Mid-week, Toby had a set back. He was clearly not feeling well. I called the vet, explained his symptoms and she explained that things didn’t sound good. She asked us to bring him in the next morning (Friday) for follow-up blood work. If the results were worse than the last series of blood tests that were done, we could assume that his liver was failing. We would have to make a decision.
After having a difficult discussion with the kids about the upcoming possibilities and a long night of tears, I brought him back to the vet on Friday. She checked him over – his abdomen was soft, he wasn’t exhibiting signs of abdominal pain, his ears were clear, and he didn’t have a fever. She took blood, we discussed the possibilities, and we went home to wait.
On Saturday morning, the vet called with the results. There was a marked improvement in his blood work – proteins were up, liver function was normal – any signs of liver failure were gone. Everything was trending in the right direction! We caught everything just in time! As of today, Toby is in the clear. We will keep him on a bland diet (prescription dry and wet food) with no treats, table scraps or strenuous activity for a full month. He is currently taking pain medication (Tramadol), ulcer medication, Pepcid and an anti-diarrheal. He’ll stay on this plan for the month as well.
I firmly believe this was a reaction to the first pain meds he was on – Rimadyl by Pfizer. I’ve been researching like crazy and I’ve actually found the most information on the Pfizer website. He was showing the classic symptoms of Rimadyl toxicity. I’m glad we caught it when we did and stopped treatment right away.
Tonight, Toby is playful, energetic and his appetite is back. There’s a sparkle in his eye, a skip in his step – and my heart is full. My little guy is doing better and I couldn’t be more grateful.
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