In a brief addendum to what I lately wrote about Neville, I will state that I have decided not to give him a daily dose of his pain medicine. I have been watching him and talking to him, and he does not seem to be feeling pain. Though the veterinary thinks he is suffering a little, I don’t see it. The Nevsky is sleeping well and comfortably, he is not restless, he is not licking or grimacing; he appears normal.
This would not be a problem but for his morbid fear of receiving any oral medicine. The pain-killer I have is relatively easy to administer, but the stress Nev feels is out of proportion to its delivery.
So I will wait on the medicine. This entails a certain risk that I am wrong, but I will observe my friend carefully each day, and make a judgement accordingly. To be honest, I believe he is more content at the moment than he has been for some time, with the various anti-biotics, anti-nausea injections and hospital visits of the recent past. I hope I will know if that changes.
You know Nev so well, John. We know you will always do best by him, and send lots of purrs and prayers for you both. XO
ReplyDeleteNo one knows your cats better than you do. I'm sure you will be able to realize if Neville needs something for pain and we know you'll give him the best care possible.
ReplyDeleteI understand. I got given some for Poppy, but she too like Mr Neville dislikes oral medication and we want less stress in her life not more. Please give Mr Neville a pat from us.
ReplyDeleteYou know your cats better than any vet. They diagnose, you see the day to day interactions. Nev can rely on you and him feeling better without all the daily meds is a big thing for him.
ReplyDeleteWe all know that cats hide their pain, but absolutely you know Neville best. I feel for him, having had to deal with Derry's ultra sensitive nature and high aversion to meds, vet visits, etc. Given how short Neville's remaining time is, it makes sense to give him some peace. When he does start to overtly display signs of pain, then you have a choice to make about temporarily treating him with the meds or letting him pass before he suffers too greatly. I don't envy you, but Neville is in the best of care.
ReplyDeleteAh! Bless! A little good news for the time being
ReplyDeleteat least...!x
When you know what's causing him even more stress, than it is right to not force that on to him. It is such a difficult decision about the pain that it appears to you that he is not in any major pain. I hope he continues this way for many many more weeks.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you both.
ReplyDeleteQuality of life means how distressed the cat is to get the meds that may help.
ReplyDeleteAND how distressed the human gets too.
John, you know Nevsky better than anyone else.
I can only repeat what the other commenters said: you know what's best for Neville's quality of life better than any vet. It's good to hear that he seems comfortable. Is the swelling in his face still there? It's hard to tell from the photo.
ReplyDeleteNev's face is still larger than it should be, though not as large as it was. I don't take that as a positive sign, however, as it seems alternately to grow and lessen with time.
DeleteYou just gotta do what's best for Neville and that sure sounds pleasing to him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone else, you know Nev better than anyone. If he needs the meds, I believe you'll sense the change in him.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, you're allowing him to live out his life as best it can be.