8/3 Oscar amps 207 +6 206 Received word from his IM vet

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Kelly & Oscar

Kelly & Oscar

Member Since 2010
I sent out his curve from this past weekend to his IM specialist vet. I got the email back today, and to say I am disappointed in her treatment suggestions is an understatement. Good thing I have a script and lots of donated insulin - looks like I will be going at this alone ohmygod_smile

This is what I received from her today:

Thank you so much for the blood glucose curve results on Oscar. I am impressed with them - they are really pretty good numbers for a kitty; I am usually aiming for them to stay below 250 for most of the day (often between 200-250 is acceptable; 150-200 is amazing but is sometimes pushing it too low). Combined with the fact that he is gaining some weight, I would happy with him here right now. I wouldn't want him to gain too much more though - maybe another 1/2 pound at most. I don't have his chart directly with me as I am with the kids at my mother-in-laws this week, but I would suggest we stay at this dose for the next 6-8 weeks and check another curve then. If he is still doing well, we can probably back off on curves for several months at a time; or switch to doing fructosamine levels as a less frequent method of monitoring him.
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angry(2)_cat

We'll probably stay at the 3.25u for another day and then think about upping it to 3.5u.
 
Hi Kelly, Sounds like you'll be looking for a new vet! As for "going it alone" (i.e., managing FD without a vet), many of us have done that because we get the best advice right here, where no one has to go it alone! Carry on!

Ella & Stu
 
Wow is right. How disappointing that she considers 200-250 acceptable and 150-200 "pushing it a little." Is she the only choice you have in your area for IM? I would NOT be wasting my money on her unless she is of some help with other issues! ohmygod_smile

My favorite (polite) response for advice akin to that is, "I'll give your recommendation the consideration it deserves." :twisted:

I'm so hoping that you see a breakthrough soon with Oscar! Like Ella said, you don't have to go it alone, you've got the best help right here! (Well, not me, I'm a newbie, but you know what I mean!) ;-)
 
I am not surprised at all.
Most vets don't know alot about FD so why would I expect more from my vet office?
My vet told me to start Shadoe on Caninsulin, then when I asked about Lantus, they did not even know anything about it, or how to dose it.
When I asked for Shadoe to be tested for acro, they did not know anything about it or how to test her, and did not think she would test positive, because 'she did not look acro'.
I tell the vet now what I want in the way of tests and meds, and I leave stuff that they are good at to them, like blood draws & tests, u/a, u/s, Xrays, C&S, dental work, etc.
I question everything they do.

One vet there does all the dental and she is awesome; other stuff is done by specialists that come into the office. The tests are sent out to be deciphered. I tell them which meds must not be used, which ones I want used, I give my own SQuids at home.
And they are happy to oblige, just so I will go away LOL.
We have a good agreement.

So long as you have a similar agreement, where you can get what you know you need, and your vet will follow your directions and respect your choices, maybe you can educate your vet. I take printouts all the time to 'help' them understand and hope to get them to use their learnings for other FD kitties that come along.
My vet thought I was in the medical field; I said only if I am sick will you find me around medical stuff.

The people here are better than any vet I could ever find.
 
Yep, that sort of reply has been posted here a lot...

You are not alone, you have everyone here. And I agree with another post, do you have to keep that IM vet?

Keep it up, I'm sure Oscar feels much better :smile:
 
Kelly - This is a perfect example of what a friend of mine told me before I ended up here..."Veterinarians are interested in managing diabetes, not curing it." It's the only reason that I can think that they recommend MD food even though it is NOT low carb, don't tell us about the harm of dry kibbles, and want us to keep bg in the 200 range. It steams me...I'm right there with you alongside everyone else! Oscar is indeed lucky to have you!
 
If you step back and think about the average cat owner who sees their vet, this makes some degree of sense. Most people don't home test. From a vet's perspective having a cat that has numbers that sit just under renal threshold means there's no risk of low numbers. For a pet owner who doesn't test, that is safe and no doubt acceptable and the vet doesn't have to worry about whether his/her malpractice insurance is paid up. In addition, the vet doesn't have to tell someone that remission is a real possibility BUT you will have to home test, follow a dosing protocol, be available to shoot every 12 hours, change your cat's diet, etc. There are a lot of people who will not do most of those things. So keeping numbers in the 200 - 250 range may make sense.

And then there's LL. We know we can do better. If your vet is good when it comes to other health issues, that's fine. You can be proactive in managing Oscar's FD.
 
We have been doing phone consultations for a while now. I don't pay for vet visits to her anymore. My local vet referred me to her because Oscar became more "complicated" than they were accustom to. Funny thing is that his numbers aren't really all that different than when I first came to her. The only difference is that he has gained 1/2 a pound of weight :lol:

I'll stick with my local vet for anything pertinent - ie blood tests, yearly visits, etc. I really don't plan on wasting my money at that clinic again.

Thank you everyone for all the reassurances! It really means a lot. I KNOW feline diabetes can be put into remission with the proper care - Yoda continues to prove that to me every day cat_pet_icon
 
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