Bud Has Me A Bit Concerned

[Tambrey]

Usually he is SHOVING my hand away every time I put food into the dishes...but today, he was not even there when I filled them...I went looking for him and he was sleeping in the dining room...I picked him up and carried him to the food...he sat there looking at it, then walked away...

He keeps wanting to go into the entry hall as well, and I have that closed off right now...

I know it is HOT and he is BIG...so I am hoping it is just the heat making him feel BLAH like all the rest of us....I did finally manage to get the HUGE clump of matted fur cut off of his back, and he LOVED that session and acts like he is even feeling a bit better since I did that...I am sure it was hot and pulled when he laid certain ways...

He looks good...purrs...etc...but I know that is not necessarily a sign of contentment either...
He is grooming himself...cuddly with me....He has let me look in his mouth and I do not see any darkened or icky teeth or gums...

I am not home this evening so I am going to just ask hubby to be aware of Bud...when he goes bathroom...eats...drinks...etc...we will keep a log on him, and if he does not seem to be doing any of that...we will get him to the vet either this evening or tomorrow...just kind of play things by ear today...

I will keep you posted...

[Traci]

When did he last eat? When did he last drink? Is he feverish or mucous membranes pale or dry?

[mamabear]

I agree with traci. Have you taken a temperature on him? I would just to be sure it is not heat stroke.

Wet down his pads and give him ice chips if he will take them. I sure hope he is feeling better but do get him to vet if you feel he isnt. If not give the vet a call and see what he says ....then bring him in anyway cuz that is what i would do. LOL

[Tambrey]

I do not have a rectal thermometer so cannot get a temp on him...

I opened a can of Friskies and he is chowing down on that, quite greedily actually...I usually do not give canned food...but I wanted to see if he would eat at all...

It almost seems as if he is afraid of the kibbles....I wonder if there was a food fight and he lost and is at the bottom of the pecking order for a while...
And about a week or so ago, I got tired of him shoving my hand away every time I put food into a bowl, and the food would end up all over the floor, so I shoved him back...I hope that did not discourage him from eating...?!...because I know that since then he has not come rushing to be first...but he would sit quietly and wait for me to put it in the dish...

I am going to feed him separate and continue to monitor him...but his temperament and everything else seems okay...

I am also going to get a better look at his mouth/teeth and see if there is anything I missed the first time...mucus membranes look fine as well...

He ate not even half the can then went to lay under the table...

I think I will call the vet and take him in to leave for the day when I go to work...that way I do not need to worry about him and they can give him a good going over and observe him for the day...

[Tambrey]

Bud is angrily deposited at the vet for the day to get a thorough going over and observation for the day...the vet had a surgery waiting, so we put him in an observation kennel off of the office...but he did come right away and check his bladder manually and said it is not full at all...if it had been, he would have gotten it expressed before the spay...
So after he is done with his morning surgeries, he will give Bud a more thorough exam and urinalysis, teeth/mouth, etc to try to figure out what is going on...

[Traci]

Update when you can?

I doubt it is because you waved him away from the food dish, he wouldn't just refuse to come eat again or wouldn't hide.

[Tambrey]

oh I definitely will do so...I am going to call after lunch and see how he is doing...but I felt better just leaving him there for the day rather than worrying about him at home!
He was still laying in the same place this morning that he was when I went to bed at 1:30am...that really worries me as well...

He IS overweight and I do NOT want him to lose too much too fast, so we need to figure out WHAT is going on....

[Traci]

It could be as simple as a GI tract infection/disturbance, hairballs, constipation etc but the withdrawal and tendency not to eat and laying in one place is concerning.

Find out what the vet is doing toward diagnostics (temp, hydration, vitals, and at least running a CBC to rule out infection, etc), or if palpation is unusual, an xray etc.

[Tambrey]

Constipation....so for now we are going to use CatLax and hope he passes it this weekend...if not, or if he turns worse, we will have to be more drastic...

I will keep Bud separate in the entry hall/upstairs areas this weekend with his own litterbox so I can monitor output...and with food and water dishes for himself, I can also monitor input...
And there is no places to hide in the halls, so that is good as well...

Hydration, vitals, etc were all good as well, so for now, he did not do CBC or any further testing on him...if he does not pass anything or turns worse, of course we will do a CBC as well at that time...

[Traci]

Well, I just have to ask...if the vet thinks constipation, and knowing it's Friday and weekend here, why didn't he give a quick kitty enema just to make sure?