Tracy0504 and Zarley
Member
I was a member of this board previously but (except for using the Amazon link to make purchases), haven't been back for several months. I think I just posted this (previously) on the wrong board. Everything has changed. This site has always been a Godsend. Today is no exception.
My 12-year-old cat, Zarley, was diagnosed with FD in November of 2008. So many people here helped me through everything from testing to monitoring to dosage (my vet, through it all, has been little or no help and even told me at one point I know more about FD than she ever will).
I'm sitting here shaking as I type this.
Ever since his diagnosis, Zarley has been on Vetsulin. It took him awhile to get him regulated, but we finally did it. I get new bottles of insulin every few months. In mid-December, I got a new bottle of Vetsulin from the vet and ordered new syringes online. Ever since then, Zarley's thirst and hunger seemed to slowly return. I started testing him and was shocked to see his numbers in the 400s again. I hadn't seen numbers that high since he was first diagnosed.
I did what most people would do. I monitored more closely. I double-checked all the canned food labels to see if maybe the ingredients had changed. I altered the dosages slightly. He'd be in the mid-400s, I'd give him a shot, the numbers would go down but only for a few hours. By the 6-hour point, he was back to his pre-shot BG. I took more curves, thinking maybe rebound was the culprit. I tested the syringes just using water and shooting it in the air thinking maybe the needles were defective. Two days ago I went back to the vet to get replacement syringes. I figured if that wasn't it, maybe I'd punctured the insulin bottle wrong or ...I don't know. I just knew something was wrong.
I came back to the great resource of this board, seeking information about a cat's numbers suddenly becoming higher after being regulated so long. It was then I found a post by someone who said something like, "You're not giving your cat Vetsulin, right? The company recalled it and is no longer making it."
Many of you here already know this, but the FDA issued a warning about Vetsulin as far back as early November. http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/new ... 188752.htm I read this and my heart dropped. I live in a rural area. I am only one of two people at my vet's office who has a diabetic cat on insulin. My vet not only failed to tell me about the Vetsulin issue in November, but she SOLD me Vetsulin in mid-December and failed to say anything when I was there for syringes two days ago (did I mention I'm sitting here, shaking?).
I know there are a lot of posts on different meds, but my main concern now is that I'm going to call my incompetent vet and she's going to tell me I'm either making a big deal out of nothing or she has to order other meds and to keep him on Vetsulin until then. I'm going to try to get Zarley to a new vet tomorrow but if I have to deal with my previous vet I will. I am so glad I came back here and learned about the recall.
It's after midnight and I'm trying to learn all I can about all these other types of insulin before I need to call the vet at 8am. I don't know Lantus from Levemir or..... I'm just looking for something I can do on a 12 hour cycle as I did with Vetsulin. I just need some direction on what to do next. Anyone? Again, as always, thank you.
My 12-year-old cat, Zarley, was diagnosed with FD in November of 2008. So many people here helped me through everything from testing to monitoring to dosage (my vet, through it all, has been little or no help and even told me at one point I know more about FD than she ever will).
I'm sitting here shaking as I type this.
Ever since his diagnosis, Zarley has been on Vetsulin. It took him awhile to get him regulated, but we finally did it. I get new bottles of insulin every few months. In mid-December, I got a new bottle of Vetsulin from the vet and ordered new syringes online. Ever since then, Zarley's thirst and hunger seemed to slowly return. I started testing him and was shocked to see his numbers in the 400s again. I hadn't seen numbers that high since he was first diagnosed.
I did what most people would do. I monitored more closely. I double-checked all the canned food labels to see if maybe the ingredients had changed. I altered the dosages slightly. He'd be in the mid-400s, I'd give him a shot, the numbers would go down but only for a few hours. By the 6-hour point, he was back to his pre-shot BG. I took more curves, thinking maybe rebound was the culprit. I tested the syringes just using water and shooting it in the air thinking maybe the needles were defective. Two days ago I went back to the vet to get replacement syringes. I figured if that wasn't it, maybe I'd punctured the insulin bottle wrong or ...I don't know. I just knew something was wrong.
I came back to the great resource of this board, seeking information about a cat's numbers suddenly becoming higher after being regulated so long. It was then I found a post by someone who said something like, "You're not giving your cat Vetsulin, right? The company recalled it and is no longer making it."
Many of you here already know this, but the FDA issued a warning about Vetsulin as far back as early November. http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/new ... 188752.htm I read this and my heart dropped. I live in a rural area. I am only one of two people at my vet's office who has a diabetic cat on insulin. My vet not only failed to tell me about the Vetsulin issue in November, but she SOLD me Vetsulin in mid-December and failed to say anything when I was there for syringes two days ago (did I mention I'm sitting here, shaking?).
I know there are a lot of posts on different meds, but my main concern now is that I'm going to call my incompetent vet and she's going to tell me I'm either making a big deal out of nothing or she has to order other meds and to keep him on Vetsulin until then. I'm going to try to get Zarley to a new vet tomorrow but if I have to deal with my previous vet I will. I am so glad I came back here and learned about the recall.
It's after midnight and I'm trying to learn all I can about all these other types of insulin before I need to call the vet at 8am. I don't know Lantus from Levemir or..... I'm just looking for something I can do on a 12 hour cycle as I did with Vetsulin. I just need some direction on what to do next. Anyone? Again, as always, thank you.
