ARGH!! So annoyed with my vet right now...

Good morning all!
I just got off the phone with my vet, and to say I'm disappointed and beyond frustrated would be an understatement. I've read some posts here talking about ridiculous vets, so I had thought mine might be okay because she had actually recommended home testing. Looking back, I don't think she (nor I at the time) realized she said I could home test, but gave me absolutely no information about how to go about it... or how she expects it to go.

Flash forward to this week. Lou was supposed to go in today for a glucose curve, which I cancelled last week after verifying that I could do it at home. I sent my spreadsheet to the vet on Monday and she called me back to discuss the results today. Essentially, the jist of the conversation was she "can't trust" my results because I'm using a human glucometer, not the Alphatrak. I told her how prohibitive the cost of the strips for that meter are, but I'm not entirely sure she cared (because one time she tested her own blood glucose on an Alphatrak and there was a 100-point difference). She waffled about dosing because I did a curve (she said on the 20th, but it was actually the 25th), and she ignored the signs this week that his preshot numbers were very much improved. I'm appalled about her blasé attitude and that she hasn't noticed how much better his numbers have been. I know she doesn't have all the information over the last few days, but seriously... I can't do a curve because my buddy Lou doesn't seem to need insulin like he used to... a good sign normally, but one she didn't mention or seem to notice at all....

Needless to say, I am not a happy camper this morning. I am ready to say &*#@ her and find myself a vet who knows what she's talking about. Am I overreacting? Do I need to just get an Alphatrak, who cares about the cost? I would be willing to get one for curves, but Lou may not allow me to do a proper one (which I'm not upset with at all). What are your thoughts and experiences with vets??

Thanks in advance! And I appreciate the opportunity to vent. Ugh. I feel better if I don't think to closely on it, haha.

 

My vet office actually gave me a human meter on loan until I could go to the human pharmacy to pick up my own. For her own FD cat she used a human meter. So she was familiar with the difference and told me the NS levels for the human meter. She wasn't into the whole constant home testing for nadirs I was doing either (a dose was the dose scenario) or adjusting dose on my own (I always gave updates ). That said, in the end she couldn't argue the results I achieved because he is classed as in remission now - I prefer to say a status of tightly controlled. She just never met a pet parent like me that was willing to put the work in, learn to do .25unit doses and use the advice of this board.

Now, we have moved to an IM vet to get his IBD better controlled and he upped his prednisolone (which yes, we tried the other steroid and chemo drug and he didn't do well on either). I am now adjusting dose on my own to keep his numbers under the renal threshold AND this IM vet told me that he will leave the insulin dosage to me. He has good numbers and he is "in remission" so whatever I am doing is working. It was a conversation of what I was trying to achieve and how much I was giving, but other than that he had no input.

I kind of came to the conclusion that some vets don't really know about diabetes and how to work it beyond the "theory", some like to have the control and just can't seem to let go and some just don't know how to look outside the box and see an alternative to what they are taught.

There is reason for some concern as there is so much on the internet that is not right for your pet, but I think this board has a proven track record on guiding a pet guardian on safe practices and not overstepping what is a true concern that needs a vets attention.

That is my two cents.

 

If your vet dismisses the results from human meters but you like and trust her in all other respects then you could always get an alpha for weekly curves and use the human meter for day to day. The alpha is a good meter, just pricy.

 

See Elizabeth's post below about Cera Pet pet meter... much cheaper (sorry can't link)

 

everything I read and experienced, the best BG test for your cat, is you - using home monitor, AlphaTrak2. cats are too stressed at vet, which impacts the BG number; at the vet, you do not get a true BG number. The cost of the strips is ridiculous. Cheaper to buy another monitor kit. see my info, for more detail and tips to help you. Good news...my Tiger went into remission after 30 days. Good luck and don't give up.

 

My vet and I never saw eye-to-eye on diabetes treatment AND he didn't know HOW to test using ears. He still prescribes NPH insulin and bases diagnosis on 1 test. In fairness to him, he dx'd KT with 442bg, told me to give him 2 units of NPH blindly twice a day and bring him back in 2 weeks. He did another test, got something like 221, told me to take him off for 2 weeks and come in again. In 2 weeks, it was back up. THAT was our whole discussion. We agreed years ago that I treat the diabetes, he treats anything else. He willingly writes my prescription for Levemir yearly but no longer even asks about numbers - he knows I have a handle on it and will say something if I need his help.

People here taught me to test, taught me how to handle diabetes, how to feed, how to care...etc. Between my 2 'sugarboyz', we've now been dancing for over 6 years.

 

My vet encouraged home testing and recommended a meter (the AT2) which I happily purchased and used for ages. Didn't even know I could use a human meter at that time. The cost of the strips was ridiculous but I stuck with the AT2 even after finding out I could use a human one just so I wasn't muddying communications with my vet. I started comparison testing with a human meter and on one of our vet visits, I took both two spreadsheets....one for the AT2 and one for the human meter. My vet looked at me like I had horns growing out of my head when I handed her the sheet for the human meter but then asked if she could keep it.

Fast forward several months and I received an email from my vet because she had another diabetic pet parent who wanted to use a human meter. I provided my vet with reference numbers for "normal BG" and hypo warning level using a human meter. Now my vet is OK with whatever meter her clients choose. Any meter is better than no meter and with the appropriate meter ranges for comparison, along with the spreadsheet, the vet can see how things are going no matter which meter is being used.

Curves can be misleading if kitty happens to be bouncing and having a high day or having a particularly good day so I think the pattern over time on the spreadsheet is a much better gauge of how well regulated kitty is and the pattern on the spreadsheet will be basically the same no matter which meter you use.

 

My vet (who by the way is an excellent surgeon and a good vet in other areas,) really never really agreed on how to handle the DB, he thought I shouldn't test at home ( he doesn't know how to test using his ears), he wanted me to take an approach where I was just shooting once a day, changing doses according with the preshoot test ( that's when he finally saw I was really testing before every shoot), no to make the story too long, after a while the calls were more like how is he doing and I would answer that his numbers looked more o less ok ( never really getting into detail ) and eventually I just called him and told him Babu was on remission and I think he still thinks that may not be really true even though he even ran a full BW and glucose came totally normal. Fortunatelly he kind of treated me like I was a little crazy but since I was not really hurting Babu he let me go my way

 

My vet recommended the AT and I got it (didn't know about FDMB then). He automatically adds 50 points to results when in office because of stress. When I switched to human he was okay with it but then added 50 points to all the results because it was human meter. I could live with that. He loved the color coded ss. He wasn't sure on Lantus, but learned and he was stumped on how to use the pens. But now he recommends human meter to his customers who want to test and Lantus is his preferred insulin, but if parent can not afford it he gives Vetsulin.

Maybe your vet will come around when they look at the results you achieved. The old saying is The proof is in the pudding.

 

Thank you so much for your replies everyone! I feel much better. I think at the end of the day, I know I'm doing the right thing, and I can see on the spreadsheet the progress he's making. Ultimately, I also learned absolutely everything I needed to know from this board as well. I think I can forgive my vet for being an FD "idiot" because my Loudogg is getting better because of the fantastic advice I received here. Sorry to get mushy, but I appreciate it .

 

Majority of regular Vet's (non specialist) do not receive much training in FD because they have to know a little about many things. The important thing is to find one who be on your team . Maury had 3 Vet's who felt more like my competition when it came to his diabetes. I just found one a few weeks ago who is totally on my side and I feel like I have a teammate. Have to go with your gut instinct . We'll be here either way