getting tired of all this...

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Anyname

Anyname

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I'm getting tired of all this worry. We did a reasonable job last year and nearly got LB OTJ. But then his numbers went up suddenly and up and up. Never did work out why. He's gone thru various phases of not eating which seem to coincide with quite high numbers. He's got a sizeable granuloma on the back of his tongue which hasn't burst as yet (causing him to bleed to death) - our vet said was possible. http://www.cathealth.com/EosinoGranuloma.htm The vet put him on cortizon for that and he got diabetes. He is allergic to beef, turkey, kangaroo and some times fish. Not all fish sets him off. Fish oil sets him off itching frantically. He seems ok on chicken but won't eat it with bone (ground up). He is tired of the frozen rabbit with bone in. I bought $220 worth a couple of months back. Could hardly lift the bag when I collected it. Took me hours to pack it into freezer bags. He can't eat tinned food as that makes him itch a lot. Oh how I wish I could open a tin some times. I can't get hold of any non allergic tinned food even though I've been to the warehouse here in Melbourne - a place that specialises in imported tinned pet food. I trialled him on one US brand but it made him very itchy. He LOVED it. Typical! I've tried him on Dr Bruce Syme's complex carb mix with chicken. He won't eat it. Last week I went to the other side of town to buy fresh venison. They had run out. Went back today. Got $35 worth of minced venison. He won't eat it. I feel like tube feeding him!!!

We are going to see our daughter in England next month. She's pregnant with her first child. I am so uptight about leaving LB in a cattery. I have to leave four weeks of food for him but I don't know what that's going to be. When he's here I coax him to eat chicken and rabbit alternatively. I put some hypoallergenic dry on the rabbit some times (20% of the meal). He could lose some weight really. He's 9kilo's.

I feel I've got the diabetes diet wrong which is partly why LB is on so much Lantus. I probably feed him too much. Five times a day at least. Therefore he's now on 4 units of lantus morning and night. A new vet said she was happy with how well regulated he is. But he could lose some weight. Tummy a little on the heavy side. 3 meals a day would be better maybe. In spite of reading constantly on this board about FD, I still don't understand rebound or sheds. LB seems to get very hungry if left too long but maybe he's playing me like a fiddle. I'm just so fed up with the whole thing. Oh and recently I discovered Essential Oils for the back of his neck - coz his dandruff is soooo bad and someone here told me it's toxic for cats. We were scrubbing his back with Selsun Blue to cut back the scurf on his lower back. His fur looks better for the two applications he's had of toxic oils. I can't give him oils orally as he has become unwell on it - itchy from fish oil and sick from evening primrose oil (dermatologist vet prescribed). He's been on long acting antibiotics several times this year for not eating for several days and vomiting.

I read here about how great everyone's kitties are doing. My kitty looks well at present but it takes a lot of money, worry and effort to keep him well. He is nearly 12 and big cats like him generally don't live much past 14 apparently. I really wish I had the intestinal fortitude to have him put to sleep as this is not much fun for me. Especially as we are going away and leaving him for so long. No one will look after him the way I do. :sad:
 
It's hard .... having an animal we love who is having a lot of problems and now you are afraid something will happen when your gone, I understand.

Diabetes is scary, the terms .... shed, rebound, sweet spot, hypos, ketones, etc. all make us feel we don't know enough, our cat is not like everyone's else, we don't do enough .... the list is endless.

It does seem as if many cats are on a low dose of insulin and then come off or stay on a low dose, no problems! Then there are cats like yours and mine, and trust me ..... many, many others. They try our patience and our pocket books but we love them so, we do all that we can.

I think you are afraid of leaving him, that someone may not treat him as well as you do and you won't be there to protect him. You are a good Mama bean and you can tell you love him very much. You can feel that love in your post.

When you leave him at the vet write out everything, in like a notebook or something. I would write a list of what Payne could have and not have, what she liked and things to watch for and I taped it on her cage, in the front. Be specific .... I had .... no dry food, starch or grains, ONLY feed x,y or z. Check ketones daily. All the things I wanted done a certain way. Talk to the people who are going to take care of him, go over your concerns.

We all get to the point you are at, that is what comes from loving and loving something complex, we get tired and anxious. I remember sitting in ER on a hard chair in front of Payne's cage, thinking that she was dying and there was nothing I could do .... I swore if she pulled through, I would keep her alive and I have learned to but it is hard and I yearn for simplicity too.

Nancy and Payne
(who has survived DKA 4x but is doing great!!)
 
Anyname,
Sometimes the specialized lantus protocol found in the Lantus Isulin Specialty forum can be a little too much for some people. I wonder if your little boy and especially YOU might do better posting your lantus posts in the levemir room. It can be a bit more...ECID and treat your own cat for the different boy he is.
Just a thought. You will find other lantus users posting in Levemir. It's an option.
For food difficulties, try raw chicken livers. cut up with a scissor if you can. My inappetence cat, nearly 4 weeks without an appetite has gone nuts for chicken livers.
Lori
 
Hey there,

I can totally understand how you feel. My Maxie hasn't been easy either and is seriously trying my patience. I have had a few months of battling to get this diabetes thing under control. He's been on lantus now for about 6 weeks and I'm only just beginning to get any kind of consistency (last 2 days) other than a high BG of around 20 despite the dose, the food, and everything else. Finally he is starting to accept that he is on insulin and starting to let it work without dumping a whole lot of his own glucose into his bloodstream the second it starts to kick in. You can see him do it the little bugger - about 2.5 hours after a shot (when it starts to work) and his BG is dropping, he sits there looking all worried and stressed and then his BG goes right back up to 20 within the next hour or 2. He is back up to 2.5u BID again after a failed dose reduction and looking like he will need to go even higher this time. Fortunately he is a good eater, but constantly hungry, waking us up in the night demanding food. He is getting plenty to eat and has put on a little weight so I need to cut his food back a little. Sure he'll be impressed and will let us know all about it. Just as well that Maxie is so loving and adorable most of the time!

The constant worrying about them wears you down doesn't it? I am going away for all of September and have had to book Max into a vet run cattery at an exorbitant rate per day and then I'll have to pay for tests on top of that. My usual cattery will give him insulin but wont test and 5 weeks without a test is out of the question.

Whereabouts in Melbourne are you? What dates are you away? I'm wondering if we can help each other out at all assuming we are not both away at the same time? Let me know what you think.

Amy :smile:
 
Thanks everyone for your encouragement. I do love the little bugger - but some times he feels like an addiction! Amy, LB wakes me if he's hungry too. Never wakes hubby, just me. I'm the one with 'sucker' written on my forehead! How cold is it getting up on these cold nights? I get the sense that he only wakes me if he's really desperate. Once a week sometimes twice.

We are off on the 16th of August. Meant to be back on the 13th of Sept. I kinda want the option of staying longer. This is our first visit since DD went away 18 months ago and the other in-laws have been 3 times already. We haven't been coz of LB. DD really needs us around for a while. (in the UK)

We are in SE Melbourne? You? I checked on the net and am trying a new cattery. It's in Rokeby Rd, Collingwood. I've been to see it and thought it was a very responsible cattery. They wouldn't take LB unless I had a consultation with one of the vets they use. The Cat Clinic in Prahran. Another Amy. She trained in Qld with the guy who developed the Qld protocol. I liked her very much. I previously used to leave LB at *Cats R Us* in Officer. It's beautiful but the owner is too militant for my liking. He always puts LB on a diet which totally stresses him out for the time he is there. Bad enough to feel left and rejected without being deprived of food. Ideally he would go to where he is used to but the cats at the Collingwood place looked so happy and healthy. I met a couple of their clients. Two diabetic cats.

I also called a vet/cattery that specialises in diabetic cats. $35 per day. I would bite the bullet but the cages are small. The woman said they could do it whereupon I said "I'm not worried about you". :oops: LB is a Maine Coon (BIG)- I cannot put him in a small cage for nearly four weeks.

If we live near by then we could help each other from time to time. Is Max on Lantus?

Marilyn
 
Lori, I think the Levemir group sounds like an option for us. It bothers me that I can't get my head around so much of this illness. For example, when LB was practically OTJ if he hadn't been fed for a long time his numbers didn't go low they went high. If I fed him his numbers would come down - without insulin. It didn't make sense that that would happen. So now I'm never sure if the occassional high numbers are from too little food or too much food or some other mechanism I don't understand. My inner voice is telling me to stop feeding him so often - but he's a big breed cat. How much food does he need? I probably should ask BigMac's mom.

Nancy, I will most certainly leave lots of notes for the cattery people. I am dreading leaving him because of his health issues. I know there will be times he is very hungry and can't get access to food and times where he feels that he's been left for good. Is that what they think or are they smarter than that and they know it's just for a little while.

I don't expect to cure him, I look for a quality of life for him - on a daily basis. I don't think long term. But I also think I deserve some time out.
 
I've spent more than 40000 dollar in vet care only on Simbas vet care from all his severer pancreatitis, DKA, paralysing and neuroparty, That in addition to the oridnary dayly costs of equipment

As in my FB text: Life with a diabetic

If a person brings in their 2 year old child to the hospital because the child seem sick, the hospital runs blood sample and urine sample tests. Of course the parents are worried sick that it is something serious and that the child will die. After a long wait the doctor comes out to the parents and say: I am sorry, your child suffer from .... diabetes. And he only give them ONE option and that is TREATMENT.





If a person brings in her cat to the hospital because the cat seem sick, the hospital runs blood sample and urine sample tests too. And of course the person is worried sick from all the waiting and that it is something serious. Also after a long wait the doctor comes out to the person and say: I am sorry, your cat suffer from .... diabetes. BUT he doesn't stop there, he continues with giving the person TWO options and the first is DEATH SENTENCE right there and then, or TREATMENT.



This is what happened to me and Simba when he was 10 and we found out he had diabetes in fall 2006, and since he is my kid I chosed TREATMENT of course.





Human diabetics in Sweden gets all their supplies for free, as insulin, syringens/pens, bloodsugar meter and more. Animal diabetics however have to pay the full price and no discounts. But I can live with that, it is my Simba and the only Simba I have.



This is the supply costs we have:



Insulin - Insulatard vial 184 kr/$24



Insulin - Lantus vial 394 kr/$51



Syringes - BD Microfine+Demi 100 pack 165,50 kr/$21.50



Blood sugar meter - Bayer Acsensia Contur 0kr/$0 - Thank you vet hospital



Blood b-ketone meter - Abbott Precision Xceed 0kr/$0 - Thank you Abbott Sweden



Ascensia Contour Microfill 50 blood test strips 362,50 kr/$50



Abbott Precision Xtra 10 blood b-ketone test strips 270,50 kr/$38



Urine testing - Keto-Diabur-Test 5000 50 urine test strips 173 kr/$24



Urinanalysis - Bayer Multistix 10 SG 100 urine test strips 371 kr/$58,56





The Insulatard insulin we used in the beginning, before the hospital was learning about the long term insulins Lantus and Levemir. Besides that they act different the price for Lantus is a huge difference than the price for the Insulatard - and it is insulin we use the most of! Simba's current dose is 5 IE BID and on that we use half a bottle of Lantus every month. Lantus doesn't last as many weeks as Insulatard did, Insulatard lasted for 6 weeks but Lantus for only 4 week.

So take the Lantus cost times 12, a year, that is 4728 kr/$657 for the insulin every year.



The other supply we really need so we can administer the insulin are syringes. They are less expensive than the insulin, and cost for a year 1986 kr/$276.





Now we come to the really expensive supplies and I simply fail to see how the manufactures can justify these high prices on so few strips. A home tester need many test strips, both blood test strips and urine test strips. There is different methods in taking the blood glucose tests. Some do it every morning, in the middle of the day and in the evening, and this they do EVERY day. Let's say they test 4 times a day, every day, 50 test strips won't last long, instead they will need 120. Others don't test every day, but does curves instead over 1 to 3 days. If one do that 50 strips will last. I have my own method to see how Simba's daily BID does function. I can do test at home and do it very seldom, but know from previous testing how he works with his food and insulin. Now I don't test him but govern him by going to the vet hospital and take a fructosamine blood sample every halfyear. When he had over 500 in fructosamine I knew his insulin dose was too low and I raised it to a comfy zone at 5 IE BID, which was just right for now he is in 360, which is very good regulated for a diabetic.



Another supply we have is the Keto-Diabur-Test 5000 which is a urine dip stick. It measures urine glucose level and a-ketone level. It DOES NOT measure the crucial b-ketone level, no matter what advice others give. Moreover it cleary state that in the information sheet that is in the box. To get into the biological technical stuff, the b-ketones are from the long fatty chain and they are so long they can't enter into the urine, but float around freely in the blood system.

The acetone or a-ketones that are what is measured in the urine, are the short fatty chain that has already been broken down.



The only thing that measure the crucial b-ketone level is the blood meter Blood b-ketone meter - Abbott Precision Xceed 0kr/$0. Abbott gave mine for free. I can understand that they can give the meter away for free, when they charge 270,50 kr/$38 for a pack of only 10 blood test strips!



The last supply we have is Urinanalysis - Bayer Multistix 10 SG 100 urine test strips for 371 kr/$58,56. This is the same as the vet hospital use for their urine analysis there. I have used it for screening at home, first learning what is normal on us all three, I, Gustav and Simba, so I can determin when it is not normal and something the vet hospital needs to check.



Through it all, since 2006, Simba is my hero. He is an expert on himself and he has been the teacher and I have been the student.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I was lucy, or Simba and Gustav was lucky in 2006, when I got an early sick retriment from a car accident in 1993, up unit 2006 they were two perfectly healthy boys, but the same year I rerited 2006 Simba got diabetes. And I had been given 151781 dollars for retireing with more 189727 dollars from the car insurance company, plus the monthy income loss of 1366 dollars every monht on top of the state paid disability pension on 1138 dollars. So the stress is gone that I won't be afford to give the best medical care there is and that is such a releif. At least I can give my comrades and life time partners of 15 and 16 years of age the best there is, with the help of the anmial hopsital that is whom got the lastest in quiepment and get on to something asap.

The retirment and the money was just god sent, now I stay at home with them everyday, being able to check on them several days at times.I couldnt do that when I worked since I worked out in the fields for 1 day to 5 days and thus was gone long persiods from them. But at that point I had to do that just in order to have a job.
 
Anyname said:
... It bothers me that I can't get my head around so much of this illness. For example, when LB was practically OTJ if he hadn't been fed for a long time his numbers didn't go low they went high. If I fed him his numbers would come down - without insulin. It didn't make sense that that would happen. So now I'm never sure if the occassional high numbers are from too little food or too much food or some other mechanism I don't understand. My inner voice is telling me to stop feeding him so often - but he's a big breed cat. How much food does he need? I probably should ask BigMac's mom.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about his numbers going higher when he hadn't been fed, could be the pancreas releasing glucagon which tells the liver to breakdown glycogen and releases extra glucose.

But when you gave food and his BGs went DOWN, that is an indication of a working pancreas. I'm not sure what happened to cause his BGs to go back up shortly after that period on his spreadsheet where you were giving .05U, but he should have gone OTJ then.

As for how much food a large cat needs, Gandalf is a maine Coon type cat. He only weighs 14 pounds now, but was up to 18. He is a grazer, so keep that in mind. It's a good idea to have food available for most of the day other than maybe a couple hours before shot time. The amount of calories is what's important when determining how much food. The range is 150 to 250 calories per day, so for a Maine Coon type I would say the high end of that is good. I believe calories are listed on Janet & Binky's charts although I'm not sure how many of those foods you have in Australia. Some cans have caloric info on them now.

Anyname said:
Nancy, I will most certainly leave lots of notes for the cattery people. I am dreading leaving him because of his health issues. I know there will be times he is very hungry and can't get access to food and times where he feels that he's been left for good. Is that what they think or are they smarter than that and they know it's just for a little while.

I don't expect to cure him, I look for a quality of life for him - on a daily basis. I don't think long term. But I also think I deserve some time out.
Click to expand...

If they can leave food out for him, that's probably the best plan while he's boarded. Call them every few days to check in, that might help ease your concerns. Make sure they will test his BG and report to you. Give them several things from home with your smells on them, blankets or shirts, something he can lie on.

Also, I'm wondering if it's possible for you to update his spreadsheet, or at least fill in the latest data. Sorry if that's asking something you aren't able to do right now with the stressful time. We tell newbies this a lot of times - BREATHE! One thing I'd like to add is that knowledge is power. The mechanism of diabetes treatment IS complicated, no doubt about that. Please ask the specific questions you have about rebound and sheds and maybe someone can explain in a different manner than you have read to help you understand. I firmly believe that the more a diabetic cat owner knows and understands, the less stressful treating their kitty becomes.

Hang in there! You're doing great and I'm sure Little Boy appreciates all your efforts!

:YMHUG:
 
Vicky mentioned calling the cattery to check on him. That's a great idea, though time zones may make it complicated. Be sure they have a number to call to contact you in an emergency.

Do you have voicemail or an answering machine that you will be checking? I always have my pet sitter call my house and leave update messages. You know, "It's early Monday evening. LB's pre-shot number was 220, we gave him 2 units, and he seems to be liking his venison today." I call and check my messages every day anyway, and it reassures me.
 
Ann, I found your break down of costs very interesting. We are retired also and I've been an obsessive saver all my life so we can afford to pay the costs associated with our kitty. I have always loved cats and begged my financially strapped parents to let me have a cat when I was 6 yrs old. It was a very handsome fluffy white stray that lived till she was 23 yrs old (stayed at my mum's house after I married). My first child was allergic to cats so I couldn't have a cat. We finally got LB nearly 12 yrs ago. Both my daughter and my daughter in law welt up and sneeze when they visit our house. To have LB has been a joy and will be the only cat I've had in my adult life. I just love cats - it's as if I was a cat in a former life. :?:

I wouldn't like to add up what we've spent - we buy lantus - it lasts longer than 4 weeks if it's kept in the butter section of the fridge. The biggest cost for us is the food. This is a major problem because I am not able to give him a balanced diet. Firstly because he's allergic to many foods and diabetic secondly because he won't eat many of the foods that he isnt' allergic to. This caused me to write this post yesterday when I had picked up 2 kilo's of fresh venison as a possible new food for him. Hubby and me will be eating it made into meat balls. Kitty is naughty.

I have been trying to bring my spread sheet up to date. I haven't been testing very much. when I started putting in the numbers the other day I found it interesting. LB wasn't very well in the first half of the year - vet seemed incapable of diagnosing the problem. I am likely to change vets to the one the cattery uses. As stated earlier she trained @ Qld U and knows a lot about the Qld protocol. She has more qualifications than my local vet and she's cheaper. What's not to like? I decided not to worry about the diabetes since the allergies are much more of a problem for him for the most part. LB doesn't drink water. Wont' go near it. And he holds on for the out door toilet for up to 14 hours or longer. I take this as a good indication that the diabetes is reasonably well regulated. He looks healthy in the face.

The cattery I've selected expects me to sign for them to put LB to sleep if he becomes very unwell. They seem very concerned about getting him back to me at the end of the stay and they will spend vet $$$'s keeping him well. When ever he is unwell the local vet gives him a long acting anti biotic injection which seems to make him well very quickly. It could be the granuloma on the back of his tongue that gets infected. I also wonder about pancreatitis ?? New vet will test for that. Old vet said tests have to be sent to Sweden. This tells me old vet, as nice as he is, is out of touch.

I won't try to understand his diabetes until I get back from o/s's. I am waiting on one more cat food to try (tin) ZiwiPeak from NZ. If he likes that my problems will deminish. One final question. DOES A CAT COME ROUND TO EATING SOMETHING HE PREVIOUSLY REFUSES TO EAT?
 
When ever he is unwell the local vet gives him a long acting anti biotic injection which seems to make him well very quickly.
Click to expand...

Is that by any chance the long acting antibiotic Convenia? Not sure if it would go by a different name in Australia or not.

I don't mean to worry you, but there are some grave concerns from one of the vets who checks in to FDMB from time to time, Dr. Lisa. Here is the webpage address from her write up about Convenia: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=convenia

As for food issues, have you tried any type of sprinkle on additive to the foods to make them tastier for LB? I understand he has allergies, but many people here like Fortiflora and I use a product by the Wysong petfood company called F-Biotic. There may be something similar in Australia to either one, maybe ask your vet or the cattery. I think they both have probiotics in them, as well as supplement taurine and other vitamins cats need. My cats love the F-Biotic and I hear the same about Fortiflora.

I have had cats return to foods they previously stopped eating. We also sometimes see companies change their food formulas and some cats will turn their noses up for whatever reason all of a sudden. In that case it may be more difficult to get them to ever eat it again.
 
Hi Marilyn,

The Cat Clinic in Prahran also do boarding and that's where I have Max booked in. We're away from 5th September to 6th October and I hate having to leave him somewhere for that long. I am going to go in to the Cat Clinic for a consult prior to that too. I read on their website about one of their staff having a diabetic cat and comments about new insulins, species appropriate diets and good regulation so that has encouraged me. Great that you found them good. I thought the vet boarding would be better for Max for now as he's still not properly regulated and his dose is still being adjusted. Hopefully their cages aren't too small, Max is a big boy too. I normally take him to Belinda's Cosy Cat Cottages in Williamstown and they let him out of the cage a lot of the time and he doesn't get stressed there. Max doesn't like being stuck in a cage - he's bad enough if I need to restrict him from going outside for a while. I'm hoping that we can get him better regulated very soon or its back to the vet for some more tests to see if there is anything else going on.

I need a new vet anyway as I haven't been that impressed with mine in regards to how much she knows about diabetes so hopefully this will work out for us. We're in West Footscray so its a bit of a drive but I think its worth it. Max is on lantus too, although he started out on caninsulin which just didn't give the duration. I wasn't given the option of what insulin to go with and only discovered that there were options after spending some time online, so had 6 weeks of wasted time (and money) stuffing about getting to the right dose only to have to start all over again.

Funny about LB hanging on for 14 hours to use the outside loo. Max is the same. Trying to test for ketones is not so fun! I hope the Collingwood place works out for you and LB and you get a break from all this for a bit. Will the Collingwood place do any BG spot checks at all? Let me know if there is anything I can do in the couple of weeks after you leave before I go, eg popping in to the collingwood cattery to check up on LB and give you an update. I'm not working at the moment and regularly ride my bike along the yarra trails near there so its not too much trouble.

Cheers,
Amy
 
My post is in relation to your trip. I went to London for a week last October, followed by 5 days in Disneyland paris. I bought a phone to take with me to use in Europe from Brightroam:
http://www.brightroam.com/

While I pretty much only used it to speak with my B&B hostess, it was great to have in an emergency. My Sprint cell phone would not have worked in Europe, and with this phone i could call places in the UK and in France, and I could also call home. You might want to look into this for your trip. It cost me about $60, as I had a $10 discoount for being a sprint customer. It might make it easier for you to call the cattery and vice versa. Just a thought.
 
Hello Marilyn, you poor thing :sad: HUGS

I completely sympathise and understand exactly where you're coming from; even though my Cheeky doesn't have half the extra health issues your boy does I'm utterly worn out, especially after the week I'm having.

Since I brought her home from two weeks in a nearby vet-run cattery (they didn't test, but she was in the hospital section and never alone except overnight when they left food out, so I was okay with it), I'm seeing her numbers steadily dropping--to the point where I've skipped 3 shots in as many days because her preshots were too low for me to feel safe, and from one skinny dose of 2u last Friday morning I'm now only giving 0.5u, following another run of very low end-cycle tests yesterday. I feel like I'm going insane.

We've had one potential hypo situation, on Monday night, after I tried to follow the vet's instructions and "only give her 1/2 dose (1u)" because she didn't finish her dinner, when she got down to 2.8 (50) at nadir! FFS, FDs aren't supposed to go lower than 5 (90) in general. TG for the Lantus board is all I can say, they talked me through a very long night and kept me from hysteria.

But since then even a regular 0.75u seems to be too much. And it's Friday, and I have to get through the weekend because I want to curve her before I give my vet one last chance to take my results seriously. She's due for a fructosamine test anyway, if I remember rightly.

Whatever, I think I'll be shopping for a new vet soon--and my 'face-saving' reason so as not to insult them (because I've been with them for 9 years and they've been absolutely wonderful) will be that, with two medically-challenged cats, I really need a 7-day surgery. And I'll trial the one where she was boarded since they've seen her recently and seem to have more vets on staff.

It's very, very hard to stay positive, isn't it? you're so lucky to have Amy in the same city at least; I haven't seen any Adelaideans on the member list even though one of my vets has a mother-in-law with a diabetic cat (she's the one I want to see next week instead of my usual one).

Hang in there :YMHUG:

PS my girl has the Convenia injection too, she's never had any problems with it.

Yesterday's news
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=48604

recap:
AM+10h 15m = 92 (5.1)
+11.5 = 83 (4.6) stall, no food
+12 = 74 (4.1) stall, no food
+12.5 = 59 (3.3) so no shot
Fed, ate approx 3/4 can m/d
Starting from supposed shot time @ +12:
+1.5 = 112 (6.2)
+3.5 = 151 (8.4), no food since;

and still this morning
AMPS +11 = 162 (9)
+11h15m = 178 (9.9)
so I only shot 0.5u and getting a friend to check on her at nadir and feed her some more just in case.
 
Dearest Marilyn, and, of course, you too, sweet Little Boy,

I honestly don't know what to tell you. I feel your pain and worry. Little Boy has his allergy issues. You have this trip planned.

Oh gosh... I think at some point we all get tired... Yet, we dance.





I remember when Giz was first diagnosed and the associate vet and I had a serious language problem, I thought she was going to have to be put down. I remember clutching her in her carrier waiting to be seen yet again, sobbing in the corner of the waiting room. I remember a flurry of faxes being sent to the ER hospital before I drove her there. I remember yelling, she's upset and pissed off. I remember someone yelling over the loudspeaker, everyone needs to wear gloves with Gizmo because she's angry when the triage team took her in. I remember my back sliding down a wall when they took me into an examining room and brought her in, angry in her carrier. I remember standing back up and hugging her in the carrier. I remember the ER vet was very short and I'm not. I remember she was DKA and the vet tech brought out a tiny towel. I remember saying, you're going to need a bigger towel to the short vet. He was wielding a big needle and said, I don't think so. I remember her growling whilst giving me a strange look as a little towel went over her sea green eyes...

I remember pretty much cleaning out my fridge and pantry and driving everything over to the ER hospital, who wouldn't let me visit Gizzie, because that was their policy. I remember the answering machine was going when I got back home. I grabbed the phone and the ER vet told me she really likes peach yogurt. The vet also thanked me for the tuna sandwich and the banana I had packed for her.

I remember calling my mom and asking for $2,000. I remember telling her I believed in Giz. I remember it took me about two years to pay her back with interest that she never wanted, but I wanted to give.

Giz and I danced for four years. I might have cursed a day or two; but, I wouldn't have given up a day dancing with this incredible cat. She taught me volumes about love, respect, myself, and life...





I understand your angst, dear Marilyn. I think you have a great plan in place for Little Boy when you journey north. I think Amy sounds like a Godsend for you all.


I guess I just wanted to send hugs and tell you that I'm so glad I danced with Giz for four years. Sometimes dancing is a good decision...

Much love,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, who taught me volumes and sent me Nikki...
 
Thank you for your responses. I think the last staw was the 2kilo's of venison. He flatly refused to eat something that would be good for him and easy for me. Doesn't he know this isn't about him? :-D

I think it is the long acting a/b convenia - vet said something about him being ok on it as no adverse reaction thus far. it does great things for LB but it costs $128 per jab so I've been holding off going to the vet with the last few times he's not been well. I wanted to see if he could ride it thru without the antibiotics. So far so good. Also stopped giving him oral oils which could have caused the "issues".

Lesley? Joan & Oscar are in Adelaide but Oscar died a few weeks ago from CHF. They knew it was coming. Oscar woke up one morning unable to breath. They live 300K inland from Adelaide. Oscar died in the car on the mercy dash to the nearest vet. Joan got another kitten almost immediately. The isolation of the bush etc.... She had the same experience as you with regards Caninsulin and then Lantus. Oscar went into remission very quickly on Lantus. But then the CHF was just around the corner. Joan is used to using the internet to find out information. She contacted the makers of Fancy Feast for the break down of ingredients. She is such a warm, bright person. You can contact her about her experience in Adelaide. She did the rounds of the best vets in Adelaide.

Amy, I didn't consider leaving LB at The Cat Clinic. The day I was there a kitty came in for boarding. I should have asked to see their cattery section. This is our first time in the Collingwood place - I went to see it and liked it. It's a bit weirdly set up but it had a nice warm atmosphere, very big cages and the guy I met seemed extremely serious about the cats. I'm not sure if they will test LB, they always have student vets working there - LB's numbers are all over the place. Yesterday he was 15 at 4pm and this morning he was 7.7 at 7am. What was the 15 all about? Husband didn't let him eat much yesterday - trying to get him to cut down on calories. Did that put his numbers up??? I've seen this happen to him from time to time. This is what I find so frustrating - it's just so hard to fathom with LB. I have the feeling that if I could employ one of the FDMB high flyers to come to our house 4 a few weeks, they would understand what's going on and get the little guy sorted. I have a feeling that LB is in the hands of morons. :roll:

I will PM you about how we might be able to help each other while the other is away. We cycle from Murrumbeena to Footscray some times. Son lives there.

Deb, thank you for your heart felt words. To call it a dance is so accurate. Sitting next to me as I write this is a very big ball of fluff. He's always there near by. The thought of him not being there keeps me going. Keeps us all going.....

As for a phone for the UK, I want to investigate using the mobile to make calls via skype. We don't have iphones but I think we need to buy one. I'll check out Brightroam. Leaving the little guy is going to be tuff. But I got a do it in the belief he will be ok.

Marilyn
 
marilyn
you hang in there. we have all been through what you are going through. heck, I have been at this for 5 years and I still get the , "I JUST CAN"T DO THIS ANYMORE" blues. as soon as I think I have my wheezer figured out, he tosses me a tuna fish. a deep breath and a quick prayer and i am off and running til the feeling hits again. and it will. it is normal.
also PLEASE read this before considering convenia again
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=convenia
it is by Dr lisa a vet that frequents the board when she can
 
totally out of the blue here but in regards to the phone thing. my fiance's family lives off the coast of Brisbane and two of his brothers were here a couple months ago for a visit. one brother tech savvy, the other not so much i think (me neither honestly) but the one went to an at&t store once here in the States and got a different chip for his telephone he brought from Australia. that gave him a local number here that we could call him on and he was able to snag in to anybody's wireless internet he came across or was available (mcdonald's, starbucks, etc....) and talk to his wife and kids via skype. not sure if it would be the same but i could maybe ask him how/where he found out about that chip perhaps or if it was something just available for the States or elsewhere?
 
Cindy + Mousie said:
totally out of the blue here but in regards to the phone thing. my fiance's family lives off the coast of Brisbane and two of his brothers were here a couple months ago for a visit. one brother tech savvy, the other not so much i think (me neither honestly) but the one went to an at&t store once here in the States and got a different chip for his telephone he brought from Australia. that gave him a local number here that we could call him on and he was able to snag in to anybody's wireless internet he came across or was available (mcdonald's, starbucks, etc....) and talk to his wife and kids via skype. not sure if it would be the same but i could maybe ask him how/where he found out about that chip perhaps or if it was something just available for the States or elsewhere?
Click to expand...

No, I think you can buy those anywhere--it's a pre-paid phone account and the chip is called a SIM card. I used to buy them when I went to NZ.
 
::::chip for his telephone he brought from Australia. that gave him a local number here that we could call him on and he was able to snag in to anybody's wireless internet he came across or was available (mcdonald's, starbucks, etc....) and talk to his wife and kids via skype.

I think our phone systems are compatible between the UK and OZ. But it would cost a bomb to make calls unless we can figure out how to use skype from our phone. We have a friend who does it from his iphone but we don't have iphones.

I tend to think that once you do your research and make a selection of an appropriate cattery you are 'in the lap of the gods'. You can't be worrying from thousands of miles away. However I think futuristic catteries will have web cams so you can see them any time. It would also be good to book a skype session to talk to kitty every so often. :cool:
 
Hi Marilyn,
I just happened to see your post about Little Boy. I think you are a wonderful mommy to him and it sure isn't easy for you with all his complications. It does sound that you are managing him well. The food and skin allergies are so difficult, wow. I know that the diabetes worries you too, but you have to treat the most important things first. He needs to eat, breath and thrive. You can always adjust the insulin dose after his other needs are taken care of first. Sometimes that is just how is HAS to be. Focusing on the whole cat is what you are doing and that is the loving way to be.

Sometimes we get caught up in the BG numbers of diabetes and forget to take a step back and consider the whole kitty. I'm sure it is hard to read about some of us lucky ones that have an easy go of it and you start to wonder why can't your own kitty be that way. My heart aches for you in those situations.

Several members have linked to the information about the antibiotic Convenia so I won't add that in. But I will say that if Little Boy has already had a couple of shots, he may be one of the ones that is NOT sensitive to it. As Dr. Pierson said in her article... yes there are some situations where it has been ok, otherwise it would not still be on the market. Since this is "after the fact" for Little Boy, I don't think you should panic. He seems to be one of the ones that could handle it. It is always good to be very cautious with antibiotics but his reality is - he did fine.

Food amounts for big kitties... I can only speak to what my 17.5 lb. (8 kg) kitty eats. To maintain his weight, no gain, no loss: BigMac eats at least 3 cans of Fancy Feast per day. That is 9 ounces. Each can I give is approximately 80-95 calories per can so he eats just under 300 calories a day. He has a waist and his shoulders are wider than his hips. He could gain a pound and I wouldn't worry, he's actually somewhat slim.

I did want to comment that now that my kitty is off insulin and I still test him; his BG is always higher in the morning before he's eaten. It seems weird that his numbers would be higher on an empty tummy, but it is almost always that way. After he has a meal... I check in a couple of hours and the BG is much lower. The pancreas is working on producing insulin as a result of the food. I think you saw some of that with Little Boy too. (Food helping to lower the BG numbers.)

Best of luck for you and for Little Boy. Have a wonderful visit with your daughter and I'm sure Little Boy will be in good hands while you are on holiday. I read somewhere that cats have no sense of time, so when you get back he will think you've only been gone a day. I don't know if it's true, but it always helps me to believe that. :lol:
 
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