Karla and Sassy
Member
Hello everyone. My 8 year old cat, Sassy was diagnosed with diabetes last August. She has had a terrible time being regulated and is quite often sick especially with UTI's. Last Monday, I had to take her to the vet because she had terrible sores around both ears that were not healing. That morning, when I got up to take her to the vet, she had vomited twice (something that she does on a regular basis) and one time there was a good deal of blood present in the vomit (something that I had never seen before). The vet gave her an injection of cortisone for the skin infection and for some reason or another, had to keep her overnight in order to get a urine sample. Of course, she had a UTI again and he then gave her a shot of Convenia. She came home Tuesday and started to behave very strangely. She would lie in odd places that she never laid in before. By Wednesday, she had stopped eating and drinking and was barely moving around. She also went behind the couch and screamed a blood-curtling scream as she vomited. Took her back to the vet first thing Thurs. morning and they found blood when they took her temp. He said that we should do a full work up and x-rays and I agreed.
He called me back to say that the liver enzymes were not good but that was to be expected with an infection as well as the high white blood cells. He said that her BG was really high but that was to be expected with the infection and the antibiotic. He also said that she was constipated and gave her an enema. She started eating and they gave her a second enema later in the day. He had to give her some fluids as she was dehydrated. She had to stay overnight again and when I called Friday morning, they said that she was no longer eating or drinking again. I went to see her and she was terrified and covered in poo, not to mention completely listless. A different doctor had come on and she wouldn't talk to me when I went over there. They told me I could come pick her up Saturday morning and I waited over an hour to talk to the doctor, but she still wouldn't talk to me. I never saw her bloodwork, didn't know if she had went to the bathroom, how much she had ate or anything else. The vet just told me that she wasn't eating or drinking much and sent us home with a laxative with no clear directions on what to do. Never once talked to the vet.
I had her home last night where I really thought that she would die during the night. Her breathing was labored and she would not eat or drink or move around much. She never went to the bathroom while here even though I don't know when the last time was for her. She just looked like she was slowly dying but didn't cry or appear to be in a great deal of pain. After she wouldn't eat today or go to the bathroom, I decided to drive 45 minutes to the vet ER about 11:00 a.m. She usually doesn't do well in the car but she was very quiet today. The ER vet had to do all new bloodwork and x-rays. Her BG is well over 400. She has ketones (I have to admit I am not that familiar). Her potassium levels are 8.5 which is enough to kill her. Basically, every single aspect of her blood work was very, very negative. She has so much fat in her blood, that they can't adequately test it. Her x-ray looked ok, other than her bladder was huge. She sedated her and expressed the urine from her bladder and ran an IV. They had tried to get a good blood sample around six, but no go. Another vet was coming in tonight who is supposed to specialize in internal ped medicine. She said that her heart might stop and that is a pretty good possibility. She did tell me that she was resting comfortably.
I have the very strong feeling that she is not going to make it. I had this feeling the other night and I had it again when I left. I felt pretty good about the place because it was very clean and the doctor took me back into the treatment room where I could see her where all the other animals were. My vet won't even let you go back to see the boarding facilities. It was very quite and calm in the room so hopefully she won't be so scared.
I'm sorry that this is so long and I don't know if anyone will even bother to read all of this. I'm really upset that I may have made the wrong decision. I am trying to help her to see if she can get better but I'm afraid that she is in pain and suffering. The vet said that she didn't think that she was in pain, but she probably felt really rotten. She has been really listless and just out of it but she kept looking up at me with her pleading eyes today and it broke my heart. I am not a person that cries in front of others, but I could barely talk to the vet I was so upset. I just keep thinking that her eyes were begging me to just let her go and instead I just keep subjecting her to more sticking and prodding. I know that she would rather be here in her home but the vet said untreated, it would not be a pretty death. Basically, I could treat her or I could put her down.
I expect that I will get a call sometime tonight. This is not me being overly negative, it is just the feeling that I have. I just want her to know that I love her and not that I abandoned her and she had to die alone in a strange place. I just wanted someone to listen to me that would understand the love that I have for this wonderful companion of mine. She has been with me through a lot of difficult times in my life and is the one thing that has stuck around.
Thank you for listening to me. My heart is truly breaking.
He called me back to say that the liver enzymes were not good but that was to be expected with an infection as well as the high white blood cells. He said that her BG was really high but that was to be expected with the infection and the antibiotic. He also said that she was constipated and gave her an enema. She started eating and they gave her a second enema later in the day. He had to give her some fluids as she was dehydrated. She had to stay overnight again and when I called Friday morning, they said that she was no longer eating or drinking again. I went to see her and she was terrified and covered in poo, not to mention completely listless. A different doctor had come on and she wouldn't talk to me when I went over there. They told me I could come pick her up Saturday morning and I waited over an hour to talk to the doctor, but she still wouldn't talk to me. I never saw her bloodwork, didn't know if she had went to the bathroom, how much she had ate or anything else. The vet just told me that she wasn't eating or drinking much and sent us home with a laxative with no clear directions on what to do. Never once talked to the vet.
I had her home last night where I really thought that she would die during the night. Her breathing was labored and she would not eat or drink or move around much. She never went to the bathroom while here even though I don't know when the last time was for her. She just looked like she was slowly dying but didn't cry or appear to be in a great deal of pain. After she wouldn't eat today or go to the bathroom, I decided to drive 45 minutes to the vet ER about 11:00 a.m. She usually doesn't do well in the car but she was very quiet today. The ER vet had to do all new bloodwork and x-rays. Her BG is well over 400. She has ketones (I have to admit I am not that familiar). Her potassium levels are 8.5 which is enough to kill her. Basically, every single aspect of her blood work was very, very negative. She has so much fat in her blood, that they can't adequately test it. Her x-ray looked ok, other than her bladder was huge. She sedated her and expressed the urine from her bladder and ran an IV. They had tried to get a good blood sample around six, but no go. Another vet was coming in tonight who is supposed to specialize in internal ped medicine. She said that her heart might stop and that is a pretty good possibility. She did tell me that she was resting comfortably.
I have the very strong feeling that she is not going to make it. I had this feeling the other night and I had it again when I left. I felt pretty good about the place because it was very clean and the doctor took me back into the treatment room where I could see her where all the other animals were. My vet won't even let you go back to see the boarding facilities. It was very quite and calm in the room so hopefully she won't be so scared.
I'm sorry that this is so long and I don't know if anyone will even bother to read all of this. I'm really upset that I may have made the wrong decision. I am trying to help her to see if she can get better but I'm afraid that she is in pain and suffering. The vet said that she didn't think that she was in pain, but she probably felt really rotten. She has been really listless and just out of it but she kept looking up at me with her pleading eyes today and it broke my heart. I am not a person that cries in front of others, but I could barely talk to the vet I was so upset. I just keep thinking that her eyes were begging me to just let her go and instead I just keep subjecting her to more sticking and prodding. I know that she would rather be here in her home but the vet said untreated, it would not be a pretty death. Basically, I could treat her or I could put her down.
I expect that I will get a call sometime tonight. This is not me being overly negative, it is just the feeling that I have. I just want her to know that I love her and not that I abandoned her and she had to die alone in a strange place. I just wanted someone to listen to me that would understand the love that I have for this wonderful companion of mine. She has been with me through a lot of difficult times in my life and is the one thing that has stuck around.
Thank you for listening to me. My heart is truly breaking.