7/5 Dusty AMPS 192

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dustyboy4

dustyboy4

Member Since 2010
I want to take Dusty in to see his vets. Can anyone give a suggestion of what I should ask for to help him with
his leg pain? I can tell he's hurting some because when I run my hand down his backbone he grunts when I touch his hip area.
For neuropathy I am trying the Zobaline. Zobaline isn't a fast acting resolution.
I would like to be able to ask for something specific. I don't know if he needs something like B-12 or an
anti-inflamatory, but I do know that if I go in asking for something specific (like I know what I'm talking about) I get
better results.
Thanks for your help
 
Hi
I'm not familiar with Dusty's history but the pain med we use the most is called Buprenex (Buprenorphine) which is a derivative of morphine. It is a clear liquid and you administer orally via syringe (no needle!) on the gums or side of the mouth. Doesn't really have any taste. It is based on the cat's weight. Here is a website to check out but check further on the web. My sister and I run a nonprofit for cats and if in pain this is the best. It is usually administered twice a day.
http://pain.emedtv.com/buprenex/buprinex.html
Best of luck with Dusty!
 
The vet can check for arthritis with an x-ray. There are things the vet can try if he finds Dusty has arthritis.

The zobaline can take 2-3 months to help with neuropathy.
 
We have returned from the vets office. When I signed in, I asked for sub cutanious fluids & to discuss Dusty's back leg
weakness & discomfort. Dr. H asked one of the receptionists to sit down with me and make notes about what
has been going on with Dusty. I told her everything that has been happening in the last 2 weeks.
That's the last time I was in their office picking up food and giving Dr. H an update on how things were going.
I gave the receptionist his BG levels. I told her that Dusty was down to 3u twice a day on the Lantus.
I told her about him not being as hungry (probably because of his lower BG levels) but that he is eating
what would be a normal feeding for a cat and made the comment that it's just that Dusty is under weight and should probably eat more.
I told her I put 1 tsp babyfood squash mixed with his morning feeding daily to help with bowel movements.
I told her although he has been having trouble keeping his hind legs together
and trouble lifting them to get into his LB and that for the last 2 days he has grunted when I touch his hip area
while petting him down his back. I elaborated on this and told her about how he started having trouble with his hind legs
on 6/29 where when he was bent over eating that they would start sliding apart and that I had trimmed the
fir that was growing between his pads.
After Dr. H read this she had the same girl retrieve Dusty from me and they gave him the sub cutanious fluids.
While he was getting the fluids, Dr. H came and spoke with me. She said she had tested his BG and it was
at 100 (this was at +5.75 after his morning shot). I think thats fairly good. :-D Dr. H doesn't like this. :sad:
She sat next to me and said that since I had gone up from the 2u from the last time I was in.... I had to interrupt her
because the last time I was in, he was at 5u and showing really good levels. The time before that time when
I was in he was at 7u and had not come off of the HI he had been on for over a month. She exclaimed SEVEN UNITS!!!
I said yessssssss. (I'm now under the impression that they aren't writing everything down). I don't have any
problem reminding them though.

Dr. H wants me to drop Dusty to 1u twice a day (she doesn't like the way he is just laying there as if
he doesn't care what they do to him although she did say she did get a growl out of him). I told her he has been
this way since his BG came down into a more normal range. He gets around, but he's real calm. She told me she wants his BG above 200.
confused_cat She told me he is severely dehydrated. I told her I could tell he was dehydrated that's why I had him in.
I would like to know why he remains dehydrated. She repeated, that she wants me drop his dose to 1u and do another BG curve and call
her on Monday with the results.

I'm really disappointed here. I don't know why Dusty is dehydrated. They obviously aren't interested in
helping me find out why. He takes drinks water and I put extra in his food daily.
He is not frequenting the LB as often, I would think due to the lower BG. I've managed to test again and he isn't showing ketones.
What the heck??? I want them to take a blood test to see if his kidney function is good, not wait until Monday to see if raising his BG will make a difference.
She also told me she doesn't think he's in any pain at all. That she could (COULD) give me something to give him for joints, but that there is no good medicine to give cats for arthritis if he has that. (Do you think she gave me anything for joints? No, she decided not to do that either)
She claimed, he isn't walking on his hocks so she doesn't think he has neuropathy and if he does then it's not very bad,
(I beg to differ with her) but no B-12 for Dusty. She don't want to give me anything to give him for pain because
1. she doesn't believe he's in pain & 2. if she did give me something then it might make him even more lethargic than he already is.

I just don't get it. I really don't get it. Why, why why can't I find a vet that knows anything about feline diabetes? There are at least vets
30 in my area. I already drive close to 45 min to get to this one and these folks are absolutley dropping the ball on my 14 year old cat.

I'm deep breathing and now going to ask for suggestions for home treating.
Thanks for the venting. :cry:
 
Hi - so sorry to hear about your frustrating vet visit with Dusty. I always trust my own instincts when it comes to how my cat is actually feeling. If I am not satisfied with my vets advice , I always go looking for answers elsewhere. I hope the great people on this forum can help you make Dusty feel better. I know that you will not feel better until he does. - Sam
 
As for the B12 ( methycolbamine) , you don't need that from the vet ... you can order it yourself. zobaline

The fluids you can learn to do on your own. Marje has a special video to help.


Sorry your vet is so exasperating.....
 
There are things you can do for arthritis. You can buy either Cosequin, on sale this week at Petsmart or Dasuquin which are glucosamine condroiton oral meds. I just add to food. A slightly better solution is Adequan which is an injectable - made for horses and dogs but used off market for cats. I'm not sure if you have to get that from the vet. I used something equivalent available in Canada for a cat with arthritis in joints and spondilosis (spine). Some people here do the injections at home. You could start with Cosequin or Dasuquin and see how it does. My Neko gets something like that (again, Canadian equivalent). Acrocats can get a type of arthritis in the back ends. It seems to help. BTW - Cosequin is supposed to taste like chicken and tuna, so no need to sample yourself. :lol: Is Dusty having problems jumping up (usually arthritis in the hinds) or tentative jumping down (arthritis in the front legs).

Sorry about the lack of vet's knowledge. You'd think they'd at least know about arthritis - it's common enough. Also interesting, but typical reaction from the vet on the BGs. Vets don't like cats to be lower than 200, it's liability issue and might make sense if you weren't home testing. I think your idea of blood testing for kidney function is spot on.
 
Wendy - Dusty is having problems jumping up. He quit about 3 weeks ago now. He wanted to get up on the sofa to sit beside me yesterday evening but just put his paws up on the side. I can tell he just hates having to ask. At least I know what he wants. I try to encourage him to jump. I tell him I won't let him fall since I'm ready for him but he just looks at me very sadly. I made sure my husband saw this when it happened because he lives in denial sometimes. I think he thinks that Dusty never has anything bad wrong with him, that I baby him. I know I don't baby him. He just knows he can tell me and showme when things aren't right with him and I will understand. I absolutely hate knowing he is hurting and I can't give him immediate help. Thanks for the tip on the conseqen. I'll get out today and look for it in the local PerSmart.

Rhiannon- I already have the Zobaline and am giving it. He's had 3 doses. Maybe it will help but it will be a while since it takes about a month to see results. :-)

Sam - thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I know we both will keep learning.
 
that does sound like neuropathy.
Shadow had it about the same, not so bad that she was walking on her hocks, but she quit jumping. It makes them weak.... and I think their legs tend to tingle .... like when your
foot is asleep.
 
I disagree with Rhiannon. This doesn't sound like neuropathy to me. It sounds more like arthritis. Wendy's suggestions are exactly what I would have said. I do think you need x-rays. This might be arthritis or it could be a disk issue.

I would be curious as to your vet's reasoning for wanting to have Dusty's numbers over 200. Since this implies that she is OK with having Dusty over renal threshold at least some of the time, it doesn't make sense to me. I'd also be curious what the average BG of all cats in her practice is and why a diabetic cat's BG should be higher than that of a non-diabetic cat. If she can provide a coherent rationale, I'm all ears. The usual reason is that most caregivers do not home test. The only way to keep a cat safe if you're not home testing is to run the numbers in a higher range. This protects the vet's liability. At one point, my vet commented that she didn't like to see Gabby in green numbers. Given that she'd jumped on the Tight Regulation bandwagon, I pointed out that she couldn't support TR if she didn't want Gabby in normal BG numbers. That made her stop and think.

Have you given any thought to finding a new vet? Like you, I'm concerned you're not getting answers to the very legitimate questions you're asking. Further, Dusty shouldn't be in pain. You might want to post on Health and see if anyone in your area has a recommendation. I'd also look on Yelp for reviews

FWIW, anti-inflammatory meds can be an issue for cats. In general, they are hard on the kidneys. One of the non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory (NSAID) meds, Metacam (meloxicam), has a black box warning about it's use in cats given that it has been known to cause acute renal failure. On the other hand, if Dusty is in pain, an NSAID may be an option that needs to be considered. NSAIDs work differently than a narcotic like bupe. It's a discussion you should have with your vet since both are prescription meds.

I'd also think about providing "steps" for Dusty. It may be that jumping is aggravating his back. If you use boxes or books or something that can help him to get onto the sofa, etc. it may help.
 
Wendy & Sienne - thank you for the fish oil suggestion. That's what some people do for joints too.

Rhiannon - you and I both may be wrong about the neuropathy in Dusty and it may very well be arthritis but whichever, I just want to get Dusty help and it's not coming
from vet H or C so thank you for your reply. Since I'm already giving the Zobaline for neuropathy I guess I can get some fish oil and give it too. I'm thinking that in the long run both should help Dusty in some way. This message board is all about the gathering of information and experiences so we can all learn.

I was talking to my sister today about Dusty's continuing dehydration. She's a pediatric nurse and is taking her knowledge and trying to reason an answer. She said that being that the last urinalysis Dusty had shows that there is some protein in his urine that it is showing that he has some kidney damage. The protein puts holes in the kidney and makes it where they can't filter properly which may be making it where he is unable to retain fluid in his body properly. She told me she wishes that I could give him Pedialyte like they would give children when dehydrated. It would give electrolytes through the stomach/intestines.
The only way I know is through sub cutanious fluids which he was given yesterday at the vets. Does anyone know of anything like that for cats that they could drink and absorb?
 
You might have better luck getting an answer if you post a general question on the Health Forum.
 
Hi, I was just rereading some of your issues with Dusty and wondered if he has had his thyroid tested lately. I may not have a lot of experience with feline diabetes but I do have another cat, Oliver Jr. who has had thyroid issues for many years. He is 15 1/2 yrs old now and still going strong! Before he was diagnosed with hyperthyroid I noticed that he could no longer jump up onto the counter (which was actually a good thing) and he also was very thirsty (got quite dehydrated) and had experienced weightloss. I thought that he might have had diabetes at that time, but it turned out to be his thyroid. Hyperthyroid can increase BG levels also. He give him Methimazole twice a day. In people, having an overactive thyroid can cause joint pain and inflammation, and arthritis like symptoms. Not sure if a cat has those symptoms but muscle weakness is definitely a cat symptom. Hyperthyroid also causes a person to not absorb nutrients properly, which is probably true in a cat also. Sometimes it is not enough to just do a regular thyroid test , there are other more specialized tests that can help diagnose thyroid conditions if his initial thyroid panel comes back normal. Well just wanted to share that info with you. I also have a friend whose cat has both diabetes and is hyperthyroid! Hope Dusty is feeling better soon.
PS in reply to your comment on Charms post - I did not have those darn ketone strips near the litter box Charms was using , so I had to sprint up the stairs grab them , sprint back down, and thank goodness I managed to get it under him in time! Might have to just carry those things around with me !
 
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