Sunday, April 30, 2017

Declan

Declan feeling miserable at his first trip to vet







We've been busy with Declan since we got him back. He started out a very happy boy considering he had just been relocated after almost 3 years. But a couple weeks later we had an incident.

I'm not sure if Declan ate the insides of a toy or if he just happened to throw up where another naughty ratty had destuffed a toy. He acted weird - scared, trembling, lethargic, wouldn't eat or drink.

My vet discovered fluid in his belly via e-rays and aspirated (is that the right word?) via a needle through the abdominal wall. She said toy stuffing usually passes but he's not improving and x-rays are not conclusive - you really need an ultra sound or MRI to determine if there is possibly a blockage. So, she suggested a specialist which is part of the emergency vet (cha$$ching).

Long story short, they did surgery on him to find nothing. Then the healing process totally aggravated his itchy condition and he made a bloody mess of himself especially from these little growths (kinda look like warts only smooth) he has on himself. That was to the point that he had to undergo surgery again to remove the growths (previous owners had some removed) and it turned out at least one was cancerous! The only diagnosis we got was acute gastroenteritis.

In talking with his past owner she had two episodes of this and also spent a lot of money to find nothing. Basically gave him something for tummy upset and then added chicken broth to water to coax him to drink. We do the same but with nonfat milk.

So, we are here again only this episode has an additional component. He can no longer jump on furniture and his legs are wobbly. The next step is likely a neurologist but right now he is eating, drinking, and digesting so I will leave him be. Oh, all these incidents occurred around the time there was a change in household routine (moving or away on travel).