Courtney and Kismet
Member Since 2012
Hi everyone,
I made my username without realizing I was supposed to use my name and my cat's. Pennydreadful is my internet alias that I always use, referring to the 18th century British serial horror magazines that cost a penny. (I am a literature graduate student and teach College Composition, so forgive my overt literary nerdiness!)
My name is Courtney, and my sweet 3 year old male shorthair domestic is Kismet.
A little background info on my cat: Kismet has always been a healthy, active, sweetheart that I found and rescued when he was 2 months old. He is an only pet and lives exclusively indoors.
Case History:
In Late July, I took him to the emergency vet when I spotted a little bit of bright red blood in his vomit. Earlier that day, he'd had a serious coughing fit, what I'd thought was a hairball. He was acting normal, but thought I should get him checked out. The vet gave him a thorough physical exam, but didn't take any blood or do any x-rays because she didn't think it was necessary and was trying to spare me the exorbitant costs of such services. She said the blood was most likely the result of an irritated esophagus or stomach from hairballs. She prescribed Kismet Laxatone and sent him on his way.
I did a little bit of research on hairballs, and decided to switch him from science diet dry food to Wellness brand wet food. His retching episodes increased to between 3-4 xs a day and he wasn't producing any hairballs, but was eating and defecating normally. I was dosing him with Laxatone after every episode, up to 4xs a day. He started drinking excessive amounts of water and urinating a lot as well. After consulting my Cat Owner's Veterinary Handbook http://www.amazon.com/Owners-Veteri...ated/dp/047009530X/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20 two things occurred to me: 1) Perhaps he was having asthma attacks, not hairballs, and 2) The Laxatone was maybe making him Diabetic. I promptly stopped giving him Laxatone and his thirst and urination returned to normal. He continued to cough at unprecedented rates.
I also read that asthma could be the result of allergies. The only thing different in his lifestyle was his food. I discontinued feeding him Wellness right away and switched him back to his old food and scheduled an appt with the vet the next day.
They did an x-ray and couldn't find any evidence of severe asthma. At any rate, they prescribed a nebulizer with a mixture, oral prednisolone, and an antibiotic to give to him. His asthma attacks didn't decrease at all, in fact they increased, and additionally, he started drinking and urinating a lot again and became withdrawn and lethargic. Concerned, I phoned the vet and she told me to stop by to pick up a script for Theophylline 100mg.
The next week, I got a phone call and they told me he was diabetic. (Goes to explain the frequent urination.) She instructed me to stop all other medications and to start insulin. He now gets an injection of 3 units of Lanus 2x a day. I asked her if there was an alternative to the Theophylline as I'd read it was bad for diabetic cats, so she prescribed flovent 220mcg 1x120. We haven't received the Flovent yet as it was ordered from Canada and will take a few weeks to arrive. The vet instructed me to give the bronchiodilator pills if needed, but they haven't made any difference and only make his life (and mine) miserable. At this rate, I wonder if he even needs the asthma medication. He has had only one episode since he started receiving insulin. I asked the vet if coughing was a symptom of Diabetes and she said it wasn't, but I'm not so sure since there seems to be a strong correlation and his x-rays kept coming back negative.
I am hoping that both his asthma and diabetes are situational. I'm very suspicious that his glucose levels were high as a result of the Laxatone and maybe the Prednisolone. I mentioned this to the vet and she told me it was unlikely that he developed diabetes in a month, but it was her group that prescribed both medications and she may just be trying to cover her a**. Kismet is a big cat, but not obese according to his docs. He is a tall, long cat and weighs in at around 15 lbs.
I've read a lot of conflicting information on what to feed cats, especially diabetic/asthmatic ones. My vet insists organic, canned wet foods are just a fad, and says that he should stay on the Hills w/d dry because it is good for his teeth. wth? So I will get a toothbrush! It would be a small inconvenience and it seems far more important that I provide him with a better diet, right? At any rate, I will not be going back to Wellness since I suspect that may be what triggered the allergic asthma attacks, but was wondering if perhaps there is a better alternative out there. I read that dry foods are bad for diabetic cats because they are rich in carbohydrates, even those that claim to be low-fat, low-carb. I am planning on switching him over to a canned food such as EVO, Nature's variety or Fancy Feast as soon as I am able to consult with his vet. Raw diets are not feasible for me as I often work late and don't have time to prepare meals for him, let alone myself. And after all of these vet bills, I am on a strict Ramen diet! As far as treating his asthma, I've switched his litter to Feline Pine (a low dust, all natural litter.)
Overall, he seems to be doing much better now, more energetic and cuddly. We go back in 4 weeks for a check up. This is another thing that concerns me. She told us we don't need to do at home glucose testing, that she will do in the office when we go back. When he was initially diagnosed, she did not do a Glucose curve and based her prescription on two blood tests taken roughly a week apart. Both readings were around 450. I feel like this is negligent on her part and she may be putting my cat in danger. What if his levels were elevated due to stress? Are 3 units of insulin twice a day a good starting dosage? Why didn't she try to change his diet first? Furthermore, why did she instruct me to start administering insulin and have me start feeding Hills Prescription w/d dry at the same time? Isn't that change alone enough to potentially alter his levels? Most of these questions came to me after our visit to the vet once I started reading up on Diabetes over the past few days. I am worried that my vet is seriously out of touch when it comes to treatment based on some of her decisions and recommendations. Not to mention her gross oversight... In the span from July 27 to September 12 he went to the vet 3xs. We didn't finally get the diagnosis until the 12th and $1500 later!
I have scheduled an appointment with a specialist for Tuesday, hoping that she will be able to provide more insight and a draw up a more thorough treatment plan. If nothing else, I want a second opinion and permission to switch his diet asap. If there is a possibility I can regulate him to the point that he is off the insulin, I will literally cry tears of joy.
Any thoughts, recommendations, and/or support would be greatly appreciated. I love my kitty like he were my child, and I imagine all of you do to since you're on this board. It's nice to find a community here of aliurophiles who understand what it is like when you love your pets as though they were family members, and how emotionally taxing it can be to receive such horrible news that they are sick. I am especially concerned because my boy is so young, he's only three! I want to do everything possible to ensure that he has a long, healthy, and happy life... whatever it takes.
Thanks so much!
Courtney and Kismet
I made my username without realizing I was supposed to use my name and my cat's. Pennydreadful is my internet alias that I always use, referring to the 18th century British serial horror magazines that cost a penny. (I am a literature graduate student and teach College Composition, so forgive my overt literary nerdiness!)
My name is Courtney, and my sweet 3 year old male shorthair domestic is Kismet.
A little background info on my cat: Kismet has always been a healthy, active, sweetheart that I found and rescued when he was 2 months old. He is an only pet and lives exclusively indoors.
Case History:
In Late July, I took him to the emergency vet when I spotted a little bit of bright red blood in his vomit. Earlier that day, he'd had a serious coughing fit, what I'd thought was a hairball. He was acting normal, but thought I should get him checked out. The vet gave him a thorough physical exam, but didn't take any blood or do any x-rays because she didn't think it was necessary and was trying to spare me the exorbitant costs of such services. She said the blood was most likely the result of an irritated esophagus or stomach from hairballs. She prescribed Kismet Laxatone and sent him on his way.
I did a little bit of research on hairballs, and decided to switch him from science diet dry food to Wellness brand wet food. His retching episodes increased to between 3-4 xs a day and he wasn't producing any hairballs, but was eating and defecating normally. I was dosing him with Laxatone after every episode, up to 4xs a day. He started drinking excessive amounts of water and urinating a lot as well. After consulting my Cat Owner's Veterinary Handbook http://www.amazon.com/Owners-Veteri...ated/dp/047009530X/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20 two things occurred to me: 1) Perhaps he was having asthma attacks, not hairballs, and 2) The Laxatone was maybe making him Diabetic. I promptly stopped giving him Laxatone and his thirst and urination returned to normal. He continued to cough at unprecedented rates.
I also read that asthma could be the result of allergies. The only thing different in his lifestyle was his food. I discontinued feeding him Wellness right away and switched him back to his old food and scheduled an appt with the vet the next day.
They did an x-ray and couldn't find any evidence of severe asthma. At any rate, they prescribed a nebulizer with a mixture, oral prednisolone, and an antibiotic to give to him. His asthma attacks didn't decrease at all, in fact they increased, and additionally, he started drinking and urinating a lot again and became withdrawn and lethargic. Concerned, I phoned the vet and she told me to stop by to pick up a script for Theophylline 100mg.
The next week, I got a phone call and they told me he was diabetic. (Goes to explain the frequent urination.) She instructed me to stop all other medications and to start insulin. He now gets an injection of 3 units of Lanus 2x a day. I asked her if there was an alternative to the Theophylline as I'd read it was bad for diabetic cats, so she prescribed flovent 220mcg 1x120. We haven't received the Flovent yet as it was ordered from Canada and will take a few weeks to arrive. The vet instructed me to give the bronchiodilator pills if needed, but they haven't made any difference and only make his life (and mine) miserable. At this rate, I wonder if he even needs the asthma medication. He has had only one episode since he started receiving insulin. I asked the vet if coughing was a symptom of Diabetes and she said it wasn't, but I'm not so sure since there seems to be a strong correlation and his x-rays kept coming back negative.
I am hoping that both his asthma and diabetes are situational. I'm very suspicious that his glucose levels were high as a result of the Laxatone and maybe the Prednisolone. I mentioned this to the vet and she told me it was unlikely that he developed diabetes in a month, but it was her group that prescribed both medications and she may just be trying to cover her a**. Kismet is a big cat, but not obese according to his docs. He is a tall, long cat and weighs in at around 15 lbs.
I've read a lot of conflicting information on what to feed cats, especially diabetic/asthmatic ones. My vet insists organic, canned wet foods are just a fad, and says that he should stay on the Hills w/d dry because it is good for his teeth. wth? So I will get a toothbrush! It would be a small inconvenience and it seems far more important that I provide him with a better diet, right? At any rate, I will not be going back to Wellness since I suspect that may be what triggered the allergic asthma attacks, but was wondering if perhaps there is a better alternative out there. I read that dry foods are bad for diabetic cats because they are rich in carbohydrates, even those that claim to be low-fat, low-carb. I am planning on switching him over to a canned food such as EVO, Nature's variety or Fancy Feast as soon as I am able to consult with his vet. Raw diets are not feasible for me as I often work late and don't have time to prepare meals for him, let alone myself. And after all of these vet bills, I am on a strict Ramen diet! As far as treating his asthma, I've switched his litter to Feline Pine (a low dust, all natural litter.)
Overall, he seems to be doing much better now, more energetic and cuddly. We go back in 4 weeks for a check up. This is another thing that concerns me. She told us we don't need to do at home glucose testing, that she will do in the office when we go back. When he was initially diagnosed, she did not do a Glucose curve and based her prescription on two blood tests taken roughly a week apart. Both readings were around 450. I feel like this is negligent on her part and she may be putting my cat in danger. What if his levels were elevated due to stress? Are 3 units of insulin twice a day a good starting dosage? Why didn't she try to change his diet first? Furthermore, why did she instruct me to start administering insulin and have me start feeding Hills Prescription w/d dry at the same time? Isn't that change alone enough to potentially alter his levels? Most of these questions came to me after our visit to the vet once I started reading up on Diabetes over the past few days. I am worried that my vet is seriously out of touch when it comes to treatment based on some of her decisions and recommendations. Not to mention her gross oversight... In the span from July 27 to September 12 he went to the vet 3xs. We didn't finally get the diagnosis until the 12th and $1500 later!
I have scheduled an appointment with a specialist for Tuesday, hoping that she will be able to provide more insight and a draw up a more thorough treatment plan. If nothing else, I want a second opinion and permission to switch his diet asap. If there is a possibility I can regulate him to the point that he is off the insulin, I will literally cry tears of joy.
Any thoughts, recommendations, and/or support would be greatly appreciated. I love my kitty like he were my child, and I imagine all of you do to since you're on this board. It's nice to find a community here of aliurophiles who understand what it is like when you love your pets as though they were family members, and how emotionally taxing it can be to receive such horrible news that they are sick. I am especially concerned because my boy is so young, he's only three! I want to do everything possible to ensure that he has a long, healthy, and happy life... whatever it takes.
Thanks so much!
Courtney and Kismet
Many here have gone through the same with their Vets. There is wealth of information here...Please keep us updated.
I've never had any problems with either of mine, and rarely (almost never) get a bad reading, or an error code. On the rare occasion that I do get an error code, it's typically due to "user error"...either I didn't have enough of a blood drop...or I stuck the strip right smack into a large blood drop ('cause I didn't have my glasses on); as opposed to "sipping/sucking/wicking" from the edge of the blood drop. You also have to consider the ongoing cost of test strips, and this meter is one of the most cost effective (along with the Relion Micro). Both of these meters use the same test strips, and require just a tiny blood sample (0.3 micro-liter).
