Fucking hell.

[feuervogel]

The vet is checking Isis' fructosamine, to rule out diabetes, because her blood sugar was way up again yesterday. She also had elevated liver enzymes (alk phos and ALT), which could be related to pancreatitis, but she doesn't have any symptoms of that (vomiting.)

If Isis has diabetes, we'll never be able to go on vacation again. Her feeding regimen will have to be very strictly observed and twice a day, and whoever comes over to give her shots (hahaha lolsob) will have to make sure she eats enough. If they just put food out and dose her up and leave, there's a high likelihood Claire will eat Isis' food and Isis will pass out from hypoglycemia, due to hyperinsulinemia.

Then there's the problem that Isis won't let *anybody* touch her to give her medicine except me & Ben, and she's none too pleased about that.

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/diabetes.html

Comments

[leora]

I hope it isn't diabetes. Since stress can raise blood sugar, it might not be. If it is... yeah, that sucks.

[feuervogel]

It was elevated during her previous appointment, and they mentioned diabetes as a possibility then. The vet said today that it was well outside the high end of normal.

And I'd been really looking forward to a 2-week anniversary trip with Ben.

[leora]

*sighs* I'm sorry.

[anacoluthon.livejournal.com]

I wondered this before - is there a reason (besides cost, which I totally understand) that you haven't boarded some of the cats when you're gone? Even though Isis won't want to let normal people give her meds, most vets that offer boarding would have techs who can handle her. It might be something to look into. I know it would be expensive but she'd be much more likely to get the care she needs.

[feuervogel]

Two weeks at a vet's boarding will probably cost more than our whole vacation. Hell, keeping a cat for the day at the vet costs over a hundred bucks, and that's if we pick her up by 5:30.

And since I'm barred from fucking Rite Aid and would prefer not to have a 40-hour job, especially with the (potentially totally fucked anyway) travel plans, what savings we have is going to be even more depleted.

[faithful-summer.livejournal.com]

Are you sure they're not charging a nursing fee or something for the times you have her in for a medical reason? Most clinics I know of, even out here where it's crazy expensive, charge $30 or less per day for boarding.

[feuervogel]

Does Phydeaux stock any of the 95% chicken & turkey or 95% beef canned Evo? Those list very low carbohydrate contents (.98% and 1.38% respectively.) The dry food doesn't list a carbohydrate content, but I assume it would be higher with the peas and such. (Non-grain carbs.)

95% venison lists 2.5% carbs!

I'm perplexed as to how she could have developed diabetes, if she gets such a low carb diet. You know?

[feuervogel]

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1&aid=334

[anacoluthon.livejournal.com]

We always have tons of those cans on hand; that's what I'd suggest.

It seems really weird for her to develop diabetes on dry Evo. There's... pretty much nothing else that's dry with a lower carb content.

And re: your earlier response: I knew vet boarding was pricey but because I haven't ever looked into it, I had no idea how much it was. I can totally understand that.
Poor Isis.

[feuervogel]

I know; it's very strange! Unless it's chronic pancreatitis, which the vet also suggested. We won't get the fructosamine results until Saturday, with the holiday and everything.

Ben's finding some less expensive non-vet boarding places, but if she *does* have diabetes, I'd rather she stayed with people who know her history and are trained.

If it's pancreatitis, the treatment seems to be changing diet, pain medication, rehydration if needed, and pancreatic enzymes (porcine.) She doesn't have any vomiting, but she's been less active. It's hard to tell if that's because she's just getting older, though. Her arthritis seems to be doing better, though.

Argh. Of course, I'm also worried about her dental on Monday; her kidney function came back OK, but she's over 12, and ... yeah.

[corbae.livejournal.com]

I hope she doesn't have diabetes. You're right in that it can be a real pain.

We didn't have a specific feeding regimen with Hobbes--I think he had special food, but we had long been in the habit of filling his food bowl whenever he emptied it and just continued doing that. And of course he got the insulin shots, which I never got the hang of administering. My mother eventually bought something to test his levels with at home, so she could adjust his dosage herself. I think it saved a lot of money on vet visits. She had the background as a chemist that I'm sure you have as a pharmacist.

The biggest problem with Hobbes was that he urinated a lot more, and the wet litter would clump up on his paws and get tracked all over the house.

Good luck with everything!

[feuervogel]

With 5 cats, one of whom is neurotic (in the DSM sense) about food and will eat *all the food in the house* unless we take it away, that isn't an option for us. We used to let them graze, but Claire got up to 17 lbs (ideal is closer to 12) and the other cats got skinny.

I've given Isis shots before, though they were IM, not SQ, which is a bit different. She was very grumpy about it.

[tammylee.livejournal.com]

Booo! I hope she doesn't have diabetes, too!

[thesmallwonder.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure what's available in NC, but here in Los Angeles there's facilities that can handle cats with special needs while you're away, just like normal boarding except with veterinary care. Which means they could handle the diabetes and the fact that your kitty doesn't like getting shots/meds with expert care.

It can be a bit pricey. But if you factored it into the amount you save for your trip and just take a little longer to save it, it would probably be okay. Your vet would probably be the best bet for locating those kind of services.

[madmanatw.livejournal.com]

The hospital I have been taking my cat to does medical boarding, I think it's something like: $15-$20/day, +$10/insulin shot (ouch), +$4/pill. For a short trip the main reason I wouldn't do it is it would traumatize the hell out of him (and you should see what the prices went to while he was still getting fed through a tube), for a 2 week trip... it's pretty hefty. Also I have no idea how regional those kinds of prices are, but hopefully some numbers will help.

[faithful-summer.livejournal.com]

Blood glucose levels are often elevated in cats due to stress. Let's hope that's all it is...

I'd probably start her on Denamarin for the liver issues... good liver supplement.

[feuervogel]

This is the second elevated blood glucose, and this time it was apparently *way* high. The vets never give me numbers, though, which is kind of annoying.

It /is/ possible the $100/day includes a few extra fees. I also could be misremembering...