Waiting for labwork, what do now? (Rant)

[kimberbee]

TLDR; I have to wait a day or two for labwork to confirm diabetes or some other illness. Is there anything I can do for kitty while we wait?

Long, rant-y post: Toasty cat hasn't been eating as much as normal, but has been acting, peeing, pooping normally. He was previously diagnosed diabetic, before I adopted him a year ago. He was on insulin for a month, but diet change helped enough that insulin was no longer needed.

I brought him to the vet today because of the eating, and I noticed he has dropped a bit of weight. 3 months ago, when brought in for rabies, I was told he'd need a dental cleaning soon. I figured we could get the bloodwork done and the dental scheduled, since maybe it was his teeth bothering him that caused him not to want to eat. Come to find out, they no longer do dental cleanings on cats... (ok, great...)

The Dr. reviews Toasty's notes, sees the previous insulin use and recommends additional bloodwork, because while his teeth are bad, they aren't actually *that* bad and the Dr. thinks it's more likely he's in need of insulin again. I ok the bloodwork, they take Toasty out of the room, and bring him back a few minutes later. I'm told he's dehydrated, so they'd like to give him some fluids. Again, I ok this, so he's taken out of the room a second time. The Dr. comes in while Toasty's getting fluids and he has the vials of blood in his hands. Apparently, they do not do in-house bloodwork, so it will be 2-3 days before I have the results... (wait... wtf)

So I'm wondering if there's anything I can do these next 2 days to help Toasty feel a bit better. I'm kind of mad I didn't think to ask about in-house labwork ahead of time. Obviously, step one is to start looking for a new vet. They can't even run a quick glucose test... that's weird, right?

I guess I kind of just wanted to rant...

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

If he needs a dental, that could cause the weight loss. Since he was previously diabetic were you doing any home testing to check if he was still in remission? Also what is his current diet?

One of the tests they may be doing is a Fructosomine test. This tests the average glucose levels. This is a more accurate way of determining if he is diabetic. A simple glucose test is not truly accurate when done in the vets office. Stress can significantly increase glucose levels. That is why it should not be used to diagnose diabetes.

A couple recommendations for you while you are waiting. The first is look at his diet. A low carb canned or raw food diet is best for diabetic cats. Avoid any food with gravy. They are higher in carbs. Pate flavors are lower. Many of us feed our cats either Fancy Feast or Friskies pate flavors. If he is on dry food you want to try to switch him to canned food. Almost all dry food is high in carbs. Also if he is diabetic, don't let the vet try to convince you prescription food is better because it is not. The other suggestion is to learn to home test. This means using either a human or pet glucose meter and test before every meal and shot. Since a diet change can significantly lower glucose levels, it is important to test before every shot to make sure it is safe to give insulin.

It looks you have been a member for quite a while and already be familiar with all of this, but since I didn't see anything in your signature this is why I made the recommendations. Hopefully the lab results are good and it is something that can be easily treated.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

They can't even run a quick glucose test... that's weird, right?

The vet is probably doing a complete blood panel which tests for more than just glucose. A lot of vets don't have the equipment necessary to test for everything.

You could start learning to home test now though if you haven't done it before! See what kind of numbers you get at home when he's not super stressed out at the vet's office!

 

[kimberbee]

Hopefully the lab results are good and it is something that can be easily treated.

Thank you for your thoughtful response.

I have been a member for a while and used this forum for my previous cat, who sadly passed away from cancer.

The cat I have now is given Fancy Feast, the original pate flavors. I had not been home testing, though I should have been. He was on insulin such a short time before I adopted him, I was told to just keep an eye out for any symptoms. I shouldn't have put my trust in that.

Hopefully they will have the results tomorrow. The vet's office is right by Walmart, so I can run in and get a meter to home test if I need to stop in to get insulin and supplies.

 

[kimberbee]

A lot of vets don't have the equipment necessary to test for everything.

I must have been really lucky and spoiled that my 3 pervious vets all did in-house testing!

 

[kimberbee]

The vet was in surgery most of today so even though some of Toasty's results are in, I wasn't given any specific answers over the phone.

The vet tech told me there's indication of something up with the kidneys and I'm scheduled to bring Toasty back in the morning. They'll go over the results and are going to show me how to give sub q fluids.

I wish I had more answers than that.