Hi:)
I have recently been adopted by a poory-sick furry friend who we have called Bell.
He arrived in my hay store in a real mess and near to collapse with exhaustion and malnutrition.
Took him straight to the vet who has blood tested him and found severe anemia and FIV and one liver function test was abnormal. Kidney function and other liver test was normal.
He had severe gingivitis and mouth was very swollen. The vet gave him a week to 10 days before we would have to ease his way and put him to sleep. Well, that was 5 weeks ago and he is still with us!
He has had a course of anti biotic which has improved but not cured the sore gums and mouth. He is still very smelly and drooly, but is improving slowly. We are back at the vet for a check up tomorrow, so shall see whats else can be done to help him.
He is eating small ammounts at a time, approx every 2 hours he has 1 or 2 spoonfulls of whatever food I can get him to eat, mainly sardines, tuna, cooked chicken and fish, some types of cat food (when he will eat it! ). A friend reccommended to boil some rice untill its gone sticky and add it to minced cooked chicken, meat or fish...he enjoys that..sometimes!
I feed cooked not raw as I'm worried about his immune system coping with any bacteria that may be on raw meat....any advice on this?
The one thing he goes nutty for is butchers tripe dog food...he actually elbowed my dog away from his food bowl to get it! I have read that cats shouldnt have dog food, but also read that they will eat what they need.
I could do with some advice on this please cos i dont want to cause him further problems by giving him something he shouldnt have, at the mo he only has it as a last resort if it's the only thing I can get him to eat on that day.
He had difficulty maintaining his own body temp at first so he spends most of his time snoozing on a wheat bag thats tucked inside in a fleecy blanket ....I think he is now maintaining his own temp, but sooo enjoys his 'Hottie Bags' so keeping up with them cos it makes him smile
He has the homeopathic remedy Mercury for the sore gums/mouth twice a day and also the FIV remedy once a week.
Bell is slowly gaining weight, but is still so painfully thin and weak. He will now get up and have a wander round the sitting room when he feels like it and has started to groom himself a little again. Theres a shine coming back his coat as well
I really need advice about the food and also what dosage Vit C and the dose for any other vitamins he should be having.
Any advice at all on how to help him is gratefully received!
He is a fairly happy boy at the mo, on good days he will follow me round and jump up for a cuddle, he is still wobbily on his legs and the vet says he has muscle wastage. His purrs at me even when I just look at him and enjoys sitting snuggling and being groomed. Although his appetite does vary, its got much better since his mouth has improved, I'm not having to tempt him quite so much and he will now go to his food bowl himself when I pop his food in for him. So his life quality is reasonably ok at the mo.
I do know that we may still loose this fight for him, he is a very poorly boy, but were not going down that road without trying everything first !
Bell is the second Cat Person to have adopted us from the hay barn. This time last year I found our Daisy-Adora. She had crawled in there onto a bale of hay after being attacked by something, poss a fox or other animal. She had 2 huge open and infected wounds on her side. Daisy went thro a horrendous ordeal of 2 operations, daily vet visits to change dressings, it was a slow recovery but we got there in the end. She is now as fit as a fiddle and SUCH a happy person
Again...Any advice about Bells treatment, feed..anything that may help to save my liddle friend is so gratefully received.
Thank You!
With Love
donna :)xx
http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/raceforRheta
