So a couple of weeks ago, Oscar, our youngest kitty suddenly started to lose weight..worrying, and at the same time started to make this blood-curdling crunching and grinding noise when eating wet food. Not when he was eating dry food, but only wet food.
We became very concerned for our little one, and tried everything we could think of to get him interested in eating again.
The grinding/crunching noise was unbearable to hear and pained us enormously when he DID try and eat.
Lord knows how poor Oscar was feeling.
Anyway, this whole thing did not clear up as we had wished and hoped and Oscar continued to lose weight, now a fraction of his usual size.
Hubby and I were becoming frantic, in 9 years Oscar had never been ill and this was heartbreaking to see, my poor little Oscar, who had been with me since he was 10 weeks old, now clearly suffering.
So, after an agonising week and a half, we took our poor little Oscar to a vet in Crawcrook, Tyne & Wear, called Westway who in my opinion, did not necessarily give Oscar as thorough an examination as she could have. Imagine our horror when after a brief glimpse at him and poking his tummy, she declared "it could be a stomach infection...or a tumour"! She gave him an antibiotic shot and told us if he wasn't better in a few days he would have to be admitted, at a cost of £160!
Needless to say, we were NOT happy about this!
After much lengthy debating between hubby and I, we decided we would NOT be returning to that vet.
So, in a frenzy, I called Winlaton Vets, (Tel: 0191 4148081) and the lovely Helen on reception, told me to bring Oscar straight down. Bless her.
So that's just what I did. And the lovely vet Vio, saw Oscar straightaway.
He gave him a thorough examination and discovered a problem with Oscar's jaw - which of course would account for the grinding noise when eating!
The vet gave him antibiotic and anti-inflammatory shots and told me to bring him back the following day (yesterday).
So after my hysterics yesterday and much distress all round, hubby and I experienced our own Christmas miracle - Oscar came home and started eating, and I mean eating! :) He was ravenous!
Clearly whatever the vet gave him was helping him eat more comfortably and easily. We were thrilled! Moreso when he started playing, coming to us and being affectionate and generally seeming more like his usual self!
I took him back yesterday and the vet gave him some anti-inflammatory pills, as well as giving me a fantastic little invention for giving cats pills - an absolute godsend! And I am delighted to report, Oscar is making up for the last couple of weeks lack of food and attention! He's happy, playing, talking to us again and spending lots of time jumping around and looking at things!
He even pulled the Christmas lights off the tree last night! hehehe. That's my Oscar!
I honestly can't fully express how happy and relieved hubby and I are to have him back, and I owe it all to the fantastic Winlaton Vet Centre. They have been kind to us, kept the costs down as much as possible for us, something greatly appreciated, and more importantly have given us our Oscar back.
The Vet even took the time out to show me exactly where the problem was, showed me how to handle him and let me feel where the problem was on his jaw, I learnt a great deal and thank him immensely for this.
So, hopefully, Oscar is well on the road to recovery, fingers crossed, and if anyone needs a Vet and live in Tyne & Wear, I can whole-heartedly recommend Winlaton Vet Centre.
Oscar, left looking nonchalant, while Kevin does his best, I honestly didn't notice you had the camera pose!
And 1, 2, 3...and sleep! Synchronised sleeping formation No.1!
Aaaaaand...stretttccchhhhh!!
Just to update:
Oscar saw the vet again yesterday and we are happy to report that all seems to be healing nicely. He was given another 7 days worth of tablets just to be sure so we are confident that the little fella is now over the worst of it and most joyously, the awful grinding crunching noise has ceased completely! Oscar is back to his mischievous self and enjoying his food like its going out of fashion! That's my Oscar! :)