Bailey: Not Out of the Woods Yet

Bailey didn't improve today. If anything, she's been sicker. She's completely and totally different from the Bailey we know and love. Bailey normally craves attention -- to the point of curling up on my cheek or around my neck and purring so hard I can't hear anything but her contentment. But now she's completely reclusive, not wanting to be touched or even talked to. She seeks dark, solitary places now. It's as if our presence causes her pain. And she still refuses to eat or drink.

Kat and I brought her back to the vet today. Her fever was higher and she was less responsive, not even expressing her fear or pain. Because her blood work was normal, the doctor is also somewhat baffled. She did give Bailey a shot of penicillin as a "power boost," and also gave her Prednisone to bring down the fever -- which could conceivably be the cause of her lethargy.

Then, at the end of the exam, the vet raised Bailey's face with her hand and noticed that the right side of her face, near her eye and cheek, is swollen. (That explains her angry shrieks when I open her mouth to force a pill down her throat.) It turns out that she could have an abscess there, which would explain the fever and the localized pain. But if it is an abscess, it's not big enough to be drained yet. In any case, she's pumped full of antibiotics as well as Prednisone, and that's all we can do for now. I guess.

And so we wait some more.

To be honest, I'm worried that she'll die. I'm worried that she won't turn the corner and just suddenly be back to her old self. I'm worried that we can't help her and that she'll die from some completely unknown cause. She's not even a year old!

And I'm worried about Boo, who doesn't understand why his very best friend in the world won't play, won't eat, won't snuggle. This is just crappy for everyone -- but mostly for poor, sweet Bailey.


Addendum: Within 5 minutes of publishing the previous post, insisting that Boo can't live without Bailey, I go downstairs to see Boo and Shasta spooning blissfully on the couch, watching the Encore Love channel!