Quilt fell off my shoulder. 1/19-Suddenly gone. RIP.

[PitLuvs]

I ask about lasix because his breathing is short and his lungs(rattyphone) sound congested and gurgly. I wasn't sure if you could use it for more than chf, though.

Also, I edited my previous post with more info about the fall, if anyone missed it.

We've used it for URI's to remove fluids from the lungs, so I would think it could be used for other things! My only concern is the gurggling might be blood in the lungs from internal trauma.

 

[MomRat]

Thanks for the love, guys. We're off to the vet.

 

[M0onkist]

Fingers crossed for your sweetie!

 

[PitLuvs]

Sending all the good luck vibes I can find!!

 

[Petunia]

good thoughts for you guys and your boy Quilt!

 

[MomRat]

So, apparently obesity saves lives. Dr. Kuhnle says Quilt would be a lot worse off if he weren't so pudgy, his fat making his fall rather like landing "on a bag of jello." His face is still pretty bruised(he has a fat lip) but already healing/less split than last night. No dead spaces in the lungs, there are good lung sounds throughout. No breaks, probably two sprained front paws(which, on top of beginning HED is making walking a pain) and heavy shock last night(which can kill on its own), which we treated acceptably(keep warm and hydrated). Eyes are equally dilated, so no concussion(wish we had known to check for that last night, could have gone to sleep sooner). 3 days of metacam for pain relief and anti-inflammatory(in her words, metacam is a blood thinner but not dangerously so, seeing as how they administer it immediately following most surgeries), and hope any fluids/blood in his lungs reabsorbs quickly(lasix not being a good treatment for this in her opinion).

 

YAY!! :joy:

I'm glad his gonna be okay :heart:

 

[lilspaz68]

This is wonderful. the reason I won't administer metacam in a potentially internal bleed compared to after surgery, is the vet has tied off all the blood vessels and stopped all bleeding, whereas an internal bleed can just keep going.

Fat boy saved his own life. :heart: :heart:

 

[DadRat]

We love our vet. She felt Metacam would be the best bet, even with the potential fluid situation, as it had the lowest amount of blood thinning and still provided pain relief and anti-inflammatory. She felt him, watched him walk (very tenderly and limping) and felt x-rays would just be an added expense. If he has cracked bones but no severe fractures the treatment is the same as for sprains, and fluid in the lungs is better than collapsed ones. Also, we can't beat her pricing: $45 for today ($36 small animal consult and $9 for 3 doses of Metacam)
*whew* I was worried about a massive x-rays etc charge.

So we wait, and hope his body reabsorbs the fluid quickly and his face/neck/front paws heal quickly. Right now he has had his first dose of Metacam and is sleeping with Dominic.

 

[lilspaz68]

You do have a great vet. That little dilemma would've cost me a lot more than you paid.

give him a gentle kiss from all of us...

 

[Petunia]

whew! so relieved to read this update!
I hope he heals quickly.

can't imagine what a bruised face looks like on a rat, nor a fat lip but it can't be pretty.

 

[PitLuvs]

Yay!! Glad everything went well, and hoping for a speedy recovery!

 

[Godmother]

So glad to hear that he is doing well! You have an awesome vet, for sure. Kisses to him from me & my crew. :ratwave:

(Hmmmm, nice to know that excess padding has a use!)

 

[mamarat]

So happy to hear he's doing well.

 

[M0onkist]

Aw - I echo Shelagh, a very gentle kiss to him from all of us.

What a wonder pudges are!

 

[jorats]

This is great news!

 

[handmeafish]

I was so worried about brain damage when I started reading this. I've seen it a few times at work when an animal accidentally hits the floor for some reason (for example if they get to squirmy and jump out of someones hands). Its never fun, but I am so glad his pudge helped him land softly.
and on a side note, landing in jell-o sounds like TONS of fun, though i'm sure he didn't feel that way.

 

[crumbilina]

:joy:

Glad he's gonna be ok

 

[MomRat]

whew! so relieved to read this update!
I hope he heals quickly.

can't imagine what a bruised face looks like on a rat, nor a fat lip but it can't be pretty.

We're keeping our fingers crossed. He is still acting like he feels awful(read: sore and exhausted) even on the metacam. He needs time to heal.

This is what a bruised face/cut lip looks like on a rat, 20 hours later, anyway:
[spoiler:1h95opdy]

[/spoiler:1h95opdy]

I didn't want to peel his lips open, so mainly what you're seeing is where he punctured his lower lip/chin on his teeth. The discoloration between the nose and mouth is still present, but nothing compared to last night's purple. There's still some scabbing in the cleft of his upper lip.

And here's the pudgy cutie, eating some banana an hour or two after his fall, when we remembered that potassium is a clotting agent:

 

[crumbilina]

Aww poor little (or rather squishy) guy!