Newly Diagnosed But Skeptical

[CalicoHaley]

Hello everyone,

Our 9 year old calico Haley was just diagnosed with diabetes yesterday at the vet when a blood panel revealed her glucose to be 393. We had taken her in for an emergency visit because she had a seizure. Our vet instructed us to try to get her on wet food, get her weight down slowly (she's 23 pounds, down 5 ounces from 2/13), and to give her 2 units of Lantus after meals in the morning and night immediately. We were to bring her in next Friday to check her levels again.

However, I'm highly skeptical about this diagnosis.

Upon reading advice from this forum, I decided to use my personal glucometer to check her sugar. We didn't give her any insulin last night because she didn't eat (she was very stressed, scared, and angry after her seizure and then immediately being manhandled-which she hates-by the vet afterwards, and then she came home and warned off our other cat Percy whenever he came near....she actually hid under our living room chair all night). We decided to hold off on the blood sugar test and insulin until the morning to see if she would be hungry enough to eat a full meal (she's a grazer).

After we were able to get her out from underneath the chair (14 hour fast), her sugar read 72 on my OneTouch Ultra Mini. I checked our other cat during his fast; his read 69. Her appetite still isn't back up to what it was before, but she grazed a bit this morning and afternoon. I think she's still recovering from the seizure. I couldn't get enough blood just now to check again and wasted two strips trying. I only have one strip left until Monday.

She's also not been drinking more water or eating more than usual and the litter box isn't flooded.

I'm thinking we should hold off on the insulin because the 393 may have been a stress-dump. She had a very, very hard afternoon before and at the vet. What do you think? I'm kind of mad at the vet as he didn't let us know the stress dump could happen and he diagnosed her after just one blood sugar test. I'm also very wary about taking her back to that facility or contacting them about this. If I hadn't tested her sugar this morning and we had given her 2 units of Lantus after just a couple of bites of food... well. We'd probably be breaking into the emergency corn syrup at the very least. Thank God we bought it yesterday after he gave us the insulin.

We get more test strips on Monday and I intend on trying for another reading soon with the last one I have. I'm supposed to call the vet back on Monday to talk about how it's been going and how she's been acting on the insulin.

Thanks for reading and in advance for any advice!

 

[beggargirl]

Did the vet take a blood sample and are they going to do a fructosamine test?

 

[Sean & Rufus]

If I were you, I'd keep testing testing testing over the weekend! When Rufus was diagnosed, he was 403. I made them do another test the next day and it was higher. Then we went ahead with insulin. 14 hours is a long fast, but I doubt if she was diabetic it would get that low. I could be wrong. Test her, feed her, then test again in abpout 2 hours maybe and see what it says.

I can't beleive a diagnosis of diabetic on 1 test? That seems negligent.

Please post back when you get more data. I'm very interested in what happens! Crossing my fingers that she isn't diabetic and feels better soon!

 

[CalicoHaley]

Did the vet take a blood sample and are they going to do a fructosamine test?

They took a blood sample to check her liver and kidneys and pancreas yesterday. That's when they found the 393 sugar. He didn't mention a fructosamine test, and I'm quite annoyed that he didn't and just sent us on our way with instructions to give 2 units of insulin twice a day.

 

[CalicoHaley]

If I were you, I'd keep testing testing testing over the weekend! When Rufus was diagnosed, he was 403. I made them do another test the next day and it was higher. Then we went ahead with insulin. 14 hours is a long fast, but I doubt if she was diabetic it would get that low. I could be wrong. Test her, feed her, then test again in abpout 2 hours maybe and see what it says.

I can't beleive a diagnosis of diabetic on 1 test? That seems negligent.

Please post back when you get more data. I'm very interested in what happens! Crossing my fingers that she isn't diabetic and feels better soon!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels it seems negligent. Can you imagine if we had given her the insulin this morning with a 72 sugar???

The only problem is that Haley still doesn't feel completely back up to par and her appetite is off, which will make it hard to measure a more "true" sugar response. But I think you're right in that if she's actually diabetic, without insulin she's not going to have very normal levels even if she fasts. I checked this morning fully expecting her to be in the high 100's or low 200's. I'll wait until after she (hopefully) nibbles a little more tonight or tomorrow and check her again. She's not voluntarily drinking water either (I forced 3 syringes down her a little while ago).

 

[CalicoHaley]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels it seems negligent. Can you imagine if we had given her the insulin this morning with a 72 sugar???

The only problem is that Haley still doesn't feel completely back up to par and her appetite is off, which will make it hard to measure a more "true" sugar response. But I think you're right in that if she's actually diabetic, without insulin she's not going to have very normal levels even if she fasts. I checked this morning fully expecting her to be in the high 100's or low 200's. I'll wait until after she (hopefully) nibbles a little more tonight or tomorrow and check her again. She's not voluntarily drinking water either (I forced 3 syringes down her a little while ago).

Like I said, if she had been eating and eating and drinking and drinking like no tomorrow over the last few weeks or even days pre-seizure, I wouldn't be half as skeptical. Sigh.

 

[Sean & Rufus]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels it seems negligent. Can you imagine if we had given her the insulin this morning with a 72 sugar???

The only problem is that Haley still doesn't feel completely back up to par and her appetite is off, which will make it hard to measure a more "true" sugar response. But I think you're right in that if she's actually diabetic, without insulin she's not going to have very normal levels even if she fasts. I checked this morning fully expecting her to be in the high 100's or low 200's. I'll wait until after she (hopefully) nibbles a little more tonight or tomorrow and check her again. She's not voluntarily drinking water either (I forced 3 syringes down her a little while ago).

Can you get some appeteite stimulants? Is she nauseous? Call the vet (or a different one maybe!) on Monday and see if you can get some meds. she might have pancreatitis, Rufus wouldn't eat then either.

 

[Sean & Rufus]

Like I said, if she had been eating and eating

I thought that eating was a sign, but my Rufus actually ate less. Is she eating anything at all today?

 

[Veronica & Babu-chiri]

I think your instincts are ok , and if it were me I would hold on starting the insulin specially if you are changing her to a wet diet (just make sure is low in carbs) and keep testing her at least a couple of times every day AM and PM let her eat as she usually does after a few days if her numbers are still high then you can start the inusulin

Did the vet said what was the reason for her seizure?

 

[Steph & Quintus & L & O]

Based on what you're reporting, if no fructosamine test was run and you're measuring normal numbers, I definitely share your skepticism. Just to be clear: she has had no insulin at all, right? (to make sure those low numbers are "clean")

Also because an unregulated cat nearing 400 would likely be super thirsty and hungry.

A seizure or other traumatic event can definitely make her BG shoot up for stress.

Was this your regular vet? I would call them Monday and tell them my BG readings and see how they react/deal with it. Depending on how that goes down, stick with them or go elsewhere.

Do make sure she eats something soon. Cats (particularly if overweight) can get fatty liver pretty fast if they don't eat (24h) -- vicious circle that will make you end up in the ER again. If necessary make some slushy and syringe-feed her some. When is the last time she ate?

 

[Veronica & Babu-chiri]

Did the vet mention any other issue? Infection maybe?

 

[tiffmaxee]

Another thought is pancreatitis. You are so right to not start insulin with a BG that low. Stress at the vet can cause it to rise. Usually not eating means nausea. Have you tried Gerbers 2bds baby food? It’s easy to syringe if she won’t eat it in her own and most cats really like it. It’s all meat. No garlic or onion.

 

[CalicoHaley]

Can you get some appeteite stimulants? Is she nauseous? Call the vet (or a different one maybe!) on Monday and see if you can get some meds. she might have pancreatitis, Rufus wouldn't eat then either.

Hello! Haley doesn't appear to be nauseous. My boyfriend and I have been watching her and she honestly seems like she's too worried about our other cat Percy coming around her to do anything but keep a lookout for him. It's almost like she feels too vulnerable to turn down to a bowl to eat/drink/use the liter pan? We go through this almost every time we have to take her or him to the vet and/or they're separated for longer than an hour. He's a very curious, playful cat and hence gets all up in her (and anyone any other cat's) face to see what's going on, meanwhile she gets very huffy and defensive and ends up hissing and growling at him to keep his distance. It doesn't help that she was the vulnerable one, this time. Last time this happened to this degree, it was Percy who came back from an overnight stay. Haley didn't accept him as part of the family for about 3-4 days, and she barely ate, drank, or went to the bathroom in the meanwhile. I'm kind of scratching my head because SHE'S the one who left this time, but then again she's always been a little finicky.

I used to have a tabby named Rufus! Oh, man. Pancreatitis, that's no good.

 

[CalicoHaley]

I think your instincts are ok , and if it were me I would hold on starting the insulin specially if you are changing her to a wet diet (just make sure is low in carbs) and keep testing her at least a couple of times every day AM and PM let her eat as she usually does after a few days if her numbers are still high then you can start the inusulin

Did the vet said what was the reason for her seizure?

Thanks! Yep, we're going to keep testing periodically (especially after food) and yes, we are trying to work in wet food and a lower-carb dietetic kibble into her regular kibble until we get to 100% wet. We're doing all the Fancy Feast options that are mainly poultry/beef and that the excel sheet everyone refers to here listed as being 10-13% carbs or less. She's eating around the dietetic kibble and spitting it out, the little brat lol.

The vet had no clue why since she wasn't hypo, her WBC was ok, her other levels were ok, and we couldn't think of anything that she got into but shouldn't have. I don't think he considered hypertension (even I would have, she's 23 pounds!). He thinks it may have been idiopathic and we're to keep an event log. We're honestly not impressed with him and I'm heavily considering taking her elsewhere.

 

[CalicoHaley]

Based on what you're reporting, if no fructosamine test was run and you're measuring normal numbers, I definitely share your skepticism. Just to be clear: she has had no insulin at all, right? (to make sure those low numbers are "clean")

Also because an unregulated cat nearing 400 would likely be super thirsty and hungry.

A seizure or other traumatic event can definitely make her BG shoot up for stress.

Was this your regular vet? I would call them Monday and tell them my BG readings and see how they react/deal with it. Depending on how that goes down, stick with them or go elsewhere.

Do make sure she eats something soon. Cats (particularly if overweight) can get fatty liver pretty fast if they don't eat (24h) -- vicious circle that will make you end up in the ER again. If necessary make some slushy and syringe-feed her some. When is the last time she ate?

That is correct: the 72 was after 14 hours of fasting with NO insulin. Again, her brother for comparison was 69 during his shorter fast, same glucometer. Also, I managed to get a reading on the last strip I had on-hand. After grazing kibble 4 times between 7am and 3pm and eating just a bit of Fancy Feast with gravy, at 3:45 she measured a 91.

I actually talked to my friend who's a Vet on the West Coast this evening: she agrees with our skepticism. Actually, she one-upped me by saying Haley most likely isn't diabetic and merely had a stress-dump. She did hm and haw over the 393, but agreed that her just having had a seizure 30 minutes before the manhandled blood test, with a 16 minute crate-constricted car ride, was an extraordinary circumstance. The fact that the vet didn't do a urinary analysis AND diagnosed diabetes off of one blood glucose reading AND prescribed *2* (as adverse to starting smaller and working up to 2) units of insulin 2x/day right out of the gates made her quite angry and she feels it was very irresponsible. As we all know here, insulin-induced hypoglycemia can kill.

This was Haley's second visit with this provider. We were trying to get her established, but right now I don't we're going to go back.

 

[CalicoHaley]

Did the vet mention any other issue? Infection maybe?

He asked a lot of questions to see if maybe she accidentally got poisoned or got infected by being outside and etc. At the end he chalked the seizure up to an idiopathic seizure, given that we don't have access to a pet MRI/CT in our area. Other than her weight and the new seizure development, as far as she looks and feels to both the vets we saw in the last month, she's a healthy girl.

 

[CalicoHaley]

Another thought is pancreatitis. You are so right to not start insulin with a BG that low. Stress at the vet can cause it to rise. Usually not eating means nausea. Have you tried Gerbers 2bds baby food? It’s easy to syringe if she won’t eat it in her own and most cats really like it. It’s all meat. No garlic or onion.

Thank you for confirming. Right now I'm actually tearing up thinking about what could have happened had I blindly listened.

And thank you for the suggestion. If she doesn't start her usual eating habits back up in the next two days I will go get some Gerbers. I replied above that I don't think it's pancreatitis as she doesn't appear to be nauseous, and the vet ran a blood test which I believe included her pancreas and WBC levels, but we'll confirm that with them when we call on Monday. It honestly seems to my boyfriend and I that she's feeling very vulnerable and defensive and is just being her usual stubborn, vigilant self in making sure her very enthusiastically-all-up-in-your-business brother doesn't bother her. When she got home yesterday he kind of jumped her in the hallway from behind and she snort-hissed at him, which made him yowl back... and ever since then they've been tense.

 

[CalicoHaley]

Update: Haley isn't back to 100% yet, but we've made some improvements

-I went to Walmart tonight to get more 10-13% or less (carb) Fancy Feast wet food, different treats, some packets of meat-prominent food that are suspended in broth (for hydration), and a cheapo-ReliOn meter until the other strips for my Onetouch come in on Monday. I wanted her to at least eat something else today so at about 9:30pm I tried giving her half a tube of that Delectables lickable chicken treat, a few Fancy Feast meat-based kibble bits, and about 10 Friskies soft treats. She voraciously devoured them (especially the lickable treat!) and has not thrown up, so I'm thinking no nausea. She's still turning her nose up at eating her kibble and wet food out of a dish and drinking water from a dish (but did actually drink a little on her own tonight), but then again, we gave her mixed 75% old kibble and 25% new dietetic kibble today #NOTSURPRISED

-We checked her blood sugar with the ReliOn Prime at 11:30pm, about 2 hours after all her treats. She read 79 and that's with no insulin administered. ReliOn isn't the best meter for repeatability and accuracy but the non-diabetic trend is holding thus far.

-She's been extremely reluctant to go anywhere but her "Scouting for her brother" chair and desk today, much like with being under the chair last night. I took her being on a chair over being under a chair, since both cats were able to get a little more exposure to each other, even if hissing and some yowling was involved. That being said, she hadn't gone to the bathroom since yesterday at 3pm because of this. So, I finally picked her up and plopped her into the liter box. She looked like she wanted to turn and run at first but she began padding and sniffing around and finally went piddle!

-We put her on her favorite blanket on her favorite spot on the couch tonight. I know, I'm awful for forcibly moving her from her lookout perch, but she can now fully stretch out and roll to her heart's content. And it's not as high a jump for when she wants/needs to get down.

Fingers crossed that she eats and drinks out of the bowls on her own a little more, tomorrow!

Thank you all for your comments and advice thus far!


Edit- The more I think about it, the more I suspect she has high blood pressure and that this is what caused her seizure. We will pursue this avenue.

 

[CalicoHaley]

SHE DRANK OUT OF THE DISH ON HER OWN!

 

[Steph & Quintus & L & O]

Yay! If she has high BP definitely get it dealt with. It's what made Quintus go blind. Also: what did the seizure look like? Was she kicking her hind legs violently? Or something completely different?

 

[CalicoHaley]

Yay! If she has high BP definitely get it dealt with. It's what made Quintus go blind. Also: what did the seizure look like? Was she kicking her hind legs violently? Or something completely different?

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that! Did you not find out he had high BP until after he went blind? I guess that happens with a lot of cases because cats aren't routinely checked for BP at vet visits

I actually woke up Friday afternoon and walked out into the seizure just beginning to edge off and my boyfriend consoling her. BF attests that she threw up two times and then just... flopped over onto her side, followed closely by loud "aimless" meowing, very dilated pupils, nystagmus, heavily panting, and fast and erratically "paddling" limbs. When I came out, she was beginning to regain coherence and some motor control but it took a good seven, eight minutes for the nystagmus and the worst of the panting to stop. (I was scared to death and cried my eyes out, I felt so awful for her and useless to her... we thought she was having a stroke). By the time we called the vet and boyfriend brought the crate down, she was coherent. Five minutes into our ride, the panting all but stopped, her pupils went back to normal, and her meows sounded much more "please let me out of the crate I want to be pet" than "YELLINGYELLINGYELLINGYELLING!"

 

[Sharon14]

Oh, how scary! I’m glad she’s doing better. She’s such a beautiful cat, I love her markings! I agree that the high bg reading was probably due to stress. One of mine did that but fortunately my vet said it was due to stress and to just spot check him for a few days to be sure. I did that and he’s never read out of the norm since.

 

[Steph & Quintus & L & O]

Did you not find out he had high BP until after he went blind? I guess that happens with a lot of cases because cats aren't routinely checked for BP at vet visits

Exactly. He wasn't completely blind so we were able to slow things down with meds. He still has some light/dark perception, but not much to go by. My vet now checks BP more regularly in older cats

As for the seizure, definitely seems potentially neurological? If it happens again, there is a support group called epi-felines (yahoo group + facebook) which seems pretty good.

 

[Sean & Rufus]

Please find a new vet I'm no doctor, and don't pretend to know things. But wow. She has a seizure and has to endure a car ride and here BG is up. Of course she's stressed, I think any creature that has had a seizure especially for the first time would be stressed. I think it's a good idea that he brought up the possibility of diabetes, but not to re-test on Monday or do a fruc test. Trust your gut feeling about this!

 

[CalicoHaley]

Update:

Haley has been grazing all day and ate about a third of a can of Fancy Feast beef in roast beef gravy about an hour ago (which I puréed and put a bit of Delectables Stew on top of). I just checked her sugar with the ReliOn Prime (which has historically read a bit high for me). I know it's not a full meal, but her sugar read 78. This is probably very close to her fasting sugar. She seems to be holding steady postprandial in the 70's-90's. If she had had a full meal, I honestly can't imagine her sugar going too far above 130 on a can of wet food or wet/dry mixed.

My cat may be diabetic in the future if we don't/can't get the weight off of her, but she's probably not diabetic right now.

Time to go down to the vet Monday/Tuesday and give him a piece of my mind But even though they charged us for the insulin needles, I will still donate the insulin and needles back so some one with a truly diabetic kitty can have them for free.

 

[CalicoHaley]

Exactly. He wasn't completely blind so we were able to slow things down with meds. He still has some light/dark perception, but not much to go by. My vet now checks BP more regularly in older cats

As for the seizure, definitely seems potentially neurological? If it happens again, there is a support group called epi-felines (yahoo group + facebook) which seems pretty good.

Well, live and learn from mistakes made I guess. That's good. I'm glad they adjusted their methods. I'm not glad it took your Quintus to inspire that, however.

Yeah, that's what it seemed like to us as well. I'm worried about it incited by her blood pressure though. I guess in cats it's kind of rare for them to have primary hypertension. Maybe her thyroid is wonky? Maybe it's her heart? We'll get more testing done. We want her to have a healthy rest of her life.

 

[Sean & Rufus]

Update:

Haley has been grazing all day and ate about a third of a can of Fancy Feast beef in roast beef gravy about an hour ago (which I puréed and put a bit of Delectables Stew on top of). I just checked her sugar with the ReliOn Prime (which has historically read a bit high for me). I know it's not a full meal, but her sugar read 78. This is probably very close to her fasting sugar. She seems to be holding steady postprandial in the 70's-90's. If she had had a full meal, I honestly can't imagine her sugar going too far above 130 on a can of wet food or wet/dry mixed.

My cat may be diabetic in the future if we don't/can't get the weight off of her, but she's probably not diabetic right now.

Time to go down to the vet Monday/Tuesday and give him a piece of my mind But even though they charged us for the insulin needles, I will still donate the insulin and needles back so some one with a truly diabetic kitty can have them for free.

78 is pretty good for eating what sounds like a higher carb meal! I wonder what the vet will say about all of this.

 

[CalicoHaley]

Please find a new vet I'm no doctor, and don't pretend to know things. But wow. She has a seizure and has to endure a car ride and here BG is up. Of course she's stressed, I think any creature that has had a seizure especially for the first time would be stressed. I think it's a good idea that he brought up the possibility of diabetes, but not to re-test on Monday or do a fruc test. Trust your gut feeling about this!

Well, after talking to my vet friend who specializes in cats and taking more blood glucose readings, I'm very confident Haley is not diabetic. I still don't think she's completely healthy aside from her weight, but we will pursue more testing to rule out hypertension and thyroid issues.

 

[tiffmaxee]

Well, live and learn from mistakes made I guess. That's good. I'm glad they adjusted their methods. I'm not glad it took your Quintus to inspire that, however.

Yeah, that's what it seemed like to us as well. I'm worried about it incited by her blood pressure though. I guess in cats it's kind of rare for them to have primary hypertension. Maybe her thyroid is wonky? Maybe it's her heart? We'll get more testing done. We want her to have a healthy rest of her life.

Max did have primary hypertension. Since it seems way too many vets don’t check a cat’s blood pressure unless they are sick I wonder just how common it really might be. I’m glad your cat doesn’t have diabetes. Watch for signs just in case.

 

[CalicoHaley]

Oh, how scary! I’m glad she’s doing better. She’s such a beautiful cat, I love her markings! I agree that the high bg reading was probably due to stress. One of mine did that but fortunately my vet said it was due to stress and to just spot check him for a few days to be sure. I did that and he’s never read out of the norm since.

I guess this kind of scenario isn't completely uncommon! That makes me kind of angry. If feline diabetes is becoming more and more prominent due to inappropriate carb-loaded kibble and free-feeding, wouldn't they as an institution want to KNOW more about the pertinent issues? Including stress-dumping? Ugh.

Thank you kindly! She gets compliments on her markings all the time

 

[Kris & Teasel]

Yes, her markings are very striking!

 

[Juliet]

They took a blood sample to check her liver and kidneys and pancreas yesterday. That's when they found the 393 sugar. He didn't mention a fructosamine test, and I'm quite annoyed that he didn't and just sent us on our way with instructions to give 2 units of insulin twice a day.

Two units seems to be a standard vet starting dose but it is too high. Even if insulin is needed you wouldn't start at that high a dose. 0.5 every 12 hrs is more usual. Sounds like she might not need it tho.

Beautiful calico by the way. My civvie also a calico.

 

[Juliet]

Update:

Haley has been grazing all day and ate about a third of a can of Fancy Feast beef in roast beef gravy about an hour ago (which I puréed and put a bit of Delectables Stew on top of). I just checked her sugar with the ReliOn Prime (which has historically read a bit high for me). I know it's not a full meal, but her sugar read 78. This is probably very close to her fasting sugar. She seems to be holding steady postprandial in the 70's-90's. If she had had a full meal, I honestly can't imagine her sugar going too far above 130 on a can of wet food or wet/dry mixed.

My cat may be diabetic in the future if we don't/can't get the weight off of her, but she's probably not diabetic right now.

Time to go down to the vet Monday/Tuesday and give him a piece of my mind But even though they charged us for the insulin needles, I will still donate the insulin and needles back so some one with a truly diabetic kitty can have them for free.

FYI fancy feast in gravy is high carb. You want low carb fancy feast classics.

 

[CalicoHaley]

Two units seems to be a standard vet starting dose but it is too high. Even if insulin is needed you wouldn't start at that high a dose. 0.5 every 12 hrs is more usual. Sounds like she might not need it tho.

Beautiful calico by the way. My civvie also a calico.

My vet friend also said it's too high to start off with. But I'm going to be donating the insulin and needles back as we honestly don't feel she's diabetic.

 

[CalicoHaley]

FYI fancy feast in gravy is high carb. You want low carb fancy feast classics.

Thanks. I forgot that the gravy options were more carb-loaded. It's still better than her dry kibble, though. And she doesn't eat pate. She won't even look at it, lol. I'm trying to figure out which tricks to start first to try to get her to switch from dry to wet. Once we go to wet, I can try to switch her from gravy to classic.

 

[CalicoHaley]

Yes, her markings are very striking!

Thank you! She's our big beautiful girl

 

[Steph & Quintus & L & O]

I was almost led to open up my civvie Erica for a biopsy (search for her in the Feline Health forum) because of what was very probably stress glucose dumping...

 

[Magic Johnson]

Hi - I’m new here but thought of something - I did not read every msg so please forgive if I missed something. While my cat is diabetic I myself am actually hypoglycemic - I have passed out before almost like a convulsion. Do you know the reason for the seizure? Could the seizure be the opposite and actually be low blood sugar? Might explain her ‘having an attitude towards the other cat’ when ur hypoglycemic it can be horrible and grouchy and like a different person (or cat).

ALSO in the past when I had more than one cat Timba-Tyne was 22 yo when I had to put him down, if he spent any time at the vet and then was brought home MAJI could smell another animals smell on him and would hiss at him until after a period of time when the normal smells of the house over road the vet smells. Haley seems frightened??? I’m new so I don’t know a lot yet but I sure love cats

 

[CalicoHaley]

Hello! It’s almost a week since my last reply and I just wanted to give a quick update!

Haley has regained her appetite and is drinking water of her own accord. She is also back on best friend terms with her brother She lost a bit of weight during the 3-4 days it took her to reacclimate and it seems she has more energy than before all this began? We’ve been playing almost every night and I even got her to run after a rope that I dragged all around the kitchen table a couple of nights in a row... we haven’t seen her run that fast and that much in at least two years!

She’s also having very little issue acclimating to the dietetic kibble. We hope to have her on 100% dietetic soon while we experiment with different wet food options to try to find one she likes that’s high in meat-based protein and low in carbs. While I’m on the topic of food, Haley used to throw up her kibble all the time. Since last Friday, I think she’s kept everything she’s eaten down. I’m honestly stumped since her appetite has returned, but I’ll take it!

Haley chowed down on about 1/4 cup 60% Purina Indoor/40% Purina dietetic kibble when I got home from work this morning. She then drank a fair bit of water, which made me worry, so I checked her sugar just to be safe as I had stopped checking after I felt confident she wasn’t diabetic. About two hours postprandial she tested 86mg/dl.

We have an appointment with a NEW vet at our facility on Monday. I’ll request that they do the big blood panel and a urinalysis, take her BP, and we’ll go over the blood sugar readings I took from her this week. Hopefully she’ll be less stressed this time; and if her sugar/urinalysis are ok and/or the vet agrees she’s not diabetic, we’re going to donate the insulin needles and Lantus to the facility so a truly diabetic kitty can get the help they need if their owner is low on funds.

And so far *KNOCK ON WOOD* no more neurological events as of yet!

I’ll post back on Monday! Thank you all so much for everything thus far

-Jessica and Haley

 

[CalicoHaley]

Hello everyone,

It is with great sadness that I announce our sweet Haley crossed the Rainbow Bridge suddenly this afternoon. I woke up to her hissing and growling at her brother and went into the library to find her she was yowling in pain, panting heavily, and her hind left leg had gone completely lame. My boyfriend and I pretty much realized this was probably something serious that she would not recover from, either that or it was a progressive condition. He got on the phone with the vet while I hugged her, pet her, and told her I loved her so much and that she was always going to be our sweet good girl and thank you for being part of our family. I had to stay home with his niece and nephew (he was babysitting at the time this happened) while he took her and I had asked him not to call me if she needed to be put down. I told him to go ahead and make the decision if the vets say it's the most humane thing for her at this point. I just wanted him to focus on being there with her and give her his complete love and attention.

She had an episode of Saddle Thrombus. This is where a blood clot that formed in the left ventricle of the heart (I think?) dislodges and travels down the main artery and gets lodged in the "V" where the main artery splits off into two smaller arteries to supply blood flow to the legs. Only it cut off circulation entirely to her right leg, not both. It's extremely painful and scary for the cat, and this condition usually does not have a good longterm prognosis even if caught early (which we did). Unfortunately, cats who have these kinds of blood clots usually suffer permanent damage and even go on to have another clot because of underlying cardiovascular disease (whether primary or secondary). It took this event for the vet facility to realize she probably did have underlying hypertension and/or heart disease or cardiomyopathy. Let me tell you guys, I'm SO mad I did not push for a heart work-up sooner. I'm SO mad that the vet we initially saw (and misdiagnosed her with diabetes) was SURE her seizures were brain related that he didn't pursue heart-related avenues. That was going to be my next plan of attack... and ultrasound and X-ray and etc. I actually did try to get them to take her BP in March after she had another seizure, but she would NOT calm down so they couldn't get an accurate reading.

God damn blood clots

So... boyfriend brought her back home and we buried her in the garden with her favorite red ribbon. We picked out a statue of a fat cat rolled over onto it's back and smiling, as one of our favorite things about her was how she'd roll over onto her back with her big belly upward (she was 23 pounds of sass and love) and meow at us in greeting or just because she was so relaxed and happy. We're going to be planting an annual on top of her here soon, and will be planting a perennial bulb garden on her full of white flowers in the fall, to bloom all through early spring and early summer. The statue will sit amongst the flowers and an Alaskan cedar.

I'm so glad she's not in pain now and won't have to suffer through any more seizures or pain from any more smaller clots passing, or the pancreatitis, but we already miss her so, so much. She had a wonderful and stubborn personality that was as large as she was, and I can only hope that she knew we loved her as much as she loved us.

There will certainly never be another cat like our sweet girl Haley

-Jessica

 

[Kris & Teasel]

I’m so sorry you’ve lost your beloved kitty.

 

[Carol & Orlando]

I'm so sorry for your loss! May she rest in peace and I hope you and your boyfriend will find at least a bit of comfort in knowing she is no longer in pain

 

[Willow71]

Hello everyone,

It is with great sadness that I announce our sweet Haley crossed the Rainbow Bridge suddenly this afternoon. I woke up to her hissing and growling at her brother and went into the library to find her she was yowling in pain, panting heavily, and her hind left leg had gone completely lame. My boyfriend and I pretty much realized this was probably something serious that she would not recover from, either that or it was a progressive condition. He got on the phone with the vet while I hugged her, pet her, and told her I loved her so much and that she was always going to be our sweet good girl and thank you for being part of our family. I had to stay home with his niece and nephew (he was babysitting at the time this happened) while he took her and I had asked him not to call me if she needed to be put down. I told him to go ahead and make the decision if the vets say it's the most humane thing for her at this point. I just wanted him to focus on being there with her and give her his complete love and attention.

She had an episode of Saddle Thrombus. This is where a blood clot that formed in the left ventricle of the heart (I think?) dislodges and travels down the main artery and gets lodged in the "V" where the main artery splits off into two smaller arteries to supply blood flow to the legs. Only it cut off circulation entirely to her right leg, not both. It's extremely painful and scary for the cat, and this condition usually does not have a good longterm prognosis even if caught early (which we did). Unfortunately, cats who have these kinds of blood clots usually suffer permanent damage and even go on to have another clot because of underlying cardiovascular disease (whether primary or secondary). It took this event for the vet facility to realize she probably did have underlying hypertension and/or heart disease or cardiomyopathy. Let me tell you guys, I'm SO mad I did not push for a heart work-up sooner. I'm SO mad that the vet we initially saw (and misdiagnosed her with diabetes) was SURE her seizures were brain related that he didn't pursue heart-related avenues. That was going to be my next plan of attack... and ultrasound and X-ray and etc. I actually did try to get them to take her BP in March after she had another seizure, but she would NOT calm down so they couldn't get an accurate reading.

God damn blood clots

So... boyfriend brought her back home and we buried her in the garden with her favorite red ribbon. We picked out a statue of a fat cat rolled over onto it's back and smiling, as one of our favorite things about her was how she'd roll over onto her back with her big belly upward (she was 23 pounds of sass and love) and meow at us in greeting or just because she was so relaxed and happy. We're going to be planting an annual on top of her here soon, and will be planting a perennial bulb garden on her full of white flowers in the fall, to bloom all through early spring and early summer. The statue will sit amongst the flowers and an Alaskan cedar.

I'm so glad she's not in pain now and won't have to suffer through any more seizures or pain from any more smaller clots passing, or the pancreatitis, but we already miss her so, so much. She had a wonderful and stubborn personality that was as large as she was, and I can only hope that she knew we loved her as much as she loved us.

There will certainly never be another cat like our sweet girl Haley

-Jessica

Hugs to you and your family. It’s such a sad time. We are going through the same sadness for our girl. May they be playing across the rainbow bridge.

 

[JanetNJ]

Hello everyone,

It is with great sadness that I announce our sweet Haley crossed the Rainbow Bridge suddenly this afternoon. I woke up to her hissing and growling at her brother and went into the library to find her she was yowling in pain, panting heavily, and her hind left leg had gone completely lame. My boyfriend and I pretty much realized this was probably something serious that she would not recover from, either that or it was a progressive condition. He got on the phone with the vet while I hugged her, pet her, and told her I loved her so much and that she was always going to be our sweet good girl and thank you for being part of our family. I had to stay home with his niece and nephew (he was babysitting at the time this happened) while he took her and I had asked him not to call me if she needed to be put down. I told him to go ahead and make the decision if the vets say it's the most humane thing for her at this point. I just wanted him to focus on being there with her and give her his complete love and attention.

She had an episode of Saddle Thrombus. This is where a blood clot that formed in the left ventricle of the heart (I think?) dislodges and travels down the main artery and gets lodged in the "V" where the main artery splits off into two smaller arteries to supply blood flow to the legs. Only it cut off circulation entirely to her right leg, not both. It's extremely painful and scary for the cat, and this condition usually does not have a good longterm prognosis even if caught early (which we did). Unfortunately, cats who have these kinds of blood clots usually suffer permanent damage and even go on to have another clot because of underlying cardiovascular disease (whether primary or secondary). It took this event for the vet facility to realize she probably did have underlying hypertension and/or heart disease or cardiomyopathy. Let me tell you guys, I'm SO mad I did not push for a heart work-up sooner. I'm SO mad that the vet we initially saw (and misdiagnosed her with diabetes) was SURE her seizures were brain related that he didn't pursue heart-related avenues. That was going to be my next plan of attack... and ultrasound and X-ray and etc. I actually did try to get them to take her BP in March after she had another seizure, but she would NOT calm down so they couldn't get an accurate reading.

God damn blood clots

So... boyfriend brought her back home and we buried her in the garden with her favorite red ribbon. We picked out a statue of a fat cat rolled over onto it's back and smiling, as one of our favorite things about her was how she'd roll over onto her back with her big belly upward (she was 23 pounds of sass and love) and meow at us in greeting or just because she was so relaxed and happy. We're going to be planting an annual on top of her here soon, and will be planting a perennial bulb garden on her full of white flowers in the fall, to bloom all through early spring and early summer. The statue will sit amongst the flowers and an Alaskan cedar.

I'm so glad she's not in pain now and won't have to suffer through any more seizures or pain from any more smaller clots passing, or the pancreatitis, but we already miss her so, so much. She had a wonderful and stubborn personality that was as large as she was, and I can only hope that she knew we loved her as much as she loved us.

There will certainly never be another cat like our sweet girl Haley

-Jessica

Oh no! I'm so so sorry for your loss. How scary that must have been. Rip

 

[Sharon14]

I’m so very sorry
Rest In Peace Sweet Haley