GI panel results from vet post-discharge

[Paigeworthy]

Got a call from the emergency vet with final test results from before we brought River home after her DKA hospitalization.

I am REALLY wary of overmedicating her (I hate Western medicine for myself and do not want to turn this girl into a drug-dependent zombie) and wondered if any of you have experience with any of what's on this report.

I do not feel like this vet is super equipped to deal with a diabetic cat and do not want to give her injections or orals that she doesn't 100% need. Obviously some of the stuff might be unrelated to diabetes and indicative of other health issues…

Anyway, check it out and if you feel qualified to comment I welcome your thoughts.

 

[manxcat419]

Well B12 (cobalamin) isn't a medication, it's a supplement even when given by injectable. If you really, really don't want to do the injectable (although it's recommended because cats that don't absorb nutrients well may not get much benefit from oral cobalamin) then Pure Encapsulations sell methylcobalamin in 1000 mcg capsules. The reason for using Pure Encapsulations, especially for a diabetic is because it contains no sugars, which a lot of the B12 supplements do. Usual dose for a cat would be the contents of 1/2 capsule daily mixed with food although if you're seeing neuropathy you might well need to go higher with the dose.

With the metronidazole (which is an antibiotic and has no equivalent in any type of alternative medicine), at the dose you've been prescribed for her, it's being used to remove the bacterial overgrowth in her gut. You really have to do that first before you can focus on long-term treatment to prevent it happening again. Many cats with IBD end up on steroids or chlorambucil (chemotherapy) for life because they can't be controlled any other way. If the metro gets her to the point where neither of those is necessary with careful dietary management, I would think the metro is the better option if you're looking to avoid long-term medication with any conventional option.

I should add that neither is directly related to her diabetes, although cats with diabetes do fairly often present with other concurrent issues. If she has EPI (which appears not to be clear at this point - they're looking to treat for low B12 and probable IBD/lymphoma) then you can often add digestive enzymes to her food to control that. However, for now getting the IBD under control and her B12 levels up looks to be their primary concern.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

I would go with the injectable cobalamin. You can get a large vial for about $15 but a script is required. My IBD cats were on that for life. They were also on metronidazole for life. They were also on oral budesonide for life.

 

[Paigeworthy]

I would go with the injectable cobalamin. You can get a large vial for about $15 but a script is required. My IBD cats were on that for life. They were also on metronidazole for life. They were also on oral budesonide for life.

Thank you Larry! I have an email in to my vet about all this. Hi to your sweet kitties!