i'm upset with my vet

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stan_disuko

stan_disuko

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eddie has been newly diagnosed. it's been an emotional time. i have not lost sight of the fact that i'm probably more sensitive to things during this period.

however, i am upset with my vet. they have not even come close providing me with the information that i have gleaned from this forum and it's members. some of this information i feel is extremely important, like how to avoid a Hypo and how to deal with a Hypo if it does happen. Also, how to properly gauge how whether too much insulin, not enough is being given. these are basics, and my vet did not even touch on them.

this was basically my scenario:

1. eddie sure is drinking and peeing alot
2. Woah..eddie has lost 4 pounds..time for a vet visit
3. Vet is pretty sure it's diabetes, takes blood and urine samples
4. Blood samples come back, indicate diabetes (i had to ask over the phone for things like specific numbers from the report)
5. Vet says to make an appointment to have a technician demo the insulin injection
6. Go in the next day, receive the terribly poor demo and some new food (which included dry food)

Something MAJOR things i feel were missing from the above...

- types of insulin...i'm a neophyte here...i had no idea there were different types...why didn't my vet advise me? i feel like they don't have eddie in their best interests, maybe only their pockets in terms of money from Canisulin

- how to properly read the BG levels...they didn't cover this. like..um...what? seriously? this is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING...i had to ask *myself* what his number was for the initial test..then i had to ask what was normal...that's all i knew at that point..."26.3 is high...normal is between 8 and 12"..that's ALL I WAS TOLD.

- they haven't mentioned anything about follow-up appointments or what their short and long-term goals are with eddie.

i'm quite upset about all of this. i feel like i should call and complain...thank goodness for the information and people on this website/forum...i truly would have been lost without it.
 
Sadly, that is often the experience people have with many vets. Some vets are well versed in diabetes and really continue to try and educate their clients and work with them in managing their patient's diabetes.


Many vets come into contact with so many owners who do not want to treat diabetes, that they give up on trying to educate their clients and assume all are such owners. They consider themselves lucky to get a client to agree to insulin injections and thus provide only the most basic care. And I strongly suspect a lack of current education on the part of the vets is also the case. If a vet doesn't continue to keep abreast of most recent things in their field, their knowlege quickly becomes old. Thus, what they recommend is outdated and not complete.

You were wise to take matters into your own hands and educate yourself. You were wonderfully proactive. If your vet is the type of person you can communicate with and learn together, perhaps you can gently educate them as you treat your own pets. If not, maybe it is time to look at other vets.
 
When Oliver was diagnosed, we were sent home with 4 units twice daily of insulin and told our dry diet was okay. Then the vet went on a Christmas break for two weeks. However, she is still our vet. She is compassionate and caring.

But she is like most vets. She has to know a little about a lot of subjects for both dogs and cats. She is not a feline diabetes specialist. And many pet owners want just a little information. They just want to give shots - that in itself is overwhelming. Many never look any further. They aren't interested in doing the research you did.

We eat, sleep and drink feline diabetes. :mrgreen: There is a lot of collective wisdom here
And we know our protocol has helped hundreds of cats.

Use this event to help your vet learn. Ours now advocates home testing and wet lo carb food.
 
Stan,

Please don't be too hard on your vet, they are a lot general practicers they have to know a lot about a lot of different species, and many of them just don't stay up-to-date on feline diabetes. Also probably out of 8 years of education they may only recieve a few hours on feline diet, and those are usually given by a pet food company.

I felt the same frustration when trying to find help for my first sugarcat Muse, we went through 3 different vets before finally finding the one I use now. They didn't have much of a clue how to help Muse either, but at least they readily admitted that they knew the basics but not anything really specific but together we started researching and I landed here. Unfortunately it was by then too late for Muse. But my vet also by then had a whole new bunch of skills to help the next diabetic cat they saw, and have called me a couple of times for other FD clients since then, to get things for them like Janet and Binky's food charts etc.

Some vets are trainable, some aren't. IF you really don't like them for a various of reasons then it is time to vet shop, if you like them for everything but Eddie's diabetes then see if they are willing to learn from you. When I adopted my sugarcat Max from this board he had just been fully vetted and the only thing wrong with him was that he was a diabetic, so to date Max has never set a paw in my vet's office. They know he exists, they have all vet records he came with, but since there have been no other health issues and since he was already up-to-date on his vacinations there has been no reason to take him in. Once a month I send them his spreadsheet numbers and since currently he is in remission they haven't needed to see him on his diabetes either.

Right now unless he comes down with something other than diabetes that needs a Vet's attention I expect the first time they will actually see him in the fur so to speak will be when they see the rest of my furry horde when they go in for their yearly check-ups. Other than that I just handle his diabetes from home with the help of this board.

But again if you are truly unhappy with they way the care for Eddie, then start shopping around for a new vet, you could even try posting your general location and see if anyone here has a vet they would recommend.

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang
 
I agree with everything that's been said, most vets aren't nearly as knowledgeable about FD as this board is! Congratulate yourself on finding this site and remember to take some deep, cleansing breaths when it all seems too much. Keeping the right attitude with your vet could mean the difference for the next diabetic cat that comes in to them. You could help educate your vet!
 
Steve, I know you haven't wanted to post your location, but consider it as we may be able to find someone in your area with a better vet.

At the same time, you may want to try and talk with your vet. Perhaps they've never had a client interested in going beyond the basics before. Explain you are starting to research insulin options, food options, and that you want to be proactive and test, and be hands on and work as a team. See how your vet reacts...if positively then you have a chance with them. If negatively, well, then you know it is time to shop around.

Jen
 
I've been through a lot with my vets since 2006, but it is the animal hospital 15 minutes away, so in spite of that I've learnt all there was to learn starting here in 2008 and all sorts of scientifical diabetes related research, plus the fact that Simba hasn't been sick since fall 2008. With it all we have plotted along on our own with no more contact with the vets but every 6 months for blood test health check ups.

And while we've plotted along on our own, there has been leaps of changes at the hospital.
They no longer give cats information about dog diabetes.
They changed from insulin Insulatard to Lantus.
They advocate home testing.
They check for blood B-ketones.
They advocate low carb food.
They now also have Fortiflora.
They say No insulin shot if he is under 10 mmol - 180.

That is a HUGE improvement since Simba got the diabetes in 2006. It has taken several years for this better development, and since it is a fully equipped hospital with 24 hour ER and Intensive Care in emergency, I've never left. I have one other cat, 16 years old Gustav, so it is not all about Simba, Gustav needs the vets too, and now we also have three little 6 months old rescue kittens since last September (2 months old when we found them) and they've needed to go to the hospital too. I have also bought the FDMB sugar kitty calendar through here and will send one to the manager of the hospital, so they can give the webaddress to others with diabetes cats and they can come here. I am sure they will, in time, when it has matured, start advocating that too.


So as Simba been saying for years: Don't give up hope.


Hugs. It will be alright with time.
 
thank-you all for your balanced responses and advice.

my nerves are shattered...it's so hard to find my own, usual perspective right now. thanks everyone for being here!
 
I agree with what the others have said so far, and add my two cents. Most of us learned most of what we know about feline diabetes from this site. You want a vet who is willing to work with you.

I really love my vet, but she is very much a GP and she does large and small animals. There is no way she can know everything about all species. But she was always very receptive to my questions and suggestions about Maggie's diabetes. She once said she was always willing to learn. We were PARTNERS in Maggie's care.

She didn't suggest home testing, but when I asked about it she thought it was a great idea and gave me her mother-in-laws old meter. When Humulin U was discontinued, she was not happy with the insulins she knew about. I asked if she had heard of Levemir or Lantus. She hadn't - they are human insulins and were very new to veterinary use then. I gave her print outs about them, she called around to Ohio State, colleagues, and choose Levemir for Maggie.

So don't be too mad at your vet or give up on him/her yet. You may be able to work with them and maybe you can both learn something.
 
I can understand!! We are in the process now of looking for a new vet. The last vet we went to,the one who diagnosed pumpkin, only wanted to give the insulin based on their curve. They refuse to consider his daily bg #'s and the two curves I did at home. They insist that since I won't purchase and use a meter designed for dogs and cats and will only use a human meter my bg results are inaccurate and untrustworthy.Since I wouldn't bring him in for a curve they refused to give me a script for his insulin.I even went with log book in hand,that contained not only his bg #'s but his urine output per day,BM,how much he ate,and his activity levels. They wouldn't budge from their position.Did I mention that the meter they want me to purchase is over $200.00. I am so glad to have found this site.
 
Stan--

I am right there with you... I've been at this for a month now, and my vet and I just had a mutual breakup today (you can read my condo over in Lantus for the details). Ultimately, you are caring for your cat everyday, not your vet. Your vet may be a giant ball of misinformation, but if they are willing to be partners in this endeavor, you may be okay... From what I've read, I think would probably recommend requesting a change in insulin if I were in your shoes.

I'll post more soon, but for now, know that you are in good hands here.

Have a great night!

Christie and Willie
 
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