Vet concerned something more sinister going on

Update: We can pick her up this afternoon. She has been eating and They are happy with her and I just have to send them ablood glucose reading later tonight and send through to them the next few days. They think that the fact that she is going into remission most likely may be the issue with the unstable levels and also a possible uti as there was some blood in her urine. She will come home on antibiotics. We are Feeling very relieved!



Willow is back at the emergency vet as of yesterday. They are worried something more sinister could be wrong but we are hoping it’s just early stages of getting the diabetes under control. Several weeks ago they tested for pancreatitis and it was negative. But even after having her bad teeth out a week and a half ago she is unwell again. She looked like she was picking up then started vomiting and not eating again. Dehydration is an issue. We are going to get her to a specialist once she’s more stable. The vet want us to come in and visit and see if she’ll eat more for us. They are treating her as before with pain relief, drip and appetite stimulant. She’s lost quite a lot of weight and is down to 2.9.
Just wondering if a lot of diabetic cats are this unwell to start with? The vet wants to look at an ultrasound when she goes to a specialist ialist to check nothing else sinister is going on. She doesn’t have ketones this time at least. I’m fact her BG levels have been much lower since having her teeth out. She did have one day of being around 24 BG all day before she went suddenly downhill.
Needless to say we are extremely worried.

 

You can't be worried yet until more tests are done, it could be almost anything. Don't let anyone assume her teeth are no longer an issue, sometimes you have to put your foot down and ask twice. Noah's brother once swallowed a staple, we think it fell from the insulation into the litter box, and he just pooped it out so sometimes it really does turn out to be nothing. Stay positive but don't let anyone be dismissive of what you think, Willow is your cat.

 

Jones was very sick to start. We have around a 4 month journey with pancretitis and IBD, then the FD two months later. He was 4kg down from his plump old man weight of 5.75kg. He is back up to 5.1kgs.

That said, try not to get worried about something until you know more.

 

If I was dealing with the issues you've been describing I'd ask the vet to order full blood checks (CBC and chem panel plus specific tests for Spec fPL (pancreatitis test) and SDMA (for kidney function - EXTRA important if vet considers thyroid issues may be in play since hyperthyroidism may possibly mask underlying kidney insufficiency) and tests for thyroid levels, B12 and folate.

I'd also try to make a very strong case for trialing the cat on ondansetron (generic is way cheaper, btw) for nausea control with additional support from cyproheptadine or mirtazapine to help boost appetite should the anti-nausea support alone be insufficient to improve and stabilise appetite at a healthy level.


Mogs
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Well I didn't really answer your question did I? There are all kinds of things that go along with diabetic cats that sometimes just depend on genetics or even being on the wrong insulin. Our first diabetic cat Nigel just kept losing weight until we broke all the rules and went to free feeding and switched insulins. I think the point I was trying to make was that a lot of vets still know very little about feline diabetes so you may have to be more assertive sometimes about what tests are done etc.

 

Thank you. Yes we are taking her to a specialist this week to try to get her sorted and to ask as many questions as possible!

 

I always bring a list. Because I have memory issues I'll be driving home thinking "Crap, another thing I forgot to ask". Willow gets my Sunday wish, something I forgot to grant myself earlier when I thought I was going to bake today.