Frustration with Vet

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phakewishard

phakewishard

Member Since 2020
I don't know what to do, I'm just very frustrated. My normal vet Moo Moo sees wasn't there today, and so another vet in the office saw her.

We came in because her eye was very swollen, to the point where she can't open it to see. The vet said "Well, it could be a herpes flare up, or it could be an eye infection, or it could be a root tip infection from her canine." Which, is fine. It could very well be any of those things. He gave me some antibiotics for her to take 2x a day, and said if it gives her diarrhea to stop use and call them. This isn't the part that frustrated me, that is to follow.

Moo Moo came in originally the day of her diagnosis because of a swollen eye. My normal vet saw that she had lost 2 pounds in 4 months and wanted to run bloodwork, just to be safe. He sent me home with pamphlets, info sheets, a Lantus prescription, Purina DM (though he had mentioned the pates that are very popular on here are a good option, I am working through the case of food I bought before trying a new kind), plus he was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I really like him, and I'm glad Moo Moo is in good hands.

The other vet who works there saw her today for her swollen eye weighed her today. She had lost another .6lb in 2 weeks. He didn't mention it. Her losing that much weight in that short of time is a big deal when she only weighs 7.1lb now. Her ideal weight is 9-10lb. And he didn't mention it. I just am so frustrated, I didn't see the paperwork until I got back from the vet and I'm not sure what to do to help her gain the weight back :(
 
Your regular vet sounds very knowledgeable.

How many calories is Moo Moo eating? On average, a normal cat needs about 20 calories per pound of ideal body weight, so about 200 calories for her.

New diabetics though often need double that amount until they get better regulated. Keep that in mind but general consensus is if they're underweight, don't restrict food. Let them have as much as they want until they start gaining it back.
 
She is currently eating about a can and a half of Purina DM a day, so around 260 calories. I don't restrict, and let her free feed. Is there anything else I can be doing, or is it just a waiting game until she is better regulated?
 
Mostly yeah, just waiting. You could offer her other brands as well to encourage her to eat more - the DM is mostly liver and cats end up tiring of it.
 
phakewishard said:
if it gives her diarrhea to stop use and call them
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Antibiotics almost always cause diarrhea, some worse than others. It's a good idea to start giving a probiotic when you start them to help put the "good bacteria" back into the intestinal tract. It doesn't have to be anything special. A human probiotic will work.

phakewishard said:
Is there anything else I can be doing, or is it just a waiting game until she is better regulated?
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The one thing this disease will teach you is patience. Our kitties didn't become diabetic overnight and it takes time to get them back on track. Check out China's Profile (link in my Signature). When the first picture was taken, she was less than 7lbs.

I noticed you skipped her shot this morning. In the future (if you can...I know work can screw up things), we recommend stalling, don't feed and test again in 20-30 minutes to see if the number comes up without the influence of food. You can stall for up to an hour (don't want to stall too long because you're not feeding which eventually can make the numbers start to drop again)
Usually if it comes up, it's a good sign that the last shot is wearing off and it'll be OK to shoot. We also suggest posting here with a subject line like "STALLING! NEED HELP!" .....we have a tradition here. If somebody replies and encourages you to go ahead and shoot, they agree to stay available as long as necessary to watch out for you to make sure kitty stays safe.
 
I stalled for an hour and that's where the 131 reading came from at +1 (I didn't know where else to put it to be honest), then I was at work and couldn't check on her like I needed to if I was giving her a shot. I have to be at work at 6am, so stalling isn't always an option :( My schedule is weird, and week to week my off days change (if you're wondering why I can have readings during the non-weekend days). Sometimes I can take her to work with me (thank goodness for my manager), but it's not a common thing.

I'm just really hoping her eye gets better in the next couple days, and I will pick up a probiotic tomorrow. Is there anything with human probiotics that I should avoid for cats (ingredients, amount, etc)?
 
What antibiotic was she given?

It seems a little odd to me that she was only given an oral antibiotic and not any eye medication... in my experience, eye infections usually require eye medication to get better...

Also in my experience, usually if the infection is coming from an infected canine, there will be sneezing and/or nasal discharge, often only on the side of the bad tooth (could be both sides if there's more than one bad tooth). And usually an exam will reveal tooth issues....

This vet just seemed to be doing a lot of conjecture and I'm wondering how much of a physical exam she actually got.

As for the weight loss, hopefully adding in a different kind of canned food will pique her interest. Are you able to weigh her at home? A baby scale can be helpful to track weight on your own.

When she was diagnosed, was she tested for hyperthyroid? That has similar symptoms to diabetes and will also cause weight loss.
 
It seems a little odd to me that she was only given an oral antibiotic and not any eye medication...
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She was previously prescribed Terramycin for her eye by my regular vet (Dr. G), in case the herpes flare up wasn't actually a herpes flare up and it didn't resolve when her BG was under control. When applied for two cycles, it made everything worse, which is why we went to the vet this last time. Her eye got so swollen she can't see out of it and she was rubbing it with her paw the morning after the second application.

What antibiotic was she given?
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She is now prescribed Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium, 1ml twice a day for 3-5 days.

...there will be sneezing and/or nasal discharge, often only on the side of the bad tooth...
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She has been sneezing and there has been eye discharge only on one side of her face, the discharge is clear and mucous-y. If I look in her mouth, what am I looking for as far as it being a bad tooth?

When she was diagnosed, was she tested for hyperthyroid?
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I'm guessing not, she had a whole panel of blood work ran by Dr. G, he called it a senior wellness panel. They also did a urine analysis. Dr. G said everything else besides her blood sugar and the sugar in her pee looked normal. He mentioned that her Neutrophils were slightly elevated, and that it could be a secondary symptom of her body being stressed from diabetes. Her lymphocytes are slightly low, but the same thing. He does want to see her again in the next week or so to do another round of blood work to see how everything is going.

ETA: Her T4 was 0.76 ug/dL, so it was just under the normal range of function (0.80-4.70), I'm guessing that's why Dr. G didn't think it was hyperthyroidism.
 
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Depending on how long ago you started the antibiotic, it can take a couple of days to start working. You could also try to use some warm compresses on Moo Moo's eye to see if that helps. Is it possible to call and found out if your regular vet is in today? It sounds like you trust your usual vet. It would likely be preferable to have your cat seen by someone you trust vs have this turn into an emergency over a holiday.
 
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