Monday, April 4, 2011

OUR CAT MAO AT THE VET (DR. ROBERT GOLDMAN)


Here's our kitten Mao at Dr. Goldman's office. Mao has upper respiratory infection, nothing serious, but he started wheezing in addition to his sneezing and watery eyes. We wanted to make sure he doesn't have pneumonia.

Upper respiratory infection (URI) is common among kittens. It's caused by a virus and runs its course of 7-10 days. Kittens get it when they're stressed and their immune system is down. With Mao, I noticed he had teary eyes, and then he started sneezing. I started to give him pedialyte to prevent dehydration and he seemed all right for a few days, but when he started wheezing and struggling to breathe, I decided to take him to the vet.

In any case, Mao had the chance to meet Dr. Robert Goldman, who is connected with the anthology, Cherished: 21 Writers On Animals They Have Loved and Lost, edited by Barbara Abercrombie. My personal essay about Kiki is in this book. Dr. Goldman's Preface shows his compassion for animals and so I chose him to take care of Mao. I searched his name in the internet and found Petville Animal Hospital at 12108 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles. Just as additional information especially to pet lovers who may read this entry, Dr. Goldman also gave Mao some supplements: Lysine and Liquid Immuno, aside from Penicillin. He told me to give him canned food (for the moisture) and to continue giving him pedialyte. He also said that a humidifier would help Mao's congestion. I bought Vicks Humidifier (warm mist)at Rite Aid.

Dr. Goldman said to call him in a week to let him know how Mao is doing. Mao is still snuffling but he should get better.

By the way, Dr. Goldman took this picture of Mao at his office.

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