Pooka update: the first weekend

Pooka's arrival home Wednesday was rather miraculous -- she could stand with help, and seemed very much herself much of the time.

But caring for her in the days since has been exhausting.

She was having problems peeing more than a few drops at a time, and needed to go out every few hours. On Friday afternoon, I chatted with the vet about whether we thought antibiotics were warranted -- bladder infection, or simply trauma? We decided to wait a few more days to see if it fixed itself, but by Friday night it was clear that things were getting worse, not better. Miss P was up ever hour moaning and whining, and so, I was up every hour trying to encourage her to get up and go out (she usually settles down after she's walked a little, peed a little). She's quiet when I'm looking at her, petting her, clearly awake and in charge, but as soon as I try to get some sleep she begins the moaning again. It's an awful sound, and it gets louder if I ignore. And let's be realistic, it's impossible to ignore at this point, because I feel so horrible for her.

Oh, and she's taken to peeing wherever she happens to be laying down. Which is fine, because all that up and down may not have been great for her broken bones. But now a whole host of questions about neurological vs. trauma/infection-induced incontinence is dogging me, and no matter how many times Dr. M (that's dad) tells me to "put away the magnifying glass," I'm still worried.

So, started antibiotics Saturday evening, and so far I'm not sure if things are better or worse. We had a better night Saturday, but back to all of three hours last night. I'm really, really tired, and looking forward to another call from the vet's office to discuss possible pain meds.

Other issues...she's become incredibly picky about what she eats. Normal kibble is out, as is (I found out today) beef-based canned food. She's still semi-enthusiastic about the chicken/turkey canned food, so I'm getting as much into her as I can, but she turns away from portions bigger than a spoonful at a time (best served in the palm of my hand). If I knew she was just being a brat and making the most of the situation, I'd feel better about leaving her a plate and saying take it or leave it. But I feel like I just need to get the calories into her, and if this is what it takes...ugh.

Pooka's grandparents have been fabulous at giving me time to rest and then taking my mind off the poor kid in the eveningtimes. I don't know how I'm going to go back to work and leave her all day. On the one hand, I already feel guilty and nervous about how she'll feel while I'm out. On the other hand, I am desperate for a break. Terrible to leave a suffering creature all alone.