Yemala joins the honeymooners

Discussion in 'Honeymooners / OTJ' started by Hroswitha, May 22, 2011.

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  1. Hroswitha

    Hroswitha Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2011
    Yemala finished her test OTJ beautifully, and is now back at the falls.

    We've been here before. In 2005, our active and vocal little kitty quite suddenly became morose, tired, low energy, and stopped wanting affection. Warning signs in this very demanding and friendly cat. We lost cats before to renal failure, and feared - despite her comparative youth (she was only six then) that these might be the warning signs.

    I took her to our vet outside the city, who had presided over all kitty health issues for years. He drew blood and, on Memorial Day weekend of 2005, told us she was diabetic. He prescribed Vetsulin, 2 units BID, and sent us home with a can of Science Diet for diabetic cats. While we were there, another couple came in to finish out their bill with him. He told us that they had had a cat diagnosed with diabetes two years previous, and she had just finally died. When I asked him about how long cats survive with diabetes, he said she had a good two years in us, with care. He told us to bring her back in a week for another blood workup.

    That's when I found the old FDMB. It saved her life. We knew nothing about what we were doing, but we followed advice and, by the end of June, Mala was at the falls. In the process, she went off dry food (as did the rest of them), and became a different kitty - energetic, high-energy, goofy, her coat got smoother, her attitude more noticeable. The other cats lost weight, too - her sister, Erzuli, had looked as if she'd swallowed a softball, her tummy was so round and protruding. Once off dry food, she dropped the weight and her coat, which had always been rough, became smooth and soft. She's more interactive as well, and more playful.

    Mala needed a refresher course in mid-April, as she developed an ear infection. It was quite bad - nasty pus dripped out of her ear and the vet told us she had ruptured an ear drum. Poor baby. He gave her steroids for the ear, even though I told him she was diabetic. It never occurred to him, I think.

    A little over a month since we put her back on the juice, and Mala is well again. She sang to me after dinner, making that trilling call that seems to have no purpose other than to please herself. She started back at the falls today, and it's because of the stellar aid and advice we got here - again.

    So thank you all. I will check back from time to time, and I think we'll be checking her blood levels about once a week at first. But I've been here before - once she's fine, she's never above an 85.
     
  2. Melanie and Smokey

    Melanie and Smokey Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2010
    Congratulations to you and Mala!

    My vet just had us do a round a ear meds with steroids on Smokey. I don't think she even thought about the diabetes since we've been OTJ for over a year. I was nervous and started testing more frequently. Luckily the ears cleared up quickly because it was driving up her BGs and I stopped on the 7th day instead of the 10th like prescribed because I wasn't willing to risk it going any higher or staying that high any longer. My vet seemed surprised that it drove up her BGS. I was surprised at her reaction because I have been pretty diligent on the no steroids for Smokey. I just think sometimes we will need to use them to treat something because it will be the best option for our babies, and we are lucky enough to have the knowledge from FDMB to know what to do and hopefully avoid relapse or get back to the falls quickly if we do.
     
  3. PeterDevonMocha

    PeterDevonMocha Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    welcome back to the falls!!!
     
  4. Hroswitha

    Hroswitha Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2011
    When I called Mala's vet to talk with him about getting a prescription for insulin, he seemed a little defensive. He stated that ear infections are more common among cats with diabetes (he's right) and that she might have been coming out of remission before that. All this is true, but he was not thinking about her diabetes when he prescribed her meds.

    I'm grateful, though, that he didn't insist on bringing her in to do a blood workup once we had established through home testing that she was out of remission. There would have been no point - stress makes the blood levels rise anyway, and she's typically over 500 when I've had her tested in the past at the office. No point. This vet simply called in a script for her, and recommended 2 units BID. I ignored the dosing guidelines, and came here instead.
     
  5. Kathy and Kitty

    Kathy and Kitty Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2009
    I love Mala's story. :D

    Re-reading just now, the ear infection caught my attention. Kitty has otitis -- nothing like what Mala had -- but I've tried to get the vet to give me non-steroid medication. They barely stock anything without steroids, and I'm sure the steroids are most effective. They kept saying a topical non-systemic steroid would be fine.

    I'm going to try Zymox Otic, based on LL referrals - they make a version without steroids. When I called the company to get information, I mentioned how helpful it is to have this preparation for diabetic cats. The company rep had no idea steroids were bad for diabetic cats.

    I guess my point is that there's a lot of education to be done about the connection between steroids and diabetic cats. A lot of well-meaning people just don't know. And the steroids may be the best medicine they hae to offer, so veterinary science needs to give us something else!

    Hope you are enjoying life at the falls. :mrgreen:
     
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