Please forgive me if I misspell or don't use the accepted terms on your board. I just found it today and am emotionally distressed.
My little man Maddox has been with me for 8 years, outlasting any other relationship I've had for sure. In April 2012 was diagnosed diabetic, and initially put on 2 units of Lantus twice daily. End of November 2012 I noticed a slight drop in weight and some symptom changes to his situation and was hopeful he might be fighting off the need for injected insulin. Brought him into the vet who did fructosamine, which came back "well regulated". Did not pursue a glucose curve because of the expense at the time. Almost a month to the day later, had a couple thousand dollar hypoglycemic episode complete with seizures bring me to the local vet ER. Once stabilized, brought him home and reduced him to 1 unit per instruction. Went in for followup with regular vet and then back again for a curve once he had been on 1 unit for a week. Vet recommended upping to 1.5 units, which I had to get .3 CC syringe for because it's hard to measure and no one would compound. In the meantime, I know I haven't been monitoring his levels like I should in part because it's so difficult to get even a drop of blood out of his ear but really that's no good excuse. My vet never told me about monitoring ketones in his urine.
Today had to take him in again and he is diagnosed with Ketoacidosis. I feel like it's my fault that he's now experienced two of the worst possible situations that a cat with his diagnosis could. I have done exactly what my vet has instructed me, we still aren't out of the woods. Do I need to find a new vet? Today they are saying an overnight stay, possibly two at the ER and that's quite an expense. Everyone I talk to says to euthenize; everything I read online says not to. Some say "get a second opinion" for the treatment and I'm not really sure that would be helpful. I would have thought that a curve and fructosamine would help to resolve the challenge of regulation after all this time but it has not. He will not use a litter box, (hasn't since shortly before the diabetes diagnosis) and we've comprimised on puppy pads. He's been eating Merrick low glycemic index canned food for several weeks, and prior had been on Friskies canned. Any advice is much appreciated, TIA for reading.
My little man Maddox has been with me for 8 years, outlasting any other relationship I've had for sure. In April 2012 was diagnosed diabetic, and initially put on 2 units of Lantus twice daily. End of November 2012 I noticed a slight drop in weight and some symptom changes to his situation and was hopeful he might be fighting off the need for injected insulin. Brought him into the vet who did fructosamine, which came back "well regulated". Did not pursue a glucose curve because of the expense at the time. Almost a month to the day later, had a couple thousand dollar hypoglycemic episode complete with seizures bring me to the local vet ER. Once stabilized, brought him home and reduced him to 1 unit per instruction. Went in for followup with regular vet and then back again for a curve once he had been on 1 unit for a week. Vet recommended upping to 1.5 units, which I had to get .3 CC syringe for because it's hard to measure and no one would compound. In the meantime, I know I haven't been monitoring his levels like I should in part because it's so difficult to get even a drop of blood out of his ear but really that's no good excuse. My vet never told me about monitoring ketones in his urine.
Today had to take him in again and he is diagnosed with Ketoacidosis. I feel like it's my fault that he's now experienced two of the worst possible situations that a cat with his diagnosis could. I have done exactly what my vet has instructed me, we still aren't out of the woods. Do I need to find a new vet? Today they are saying an overnight stay, possibly two at the ER and that's quite an expense. Everyone I talk to says to euthenize; everything I read online says not to. Some say "get a second opinion" for the treatment and I'm not really sure that would be helpful. I would have thought that a curve and fructosamine would help to resolve the challenge of regulation after all this time but it has not. He will not use a litter box, (hasn't since shortly before the diabetes diagnosis) and we've comprimised on puppy pads. He's been eating Merrick low glycemic index canned food for several weeks, and prior had been on Friskies canned. Any advice is much appreciated, TIA for reading.
