...And all that Razz

Razzle had his follow-up vet appointment yesterday. He was, as usual, a big huffy ball of prickles. He had an X-ray and full exam. And also, as usual, there is good news and bad news. The good news is - his tumor has not gotten any bigger! This is great news, actually, as perhaps it is a slow-growing tumor or even a non-growing tumor *fingers crossed*. The bad news, however, is that Razzle's heart is a little worse. The X-rays showed that it was enlarged even further. We upped his LASIX dosage and hopefully this will help. He is also on a 1x day antibiotic for prevention of another lung infection (a common side effect of the Congestive Heart Failure). The additional good news also is that Razzle looks good. His appetite is healthy. He's running on his wheel, albeit for much shorter distances, but the fact that he still has interest in running is a big positive.

I was watching him the other night as he was eating and drinking (he drinks a LOT of water now) and at one point, instead of running into the confines of his igloo, he simply plopped his little self down, legs outspread, and head down on the floor. He looked exhausted. He layed there for what seemed like a very long time. I talked to him and told him it was ok that he was tired. He needs to just take it easy and do what he can, but he needs to keep his strength up by eating his snack. At that point, he got up and went right over to his snack bowl and ate a few bites. Such a good boy listening to his mommy! :)

Razzle's wonderful doctor, Dr. Horton, said that at this point the tumor really isn't our main concern. It's his heart condition that is really the bigger issue right now. Hopefully with the dosage increase in his meds, we can get things back under control.

It's still a struggle to get meds into Razzle, but I have become a little bit of a pro at it now if I do say so myself. It seems a little rough at times, as it is really like shoving the syringe down his throat somewhat, but he doesn't seem to hold any grudges and he forgets about it quickly enough.

One more thing to note: I often find Razzle hiding out behind his wheel. I have watched him for long periods of time, and he can sit there very quiet and still. Sometimes he will lay his head down in that exhausted way. Why he likes to go behind his wheel is a mystery to me. When he's behind there, he does not like to be bothered. Maybe that's his little place to sit and think?

Razzle hiding behind his wheel.

In deep hedgie thought..