Hi Michelle,
It breaks my heart to read of all you and Lucy are going through.
I am so sorry. I will look for my paperwork on Ally to pinpoint
her timeline, but as I remember, it was roughly something as follows:
Live trapped at 6 weeks, sores on tongue, URI, eyes gunked shut,
14 oz.
-10 days Amox? for URI, gentamycin for eyes
7 weeks: gained 1/2 pound, eyes clear, URI apparently gone
-received first vaccines, (in retrospect, a mistake) test FeLV+
Next 2-3 weeks: finishes 10 day course of Amox., URI returns
Switch to Clavamox, URI returns whenever we try to stop it. Eyes
remain clean and healthy.
8 or 9 weeks: Notice scattering of teensy black dots in left ear. I rub
them off and they don't return. Not earmites. I think it was the FIP
putting holes in her capillaries. The next day her other ear is
bright red. Vet gives panalog ointment, it does little to help. Appetite
starts to lessen. Activity does too, but I don't notice at first because
she just seems less aggresive, still very alert and bright-eyed.
10-12 weeks: Appetite and weight gain bad enough that I am syringe-
feeding, although some days she does eat on her own. Spikes a high
fever (106?) which comes down with steroids from the vet. I notice her
belly swelling slightly at about 10.5 weeks, mention it to the vet, who
doesn't see it. I start asking questions about FIP before the vet mentions
it. She wants to do steroids and wait and see. Fever returns, doesn't
respond as well to steroids or antibiotics. She goes between "fever eyes"
and feeling better. Spends a lot of time cuddling (for warmth?) and
purring.
Belly develops a classic FIP look over the weekend. When the fever is down,
she doesn't appear to be suffering, but when it is up, she looks terrible.
Weight gain is just from fluid, anorexia is now apparent, spine protrudes in
knobs from her back. I spent most of her last nite holding her on my chest,
took her in when the vet opened for pts. She was in that inward "fever
stare"
and didn't seem aware of her surroundings.
I will have to look at my records to see exactly what she was getting at the
vets,
she may have had a vitamin B shot at the first fever, along with prednisolone,
but I'm not sure. I think that from the time her belly first looked swollen to
me,
to the end was only about 1.5 to 2 weeks. Your Lucy is bigger and stronger
and has had much more knowledgeable care from you, she seems to be
hanging in there better. I think I have read that FOI works better for wet FIP
than for dry, I am so hoping that that is the case for Lucy. As far as making
her comfortable, I don't think the big belly is painful for them, but the fevers
make them feel awful. Controlling those as best you can and giving her a
choice of warm and cool places to lay (as you have been) seems to me to
be the most comforting thing you can do. And letting her curl-up on top
of you when she wants.
The amount of care and devotion you have shown to her through the
IBD problems has been an inspiration to me. I hope that I can muster
something like the same strength when my Will starts to have problems.
I wish like anything you were not going through this.
Hugs,
Beth
