When we went to the vets for our meeting to discuss Tito’s care we were told we had two options.
Tablets or injections.
Now Tito is not a good tablet taker he spits them out if you hide them in food. If you squash them he somehow manages to eat around them, and if we try to throw them in the back of his mouth he froths and spits and looks like a dog with rabies.
Both Mr L and I instantly agreed that he needed injections rather than tablets.
Basically the medication is steroids, vitamin B and cortazone and will help Tito’s liver to function better and to increase his appetite. We decided this was the better option and booked him in for Thursday to have his first set of jabs.
We had him at home by the time of our meeting and he was still very groggy from the sedation. He had eaten in the morning, having a little scrambled egg but that was all he managed. We offered him tea and he refused. The vet had explained this was normal.
But it was and is still horrible to watch. We managed to get a tiny bit of sausage down him Tuesday evening. And decided we would leave him for the night. Our plan was that if he didn’t eat Wednesday morning I would bring his injection forward.
We woke up Wednesday and he was quiet I made a sausage and bacon sandwich for him, which he refused to eat, so I phoned the vets and brought his injection forward.
It was another vets appointment and another opportunity to ask the vet was normal and what we need to worry about. And to check once more that Tito isn’t in pain.
I got told repeatedly that he wasn’t in pain, the vet also thought he was looking brighter in himself. He gave him all his injections and explained a few things.
Sickness is normal, however if Tito eats and brings up everything he has just eaten we need to worry.
Having a bit of a bad tummy is normal (lucky we have no carpet)
Loss of appetite is normal, however not eating, and by not eating nothing passing his lips not even a small bit of cheese for 72 hours is when we need to worry.
As long as he is happy to see us and that doesnt change the vet advised not to rush into anything.
Well Tito came home and wolfed down his sausage and bacon sandwich. (We were told to give him what he wanted when he wanted it) and seemed a lot more perky. I didn’t try to feed him again on Wednesday as he ate a lot that morning and Mr L brought him some kebab meat home in the evening, as Tito has spent a lifetime trying to steal our kebabs. Which he wolfed down as well.
He had had a good day and the injections seemed to have made a difference.
Thursday morning was a different story. Tito had brought up a lot of his food. Not all of it but still a lot. We were a little worried. So it was another call to the vet (currently I am speaking to him more than my friends) he wasn’t worried but we discussed that because Tito’s stomach is so small that two main meals a day is not a good idea and drip feeding him every couple of hours is probably better. If he was still bringing up food on that way of feeding he wanted to see him again.
So the last couple of days we have been drip feeding. And we have discovered Tito is partial to a digestive biscuit, sausage, bacon and toast. He has been having a little bacon and toast in the morning, digestives mid morning, a couple of sausages at lunch time and a couple in the afternoon. We try him with a little scrambled egg in the evening and he seems to really be hungry just before bed.
It seems to be working. He is sick but its a bile sick which is his liver not working 100% but for the last few days he has managed to keep all food down.
We don’t know how long we have with him but he is excited about the food he is being given and he is still excited to see us and still wants his snuggles. So at the moment we are continuing our fight and taking each day at a time. Because thats all we can do.
