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| Stetson back home after seeing Dr. Mike |
My living room is tiny - about fourteen by fourteen - and stepping around the furniture has always been a challenge, especially since adding a "time out" crate for flying kitties (and if you've never seen a kitty fly, you haven't met Rascal). So to add a doggy hospital bed for Stetson, some furniture had to go.
We suspect a low cervical disc rupture or spinal lesion -Stetson had a positive pain response in all four limbs but they are rigid and he's unable to control his legs or support weight. He responded well to a test dose of prednisone yesterday, rolling up on his sternum for petting and to eat, so today he got a shot of dex and script for a prednisone taper. He seems to be having quite a bit of pain, so we'll keep him comfortable with tramadol - which also helps lessen his anxiety when I need to go to the barn or to the store. It's much too painful to try to get him up to take care of elimination - it takes two of us to move him using a sheet - and we'd rather have him just lay about for a while to let any healing that might take place get started.
Stetson does like his food but didn't want any part of plain water. Fortunately I just boiled up some chicken broth the other day which did pique his interest.
Biggest challenge the next few days will be keeping him dry and clean, encouraging fluid intake and finding enough washable padding and old quilts to keep him comfy. I'm off to Walgreens to pick up his meds and some diapers or "pull-ups". They're great for wicking moisture away from the skin and I hope will make clean up a bit easier.
We'll see what the next days and weeks bring - hopefully it will bring back a smile to my happy guy's face.
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| Stetson last 4th of July |
