Thanks so much for all the support you all have given through my ordeal
with Fester.  I am too wore out ( I am feeding round the clock) to write
everyone to thank them.  It appears she has lost almost 1/2 her body
weight.  And the dr gave me the choice of treating for 2 wks to see if meds
for proliferative bowel disease helped or one for Heliobactor.  Try one for
2 wks and then the other, or else we would not know which cured her and
what she had, if treated together.  I opted to treat for both.  To heck
with findings.  What I want is my baby well before it is too late.  If
neither work then the specialist my vet called said to look at ruling out
lymphosarcoma (sp?).  I am just so very grateful that I am a teacher and
have off a while.  Because if I didn't she would go to school or I would
stay home.
 
By the way, I need to put in a plug here but don't want to start a debate.
I let my babies free roam.  If I had just caged them at bedtime, I would
have noticed the mucousy poop earlier (since they sometimes hide their
treasures), noticed the lethargy (instead of wondering where my baby was
when she was tired and hiding) and noticed food was not eaten enough.  So I
have decided that they will have to AT THE LEAST stay in a cage once a week
at night or something like that as a routine...or in a smaller place like
my huge bathroom, which doubles as the isolation room.  I guess it could be
made into a one-night-a-week-playground so they'd love it.  Fester had lost
most of the weight during a 2-3 day stretch where she made herself scarce.
We did everything but boil the cage to get it ready for Queen Fester and
while I fed her the others found it and went nuts.  "Mama's brought us a
playground!  We have a playground!" Run up.  Run down.  Flip over the
litter pan (which luckily I had decided to just put newspaper in).  Climb
the sides.  Tease the dogs ("Betcha can't catch ME!!!").  They had a
rip-roarin' time!  Geeze....I though letting them free roam was making them
happy and they want a cage!  Go figure the mind of a fuzzy...
 
Anyway, thanks to all of you for your suggestions.  It is really so
appreciated when you are in a crisis and help is there....and remember...
have your babies checked and real healthy BEFORE the holidays....because no
one is open at Christmas...I learned MY lesson and next year I am going to
make Thanksgiving season the time to stock up on AD, syringes, duck soup,
etc and get them a checkup before the big holidays.
 
Ryan
[Posted in FML issue 2539]