Cat Scratch Fever

So begins a new adventure. To back up a bit ... Took Phoebe to the vet Monday for regular check up. Vet said her gums were inflamed and took a a couple of blood tests (expensive ones, of course). Brought Phoebe home, Rocket took one sniff and launched a Jihad.

Fast forward to Friday ... Jihad still underway although losing momentum. Vet calls to say Phoebe has Bordatella, or Cat Scratch Disease (Fever). What, do you ask, is that? Well, I won't launch into the medical details, but it is basically a tic and flea born disease that attacks the immune system. And, while it is most commonly found in cats, it is transmittable to people who have auto-immune disease OR have recently had surgery .... (drum roll).

So the first order of business is to get Phoebe on a one-month course of antibiotics. She will be re-tested in six months to see if the bug has been eradicated.

I have an appointment with my PC doctor on Monday morning where I will find out what, if anything I need to do. I did, of course, go online to see if I could learn anything and basically it was mostly bad. Not "you're gonna die" bad, but still ugly. I'm going to stop reading and just wait to talk to the doctor Monday. Brain tumor aside, I'm really a pretty healthy person so I really don't think there is anything to worry about. AT the worst, maybe he'll put me on prophylactic antibiotics for a time. My thinking is that the month of IV antibiotics I had following the post surgical infection would have killed anything.

Well, never a dull moment on Tallyho Lane...