vet visit

[cellio]

Erik saw our regular vet on Monday for a follow-up after the surgery. (We had to wait long enough for the drugs from that to get fully out of his system so blood tests would be meaningful.)

He weighs 7 pounds (even). A year ago he was at 8.25. I expressed disappointment that he hadn't gained more by now, but the vet said he's about where she expected him to be and just keep feeding him the canned food.

She called with preliminary results of his blood tests today. His bilirubin (err, that's phonetic) is good, she said, which means his bile duct and gallbladder are fine (i.e. the surgery worked). Two liver enzymes that have sometimes been high in the past are high now (SALT and, I think, SAST?); this suggests infection or inflamation, so he's now on antibiotics and we'll check again when that's done. We've done this before (not always the same drugs); I suspect that we couldn't go far wrong by just doing a round of antibiotics every few months and not bothering to do the not-cheap blood tests. Yeah, I don't want to blithely help create Supergerm here, but we've done the "see high results, do antibiotics, measure again and see normal results, wait several months and repeat" cycle a few times now. I'll have to ask about that.

The antibiotic this time is liquid; the tech told me it's banana-flavored and asked if he likes banana. Haven't the faintest idea, I said. Apparently he does, which makes this easier. It does raise the question, though: if they're going to flavor the stuff anyway, why not just make it tuna-flavored?

Comments

[ariannawyn.livejournal.com]

That is, in fact, the correct spelling of bilirubin. It's the stuff they measure to see if you have jaundice, and Robert had to have light treatment as a newborn because his bilirubin levels were very high. I missed Morgen & Chadd's wedding because Robert was hospitalized with jaundice that day.

Here's hoping that Erik gets better. Pets with chronic health problems can cost a fortune.

[kayre]

The antibiotic is probably a pediatric formula; they're sometimes cheaper than animal versions. My vet always gives us the same bubble-gum flavored penicillin that my daughter had to take a few times.

Many cats do like fruit flavors... Siamese in particular. I once looked up from a book to see one of ours walking through the room with a whole strawberry dangling from his mouth. A cat I grew up with would eat her way through the rind to get into a canteloupe.

[indigodove.livejournal.com]

I am glad he is doing well!

Exceptions make the rule

[caryabend.livejournal.com]

...why not just make it tuna-flavored?

Just to be confoundedly feline-like, our cat exhibits few feline traits.

She doesn't like fish.

[nobble.livejournal.com]

if they're going to flavor the stuff anyway, why not just make it tuna-flavored

Aren't banana esters the easiest to make?

[tashabear.livejournal.com]

You're lucky -- my cat Max apparently hates banana, and would drool out the banana-flavored antibiotic I had to give him for the abcess he had on his leg. Luckily I was able to squirt most of it down his throat before he spit out the rest.

[dagonell.livejournal.com]

I suspect you're giving your cat Amoxycilin. I had a similar question in the same situation. I quipped at the vet's that if they want a cat to take this stuff, they need to make it mouse-flavored. He doubled over in laughter and when he recovered he explained that it's primarily sold as a children's antibiotic, hence the flavor.
-- Dagonell

[sue-n-julia.livejournal.com]

Talk to your vet about pharmacies around town that will compound it for you. Some of them will add "animal-appropriate" flavors, such as cod liver to them instead.

Strangely enough, giving Vandal insulin shots is a LOT easier than giving him antibiotic drops or pills.

S