Sagan's Medical Thread
We went to the vet today. She suspected his stones may have moved into the bladder or shifted in the ureters based on him now squeaking and his clots he passed yesterday with the absence of other blood. We did am xray but unfortunately (and fortunately in some ways) it showed only a slight shift of one to the side and no other changes. Thank God for no increase in size or number. She suggested not doing an antibiotic at all so his appetite will come back, and also because we aren't convinced he has an infection...so no more Baytril. The Chinese herb will arrive Thursday, and we are beginning a diuretic (don't have the name of it right here) to increase urine production and output in hopes it will impact the stones. We also have tramadol for pain management. We are stopping/not beginning any new Meds for 48hrs so he can bounce back a bit.
He brightened up at the vet and when we got home. I think he was afraid we were giving up on him. I hope he knows how much we love him. Please send positive vibes to our sweetie that we will be able to buy him some time. Thank God for another day.
He brightened up at the vet and when we got home. I think he was afraid we were giving up on him. I hope he knows how much we love him. Please send positive vibes to our sweetie that we will be able to buy him some time. Thank God for another day.
I keep trying to prepare myself for needing to accept the inevitable outcome, and with that I think I feel guilty as if I'm giving up. I thought for sure our vet would tell us we were out of time today, and maybe Sagan sensed that. I don't want him to be in pain, but I can't let go when we still have some hope, too.
Day 2 off of Baytril...now eating veggies again though not back to hay. His eyes are looking brighter and he is his same old adventurous self when out of the cage. In the cage he seems tired and not well...very strange.
Tonight we are supposed to begin our pain medication (Tramadol), continue fluids, and begin the diuretic (hydrochlorothiazide). The herb is arriving tomorrow. Are diuretics truly ok long term? Not that he will be on it forever, but the vet would like him to take them so it can help potentially flush the stones and keep him urinating. I know all meds have the potential to impact appetite...anyone have experience with either med mentioned above? I feel like we gave Milo Tramadol at some point, but he was typically a Metacam guy so I can't remember. Any advice is much appreciated.
Tonight we are supposed to begin our pain medication (Tramadol), continue fluids, and begin the diuretic (hydrochlorothiazide). The herb is arriving tomorrow. Are diuretics truly ok long term? Not that he will be on it forever, but the vet would like him to take them so it can help potentially flush the stones and keep him urinating. I know all meds have the potential to impact appetite...anyone have experience with either med mentioned above? I feel like we gave Milo Tramadol at some point, but he was typically a Metacam guy so I can't remember. Any advice is much appreciated.
So within 10 minutes of posting that, I went to get something out of the fridge and who do you suppose came running out, stood nice and tall begging at the bars of his cage? Sagan! He was the first of the four to come out. He hasn't begged like that for probably 10+ days. He is eating carrot, green pepper and lettuce now. This makes me hesitate to start Tramadol. I was the one who pushed for a pain med--others have questioned if he needs one. He sometimes seems in pain, and other times not. He does make very quiet noises when he poops and his hair is often fluffed. Should I just wait and save it for as needed? I still plan to start the diuretic tonight.
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Sef
- I dissent.
Yay to Sagan, eating veggies! :) That's very good news.
Personally, if it were me (and this is just me), I'd wait a bit on the Tramadol and let his appetite continue to return to normal (or as close to it as possible). If he really needs it, then by all means -- do whatever you need to do to keep him comfortable. I'd just be a little reluctant to overload him with too many meds when he seems to regaining his interest in food.
One thing I will add, is that a lot of our guys have had trouble with bell peppers causing gas and bloat. You might keep an eye on that.
ETA: I'm not seeing any drug information for hydrochlorothiazide use in rabbits or rodents. ?
Personally, if it were me (and this is just me), I'd wait a bit on the Tramadol and let his appetite continue to return to normal (or as close to it as possible). If he really needs it, then by all means -- do whatever you need to do to keep him comfortable. I'd just be a little reluctant to overload him with too many meds when he seems to regaining his interest in food.
One thing I will add, is that a lot of our guys have had trouble with bell peppers causing gas and bloat. You might keep an eye on that.
ETA: I'm not seeing any drug information for hydrochlorothiazide use in rabbits or rodents. ?
Thanks sef. We did decide to wait on the tramadol. We gave him his first dose of the HCT...hoping it is truly ok. We are giving 20mLs of sub Qs typically daily, but I did some reading on your old thread on Zachary (I'm sorry for your heart break!) and I'm wondering could this overload the kidneys? The vet said we could do every other day with that amount if we want. He is drinking a little on his own, and takes some from a syringe after critical care. Will a diuretic just mess with him? I know the vets did a lot of research for us so they must have found something suggesting it would help. I just hate doing something that's never been done/used by a guinea lynx person.
And thanks for the heads up on pepper! He is only taking a few bites, so hopefully he is ok. We will be careful and aim for the others he is interested in.
And thanks for the heads up on pepper! He is only taking a few bites, so hopefully he is ok. We will be careful and aim for the others he is interested in.
Thank you, Bugs mom. He continues to eat some veggies today--yay! Also, not to jinx it, he has started to eat a little hay from our hands...though still not in his cage. Yippee! Hoping it continues. We did give one dose of the HCT last night. We are supposed to do every 12hrs but I'm nervous. I don't want to bombard his system with all this new stuff. Hoping that herb gets here today.
Updates... Sagan's behavior is almost back to normal with the exception of eating. He is out and about...sometimes running away from us when we try to catch him...kicking...seeking us out...chewing on everything...playing with his tube...drinking...begging...hanging out in his hay. He is eating some hay and taking veggies.
Negative new thing would be the color of his urine. It is now darker. It is hard to say exactly what color, because when he pees on something beige (e.g. our futon cover!) it just looks slightly off (maybe pinkish) but when he pees on a uHaul blanket it dries almost copper and darker? I know that sounds weird. We also don't see any difference on his fleece...just when he is out getting critical care with us. It also looked a little bit thicker. He is still only squeaking while pooping.
So, my question is, is this:
1. UTI, 2. Normal with stones, 3. Resulting from either the HCT or the herbal power? The herbal powder is light brown...almost like chocolate powder. Is the thickness in urine output considered sludge, or is that only visible/existent in the bladder?
Thoughts??
Negative new thing would be the color of his urine. It is now darker. It is hard to say exactly what color, because when he pees on something beige (e.g. our futon cover!) it just looks slightly off (maybe pinkish) but when he pees on a uHaul blanket it dries almost copper and darker? I know that sounds weird. We also don't see any difference on his fleece...just when he is out getting critical care with us. It also looked a little bit thicker. He is still only squeaking while pooping.
So, my question is, is this:
1. UTI, 2. Normal with stones, 3. Resulting from either the HCT or the herbal power? The herbal powder is light brown...almost like chocolate powder. Is the thickness in urine output considered sludge, or is that only visible/existent in the bladder?
Thoughts??
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