Next Steps

I spoke with Oreo's regular vet last evening about all of the happenings this week. I told her about the appointment with the neurologist and what was mentioned about the Phenobarbital. Oreo's vet was very honest in saying that she feels Oreo really should have the MRI for various reasons. She also understood my concern and the need to get a second opinion. My vet also explained to me that normally a Vestibular disorder is not something that comes and goes in small doses like Oreo experienced. Vestibular disorder will cause the cat to lose their balance and walk in circles, usually with a head tilt. They will continue to do this for days or even weeks until it passes. Oreo didn't walk in circles, nor does he have a head tilt and what happened was quick, under 2 minutes. This is why she feels it was more seizure related. Seizures usually last anywhere from a few seconds to around 5 minutes. Whether the seizures were caused by an onset of stress or not, we can't really know for sure until we see what's going on inside of his brain. As far as the Phenobarbital, she explained that even though it is a low dose, there is always a risk of the animal getting another seizure when being taken off of it. So she feels that he should stay on it until I either get a second opinion or he has the actual MRI. To actually go and get the second opinion, it's an hour away and another $250. I hate having to put him through all of this. I am so tired and I know he is tired and fed up too.

I am still really torn with all of this. I wish that Oreo didn't have to go for this test, period. I am worried about things that could happen during the procedure, worried about the anesthesia and worried about him being alone with people I don't know and away from me for so many hours. No matter where I take him to get the exam done, it's going to be a long drive and a very long day for the both of us. I think the only way I will be able to do this is to drive him in myself that morning and stay at the clinic all day and wait for him. That way I will be there if anything happens. Pudding and Onyx will be ok on their own for the day. I can bring a book or maybe my laptop with a few movies on it and just wait. I have a pet camera that I can access from anywhere as well so I'd be able to check on the others every so often. I just wish I was not such a nervous driver to top it all off, especially driving in the dark. I just know that I need to be there with Oreo, for my own sanity and also for moral support for him. I think he will know I am there even if I'm not in the same room as him.

On a brighter note, Oreo seems to be acting a bit more himself these past couple of days. Yesterday he tried to catch the drops on the shower door like he always does. I have not seen him do that in weeks. I can see that he is still not very happy about Pudding, even if he loses himself in playtime every now and then. Pudding is really high energy and sometimes Oreo just isn't in the mood. I think a lot of his stress is probably based around Pudding being here and that fact that he's not always the center of attention like he normally is. Pudding kind of came in and took over the peace and quiet for all of us. I love him dearly, but my goodness he makes a mess! 

I spoke to an Animal Communication Specialist yesterday. She specializes in communication and healing. She asked me if Oreo has a microchip and I said yes. She said that she just recently had a case with a dog where his microchip was causing him to have seizures. She said it's not impossible that Oreo could have experienced the same thing especially seeing that I have a lot of technology in his living space. She said that the dog had the microchip removed and he no longer has seizures. Unfortunately, microchip removal is a lot more harmful than implantation. The chip is so small it's often quite hard to locate and the animal is always at risk when being under anesthesia. Many vets won't do microchip removal because of the dangers associated with it. I did take the specialist's advice and ordered some EMF Neutralizers that I can place around our home. At the small price I got them for, it doesn't hurt to try. I had never thought of this stuff before but it makes sense. I am online all the time and I have computers and devices in every room. Oreo and I have an appointment with the Animal Communication specialist in a couple of weeks for a communication / healing session.

I really want to be able to do the right thing for Oreo. My brain still needs some rest but I don't want to wait too long either. My vet also mentioned that we can wait until it's one month that Oreo has been on the Phenobarbital and do his blood tests. They will know for sure at that point if the dosage is actually doing anything or not. If it's not actually doing anything at that point, we can try weaning him off of it slowly. Regardless, it's still better to have the MRI done in order to help rule out any other serious conditions. I wish that I could switch places with him for all of this. I would rather go and do it for him than have him go through all of this.