It's Tuesday morning. Mommy and daddy are going on a short vacation and Fanny is going to board with the lovely staff at our Veterinarian group.
Here she is in her carrier.
She did not resist getting into her carrier. There were no cries as she rode on the back seat of the car. Things, so far, were going smoothly.
Two days prior, I had noticed Fanny scratching at her right ear. So when I was checking her in at the Vet, I asked them to check her ears and give her a quick general check-up.
I handed over Fanny's bag to the Boarding Tech, Ryan. The bag included all her meds, her prescription food, and a toy. They had me fill out a form that lists her meds, dietary requirements, routines, allergies, etc.
For the past few weeks, I felt she had been doing well and I had stopped giving her Gabapentin. Actually, she refused to take it anymore. Even with the pill pockets. It kept her pretty lethargic and without it, she seemed more alert and her interactions with us increased a little. So all I had been giving her was her Lactulose so she wouldn't have to strain when she had a bowel movement.
We said goodbye and were off to Palm Springs🏜. The next day I got a call from Dr. Veit. She said she checked Fanny's ears and could not visualize her right ear drum. It was unclear if it was because of some sort of infection or that it was ruptured. She was going to culture her ear and start her on Tresaderm ear drops.
She said she repeated Fanny's lab work and that her kidney function was stable. In fact, it had improved a little. She had gained some weight and it was suggested that we pull back on the amount of food we were feeding her.
The last thing we discussed was trying monoclonal antibody therapy since she thought Fanny was still having pain in her right hind leg and possibly her lower back from the osteoarthritis. Fanny doesn't put much weight on her right leg and this is causing weakness/problems in her left leg. Her limp is quite pronounced. The medication is Solensia and it is an injection for osteoarthritis that is given monthly. We agreed to try it.
We came home from our trip on Friday but it was too late to pick our baby up so we picked her up Saturday morning.
She had boarded for 4 nights/5 days. The Boarding Tech gave us an update on how she ate, the time of her last meal, and that she had no problems with using the litter box. Her last poop had been that morning. They gave her the ear drops already (day 3) and we just had to give them for two more days. The doctor will call us with the culture report when she receives it.
My husband asked Ryan if he had any difficulty getting Fanny into her carrier. Well, it seems she went into the carrier herself. Hmmm. I guess she was ready to come home.
Here she is after she came home. She seems to be putting weight on her right hind leg and she walks faster.
I received a call on Tuesday with the culture results. It was a yeast infection in her right ear. Luckily, Tresaderm ear drops is good for yeast infections. She has not been scratching at her ear anymore. I can restart the drops if the infection reoccurs.
She was ready to cuddle. She missed my hubby much more than me as you can see from the photo above. A real hug.
With me, it was a semi-cuddle (semi-hug). lol
Here she is with her new favorite toy. Since she had the injection she has been much more active. Playing with her toys, going up and down her steps to the bed with ease, talking to us, following us around, and just generally doing much better.
Even though the Solensia injection is expensive ($75) it may be worth it. It's nice to see Fanny more active. That will also help control her weight.
Here are just some bonus pics of Miss Fanny. Looking all cute and sweet.
The boarding went fine. Fanny did not come home upset or unsettled. And I felt secure knowing that she was in a facility where the staff know her very well. And they treat her like the celebrity she is (or she thinks she is).😉
Sorry. I know it's been a while since I blogged. I hope you enjoyed this edition.
And I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and ate lots of turkey 🦃and pumpkin pie.
Please remember..... Give your "fur babies" daily hugs.
Until next time...
Darlene
P.S. Thank you Western Veterinarian Group, Torrance, California
