✟ IC HU*GALLIFREY'S TARRAGON, DVM ✟
January 10, 2014 - June 5, 2018
As some of you already know, our dear Tarragon passed away yesterday.
He has been in intensive care for some time, and unbelievably, he
was gone just one second before he could have won it all...
We think that grieving is personal and private. We do not usually
share pain and sorrow in public on Facebook (there were a few exceptions).
We are sharing the information now because recently a few NFOs suffered
and passed away from same or similar symptoms. I think the time-timing
had a key role in finding the cause and proper treatment. Tarragon's
storyline may help others, when vets try to eliminate the possible
causes for such symptoms. With that in mind we decided to share
the story of his last weeks.
On May 18th the host owners of Tarragon took him to a vet. Anamnesis:
difficulty breathing for 1-2 days, lack of energy and appetite,
worse mood, white nose, but no sneezing, no coughing and no fever.
The vet asked for a neck and chest x-ray and saw fluid in the left
chest, took some blood and fluid sample for the laboratory, and
she sent him immediately to Budapest Veterinary University's intensive
care with a note: trauma? tumor?
Sadly, it all happened on a Friday evening, just before the long
holiday weekend (Pentecost). The cardiologist specialist who we
used to take our cats to for heart and kidney scan was on holiday
(he is working in such a intensive care hospital). We had to choose
another 0-24 emergency care option. It was pure bad luck, and chain
of bad luck events what happened after this. On May 18th Tarragon
was admitted to the Budapest Veterinary University's intensive care
(Univ ICU). For almost 2 weeks his chest fluid was drained, even
tubes were implanted his chest, but the vets were unable to find
the cause. The super specialist who could have analysed the cytology
samplings was on another week holiday (bad luck continues). In the
meantime every other day the vets took x-ray and ultrasound scan
of his chest, his heart.... Nothing. They took samples from his
drained chest fluid, no aerob or anaerob bacteria was found, no
infection findings. His general condition was better for a few days,
then worse. One night the drain tube broke in his chest (bad luck!?),
he looked pretty bad after that, and again, his will to live, to
fight was stronger, he bounced back.
At the end of the 2nd week of nonsense, and after the UNI suggested
to operate him with cancer as the next best guess and to treat him
with chemo, we decided to move him to private intensive care. First
plan was to find him a private clinic in Austria, alas his condition
with the drainage implant did not make it possible. He was transferred
to a private clinic in Budapest. On the first day the new vet did
a new USG scan and x-ray - and he said, that the general condition
of Tarragon and what he saw on the scans are not in correspondence
(not in sync) with what the Uni ICU reported and what he read in
Tarragon's papers from the ICU. Next day they took the initiative,
and took Tarragon to the best possible echo/cardio specialist, with
a cancer specialist involved. They took him there for a very detailed
ultrasound scan on the high tech machines. And again nothing, no
sign of tumor, no sign of any heart disease. As the fluid was still
re-forming again and again in his chest, the only option to find
out the cause was the surgical exploration.
The surgery happened on June 4th. There was no finding there either,
apart from a small area with inflammation, so the diagnosis was
pleurisy. Pleural effusion is the abnormal accumulation of fluid
within the chest cavity. They eliminated the possible causes by
the surgery, like congestive heart failure, cancer in the chest
cavity, blood in the chest cavity, lung lobe torsion (twisting),
blood clot of the lungs, viral and/or fungal infection, heart worms,
and such.
As the final report says: "...The x-ray and heart ultrasound
scan examinations did not show any sign of HCM or other heart disease.
After several cytology samplings and the surgical exploration we
did not find any sign of tumor, there were no cancerous lesion findings
either. Furthermore no signs of hereditary illness could be found..."
Tarragon died one day after the surgery. The cause of death is
inflammation of the pleurae and complications. But in general, the
cause of such pleurisy case is typically idiopathic (of unknown
origin), that is why the vets did the autopsy on their own cost,
they wanted to understand why this all happened. We sent the final
report to the owners of the siblings and his kittens. We wish to
extend a huge thank you to everyone for the incredible help and
support; Zsolt, Amira, Isabelle, Dr. Homoki Lajos and Dr. Brunner
Anita (Bubó Állatgyógyászati Centrum),
Dr. Kriston Tímea (Pestimrei Kisállatközpont)
and Dr Vrabély Tamás - and we are sending all our
love to his owner Kate Pinches (Cuidado Kennel).
After the 2-2,5 weeks fight his body and his beautiful soul gave
up. Now Tarragon is back home with us and resting in the garden
with our dogs and cats departed.
He was a gorgeous fluffy sweetheart as a kitten,
a strong but gentle pet and a successful show cat as an adult. Last
but not least he proved to be a brilliant stud, he has beautiful
kittens in the only litter he has sired. We are absolutely heartbroken
and filled with grief, but we know that he would want us to celebrate
his life and beautiful legacy instead of mourning.
✟ Rest in peace Big T. ✟
Update:
A wonderful memento painting arrived from a wonderful
friend. The writing says;
In loving memory
Tarragon ♥ BigT
with love Leticia
No further comment needed. Leticia, you are gifted!
Thank you very much for your beautiful heart and soul, and for such
a brilliant artwork!
On the photo BigT's souvenir with his nephew, the darling Mike.
We are grateful!
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since 2012