Poor Oliver!

Oliver is sick. You can tell from this picture that he's not feeling well. It's very sad. On Thursday, July 3rd, he suddenly stopped eating. He would eat a few treats, but wasn't really interested in them and only took tiny bits of his food. After watching him grow more and more lethargic and still not eating the next day, I took him to the emergency vet office on Saturday, July 5th. They had to put him under anesthesia for an exam. They did a thorough check including bloodwork but couldn't find what was wrong. They told me to try other enticing foods like baby food, salmon, and tuna and bring him back if he didn't get better.

Well, he didn't get better. He didn't eat any of the exciting foods I offered and was VERY sleepy all the time. Typically Oliver is like a shadow, following me around and sitting with me while I work. But he was so sick he wouldn't get out of bed unless I forced him. So, the vet made a referral to a veterinary specialist in Greenville. On Thursday, July 10th, I brought him in and he spent the whole day there getting more bloodwork, a urinalysis, an ultrasound...but nothing came up as wrong. Nobody can figure out what's wrong with him. It's the first time he's ever been sick other than some ringworm in the past. The specialist inserted an esophageal feeding tube because if cats don't get nutrition, their liver fails. Oliver's liver looks good, but without the feeding tube, there might be damage.

So, I fed him for about a week through the feeding tube. This is not easy because the tube gets blocked and becomes useless easily. He had to go to the emergency room twice to get the tube unblocked. The second time, the vet put him on a liquid only diet so it would be easier to send down the feeding tube. He also gets anti-nausea medicine three times a day and once a day he gets an appetite stimulant. I feed him every four hours through the tube.

He's been doing a little better this week. He's eating some food on his own which is very good news. He's also up and about more. I'm glad he's feeling better but still a little nervous because we have no idea what happened. I'm still supplementing his own eating with the liquid diet, but not quite as much or as often. I hope he's back to his normal healthy self soon!