Anyone here Please help!

Annie77! said:
Romeo is better today. The rapid breathing has subsided, he ate well this morning and got his shot. I live in a semi-rural location and, unfortunately, the nearest cardiologist is around a hundred miles away. I'll ask my vet if she knows anyone closer. I want to do everything I possibly can for Romeo, but I'm on a fixed income and his current vet bills are approaching the $1000 range now. I haven't tested him yet because I'm waiting for my husband to help or to at least provide some moral support.
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I understand. I had to drive 114 miles (2 hours 34 minutes) to get to the Blue Pearl Specialty Hospital where we saw our cardiologist. At least we only had to do it every six months. I put it on Care Credit and paid it over time interest free. By the time the 6 month check up was due, I had paid off the previous cardiology visit. I set up a cat “play pen” in the back of my car for Ginger — so she could have room to move around and a small litter box. I also have her Cerenia because she always got motion sickness and vomited in the car. When her heart disease got worse, I had to give her a dose of Gabapentin before we left home because stress is really bad for cats with heart disease. They can actually just go into cardiac arrest from stress (depending on how severe the heart disease is.)

Did you say your Romeo was pit on a steroid? If so, that is probably what brought on the fluid. It happens. No more steroids for Romeo.

I would urge you to get a Cardiologist on your team to help Romeo if possible (and as you said it may not be possible). You don’t know what kind of cardiac disease he has or how severe (or hopefully not severe) that it is. If it is early stage there are medications that can help a lot. And even if it is later stage there are things you can do (beyond Lasix) which can help him to live longer with better quality of life.
 
Well, I just tried to test Romeo. He was calmer about it than I expected, and I was able to get some blood, but the AlphaTrak3 would only give an error message. I tried twice but no results. The vet tech set up the meter yesterday so I don't know if she made a mistake in setting it up or if I'm doing something wrong. Is there a section on the forum that talks about the AlphaTrak3?

@Suzanne & Darcy you really have great ideas about how to travel with a cat! Ginger is a lucky baby. I honestly don't know if I can afford a cardiologist right now. I have other cats in addition to Romeo. I lost one of them recently to kidney failure (she was 16 years old), another got sick with a URI and I've almost maxed out my Care Credit card paying for them and Romeo's pancreatitis and the current problems. I still hope to do it, however. I'm going to talk to my vet to see if she knows a cardiologist close by. I'm also going to ask about other heart medications for Romeo. Do you have any suggestions? Yes, he just came off steroids about a month ago. He was taking them for pancreatitis.

Since I just finished trying to test the boy, I'm going to wait a little while before I check his breathing. I'm a little out of breath myself!

Well, the vet tech just called me (nice of her) and I think she isolated the problem I was having with the meter. We'll find out when I try again.
 
Make sure the strip is completely in the meter before you collect the blood. Usually the strip will sip up the blood when you touch the tip to tmit. Some people find it easier to get the blood on their fingernail and test the blood from there.
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
Make sure the strip is completely in the meter before you collect the blood. Usually the strip will sip up the blood when you touch the tip to tmit. Some people find it easier to get the blood on their fingernail and test the blood from there.
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That ^^ Meters time out and give an error message if you don't get blood onto the test strip with a certain amount of time (varies but within 30 seconds). Since you're new and haven't gotten the hang of testing yet, don't fully push the test strip into the meter while you mess with wrangling the cat, warming up the rice sock, applying the warm sock to the ear, get the lancet device ready. Just push the test strip far enough into the meter so that it stays put. Warm up the sock and then the ear. When the ear is good and ready and the lancet device is ready, then push the test strip all the way into the meter to turn it on. Quickly poke with the lancet device. By the time you get blood, the meter is ready for the blood to be applied to the test strip.

Another common error is not getting enough blood onto the test strip. Make sure the test strip part that fills with blood is fully covered.
 
Annie77! said:
Well, I just tried to test Romeo. He was calmer about it than I expected, and I was able to get some blood, but the AlphaTrak3 would only give an error message. I tried twice but no results. The vet tech set up the meter yesterday so I don't know if she made a mistake in setting it up or if I'm doing something wrong. Is there a section on the forum that talks about the AlphaTrak3?

@Suzanne & Darcy you really have great ideas about how to travel with a cat! Ginger is a lucky baby. I honestly don't know if I can afford a cardiologist right now. I have other cats in addition to Romeo. I lost one of them recently to kidney failure (she was 16 years old), another got sick with a URI and I've almost maxed out my Care Credit card paying for them and Romeo's pancreatitis and the current problems. I still hope to do it, however. I'm going to talk to my vet to see if she knows a cardiologist close by. I'm also going to ask about other heart medications for Romeo. Do you have any suggestions? Yes, he just came off steroids about a month ago. He was taking them for pancreatitis.

Since I just finished trying to test the boy, I'm going to wait a little while before I check his breathing. I'm a little out of breath myself!

Well, the vet tech just called me (nice of her) and I think she isolated the problem I was having with the meter. We'll find out when I try again.
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I’m very sympathetic to your plight with Romeo and the other cats! I understand about having multiple cats, believe me. Hopefully things will stabilize and you can recover a bit and then perhaps find a cardiologist. I am very sorry to hear about your 16 year old cat. I hate kidney disease.
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
Make sure the strip is completely in the meter before you collect the blood. Usually the strip will sip up the blood when you touch the tip to tmit. Some people find it easier to get the blood on their fingernail and test the blood from there.[/QUOTE
That was the problem @Lisa and Witn (GA).

I was thinking I wouldn't have time to draw the blood and get it on the meter strip. That's a good tip about getting the blood on a fingernail.
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squeem3 said:
That ^^ Meters time out and give an error message if you don't get blood onto the test strip with a certain amount of time (varies but within 30 seconds). Since you're new and haven't gotten the hang of testing yet, don't fully push the test strip into the meter while you mess with wrangling the cat, warming up the rice sock, applying the warm sock to the ear, get the lancet device ready. Just push the test strip far enough into the meter so that it stays put. Warm up the sock and then the ear. When the ear is good and ready and the lancet device is ready, then push the test strip all the way into the meter to turn it on. Quickly poke with the lancet device. By the time you get blood, the meter is ready for the blood to be applied to the test strip.

Another common error is not getting enough blood onto the test strip. Make sure the test strip part that fills with blood is fully covered.
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That's exactly what plan to do tomorrow. I think I didn't understand the correct order of the steps when I tried it today.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I’m very sympathetic to your plight with Romeo and the other cats! I understand about having multiple cats, believe me. Hopefully things will stabilize and you can recover a bit and then perhaps find a cardiologist. I am very sorry to hear about your 16 year old cat. I hate kidney disease.
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I hate it too. My sweet little Neewollah had it for two years before she passed away. She was a feisty little Tortie. I miss holding her so very much.
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
There are a couple tricks to make home testing easier. First is to relax. Romeo will pick up if you are nervous or stressed and will respond the same way. One suggestion is to sing while testing him. The sillier the song the better. It is hard to be nervous when you are doing something silly. Yes, this sounds crazy but it works.

Next is to always give him a low carb treat after testing, even if it is not successful. You want him to associate testing with something good and treats are a good motivator. Freeze dried or cooked chicken is a great low carb treat
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I'm definitely going to try singing tomorrow. I often sing to the cats anyway so he shouldn't be too startled, lol.

It's strange but none of my cats like treats! That's a good idea about the chicken. I'll try it. Romeo loves to be brushed so that's what I did today for his treat.
 
JL and Chip said:
Sorry to hear this. That was top of my list but I didn’t want to mention it and add more stress for you if it was something else.

Is there a board-certified cardiologist near you? I would certainly consider getting a referral and scheduling an appointment so you can get a firm diagnosis, treatment options, prognosis, and so on. Knowledge is power. A number of folks here have dealt with both diabetes and heart issues so you don’t have to feel alone. @Suzanne & Darcy already replied and @Wendy&Neko has a wealth of knowledge and experience as well.

For what it’s worth, lack of appetite and lethargy make perfect sense with fluid buildup and heart issues. Weight loss is common too. I just lost a youngish cat unexpectedly to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and he had absolutely no symptoms. Perhaps in some small way, what happened today will turn out to be a positive and help you get a handle on treating any heart issues. Fingers crossed.

I’m also glad you’re planning to home test and got a BG meter (and plan to get a backup). Important detail: Human meters tend to run lower than pet meters (such as AlphaTrak), so the range that is considered “normal” for a human meter is a bit lower than the normal range for pet meters. It’ll be important to note that you’re using an AlphaTrak (AT) when you post BG values.
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A problem with fluid around the lungs crossed my mind too when I saw his rapid breathing. I'm trying to find a cardiologist in my area. I really want to find out more about his heart condition. I'm very sorry about the cat you lost.

Thanks for letting me know about the variations between the human and pet meters. I'll remember that when I get a Relion meter.
 
Another thought is to ask your vet whether he/she can consult with a veterinary cardiologist. If you're in a rural area, your vet is unlikely to be a specialist -- more like a primary care person who handles all species and all problems.

Also, a bit of housekeeping.... Would you mind starting a new thread? We try to cap the thread lengths at 50 posts so it's a bit easier to keep up with any concerns you may have.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Another thought is to ask your vet whether he/she can consult with a veterinary cardiologist. If you're in a rural area, your vet is unlikely to be a specialist -- more like a primary care person who handles all species and all problems.

Also, a bit of housekeeping.... Would you mind starting a new thread? We try to cap the thread lengths at 50 posts so it's a bit easier to keep up with any concerns you may have.
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I'm sorry, @Sienne and Gabby (GA). I'll start a new thread the next time I log in.
 
Annie77! said:
A problem with fluid around the lungs crossed my mind too when I saw his rapid breathing.
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The fluid can build up again so it’s a good idea to continue monitoring the resting respiration rate (at daily (at least) as well as keep a careful watch on appetite and attitude. Especially in these situations, small changes can be enormously important.

I hope you can find a cardiologist. I know it’s hard, especially in rural areas. Let us know how it goes. We care.

Almost forgot to ask … any luck with BG testing today? I always found my AT meter harder to use than my human meters, but I understand why you got one. It’ll be important to start getting those values soon. It can be challenging at first but hang in there — once you get the hang of it, most folks find it’s not bad at all.
 
Annie77! said:
She drained the fluid
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DId the vet measure the total protein (specific gravity) of the removed fluid? What was the color? Was the spun down in a centrifuge and the sediment examined under a microscope? Those results can show some insight for the cause of the fluid accumulation.
 
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