Majestic Diary

November 15, 2013

I brought Lil Ms. Bee, Jabberwocky and Pastel to the vet yesterday. Jabberwocky is definitely blind in one eye and something is going on in the other, but he wouldn't hold still long enough for our vet to get a good look. He will likely lose his vision in the second eye within the next 3-6 months.

Our vet is going to speak with an ophthalmologist he knows in order to come up with a surgical plan. During surgery Ginger and Bee both stopped breathing--holding their breath under anesthesia, which is very common in waterfowl, part of their diving instinct. If Jabberwocky needs surgery I want our vet present to handle anesthesia and breathing. Either we'll have to go to the other vet's practice or that vet will need to come to ours. The plan is to work out a plan and then come up with a cost and then do a fundraiser after the new year.

Lil Ms. Bee is growing bone! But... she has a slight infection around the pin entry point, so she's on antibiotics oral meds and topical cream. She goes back next week for a check-up.

And Pastel... his pneumonia is all cleared up, but he's on one more week of buffer meds just to be sure. Someone canceled their ultrasound appointment, so we jumped on the opportunity to see what's going on with his heart. Unfortunately... the news is very sad... he is in end stage heart failure. He has fluid around his heart and is likely looking at 1-3 months time left with us... with 6 months being a practical miracle... I just couldn't bear it when our vet told me. It just wouldn't sink in...

So we've opted to retire Pastel here at our sanctuary to keep him as stress free and happy as possible and to ensure he gets the best medical care possible. If at any point his energy or breathing deteriorate to the point of discomfort, we will bring him to our vet to help ease him over, but more likely... we will probably lose him to a sudden heart attack. To try to stave it off for as long as we can, he's on heart medication: Lasix, Enalapril and Digoxin. Together they help reduce fluid around his heart and increase the strength of his heart beats to help oxygenate his bloodstream.

I wish there were more I could do for him... so I gave him lots of lettuce today!

I let him go back outside now during the day (he goes in the barn at night), but I encircle him in a fence in front of one of the happy goose barns. That way he can see his friends without them being able to pick on him, which Jamboree tends to do.

I don't want him to spend the rest of his life divided from the gaggle though, so once he's done with his antibiotics, I'm just going to let him out to wander around the Goose Run. I want him to be as happy as I can--I think that's most important now. That his end of life care be the best possible and that includes both medicine and joy.

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And now... it's time... for a special message for my pen-pal Kenny:

It's you! Now you're a ducky celebrity! I took a photo of the photo your Momma Duck mailed to me, and here you are! Now everyone in the world can see you!

And here's Snuggles... She has a copy of My Ducky Diary! That's one happy & enriched duck!
(I love that she's smiling for the photo!)

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