September

Babu is much the same and has not improved over the last few weeks. At least he is not getting any worse.

He’s coping well without much use in his back legs. He can get around the floor quite well and can haul himself over low objects. He is eating well and still enjoys coming out to play with Ambaa. She likes to see him too but she gets too rough with him sometimes and he can’t get away.

We went back to the vets again yesterday. My vet had reviewed the x-rays, all the treatment and had the results for the dropping sample. Babu has improved again and now has quite a lot of movement in his back legs although they are still very weak and not much use to him.

The round white bodies on Babu’s droppings were tapeworm. The vet doesn’t think they are related to his paralysis at all but it is good to get them cleared up. Babu will need a follow-up course of wormer in about a weeks time in case he’s re-infected himself.

Babu is off all his medication now and seems fine in himself so all we can do now is wait and see if he continues to improve. Unless there is a turn for the worse the vet doesn’t want to see Babu again for three months.

I still don’t know what the things I saw in Babu’s droppings were. I am still waiting for the results from the vet.

By the middle of last week Babu was looking a bit stronger and he could pull his legs under him. He was also just starting to use them to help push himself along – although I don’t think they helped much. However over the past few days he hasn’t shown any more signs of progress and, if anything, he isn’t moving his legs as much as he was.

It is very sad to see him so helpless and frustrated. I’ve moved him from the small carry case into his holiday house. This is much bigger and I’ve lined it with a couple of towels, cut to the right size and sewn together so that he has got something soft and adsorbent to lie on. It also gives him good grip so he can move about on it too.

Babu has gained a bit more movement in his back legs. It is not enough to help him stand or walk but he is now pulling his back legs forwards when he tries to walk. His left leg is stronger than the right and he can almost pull it right under him.

Even though I don’t have a positive identification of the things I found in Babu’s droppings both he and Ambaa are on a course of worming powder. They are taking it mashed up in banana.

I’ve noticed some small round white spots on Babu’s droppings the other day. They are not much bigger than a pin head and at first I didn’t think much of them. However after seeing them again today I decided to take a closer look with a magnifying glass. I saw that they were alive and moving.

My vet analysed the sample but by the time they came to look at them they were not moving anymore and the vet couldn’t tell what they were. I’m not sure the vet believed that they had been moving at all. The vet has now got another, fresher sample and I’ve asked them for a positive identification. They may have to send the sample away for analysis.