Bandit is much improved as of this morning.  His eyes are clear
again & he is steadier on his feet.  He's also eating & drinking
on his own again & didn't fight the Nutrical & prednisone this
morning.
 
Jeff called Dr. Jeglum's office this morning to report our
experience & was told that it was apparently a combination of
the heat & the chemo that got to him. We are to keep him under
observation for another 24 hours & if he is still rocky by
tomorrow morning, we are to take him to Dr. Harris
(our regular vet) and ask to have a white blood cell count done
& put him on antibiotics.  They think the reason he was refusing
food & water was that he was probably feeling nauseous & sluggish
from the combination of heat & Vincristine.  It seems that Vincristine
lowers the white count; it usually makes him tired for a couple of
days afterward anyway.  This is the first adverse reaction Bandit
has had to chemo.
 
If indeed it was heat & chemo that go to him, I am concerned
about how things may go once the summer heat hits for good.
It is over an hour drive to Dr. Jeglum's and our car is
not air-conditioned.  Does anyone have any suggestions on
how we can keep Bandit cool on the long drive?  Jeff was
thinking about putting a cold pack under the towel in the
pet carrier.  (This is not a hard-sided cold pack, but a
flexible pack in a cloth cover that we usually use for
household first-aid.)   Any other ideas?
 
Hoping to hear good things for Percy & Slink. . .
 
Katie, Jeff, Bandit, Molly, Charlie & Pogo (who really thinks
                                            he can fly!)
 
[Posted in FML issue 0255]