Lucy has mostly, I think, not had bad fevers since starting on 10 mg/day of
pred plus clindamycin Saturday before last. Occasionally she has felt warm,
though, like she does now, and I think has a low grade fever. When at the
vet on Sat she felt warm like this and her temp was 104.1. She felt cool when
she got home so we chalked it up to stress. But she is warm again now, and
has been periodically.
What I did when her fevers were high, and up until today even when she just
felt warm like she does now, is give her fluids and if needed put ice packs
against her. However, I decided today, while at the vet's, to try not giving
her fluids generally, as I had been giving her about 100 cc's every day sub-q
just as supportive care. The reason I decided to try stopping is that Gray
really felt that her belly was partially expanding so quickly with fluid
because the sub-q's were ending up there. I told him this was not possible
without
low protein count, which to my knowledge she does not have (proteins were
normal when blood taken on 1/17). But I asked the vet, and he said he thinks
it's possible that some of it has been ending up in her belly. He said that
if she is eating so much baby food-- 2-4 jars per day, usually at least 2.5 or
3-- and drinking she should be fine without fluids. I said she is not
drinking, but then again I have been giving her fluids daily. I asked if
adding
water to the baby food would be sufficient, and he said he thought it should
be.
She hates getting fluids, so I also thought it would minimize stress.
But now she feels warm. By now I normally would have given her fluids, which
perhaps kept her from getting warm, I don't know. She is eating while this
warm-- just ate probably 1/4 jar baby food. She hates the ice packs too. Do
you think it is ok at this point, if she is eating and looking fairly alert,
just not to do anything about the fever and see if it goes down on its own?
She seems happier when not feverish-- purrs, etc., and does not when
feverish-- but I would like to see if not giving them helps her belly refill
more
slowly.
Please let me know your thoughts. By the way, I think she was eating one
night when her fever was 105.8, so I can't swear that it is actually low-grade
by the way she is acting.
Michelle
