Craig 1965
Warren Veteran
Strange title for a health thread. But I am.
You may all recall that I was a whoopin and a cheerin about Lillians health check/annual vaccination on saturday last week. The vet said she was all good to go. No issues. Two and a half long weeks after Lillians last rather brutal flare up/cystitis and we were thinking positive.
Sunday - Lillian had a fantastic day in the garden. Streatching up on hind legs, scoffing all manor of triffids and really full of life. It was beautiful to watch.
Monday morning I'm having breakfast - something not quite right. We gave her her meds at 7am and when I held her - there it was - the spasms. Tight as a drum. I watched her on the floor in the position to pee but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't. And then the shuffling started. 30 seconds sitting, then shift, and repeat. My heart sank. I mean sank. I felt my stress levels go through the roof and just felt for Lillian. 12 hours earlier she's absolutely fine. Now, we're back at square one.
Obviously I had to act fast - the vets opened at 9am (I have them on speed dial now!) amd got an appointment at mid day with Lillians favorite vet.
Good news - we've got our own parking space at the vet hospital now!
Ok, so the vet checked her over whilst I went through the covid protocols. The vet was way ahead of me and had already felt spasms from Lillian - so at least I had diagnosed that right. It was/is difficult to watch Lillian struggle like this. But the vet was confident of getting this under control - again. She was against hospitalisation as this would stress Lillian out further. She was treated for secondary infection - just to be on the safe side and in view of the reaction to diazipam a few weeks ago, the vet decided to give Lillian gabapentin.
We've been back to the vets the last 2 nights (3 days worth of antibiotix) and Lillian started to get wet undeneath from Monday night and through Tuesday.
However, yesterday morning she was nice and dry but the gabapentin has a bit of a side effect as it makes her very dozy.
The gabapentin has been successful so far in that it has surpressed the spasms. We're on Thursday now, she was bone dry this morning and yesterday morning she had a bit of time in the garden as I was cleaning the toilet area out and I observed Lillian going to have a pee and having no straining at all - everything working as nature intended. So her internals are working properly again and during the last 3 nights worth of vet trips there has been no evidence of spasms that either I've felt or the vet has felt.
I had a discussion with the exotic specialist today - she is very knowledgable and she is tuned into Lillian now. We have to continue with 1/4 tablet of gabapentin for the next 4 weeks and review. Given Lillian has had flare ups every 2 weeks for the last 4 months and my vet bill is somewhat eye watering, I'm hoping the gabapentin is going to help control whatever is causing these spasms. My thought was that there may still be something in the garden that Lillian is eating that is somehow irritating her urinary tract. My wife dug out another triffid thing yesterday that Lillian had been nomming on so maybe it was that?
Presently (8pm) Lillian is very comfy - sploofed out and relaxed under our table. She's waiting for the forage mat along with Leo but that's a few hours away.
I'm sorry for not posting earlier - to be honest I just didn't have time. I've had to go to work early to make up time, then go to the vets after work and by the time I get back home and get Lillian settled, eat tea and have a wash, it's bed time. So I'm on my knees exhausted now, but it's worth it to get Lillian well again. Her body language is much more positive and the vet praised me for knowing Lillian so well as to intercept these spasms and identify them so quickly. So we are back to where we were on sunday now. Lillian is recovering as she has been doing, she is peeing and pooping, there's no temperature and no spasms. Her body language is more relaxed and comfortable.
I'd just like to get Lillian free of these spasms.
I'll keep you all updated if there's any change.
Craig xx
You may all recall that I was a whoopin and a cheerin about Lillians health check/annual vaccination on saturday last week. The vet said she was all good to go. No issues. Two and a half long weeks after Lillians last rather brutal flare up/cystitis and we were thinking positive.
Sunday - Lillian had a fantastic day in the garden. Streatching up on hind legs, scoffing all manor of triffids and really full of life. It was beautiful to watch.
Monday morning I'm having breakfast - something not quite right. We gave her her meds at 7am and when I held her - there it was - the spasms. Tight as a drum. I watched her on the floor in the position to pee but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't. And then the shuffling started. 30 seconds sitting, then shift, and repeat. My heart sank. I mean sank. I felt my stress levels go through the roof and just felt for Lillian. 12 hours earlier she's absolutely fine. Now, we're back at square one.
Obviously I had to act fast - the vets opened at 9am (I have them on speed dial now!) amd got an appointment at mid day with Lillians favorite vet.
Good news - we've got our own parking space at the vet hospital now!
Ok, so the vet checked her over whilst I went through the covid protocols. The vet was way ahead of me and had already felt spasms from Lillian - so at least I had diagnosed that right. It was/is difficult to watch Lillian struggle like this. But the vet was confident of getting this under control - again. She was against hospitalisation as this would stress Lillian out further. She was treated for secondary infection - just to be on the safe side and in view of the reaction to diazipam a few weeks ago, the vet decided to give Lillian gabapentin.
We've been back to the vets the last 2 nights (3 days worth of antibiotix) and Lillian started to get wet undeneath from Monday night and through Tuesday.
However, yesterday morning she was nice and dry but the gabapentin has a bit of a side effect as it makes her very dozy.
The gabapentin has been successful so far in that it has surpressed the spasms. We're on Thursday now, she was bone dry this morning and yesterday morning she had a bit of time in the garden as I was cleaning the toilet area out and I observed Lillian going to have a pee and having no straining at all - everything working as nature intended. So her internals are working properly again and during the last 3 nights worth of vet trips there has been no evidence of spasms that either I've felt or the vet has felt.
I had a discussion with the exotic specialist today - she is very knowledgable and she is tuned into Lillian now. We have to continue with 1/4 tablet of gabapentin for the next 4 weeks and review. Given Lillian has had flare ups every 2 weeks for the last 4 months and my vet bill is somewhat eye watering, I'm hoping the gabapentin is going to help control whatever is causing these spasms. My thought was that there may still be something in the garden that Lillian is eating that is somehow irritating her urinary tract. My wife dug out another triffid thing yesterday that Lillian had been nomming on so maybe it was that?
Presently (8pm) Lillian is very comfy - sploofed out and relaxed under our table. She's waiting for the forage mat along with Leo but that's a few hours away.
I'm sorry for not posting earlier - to be honest I just didn't have time. I've had to go to work early to make up time, then go to the vets after work and by the time I get back home and get Lillian settled, eat tea and have a wash, it's bed time. So I'm on my knees exhausted now, but it's worth it to get Lillian well again. Her body language is much more positive and the vet praised me for knowing Lillian so well as to intercept these spasms and identify them so quickly. So we are back to where we were on sunday now. Lillian is recovering as she has been doing, she is peeing and pooping, there's no temperature and no spasms. Her body language is more relaxed and comfortable.
I'd just like to get Lillian free of these spasms.
I'll keep you all updated if there's any change.
Craig xx