From:
ferretgm
Date: 2007-11-19 23:15:20 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Updates on Ripper and Spring
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Ripper is doing much better, the poor baby. His sugery went very well, and this morning he was finally able to stay awake and be interested in things for more than a couple of minutes at a time. The continued fatigue is, I think, because he is on 2 drops of tramadol twice a day for pain, which probably makes him a bit sleepy. That's probably for the best, though, as he *wants* to do things, but he is still having some pain/weakness when he tries to use his stomach muscles. (He can't come to a standing position as easily now as he could before, when he's lying on his side in his bed, for instance)
He doesn't mind the Carnivore Care; I have been mixing it in with his baby food and a bit of water. He gets 24 ccs per meal on a saucer, and happily laps it up now. (The 24ccs is the volume size recommended by vet, 3 - 4 times per day - shoot, I'm not sure if it's cc's or mls. [Mod: Cubic centimeter is the same as ml in the syringe.] It's a big syringe, and it doesn't have volume markers on it). He is very well hydrated and seems to already be losing some of his tummy.
Spring is still having a hard time, but thankfully, she seems to have turned the corner this weekend. I never did get a call back from the doctor, but discontinued the flagyl anyway. It appeared that flagyl's not usually used for ECE (which I am pretty sure is what she has been afflicted with - her symptoms and the timing are textbook ECE, based on the references I have seen), so I thought it would be for the best, particularly since they just crushed the pills and added water. (Ick!)
She's the one that had much more trouble eating. She would not eat the CC without a fight, ever, but seemed to tolerate it grudgingly when I mixed it with baby food and syringe-fed her. (Yes, I am very careful in how I put the food in her mouth with the syringe). This morning she ate 18ccs of plain baby food from a spoon, which is a good amount, I think. She has largely stopped the teeth-grinding, mouth-pawing, and gagging as well. Oddly, she will only drink warm water - it's very cute - she'll go into the bathroom and do a little dance in front of the tub to get me to run the water for her.
However, I have taken her back to the specialty hospital to be fed and medicated for the next few days. I wish I could keep her at home where she would be more comfortable, but I truly cannot be home enough to feed her as often as she needs to be fed in order to keep getting better. My job is very demanding, and I am very behind due to the dual illnesses. The vet office is AHAA accredited, and they have people there 24 hours a day to care for the animals that are in the 'hospital' ward. While I feel terribly guilty (she **really** didn't want to go back), I truly can't take care of her the way she needs and still work.
Hopefully, I will be able to report a full recovery in just a few more days.
Best regards,
Melissa
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