Elizadolots
New Member
YAY! It sounds to me like the swelling is going down allowing everything in the area to work better....that's all good!!! He is quite the trouper, your Trouper!
Trooper Twister's recent x-rays
- Thread starter HolyToledo
- Start date
Elizadolots
New Member
Note to self: Learn to spell.
HolyToledo
New Member
Thanks everyone!
He definitely is a Trooper! We have our ups and downs. Today is so-so.
He gets his Metacam every two and a half days and is due a dose in a few hours so he is drinking the bare minimum and won't eat yet.. But, he is using the bottom half of his tail and stands on all fours when I mist him!
I watch him so close lately that I am noticing the little things which is good, I guess? Without the pain meds, I think it hurts him to eat and drink (the jerking or extention/catching with his tongue?) so he does less of both the less under the effects he is. But when the drugs are strongest in his system, he has some trouble co-ordinating his drinking/breathing and will gulp too much water and end up bubbling it out his nose! Then I have to hold a piece of tissue up to his nostrils to wick out the water. Under the effects, he also moves around more and ends up losing partial use of his back end (due to the strain or re-swelling or something. But he does eat to make up for lost time (like he's starving).
So, it is a balancing act to make sure he is okay and not hurting too much or hurting himself, watching his temps (he can't always move away from the basking/heat spots), offering food and water, etc.
Very time consuming! But he is worth it and is still Trooping on!
He definitely is a Trooper! We have our ups and downs. Today is so-so.
He gets his Metacam every two and a half days and is due a dose in a few hours so he is drinking the bare minimum and won't eat yet.. But, he is using the bottom half of his tail and stands on all fours when I mist him!
I watch him so close lately that I am noticing the little things which is good, I guess? Without the pain meds, I think it hurts him to eat and drink (the jerking or extention/catching with his tongue?) so he does less of both the less under the effects he is. But when the drugs are strongest in his system, he has some trouble co-ordinating his drinking/breathing and will gulp too much water and end up bubbling it out his nose! Then I have to hold a piece of tissue up to his nostrils to wick out the water. Under the effects, he also moves around more and ends up losing partial use of his back end (due to the strain or re-swelling or something. But he does eat to make up for lost time (like he's starving).
So, it is a balancing act to make sure he is okay and not hurting too much or hurting himself, watching his temps (he can't always move away from the basking/heat spots), offering food and water, etc.
Very time consuming! But he is worth it and is still Trooping on!
HolyToledo
New Member
thanks all. he even tried a bit if climbing yesterday when i wasn't looking (opened window for real sunshine and he was heading up the screen)!
obviously he wasn't paying attention to what doc said about no climbing...
@jann: i hope all is well and you and yours are in our prayers too.
obviously he wasn't paying attention to what doc said about no climbing...
@jann: i hope all is well and you and yours are in our prayers too.
Elizadolots
New Member
You know, as frustrating as it is when he tries to do something the doctor said he shouldn't do, it's definitely a sign that things are going well.
Elizadolots
New Member
Isn't Toledo amazing? One of the most wonderful things about this forum is getting to witness the effort and love people some people put into caring for their pets. It's inspiring in so many ways. It sort of balances out some of the horror stories we see elsewhere on the board. (meaning "former owner" and "store" horror stories)
HolyToledo
New Member
Thank you Eliza and K9!
I think it is only fair to give my little guy all he needs in his battle, he didn't ask for any of this and is willing to go through it so he deserves all the help I can give him. (Plus, he gives me a distraction from my own health issues, that's why I have enough time on my hands to spend so much time helping him through the day...)
And I couldn't do it without the forum and some of you who have put in overtime to help us out and give us moral support when it has been so needed.
So, we are all a team--Trooper's team! And thanks to all, especially Eliza who has been through and helped from the very beginning of all this!
I think it is only fair to give my little guy all he needs in his battle, he didn't ask for any of this and is willing to go through it so he deserves all the help I can give him. (Plus, he gives me a distraction from my own health issues, that's why I have enough time on my hands to spend so much time helping him through the day...)
And I couldn't do it without the forum and some of you who have put in overtime to help us out and give us moral support when it has been so needed.
So, we are all a team--Trooper's team! And thanks to all, especially Eliza who has been through and helped from the very beginning of all this!
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Elizadolots
New Member
Oh, please...but thank you. I'm honored to have been a part of this. I'm so glad you found Trooper because it sounds like you are helping each other. Sometimes these relationships are meant to be.
HolyToledo
New Member
having a rough time breathing today
I messed up! yesterday, i had to go to bank and since twister had been fairly quiet and not moving around much, i left him on his platform so he could enjoy the real sunshine because even when he did try to climb the screen, it was only his upper body he would pull up and his backside was still resting on the platform.
I was only gone about an hour but and when I got home he had crawled off his platform! It was only about a 4" drop down to the windowsill but a drop none the less. I freaked! Other than being chilly (about 70F), he seemed madder at being interfered with. I checked out his back end and everything seemed fine so I put him on his platform and watched him very closely. No problems that I could see: Warmed back up once he was in the sun. Drank, had a couple of worms. Both feet and legs and tail still responsive and he was using his right leg just like he has been. Phew, big sigh of relief! Evening and night passed well.
This morning, when I checked, he opened his eyes and hmphed at me so I upped the temp it did get down as low as 71 last night and left him alone and he went back to sleep. Today is a workday for me so I got his traveling gear ready and he was still wanting to be left alone but I offered water and he drank only a few sips and would only eat one large mealie. When I misted him, he even hissed at me! Packed him up and off we go! Get to work and get him all set up and he is alert but very agitated and it hasn't gotten any better.
He will only take a drop or two of water at a time and seems to be breathing mostly (but not totally) through his mouth and even that seems to be a struggle. He juts out his chin and then gasps for air. Acts interested in drinking but then won't take any! Same thing with the food!
His coloring is good--maybe a little dark on his brow-ridges and the front of his casque but otherwise good. Lightens when warmer, etc. all nice greens...
Mobility and use of back half is pretty good today. Grips with both feet and has used his right leg a bit. Use of tail is down from usual but not gone.
Seems to have an easier time breathing when I position him so that he is resting vertically, so I have him propped up on the leaves and his stick (but not blocked so he can't move around).
So, now am I seeing the signs of a RI or pneumonia or something or a delayed reaction to my screw-up yesterday?
Anyone got any ideas?
I messed up! yesterday, i had to go to bank and since twister had been fairly quiet and not moving around much, i left him on his platform so he could enjoy the real sunshine because even when he did try to climb the screen, it was only his upper body he would pull up and his backside was still resting on the platform.
I was only gone about an hour but and when I got home he had crawled off his platform! It was only about a 4" drop down to the windowsill but a drop none the less. I freaked! Other than being chilly (about 70F), he seemed madder at being interfered with. I checked out his back end and everything seemed fine so I put him on his platform and watched him very closely. No problems that I could see: Warmed back up once he was in the sun. Drank, had a couple of worms. Both feet and legs and tail still responsive and he was using his right leg just like he has been. Phew, big sigh of relief! Evening and night passed well.
This morning, when I checked, he opened his eyes and hmphed at me so I upped the temp it did get down as low as 71 last night and left him alone and he went back to sleep. Today is a workday for me so I got his traveling gear ready and he was still wanting to be left alone but I offered water and he drank only a few sips and would only eat one large mealie. When I misted him, he even hissed at me! Packed him up and off we go! Get to work and get him all set up and he is alert but very agitated and it hasn't gotten any better.
He will only take a drop or two of water at a time and seems to be breathing mostly (but not totally) through his mouth and even that seems to be a struggle. He juts out his chin and then gasps for air. Acts interested in drinking but then won't take any! Same thing with the food!
His coloring is good--maybe a little dark on his brow-ridges and the front of his casque but otherwise good. Lightens when warmer, etc. all nice greens...
Mobility and use of back half is pretty good today. Grips with both feet and has used his right leg a bit. Use of tail is down from usual but not gone.
Seems to have an easier time breathing when I position him so that he is resting vertically, so I have him propped up on the leaves and his stick (but not blocked so he can't move around).
So, now am I seeing the signs of a RI or pneumonia or something or a delayed reaction to my screw-up yesterday?
Anyone got any ideas?
Elizadolots
New Member
Oh, goodness....
I think I would see how he is tomorrow. It's possible that something just felt worse after getting off the platform. You don't know that he fell, he might have worked his way down on his own. He's a trouper after all...and now be paying the price.
It seems to me you're at that point where you can't leave the patient free to do as he pleases because he'll do something crazy. I'm dealing with "elderly" issues with my father who's recovering from a broken pelvis and now that he's feeling better we have to make sure he can't get behind the wheel of a car or anything else that's crazy....you're there now: he feels well enough to get himself into trouble.
It's definitely a mixed blessing.
I think I would see how he is tomorrow. It's possible that something just felt worse after getting off the platform. You don't know that he fell, he might have worked his way down on his own. He's a trouper after all...and now be paying the price.
It seems to me you're at that point where you can't leave the patient free to do as he pleases because he'll do something crazy. I'm dealing with "elderly" issues with my father who's recovering from a broken pelvis and now that he's feeling better we have to make sure he can't get behind the wheel of a car or anything else that's crazy....you're there now: he feels well enough to get himself into trouble.
It's definitely a mixed blessing.
HolyToledo
New Member
Thanks for the supportive attitude, and you may be right. I just automatically assume the worst since he has taken sooooo many steps backward and then I felt horrible for leaving him free and unsupervised...
As for the rest, when we got home from work, I forced him to take a water filled waxie and it went down fine with no bubbling, etc. Then, I put him in his viv and gave him and it a heavy misting and cranked the heat for a bit kind of like a sauna? It seemed to help and he hasn't been gasping since. Then a spell in the window for sunset under the heat emitter and he was a nice green and settling in for the night so I moved him back to the viv.
And you're right, I need to slow down on hitting the panic button and see how it goes tomorrow.
As for the rest, when we got home from work, I forced him to take a water filled waxie and it went down fine with no bubbling, etc. Then, I put him in his viv and gave him and it a heavy misting and cranked the heat for a bit kind of like a sauna? It seemed to help and he hasn't been gasping since. Then a spell in the window for sunset under the heat emitter and he was a nice green and settling in for the night so I moved him back to the viv.
And you're right, I need to slow down on hitting the panic button and see how it goes tomorrow.
Elizadolots
New Member
I'm looking forward to seeing how he is today.
HolyToledo
New Member
Quick report: Back is okay, Breathing issue is not so great?
Mobility is no worse than before his un-supervised trip. Matter of fact, he took a three-footed step today a few times so far (meaning the fronts move regular then a step forward with the right rear). It seems like he expects that left rear to do its job and will reach with left front expecting left rear to move him forward but he isn't getting anywhere. He keeps trying and then gives up, rests for a few then uses front legs to drag himself forward and it starts all over again unless he forgets to pick up that right rear and then he is really stuck because he forgets sometimes that he is gripping something and ends up holding himself back! Then looks at me like I'm the one doing it to him!
And, as I was putting him in his window perch, he grabbed the leaves with his tail and hung on! Wrapped his tail around my finger too!
Really good progress on that front. So back to the drawing board for a new platform design and definitely back in the bin if I'm not with him.
Gave him another steaming (temp 88F hum 82%). That was his wake up call this am. First drinking session went smoothly but was only 3 drops from hose.
Next one not so good. Fine for the first bit (few drops and break for swallowing--normal for him) and again but the third time at the hose, he took one too many gulps I guess and started bubbling and gasping bit. The next session seemed hesitant so I moved to a small bore syringe and got him to drink successfully again. But he seems aggravated that he isn't getting as much water all at once and bites at the syringe... Tough! I'd rather he be pissy than drowned.
Mobility is no worse than before his un-supervised trip. Matter of fact, he took a three-footed step today a few times so far (meaning the fronts move regular then a step forward with the right rear). It seems like he expects that left rear to do its job and will reach with left front expecting left rear to move him forward but he isn't getting anywhere. He keeps trying and then gives up, rests for a few then uses front legs to drag himself forward and it starts all over again unless he forgets to pick up that right rear and then he is really stuck because he forgets sometimes that he is gripping something and ends up holding himself back! Then looks at me like I'm the one doing it to him!
And, as I was putting him in his window perch, he grabbed the leaves with his tail and hung on! Wrapped his tail around my finger too!
Really good progress on that front. So back to the drawing board for a new platform design and definitely back in the bin if I'm not with him.
Gave him another steaming (temp 88F hum 82%). That was his wake up call this am. First drinking session went smoothly but was only 3 drops from hose.
Next one not so good. Fine for the first bit (few drops and break for swallowing--normal for him) and again but the third time at the hose, he took one too many gulps I guess and started bubbling and gasping bit. The next session seemed hesitant so I moved to a small bore syringe and got him to drink successfully again. But he seems aggravated that he isn't getting as much water all at once and bites at the syringe... Tough! I'd rather he be pissy than drowned.
Elizadolots
New Member
Pissy is a good sign...complacent is a bad sign. Keep up the syringe. When you say "hose" I'm taking it you mean a plastic tube of relatively small diameter. If that's the case, maybe you should get one of the "closer" connectors like they use to make the dripper bottles. With that on the end you could give him more water than the syringe, but it would be controlled so it wouldn't overwhelm him.
Does he ever "bubble" when he's not drinking? Do you see any mucous?
Does he ever "bubble" when he's not drinking? Do you see any mucous?
You are a wonderful person to keep doing all you can to make him healthy as well as happy, You always have his best interest in your heart. I am so thankful that you have the support of someone experienced to help you though all his needs. I can't offer the experience... but know you have my emotional care and support. It takes a special person to not give up and get Trooper though all his needs. Bless you!
HolyToledo
New Member
Thanks for the suggestion and that is kind of what I use. I made my own dripper using one of the valves and small diameter air hoses from the aquarium section and control the flow that way. But Twister will just put his mouth up there and guzzle the drops as they come out and he forgets to breathe (remember, he was kinda "special" before he became "special needs" LOL) so the drops come out very slowly but right now it seems even that is too fast most of the time lately and if he drinks more than two drops at a time, before I pull the hose or syringe away, he ends up blowing some out his nose. I don't know if it is because he is more horizontal than before or what and it has gotten worse over the last few days...
No bubbling unless he is drinking. I can feed him a water filled waxie and I know they pop in his mouth but he hasn't bubbled from one of them yet. Knock on wood...
No wheezing or gasping except for a little bit after one of his bubbling episodes. Doesn't seem to be mouth breathing or gaping any other time either.
And no mucous. No plugged nostrils. No swelling around his nose or eyes or anything else. Just the bubbling...???
Thanks K9Luviin! I appreciate all the help we can get and sometimes I get emotionally needy and it is good to know there are people out there just for that kind of support too... And I love all the educational and experienced help I get from people like Elizadolots. I would be so lost without all of you...
Elizadolots
New Member
I do want to mention that I'm not overly experienced, I've just been here a long time and have read a lot of threads, plus I know how to use the search function! That makes me look really smart....
No wheezing, or gasping is really good. I sort of wonder if he didn't bruise a rib or two in his adventure the other night. That might make the drinking process a bit harder.
No wheezing, or gasping is really good. I sort of wonder if he didn't bruise a rib or two in his adventure the other night. That might make the drinking process a bit harder.
