Earlier this week, members of our Animal Care team noticed that our vibrant, opinionated Kiska was acting out of sorts. She was observed standing in one place, staring blankly ahead, swaying on her feet, with a delayed response to her Caretakers. Shortly thereafter, she unsuccessfully attempted to defecate before going to lay in her cave house for hours without retreating.
After hours of testing (physical evaluation, bloodwork, urinalysis, abdominal ultrasound, and x-rays), we had zero answers. She wasn't experiencing an obstruction, she did not have any internal abnormalities, and there wasn't even stool in her GI tract. Her white blood cell count was slightly high, but not alarmingly so.
Based on her gut instinct, the veterinarian theorized that Kiska may be at the beginning stages of cancer, hence the white blood cell count, but that was based solely on a gut feel rather than test results.
And so, Kiska was cleared to return home.
Presently, Kiska is acting normal, aside from a fairly diminished appetite. For now, all we can do is continue to monitor her closely for any additional concerns.
All in all, we spent nearly $2,000 on Kiska’s veterinary care. Incredulously, over $200 of that total came from the first clinic, including an examination fee, even though they never even laid eyes on her.
We would be greatly appreciative if you would consider contributing to Kiska’s care. While we are hopeful this episode was simply the result of Kiska just not feeling 100%, we may be looking at a much larger expense should it be cancer or something else that would require intensive care.
We will keep our Howling Supporters informed if there are any updates or changes in Kiska's condition.