Ack!  The ferts are sick!  Emergency store runs, duck soup, pedialyte, tiny
doses of decongestant and pepto and antibiotics (cefa drops - very tasty),
extra blankets, force feeding (NOT NOT NOT fun) and a trip or two to the
vet...*sigh*...Three of the four are bouncing back just fine.  Anastasia,
though, isn't doing so well.  She's thrown up once and we are really having
to force the food issue...she will take it eventually but it takes lots of
coaxing.  But she has to eat!  She is not pooping or peeing...not
dehydrated yet, we are really pushing the pedialyte, but are prepared for
subq fluids if needed.
 
Thank you all so much for providing such a great resource!  Everything I
know about taking care of my babies I have learned sitting here at my
computer.  Amazing, isn't it?  If anyone has suggestions I'm happy to hear
them, I am doing all I know right now and feel so helpless...I know it is
really up to them, all I can do is give some support, but gosh it is
hard...Everyone else with sick kids, you are in our thoughts and prayers.
 
Oh, and to the people worrying about ferts being too expensive - you never
know.  It's a good idea to have a few hundred dollars put away in case they
need surgery or extensive care, but they can also go for years without
having any problems.  From what we've seen, ferts get sick about as often as
dogs and cats, but it hits them harder, which means a vet bill for them that
might have been skipped for kitty.  As for the more serious problems, cats
and dogs have their own.  Go hang out on the cat and dog newsgroups for
awhile and you'll have second thoughts about them, too!
 
-Sara and Four Fighting Fuzzies.
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[Posted in FML issue 2429]