05/04 J.D. IM Vet Results - I'm so discouraged

Yesterday's Condo

Last Night:
386 PMPS
470 +2.5
342 +8.5

J.D. got a slight dose increase last night from F0.25 (1.45mm) to a s0.50 (1.60mm). He ate fine last night, and has eaten fine this morning. Although, I had a chance to sleep in, and he got his 1st Breffis at AMPS, and his 2nd Breffis at +3. He ate is 3rd Breffis at +4. I don't think Ginger has eaten anything except treats today, because she doesn't like the flavor served.

We have J.D.'s vet visit at +9, and Google maps says it will be a 27 minute drive, so I guess we will leave at +8.25. I have to get some shopping done sometime today, but I hate to leave to go shopping on such a pretty day.


Both cats are currently outside enjoying a beautiful spring day. J.D. is laying on the deck and Ginger is hanging out on the front steps.

Re: 05/04 J.D. AMPS 292, +3 233, +4 182, +5 123

Paws crossed for a good vet visit. Hope you get some direction/answers.

Re: 05/04 J.D. AMPS 292, +3 233, +4 182, +5 123, almost +6 8

I hope everything goes well with the vet visit and you can get some answers. Good luck with the dosecrease.

Re: 05/04 J.D. AMPS 292, +3 233, +4 182, +5 123, almost +6 8

Both cats were sitting on the outside of the screen door at my sliding glass door and so I opened it and J.D. came in and Ginger did an about face and walked off the deck. I said to her, "okay you want to go for a walk". I walked out the front door and followed her down the cement steps a little bit and she plopped down and did her cuteness routine where she rolls over and over and stretches out her front paws over her head while laying on her back and showing me her entire white fluffy underside and then rolls and stretches some more, all the while I tell her how cute she is.
Then, I said to her, "I need to go to the store and you need to come in the house and I will feed you, are you hungry?"
She goes marching towards the house, and bypasses the front door and goes and hides in my next door neighbors bushes. I say to her, "but Ginger, aren't you hungry?" Instead of climbing through my neighbors bushes, I return to the house, and test J.D. I went back outside about 5 minutes later and said to Ginger, "I need to go to the store, I promise to let you out again as soon as I come back. Can we have an understanding, here? I will feed you." She then went in the house and both kitties had their 4th Breffis J.D. ate his 4th Breffis, and Ginger ate her 1st Breffis.


These are some of the questions I will be asking the internal medicine doctor, that I have not been able to get answer for to satisfy me, yet:

#1. Hypertension: Does he needs to be on BP medicine? The other vets say he "is fine".

#2. Sleeps so soundly?: Why do I sometimes wake up to him totally limp like a rag doll and it takes some long seconds for him to wake up and become a muscled creature again? Is it just the way he sleeps, and being paritially deaf and blind he can enjoy such a sound sleep?

#3. Ears and Eyes: Please check his eyes. He has had cataracts since diagnosis 8 years ago. Is he going blinder because of the BP? How are his ears? I don't know if she'll answer any of these questions and they may have to go to an opthamologist and ear nose and throat doctor for answers.

#4. The tail thing: Why does he sometimes pull his tail hard between his legs when I touch it? I know he won't demonstrate it there, so I don't have high hopes for an answer to this question.

#5. Circling: Sometimes he paces and circles a little bit. Is that from the BP?

#6. Howling: Sometimes he howls or yowls, and stops when I call him. Is that from dementia, or getting lost from blindness?

#7. Getting up and back end weakness: Is this just old age related as the other vets say, or would some other tests help, like to check for B vitamins in his system?

#8. Head bobbing: Sometimes when he walks, he walks like an old man and his head nods or bobs just slightly.

Hmm. I might be lucky to get 4 of the questions answered.

Okay, as promised to Ginger, I need to get out and get back so she can go back outside

Re: 05/04 J.D. AMPS 292, +3 233, +4 182, +5 123, almost +6 8

Hi, Dyana, your Ginger sounds like a sweetie-pie.
Sending good vetty-vines for J.D. today. Those all sound like excellent questions ~ I hope you get answers for all of them.

Enjoy your day!

Re: 05/04 J.D. AMPS 292, +5 123, +6 89, +7 74, +8 73 Off to

I had to write down my questions above, so I can remember them.

I'm bringing my glucometer and a can of HC.. just in case his vet stress makes him go lower than he should.

I don't know if those are the right words (in my subject) but I feel chicken :roll:

J.D. is happy to be home. It was a long vet visit. He went right to all the empty food dishes and tried to clean them.

J.D. went up to 82 at the vet, and we were gone from +8.25 until +11.75.
One and a half hours with the vet, mostly talking about diabetes, which I guess I knew she would do, since she deals with it a lot being an internal medicine vet.
Mostly she said I should try to take him off insulin. Second choice to give him 1/8th unit, or at least give him a 25% reduction. She talked about somolgy (as bouncing) and how I had to wait 3 days for the numbers to come down. How most of his symptoms that I went to ask about were probably caused from low blood sugar (sleeping so soundly he's limp when I pick him up, circling, wobbeling when he walks, head bobbing, etc). She asked how I determined when to change his dose and I said when he goes below 40. I don't think she liked that. She said I should try to keep him in the 100 to 200 range.

She took him away to do his blood pressure check and came back real quick with him and said he was fine, in the 160s for every test. I had her check his eyes because I heard high BP could cause retnas to detached and everything is good.

I asked her about the tail pulling in between his back legs thing he does, and he got a rectal exam.


I got my order of Zobaline in the mail when we got home, and J.D. got his first dose.
The IM vet did say she thought he had some neuropathy and sometimes Zobaline helps.

That's our report. . .

I gave him his regular dose and some R when we got home as he was 386.

(((Dyana ))) I'd be discouraged too. I'm good with that word.

Doesn't feel like she really has a handle on the diabetes aspect... shooting only for regulation numbers.
I know the issue you need the most help with is the blood pressure so it sounds like you'll be exploring more and more for that.

But I do hope the methylb12 will help. I'm still giving it to Shadow regardless of her remission status.
People who have experienced it tell me it never goes away for them so I'm going to keep that approach with Shadow since it can't hurt her
in any way.... just another expenditure. If her body needs it, its' there for her and if her body doesn't need it, she's peed it out and its just
50cent pee samples..... :lol:

(((((Dyana))))) That is disappointing. I wonder if she has ever actually cared for a diabetic cat 24/7? The zobaline helped Zener with peripheral neuropathy but it took about a month to see an effect. We started with 1 pill a day two years ago. A few months ago, we went to 2 pills a day (3 mg each pill) because we thought it might help his stomach motility issues and we think it has.
Liz

((((Dyana)))) I"m so sorry it didn't go as you had hoped. You certainly didn't need her to tell you how to manage FD. I'm glad his BP was just on the normal side and that's one less thing you have to deal with.

Seems like alot of vets want us to take them off insulin if they are getting numbers below 100. And none of them understand bouncing. They all think it is somogyi. :YMSIGH: :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:

Dyana, I'm sorry you didn't get more answers from the IM vet. There are too many vets out there who don't understand home testing and diabetes. I hope the Zobaline helps J.D. :YMHUG: :YMHUG:

I'd be frustrated, too. It's a shame she didn't really focus on your questions. The good news is that J.D's BP is good.

Hi Dyana,
Sad to hear your vet didn't answer all your questions. Thank goodness you know as much as you do about FD because, as we know, most vets, even the best ones (mines a keeper ) are not FD specialists. And thank God for FDMB. Imagine where we all would be without FDMB.... I hope you get all your answers soon and good luck with the zobaline :mrgreen:

hmmm maybe go to a different vet or a specialist who will listen - I know Red bank was a hike, but they do have really good internists and specialists there. they will listen and answer your questions.

Oh My, I thought I was having issues with just Lucky"s Db This would be a lot to handle, you guys are so brave. I would be lost without FDMB. I'm so sorry to hear of your little one having these problems. My vet is not the best she had told me 3 kitties have been in for the past years doesn't see much here. Mine didn't even want me to test before giving insulin, got upset that I did.ARE THEY CRAZY I couldn't imagine if something more was happening with Lucky. Blessed Be girl.

Hey Dyana,
I'm sorry that the vet wouldn't deal with your really excellent questions and concerns. Bummer! But you at least learned something about that vet. Sending all kinds of vines to J.D. so that he can maintain good bp and so that his meds will help with his various issues.
Sending hugs to you,

Ella & Rusty

HI Dyana

I am sorry that the vet took to explaining most of J.D.s symptoms as low BGs, although I can see how someone less familiar would draw that conclusion. It's good you know better, but frustrating when you want them to look past that DX and look for other underlying causes(s). We love Red Bank too, but for eyes (Molly has herpes - respiratory and in her eye) and we love Dr. Kristina R. Vygantas, DVM, DACVO atNorth Star Vets in Robbinsville.

Good luck getting better answers from another vet and scritches to J.D.