Sunday 22 April 2018

Poor Ziggy, getting worse, not better...

It's not been a good few days for Ziggy.  He's been seeing the dermatology specialist and undergoing tests so I've been weaning him off the steroid tablets ahead of blood being taken on Friday.  We know he has allergies and he also has a skin infection which has been resistant to the usual treatments but this week he became more itchy and was rubbing his face and licking himself, causing more hair loss.

This was how Ziggy was looking on Tuesday:


I had been in touch with the vet during the week and she said it sounded like Ziggy had Sarcoptic mange and the mites were burrowing in the surface of his skin, causing his discomfort and hair loss.  When we went to our appointment on Friday Ziggy had blood taken as well as more skin scrapings and swabs, all of which will be tested.  He was given a steroid injection to give immediate relief from the itching and I was given a solution called Aludex to make up and apply to his skin and fur as a dip and leave to dry.

Unfortunately, Ziggy had a bad reaction to the dip and was being sick and lethargic so in line with the information, I washed him to remove the Aludex that was still on his skin and fur but his body would have absorbed some into his system.  

By this morning, after a restless night, poor Ziggy was no better and by now I was worrying so I took him to our vet which is open on a Sunday morning.  As Sarcoptic mange is contagious I kept him in the car until we could be seen (we didn't have an appointment but thankfully they were able to fit us in).

This is how Ziggy was this morning:


We were seen by one of our regular vets who checked Ziggy over and gave him an anti-vomiting injection as well as eye drops as his eyes had become sort of sunken as the skin around his face had thickened.  

Ziggy has had plenty of rest and after being very quiet, he came and sat with me on the back door step:


This evening he managed a little walk which is more than he has done for a couple of days and he's been keeping down his bland meals so hopefully he will be feeling a lot better soon.  I'll be speaking to the specialist this week once the test results are in and all being well she will have a plan of action.

He really has had me worried and I want my daft, boingy boy back!

5 comments:

Unknown said...

So sorry to hear this, how heartbreaking for you, poor boy I’m praying he improves and is able to get some relief from this dreadful condition.

Unknown said...

Poor Ziggy! I hope you get a quick diagnosis so can crack on with treatment to make him feel better ❤

Unknown said...

Poor little boy and his poor mum too - so worrying. Good luck with everything this week honey and hope he's feeling much better very soon! Xxx

Teagan said...

Oh poor Ziggy, I hope the vet can make all the horrid itchies go away. All paws crossed that he will be feeling better really soon xx

Unknown said...

Poor Ziggy, I hope he gets well soon and can play in the garden. xx