Sue (Mo's Mum)
Member Since 2018
I did an intro on another thread but it was suggested I post this here too....
All advice very much welcomed!
My cat is named Mo (Morrissey in full!). He's a smallish ginger tom, 10 years old and weighs 4.2kg and we are based in the UK in Kent.
We've been to the vets 8 times in as many weeks.
A bit of history - Mo had been being sick every day for quite some time, six months ago it was once or twice a week and then gradually became most days, usually overnight. He was well otherwise.
I changed him to a sensitive tummy food (dry kibble) around January and about the same time he became very thirsty, sitting by the kitchen sink tap and drinking from it whenever anyone would turn it on for him - I invested in a water fountain and noticed he was drinking even more. We also noticed he drooled when he was sleeping, and was very hungry. He would also try to steal food and began to be very interested in chocolate and sweet foods. He was also losing weight.
About 8 weeks ago we took him to the vets (post googling!) and asked if she thought he might be diabetic. She had seen him back in November for an abcess on his face, and when she saw him this time she said she thought his liver was enlarged and wanted to do blood tests. She also gave him an antibiotic shot, and some zantac to help his tummy. We were told she'd call with the results, see him in two weeks.... but to bring him back if he was sick again - she suspected hepatitis.
He was sick a week later, we returned and she said he needed another antibiotic shot and gave him another medicine - Famotidine - for his tummy. We again suggested Diabetes, but were told although his glucose levels in blood were high this was probably due to stress. It was suggested an ultrasound was a good idea, so we returned for that and at that apt it was suggested that as she saw nothing other than a slightly enlarged liver, a different blood test be carried out for a feline virus (?). He was sick again and so she put him on a longer course of Famotidine and he's not been sick since taking this every morning.
I explained again his now incessant thirst, emptying the litter tray every two days as it was soaking and his desire for more chocolate (he stole biscuits!) but it was still ignored.
I called for the latest blood results two days ago and it was suggested a urine sample be done (I understood it had been done during the ultrasound but they said in this call his bladder hadn't been full enough so they hadn't done it... So, back to the vets to collect a special litter kit to collect the sample! I handed that in and was told it would be two days for the result. They called me before I had got home to say he had a very high glucose level in his urine and I need to bring him in 'now' for a fructosamine blood test.
I took him back last night where the vet told me she was 95% sure he was diabetic but the fructosamine test would confirm! I did then comment that perhaps we could have started with the urine analysis before we ran into £800 of vets bills and that it had taken eight weeks to get to where I suggested back then! (no insurance :-( ) The vet countered this with "well, it could still be pancreatitis as he has a slightly enlarged liver and it's not sure that if he is diabetic that it's caused by the possible pancreatitis or vice versa"....
Is it time for a new vet?! What are your experiences of diabetes/pancreatitis diagnosis?
He is happy enough in himself - doesn't avoid being picked up, likes his tummy being stroked, eats well though still very light (but he always has been!). He's been quite sleepy and not quite the bird chaser he was.
Thanks
Sue
All advice very much welcomed!
My cat is named Mo (Morrissey in full!). He's a smallish ginger tom, 10 years old and weighs 4.2kg and we are based in the UK in Kent.
We've been to the vets 8 times in as many weeks.
A bit of history - Mo had been being sick every day for quite some time, six months ago it was once or twice a week and then gradually became most days, usually overnight. He was well otherwise.
I changed him to a sensitive tummy food (dry kibble) around January and about the same time he became very thirsty, sitting by the kitchen sink tap and drinking from it whenever anyone would turn it on for him - I invested in a water fountain and noticed he was drinking even more. We also noticed he drooled when he was sleeping, and was very hungry. He would also try to steal food and began to be very interested in chocolate and sweet foods. He was also losing weight.
About 8 weeks ago we took him to the vets (post googling!) and asked if she thought he might be diabetic. She had seen him back in November for an abcess on his face, and when she saw him this time she said she thought his liver was enlarged and wanted to do blood tests. She also gave him an antibiotic shot, and some zantac to help his tummy. We were told she'd call with the results, see him in two weeks.... but to bring him back if he was sick again - she suspected hepatitis.
He was sick a week later, we returned and she said he needed another antibiotic shot and gave him another medicine - Famotidine - for his tummy. We again suggested Diabetes, but were told although his glucose levels in blood were high this was probably due to stress. It was suggested an ultrasound was a good idea, so we returned for that and at that apt it was suggested that as she saw nothing other than a slightly enlarged liver, a different blood test be carried out for a feline virus (?). He was sick again and so she put him on a longer course of Famotidine and he's not been sick since taking this every morning.
I explained again his now incessant thirst, emptying the litter tray every two days as it was soaking and his desire for more chocolate (he stole biscuits!) but it was still ignored.
I called for the latest blood results two days ago and it was suggested a urine sample be done (I understood it had been done during the ultrasound but they said in this call his bladder hadn't been full enough so they hadn't done it... So, back to the vets to collect a special litter kit to collect the sample! I handed that in and was told it would be two days for the result. They called me before I had got home to say he had a very high glucose level in his urine and I need to bring him in 'now' for a fructosamine blood test.
I took him back last night where the vet told me she was 95% sure he was diabetic but the fructosamine test would confirm! I did then comment that perhaps we could have started with the urine analysis before we ran into £800 of vets bills and that it had taken eight weeks to get to where I suggested back then! (no insurance :-( ) The vet countered this with "well, it could still be pancreatitis as he has a slightly enlarged liver and it's not sure that if he is diabetic that it's caused by the possible pancreatitis or vice versa"....
Is it time for a new vet?! What are your experiences of diabetes/pancreatitis diagnosis?
He is happy enough in himself - doesn't avoid being picked up, likes his tummy being stroked, eats well though still very light (but he always has been!). He's been quite sleepy and not quite the bird chaser he was.
Thanks
Sue
