Ava Update

[sweetiepie9]

Good luck tomorrow, don't forget to soak her well in warm water to get that blood flowing.

 

[zandi202]

Don't worry - I won't

 

[diamc]

Thinking about Ava. Did you get her to lick off any Repashy? Good luck tomorrow, will be thinking about her and all of you.

 

[zandi202]

This was from last night:

The last time Ava ate was Sunday night the day Paul returned and she only had six mealies and then Monday she had two and since then nothing. I'll will update you tonight on if she has eaten anything - the damn mail with my worms still hasn't come. They said they stopped to drop them off, but no one answered - that was new - so tomorrow after work I have to go to the post office and pick them up. That's a drag. So we can't try any of the new worms on her tonight, only the mealies. I also haven't taken any pictures of her because I just don't want to bother her. The vet tech who helped us last time and worked with the vet also commented on how lethargic Ava was this time as compared to the last time. She didn't run around or scamper like before. They got enough blood from her tail to do 2/3 test and didn't seem concerned about the third test. They only charged $80 compared to the $160 I had been originally told. They said I should get results sometime tomorrow or Saturday. I'm hoping for tomorrow so I can make a quickie appointment for Saturday if needed. Poor baby girl. The only problem is Saturday there is no way Paul can make it to a vet appointment so I'll have to man up and go alone.
Update: Ava ate not one...not five...but NINE mealworms today! Yay little miss!

 

[diamc]

That's great that she ate NINE mealworms, bet you were beaming all over when you saw that. Please be sure to keep us updated on her, prayers & thoughts always.

 

[zandi202]

Thanks, Diane. I was definitely relieved

 

[zandi202]

This was Ava walking on July 19th.



And this is Ava today - Aug 2nd.



To me and the vets her walk has gotten worse. The vet hasn't mentioned this being anything to do with MBD though I'm not sure if that's what the test in running for. Honestly, I'm hoping it's MBD just because it is treatable. If it's the blood parasites like she mentioned, I can only guess cost of a treatment - let a lone the others - would be a small fortune Paul and I do not have and even if we saved and hadn't gotten a third beardie and hadn't gotten the special worms, we still probably wouldn't be able to afford let alone there's no guarantee any of them will work. Sorry, I'm a "prepare for the worst, hope for the best" kind of girl.

 

[diamc]

She definitely walks slower and more guarded but she doesn't loose her balance. I was actually surprised with the way she was able to lift & move her tail around. Hopefully it will be an easy fix so she can start feeling better.

 

[zandi202]

I hope so too. Thanks!

 

[sweetiepie9]

I hope so, too, Liz. Even though her walk is awkward, I was impressed with how she got around and controlled her tail, too. And that she's eating again. So fingers crossed you get good news!

 

[zandi202]

Ava Update:

The vet didn't call so I called them. Dr. Kenna was working at a different hospital today so the tech at the front desk told me she'd call and give Dr. Kenna the info and ask what's up. She called and left a message for me at work. The blood work came back fine, no parasites and I assume no calcium deficiencies. She suggested to call a different vet to get in with another hospital because she wouldn't be back until Wednesday. I feel comfortable with her and don't know about this other doctor so I'll wait until Wednesday. I made the appointment for 3:40. She said until then to continue force feeding her because at 43g she is under weight and needs food. I got the carnivore care today so I can start with that. She's starting to think Ava might be an enigma.

 

[sweetiepie9]

Well that is a relief, about the parasites, but I'm still not clear what an enigma is. I know it's been explained but I still don't understand.

 

[zandi202]

It's a kinda of leo morph. From what my vet explained and I understood... It's like a pure bred dog. A pure bred dog got bred so many times to get what the breeder wanted i.e. the looks and attitude of a golden retriever, but because it is a pure bred it has a higher risk of a certain problem, I think with golden retrievers it is the liver.... Not sure. Anyways, the enigma is the same way. Breeders found the enigma morph to be really cool and wanted to get that specific trait, but in doing so, the enigma got it's version of the golden retriever's liver issue - they have neurological problems such a seeing and in general they're really twitchy and quirky - like Ava. So it's just an overbreeding problem to get one trait when it caused health problems to get the one product - the enigma. There's someone whose trying to popularize the enigma and breed the neurological issues out of them by mixing them with good leos, but the problem is - again, if I remember correctly - enigma is a dominate gene. I hope this helps explain it better.

 

[sweetiepie9]

It does, so it means that she'll have trouble seeing and walking but you won't have to put her down & she's not in pain of any sort, which is good, right? I'm so relieved to hear it. Lonzo has neurological problems, too, but from age, but I take all that into consideration with him. So the carnivore care & repashy will help her out, with that she won't really need bugs, but any you can get into her will help. Did she eat at all tonight?

 

[zandi202]

Nope, she won't have to be put down unless the neurological problems get worse. She's just going to require extra care.

She did eat last night - 4 silks and 1 mealie. I'm happy.