Buddy's vet visit

[Marci and Buddy]

well thanks to all of you here, (and reading Dr. Lisa on uti's) i felt so empowered going to the vet-knowing exactly what to ask for (urine spec. test,C&S, Bup).She took Cbc -chem-urine/thyroidt4 ,culture:urine qualit ...
we are waiting for the results. urine test may be here tomorw, bloodwork next week. I left with Bup shots
($34.00 for 6 ohmygod_smile ).She wanted to give a Covenex shot but i was pretty sure i remebered that is not a good thing from when he had dental done last year, so i refused it.She said he will need more dental work ,possibly another extraction, after current problem resolves. Today cost $390.00 so i am not in a rush to have the dental work done, not sure where the money will come from. nailbite_smile
Meanwhile, Buddy has never been as high as this amps-474..when he was first diagnosed at vets he was 460. :YMSIGH:
hope results come back soon so i could start him on an AB, or whatever it is he'll need.
vet said she wd. like to start him on some AB tommorow while we wait for blood results , which i guess is good?
does it sound like everything that needed to be done was done? will update when results come in.
thanks for all your support. :mrgreen:

 

[Vicky & Gandalf (GA) & Murrlin]

Yes, Buprenorphine (Buprenex) has become expensive - it is a controlled substance (narcotic), so there is a lot of theft/misuse of it, according to my vet.

Sounds like all the bases were covered. Is there any reason to suspect hyperthyroidism, such as weight loss or rapid heart rate or thyroid slip on physical exam? I think it's become standard practice in a senior pet's wellness blood test to include T4 now, so no harm in doing it. A thyroid slip is an enlarged thyroid gland which can be felt on physical exam of the neck.

You were rightly cautious to refuse the Convenia shot. Dr. LIsa also has a page on her site about that long-acting AB now. It is probably overused now and has caused serious blood problems for a few cats. http://www.catinfo.org/?link=convenia

You can give a mild AB called Clindamycin to help control mouth bacteria, if his teeth are a problem. It can be given each month for 5 days at a time. I give it to Gandalf as he has a lot of build-up, but he's never had to have an extraction, so I think it works. It may tie him over till you can do a dental for him. It's available in liquid or small pills. The liquid is bitter, so get the pills if you can pill him OK.

What AB did the vet recommend? Clavamox? It's a good AB but be aware that it causes vomiting for some cats. Gandalf reacts horribly to it. Dr. Lisa has cautioned about the use of the AB Baytril also, but she is always cautious when she sees overuse of some ABs. I think it's a good broad spectrum AB as it's never caused Gandalf a problem and my vet is comfortable with it. As long as Buddy is getting his usual dose of insulin, he should be OK for you to wait till the tests are back though. Do you have ketone test strips?

Hope you get some conclusive news come Monday.

Sorry his BGs are crappy.

 

[pamela and tigger]

well thanks to all of you here, (and reading Dr. Lisa on uti's) i felt so empowered going to the vet-knowing exactly what to ask for (urine spec. test,C&S, Bup).She took Cbc -chem-urine/thyroidt4 ,culture:urine qualit ...
we are waiting for the results. urine test may be here tomorw, bloodwork next week. I left with Bup shots
($34.00 for 6 ohmygod_smile ).She wanted to give a Covenex shot but i was pretty sure i remebered that is not a good thing from when he had dental done last year, so i refused it.She said he will need more dental work ,possibly another extraction, after current problem resolves. Today cost $390.00 so i am not in a rush to have the dental work done, not sure where the money will come from. nailbite_smile
Meanwhile, Buddy has never been as high as this amps-474..when he was first diagnosed at vets he was 460. :YMSIGH:
hope results come back soon so i could start him on an AB, or whatever it is he'll need.
vet said she wd. like to start him on some AB tommorow while we wait for blood results , which i guess is good?
does it sound like everything that needed to be done was done? will update when results come in.
thanks for all your support. :mrgreen:

I am not sure why she would want to start him on an AB if he is feeling fine? Like you said yesterday, ("He doesnt feel sick, he's active , playful,purring, but eating and peeing alot"). So not sure why the Bup shots either???

Agree with everything Vicky mentioned, but just wanted to reiterate, if Buddy is feeling fine you might just want to wait until the test results come back and then go from there. I am not sure why your vet would want to start an AB before getting a definitive diagnosis, but of course she is the vet here and maybe she feels something else is going on.

Here is what Dr. Lisa says on her website:

diagnostic - the initial culture before starting antibiotics to confirm that an infection is present and to identify the bacteria, assess the number of bacterial colonies to quantify the level of infection (cfu - colony forming units per milliliter of urine), and to determine the organisms' susceptibility to various antibiotics.

Or maybe it is because of the condition of his teeth and then Vicky's recommendation of the Clindamycin to help control mouth bacteria might be what your vet is thinking of too?

We are not the professionals here. We can only give you our thoughts from our own experiences and perspectives. I can only hope that your vet isn't one that would just throw an antibiotic at a problem without knowing what the problem is. I think Dr. Lisa has successfully 'brainwashed' a lot of us so that we tend to ask these questions.

But your vet is there with the hands on analysis and the one you need to trust here. You just have to know the right questions to ask so you understand. Ask her about the urine specific gravity results from the urinalysis and see what she says. And what she is thinking about with why she wants to start an antibiotic. And again, don't forget to ask for a copy of all the test results.

I hope Buddy's numbers are much better tomorrow. Hopefully it was just vet stress and he will come down. Please let us know.