Last night, Dad called me to tell me that he and Mom were taking Gracie to the vet because she was showing signs of weakness on her left side. Gracie has a strange aversion to men, but she was actually letting Dad pick her up and hold her, so I thought she must be dying! Mom and Dad thought she might have had a stroke. Makes sense - if a human has a stroke they can have paralysis on one side of their body. Anywho, we waited for awhile at the Animal ER in Farragut (apparently, Tuesday nights are the busiest - who knew?!). When the vet assessed Gracie, he said that she had ataxia, which is the wobbliness she was displaying, which could be caused by several things. The vet was thinking that Gracie had most likely ingested something poisonous. We decided to take her home because she was acting like she felt a little better by the time the vet saw her. The vet said that if she was still showing the same symptoms in the morning to take her back to her regular vet for a follow up.
Mom and Dad kept Gracie in the bathroom overnight so she would be easier to observe. Mom said that Gracie didn't make a peep and was very well behaved. Again, I'm thinking she must be dying because usually she meows ALL night long and tries to scratch a hole in the door when she's contained. Mom took Gracie back to the vet today and they have diagnosed her with feline Idiopathic Vestibular Disease (at least I think). Mom couldn't remember the "scientific name" but she said it meant that there was an issue with the middle/inner ear and the cause was unknown. So I put my medical terminology course to good use and found a "scientific name" for it!
Basically, Gracie acts like she's drunk. She would NOT pass a sobriety test. She collapses some on the hardwood floor because of her balance issues. My poor little fur baby girl! I hate that she is not her usual self, but she has calmed down a little, which is a good thing!
