[Gpdd] HEALTH: Audrey Sinking --- Need Advice

[Penny Charlesworth]

Pat,

It is morning here now and your message arrived in my Inbox during the night 
at 1.08 a.m. It could be, sadly, that this reply will come too late for 
Audrey.

It sounds like she is a very old piggy packing up her memories for her trip 
to the Rainbow Bridge.

If one of my elderly piggies is in this condition, I generally dose them up 
with painkiller, keep them warm and cosy and leave them alone. There comes a 
time when they just do not want to eat any more and trying to do so is 
stressful for them. They usually slip into a coma and gradually fade away.

Sorry to be so negative but, unless Audrey is in more pain than that with 
which your analgesia can cope, in which case you will need the vet, I would 
be inclined to let nature take its course.

I don't know what else to say except how sorry I am. It is the price we pay 
for loving these fragile creatures.

Take care.

Penny.xx

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I have no idea whether anyone else from GPDD is online right now --- I 
didn't see any recent messages --- and I've lost track of what time it is 
anywhere else in the world but I'm hoping some kind soul is out there and 
disposed to offer some advice, expert or not.

I immediately put into effect the advice Penny and Sandy offered about 
administering calcium and Vitamin C, and have continued to forcefeed, at 
least until noon today (so she got three doses of the calcium and C, about 
five forcefeeding sessions, a small amount each time). Nonetheless, my poor 
sweet little Audrey has continued to lose ground at a scary pace. Her hind 
end is working as well as her front legs are, but she can no longer stand up 
or hold her head up, except very very briefly. I stopped the forcefeeding 
when she would not or could not swallow anymore. I am still debating whether 
to continue trying to syringe in small amounts of water just to keep her 
mouth wet, but picking her up to do this does upset her so it would have to 
be worth that.

She doesn't show any sign of being in pain or upset; most of the time she 
appears to be in a deep sleep, rousing mostly only when Doris bumps the 
pigloo she's sleeping in. Just before I left to come down here (don't have a 
computer at home) and post this, she did work her way out of the pigloo and 
push herself very slowly around the cage for a bit, resting for a while in 
one spot and then moving on; I'm not sure if she was looking for Doris or a 
more comfortable spot, but she settled down in a back corner after a while 
and was quiet again. I honestly don't know if I will see her alive again.

That's my problem, though. If this looks like it will go on and on, do I 
intervene? The vet who cares for my oldest cat is a very kind and gentle 
person and likes small animals; she only does housecalls and I could 
probably arrange for her to come and help Audrey to the Bridge if that 
seemed necessary. The vet I usually see is not back until Wednesday and I 
hate to think of stuffing her into a carrier and taking her out in the cold 
for that trip anyhow.

Anyhow, I'm going to send this off in the hopes someone will see it and 
respond before I have to leave; times like these make it seem worth the cost 
of a computer at home, but at this moment, I was glad to get out of the 
house and walk down here in the snow. Doris slept right next to Audrey's 
pigloo last night, which she never does, but I know Audrey finds her company 
much more of a comfort than mine and I know Doris is staying close by....

Pat S.




      __________________________________________________________________
Reclaim your name @ymail.com or @rocketmail.com. Get your new email address 
now! Go to http://ca.promos.yahoo.com/jacko/


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


> _______________________________________________
> Gpdd mailing list
> Gpdd at gpdd.org
> http://gpdd.org/mailman/listinfo/gpdd_gpdd.org
>