I'm new. About our Amy

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Hadasah

Member Since 2014
I'm new here and want your opinions if you have the time. My name is really Susan but I use the name
Hadasah online. Always. Why? I like the name.

This is about our 19 1/2 year old cat Amy but first I want to tell you about Chelsea. We have a
cat sanctuary and have for over 20 years. Our vet is great. When I call about something he asks me what I think
the problem is before giving his opinion. 99.9% of the time he believes I'm right.
When Chelsea was 19 plus years old I thought she might have diabetes, so I called. I listed her symptoms...
excess drinking, excess going potty, huge appetite but loosing weight slowly. The vet said she had typical diabetes
symptoms but suggested that I do nothing. Oh. Chelsea also had kittie Alzheimers and had periods of total confusion.
The vet said that bringing her in, testing her and trying to regulate insulin would be too traumatic for Chelsea.
He told me what to expect.... that she would stop eating, go into a coma, and pass away. This is exactly what happened.
She stopped eating just 2 days before she died. She died just a month before her 20th birthday. She seemed to have no discomfort at all.

On to Amy. When the excess thirst and going potty so often started, I called the vet. He gave me a prescription for an antibiotic
just in case she had a UTI. It didn't help. Then she started eating a LOT (wet food). Not all that much at a time but very often. Then
she started slowly loosing weight.
I called the vet again. He said the same thing....do nothing. He said at age 19 1/2 not much would help her but treating her would
traumatize her. Even changing the pillow case on her favorite pillow upsets her. She hasn't needed to go to the vet since she was
spayed...MANY many years ago. She has never until now been sick a day in her life.
Amy does have arthritis but she has a ramp to get to her favorite chair and another at the end of our bed so that she can
easily get up and down.
Amy doesn't appear to be in any discomfort but that is my question to you. IS she suffering in any way? Should we have her
put down? Or should we allow the disease to progress until she passes away?

Thank you to all who have taken the time to read this 'book'.

Hadasah
 
What I have always heard is that an untreated diabetic starves to death because their body can't process the food effectively and that is not a slow process. It may be that your older kitty was ill with other issues. We generally suggest that the cat be put to sleep rather than go untreated.

If you think it would be traumatic for your older cat to go through treatment, that is certainly understandable, but, if she were mine, I'd have her put to sleep rather than not treat her. She has lived a long, good life. Having said that, this is a treatable disease that can be done at home, with diet change, home testing and insulin. If you want to go that route, we'd love to help you.
 
Your vet is terribly mis-informed Susan

If Amy is generally healthy otherwise, diabetes should never be a death sentence. Sue is correct about what happens if it's not treated. All cells in the body need glucose to live. Food is broken down into glucose (among other things), and then enters the bloodstream to get to all the cells of the body.

Insulin is what allows the glucose to enter the cells. Without it, they slowly starve to death, which is not a gentle way to die.

We can help you learn everything you need to know if you should decide to try.
 
Hello, and welcome to FDMB.

I have to agree with everything that Sue and Chris have said.

If it is the case that Amy has diabetes, and you do not think it appropriate in her case to treat it, then the most humane course of action would be to have her put to sleep. A kindly and painless death would be the best gift you could give her.

As to how much Amy is suffering, well, as I'm sure you know, cats are masters at hiding their pain and discomfort.

If you'd like to consider treating Amy's diabetes we can certainly help you. We've had folks here who've had cats aged 19 and older at diagnosis. And in the cases I recall the insulin treatment still greatly improved those kitties' quality of life.

Do you know for sure that this even is diabetes?
You could test Amy's pee with Ketodiastix strips (that test for glucose and ketones).
If glucose is present then you could go a step further and get a glucose meter to check her blood glucose. If Amy is OK with having her head touched this need not be difficult to do. It shouldn't hurt her and is a very quick process.
You can do all of the above without taking her to a vet, and without disturbing her unduly at all.
Here are links to two pages of pics and info about urine testing and blood glucose testing:
http://www.sugarpet.net/urine.html
http://www.sugarpet.net/bloodtst.html

You might even try switching Amy over to a lower carb wet diet (if she isn't already eating that.) Switching from higher carb to low carb food can reduce the blood glucose levels quite a bit in some cats. (What exactly is she eating at the moment?)

If you decide to try Amy on insulin then please know that the insulin shots shouldn't hurt her. Many of us give insulin shots while our cats are eating, and they often don't even notice.

I know this is not an easy choice for you.

Please let us know if we can be of further help.

Eliz
 
I have had two senior cats (17 years when diagnosed) that had diabetes. Your vet is wrong that it is traumatic. It was the opposite. The bonds between me and my cats grew stronger each day. Cats rarely feel the insulin shots and adjust well to being hometesting. The only traumatic part of the process was the initial trip to the vet to be officially diagnosed. Hometesting will also eliminate unnecessary trips to the vet just to be tested.

Even though I lost my first 17 year old a few months after his FD diagnosis to CRF, Witn lived for 2 more years. I eventually lost her to CRF also.
 
How can I ever thank those of you who replied about our Amy.

I had no idea that they die from starvation. The vet didn't tell me that. I think his idea of doing nothing has to do with
Amy's age but since some of you treat very old cats...

STARVATION? Well, this is NOT going to happen. The eating often thing is pretty recent. My hubby told me that he doesn't believe
that Amy has lost any weight at all. Amy's mood is happy. Oh yes, I, like all of you, know that cats are experts at hiding discomfort.
Our Chelsea, who I told you about, didn't seem to be in any discomfort. Now I know better.
At this very moment my hubby is at the pharmacy picking up a glucose meter and test strips. We didn't need a prescription. The meter
is free...the strips are only $10 for 50.
We will test her tonight. That will confirm the diagnosis....if indeed she does have diabetes. The symptoms are there so I'll bet
Amy is indeed diabetic.

The pharmacist said that the older types of insulin are cheap...the newer types are expensive. Which type do you guys use? Just so that
you know, we don't make much money but we spare no expense when it comes to the cats. Whatever they need, they get.

Yes, I'm going to need your help if you are willing to give advise.
THANK YOU!

Hadasah
 
We suggest three insulins - Lantus, Levemeir and ProZinc. They are all long lasting and mild. They are more expensive than Vetsulin (Canninsulin) or Humulin, but they work much better. The cheapest alternative of the 3 good ones is BCP PZI (which is a form of insulin like ProZinc). It is compounded and some people don't like that, but users here have had success with it. It tends to run $50 or less a vial. ProZinc is more in the $100 range as are Lantus and Levemir. Lantus and Levemir are human insulins that have a great track record getting cats into remission. (sometimes you can get them in a smaller size if the pharmacy will cooperate) ProZinc is also a human insulin that the manufacturer says has been formulated just for felines.

People have had some success with Vetsulin on this forum. It usually tends to hit fast, dropping the cat low in the early part of the cycle and it doesn't last 12 hours in most cats. But if your cat is one of the unusual ones who get a longer cycle with it and a milder response, it might work.

In general, I'd just suggest that you go with one of the ones that have a better track record.
 
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