Spanky report
So here's the Spanky report for Saturday, January 29. When we went to Auntie Vet on Wednesday, she pronounced his color good (meaning that he's no longer anemic) and told me I could reduce his Epogen injections to once a week. Yay! She also pronounced his potassium and other levels pretty good, which meant keeping him steady on his vitamin supplements. Other things, however, were a little out of whack. I now have to add some powder to his morning and evening meals, plus a new medication in pill form. I'm also giving him 5 mgs of Pepcid AC for his tummy disturbances which is working, thank goodness! There's nothing like knowing you're going to wake up to cat barf. Its successful introduction to his system has made us both much happier.
And lastly, to keep him hydrated, I'm to give him sub-Q fluids twice a week. ::sigh:: More with the sticking of needles, only this time I have to keep him still for five minutes or so.
Well, we made our first attempt this morning. I set him up with treats and yummy food, stuck the needle in, and we went for it. He didn't even react to the needle and was focused enough on food that I'm not sure what or how much he felt. He's supposed to get about 100 milliliters at each instance. We got in about 65 before he became too restless to keep the needle in. Or maybe I got him too excited with the treats. Anyway, for a first attempt, I'd call it successful which, honestly, I'm relieved about. Our next attempt will be on Tuesday. We'll see how it goes then. Maybe, at that point, we'll get in the full 100 mls.
I have to say that, for all the work, he definitely seems to be feeling better. He's not barfing (as previously mentioned), he's pink-eared, he's eating, and he's a little more assertive about attention, which is nice to see. And me, I'm sleeping through the night, instead of waking up to the awful sound of a cat wretching at 3 AM. As far as I'm concerned, this is a win.
And lastly, to keep him hydrated, I'm to give him sub-Q fluids twice a week. ::sigh:: More with the sticking of needles, only this time I have to keep him still for five minutes or so.
Well, we made our first attempt this morning. I set him up with treats and yummy food, stuck the needle in, and we went for it. He didn't even react to the needle and was focused enough on food that I'm not sure what or how much he felt. He's supposed to get about 100 milliliters at each instance. We got in about 65 before he became too restless to keep the needle in. Or maybe I got him too excited with the treats. Anyway, for a first attempt, I'd call it successful which, honestly, I'm relieved about. Our next attempt will be on Tuesday. We'll see how it goes then. Maybe, at that point, we'll get in the full 100 mls.
I have to say that, for all the work, he definitely seems to be feeling better. He's not barfing (as previously mentioned), he's pink-eared, he's eating, and he's a little more assertive about attention, which is nice to see. And me, I'm sleeping through the night, instead of waking up to the awful sound of a cat wretching at 3 AM. As far as I'm concerned, this is a win.