Hobkin Update: Vet Follow-up

Had a follow-up with the vet on Saturday. Hobkin’s recent medical crisis has not improved his fondness for the vet or the clinic. There was a lot of indignant huffing and snorting, which made me wonder if the vet would be able to get a good listen with his stethoscope. Apparently, good enough.

Hobkin’s lungs are completely clear, which the vet announced with no small amount of surprise. Hurray! But he also heard a mitral valve murmur. This is not surprising and is mostly indicative that Hobkin’s meds are working (improved heart contractility leads to more obvious indications and symptoms of the heart’s extensive dilation), but it’s something else we’ll need to keep an eye on.

Our vets are not exactly upbeat. One of them has said every time we’ve seen him (even for a routine check-up): “Y’know, skunks crash so suddenly and go downhill so fast.” So when the vet started talking long-term med acquisition—we can get up to a three-month supply of Hobkin’s pimobendan and enalapril—that’s tantamount to unbridled optimism.

Hey, I’ll take what I can get.

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13 Responses to Hobkin Update: Vet Follow-up

  1. Yay, so glad Hobkin’s on the mend! 😀

  2. desperance says:

    Yay for surprised vets! (My Sophie-cat confounded them for years, after they had first foreseen her imminent death. To do them justice, they were almost as pleased as I was, but even so…)

    Um, been meaning to ask – are skunks a common pet, round your way? Clearly your vets are not inexperienced, but I had no idea that people kept them…

    • Eugie Foster says:

      “Um, been meaning to ask – are skunks a common pet, round your way?”

      Hee. No, not at all. I wasn’t aware that folks kept them as pets either until we saw our first pet skunk at a convention the year before we got Hobkin. They’re pretty uncommon, even in the states like Georgia where they’re legal to own as pets. And there’s not the wealth of veterinary and general physiology data on them that there is on dogs and cats, which makes it challenging to treat them when they get sick or start getting older.

  3. jean_roberta says:

    That sounds like very good news! (And re your vets’ views on skunks, humans have also been known to crash suddenly & go downhill fast – it all depends on the circumstances.) Here’s hoping you & Hobkin have many more years together.

  4. threeoutside says:

    W00t! *Happy Dance for the Skunk!*

  5. kenakeri says:

    Yay! He’s getting better 😀

  6. amysisson says:

    So glad his lungs are clear!

  7. j_cheney says:

    I’m glad he’s feeling better, and if they’re looking at three months, that’s an improvement ;o)

  8. quasiskunk says:

    Sweet! Glad the li’l skunkie’s doing a world better 🙂

  9. jmward14 says:

    Big cheers for you both!

  10. I’m glad he’s doing better and that the vet’s going for more long-term treatment. He looks gorgeous! [Hobkin, that is, – I have no idea what the vet looks like. 😉 ]

    Merry =^..^=

  11. lmeighmy says:

    I’m glad he’s doing so much better! 😀

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