majandra
Member Since 2018
I'm the person who notices everything about my animals, and those around me. I have saved lives from noticing minor things. Thankfully, when I was first learning, I had a close friend who was very knowledgeable to tell me what was important or not (and she got lots and lots of texts and calls!). I also worked in health care, and some things translate to the animal world. I care a lot about animals, and can't just sit back knowing something could be wrong.
It was a very busy summer- it was way too hot, work was crazy, we were renovating our house to sell it, and we were also in the process of buying a new place. We also tried to squeeze in a couple of mountain trips for our sanity.
Fast forward to moving day. It was an organized chaos- family who could lift moved things, those that couldn't either fixed things, cleaned, or cooked. The cats settled in quick it seemed, but Rhubarb was having trouble walking. We brought her to the vet- and he said diabetes. I was blindsided, and then realized I saw all the signs and misread them. I feel horrible.
Rhubarb is around 13 or 14. She has been overweight for years despite portion control. She's been slowing down as we expected for her age. But during the spring and summer, she seemed increasingly tired. Once summer hit and we were crazy busy, I thought I kept forgetting to clean the litter box or fill waters. It was hot, the water seemed to be evaporating. Rhubarb was acting funny, laying in weird spots, but she also remembered moving before, and was stressed from that, and from all the changes with renos. It was hot and she doesn't like the heat. She didn't always finish her food. She didn't always beg like usual. And sometimes she begged despite having food. I picked up some healthy treats for her. She seemed so stressed, so we gave her extra love and attention, hoping that the move wasn't going to kill her. Even our other two cats were being less annoying to her!
Hindsight is 20/20. How did I see all that as anything other than possible diabetes? She was drinking lots, peeing lots, lethargic, losing weight/coat condition, etc. That's classic signs. Instead, I attributed the symptoms to other things, until she developed neuropathy that anyone could see. Me- the one who notices everything, to the point of people saying I pay way too much attention. My poor girl is hurting, because I didn't notice all the signs.
Ok, enough beating myself up- I can't change the past. I'm doing everything I can now to learn and care for her with diabetes. I'm hoping that you all will be able to answer questions I may have, offer support if needed, and I hope that at some point, I can help out others in return. If you made it to the end of this, thank you.
It was a very busy summer- it was way too hot, work was crazy, we were renovating our house to sell it, and we were also in the process of buying a new place. We also tried to squeeze in a couple of mountain trips for our sanity.
Fast forward to moving day. It was an organized chaos- family who could lift moved things, those that couldn't either fixed things, cleaned, or cooked. The cats settled in quick it seemed, but Rhubarb was having trouble walking. We brought her to the vet- and he said diabetes. I was blindsided, and then realized I saw all the signs and misread them. I feel horrible.
Rhubarb is around 13 or 14. She has been overweight for years despite portion control. She's been slowing down as we expected for her age. But during the spring and summer, she seemed increasingly tired. Once summer hit and we were crazy busy, I thought I kept forgetting to clean the litter box or fill waters. It was hot, the water seemed to be evaporating. Rhubarb was acting funny, laying in weird spots, but she also remembered moving before, and was stressed from that, and from all the changes with renos. It was hot and she doesn't like the heat. She didn't always finish her food. She didn't always beg like usual. And sometimes she begged despite having food. I picked up some healthy treats for her. She seemed so stressed, so we gave her extra love and attention, hoping that the move wasn't going to kill her. Even our other two cats were being less annoying to her!
Hindsight is 20/20. How did I see all that as anything other than possible diabetes? She was drinking lots, peeing lots, lethargic, losing weight/coat condition, etc. That's classic signs. Instead, I attributed the symptoms to other things, until she developed neuropathy that anyone could see. Me- the one who notices everything, to the point of people saying I pay way too much attention. My poor girl is hurting, because I didn't notice all the signs.
Ok, enough beating myself up- I can't change the past. I'm doing everything I can now to learn and care for her with diabetes. I'm hoping that you all will be able to answer questions I may have, offer support if needed, and I hope that at some point, I can help out others in return. If you made it to the end of this, thank you.
