CB Terri
Member Since 2020
Two cats to the vet last week - my diabetic cat was not diagnosed, my non-diabetic cat WAS. The LOOOONG story:
I took my 10 year old dsh foster-failure (lol) Cotton to my vet last Tuesday. He has been with me 2 years, a former victim of abuse, and was in poor condition when he first came to me, with bald stress-licked patches and an attitude of hate to other cats. In 2 years he had put on weight and a good coat, and in calm consistent home, his confidence improved and he became a sweet and loving gentleman.
Two Saturdays ago he went a couple days without eating, but drinking at the fountain for minutes and minutes and.... He's never drank like that prior. Combined with the refusal to eat, which he NEVER has done, and formerly dropping some of his dried kibble when he *was* eating, I suspected a systemic infection because his gums seemed very red and he had a darker tooth. I gave him a doxycycline suspension 20mg (okay for cats, good for blood infections from dental issues) till I could get him to the vet. But really, I didn't know what was ailing him.
(Background- All my 6 indoor cats had been eating either Whiskas seafood or Purina Senior 7+ all their time with me - no wet. But I noticed that Cottie was a bit thinner so I decided to add in wet food to see if it would help him gain flesh, and ended up giving it to them all -(Friskies canned Chicken pate/turkey & giblets/beef). And all seemed to do well till last week.
FYI, it is next to impossible to get to see my vet without a beast's leg hanging off - vets here where I live are an hour away from me in one direction, 1.5 hours the other way. They don't have any active medical care or diagnostics after 5 pm, just cage them and a vet tech comes in during the night to do I dont know what.
It so happened that I an appointment for my cat Sootie for regular vomiting/constant diarrhea/teeth grinding that I had to wait 3 weeks to get in for (*another story, one which I managed to resolve on my own helpful pet store owner advice - diet change for suspected food intolerance))
I had to substitute in Cotton and forego Sootie, to get him seen.
I waited 2 hours in the parkinglot beyond my appointment time and finally got in with Coton.
When I saw the vet I said I suspected a systemic infection regarding his teeth, mentioned the weight loss and water loading, advised I was fully prepared to pay for bloodwork. Vet took Cottie's temp, looked in his mouth and said no infection, no gum probems, gave him a long-acting shot of penicillin and sent us home. No mention the symptoms were diabetic - just rush rush out.
The very next night my 13 year old dsh female Sookie vomited 3 times through the evening, everything up - it was only food, nothing else.I didn't think much of it since they do throw harballs with regularity.
But the next day she didn't eat OR drink. She was lethargic, not really paying attention to me, and NOT EATING anything, even treats, which is big time concern for her (and Cotton, the mooches of the house). Sookie will steal entire pork chops out of a package thawing in the sink - she loves her food. So when she doesnt eat for two days AND doesnt drink I am freaking out and not sleeping, syringing water to her. She accepted two blades of grass reluctantly, but didnt bring them up so I suspected an internal blockage like a big hairball. I called the vet at home, and had to beg for an appointment - he said to call the office next morning (Fridat) and they would get me in either the next day or Saturday.
Appointment for 3pm.
I was there, and the staff just wanted me to leave her there overnight. NO!! She needed looking at TODAY - not sit in a cage there and die alone in a strange place with nothing done like my cat Baby had 13 years before at that same vet, I am still scarred by that nightmare.
I refused to leave Sookie and said I'd take her home and 'observe' her there and bring her back the next day but PLEASE look at her. I said I had money for bloodwork, xray or ultrasound. They said the vet was going to stop in on his way to another office for 15 minutes, so they asked him to look at her after I did my best to insist.
He took her temperature, felt her belly and said she 'seemed sore'. I convinced him to at least do bloodwork before the office closed at 5pm and asked if that was going to show any internal blockage? No answer.
Got the bloodwork back.
All was normal but BG was 15 - he said my cat was diabetic and very dehydrated, showed me how to inject insulin, gave me a botle and syringes with directions for 2 units 2x per day. No mention of home monitoring. We gave her one dose 2 units there. He told me to get pedialyte snd syringe it into her till she resumed drinking.
My mother is diabetic so I went and got an accuchek monitor so I could test her.
The next morning she had a fasting BG of 10 so I followed the vet advice and gave 2 units.
But I couldn't shake that she didnt seem diabetic, always energetic & playful, normal water and eating, till this episode.
So I continued to test her the past 3 mornings and she has been 5.0, 5.6 and 7.7 in mornings with no insulin. I will continue to monitor.
Now here is the last word - I tested Cotton this weekend and Saturday night BG was 26.8, his FASTING morning sugar was 25. This morning it was in that area too. I gave him 2 units morning and night on Sunday, 2.5 units this morning before his food.
So here I am, trying to figure this all out, was feeling quite overwhelmed and without vet support becausd had I followed my vet's advice, Sookie would most likely be dead from hypoglycemia, and Cotton undiagnosed. I know there a GREAT vets out there, but I am not experiencing that sort of servicd here.
If you have read all this, you are likely as exhausted as me. I am going to take a short nap!!
I took my 10 year old dsh foster-failure (lol) Cotton to my vet last Tuesday. He has been with me 2 years, a former victim of abuse, and was in poor condition when he first came to me, with bald stress-licked patches and an attitude of hate to other cats. In 2 years he had put on weight and a good coat, and in calm consistent home, his confidence improved and he became a sweet and loving gentleman.
Two Saturdays ago he went a couple days without eating, but drinking at the fountain for minutes and minutes and.... He's never drank like that prior. Combined with the refusal to eat, which he NEVER has done, and formerly dropping some of his dried kibble when he *was* eating, I suspected a systemic infection because his gums seemed very red and he had a darker tooth. I gave him a doxycycline suspension 20mg (okay for cats, good for blood infections from dental issues) till I could get him to the vet. But really, I didn't know what was ailing him.
(Background- All my 6 indoor cats had been eating either Whiskas seafood or Purina Senior 7+ all their time with me - no wet. But I noticed that Cottie was a bit thinner so I decided to add in wet food to see if it would help him gain flesh, and ended up giving it to them all -(Friskies canned Chicken pate/turkey & giblets/beef). And all seemed to do well till last week.
FYI, it is next to impossible to get to see my vet without a beast's leg hanging off - vets here where I live are an hour away from me in one direction, 1.5 hours the other way. They don't have any active medical care or diagnostics after 5 pm, just cage them and a vet tech comes in during the night to do I dont know what.
It so happened that I an appointment for my cat Sootie for regular vomiting/constant diarrhea/teeth grinding that I had to wait 3 weeks to get in for (*another story, one which I managed to resolve on my own helpful pet store owner advice - diet change for suspected food intolerance))
I had to substitute in Cotton and forego Sootie, to get him seen.
I waited 2 hours in the parkinglot beyond my appointment time and finally got in with Coton.
When I saw the vet I said I suspected a systemic infection regarding his teeth, mentioned the weight loss and water loading, advised I was fully prepared to pay for bloodwork. Vet took Cottie's temp, looked in his mouth and said no infection, no gum probems, gave him a long-acting shot of penicillin and sent us home. No mention the symptoms were diabetic - just rush rush out.
The very next night my 13 year old dsh female Sookie vomited 3 times through the evening, everything up - it was only food, nothing else.I didn't think much of it since they do throw harballs with regularity.
But the next day she didn't eat OR drink. She was lethargic, not really paying attention to me, and NOT EATING anything, even treats, which is big time concern for her (and Cotton, the mooches of the house). Sookie will steal entire pork chops out of a package thawing in the sink - she loves her food. So when she doesnt eat for two days AND doesnt drink I am freaking out and not sleeping, syringing water to her. She accepted two blades of grass reluctantly, but didnt bring them up so I suspected an internal blockage like a big hairball. I called the vet at home, and had to beg for an appointment - he said to call the office next morning (Fridat) and they would get me in either the next day or Saturday.
Appointment for 3pm.
I was there, and the staff just wanted me to leave her there overnight. NO!! She needed looking at TODAY - not sit in a cage there and die alone in a strange place with nothing done like my cat Baby had 13 years before at that same vet, I am still scarred by that nightmare.
I refused to leave Sookie and said I'd take her home and 'observe' her there and bring her back the next day but PLEASE look at her. I said I had money for bloodwork, xray or ultrasound. They said the vet was going to stop in on his way to another office for 15 minutes, so they asked him to look at her after I did my best to insist.
He took her temperature, felt her belly and said she 'seemed sore'. I convinced him to at least do bloodwork before the office closed at 5pm and asked if that was going to show any internal blockage? No answer.
Got the bloodwork back.
All was normal but BG was 15 - he said my cat was diabetic and very dehydrated, showed me how to inject insulin, gave me a botle and syringes with directions for 2 units 2x per day. No mention of home monitoring. We gave her one dose 2 units there. He told me to get pedialyte snd syringe it into her till she resumed drinking.
My mother is diabetic so I went and got an accuchek monitor so I could test her.
The next morning she had a fasting BG of 10 so I followed the vet advice and gave 2 units.
But I couldn't shake that she didnt seem diabetic, always energetic & playful, normal water and eating, till this episode.
So I continued to test her the past 3 mornings and she has been 5.0, 5.6 and 7.7 in mornings with no insulin. I will continue to monitor.
Now here is the last word - I tested Cotton this weekend and Saturday night BG was 26.8, his FASTING morning sugar was 25. This morning it was in that area too. I gave him 2 units morning and night on Sunday, 2.5 units this morning before his food.
So here I am, trying to figure this all out, was feeling quite overwhelmed and without vet support becausd had I followed my vet's advice, Sookie would most likely be dead from hypoglycemia, and Cotton undiagnosed. I know there a GREAT vets out there, but I am not experiencing that sort of servicd here.
If you have read all this, you are likely as exhausted as me. I am going to take a short nap!!
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