Ra is home -- take two.
I've had a long, draining day and am too tired to write up a detailed account. The abbreviated version is: Ra is home again, hopefully to stay. The medical expenses since January have been steadily climbing and as of tonight the total for the last three weeks has broken the $1,500 mark. I was a little shocked to find the bill at $424.72 for the hospitalization on Tuesday night, subsequent treatments and observation... but it's money well spent. What worries me more than the bill is that he very nearly did not come home with me this evening -- shortly before I arrived there was a whole new bout of vomiting. This led the two on-call vets to have a very animated discussion amongst themselves about the situation before deciding he could be discharged to my care again. No wonder I had to wait so long in the exam room before anybody came to talk to me.
To try and quell Yet Another Relapse the doctor has made several changes to Ra's medication regimen. The use of antibiotics has been completely discontinued. The Metoclopramide has been reintroduced into the equation at the rate of 1cc three times a day. The Prednisone has been moved from 2.5mg a day to 10mg a day to try and keep the IBD in remission, and just to make sure that his stomach doesn't overproduce acid I've been instructed to administer 2.5mg a day of Pepcid AC. Yes, Pepcid, the over-the-counter antacid for humans. To ensure that his diet isn't somehow causing these dramatic attacks his dry food has been completely replaced by a "low-residue" formula that is based on green peas and duck. With luck he'll adapt to the new flavor and texture with relative ease.
Since I got home with him Ra has been very alert, playful and purry. I'm glad to have him back... the house was very empty while he was away and I was lonely.
Mister state trooper
To try and quell Yet Another Relapse the doctor has made several changes to Ra's medication regimen. The use of antibiotics has been completely discontinued. The Metoclopramide has been reintroduced into the equation at the rate of 1cc three times a day. The Prednisone has been moved from 2.5mg a day to 10mg a day to try and keep the IBD in remission, and just to make sure that his stomach doesn't overproduce acid I've been instructed to administer 2.5mg a day of Pepcid AC. Yes, Pepcid, the over-the-counter antacid for humans. To ensure that his diet isn't somehow causing these dramatic attacks his dry food has been completely replaced by a "low-residue" formula that is based on green peas and duck. With luck he'll adapt to the new flavor and texture with relative ease.
Since I got home with him Ra has been very alert, playful and purry. I'm glad to have him back... the house was very empty while he was away and I was lonely.
Mister state trooper