I am responsible for the near-complete spoilage of the Odessa-Doll and thus
hang my head in parental shame.

Her antibiotic course complete, we decided to break her back in with the
other kids carefully, making sure there was no stray pieces of kibble for her
to nab etc, for her pipes are still inflamed a bit and any irritation can get
the mucus factory working overtime. The vet counseled us to get her kitten
food and baby food in jars, and use Catmilk or that gravy stuff you cat get
at Petsmart to thin it a bit if need be; she suggested also try taking tiny
bits of food and actually spoonfeeding the Doll, if we had the patience. A
big problem has been that Odessa chows down faster than she can breathe, and
the esophagus and trachea battle for supremacy, furthering the inflammation.

I had patience, and time to spare. I got a little pink baby spoon from
Tarzhay, some assorted meat baby food, and tested it out. Let me tell you, I
had not seen such an appetite out of that hog in training since she got sick!
And what happens? Now she won’t eat the thinned-out stuff in her dish, and
she pitched a princess-fit when I had to stop this morning. You should have
seen her last night, putting her paws on my knees, craning up to lick bits of
baby food. My eyeteeth for a camera! Mama has created a monster. I don’t know
if I can wean her off the spoon. But if it keeps my Dolly from aspirating
nasties, I’ll do it as long as she likes.

Blessed be,
Baha