Moon
Well-Known Member
Maggie is not at all well. So we went to a new vet.
The good news:
1) I was reasonably happy with the new vet. She seemed quite knowledgeable and she was great with the girls despite their discomfort with being in the new place. You could see she really enjoyed seeing them. She seemed well informed and up to date, and was completely open about the fact that she's only done rat neuters and not spays.
2) She saw both Maggie and Emma, and only charged me for one examination. She was also just a tad cheaper than Dr. Munn, and was way WAY closer.
3) She examined Emma's lump, confirmed that it's not an absess but also probably not a tumour. She said she wasn't terribly concerned about it, and I've not been either... Emma has put on weight since finishing her meds, and is as happy as ever.... she's become spunkier, in fact.
4) Everyone's teeth are good.
5) Maggie has had a good couple of days, and I actually caught her eating something solid!
The bad news:
Maggie is so skinny, and having such trouble breathing. She doesn't seem to want to eat her lab blocks at all, or just about anything hard. She's getting tired and out of breath just from cleaning herself, so she's not the prettiest she's ever been, either. I've been feeding her ensure, baby cereal, & other extra inviting high protein softish foods.... but she continues to not gain any weight.
The vet thinks that Maggie has "an internal mass". It's restricting her breathing and sapping her strength, and the vet feels that's probably the main reason she's so skinny. And although she's still happy to see us, and has her spunky moments, you can tell she's just plain frail... picking her up is like picking up a china doll in a small furry outfit.
I could have done an xray, but the stress of the exam was causing Maggie massive stress and she started to gasp... and I didn't want her there any longer than entirely necessary.
We've been given Theolair... the vet says it helps open up the airway and helps them breathe. The good news is, it doesn't taste nearly as bad as the baytril or the doxy, so at least it will be easier to give.
I don't know what else we can do right now but try and keep Maggie comfortable, and keep her eating. If she'd just put on weight, I might feel like she's got a bit of a chance.
The good news:
1) I was reasonably happy with the new vet. She seemed quite knowledgeable and she was great with the girls despite their discomfort with being in the new place. You could see she really enjoyed seeing them. She seemed well informed and up to date, and was completely open about the fact that she's only done rat neuters and not spays.
2) She saw both Maggie and Emma, and only charged me for one examination. She was also just a tad cheaper than Dr. Munn, and was way WAY closer.
3) She examined Emma's lump, confirmed that it's not an absess but also probably not a tumour. She said she wasn't terribly concerned about it, and I've not been either... Emma has put on weight since finishing her meds, and is as happy as ever.... she's become spunkier, in fact.
4) Everyone's teeth are good.
5) Maggie has had a good couple of days, and I actually caught her eating something solid!
The bad news:
Maggie is so skinny, and having such trouble breathing. She doesn't seem to want to eat her lab blocks at all, or just about anything hard. She's getting tired and out of breath just from cleaning herself, so she's not the prettiest she's ever been, either. I've been feeding her ensure, baby cereal, & other extra inviting high protein softish foods.... but she continues to not gain any weight.
The vet thinks that Maggie has "an internal mass". It's restricting her breathing and sapping her strength, and the vet feels that's probably the main reason she's so skinny. And although she's still happy to see us, and has her spunky moments, you can tell she's just plain frail... picking her up is like picking up a china doll in a small furry outfit.
I could have done an xray, but the stress of the exam was causing Maggie massive stress and she started to gasp... and I didn't want her there any longer than entirely necessary.
We've been given Theolair... the vet says it helps open up the airway and helps them breathe. The good news is, it doesn't taste nearly as bad as the baytril or the doxy, so at least it will be easier to give.
I don't know what else we can do right now but try and keep Maggie comfortable, and keep her eating. If she'd just put on weight, I might feel like she's got a bit of a chance.