Sophie gets levothyroixine and Prenisolone. She gets 1/4 pill of the .3 mg levo pill am and 1/2 pm, and 1/4 of the 5mg pred pill pm. The Levl costs $14.40 for 60 from 1800 Pet Meds, and the Pred costs $10.80 for 90 from the same source. The 90 pred is enough for a year. So, you see, it is pretty cheap.
Soph is still on desmopressin, but only gets needle juice pm. That costs a tad over $84, including shipping, for 5ml of .01% injectible. We have been tinkering with Sophie's thyroid levels and her last test showed that she is just a tad higher than we want her to be. So, instead of giving her the thyroid pill 1 hr before meals, she is getting it in her meal (same as we do with the Pred). Hoping that this pushes her to the point where she is finally off the Desmo, but, all in all, she is doing so much better than pre-surgery.
Hasn't had insulin, except for a couple of days where a steroid ear drop made her bg go up, but her numbers are steady in the 70s 3 hrs after her noontime meal. Went up the other day, when she had a blood draw, but she had a bit of an upset stomach on the way to the vet to get her blood drawn, and puked. Checked her after the vet gave me the results, and she was still in the 70s....
You can see her most recent lab results - last blood draw was 7/13/19. Her kidneys are doing great, her liver is great, her electrolytes and blood values are fine. Her coat is so much better than pre-surgery and she acts like a normal cat. She is still very food oriented, but that is probably her and could just be due to what she had to deal with in life before I got her in 2017.
Cost for her is much, much less than pre-surgery. Even with my association with DCIN, I expect that I was easily spending $150 a month, between insulin, syringes, and testing strips. Now, if it is $10 or $20 a month, that is a lot.
Oh, and I don't have to be ridiculous and get the absolutely lowest carb food I could find (not that it made a difference with acromegaly). She was eating Tikicat chicken or chicken with egg, and had no control over her appetite in that I had to make sure all the human food was totally out of her reach, etc., etc. Now, she understands no, understands that she has to sit in her spot and wait for things, if she is to get a treat. I've changed her diet to the Friskies pates and FF pates and, after a short transition period, she is doing fine on them. I think they are actually better for her coat as she had some dandruff problems for a while pre-surgery, and that is just about gone. Figure that is because the pates have some nutrients that she needed.
Yes, we do spoil her somewhat. She LOVES freezedried chicken necks and gets a bit as a treat from time to time.
Would I go through the surgery again. In a minute! I know that not everyone has the same results. I am just lucky that Sophie is a very easy going cat and dealt with the travel to NYC well and absolutely LOVED the staff there. (The feeling was mutual, I am told). However, for a cat who doesn't travel well, even when well medicated, the experience could be traumatic, like Amanda found with Shmee.
In all of this, you have to know your cat, you have to be informed of the possibiities post surgery. Behavior post surgery seems to be something that is really not discussed, probably due to the fact that people generally don't come back to the FDMB after their cats have gone through the surgery. Well, that is why I continue to report on Sophie's progress. The more information you have, the better decision you can make.
And the best advice I have when considering a major surgery like Sophie had or similar surgery, is to read as much as you can, ask questions of your vet. No question is a stupid question. They might not know the answer, but they will probably do their best to give you information so that you can make an educated decision.
