Thursday, April 16, 2020

Doctors, Again


Raleigh went to the doctor today, and the findings were a relief.

He had his blood tested and was given some x-rays. His mouth was of course examined, due to his stomatitis, his poundage weighed and his abdomen felt. Though he has lost a little weight since his last examination, which must have been more than a year ago now, Peachy still depresses the scales at six kilograms (13.23 pounds), which I think is a very good weight for his size. He has no fever and no mysterious growths.

There was bad news, though not very bad news. His lungs sounded ‘heavy’, and he may have a touch of upper respiratory infection but, as his breathing is normal, not enough to warrant any medicine for it. His gums are, on the whole, a little better-looking than last time they were examined, but the doctor noticed some increased redness on the left side, at the back.

In short, Raleigh is not facing any major problems, and his appetite’s decrease may be attributable simply to his mouth hurting. A slight increase in his Prednisolone dosage was prescribed, as were a short-term appetite-stimulant (Mirtazapine) and a shorter-term pain-killer (Gabapentin). Strangely, the medicine to increase his appetite is in pill form, and the best way to give it is in Raleigh’s food… I attempted this at dinner, and he was immediately suspicious of his fare. The Mirtazapine evidently has a taste and smell, neither of which Raleigh finds appealing. Tucker had been prescribed the same drug in transdermal form, so if Raleigh doesn’t eat more, I will probably ask about getting some for him. However, the Gabapentin may be enough to encourage my boy to eat, and it is given in liquid form, so, once in my clutches, he has no choice but to take it, the poor guy.

I spoke with the doctor about an alternative to the Prednisolone that Raleigh is receiving. Deximethinine is injected (much like insulin would be) once a month. This would be a blessing for the Peach except for the fact that he would first need to be weaned off his current steroid. That would undoubtedly cause a resurgence in his stomatitis; the less Prednisolone, the more stomatitis and pain. The weaning could take weeks. Then would come the determination of dosage of Deximethinine; it would likely start small, so Raleigh’s relief from the discomfort occasioned by the loss of the Prednisolone would not be immediate. The new drug is something to consider, but, so long as his appetite continues enough to consume his current medicine with his food, I think it would be better to continue with that, rather than switch to the new.

Assuming that Raleigh’s diminished eating is due to pain in his mouth, he should soon start to feel more amenable to food, and be more like his old self in a little while.


13 comments:

  1. Raleigh looks so handsome in that photo. I hope his mouth issues clear up soon.

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  2. Raleigh, we hope your mouth feels better, so you can maintain your manly circumference!

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  3. i hope you feel better soon Mr Raleigh. It must be hard having a sore mouth.

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  4. Goodness! John..it never rains but it
    pours..as they say!
    And..hopefully Raleigh will be his old
    self again soon..Bless him!x

    I take Gabapentin..for the arthritis l
    suffer in my neck, which l've had for
    the last 12yrs..not life threatening,
    and not nice either..! ;(.

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  5. It sounds like Raleigh received a pretty good report from the vet, and that's great news. John, when I've had trouble pilling a cat, I used a pill crusher to pulverize the pill, and then I dissolved the powder in a small amount of water, and used an eyedropper to give the dissolved medication to the cat. You just need to be aware that some pills should not be crushed, and that the eye dropper you use should not made of glass.

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  6. I had totally forgotten about Raleigh's stomatitis. Had I remembered, I would have immediately come to the conclusion that it may be his mouth causing him to eat less. Thank goodness his report was largely good. Smoochies on your beautiful head, Peach. I couldn't recall the name of the appetite enhancer Admiral took at the time I mentioned it to you, but Mirtazapine is the one. She took it in pill pockets. Katie would rather never touch her beautiful mouth the a pill pocket, no matter the flavor. Much to my dismay. I am impressed that the Peach depressed the scale at a good weight. 😻 And I enjoyed your way of telling us. Now. If I could do the same when I go to my human Dr., that would be great. 🙀

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  7. Poor guy! I hope his mouth feels better soon. Having a sore mouth myself occasionally, I know how uncomfortable it can be. Please give him a cuddle from me. He's such a handsome guy!

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  8. Hope the redness in Raleigh's mouth is not going to interfere with
    his eating better soon. Hope you did have an easy time getting to the
    Vet and not just a parking lot visit with you.

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    1. There was some waiting outside, but I was able to talk to the vet via telephone during the examination. I think it was just as tough getting my polydactyl boy into his carrier to take him there as was any other part of the visit.

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  9. I am glad that Raleigh's vet report was good over all. I hope the increase of pred. helps with the soreness.

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  10. We're glad to hear that all is generally pretty good. Yes, that mouth pain isn't much fun.

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  11. Oh Raleigh, you're such a handsome boy! I'm glad he had a reasonably good vet visit. Fingers crossed he's eating better soon.

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  12. We love that big Ginger fellow and wish he well. Glad he is doing well as can be expected

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