My Wife and I are full time missionaries that have spent the last 20 plus years leading groups of volunteers in charitable projects around the world. We are completely unpaid, but do receive housing, food, and most basic needs from the agency we serve with.
We are educated professional people who chose this lifestyle freely based on our personal convictions, and out of a passion to help people in need. We have no regrets and, although the lifestyle necessitates some sacrifices, we've never felt like we were lacking anything we needed. Actually, we've always felt quite blessed.
We were unable to have children (our greatest sorrow), but we have found great comfort from the companionship of our two rescue kitties, Mocha and 'Spresso. Mocha, a tortoise shell, has always been "puffy", overweight even, until about 6 or 7 months ago.
We changed the food, trying to find something that might be healthier and, at first, it seemed to be good for them both. Mocha appeared to have lost some weight, but when we took her in for her annual hair cut and grooming, we realized she had actually lost quite a bit.
At first, we thought that was a good thing. But as time went on, it was clear she was continuing to lose and we started to wonder. Finally, about a couple weeks ago, we took her to the vet. "Just to be safe".
The frustration started before the actual diagnosis. The vet had expressed a small amount of concern when he really paid attention to the weight lost. But he was vague and offered no specific idea of what the concern could be. He took some basic tests and told us he'd call in about a week. A week came and went, though, with no call.
In the meantime, Mocha started acting strangely. Being very withdrawn, hiding in her box, drinking a CRAZY amount of water and eventually, not interacting hardly at all. I became concerned and tried to call the vet for the results of the test and to ask if we should be concerned. Unfortunately, the staff kept putting us off, saying the doctor was busy. The test results were in, but they wouldn't tell us what they were, saying the doctor would have to call. It was several days before he did, though. That's when we found out Mocha had Diabetes, with the tests revealing her blood sugar over 600.
We were devastated, of course. We had friends who had had a cat with Diabetes and they had told us that the costs were about 300 dollars a month plus vet visits. In light of the lifestyle we lead, there is no way we could do anything even close to half that. Probably not even a quarter.
I tried to call back and get more clarity, hoping I would hear of some way to save money or get help. The staff were all I got through to again, and they were not very helpful, other than confirming that the costs were likely starting at 300 dollars a vial. (Although they could not tell me how many vials I'd need in a month). We set an appointment for the next day, the earliest they would see us, even though they said Mocha might be enteringKetoacidosis. (A terrifying thought once we discovered what it was.)
In desperation, I searched for answers online and found this site. I was so encouraged to hear about possible home treatment options, and it seemed like we might have at least a prayer of being able to do that on the 50 dollars a month we might be able to squeak out.
At the appointment the next day, we were glad to find out that Mocha was NOT in Ketoacidosis, but rather, just dehydrated. They gave her some sort of hydration therapy and had us buy some expensive dry diabetic food from them. We fed her that for a week, as they instructed and, with some help from friends, took her back for another appointment. 130 dollars bought us two tests of her blood sugar and a 2 dose shot of insulin. By the end of the day, her blood sugar was down to 118 and seemed stable.
When the doctor insisted we buy a vial of insulin from him at 170 dollars, we asked him how long it would last. He said it wasn't certain. Could be 2 weeks, could be 2 months. When we asked about buying insulin elsewhere, he said we couldn't without a prescription and that he would not write a prescription for it as it is often fatal to use human insulin on cats, and not usually effective anyway. We asked about testing at home and he told us that was ill advised as well, stating that the testing was not reliable and that she could die since the tests could be wrong.
We explained our financial situation to him and he informed us that there was no way we could treat her on our budget. He stopped just short of telling us to give up and seemed to suggest we spend untilwe couldn't, and then look for agencies that might help with the bill. That seemed like strange advice, and counter what I've read on here.
So, here I am.
Confused. Discouraged. Overwhelmed.
Perhaps a bit desperate.
Mocha seems to be doing much better. Acting like herself, if a bit ravenous. Friendly. Purring. I can't imagine giving up on her.
But I don't know what to do.
I'm hoping y'all can help.
Here are the questions I hope will lead to an answer that will save the day.
I can try to raise support to buy the 5pak of pens you recommend from Canada. How long might that last the average cat? (Keep in mind, my cat was a 2 dose 1 shot a day to start. The vet thought she might end up a 3 or 4 dose a day cat.)
Is it true that the human insulin and test devices you recommend can work?
Do you need prescriptions for them?
What do I do as my vet will not prescribe them?
How can I learn how to test or properly dose if my vet won't help?
Are most vets like this, or do I just have a bad vet?
Why did my vet prescribe this dry cat food, 1/3 a cup, twice a day, if wet food is better?
Should I ignore and go to the wet food you recommend? How much per day? Still twice a day, 12 hours apart?
The vet said we could just do the food, but her life expectancy would be shorter. What are we talking? Months, Years?
Sorry for all the questions. We hardly know where to begin. I appreciate you taking the time to read this.
I gratefully await thoughts and advice.
I attached a picture of our dear friend, Mocha.
We are educated professional people who chose this lifestyle freely based on our personal convictions, and out of a passion to help people in need. We have no regrets and, although the lifestyle necessitates some sacrifices, we've never felt like we were lacking anything we needed. Actually, we've always felt quite blessed.
We were unable to have children (our greatest sorrow), but we have found great comfort from the companionship of our two rescue kitties, Mocha and 'Spresso. Mocha, a tortoise shell, has always been "puffy", overweight even, until about 6 or 7 months ago.
We changed the food, trying to find something that might be healthier and, at first, it seemed to be good for them both. Mocha appeared to have lost some weight, but when we took her in for her annual hair cut and grooming, we realized she had actually lost quite a bit.
At first, we thought that was a good thing. But as time went on, it was clear she was continuing to lose and we started to wonder. Finally, about a couple weeks ago, we took her to the vet. "Just to be safe".
The frustration started before the actual diagnosis. The vet had expressed a small amount of concern when he really paid attention to the weight lost. But he was vague and offered no specific idea of what the concern could be. He took some basic tests and told us he'd call in about a week. A week came and went, though, with no call.
In the meantime, Mocha started acting strangely. Being very withdrawn, hiding in her box, drinking a CRAZY amount of water and eventually, not interacting hardly at all. I became concerned and tried to call the vet for the results of the test and to ask if we should be concerned. Unfortunately, the staff kept putting us off, saying the doctor was busy. The test results were in, but they wouldn't tell us what they were, saying the doctor would have to call. It was several days before he did, though. That's when we found out Mocha had Diabetes, with the tests revealing her blood sugar over 600.
We were devastated, of course. We had friends who had had a cat with Diabetes and they had told us that the costs were about 300 dollars a month plus vet visits. In light of the lifestyle we lead, there is no way we could do anything even close to half that. Probably not even a quarter.
I tried to call back and get more clarity, hoping I would hear of some way to save money or get help. The staff were all I got through to again, and they were not very helpful, other than confirming that the costs were likely starting at 300 dollars a vial. (Although they could not tell me how many vials I'd need in a month). We set an appointment for the next day, the earliest they would see us, even though they said Mocha might be enteringKetoacidosis. (A terrifying thought once we discovered what it was.)
In desperation, I searched for answers online and found this site. I was so encouraged to hear about possible home treatment options, and it seemed like we might have at least a prayer of being able to do that on the 50 dollars a month we might be able to squeak out.
At the appointment the next day, we were glad to find out that Mocha was NOT in Ketoacidosis, but rather, just dehydrated. They gave her some sort of hydration therapy and had us buy some expensive dry diabetic food from them. We fed her that for a week, as they instructed and, with some help from friends, took her back for another appointment. 130 dollars bought us two tests of her blood sugar and a 2 dose shot of insulin. By the end of the day, her blood sugar was down to 118 and seemed stable.
When the doctor insisted we buy a vial of insulin from him at 170 dollars, we asked him how long it would last. He said it wasn't certain. Could be 2 weeks, could be 2 months. When we asked about buying insulin elsewhere, he said we couldn't without a prescription and that he would not write a prescription for it as it is often fatal to use human insulin on cats, and not usually effective anyway. We asked about testing at home and he told us that was ill advised as well, stating that the testing was not reliable and that she could die since the tests could be wrong.
We explained our financial situation to him and he informed us that there was no way we could treat her on our budget. He stopped just short of telling us to give up and seemed to suggest we spend untilwe couldn't, and then look for agencies that might help with the bill. That seemed like strange advice, and counter what I've read on here.
So, here I am.
Confused. Discouraged. Overwhelmed.
Perhaps a bit desperate.
Mocha seems to be doing much better. Acting like herself, if a bit ravenous. Friendly. Purring. I can't imagine giving up on her.
But I don't know what to do.
I'm hoping y'all can help.
Here are the questions I hope will lead to an answer that will save the day.
I can try to raise support to buy the 5pak of pens you recommend from Canada. How long might that last the average cat? (Keep in mind, my cat was a 2 dose 1 shot a day to start. The vet thought she might end up a 3 or 4 dose a day cat.)
Is it true that the human insulin and test devices you recommend can work?
Do you need prescriptions for them?
What do I do as my vet will not prescribe them?
How can I learn how to test or properly dose if my vet won't help?
Are most vets like this, or do I just have a bad vet?
Why did my vet prescribe this dry cat food, 1/3 a cup, twice a day, if wet food is better?
Should I ignore and go to the wet food you recommend? How much per day? Still twice a day, 12 hours apart?
The vet said we could just do the food, but her life expectancy would be shorter. What are we talking? Months, Years?
Sorry for all the questions. We hardly know where to begin. I appreciate you taking the time to read this.
I gratefully await thoughts and advice.
I attached a picture of our dear friend, Mocha.
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