely know if this was an immune disease would require biopsy... Too expensive. Re-tested for FLV (she had leukemia shot when spayed) and tested for FIV since he had no records that those tests had been done, did blood chemistry. Got prednisilone pills for the rash and Tresaderm for her ear infection - to be given twice a day for ten days.

Tests came back on Wednesday. Negative for FLV and FIV. CBC blood chemistry did not show anything that explained this sudden onset of rash. At least she takes pills well and has been letting me put the meds in her ear this week. The rash on her mammary glands is much better and swelling on her face is down. 

Her poor ear is much less red. She has lost a lot of fur on her ear that hopefully grows back. All still a mystery as to the cause of the rash. Dr. Johnson suggested trying a different food with a meat protein that Chiquita has not had before. I am hoping to get something to try soon. Has anyone had a similar situation? Thought for sure it was mites, but no sign at all. Until we know what caused rash, could come back.



Chiqui really could use your help in paying her bill. Spent over $400 on my emergency Care Credit. This is all been a shock to us and poor Chiqui as well.

Any amt would help pay on her care credit. Please help with anything at all to Paypal gift to friends laugh_safely at yahoo dot com. Fur Chiquita's sake, thank you so much. Any amount will be sent directly to Care Credit bill.

  http://thecatonmyhead.com/sunday-selfies-hop-begins-fifth-year/