Elmo 12/19 PMPS 183

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Just as I checked in to see how Elmo was doing last night and saw no PJ Party (YEAH!), my phone rang. It was my friend in Puerto Vallarta checking to see if I was STILL outside shoveling my snow! If I didn't love her so much I would have hung up on her :p but instead we had a good belly laugh and a good very long conversation!

So glad it was another calm night Beth! :D:D:D


Beth 73 said:
My vet yesterday was so honest and humble in admitting Elmo was beyond his experience to help. This admission with a vet student standing there. I was very impressed.
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That in my mind makes your vet a keeper. Mine is the same in that she admits openly when she is flummoxed. Most don't and just fumble their way around & that often makes things worse rather than better a Mogs can attest to so well.

I have to admit I find the rules in the UK regarding vet prescriptions interesting but very frustrating. If I had to deal with that I'd probably be locked up somewhere now wearing a very tight white coat! ;)
 
Beth 73 said:
All we can do is what we know at the time.
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That's the problem, Beth: I did know at the time.

The specialist in question ignored all of Saoirse's data, all of her journal notes, and all of her clinical signs. She worked on a 'textbook knows best', lowest common denominator basis. Instead of looking to meet her patient's needs she essentially waved her degree in my face and my girl's well-being suffered for it. The specialist (who incidentally had earlier said Saoirse had no hope of ever achieving remission - wrong!) should have based her treatment recommendations on the substantial body of cold, hard evidence with which I presented her and also the level of skill I had acquired as Saoirse's caregiver.

I considered the specialist's understanding of diabetes treatment to be rather poor. For example, she told me it would never be safe to give a dose of insulin to a cat whose preshot blood glucose levels were below the renal threshold! This is utterly, utterly fallacious - and in Saoirse's case I had data to prove such a fallacy beyond any shadow of doubt. In spades!!!

When talking later to our own main vet he asked me what my impression was of the service provided by the specialist. I told him quite matter-0f-factly that I considered her approach to feline diabetes treatment to be completely backward.

Subsequent to these events I actually asked our own practice to put a note on Saoirse's file that in future they were to never even speak to another external specialist about any of Saoirse's health issues without my having given prior express consent for them to do so.
(I don't think I'll ever stop being angry at that woman.)


Mogs
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Critter Mom said:
That's the problem, Beth: I did know at the time.

The specialist in question ignored all of Saoirse's data, all of her journal notes, and all of her clinical signs. She worked on a 'textbook knows best', lowest common denominator basis. Instead of looking to meet her patient's needs she essentially waved her degree in my face and my girl's well-being suffered for it. The specialist (who incidentally had earlier said Saoirse had no hope of ever achieving remission - wrong!) should have based her treatment recommendations on the substantial body of cold, hard evidence with which I presented her and also the level of skill I had acquired as Saoirse's caregiver.

I considered the specialist's understanding of diabetes treatment to be rather poor. For example, she told me it would never be safe to give a dose of insulin to a cat whose preshot blood glucose levels were below the renal threshold! This is utterly, utterly fallacious - and in Saoirse's case I had data to prove such a fallacy beyond any shadow of doubt. In spades!!!

When talking later to our own main vet he asked me what my impression was of the service provided by the specialist. I told him quite matter-0f-factly that I considered her approach to feline diabetes treatment to be completely backward.

Subsequent to these events I actually asked our own practice to put a note on Saoirse's file that in future they were to never even speak to another external specialist about any of Saoirse's health issues without my having given prior express consent for them to do so.
(I don't think I'll ever stop being angry at that woman.)


Mogs
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I am so sorry Mogs...
 
Beth 73 said:
I am so sorry Mogs...
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Only a couple of months before the specialist debacle Saoirse looked the picture of health and was climbing trees. Our own main vet could not get over how youthful she looked and acted! As soon as the little bit of insulin support was withdrawn her pancreatitis symptoms re-emerged (and I've read similar stories about other pancreatitis kitties here).

It was so hard to know that there was a treatment available which could help my Saoirse and that it had been denied her by someone so arrogant and so blinkered to scientific evidence. (Our own main vet was really upset about the whole matter, too.)

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Critter Mom said:
Only a couple of months before the specialist debacle Saoirse looked the picture of health and was climbing trees. Our own main vet could not get over how youthful she looked and acted! As soon as the little bit of insulin support was withdrawn her pancreatitis symptoms re-emerged (and I've read similar stories about other pancreatitis kitties here).

It was so hard to know that there was a treatment available which could help my Saoirse and that it had been denied her by someone so arrogant and so blinkered to scientific evidence. (Our own main vet was really upset about the whole matter, too.)

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Mogs, this so explains why you have so instructed me to go to a slow acting insulin and give pancreas more time to heal. Saoirse is definitely Elmo' guardian angel:bighug:
 
Beth 73 said:
Mogs, this so explains why you have so instructed me to go to a slow acting insulin and give pancreas more time to heal.
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It's not just Saoirse; many, many caregivers here - especially those treating with L insulins - found that being able to safely provide a longer period of insulin support led to a much stronger remission in their cats. :)

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Critter Mom said:
Just checked in on the Buddha Kitteh's spreadsheet: nice recovery, Elmo! Keep it going. :cat:
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Thank you, Mogs:):rolleyes::D:smuggrin::p...high praise from you makes my day. Prepping now for holistic vet call later this afternoon..told DH all this care for Elmo is my Christmas present:cat:...last BG for morning was +4..130...nadir coming between + 2 and =3....
 
Elmo's looking good again today! Love it! Maybe he's been reading the manual and trying to follow it!
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I've been out all morning and am just now reading all the Mr. B. drama. Good news but scary for Jen.

Critter Mom said:
... may in some cases give one the wherewithal to fight better and harder next time.


Mogs
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I agree. Sometimes, though, it's a case of when you know better you do better.
 
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