cellio | Erik update

When Erik lost interest in food a few weeks ago, the vet (not my regular one; the one I could see that day) put him on an anti-vomiting drug (Metaclopramide) as well as giving subcutaneous fluids. His appetite picked up after that, and in fact about a week ago he was eating more than he had been at any point since the surgery. Then on Sunday, almost a week after the drug ran out, he largely lost interest in food again, which continued Monday morning. (Not much vomiting, though.) He was already scheduled with my vet for a followup (she wanted this specific date), so at least his timing was good.

She could detect no obvious problems (including dehydration, though I watered him Sunday night after he ignored food). I asked whether it was possible that, even though he wasn't vomiting a lot, he was queasy, and the drug had helped with that. She seemed doubtful, and she explained that it's not an anti-nausea drug; it helps speed up the flow of digestion (without loss of nutrients), so its effect on vomiting is to hurry the stuff out of the system through regular channels in a race to the orrifices, or something. I asked if a stomach emptying faster than normal would lead to hunger; she's not sure, but that got us talking about appetite stimulants. She said that sometimes a shot of vitamin B can have that effect, so she gave him a shot and she'll order some Metaclopramide for me to use as needed.

When I got him home and offered him food he dove into it. I wouldn't expect a vitamin dose to work that quickly, so maybe he was getting over it on his own, but either way it's a good sign.

He's gained one ounce since the last visit. Bummer; I thought he'd picked up a quarter pound or so.

He'll also be starting a new round of antibiotics in a couple days. The vet, and the specialist she consulted, think the best way to keep the hepatitis in check is to just pulse antibiotics for a couple weeks at several-week intervals.

Monica

Erik update

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