I'm sorry to report that Creek's health has continued to decline. :( We tried what the vet suggested -- Tramadol for pain and a bland diet of chicken and rice -- neither did much for her. She ate the chicken and rice very well for about 3 days, then after that she would pick out only the chicken and spit out any rice she got in her mouth. That was around the same time she found her tramadol hidden inside a piece of chicken so I think that may have had something to do with it. The tramadol didn't seem to make much difference anyway so we stopped giving it to her after that. Then we tried pureeing her food which worked for a little while. After that we decided that Creek's issue with food probably wasn't pancreatitis, but that she was simply getting to be a very picky eater in her old age. We have tried feeding her various things these past few weeks, none of which have made her sick thank goodness, but it's been tough because we just never know what or when she is going to want to eat. More often than not she refuses food.
This past week she has gone even more downhill and is having trouble walking. She seems very weak especially in her back end. She's also gotten very "spacey" -- she just gets up from her bed sometimes and stands in one place, staring at nothing. Several times when we have offered her food she just pushes her bowl with her nose over and over as if she doesn't know what to do with it.
I took her back to the vet late last week and had bloodwork and urinalysis done. Vet said she seemed very painful in her abdomen and that her liver was very small which could indicate liver failure. She has also lost 5 lbs since our visit just a month ago -- she's down 11 lbs since December. The vet said that at this point we need to consider Creek's quality of life. She mentioned euthanasia. We are still waiting to hear what her bloodwork results are but the vet didn't seem hopeful. I don't think that Creek will be with us much longer. :(
The vet gave us a large syringe and a couple cans of prescription food and we have been force-feeding her... which I absolutely hate doing. It is a chore and not a pleasant experience for either of us, which is the last thing I want for Creek in her final days with us. DH wants to keep her fed though. I think he's going to have a harder time letting her go. It is not going to b easy for me either... but he has had Creek since she was 8 weeks old, long before we met. His very first baby. I don't want to pressure him into making this decision before he is ready to but I hate seeing Creek so miserable. :(
