Caleb's second vet visit

[steptoe91(tozie)]

Went pretty well. His student this time was a male. Unfortunately, Caleb wouldnt let him get close during the exam but other than that it was okay. He was a good guy, i actually enjoyed talking with him. He was very impressed with the lifestyle i give my fids.  The vet said Caleb's wound looked about the same as before. No worse but no better either. She suggested letting it go for another month with more antibiotic meds and increasing the pain meds. She and i suspect that some of the problem may be pain. But i really didnt want to assult his system with more drugs unnecessarily. She agreed with me when i told her i doubt more antibiotics would change the situation. So she and i discussed surgery. They would  cut the dead tissue away and do cultures and various tests and sew the wound up. While he is under they'd do xrays to check for old injuries. I asked her, in theory, if she found an old break what would they do, is there some correction or would they just leave it be. She said that they'd leave it be but it would help them to taylor some treatments that may help him heal and prevent it from opening up again.  Unfortunately the cost is between $680 and $860 depending on which tests they run and other various situations that they cant determine til they start the procedure. Also unfortunately, Carecredit wont lend to me (thanks Lee.  )  So, i'll start saving and in the mean time we're giving him meloxicam once a day, gabipentin every 12 hrs, and tramadol every 12 hrs. They started very low dose to see how he tolerates it and will adjust accordingly. so, i'm supposed to send her a pic and call her in a couple weeks (save the office fee and gas $ toward his surgery) to see how this therapy is doing.
On a side note: he gained 60 grams in the last 3 weeks     :oopse5:  my bad.    They said he's not overweight by any means but watch his fatty food intake so he doesnt gain too much more. And go ahead and weigh him today on my scale to establish a baseline and keep an eye on his weight.

[BuffaloParrot]

Yikes!  Expensive!   I am very glad a good game plan is in place though

[YoshiMike13]

  i hope everything works out ok!

[Sondra]

I'm glad you didn't do more antibiotics, I believe in using them when needed, not just in case.
Do you have the pet insurance? I'm glad they are going ahead with the surgery. You might want to look into a sweater with a chest-plate for when he has surgery, this way you won't have to worry about the stitches being pulled out or the wound being re-opened. M2Mom can answer all your questions on the chest plate, she can also tell you how to make one.

Caleb is such a sweetie! 

[wishforabird]

that is good news, no worse, right? and no PTFD... (I think I got those initials right) 

how much is a thing with a breast palte? cannot HELP it, I am thinking of a Roman soldier from back in Jesus' day with armor on, LOL he already has he feathered hat! 

[Sondra]

Yes M2Mom had an M2 who mutilated and she devised the sweater Tozie made and made breast plates for him. Here is Bos story.

http://www.bobosplayhouse.com/sunshop/bobo/bo_story.html

[Nakia]

Glad you had some good news with Caleb's visit. Hope he keeps doing better & gaining. 

I would like to help you with your saving toward his surgery. I can't give much, but maybe if a few other members can help too we can get you closer to your goal. Do you have a PayPal acct.? I have one & if you do I would love to send you $50.00 to help out. I do wish I could help more, I just gave the transmission place $2,066.00 on that darn p.u. I'd certainly would have rather used it for fiddie things, but I need my wheels more.

Let me know & if you don't have PayPal, you can pm me your address & I will get a money order out to ya'. However you like, I wanna' help a fid & friend in need. Think of it as a fund raiser for Caleb!

[steptoe91(tozie)]

awww, that is just so wonderful of you Nakia.   

Thank you, But i couldnt accept it. i appreciate it more than i can say and if Caleb's life was in danger, i'd accept it gratefully. But the vet and i agreed that waiting a bit isnt going to cause him issues. She and i discussed it thoroughly. He's had this wound for many months. And as she said "who knows, maybe giving him some relief from his pain will help him to let it heal. we may just stumble on the magic combination." She's sure that him being in my home and getting the better diet, better housing, and better emotional environment will help him eventually. The area around the wound is obviously not virgin territory. There is plenty of scar tissue around it.
I got some supplies last nite to make another t'shirt, one i hope he cant remove.     for when i'm home. I have a creme that i am supposed to put on it twice a day, so i'll put the t'shirt on him after i apply the creme to discourge him from chewing all the creme off.  And, the jacket i got from avian fashions is on its way back to them, they are sending me a larger sized jacket.

[Nakia]

I really do want to help & you just let me know when you will be needing it. Who knows with our silly fids. when anyone of us will be facing the same or even worse situation.   :twirl:

We are a family, one of the flock & I know we would all pull together to help.   

You are doing a superb job with Caleb, he's a beauty & you can tell he loves you. 

[YoshiMike13]

yeah if had more than my twenty dollars id offer to help too

[Debz]

Hey toezie-do, I'm on board with Nakia. Just putting it out there. K? 

[wishforabird]

same here.  :pit:

[steptoe91(tozie)]

ya'll are just so amazing!  :angel:  Thank you so very much!       After working on my budget for the rest of the year, i hope to have the money for his surgery by mid-summer. (barring any unforeseen emergencies    ) Tho i could get the base money for the surgery quicker, i want to have a little stash for those extra bills that will come with the aftermath of his surgery (ie follow-ups, second collar...after he chews the first one to bits     extra meds, etc )

The last couple days, he's been doing well. his wound hasnt bled in some time. He tolerated the creme well. i noticed he's growing in a couple flight feathers, they look good and so far he hasnt chewed them. So right now, i'm crossing my fingers and holding my breath in hopes that this is the 'magic formula'.