Yes, I did realise... hence the no playing. So if he's a classic 'Where's me ball, where's me ball" then no moving quickly or excited voices or even looking at his toys & tugs.
Someone is coming home. He’s still very skinny, weak and confused and has a bit of a tremor, plus he’s still not eating and half his fur has been shaved off at the sides, on his legs and underneath, but it’s early days yet.
Reading on it sounds like some promising progress. They're tough creatures. Fingers crossed for you (both). Meanwhile....what do you mean by 'Low protein' food? Under 20% ? .. or even less?
Update. It was a difficult, worrying and upsetting night. He’s clearly got some brain damage due to hepatic encelopathy (liver toxins affecting the brain). Last night he was whining, yipping and howling as if he could see a ghost, standing in corners staring into space, getting lost in the house, trembling and generally acting pretty confused and unsteady on his feet. I eventually got him to sleep on my bed (I had to pick him up and put him there as he didn’t seem to know what I was telling him to do or maybe was still too weak) but when he woke up this morning, the yipping and howling etc started again. There are flashes of the old Iggy from time to time though when I focus in on him. He climbed up onto my lap for a cuddle and a nap this morning and my neighbour who walks him when I’m at court popped in and he was really happy to see her and acting normally, albeit very subdued. He’s not eating under his own steam at the moment and when he does, it’s as if he doesn’t know he needs to open his mouth, so I’ve had to hand feed him by opening his mouth and popping morsels of steamed white fish and boiled rice in one at a time. He’s still drinking more than he should and I’ve got to keep an eye on that as his sodium levels were all over the place when he was in ICU due to excessive water consumption. I’ve got him in the crate next to my desk and after a bit of whining, he has fallen asleep. From what the vet said and from all the reading I have done, HE usually improves as toxin levels come down and even in cases where there is some permanent structural brain damage the brain can find new pathways, but recovery isn’t always complete in severe cases (his was severe). It’s very early days yet and I’m not giving up hope, but if this is how he is for the rest of his days, then so be it. That’s just how life turns out sometimes, I’ll take care of him and give him the best life I can within his limitations.
Update After a massive sleep he was much better this afternoon. We even went out for a bit of a gentle stroll and he did his usual rounds on the cricket ground, checking every tree for new smells and naturally, adding his own. Then off to the ‘pital to have his sodium levels checked (as he’s drinking too much water), followed by home and (drum roll) he ate his own dinner. He’s still got the shakes a bit and he did a bit more of that howling and yipping before he nodded off in his crate, but it’s a huge improvement compared to this morning. Thanks so much for your kind words. None of you have met me or Iggy, but it feels like you know us .
That sounds heartening and obviously you are on the right track with him. The wonders of his home, his master & his pack - dogs take comfort from just 'to be' with them. Keep up the crate as that makes him feel secure and allows for full rest. A blob of honey in his feed is beneficial. Gentle on the digestion and a good energy source.
He is much much better today. He wolfed his breakfast down this morning and is still drinking a lot of water, but that might be due to the meds he is on and will be on for the rest of his life. He’s still a bit confused - for example he doesn’t seem to remember that he’s allowed to pee on my first floor terrace, so when I let him out of the upstairs door, he goes down the steps into the ground floor yard and then can’t work out how to get back up to where he started from, meaning I have to go downstairs to let him back indoors. Also, he used to tell me he wants a drink by flipping his empty water bowl over, but he keeps doing it when it’s full and making a mess. He’s also still got a bit of a tremor. Little things like that, but thankfully nothing major and even more thankfully, no more hallucinations.
He’s not had the strength to do that for about a week. He was still a bit unsure of his balance so I had to help him get back down, but it’s a real sign of progress
Yay, Iggy! He's improving day by day, great progress and he'll continue to rally and get stronger. They usually bounce back given time and care.
