Daisy fought hard and we fought with her. But sometimes there are fights you just can't win. We were so hopeful after her kidneys started working again after the surgery. And then her levels started to rise again and she became anemic. Lethargic, not eating, and in some distress, she was deteriorating so we brought her in to the vet again today. They couldn't figure out what was causing her new issues. They couldn't give us a positive prognosis and we couldn't bear to continue her suffering.

Daisy was very shy due to her early time as a stray. Once she got to know someone though, she was the absolute sweetest kitty. She was so gentle and affectionate that anyone who got to see the real Daisy fell in love with her.

No one should be forced to bury two beloved pets in one year.

We brought Daisy home on Wednesday. With all her random shaved patches, she looks like a crazed groomer tried to turn her into a French poodle. She's mostly been resting or sleeping, her appetite seems low but she's drinking well.

Last night we received a call that Daisy had come out of the surgery okay but her kidneys did not seem to be working at all. Toxins were building up in her blood (she was receiving a transfusion). We were devastated because without functioning kidneys, she didn't have a chance.

This morning we got the news that her kidneys are working. She's come out of the anaesthesia and has been responsive (even struggling against an examination). So now we have renewed hope.

Daisy's gone under the knife today. I think her surgery is finished already, though we haven't gotten an update since about 1:30.

It turns out that one her several kidney stones got lodged in a ureter (the tubes that runs from the kidneys to the bladder). This meant that only one of her damaged kidneys was doing the work of two and it just couldn't keep up. Going heavy on fluids and diuretics wasn't able to force her to pass the stone, leaving only the options of surgery or ultrasonic.

The nurses and doctors at the NC State vet school became so attached to Daisy that they went to the surgeons and begged them to contribute teaching dollars towards her surgery, which is the only way we'd be able to do this. I'm so grateful that they did and now we're waiting to hear another update. Last we heard they'd removed most of the stones in the kidney itself and flushed out the pus that had built up in there from the previous infection. They were about to go after the stone in the ureter, which is a complicated procedure