We made it to the vet’s and back.
Luckily we didn’t have to wait long at all. I’m so grateful the clinic slotted us in.
The vet said Cow Mau has deteriorated and the priority now is to take care of his breathing. When we reached there, Cow Mau was struggling with his breathing. It was like he needed the effort of drawing 5 breaths to make 1 breath. This could be caused by fluids in the pericardium (around the heart) or in the lungs.
So the vet did an ultrasound and confirmed that there was a small amount of fluids in the pericardium. For fluid in the lungs, an X-Ray would be needed but Cow Mau would be too stressed. Based on the cracking sound of his breath, she suspects there is also fluids in his lungs (pleural effusion). However, there was too little fluid in the pericardium to warrant using a needle to suck it out.
Instead, Cow Mau was given two injections. Aminophylline to open up his airways and Furosemide to eliminate the fluids as much as possible. If the Furosemide works, he should urinate a lot in about 30 minutes. However, the Furosemide may impede his kidneys, still, that would be a risk we have to take because being able to breathe more comfortably takes precedence over everything else. The vet gave a safe dosage.
Furosemide can be given intravenously (it works very fast), subcutaneously (works in 30 minutes) or orally. Cow Mau’s was given subcutaneously.
True enough, right after we returned home, Cow Mau went to urinate. Quite a lot too. This means the drug worked. At least some of the fluids are cleared off.
The vet also gave me another syringe of Furosemide to be administered tomorrow. It is done subcutaneously, so we can do it ourselves. Not the Aminophylline – this must be done by a vet.
The vet also said it’s best we get oxygen supplementation for Cow Mau. It would help him breathe better. So now, I’m in the midst of renting the oxygen concentrator.
I did ask if acupuncture would help Cow Mau in this stage but the vet does not recommend it. It is risky at this stage.
Hang in there, Cow Mau. Oxygen is coming.