Monday, August 28, 2017

Well, That Wasn't Fun

Nobody wanted to be at the vet, especially Boadicea
Boadicea has continued to very slowly lose weight.  Then she took a plunge well under 900g last week.  I stuffed her with Critical Care, gave her some extra attention, and hoped it was like the other dips that she'd bounce back in a day or two.  When that didn't work, I called the vet.

Not the way I wanted to spend my Saturday afternoon (especially since I had to navigate Gillette Stadium traffic on the way home).  It was a fruitful visit - this time there was definitely something wrong.  Poor Boadicea got manhandled, then x-rayed, then manhandled some more.  But we discovered a yeast infection and a small stone.  No wonder she was losing weight.

I swear Boadicea looks dismayed at being examined

Dr Holmes managed to extrude a sunflower seed-sized stone with minimum fuss.  It was soft and chalky, which is probably why it popped out so quickly.  The yeast infection may have been brought on by the irritation of the stone.  I'm really surprised Boadicea hadn't been complaining when she peed.

Wedgwood had been brought along for company, as usual.  Because she's been such a pee-face to Boadi in the last few days, we threatened Wedgie that the vet would give her squeezes.  I relayed this to Dr Holmes when she finished examining Boadicea.

"Squeezes?" she asked.

"Yes," I said, "Like this."  I picked up Wedg and as she looked befuddled in my hands, gave her ample backside a gentle squeeze.

"Oh, I can do that," said Dr Holmes, taking Wedgwood from me.  "Just look at that face!"

Yeah, Wedgwood is pretty cute.  Nearly as loafy as Pinniped, but with a much pointier nose.  So she got the attention and affection and squeezes she totally deserves but never wants.

Eating hay while awaiting x-rays
And she's still a pee-face.  <sigh> 

I was sent home with an antifungal, antibiotics and probiotics.  Whew!  With the removal of the stone, I had hoped that Boadicea's weight would bounce back.  No such luck.  She'll be on the antibiotics for the next few days and I know that can mess with appetite.  I'm hoping to see some improvement by the weekend.

6 comments :

  1. healing hugs n prayers <3
    I know its hard when they get sick ....

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  2. Eat up, rest up, and eat some more! Get well, Boadicea!

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  3. Sending well wishes for little Boadicea! It's so frustrating and sad when they struggle to maintain or gain weight. I hope she heals up and feels better soon!

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  4. Sorry to hear Bodicea isn't feeling well, but at least you found a reasonable cause for the weight loss. (We still don't know why Luna kept losing weight before she passed away; the tests never found anything wrong.) Hope she gets better (and chubbier) soon!

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  5. That squeezing photo made me squirm!

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  6. Her feet in the exam picture! "No cameras! No cameras!!"
    So glad you found the source of the problem - I hope she responds well to treatment and feels better ASAP. I'm weighing the option of a round of antibiotics for Moxie, but now that's she's eating a bit better (still not as much as normal, but at least one good meal/day) I hate to risk upsetting the digestive applecart. I already give her ProBios in her food every day - I use that stuff for everybody, from goats to humans. Even my vet recommends it for the goats - you can't risk any delay with goat digestive issues, so for them, it's PeptoBismal liquid for quick relief and ProBios for longer-term support. And you don't know how colorful life can be until you start trying to get Pepto liquid into a goat!

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