OLLIE HAS GIARDIA! 10 OCTOBER 2006

Lisa writes: Please say a prayer for little Ollie. He got very sick yesterday and is still at the vet. Had just finished his one antibiotic on Saturday evening, and by Monday was very sick. They found giardia (which the vet said if he continues with the runny stool after the round of antibiotics for the coccidia that another vet prescribed, said she was going to test him for giardia). I could just sense he was not out of the woods yet. They think it was a lingering case from the mill. I am calling at 8 a.m. sharp to get the scoop on how the little monster is doing. They all love him at the vet. I know he is getting lots of scritches when I can't give them. Two hours later: The vet said Ollie kept a little bit of food down last night; [he] is still doing a little of the dry heaving but his stool is getting a bit firmer. They would like to keep him until this afternoon to make sure he can go home without too many troubles. The vet said, "He is so darn cute." We all know that, right! And later that night: Thankfully, he gained a bit of weight before really showing his signs of giardia. The vets think he had this from the get-go. He was sick from Day One. The first vet he saw (my regular vet is closed on Saturday, so we went to another) had seen coccidia so treated him for that for two weeks and put him on a stool hardener. So when I took him to see my regular vet, she told me if after he is done with his antibiotic & stool hardener and he gets a runny stool again . . . bring him in and she will test for giardia. She did extensive research on bacteria studies when she was interning. Well, Little Ollie got violently ill on Monday morning after being off his meds only a day & a half. Todd & I rushed him in, as he looked as if he was going to die in the car. We were both so worried. He was doing both the vomiting & diarrhea at the same time, in my husband's truck on the way to the vet. We live a half an hour away from the vet, so it was a long ride. Thankfully, he was up to 4.5 pounds! He stooled right on a slide, and they were swimming all over it. They figure the drugs he was on was masking his signs until taken off of them. All I know is he is fast asleep on my lap and is much more comfortable tonight than last night. Thanks for all the support! He is such a good boy. Finally, on 12 October, Ollie writes: Hi there! I had my very first Tootsie Roll!! No, not the candy type . . . my Dr. says if my you-know-what looks like Tootsie Rolls, it is a good sign.They have never looked so good! But don't you worry, my foster people scoop it up as soon as it comes out! I also have to tell you that I had a sweatshirt on today cuz it was cold! Snowflakes even hit my face!

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