Concerned and angry, please advise!

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Monica & Josie

Monica & Josie

Member Since 2017
Feeling concerned and angry! Advice needed asap please? My cat vomited 3 times this evening, yellow foamy grassy ones as well as food. Also did a poo in the middle of the lounge floor which she's never done before in 13 years. She's just done a wee on the carpet as well.. She's moving around from one place to another tonight trying to get comfortable, just staring down at the floor, sometimes has shallow breathing, her blood sugar is elevated 18.6 but not out of control. Just called utterly useless emergency vet who was very ignorant and after telling him all symptoms he said 'Oh sounds like she's got a bit of a tummy bug, give her bland food, chicken rice and pasta in the morning and see if she eats it' I replied 'I can't give her pasta and rice as like I said she's diabetic!? 'No it's fine, yes you can give her rice and pasta!' 'And how can I tell if she was in pain? ' She would be crying..' Any suggestions please what this might be or what to look out for? Many thanks!
 
Wow really weird... Your vet should have been more concerned. When was the last time she ate?
 
JanetNJ said:
Wow really weird... Your vet should have been more concerned. When was the last time she ate?
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I know!! He just so wasn't bothered.. Im very surprised and ticked off about that! Josie ate well lunchtime, then it all started going downhill around 7pm..
 
Try to get some fluids in her, water or even tuna water. Extra fluids can help if it's pancreatitis or beginning of ketones until you can find somewhere you might be able to take her :bighug::bighug::bighug:. Keep us updated on her and what you find out. Positive vines to you and Josie :cat:
 
Thank you both! She doesn't eat food or treat or drink water but licked off little bit of coconut oil from my finger. Hard to find vet nearby at this hour. Would call back our on call vet and insist on him seeing Josie but as he came across such an ignorant idiot I'm not sure if i would trust him to go anywhere near my cat!:mad:
Also going elsewhere right now would mean packing up the sleeping family as I don't drive so hubby will need to take us for 2 hrs trip but kid can't stay at home on his own so gotta bring him too, plus cost a lot of money at night and it's hard to make a call right now without experience if this is an emergency...:banghead:
But if we gotta go it's no question we are gonna go no matter what!
 
I'm sure this isn't what you want to hear right now, but with a diabetic who is running fairly high numbers, is vomiting, and you have no way of testing for ketones, I wouldn't wait until morning. The peeing and pooping on the carpet, where she must know you can see it, could be her way of alerting you to the fact that she feels really quite ill. I have had cats that would do exactly that. The shallow breathing is a concern too. It may be that it's something fairly straightforward, but from your spreadsheet it looks as though she's been having vomiting episodes for a while now, but today is much worse than it has been previously. As there's no diagnosis of what has been causing the episodes, I really wouldn't wait another 6 hours or so to get her seen in the morning as she's worse now. I'm sorry I can't give you easier advice in the middle of the night - I know it's tough, but somehow our cats always seem to do this when the regular vet is closed.
 
manxcat419 said:
I'm sure this isn't what you want to hear right now, but with a diabetic who is running fairly high numbers, is vomiting, and you have no way of testing for ketones, I wouldn't wait until morning. The peeing and pooping on the carpet, where she must know you can see it, could be her way of alerting you to the fact that she feels really quite ill. I have had cats that would do exactly that. The shallow breathing is a concern too. It may be that it's something fairly straightforward, but from your spreadsheet it looks as though she's been having vomiting episodes for a while now, but today is much worse than it has been previously. As there's no diagnosis of what has been causing the episodes, I really wouldn't wait another 6 hours or so to get her seen in the morning as she's worse now. I'm sorry I can't give you easier advice in the middle of the night - I know it's tough, but somehow our cats always seem to do this when the regular vet is closed.
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Thank you yes I agree with all the above and thank you for the straightforward opinion! She just drank a lot of water and licked off a bit of coconut oil from my finger and settled down in one place. The breathing sounds normal too. Maybe we can wait til the morning when local hospital opens..?
As for trying to find cause of vomiting she was tested for everything last week including ketones, blood tests, ultrasound and x-ray and apart from arthritis in spine all came back clear.. So we are none the wiser..
 
My biggest concern is that ketones can develop really very quickly - in a matter of an hour or two. So a clear test a week ago doesn't really give any idea as to what could be happening now. It may be that you have to start thinking of possible food allergies as an underlying cause for the ongoing vomiting as everything else came back clear. If you have a copy of the blood work you can post (not tonight - when you have a chance), then I'd be happy to look at that for you too to see if I can come up with anything different to ask your vet. I really wouldn't wait until morning - coconut oil isn't really food - there are actually varying opinions on whether or not cats should have it at all - and she's still not eating, but is drinking a lot which again concerns me.
 
manxcat419 said:
My biggest concern is that ketones can develop really very quickly - in a matter of an hour or two. So a clear test a week ago doesn't really give any idea as to what could be happening now. It may be that you have to start thinking of possible food allergies as an underlying cause for the ongoing vomiting as everything else came back clear. If you have a copy of the blood work you can post (not tonight - when you have a chance), then I'd be happy to look at that for you too to see if I can come up with anything different to ask your vet. I really wouldn't wait until morning - coconut oil isn't really food - there are actually varying opinions on whether or not cats should have it at all - and she's still not eating, but is drinking a lot which again concerns me.
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Yes it is all a bit of a concern. I will try to take everything into consideration and make a decision soon. I've been up for 24 hours now and can't really think or see straight anymore.. Not sure if the family can handle a 4 hour round trip. Oh dear.. Thank you very much again for your input and suggestions
 
How close is the vet who fobbed you off with no real help? If they're closer, would you feel up to insisting that they at least ketone test her and give her something to stop the vomiting to get her through until morning? Then you could hopefully get a few hours' sleep and find a better vet to help you tomorrow.
 
Thank you for all your concern and help, we were unable to go last night but are at the vet now. Josie settled down early morning and was resting well. She's been calm, drank water and even had a little turkey broth. She's responsive and alert. Will try to get all tests and checks done now that we are here. Thank you again, will give update once can
 
Monica Lewis said:
Thank you for all your concern and help, we were unable to go last night but are at the vet now. Josie settled down early morning and was resting well. She's been calm, drank water and even had a little turkey broth. She's responsive and alert. Will try to get all tests and checks done now that we are here. Thank you again, will give update once can
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Bless you! Hope everything goes well! Will be watching for an update.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
OMG - so very concerning. I'm glad she's at the vet clinic now. Is this your regular vet? Could she have eaten something outside that made her ill so quickly?
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Regular hospital yes but our usual vet is not in til later on this eve.. I did email her though. Josie goes outside but never leaves our little front garden area so it's unlikely that she ate something. Then again everything is possible and wide open these days for us....
Vet keeps saying no need to check for ketones as it only occurs at very high BG levels and I keep saying that I still would like her to be tested if possible as I was unsuccessful.
She also told me last week that 'Caninsulin was a long acting insulin taking effect in 3-4 days therefore keep her at the same dosage regardless her preshot readings' so I feel another battle is coming on once we got the vomiting issue out of the way...:banghead:
 
Monica Lewis said:
Regular hospital yes but our usual vet is not in til later on this eve.. I did email her though. Josie goes outside but never leaves our little front garden area so it's unlikely that she ate something. Then again everything is possible and wide open these days for us....
Vet keeps saying no need to check for ketones as it only occurs at very high BG levels and I keep saying that I still would like her to be tested if possible as I was unsuccessful.
She also told me last week that 'Caninsulin was a long acting insulin taking effect in 3-4 days therefore keep her at the same dosage regardless her preshot readings' so I feel another battle is coming on once we got the vomiting issue out of the way...:banghead:
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Oh dear... it does seem as if another battle is imminent... sounds as if the vet is getting her insulins mixed up, not good. So sorry you are having to contend with all this, Monica. Chin up and stay strong :-)
 
Argh! It's difficult.. I feel like a bad person if I disagree with someone who is trained and has qualifications in things and then if I stand on something I feel like an awkward customer.. but at the end of the day, you need to try to do what's best for you and kitty and if that means standing your ground, then do it. :bighug::bighug: Sending hugs and positive thoughts!
 
Monica Lewis said:
Vet keeps saying no need to check for ketones as it only occurs at very high BG levels and I keep saying that I still would like her to be tested if possible as I was unsuccessful.
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Just coming in and seeing this. I'm sure you already know this, but do not leave without a ketone test. I'm hopeful that that isn't what this is, given that she seems a little better this morning, but it's such an easy test to do and the consequences of letting a ketone situation go untreated are so dire, I don't understand why the vet is reluctant-- makes no sense!

Monica Lewis said:
She also told me last week that 'Caninsulin was a long acting insulin taking effect in 3-4 days therefore keep her at the same dosage regardless her preshot readings' so I feel another battle is coming on once we got the vomiting issue out of the way...:banghead:
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Oh my. That's really really off-base-- Caninsulin takes effect in 3-4 hours, not days. It may be time to start looking around for another vet to treat FD, unless your vet is willing to listen to and be educated by a client. Some vets are good about that, but if not, it really doesn't sound like this one has a good handle on treating diabetes in cats.

While you are at the vet, make sure they are checking for pancreatitis-- it's really common in diabetic cats, and can cause symptoms like vomiting and lack of appetite.

Good luck, I hope your kitty continues to improve and you can get this figured out!
 
TempestsMum said:
Argh! It's difficult.. I feel like a bad person if I disagree with someone who is trained and has qualifications in things and then if I stand on something I feel like an awkward customer.. but at the end of the day, you need to try to do what's best for you and kitty and if that means standing your ground, then do it. :bighug::bighug: Sending hugs and positive thoughts!
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Yes my thoughts exactly! :)
 
Squalliesmom said:
Please go to the Caninsulin website and print out the information on using it in cats for your vet! She might be able to argue with you but she can't say she knows better than the manufacturer!
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Yes agreed, funny enough I already have a draft letter half written to her from last week with a quote from the manufacturer's website! Don't worry I won't be shy to stand up for my kitty. I just need to tone it down a bit as turns out apparently not everyone appreciates my straightforward style..:D
 
Nan & Amber said:
Just coming in and seeing this. I'm sure you already know this, but do not leave without a ketone test. I'm hopeful that that isn't what this is, given that she seems a little better this morning, but it's such an easy test to do and the consequences of letting a ketone situation go untreated are so dire, I don't understand why the vet is reluctant-- makes no sense!



Oh my. That's really really off-base-- Caninsulin takes effect in 3-4 hours, not days. It may be time to start looking around for another vet to treat FD, unless your vet is willing to listen to and be educated by a client. Some vets are good about that, but if not, it really doesn't sound like this one has a good handle on treating diabetes in cats.

While you are at the vet, make sure they are checking for pancreatitis-- it's really common in diabetic cats, and can cause symptoms like vomiting and lack of appetite.

Good luck, I hope your kitty continues to improve and you can get this figured out!
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Thanks very much, let's hope so!

As for looking for a new vet ironically this is already the new vet who's been very much educated on FD and actually been very supportive and fully on board so far.. First crazy thing she said for months!
 
Monica Lewis said:
Yes agreed, funny enough I already have a draft letter half written to her from last week with a quote from the manufacturer's website! Don't worry I won't be shy to stand up for my kitty. I just need to tone it down a bit as turns out apparently not everyone appreciates my straightforward style..:D
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Hahaha I feel you! I'm pretty to the point most of the time, I forget.. I try though I'm just not always good at it! :smuggrin:
 
Monica Lewis said:
Thanks very much, let's hope so!

As for looking for a new vet ironically this is already the new vet who's been very much educated on FD and actually been very supportive and fully on board so far.. First crazy thing she said for months!
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Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue when she said days instead of hours? If you question that with her she might correct herself.
So is there any news on Josie? Is she back home now?
 
Update:
Got Josie home this afternoon, she received a Cerenia shot which seem to have perked her up there and even ate a little food at the vet in the afternoon.
She ate a little bit since home as well and resting now. She checked negative for ketones and her blood sample been sent off to test further for pancreatitis.
Probably will be given another anti-sickness drug to give her on a regular basis as vomiting seem to be a recurring thing but waiting to hear back what that might be..

Hopefully this was just a one off incident as it was pretty scary to see her like that.

Here's to hope that she will continue to improve and I wouldn't need to sleep on the carpet by her side tonight...:cat:

Thank you everyone for your concern, advice and support!
 
Very glad to hear things getting under control, Monica. Ref the nausea/vomiting, it might be good to encourage her to eat little and often so her tummy isn't empty and acidic. Something to mention to your DH while you're away (I expect you have a long list of instructions?!?)
 
Diana&Tom said:
Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue when she said days instead of hours? If you question that with her she might correct herself.
So is there any news on Josie? Is she back home now?
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Nope she definitely said 'Stop adjusting the dose as there's no point changing it since Caninsulin is long acting insulin 3-4 days so dose the same consistently as unlike in humans the dose has no immediate effect only in 3-4days' ??!!

I was so surprised I was lost for words but she sounded so confident that she even made me question myself! So thought I'd look up again then email her with facts to back up my argument.. Then had to put it aside as I got busy with Little Miss Vomit here...:cat:
 
Diana&Tom said:
Very glad to hear things getting under control, Monica. Ref the nausea/vomiting, it might be good to encourage her to eat little and often so her tummy isn't empty and acidic. Something to mention to your DH while you're away (I expect you have a long list of instructions?!?)
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See that's the thing Diana, I do encourage her to eat little and often. I don't go to bed til midnight so i can feed her late, then my eyes pop wide open at 4am to come downstairs to feed her a little food again, then up again at 7.30 am for brekkie..
 
Monica Lewis said:
Nope she definitely said 'Stop adjusting the dose as there's no point changing it since Caninsulin is long acting insulin 3-4 days so dose the same consistently as unlike in humans the dose has no immediate effect only in 3-4days' ??!!

I was so surprised I was lost for words but she sounded so confident that she even made me question myself! So thought I'd look up again then email her with facts to back up my argument.. Then had to put it aside as I got busy with Little Miss Vomit here...:cat:
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Hmmm well I would def tackle her about it when the time is right, she should be better informed if she's a practising vet. :-(
 
Monica Lewis said:
See that's the thing Diana, I do encourage her to eat little and often. I don't go to bed til midnight so i can feed her late, then my eyes pop wide open at 4am to come downstairs to feed her a little food again, then up again at 7.30 am for brekkie..
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It's tough I know. There must be ways round you having to disturb your sleep... what about a new thread sometime asking for ideas???
 
Diana&Tom said:
It's tough I know. There must be ways round you having to disturb your sleep... what about a new thread sometime asking for ideas???
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No I think I'm done with asking for more ideas, I can't even handle the suggestion load I've been given so far!:banghead: We've got a timed feeder @Kris & Teasel but there's no way of telling how much she's going to eat and when so she could be eating that food unattended just an hour before her preshot testing and then it's all messed up.. I don't mind getting up at the mo. This way we are both satisfied.. :)
Will make some changes once came back from holiday regarding dosage and feeding but I'm trying to keep it safe and simple for my husband whilst I'm away. There's only so much he can handle bless his cotton socks!:) Told him the main aim is to keep the cat alive..
 
Monica Lewis said:
No I think I'm done with asking for more ideas, I can't even handle the suggestion load I've been given so far!:banghead: We've got a timed feeder @Kris & Teasel but there's no way of telling how much she's going to eat and when so she could be eating that food unattended just an hour before her preshot testing and then it's all messed up.. I don't mind getting up at the mo. This way we are both satisfied.. :)
Will make some changes once came back from holiday regarding dosage and feeding but I'm trying to keep it safe and simple for my husband whilst I'm away. There's only so much he can handle bless his cotton socks!:) Told him the main aim is to keep the cat alive..
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OK Monica, make life as easy as you can for yourself, I know it's hard to keep taking more things on board. Give yourself a lot of credit for all you do and have a bit of a rest while you're away - the change will do you good.
 
Ok so the vet just called, lab results came back. It didn't show in the latest general blood work done but I insisted on having more tests on pancreatitis and it just came back positive :(
Vet told us to change diet completely and suggests Hills ID food but I've been told to stay away all prescription food so not too keen.. She said high carbs were ok for her to eat and that made me cringe.. And wanted to cry too as everything we've been working so hard on from spending ages finding the right food to regulating her BG levels are just going to go out of the window..Will post separate thread once got home to ask for more opinions just wanted to give you all lovelies an update as you'd probably want to know.
Well at least now we finally know what we're dealing with.. To say that I am gutted would be an understatement..
Ps. Ironically her ps numbers been unusually low in the past couple of days which gave me a tiny little glimpse of hope that maybe we were heading in the right direction..
 
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