RatCreature (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ratcreature) wrote2006-04-22 01:45 pm
ratcreature) wrote2006-04-22 01:45 pm
Entry tags:
rat health...
I'm back from the daily vet visit. The bad news is that Dustin was breathing worse again late Thursday, so yesterday he got a double dose of the antibiotic and again some kind of stuff to help his metabolism, and I was to report again today for the decision whether he improved and it was only a temporary setback, or whether the antibiotic had to be changed again. It was somewhat inconclusive in that he did get slightly better, but some breathing symptoms still remain, despite this being the eight day or so on the antibiotic. So the vet decided to try a third antibiotic.
The good news is that this antibiotic unlike the last one is given orally, so I don't have to go the vet every day for an injection (I really didn't dare to inject him myself), and only need to come in if he gets much worse again, or if it doesn't work after a few days, so I hope I won't need to go to the emergency visiting hour tomorrow morning, and maybe the breathing issues will finally go away. Of course that it is to be taken orally is also bad news, since I now have to convince Dustin to eat medicine twice a day again. Supposedly this one tastes good because it is some kind of antibiotic syrup for children (not bitter like the first antibiotic that was also given orally), but when I just tried to give Dustin his first dose he was not enthused.
Since he wouldn't lick it from the syringe at all (and he just struggles wildly, blocks his mouth and throat with his tongue and spits stuff out when I try the forcefeed method of emptying the syringe directly into his mouth, I just never manage this properly, and I doubt it would go much better just because the stuff in the syringe is sweet this time) and wouldn't lick it from my finger either, I tried mixing it with a bit of yogurt, and coaxed him to eat that. Since his appetite is still not great and he was a bit stressed at that point already, it took a bit of effort, but I think he ate most of his dose. For the evening dose I'll probably try mixing it with a tiny bit of this nutrition paste, which he's rather fond of. Gooey, smelly stuff that it is, seeing how its main ingredients are corn syrup, soy oil, malt syrup, and cod-liver oil. But I really want to avoid him loosing even more weight than he already has (last time I weighed him he lost at least 30g of the slightly over 400g he weighed before), so I'll even live with the feeding him gooey cod-liver/syrup mixtures or whatever, at least it still smells much less gross than canned cat food.
The good news is that this antibiotic unlike the last one is given orally, so I don't have to go the vet every day for an injection (I really didn't dare to inject him myself), and only need to come in if he gets much worse again, or if it doesn't work after a few days, so I hope I won't need to go to the emergency visiting hour tomorrow morning, and maybe the breathing issues will finally go away. Of course that it is to be taken orally is also bad news, since I now have to convince Dustin to eat medicine twice a day again. Supposedly this one tastes good because it is some kind of antibiotic syrup for children (not bitter like the first antibiotic that was also given orally), but when I just tried to give Dustin his first dose he was not enthused.
Since he wouldn't lick it from the syringe at all (and he just struggles wildly, blocks his mouth and throat with his tongue and spits stuff out when I try the forcefeed method of emptying the syringe directly into his mouth, I just never manage this properly, and I doubt it would go much better just because the stuff in the syringe is sweet this time) and wouldn't lick it from my finger either, I tried mixing it with a bit of yogurt, and coaxed him to eat that. Since his appetite is still not great and he was a bit stressed at that point already, it took a bit of effort, but I think he ate most of his dose. For the evening dose I'll probably try mixing it with a tiny bit of this nutrition paste, which he's rather fond of. Gooey, smelly stuff that it is, seeing how its main ingredients are corn syrup, soy oil, malt syrup, and cod-liver oil. But I really want to avoid him loosing even more weight than he already has (last time I weighed him he lost at least 30g of the slightly over 400g he weighed before), so I'll even live with the feeding him gooey cod-liver/syrup mixtures or whatever, at least it still smells much less gross than canned cat food.