Friday

Today
Melvin is back at the hospital. It looks like he is having bigger problems than we had originally thought. He seems to feel fine (good appetite and activity), but his body is acting otherwise. Since I am going to be out of town all day tomorrow for the 30K, I decided to hospitalize him for the weekend. That way I don't have to worry about him and he can get the tests done that he needs. One of the perks of working in the veterinary field is that I have connections and I will be able to get him Sunday morning instead of having to wait until Monday.

I hate when one of my animals is sick. It is such of feeling of being out of control. Keep my little man in your thoughts.





Melvin's Story

Melvin was born in 2000 to a stray mother. He was born with hydrocephalus ("water on the brain" build up of intracranial pressure due to increased volume of CSF fluid around the brain.) He was found by the home owners because he was off by himself and not with the other kittens he could not raise his head and could not feed. He had to be hand raised. The home owner's daughter (one of our clients at my old veterinary hospital) hand raised him. He has many medical problems and mental retardation as a result of the increased intracranial pressure when he was a kitten. Most of these kittens die, but he was relatively mildly effected and our client was a diligent and superb mother to him.

At six months of age he was a handful to say the least and was making her older cat miserable. She asked me to take him in. He has a lot of medical issues because of his deformities and mental retardation and he really could not be owned by just anyone. He really needed a veterinary nurse to own him, so I took him in and he has been with me ever since. He is a odd duck and for the most part a very happy, mostly healthy boy.


He has helped me raise many kittens. Being a big brother to them all and teaching them how to be a cat. To the left, he is pictured in the window with a Maggie Bones an orphan he helped me raise 4 years ago (Maggie Bones now lives in a BEAUTIFUL home in Saratoga with a teacher -friend of mine). Below he is pictured with Floyd (Floyd and his sister, Autumn are 2 years old now and still live with me) Mel helped me raise them and they adore him. They have no idea he is different.




This looks like a memorial, but it is not. Melvin is not going to die. I just wanted to tell his story. He is a sweet boy and I am feeling a little sad about him being in the hospital. That is all.


Exercise
None. Rest day
I have the Jed Smith 30K Run tomorrow. I am excited, but nervous. I wish Mel wasn't in the hospital, but he is where needs to be.



Food
Breakfast
English Muffin & jam/coffee (155 cal)
Snack
Power bar/apple/banana/coffee (320 cal)
Lunch
JC Cheesy Enchilada/sl. wheat bread w/ margarine (390 cal)
Snack(s)
Yogurt & 1/4 c. cereal (150 cal)
Dinner
Sushi: Golden Bell Roll/Tamago (700 cal)
Snack
none (0 cal)

Total calories in: 1715 cal
Total calories burned from exercise: 0 cal