Timothy - weight loss
Darn it, I wanted someone to boss me around :)
Turns out today's appointment was just going to be tech drop off for euthanasia (not what I had thought) but I have an appointment booked with the vet for tomorrow morning. Today Timothy has been excellent. Bright, alert, wheeking for veggies, eating hay and being a total drama pig about his SQ fluids. He's been gassy so I've been pushing simethicone in addiction to his oral B vitamins, extra vitamin C, SAM-e, and enalapril. He hasn't seemed painful and his weight has gone steadily up today, there have been no problems swallowing.
Tomorrow, I want xrays and a teeth check. The more I think about it the more his recent issues feel heart related to me. There is definitely a bit of a clicking noise when he breathes, the gassiness and the hooting all scream heart. Either way I am very, very thankful to have had today with him and I hope to get some more of those days.
Side note: All the receptionists recognize me now and we had several people come out from the back to meet Timothy. Apparently, being the crazy lady calling with a million questions and order Critical Care gets recognition. Go team Timothy!
Turns out today's appointment was just going to be tech drop off for euthanasia (not what I had thought) but I have an appointment booked with the vet for tomorrow morning. Today Timothy has been excellent. Bright, alert, wheeking for veggies, eating hay and being a total drama pig about his SQ fluids. He's been gassy so I've been pushing simethicone in addiction to his oral B vitamins, extra vitamin C, SAM-e, and enalapril. He hasn't seemed painful and his weight has gone steadily up today, there have been no problems swallowing.
Tomorrow, I want xrays and a teeth check. The more I think about it the more his recent issues feel heart related to me. There is definitely a bit of a clicking noise when he breathes, the gassiness and the hooting all scream heart. Either way I am very, very thankful to have had today with him and I hope to get some more of those days.
Side note: All the receptionists recognize me now and we had several people come out from the back to meet Timothy. Apparently, being the crazy lady calling with a million questions and order Critical Care gets recognition. Go team Timothy!
So, it was kind of a mixed visit. The vet did some research on VIN and agreed that the liver issues could actually be secondary to other things since it was the ALT that was elevated. He checked Timothy's teeth for me but we didn't use an anesthetic since it was the weekend and he was short staffed. There has been no return of the choking movements or drooling but we'll be doing a complete mouth exam with anesthesia on Monday just in case. We'll also do xrays then.
The vet probably thinks I'm crazy at this point in time since I keep going on about heart pigs but he's humoring me for the time being. He scripted out Vetmedin for me because he doesn't see how it could hurt and I was pretty damn insistent about it potentially helping.
Current plan is to have him on:
Enalapril 0.25 mg SID
Vetmedin 1/4 of a 1.25mg capsule SID
Meloxicam 0.1mg SID
Simethicone prn (usually 1/2 of low end of baby dose BID these days)
B complex and extra Vitamin C daily
20 mL SQ saline BID
Critical Care feedings as needed
This is all for a pig who is bouncing around a low near 900g and a normal of just over 1kg.
Any thoughts? I feel like we're maybe moving in the right direction. Timothy was so bright and active today, he was giving me kisses through most of the exam and enjoyed hanging out with the receptionists who thought he was adorable.
The vet probably thinks I'm crazy at this point in time since I keep going on about heart pigs but he's humoring me for the time being. He scripted out Vetmedin for me because he doesn't see how it could hurt and I was pretty damn insistent about it potentially helping.
Current plan is to have him on:
Enalapril 0.25 mg SID
Vetmedin 1/4 of a 1.25mg capsule SID
Meloxicam 0.1mg SID
Simethicone prn (usually 1/2 of low end of baby dose BID these days)
B complex and extra Vitamin C daily
20 mL SQ saline BID
Critical Care feedings as needed
This is all for a pig who is bouncing around a low near 900g and a normal of just over 1kg.
Any thoughts? I feel like we're maybe moving in the right direction. Timothy was so bright and active today, he was giving me kisses through most of the exam and enjoyed hanging out with the receptionists who thought he was adorable.
TIMOTHY MAINTAINED HIS BODY WEIGHT OVERNIGHT!!!! Okay, so maybe it's not as exciting for other people as me but I got to go an entire *seven* hours between CC offers. This morning he was still well hydrated so I skipped the morning SQ fluids to see how he does with that. It would be nice if I could get down to only poking him once a day. He was also busy wheeking and chewing on the bars of his cage to demand morning veggies.
Nothing specific or interesting about his teeth or rads. I do feel that the dramatic response to changing the enalapril dosing and adding on vetmedin should count as a mark towards heart. I've got 3 more capsules of vetmedin but after that I'll talk to the compounding pharmacy about making a suspension. I'm going to keep pushing the CC in an effort to get his body weight back up, he's still painfully thin.
Seriously though, maintaining his weight and wheeking and bar chewing and pepper snatch and runs. This is way better than Christmas.
Nothing specific or interesting about his teeth or rads. I do feel that the dramatic response to changing the enalapril dosing and adding on vetmedin should count as a mark towards heart. I've got 3 more capsules of vetmedin but after that I'll talk to the compounding pharmacy about making a suspension. I'm going to keep pushing the CC in an effort to get his body weight back up, he's still painfully thin.
Seriously though, maintaining his weight and wheeking and bar chewing and pepper snatch and runs. This is way better than Christmas.
-
- You can quote me
"Okay, so maybe it's not as exciting for other people as me but I got to go an entire *seven* hours between CC offers."
Ohhhhhhh yes it's exciting. I understand that *completely*.
"I do feel that the dramatic response to changing the enalapril dosing and adding on vetmedin should count as a mark towards heart."
"Mark" isn't the right word. You need a much stronger word. ;-) This is it. In my limited experience, especially if they need Vetmedin and you add it in the difference is dramatic.
Ohhhhhhh yes it's exciting. I understand that *completely*.
"I do feel that the dramatic response to changing the enalapril dosing and adding on vetmedin should count as a mark towards heart."
"Mark" isn't the right word. You need a much stronger word. ;-) This is it. In my limited experience, especially if they need Vetmedin and you add it in the difference is dramatic.
He looks just wonderful right now. Active, begging for food, wheeking loudly, slowly putting on weight. I'm so happy that there's been such a turn around. I've cut back the SQ fluids to once very second day and that keeps him nicely hydrated and happy, just a little bit of a boost. He popcorned yesterday when I gave him a bit of fresh dill as a treat. That's right, popcorned.