Aby-a-Day - Day 291 of 365

We took Angel to the vet on Saturday because (and I apologise in advance – there is no pretty way to say this) she was having bloody poops. There had been four emergencies that morning, and we ended up waiting nearly an hour to be seen. Angel was very patient and handled the extra weight like a champ, even when there were barking dogs in the lobby.

Turns out, she has Giardia. They tested a fecal sample, and she had 30+ Giardia cysts per sample, which is a lot; apparently Giardia infections are rated by the number of cysts per sample, in a number range from “Fewest” (0-4, I think) on up to “Most” (30+).

I didn’t even think of Giardia, because she wasn’t having diarrhea. So we have Flagyl to give her, and another medicine to give all four of them that I need to pick up tomorrow. From what Dr. Waggener told me and from what I’ve read, cats can carry the microbes in their systems for a while and show no symptoms, so I wonder if she’s had this since last year, when Jake had Giardia. We didn’t treat everyone back then…

Oh, she looks like an Angel…but just try to give her a pill! Despite using salmon Pill Pockets, she fights like a tigress when it’s medication time. It takes both of us to get even the disguised pill into her mouth. She got me this morning with a deep wound to the base of my thumb, probably with one of her trimmed claws. Of course, she is the cat for whom I actually purchased a kitty straight jacket (and she is also the cat who tore the zipper on said straight jacket shortly after I bought it)!

Also, in the “Abys are everywhere” category, look at who is the feline spokesmodel for Giardia on this article!