Blasto Lung Fungal Disease - Page 2

Thanks, I may give it a try. So far the only thing I've gotten in her is that wonder-drug Fancy Feast (thanks katachtig). I tried yogurt, cream cheese, tuna, sardines, potted meat, and no success.

My plan is to have a traveling vet come out and visit tomorrow to give her fluids, nourishment, and perhaps a drug to promote appetite. And depending on when they arrive, her meds.

It was a good Puff day today.

When I came home at lunch I wasn't able to get her to eat anything. Then as I was out the door on my way back to work, I thought about trying a bag of treats I'd bought. At first she'd have nothing to do with it, then she sort of smelled it, then scarfed one down. Then another, then another. I was able to get 5 moist treats in her. And I left her five more sitting by her water, and when I got home from work they were gone. PLUS in addition, from the time I left her this morning, to when I got home at lunch, she'd attempted to eat the Fancy Feast I left in her tank. I could tell because she pushes the food around when she eats, and it falls over the edge.

Hooray! Hooray for Puff!

This evening I was able to get her to eat four more moist treats, one of them containing her daily dosage of meds.

Perhaps, just perhaps (wishful thinking on my part I know) she's on her way back. I don't want to be too optimistic, and get my hopes up, but at least there were some positive things happening today.

The visiting vet arrives tomorrow to give her subcutaneous fluids, and a general once over, and I guess in a way, a sort-of second opionion in addition to my regular vet.

Yes indeedy, today was a definately a good day of progress for Puff.

This morning I was able to get Puff to eat a small amount of Fancy Feast. I stuck the bowl in front of her face and she chowed down for a while.

Met with the Visiting Vet this afternoon, and she was quite pleased with the condition of Puff. She injected her with fluids with Vitamin B and B-12 to make her feel good and to hopefully increase her appetite.

She assured me that I was taking the right steps by not giving up on her and continuing with the oxygen and drug therapy -- which instantly sent me into sobs of relief.

While the vet was here I thought I'd take advantage of her and have her shove the pills down her throat so I didn't have to, but Puff kept spitting them out. She said Puff is VERY good at spitting out pills. So now I don't feel so bad for having such troubles getting her to take pills for me. I was able to get her to take her meds with those salmon moist treats afterward.

Puff thanks you all for the well wishes, and I do too. Two pretty good days in a row for Puff, here's hoping there are more to come. As long as I can keep her eating, hydrated, grooming, etc. I believe she may pull through this.

More updates to come!

REALLY good news this morning. Puff ate a whole bowl of Fancy Feast (half a can, with warm water added to make a soupy consistency). She was ready and willing. Actually got in position and ate it like a pro. It was SO good to see her wanting to eat, and being able to eat, on her own. Ack! What a relief.

When I returned after walking the dog she wasn't in her oxygen tank! Imagine my shock! She'd jumped out and was lying on her chair curled up in ball! Stupid me, I'd left the lid open on her tank after I'd put in her food. Though I was VERY excited to see she'd had the energy to jump out and over to her chair. Her breathing was a little bit labored, but nothing major. I hugged on her for a bit then put her back in her tank WITH the lid on.

I'm still trying not to get my hopes up too much, dealing with this hideous disease, but its hard not to get a little excited about the small positive steps she's taking.

Wee!

Puff Vibes... Puff Vibes...

Nothing but more boring positives happening for Puff.

She continues to eat well, take her meds, and have a positive attitude.

I'm hopeful things will keep progressing, and the Blasto meds will continue to get Puff well and back to normal.

I'm sure we'll have ups and downs over the course of the next few months. So for now, I'll only update the Puff situation when something REALLY interesting happens. For now its pretty much the same from day to day.

Thanks again for all your support.

Thanks for the sweet replies. Today we're at four weeks with Puff on her Blasto meds. I've scheduled a visit for the vet to come out to the house for a check-up. Puff is still in her little oxygen "room" (bigger than the fish tank -- I made her a 4x4 room of plexiglas that allows her to move around a bit). As expected, she has her good days and bad. She has a little coughing episode now and then, but nothing too bad. Last week was very promising as she was eating very well and seemed to be more talkative and upbeat. I had hopes the drugs were starting to take effect, but this weekend she was a little off again. Very frustrating. Every so often she gets pumped full of fluids from the vet -- I still can't get her to drink water (she used to drink water all the time). And I got an appetite stimulant last week to get her to eat more because she was getting too thin. Now she's eating at least a full can of Fancy Feast, and a little of her dry food. I use a mini food processor and add Cat Milk and water to make a soupy consistency to get more liquids in her, and when I get home from work its mostly gone. Plus, the soupy stuff is easier for her to eat. Its still a struggle to get her to take her meds first thing in the morning. She LOVES to eat off my finger, and slowly I can get her to get into the bowl -- after a little while.

So anyway, just a little update to let you know where we are. Its still a struggle knowing if this the right course of action, it'd be easier if the progress were more evident. I guess thats why I scheduled a vet visit to get their input on what to do. I feel bad that she's stuck in that room. But at least she's got a view, and she can see me when I'm home, though most of the time she's sleeping soundly.

I'll keep you posted should anything happen.

Thanks again!

Puff hasn't been doing well lately. She's not been eating well, and after administering some fluids last Friday evening I was hoping she'd bounce back. But it was not to be. I think she may be done fighting whatever it is she has. The plan is to take her into the vet tomorrow morning for a quick x-ray to see if her lungs have improved. If they have, then possibley doing some minor blood work to see if the Itraconozole is affecting her liver or kidneys. Either way, whatever the outcome, its not looking good for Puff. I'm not going to put her through any more than she's endured so far.

I'm still able to get her to eat her spoonful of Fancy Feast laced with her meds every morning, but the upbeat days of her eating larger amounts during the day and looking cheerful seem to have past. She seems listless and ready for her final journey across the Rainbow Bridge.

Sad as it is, I'm wanting to get it overwith and put her out of her misery, sooner than later. Even if she was mostly sleeping this past month, it was hard watching her day after day endure her little space in the oxygen room like a champ. The hope that the drug might fix her condition lasted for a while and we gave it our best shot, but I believe its time.

As much as I hate taking her to the vet for, what will most-likely be, her last visit, she might actually enjoy the change of scenery. I doubt anything good will show on the x-ray. I know I should be positive, but those days too, seem to have past.

I will keep you posted on how tomorrow fairs for sweet little Puff.

Puffer has been sent on her way across the Rainbow Bridge. Her x-ray proved that her lungs had not improved, in fact had gotten worse, and it was most-likely not the Basto we though it had been. So I sent her on her way...She lied quite peacefully after being given the first sedating shot, and it was nice to see her relaxed and sleeping. It was hard to have them administer the second shot that stops the heart. But it was for the best -- she'd been miserable the past few days, and it was hard seeing her waste away and losing her disire to continue to fight. Thank you all for your love and support throughout these past several weeks. I've so appreciated your comforting words. I wish Puff had pulled through, and I could have reported a full recovery to you all, but I guess it was not to be. My sweet little Puff will be missed dearly, but at least she is suffering no more.