Cabotine - PT - She's gone

[Unepuce]

Finally made it to the vet yesterday eventhough for a few minutes, it horribly felt like deja-vue from the prior night :shivers:

So... got to the vet 10 minutes late but got there. She saw me almost right away. The good news is that I was worried over nothing (for now) regarding Tanner, she had felt the mass in his abdomen last week, but her definition of a "small" mass apparently is different from mine! :giggle: She said it's probably fibrome and just to make sure it wasn't growing. I had also brought Princesse as I had noticed a slight head tilt in the morning which I couldn't see anymore once at the vet, but she did, so this is being taken care of.

Now the heart of this thread...

My vet still hasn't ruled out the inner ear issue completely, but like me she leans towards PT. She agreed right on the spot to the shot of Dex and I took Pred home. My vet also mentioned Cabergoline and that she had actually left messages to the pharmacist to find out about price. If I really do avoid a second surgery on Tanner, I might try it when the Pred starts failing.

I had a dinner at my parents who live an hour away from Montreal yesterday, so since I had to pick up Cabotine and Tanner at 2:50 pm, brought Princesse in for her tilt and have Chester on meds, I brought my whole group with me otherwise Hunter would have stayed home alone. Cabotine slept most of drive, very deeply, real baby sleep, she was so touching. :heart: In the evening, she already was much brighter and alert and this morning, she is back to her old self, bright eyes, ears up, no more head butting! :joy: I hope we can maintain her this way for a few weeks!

Now - Cabotine is constipated. I know she drinks, and will drink more with the Pred, but what can I give her to help her in the meantime?

 

[jorats]

I've give her lots of fruits, also watermelon and iceberg lettuce might help.

I hope it's just an inner ear infection and she'll be back to normal in no time.

 

[Godmother]

Fingers, toes and paws crossed for Cabotine. So glad she is doing better on Pred already.

 

[mamarat]

Lots of healing vibes for Cabotine. (I love that name)

 

[SQ]

mushy lab blocks will help too as they have a high water content.

Hope they are all soon feeling much better

 

[lilspaz68]

So glad to hear she's doing better

As for the cabergoline, its insanely expensive and needs to be shipped in from another country, so you might want to suggest the bromocriptine instead.

 

[victoria]

Dr. Brieger had their pharmacy look into Cabergoline for me and he quoted me about $400/month. The price may have changed or a different pharmacy may offer it cheaper so it's worth another check but I don't know how likely that is.

 

[Unepuce]

Thanks everyone

Just got back home for Joliette again (returned to my parents' today!). Cabotine is still bright and her old self! :dance: I really hope it's not just a question of days.

I did mention $400 to my vet, glad to see my memory didn't fail me for once. I'll mention Cabergoline when she calls me to confirm the amount, probably on Wednesday as she is not in prior to that.

I feed her mushed lab blocks already as she cannot eat solid blocks, so I know she got some water in this morning. I do have some melon in the fridge, will give her that. I wanted to mix her blocks with Ensure to give and extra boost, but given the constipation, I'll switch to soy formula instead. I have a few blueberries left, they're gonna go her way! Cabotine is gonna drown in fruit tonight :giggle:

Thanks for the support, guys! :hugs:

 

[victoria]

Was she x-rayed, is that how you know she's constipated?

Lizzie was constipated when we x-rayed her and she turned out to have a PT. (I remember someone else had the same experience.) I gave her a bit of mineral oil (as per the vet) and I think it helped. If she's dehydrated or you're worried about dehydration, Pedialyte is probably better since it replaces electrolytes.

 

[Unepuce]

She was not x-rayed. Her poops are small and dark and dry. Mineral oil is a good idea - I'll actually add olive oil to her blocks starting tonight. Can't believe I forgot about that! Thanks!

 

[temblabamomo]

Glad she's feeling more like her normal self again. Still have my fingers crossed its an ear infec, but either way its good she's feeling better.

 

[mamarat]

How's Cabotine doing, Unepuce?

 

[Unepuce]

How's Cabotine doing, Unepuce?

She's still doing very good, but I can tell the Dex is out of her system. That shot was a miracle! She looks a tiny bit more tired, but the weather has been quite hot lately, so maybe it's all only related to the heat. She eats well, her poops seem to be back to normal, she roams around the rat room at night (don't tell BF I called the office that way! :giggle, even tries to climb on some obstacles (she's obese, so it wouldn't work anyway), she actually bruxes and boggles now when I hold her for some scratches! :heart: And this morning, before leaving for work, I went to say goodbye to the critters and I found her on the top shelf of the cage, all snuggled up with Tanner... I haven't seen her up there for weeks now.

On Sunday, as I was holding and scratching her, she was looking at me like she was asking "What happened to me? It all felt so foggy those last few days!". I wonder whether they are aware that something is off. I know this is projection from my part, but I really had a weird feeling looking into those big bright grave shiny eyes...

I don't know how long the Pred is gonna give us, and if I will be able to add the Bromo and whether or not that would work, but those 3 days were priceless and I really am happy I gave the drugs a chance. Sometimes, I watch her eat or move around and I feel like crying out of relief. She has moved in with me beginning of July 2 years ago... I really hope she will remain with me to celebrate her 2-year move in anniversary.

My vet should be calling me tomorrow about the price for Cabergoline (I know how much it is, but she still wants to confirm). I will ask her about Bromo and see. I have an appointment for Praline on Thursday, so given traffic cuts me so slack this time and I can make it during opening hours, I might be able to take some home.

Thanks for enquiring!

 

[mamarat]

Every extra day is so precious.

 

[Unepuce]

Every extra day is so precious.

Honestly, I didn't expect to cherish them as much. Everytime I look at her, I have that silly smile on my face. And when I hold her, I just feel how much I love her. Every extra day is a benediction in my case.

I just fed her mushed blocks - she is wide awake and alert, perfect little (...) Cabotine. She wants to be with me a little more than usual, but I am not complaining one bit!

 

[Godmother]

Sweet Cabotine :heart: Hope that the meds keep working for her.

 

[Unepuce]

Sweet Cabotine :heart: Hope that the meds keep working for her.

I've been told I should be talking to you about Bromo... :wink2:

ETA - Corrected a ridiculous typo that changed the whole meaning of my post...

 

[lilspaz68]

This is lovely to hear, and you're right, until you try the meds (steroids or bromo) you don't understand these incredibly special reprieves for both you and her...she's living each moment to its fullest as are you.

I hope you are able to get the bromocriptine...Shade is still doing really really well on it. I think her tumour is going to stop her not the PT at this point. :thumbup: We are at 1 month and 16 days and counting.

 

[Unepuce]

We are at 1 month and 16 days and counting.

:shock: Impressive! I guess I am so used to reading about reprieves lasting under a week... I do cherish every moment I have with her, and while she was VERY independent before so was not too interested in me, she now enjoys 5-minutes cuddle. Sadly, the head butting is slowly coming back and I saw her a tiny bit disoriented last night. But she was back with a vengeance this morning.

The clinic opens at 10:00 and they will do their run until 10:30... if I don't get a call by then, well... I'll make one early in the afternoon :giggle: (I'm starting to feel like that crazy rat lady that harasses her vet 24/7...)

 

[lilspaz68]

Godmother's Stella is on the bromo and a low dose of pred and has been doing really well for a lot longer...btw the "miracle" feeling will last don't worry