The Score So Far

Tucker went to visit the doctor yesterday. He didn’t have Renn’s equanimity under similar conditions, nor Cammie’s resentment. And he wet in his carrier.

Physically, all seems well with the roly poly. He had had blood-testing and urine-testing just a couple of months ago, for his dental work, so these were not repeated. Everything else registered well. Without any other indications, the doctor thought that Tucker had just been suffering a mild infection in the stomach. My boy was given an injection of Cerenia to calm his internal bits.

I think his problem now is psychological. He has not vomited since Sunday evening. I have offered him a dozen different varieties of food; he seems instantaneously interested, but a moment later, decides not to eat. I think he is afraid of throwing up. He has eaten nothing on his own since Monday morning, though I have been forcing some Recovery-and-water into him by syringe. That has been staying down, but it will never be in sufficient quantities to make up for eating on his own.

I am sure Tucker will start to eat again. We went through this with the removal of his teeth; he was afraid to eat then because of the possibility of pain in his mouth. I hope that repeated extrusions of Recovery will demonstrate that he can feed himself without fear of regurgitation.

Parker, on the other hand, has been eating very well. After preferring Koha chicken for a week or so, he refused it last night. I substituted Merrick chicken, and the orange-boy declared himself satisfied after half the tin had disappeared. This morning, he was back to Koha, though not a great deal of it.

With regards to quantity, I am not too concerned with how much Parker eats, so long as it is enough for his continuance. He tends to consume a most satisfactory amount at one meal, usually dinner, and very little for the rest of the night. Considering his condition, that is understandable; a very good feed will not only fill him up, but probably cost him his appetite for several hours afterward. If he is eating a decent portion at least once a day, I won’t complain.

Raleigh has reverted a little in his behaviour toward me, not liking me to come near him too much, yet eagerly lying on my lap when I sit on the couch. I think he misunderstands the point of survival-by-avoidance.

Anyway, I attempted to reduce the amount of Prednisolone that he was taking. After a couple of months of a full tablet once a day, the dosage was reduced. This has not proved a success. Even three quarters of a tablet was not enough, his mouth becoming messy, with drool and bits of food dropping out of it. It was probably painful, too. I have restored his previous amount, and suspect that he will feel better as a result. His left eye started to run again. I have begun applying medicinal drops to it, but as it seems to be in partnership with his mouth, I think its condition will improve with the Prednisolone’s restoration.

Peachy was eating much less then usual, and it was only with constant effort that I was able to coax him to eat, each day, the food in which I had crushed his medicine. Yesterday, however, he took a liking to a bit of Recovery I offered him; he eventually ate three quarters of a tin of it for dinner, and the rest at snack-time. It is pricey food, but if he continues to consume as much as he has been, it will be worth the cost.

At present, therefore, Tucker is in a holding pattern, with his fears working against him; Parker is also treading water, but feeling pretty good about it, and Raleigh is, I hope, climbing the slope of improvement even as I write. As for the others, Renn needs dental work (perhaps in the next few weeks), Cammie is stable (and glowering at Raleigh whenever she can) and Josie threw up when she ate the wrong kind of Fancy Feast - but is otherwise well.

And I’m tired.