Since he got his appetite back, he seems to gulp his food and belch (never used to). And he doesn’t drink because it’s a struggle to go to the water bowl. So, when he ate dinner last night, the water bowl was there, and he gulped down the entire bowl like he was dehydrated. Then, an hour later, he looked bloated!
It was another terrifying night of staring at him and not sleeping. Here is an email I sent my vet:
“Sometimes you are online late. I hate calling you at home, let alone this late, but this edema is sooooo huge on Raven tonight! It was like water balloons down the mammary line and a pendulous purple penis today. But now, his whole torso is swollen and actually tight. He’s agitated and restless and shallow breathing, licking the air. Can all that pooling blood be dangerous? Or put pressure on heart/lungs/organs?
“My other worry is that he wolfed his dinner tonight and then followed it with drinking a ton. Don’t know why, but I am also worried about bloat, since he did do that once. Remember I went to the ER in Roseville?
“Crud, I’m panicking and don’t know if I should rush him to ER and spend yet another $500 that I don’t have for just edema. But if I wait and it worsens and can’t make it that far in time. If you can, please call me. Praying…..”
At 2am I called the ER hospital and they said that the symptoms *could* be pain related. I had been weaning his pain meds down, so it was possible just a bout of breakthrough pain. I gave him a GasX for the bloating and a Tramadol for pain and he was better by 3:30am. Thank you Jesus.
