Vito rushed to the emergency vet
Without having had time to grieve for our little Luna, whom we lost last weekend, Thursday brought yet another trip to the vet for our senior rescue, Vito (14).
Vito had stopped drinking water and was barely eating, and he looked like he was in pain. Over the last couple of years, he has struggled with severe gingivitis and has had almost all of his teeth extracted. Unfortunately, the gums around the very few teeth he still has are once again red and swollen.
Although the likely cause of his discomfort seemed rather evident, the vet decided to run a full blood test to rule out any other possible underlying problems. Thankfully, there was no fever, his heart and lungs sounded fine, and his blood test results came back OK.
Vito was diagnosed with gingivitis and started treatment at home with a strong painkiller, an anti-inflammatory, and an oral gel applied directly to his gums. At first, everything seemed to be going well.
However, yesterday we noticed some very strange behaviour. Vito developed dilated pupils, anxiety, and rapid breathing. After a quick online research, we found out that the painkiller, Tramadol, may be causing neurological side effects, so we had to stop the medication immediately.
As the medication wears off and he recovers from the side effects, we are watching our sweet boy very closely. We are hoping to see a gradual improvement, but if his symptoms do not settle or anything worsens, we will not hesitate to take him straight to the emergency vet.
Poor Vito has certainly had more than his fair share of vet visits lately. Please send some get-well wishes to our brave senior boy and join us in wishing him a speedy recovery.
