Thursday, July 18, 2019

No Way to Treat a Princess


Firstly, I wish to thank everyone who has read and commented on my tale of Cammie’s latest troubles. The concerns and good wishes are appreciated.

Last night, though, represented a step back for Cammie in her current bout of illness. She threw up several times during the dark hours. Come morning, I fed her more slippery elm, but she regurgitated that quickly. This, and its failure during the night, suggested that I could not depended on it. I was at a loss as to what to do. However, in thinking of taking her to the veterinary hospital, I realised that they could do little for her. They could study her blood, analyse her urine and give her fluids, which I suspected she required.

Blood- and urine-testing would prove nothing, I believe, since I am certain her trouble is dietary: in this instance, the possibly contaminated tin of food from which she ate. Inserting a feeding tube was an option, but I am extremely loathe to take that route. Extra fluids would help, making up somewhat for what she has lost through vomiting and, probably, just making her feel better. I had a bag of solution, purchased from the hospital for such an occasion, but had never felt confident enough to use it. With a colleague from the rescue-group to provide the principal skill, however, Cammie was given some fluids.

Next, came sustenance. The princess needed food. I had given her what amounted to no more than a teaspoonful of Z/D (from a new tin, filled with (relatively) better-looking rubberised crap), mixed with water. That was not enough. I decided that force-feeding must become literal.

I dispensed with the Z/D in water, injected orally through a syringe. I cut a chunk of Z/D into little pieces and then, prying her jaws apart with my fingers, forced the food into her mouth, closing it immediately afterward, then using a small stream of syringe-stored water to encourage swallowing. It was messy, stinky and I hated doing it, but in ten minutes Cammie consumed more food than she had all the previous day.

That was two and a half hours ago, and so far, it has stayed down. I tried some Recovery this morning; this is a nutrient-rich food meant rapidly to replenish lost minerals and vitamins. It is made for situations like this. But it is not made for a cat who is allergic to almost everything. It came back up within minutes. The Z/D appears acceptable to Cammie’s stomach, even without something such as slippery elm to smooth the way. I will feed her some more Z/D, in the same deplorable manner, soon. And I will keep doing so until she decides to eat on her own. I dislike doing it, but if she doesn’t eat, she will, at the least, suffer liver damage, and the amount I had been giving her by syringe was, I suspect, not enough to prevent it. If Cammie makes it through a night and a day without vomiting, she may gain the confidence to eat on her own.

Then I can once more treat the princess the way she should be treated.


16 comments:

  1. Oh, I'm so sorry Cammie is still having problems. You're doing everything possible to help her, and paws and fingers crossed that she will soon be eating on her own. Get well soon, Cammie! Please keep us updated on how things are going.

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  2. Ah! Bless! Hope both of you come through this o.k.
    It's no consolation l know..but even princesses get
    sick!x

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  3. Aww Cammie, we are glad that you had something, but we wish you felt better. Hugs to you sweet girl.

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  4. I am so sorry that Cammie vomited again. It is not hard just for her, but for you too. I am glad you were able to give her fluids and hope it helped her feel somewhat better.
    When Flynn first became so ill he was losing a pound or more in weight every week and I had to force feed him too, and we both hated it. I used to get some of his wet food and blitz it in the blender with some water and feed it by syringe. It worked, he started eating on his own and he put the weight back until his next setback. Then it was repeat and start again several times over four years.

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  5. I'd hoped she'd be eating on her own by now. :-(

    As Roberta stated, you're doing everything possible that you can do. I, too, hope for a (better) update the next time you post.

    Continued purrs from N & D.

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  6. We sure hope that sweet Princess keeps her food down. Purrs and prayers from all of us.

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  7. Poor Cammie. She's been through so much already, I was hoping life would go easy on her from now on. I just wish there was some "magic formula" I could suggest.

    We always feel so helpless when our pets are ill. May she fully recover soon!

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  8. sometimes force feed is the only route; sadly, but it does help prevent fatty liver disease. we are sorry cammie's condition hasn't really improved and while words wont improve her condition, we do send the blessings of st francis ~~~~ ♥♥♥♥♥

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  9. I had such hopes that she would eat on her own as she has done in the past. That was written yesterday and I sure hope that today brought better times for her. Bless her.

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  10. I just remembered something. There are varieties of acidophilus powders designed specifically for cats who have digestive issues. I wonder if that might help?

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  11. Oh dear! My heart goes out to the princess. Let's hope your method continues to work. Glad she's getting some nutrients in her even though she must hate being force fed. Hope the weekend goes well for the both of you!

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  12. We also have used the blender to liquefy food for use with a syringe when our cats have been ill. We are hoping that she will be back to eating on her own in a day or so. Good thoughts from us all

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  13. Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that Cammie is having such a rough time of it and by extension you as well. I hope she finds it tolerable to eat on her own soon. Thinking of both of you.

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  14. Sending hugs and purrs, 'cause I have nothing else to give to you and Cammie.

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