Two weeks ago, the vet cleaned up Mack's tube-insertion site, gave him a clean tape collar to hold things in place, and sent us home with instructions to put antibiotic ointment on the area if it looked inflamed.
After about a week, Mack started scratching at his tape collar more and more often. Soon, we noticed that it was looking dirtier -- and getting kind of smelly, too. I thought, maybe, the petroleum base of the ointment was turning rancid?
By last Monday, I was on the phone with the vet's office, asking about getting it cleaned up again. They suggested that, with warm water, we might be able to take care of the problem ourselves. We tried, for a couple of days. Things only seemed to get worse. So, on Friday, we took him in to the vet again.
Apparently, Friday afternoon was a busy time at this vet's office. By the end of the day, when we arrived, they were not only short one doctor (on vacation for 2 weeks), but also short on patience. The vet examined Mack, and pulled at the tube-entry site in ways I would never have thought -- much less have the confidence -- to do. Under the tape, where I hadn't ever looked, was greenish goo -- the source of the smell I was detecting. I felt like a bad parent.
The vet took Mack to the back room to clean him up and put new tape on the tube -- but came back empty-handed. His sutures were out, and the tube was in danger of popping out anytime if she didn't suture it back in place right away. To do that, she'd have to sedate him. Did we want her to take the tube out, or suture it back in?
Fortunately, we'd brought the three sheets of graph paper on which we'd documented every speck of food Mack had eaten or been fed for the last six weeks, since the intubation. His oral intake, primarily Kitten Chow, had been all over the map. Some days, it was as low as 2 1/2 tablespoons, some as high as 10 1/2. There seemed to be no relationship between the oral intake and tube feedings, the oral intake and appetite stimulant, or any other discernible pattern.
The vet said, "If he's eating pretty well on his own," it was safe to take the tube out. We appealed to her to tell US, based on her expertise and our records, whether he was actually eating enough. After an extended consultation, (which left her pretty impressed with the extent and detail of our record-keeping!) we all decided it would be best to take the tube out -- his neck needed to heal, and if worse came to worse, we could always syringe-feed him orally to supplement his voluntary intake. But it was a scary step to take! "What if ... what if ... what if ...?"
Since Mack hasn't shown much interest in eating anything besides Kitten Chow -- with the exception of 2 1/2 T of that Trader Joe's Ocean Fish & Salmon over the course of 2 days, and a single tablespoon of the Purina Urinary Health formula over a period of one full week! -- we were a bit worried about him getting enough nutrition and calories without the tube.
The great news: since we brought him home, Mack has gobbled down about 2 oz. of a Kitten Formula canned food by Wellness, as well as about 1 oz. of the Wellness Turkey & Salmon! All this in addition to between 4-6 T of Kitten Chow. This may not sound like much, but I can't tell you how relieved we are!
I don't even mind (much -- yet) that he seems only to want to eat the canned food when I'm physically holding the can or bowl it's in. That will get old quickly, but right now, it seems a small concession.
Also, his neck is showing excellent progress in healing, already. This is the Amazing Healing Cat, I gotta tell ya!
As Sue would say, "Go, Mack, go!"
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