[Gpdd] HEALTH: Kimba

Tue Jul 2 09:59:57 EDT 2013

Dear friends,

Firstly, I want to acknowledge my love and loss of Snowdrop, it being exactly 1 month today since I lost him.

Just an update on Kimba.  I'm going to try to keep it short.

I took him to the vet last Monday June 24.  She listened to his chest, said he was wheezing, although by this stage she could only hear it with the stethoscope.   I'd put Kimba on to Baytril immediately I heard him wheezing.

I went back to vet on Tuesday to get some Metacam for pain.   They do not stock Rimadyl and it's a very hard product to obtain.

I took him to vet again on Wednesday, desperate for her to look at his teeth because I was sure that the pneumonia had caused him to eat less and then nothing, and that meant the teeth would have to be giving him trouble.

She agreed to do dental work, but only if he was gassed out, and I agreed because I thought he was going to die from starvation if not.

There was a tooth on the left side towards the back which was very sharp, so she rasped that.  Also she did an xray, it showed no malocclusion.  She did see pus on a tooth, but it is not a tooth root abscess.    And she yanked his jaw backwards and forwards to check did it move normally, but she thought the right side moved much too far, certainly further than the left side.  He was groggy for quite a while so I didn't bring him home until I was sure he could breathe on his own.  I don't know if it was the examination of the jaw that may have hurt him more, or if the pus in his mouth is still paining him.

I have spent every waking hour caring for him (literally).   I have had one night sleep of 8 hours last night.   So I missed feeding him during the night.     Every other night I have not turned off the light until around 4.30am, 3.30am, 2am - i.e. I'm absolutely exhausted.  My eyes are sore and very itchy, I can't see clearly, I can't listen and absorb, my whole body aches,  my brain is in overflow mode, trying to think of how else I can save him.

I believe that his respiratory problems have gone - now it's the teeth.

He has eaten some fresh buffalo grass, it's got a thicker blade and is easier to pull into his mouth, but he cannot pick it up on his own.  I need to feed it to him blade by blade.  

Tonight he's even having trouble taking the grass into his mouth, so I suppose the teeth have grown again, and so the viscious cycle continues.

I continue to give him Flagyl, Baytril, Metacam, acidophilus, critical care and veges mashed down, changing hot water bottles, etc.   I can honestly say I feel sick as hell with lack of sleep, lack of water, lack of food, fear, desperation, exhaustion.

I have noticed some times he eats his own poos.  His poos were nearly normal size until I neglected him yesterday.

Kimba is nearly 5 years old.

Could age affect teeth etc?  

Should I be putting him to sleep?      He runs up my big fat stomach and nuzzles and snuggles into my neck, and falls asleep.

Oh, he is nearly fully blind. so he needs his mummy and I will not go out so that I'm here all the time for him.  I find he sleeps much sounder when I'm holding him than when he is in bed.

He is still alive today.        I do not know for how long.   

I am uncertain what I should be doing.