Hi friends! I hope all's well. <3
Friend, unfortunately, has developed urinary issues this past week (extremely acidic urine + crystals). There's a whole long story about us being snuck in to see a vet we've never seen before who proposed lackluster treatment and didn't seem to understand that money's very tight for me right now and I can't afford infinite $200-a-pop trips to office; *finally*, after much pleading with the clinic staff, I was able to see our regular vet. She gave Friend subcutaneous fluids, a muscle relaxant, an appetite stimulant, buprenorphine (then and for at home), and sent me home with a bag bursting with dry urinary tract food (in case he refuses toe at wet) and some cans of wet urinary tract food in case I ever need it. All she charged me was $22 for the buprenorphine--basically she saw us yesterday for free. Bless her heart; she's a wonderful human.
Anyway, he's eating (and getting his liquid from wet food, plus some urinary dry food sprinkled in for crunch, because he refuses to eat wet food without it) and using the litterbox. I can tell it's not comfortable, but he *can* pee--so he's not blocked, which is obviously good. However, my concern is this:
My vet said the buprenorphine would make him stoned, but it did the complete opposite. He freaked out. Eyes dilated, restless, licking at the carpet, growling . . . I ended up calling the emergency clinic last night for advice (since my vet was / is closed until Monday); they basically said that I could either try a lower dose or else just not give him the meds and call my vet on Monday.
I tried a lower dose last night--I don't want him to be in pain--but as of this morning, his behavior is no different. In some respects, I think it's gotten worse. And his peeing behavior was no different yesterday (on the meds) than it is today, so I opted to wait and see if he'd be okay without them. On the one hand, he slinks out from under the bed to eat copious amounts of food with his tail between his legs; he's peed more in the last twelve hours than the last four days; he can jump onto my desk, into his beloved bathroom sink, and even get to the top of his cat tree. But he still cries growls arbitrarily--even when I just talk to him, let alone touch him--and he oscillates between being lethargic and restless. His eyes are still dilated.
Does anyone know how long buprenorphine stays in the system? Do you think it's that? Is he just grumpy and wants to be left alone? Needless to say I'm going to call my vet ASAP tomorrow.
I'm so sad and stressed. My poor squeaky old man.
Thanks all. <3
Dyl.
Friend, unfortunately, has developed urinary issues this past week (extremely acidic urine + crystals). There's a whole long story about us being snuck in to see a vet we've never seen before who proposed lackluster treatment and didn't seem to understand that money's very tight for me right now and I can't afford infinite $200-a-pop trips to office; *finally*, after much pleading with the clinic staff, I was able to see our regular vet. She gave Friend subcutaneous fluids, a muscle relaxant, an appetite stimulant, buprenorphine (then and for at home), and sent me home with a bag bursting with dry urinary tract food (in case he refuses toe at wet) and some cans of wet urinary tract food in case I ever need it. All she charged me was $22 for the buprenorphine--basically she saw us yesterday for free. Bless her heart; she's a wonderful human.
Anyway, he's eating (and getting his liquid from wet food, plus some urinary dry food sprinkled in for crunch, because he refuses to eat wet food without it) and using the litterbox. I can tell it's not comfortable, but he *can* pee--so he's not blocked, which is obviously good. However, my concern is this:
My vet said the buprenorphine would make him stoned, but it did the complete opposite. He freaked out. Eyes dilated, restless, licking at the carpet, growling . . . I ended up calling the emergency clinic last night for advice (since my vet was / is closed until Monday); they basically said that I could either try a lower dose or else just not give him the meds and call my vet on Monday.
I tried a lower dose last night--I don't want him to be in pain--but as of this morning, his behavior is no different. In some respects, I think it's gotten worse. And his peeing behavior was no different yesterday (on the meds) than it is today, so I opted to wait and see if he'd be okay without them. On the one hand, he slinks out from under the bed to eat copious amounts of food with his tail between his legs; he's peed more in the last twelve hours than the last four days; he can jump onto my desk, into his beloved bathroom sink, and even get to the top of his cat tree. But he still cries growls arbitrarily--even when I just talk to him, let alone touch him--and he oscillates between being lethargic and restless. His eyes are still dilated.
Does anyone know how long buprenorphine stays in the system? Do you think it's that? Is he just grumpy and wants to be left alone? Needless to say I'm going to call my vet ASAP tomorrow.
I'm so sad and stressed. My poor squeaky old man.
Thanks all. <3
Dyl.