News from Juno

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Tininha & Juno

Tininha & Juno

Member Since 2014
Good morning everyone!

I wanted to let you know how Juno is doing. His BG readings have been pretty good, still surfing in the nice greens :mrgreen:. However, he started limping on his right back leg almost a week ago and he hasn't improved from it. He still jumps to the dining table and runs as if he were a teen, but then he has to lay down to rest for a while. So today I called his vet to let him know how he was doing from diabetes and what he'd recommend for his limp. The vet immediately told me that I shouldn't have stopped the insulin. I couldn't believe what he was telling me. His BG readings are much better than mine, and the vet wanted me to keep giving him 1u of levemir twice a day. What the hell!!!!!!!!! Right now I'm about to explode!!!! :evil: Does he want him to have a hypoglycemic shock??? cat(2)_steam cat(2)_steam He also told me the cat is yours and you do whatever you want to. Thank Goodness this is a free country! Regarding the limp, since Juno becomes so stress at the vet, he told me to keep an eye on that, but he said most probably would be arthritis, and he said there was nothing he could do about that. I insisted and asked him if there wasn't nothing he could prescribe to relieve the pain. In the end, he suggested to buy some fish oil for cats.

Have a nice day!
Cristina
 
HI guys .. wow, I can't believe your vet! I sure hope juno continues to do so well surfing in the greens for you and that the fish oil helps his limp .. I know a lot of people on here have meds to help with their cats arthritis but I can't think of them off the top of my head .. I'm sure someone else will know though!
 
Oh my . . . I just don't know how to respond to that . . . I'm speechless! It sure demonstrates the lack of training most vets have in the area of diabetes. It's a good thing FDMB exists otherwise I'm not sure all of our sugar kitties would still be with us.

Cristina, in reading some of the condos, I've noticed quite a few of our cats are dealing with arthritic issues. Some are using meds, others acupuncture and some a combination of methods. This morning, I noticed Angela mentioned that Blackie is moving more since starting cosequin. Now I'm not sure if it's for arthritis but I'm sure others, with experience, will be along to provide some helpful advice. Good luck helping Juno and maybe it's time to look for a new vet? I hate to say that because I like to give them the benefit of the doubt but if only he had asked to see Juno's ss before making his assertion that Juno needs to restart insulin. Last week, at Pixie's semi-annual checkup, I gave my vet printouts of Pixie's ss, the TR Protocol and an FDMB stickie. She was very impressed and thanked me for the information which she said she would share with her regional director. She indicated that she had no knowledge about either the group or the protocol but that she was grateful that such a site exists.

Keep us posted on Juno's progress - it's so nice to hear he's still surfing freely! Have a great day, Cristina and I hope your anxiety has lessened these last couple of weeks.

Anne
 
OMG,,I'm speechless. I also would be looking for another vet for second opinions. If it is arthritis, there are holistic things to try first like mentioned. My friend's cat gets adequan shots that have helped her cat a lot. It doesn't sound to me like your vet took the limp seriously and that would worry me. X-rays would show arthritis for one thing. I don't know what other causes might be for the limp. Maybe Juno fell? I know this started during your OTJ trial and sounds like it hasn't improved so I would want to try something. I haven't heard of fish oil helping with it but it can help in other ways. I hope you figure it out and kudos to you for not going off on your vet with a lecture on cats going hypo!!
 
Your "vet" is pathetic. Do you have other options? We give Cosequin to our civie for arthritis and Zener gets Adequan shots. The Adequan is a stronger med. Cosequin is a powder and it will take several weeks to be effective.
Liz
 
If possible, another vet would be a good idea. Not only did he make that completely ridiculous recommendation for continuing insulin that clearly isn't needed, he also seems to have diagnosed arthritis without an exam to rule out other causes. Sadly, a degree doesn't necessarily mean a vet is competent. Also sadly, some vets are more concerned about you never making a decision without consulting him/her at every step than about what's best for the patient.

A good thing to keep in mind is to ask the vet (and yourself) "If you had a diabetic child, would you inject insulin without testing? Would you just guess at dosage? (In this case) Would you give insulin that's not needed for normal blood glucose? What would you think of a doctor who advised you to do those things?"
 
wow. i'd be looking for a new vet too. that's too bad.

i agree with Camille that you don't even know if it is arthritis or an injury. It's true that arthritis is common, and there are some things you can do that are relatively harmless even if he didn't have arthritis, but i'd rather have a diagnosis before just throwing things at the wall to see what sticks!

Fish oil is good. Many people give it by opening a capsule and squeezing it on food. I don't know dosage, but others who use it could tell you.

Cosequin is also good. You can buy it over the counter on Amazon. It also helps the lining of the bladder, so if bladder irritation is a problem, it can be helpful.

The next 2 steps up from Cosequin are Adequan (injectible, buy from vet or with prescription.) Barbara Benner said that Equine Adequan is better for cats than Canine Adequan. Dausequin is the next progression up from Adequan, also prescription & injectible.

We did acupuncture for punkin's arthritis - there is a video in my signature line of him getting the acupuncture. It seemed to be really helpful at first, but then it didn't seem to help. He had acromegaly, and arthritis is accelerated by the growth hormones, so his situation may or may not be comparable.

Cold laser therapy was what we ultimately settled on for him. It helped tremendously. The only thing i would say is that i wouldn't do it as often as we did. We were supposed to stretch it out to once a month and we continued it once a week because the benefit didn't last for a month. I think it damaged his intestines in some way - but we had done it for several months. Ultimately I do think it was involved in his death - but i think it was simply too much concentrated in the same area. I wouldn't hesitate to use it on another cat, i just wouldn't do it as much. It provided great relief for punkin.
 
Chiming in on outrage over your vets incompetence! :evil: And not checking to see if there could be a traumatic cause for the limp is negligent.

If it is arthritis the Cosequin others have mentioned is a glucosamine/ chondroitin supplement. I'm not sure if it is available in Europe, but there should be alternatives. Any cat can benefit from omega 3s .Cats should get about 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA a day, it doesn't have to be exact and it's pretty hard to overdose. I get human capsules and just squeeze a few drops onto food. Bottles of fish oil can go rancid pretty quickly. Start slow, I goofed and over did it w/ Tess and now she hates any trace of it.
 
I also agree you need to look for another vet. That is beyond ridiculous.

I've been giving my civvie, Sasha, Cosequin for many years for joint problems in her back legs, and I firmly believe it has helped her tremendously. My vet just prescribed it for Harvey for his UTI issues, as it has anti-inflammatory properties. We get ours either from the vet, online, or at Petsmart. No prescription is needed. It comes in a capsule and you sprinkle one capsule a day on their food. I mix it in and Sasha doesn't even notice it.

Sending healing vines for Juno's limp. I'm happy to see he's still doing well without insulin.
 
I agree with everyone else. What your vet said it just sad. I'd be looking for another vet for a second opinion. I hope you can find something to help Juno's limp. That's great he's staying in good numbers.
 
Wow, that's so terribly disappointing about the vet. Don't let his negative attitude rain on your parade about getting Juno OTJ! That accomplishment is all yours! That's also terribly disappointing that he blew you off about the limp. A limp can be caused by a million different things, many of which would be detected in an exam. Seems like he's just giving you the brush off. I'm sure you'll find someone more compassionate.
 
Hi Cristina - what a frustrating experience with the vet! I would have asked him what benefit he sees giving insulin to a cat with normal blood sugar value. He sure didn't think that one through. :twisted: He should be celebrating Juno OTJ instead!

Regarding the limp, my civie had a bad limp a couple years ago from slamming into a kitchen appliance while playing. :roll: Vetty checked him out and it was a sprain. She said that sprains clear up in a couple of weeks. If Juno has been limping longer than that, then he should be checked and possibly X-rayed to determine if arthritis. I had a cat with arthritis so bad in his hocks that vetty could detect it just with a manual exam.

Neko has arthritis as that is common in acrocats. She gets fish oil twice a day. I'd get a small fish (anchovy, herring, etc.) oil instead of salmon. One brand I've used is Nordic Naturals. By the name I wonder if it's available near you. If fish oil is kept in the fridge it can last a long time. Neko also gets a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement made in Canada for pets. It's just a powder sprinkled in food. Others here have mentioned Adequan (shots). In Canada our equivalent is Cartrophen which is also available in Denmark. It's marketed for horses and dogs but used off market for cats.
 
Thanks a lot everyone for your feedback. You are all so knowledgeable that you never stop impressing me ;-).

I really don't know much about this vet as he has been Juno's vet only while I'm living in Denmark, which is since last year. He graduated around 5 years ago, so he's quite young. At least, I expected him to keep up with the last research and advances in veterinary medicine. The vet also got very stressed last time Juno was at the hospital (Juno can be amazingly terrifying at the vet!) that I've been only contacting him over the phone after that "traumatic" experience. I don't know much about other options since I'm living here only for 3-4 weeks more. After that, I'll move back to Portugal. Anyway, I'll do my research and see if there are any competent vets around before I leave back home.

I'm definitely not happy that the vet didn't recommend an X-ray or something else, and Juno needs to be properly diagnosed. As some of you said it could be a traumatic cause or any other cause for the limp. It seems it's more difficult for him to walk when he's cold. As soon as he starts walking or running he looks much better.

Maybe Juno fell?
Click to expand...
Elise, a few weeks ago when I traveled to Portugal, Juno indeed jumped from a height of 1.5m (close to 5 feet). He was hearing the birds chirping in a nice indoor garden and he jumped from the balcony to some metal roof. Maybe it triggered something if he already has some arthritis. He only started limping last week, which is roughly 3 weeks after that big jump, so I don't know if that's related.

I have googled Cosequin and thank Goodness it is available in Portugal :-D (http://www.tiendanimal.pt/condro-protector-cosequin-para-gatos-p-5694.html). Not sure if there is in Denmark. Tomorrow I'll go to a vet clinic to buy the fish oil and see if they also sell Cosequin.

Julie, the vets in the US are amazingly knowledgeable. I don't think the vets in small countries in Europe (especially in poor countries like Portugal) have ever heard of cold laser therapy or any other advanced veterinarian care... But I'll do my own research ;-). Juno's "old" vet in Portugal was amazed when I told him I was home testing Juno :o.

A couple of hours ago, Juno was running (and my civvie Zack running after him :lol:) and also calling me out loud to play hide and seek with him, which he loves doing :-D.
 
Hi Cristina,
Just agreeing with what the others have said. I hope that all will go well with your move back to Portugal and that your vet there will be able to work with you, not against you!

Healing vines for Juno's leg.

Ella & Rusty
 
you can use people fish oil for Juno. The Nordic Naturals that Wendy mentioned is what I take.

do you have a way to offer a warm spot for him? here we have pet heating pads that people can get, but even a hot water bottle. I just wonder if heat would feel good, or if he would choose to move to a colder spot. if he liked heat, it might help with healing and with arthritis.
 
I've seen fish oil for sale in pet food stores, people food stores (pharmacy/vitamin section) and vitamin or natural health stores. You don't need to go to the vet for that.

Adding onto what Julie said, you can also get pet beds that reflect the heat back. One of my previous cats ignored the expensive heated bed but loved the cheap reflective heat pads. :roll:
 
Thank you Ella, Julie and Wendy. I just arrived from work with Kronch salmon oil for cats. I mixed it into the food and Juno loved it :-D. The recommended daily portion is 2ml if the weight of the cat is lower than 5kgs. I'm not sure if there are any side effects of too much dosage, so I gave him slightly less since Juno weights less than that.

I'm very happy as his limp seems to be improving, and he keeps running like a "kid" :-D.
 
Great news to hear that Juno is running like a kitten again. :-D The effect of too much fish oil is like too much rich food, loose stool. It's good to start a little lower and work your way up to his dose. A couple vets I've talked to recommend splitting the dose into morning and evening meals.

The reason I recommended oil from smaller fishes is that they are lower down the food chain and less likely to have mercury in them. Salmon oil is the most popular one around and that's what I fed at first too.
 
Thanks for the useful info, Wendy. For the time being I'll give him the salmon oil and small quantities of it. So far I couldn't find Cosequin. He's running and looks happy, but still limps a little bit. He's that sort of cat who cannot be on his quiet corner all the time. Unless, of course, something is wrong. Given his age that always amazes me and I love and admire seeing old kitties ( and humans too ;-) ) very active.

Have a great day!
Cristina
 
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