Caine had a very restful night at home. I fed him at 8, and then Ryan and Michael took over throughout the nighttime feedings. At one point, Caine was really fatigued and seemed comatose. He didn't respond to whistles or pettings. We decided to drop his dosage of pain killers, which Caine's vet, Dr. King, said was fine. Caine was also breathing faster during his feedings which was worrisome. I called the emergency vet and they said to just give him half of the food and water he would normally get. That can be a sign of nausea, and we do not want Caine vomiting. Dr. King said that it could also be his body reacting to this new way of eating.
Caine's first post-op vet visit was today. He met with Dr. King, who is very positive and supportive, which is what we need. We told him that we are expecting Caine to regain full use of his mouth and not have to survive off of a feeding tube. Dr. King worked with us and gave us helpful ideas and we plan on doing Caine's first watering on Wednesday under his watchful eye.
Right now Caine is fast asleep on the couch as he just 'ate'. We've changed the way we feed him slightly because the food was difficult to get through the syringe. We give him most of the water and then mix about 50cc's with his whole serving of food. This way, it is easier to push through.
He is currently sporting an Ecko shirt, size 2XL, donated by my brother! He will have to wear shirts as long as the feeding tube is in because he will pull at it. If he can chew through his own tongue I'm sure a little feeding tube would be a cinch.
We have received donations already. Thank you so much for your support, and Caine appreciates it! I am planning on setting up an account at Chase for donations if anyone is interested. The MaxCal food that he is on right now is very expensive, $72 for 24 cans. He goes through about 5 cans a day. We can get it cheaper through PetSmart or PetCo. But, keep in mind that we do not plan on him needing that food long term.
He is on the up and up. He barked today at the mailman and the neighbors! He has also been doing stairs and drooling profusely.
I've heard back from veterinarians at the University of Illinois, Georgia Aquarium and University of Missouri. All had great and positive things to say and that Caine will be able to re-learn to eat. These e-mails are always so wonderful to hear, and help boost everyone's morale.
We are so excited to get him back on track. Go Caine Go!
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