Zoey is very sick [Update - 11/12/09 R.I.P.]

[abbycrazed]

This morning I woke up to Zoey having massive amounts of porphyrin around her eyes and nose. She was very lethargic, and her once chubby self was extremely skinny, and her pee dark orange. Mom and I took her to the vet as soon as we could. They said there wasn't much they could do. She isn't showing any signs of respiratory problems, and her heart is good. They couldn't find any masses. The vet I managed to see was born and raised around rats, which I was pleased to hear. He said all we could do is give her baytril and keep her warm and comfortable and as stress-free as possible. He recommended watered down baby food to help keep her hydrated. While I was at the vet, they injected her with fluids to help get her on the right track ASAP.

Now we wait, and pray. She's only a year and a half old. This has been very hard on my mom and me. We've just recently been able to get passed Abby's death in July.

Good news: Zoey's pee is no longer orange, it is closer to clear, and closer to normal. The porphyrin is going away, but there is some dried around one of her eyes, the vet said to use a warm washcloth to try to gently basically dissolve it if it didn't make her uncomfortable. She is more alert and energetic, but has stopped showing interest in solid foods. She is still greedily eating the baby food from a syringe though.


I will update in the morning if anything changes. Right now I have to help secure the house for a relatively strong storm. If anybody has any recommendations for keeping her warm and comfortable, or what might be wrong with her, lemme know. I'm supposed to call the vet with any changes. He says the SECOND she starts showing symptoms of respiratory trouble, to call him and he would see what he could do to help her.

 

[arresai]

Sorry Zoey's sick and I hope she is able to make a full recovery.

 

[Chelipepper]

when our mousies were sick, i used one of the 8 hour disposable heating neck pads because we happened to have them in the house ...they butterfly out beautifully and i stuck it to the outside bottom of the cage under where they would be sleeping and then tented the cage with a towel.. the disposable heating pads give just enough heat to cozy them up without overheating them and the cage covering helps to keep the warmth in .. best thing to do is to make your baby comfy and let the things the vet did work their magic ..and of course, accept the warm wishes and good energy from your friends on the board ..

get well soon zoey! :heart:

 

[jorats]

How old is Zoey? I wonder if this could be pituitary tumour.
It could also be some type of internal infection and hopefully the Baytril will help.

 

[abbycrazed]

Zoey is exactly a year and a half old. I have a re-usable microwavable heating pad that i can put on one side of the cage, but the room is pretty warm right now, and I don't want to overheat her. Her appetite is getting better, she's eating cheerios and baby food. As long as her breathing is fine and she continues to eat, I think she'll be able to fight this off. If she can't, she can't, and it's just her time to go. *heavy sigh* If she does go, at least she'll go in comfort and not in pain...

 

[Joanne]

Sounds like she's bouncing back - hope she continues to improve......

 

[abbycrazed]

Well it doesn't seem like she's doing any worse, but it doesn't seem like she's doing any better. Hopefully the baytril will work! I only have 5 more doeses worth, so I'll have to take her back to the vet soon to get a refill.

 

[jorats]

I'd do a longer treatment as well... as long as she doesn't get worse.

 

[abbycrazed]

Well, we took her to another vet for a second opinion. He says her symptoms are signs of a neurological problem. He's hoping the problem is an infection, as it's the most easily treatable. He switched her from baytril to a combo of baytril and doxy. He says if she hasn't improved or she's gotten worse by Monday, then there's probably nothing else we can do. She's definitely getting weaker. She is eating less of the diluted baby food, and won't accept water out of the syringe anymore.

The vet says keep her cage between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, so we've got a low-powered heating pad under the cage and a light fleece blanket over top to keep the heat in, as well as a temperature gauge on the floor of the cage. We're doing all we can. *heavy sigh* Long weekend ahead....


EDIT: I forgot to mention...she now has a head tilt, and instead of walking straight walks in circles to the right. The vet noticed this, of course. He must be the most expensive pet in the area, but he specializes in rats and mice, so it's worth it...I hope.

 

[lindsayfawn]

aww poor kid I hope she starts feeling better soon.

 

[lilspaz68]

For most neuro signs they give a steroid, can you ask for some to try with your girl?

 

[jorats]

It could very well be PT. :sad3:

 

[abbycrazed]

I know, I've been told it could be PT :cry3: . The emergency vet doesn't handle small animals, and the small animal vet isn't open until Monday. But, like he said yesterday, if she's not showing signs of improvement by Monday, she probably won't make it and is just suffering. So if she's not doing any better, we'll be talking about having her PTS. :cry3:

On a brighter note, she's not circling as much to the right, she's walked in a straight line twice this morning and has turned left 3 times to see me. I'm cautiously optimistic. :sad3:

 

[abbycrazed]

Update Monday the 9th: Zoey is doing remarkably better. She picks herself up when she walks instead of dragging herself along the ground. She is walking in straight lines, and only her right paw is clubbed, the other one she can ALMOST hold cheerios in! Speaking of cheerios, I'm going to need to get more tonight, she's going through them like crazy. She's eating solid food and is more active.

The vet thinks she might have had a stroke? We're going to finish up the antibiotics just in case.


That's all the news I have for now.

 

[Godmother]

Glad to hear that she is doing better. It is so nerve-wracking waiting and watching and hoping, when you are not sure what is wrong. Kisses and banana mash to her. :heart:

 

[Maple]

Glad to hear things are coming along and also glad to hear you are feeling somewhat better as well. :heart:

 

[abbycrazed]

Glad to hear that she is doing better. It is so nerve-wracking waiting and watching and hoping, when you are not sure what is wrong. Kisses and banana mash to her. :heart:

speaking of banana mash, she can't seem to get enough of the stuff! hehe

 

[abbycrazed]

We had Zoey put down today. She had lost 8% of her body weight since Saturday, despite the very fatty foods we were feeding her. We still don't know exactly what happened. It could have been a stroke that caused the neurological problems, or a blood clot, or a tumor, or an infection. We all felt she was suffering, and we were just barely keeping her alive. We said our farewells and let her go.

R.I.P. Zoey 5/08-11/12/09

 

[Maple]

Sorry to hear the sad news. RIP little Zoey :heart:

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

I'm so sorry :redbud: