Zack Vs Illness: It ain't over 'til it's over.

We had to think about letting Zack go this month when he became painful and lost control of his hind end (ataxia). I documented our journey of making decisions for him, and ultimately what Zack told us to do.

He’s an old cat. Nineteen going on twenty. I get that. He won’t be around forever. But ageism is rampant in our society, and as a vet I see this persuasion applied to animals. “But he’s old” is a comment I will hear everyday as an excuse to not treat them when they become ill, or marginalize what potential for health they have left. But age effects how you do something, not what you do.

So can an old cat, with a laundry list of pre-existing problems recover from something this grave? What can be expected? How did we use IKEA in an attempt to recover Zack? How do you dig them out of the grave, if they are one paw in?

(Video also on youtube: http://youtu.be/gXkH5C5V_6E)