Topic: Lacie is diabetic (Read 14355 times)

JackSpratt · « **Reply #142 on:** August 13, 2010, 22:02:31 PM »

So pleased for you all.

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #141 on:** August 13, 2010, 21:53:05 PM »

So pleased she has well and truly turned the corner, just a few weeks ago it really was touch and go so that's such a brilliant turnaround

Lindsey (thefunkyinuit) · « **Reply #140 on:** August 13, 2010, 21:50:45 PM »

Just a quick update! Lacie went for a check up today, alls well

Her urine is normal, her ear infection has cleared up and the lump appeared to be just a cyst.
We wanted the lump checking out so they took a sample but it was just full of fluid and has gone now but we're having the fluid sent off for testing just in case.

She's put a little bit more weight on since our last visit (only 0.6kg) so we're looking at cutting her food down a bit.
If the results from the cyst fluid come back clear, she will hopefully only have to go back to the vets for a fructosamine test in 3 months!
Myself, my hubby and most of all Lacie are very happy about this!

JackSpratt · « **Reply #139 on:** August 02, 2010, 21:46:38 PM »

Great stuff!

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #138 on:** August 02, 2010, 21:01:31 PM »

What brilliant news and what a turnaround! Hope she tolerates the drops OK and that the little lump turns out to be nothing untoward

Lindsey (thefunkyinuit) · « **Reply #137 on:** August 02, 2010, 20:58:58 PM »

Hi everyone, Lacie had her fructosamine test today, her results were smack bang in the middle of normal

She's now 5.1kg (little fat bum!)

we're going to carry on with her food as we are for the next couple of weeks and if she's put much more on we'll have to cut her food down a bit!
Her eyes have been a bit weepy and her ears a bit dirty so she also had some dye in her eyes to check them, they're fine, probably just blocked tear ducts but she does have a bit of an ear infection

so has drops twice a day for two weeks....shes not too happy about it!
She also has a little lump on the side of her face which we're gonna get checked out properly a week on friday (they didn't want to mess her about any more today!)

Lindsey (thefunkyinuit) · « **Reply #136 on:** July 31, 2010, 12:49:16 PM »

She's been really good thanks

She's got alot more energy now!
She's going for a check up and fructosamine test on Monday x

Jasmine · « **Reply #135 on:** July 31, 2010, 11:56:01 AM »

How's Lacie been this week Lindsey?

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #134 on:** July 26, 2010, 23:02:11 PM »

Lindsey (thefunkyinuit) · « **Reply #133 on:** July 25, 2010, 17:23:10 PM »

After over a week of struggling to get Lacie to take her cystease capsules, I decided to wrap them up in small pieces of ham.....absolutly no more fuss, they went down straight away!

JackSpratt · « **Reply #132 on:** July 25, 2010, 11:44:43 AM »

Good girl, Lacie.

Keep it up!

purrdy1 · « **Reply #131 on:** July 24, 2010, 21:55:40 PM »

woooohoooo!!!!

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #130 on:** July 23, 2010, 21:22:16 PM »

Great

Lindsey (thefunkyinuit) · « **Reply #129 on:** July 23, 2010, 20:57:42 PM »

Took a wee sample to the vets last night to mainly check up on her cystitus, the results were good on both her cystitus and diabetes

It was negative for glucose and negative for blood! Yays!

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #128 on:** July 19, 2010, 23:08:46 PM »

Go Lacie

purrdy1 · « **Reply #127 on:** July 19, 2010, 22:21:08 PM »

that is fantastic! im sooo pleased!

JackSpratt · « **Reply #126 on:** July 19, 2010, 21:19:39 PM »

great stuff! Long may it continue.

Lindsey (thefunkyinuit) · « **Reply #125 on:** July 19, 2010, 21:18:55 PM »

Hey everyone! The last few days have been drama free - fingers crossed it continues!

She had a check up tonight and her glucose levels were spot on for 2 hrs before her insulin and she'd put more weight on so is now 4.5kg
She's eating well, drinking normally & weeing less, oh and shes starting pooping in her tray again (It means I don't have to take her outside every time she needs a poo!)

We couldn't test her urine today though as I think she must've done one before I got home so I have to get one and take it to the vets for testing later this week.
Then barring any dramas (touch wood!) she will only have to go back for a fructosamine test in 2 weeks

Jasmine · « **Reply #124 on:** July 17, 2010, 13:51:52 PM »

Janeyk · « **Reply #123 on:** July 16, 2010, 22:43:22 PM »

That's lovely to hear

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #122 on:** July 16, 2010, 22:34:10 PM »

Glad you're both turning the corner

Onwards and upwards

purrdy1 · « **Reply #121 on:** July 16, 2010, 22:05:26 PM »

good for you! thats great! lets hope yo are both feling better and better!

Lindsey (thefunkyinuit) · « **Reply #120 on:** July 16, 2010, 21:58:50 PM »

I managed to get a full nights sleep last night

it was lovely!
I've eaten well today too, the stress really affected my appetite - I have lost around 5lbs though, which aint a bad thing!

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #119 on:** July 16, 2010, 19:59:24 PM »

Playing is a good sign but I think you will have to remember, if diabetic cats atre like humans, their sugar levels will drop with stress and excercise, each one that is ansd as she eats more, the sugar will go up. so thats why it takes so long to balance them.

I am so pleased that things are looking more positive and sendin more good vibes

purrdy1 · « **Reply #118 on:** July 16, 2010, 19:51:46 PM »

I am glad to hear that.....I hope she keeps improving!!!...how are you? have you got any rest with all this worry going on???

well done for being so strong for her

Lindsey (thefunkyinuit) · « **Reply #117 on:** July 16, 2010, 18:38:56 PM »

Lacie is being such a good girl with her medication

I'm so proud of her for being so brave!

She had a little play today, pretty much the first time since she was diagnosed just over a month ago

Lindsey (thefunkyinuit) · « **Reply #116 on:** July 15, 2010, 19:34:12 PM »

Thanks everyone

I do hope theres no more emergencies, I can't believe we're only half way through this month - bring on pay day!
Lacie seems to be handling everything pretty well, its like she understands we're only trying to help! (Doesn't stop her trying her best to not let me get her tablets down her though!)

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #115 on:** July 15, 2010, 16:00:48 PM »

Do hope that things will start to even out now and emergencies will not happen allowing only your normal vet bills.

It just goes to show how at any age a cat can need lots of treatment and how the costs rise so quickly and as you posted on the insurance thread, a good insurance is soooooooo necessary from the time you first take on a cat.

I moan about the cost but when Franta became so ill last year and was possibly going to have an MRI scan, I was looking at 3-4 thousand for this and without insurance it would have been imposible.....we didnt go this route in the end but his bills were still about £2000 .

Sory to haver gone of topic a bit and send loads of good vibes for Lacie

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #114 on:** July 15, 2010, 15:56:04 PM »

Just sending a big

to Lacie and a

to you.

I don't have any experience of diabetes in cats but feel that once you can get her stable then the stress side of things will surely disappear for both of you

Janeyk · « **Reply #113 on:** July 15, 2010, 15:51:12 PM »

Quote from: Lindsey (thefunkyinuit) on July 15, 2010, 15:22:03 PM

Our vet said that it was cystitus probably caused by both the glucose in her urine and stress (shes had a lot of it of late, poor baby) She's been put on Metacam and Cystease and hopefully that will clear it up!

I thought so, poor Lacie

Quote from: Lindsey (thefunkyinuit) on July 15, 2010, 15:22:03 PM

As for the vets bills, I got last fridays wrong, it was actually £58, not £80, that was for a follow up consultation, convenia antibiotic and urinalysis.
The £184 one was the Vets Now Emergency which included a standard consultation, OOH fee, blood sampling, glucometer gluocose test, baytril injection and metacam injection.
The £186 one included urinalysis, hospitalisation and board, blood sample, glucose curve, M/D dry and syringes
Last night cost £77 which included follow-up consultation, urinalysis, cystease caps & metacam.

All very costly when added to the massive bills when she went Ketotic

It does add up doesn't it, hopefully things will start to pick up for her now

purrdy1 · « **Reply #112 on:** July 15, 2010, 15:49:57 PM »

do keep us informed of how you and Lacie are doing...sending healing thoughts and wishes and huge hugs!xx

Lindsey (thefunkyinuit) · « **Reply #111 on:** July 15, 2010, 15:22:03 PM »

Hi everyone, sorry I didn't update again yesterday, I was pretty stressed and exhausted!
We had a mix up with the vets appointment too

I made the appointment for my local surgery but it was actually made for the one a bit further away, so my mum took her to the local one only to find out she couldn't be seen. I ended up taking her to the other on at 6:15 last night instead. Our vet said that it was cystitus probably caused by both the glucose in her urine and stress (shes had a lot of it of late, poor baby)

She's been put on Metacam and Cystease and hopefully that will clear it up!

As for the vets bills, I got last fridays wrong, it was actually £58, not £80, that was for a follow up consultation, convenia antibiotic and urinalysis.
The £184 one was the Vets Now Emergency which included a standard consultation, OOH fee, blood sampling, glucometer gluocose test, baytril injection and metacam injection.
The £186 one included urinalysis, hospitalisation and board, blood sample, glucose curve, M/D dry and syringes
Last night cost £77 which included follow-up consultation, urinalysis, cystease caps & metacam.

All very costly when added to the massive bills when she went Ketotic

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #110 on:** July 14, 2010, 17:51:39 PM »

I feel for ypu so much ands do hope it can be resolved.

Were all these costs out of hours costs cos they seem very high?

Janeyk · « **Reply #109 on:** July 14, 2010, 15:53:44 PM »

I'm so sorry but it will probably be a bit of a rollercoaster and hard for you at first

I would imagine the cystitis would probably be related to the sugar in the urine and stress?

I hope that things settle down for you all

JackSpratt · « **Reply #108 on:** July 14, 2010, 15:48:50 PM »

Oh Lindsay. Poor Lacie and poor you. Cats with ongoing health issues are indeed pretty costly family members.

I gave away my glucometer literally a few weeks ago; I posted on here first but nobody wanted it. Typical timing on lifes part. Really hope Lacie picks up soon. Sending you both big hugs.

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #107 on:** July 14, 2010, 14:06:42 PM »

if she has stress-related cystitis Abs won't help

but Cystease would, and can be purchased quite cheaply on line, and given indefinitely

although I don't know if being diabetic would rule it out

Jasmine · « **Reply #106 on:** July 14, 2010, 13:52:51 PM »

Lindsey, I am so sorry to hear that poor Lacie is having more problems.

My vet has told me that diabetic cats are more prone to cystitis and she has been through a lot of stress recently, which can't have helped matters. Maybe she just needs a longer course of ABs?

From my own personal experience, I can vouch that having a diabetic cat can be very costly and emotionally draining - especially during the first few months. I was initially fostering Sweep for my local CP, and after he racked up over £2,000 in vets bills in 5 months, they 'pulled the plug' so to speak. However, we negotiated a discount with the vets and began to perform glucose curves at home - emailing/ringing the results to the practice for interpretation and advice on the correct insulin dosage.

If you can get Lacie over this initial ordeal, I believe home monitoring will be the answer to many of your problems:

Firstly, it reduces the stress on the cat
ie no travel, no vets etc.
(and stress can elevate glucose levels)

Secondly, it can be done relatively cheaply.
The glucometer I use only costs £10 to buy, the strips £25 for 60 individual tests, and needles £5 for a box of 100.
(You can also buy 'ketastix' for £6 to test for glucose & ketones in the urine.)

This literally saves £100's on veterinary bills, and if your cat shows any stange symptoms, a quick test can alert you to often remedy the situation before a life-threatening problem arises.

In turn, this also gives you more peace of mind.

I know how shattered and overwhelmed you feel at the moment, but providing a trusted vet thinks Lacie will overcome this, then you can cope with this I'm sure.

(And please don't hesitate to PM me for info - or if you just want a chat.)

purrdy1 · « **Reply #105 on:** July 14, 2010, 12:51:44 PM »

oh Lindsay im so sorry that poor Lacie is not so well again. This may sound harsh, but what is her prognosis? is she likey to continue having problems??? if so its going to be a very costly ongoing heartbreaking situation.....what are the alternatives?

On the other hand she may perk up and feel a whole lot better in a day or so and it will all make it worth while.

Is your vet being honest with you? are they sure that she wll improve? or is this just another money extracting exercise...sorry if i sound cynical but thats my expereince. £ 500 and a dead cat is not much fun

particuallry when you have asked the vet to put the cat down as she was in such a state!

If she does stand a chance of a fairly good quality of life, then maybe you could speak to your family or a freind or even the bank manager to help out over this rough period.....

ITs a horrable situation to be in and i feel for you

i dont know what else to say....

Lindsey (thefunkyinuit) · « **Reply #104 on:** July 14, 2010, 12:19:49 PM »

I'm feeling so down at the moment. Just when I thought things were going well.
Around 2:30am this morning Lacie woke me up scratching in her upstairs litter tray, I thought she might need a poo so took her outside (shes a bit funny about pooing in her litter tray, seems to only do poos outside) She did a poo outside but when she came back in she went to her litter tray and had a wee and then a few mins later went in again (no wee this time) This went on with her going to the tray and passing very little or no wee at all pretty much every few minutes. She was then sick, then she kept wandering around, sitting down and cleaning her back end, wandering around again, going back and forth to her tray, then trying to wee in strange places like on a carrier bag on the floor, on the settee, on a footstool, in the corner of the room.....It got to around 4:30am and I decided enough was enough as I noticed she had some blood in her wee and there was no sign of her settling down. I took her to the emergency vet again and they said it was probably cystitus......but she was given an antibiotic on Friday so surely that should have helped ??? So she gave her another antibiotic, anti inflammitary and painkiller and advised for me to take her for a check up at my normal vets today. I can't take her myself as I have had alot of time off work lately so my mum is taking her at 3 o'clock. I'm exhausted, worried sick about Lacie and now I have the added worry of lack of money. Last nights trip to the vet cost another £184, thats on top of the £186 the vets cost me on Monday and another £80 last friday. We've gone way past our insurance money now, we've had no money back from the insurance company yet, our credit cards are maxed out and I have very little left in the bank. I'm at a loss of how I can keep this up. I can't bring myself to stop treating Lacie because of the cost but It can't carry on the way it is. I just don't know what to do.

purrdy1 · « **Reply #103 on:** July 13, 2010, 12:57:53 PM »

HURRAHHH!

Author Topic: Lacie is diabetic (Read 14355 times)