I'm a bit ticked at my vet....

My Hula kitty has been out of remission for a couple of weeks. I took him to a new vet that was close to my house and was actually impressed that she believed cats should only be on wet food. But I called in a couple of days ago because of a scary issue with my cat being what appeared to be constipated and extreme pain. They took my info and asked that I send in a curve so they could see his numbers. I did that. Today I had to stop in to get more syringes because mine are being shipped to me and I was out. I was informed that there was a $37 charge for a glucose consult. I was not informed of this prior and would not have sent in the curve.

She is also recommending that I get an Alpha Trax meter instead of my awesome Relion Micro because its not calibrated to pets. Apparently she checked other clients human meters and they did not have comparable readings. Also she said that spot readings can be unreliable for pets and I should not be checking him regularly. The only time I should check is if he appears hypoglycemic.

I know we all have had troubles with vets. I will probably start the search for a new one. My questions about all this are...

I thought I saw somewhere the conversions for a human versus pet meter.

What are some nice ways to explain to the vet my point of view, which is probably most of you guys point of view also. I am super mad and don't want to blast her. I want to cool off before replying. It would be awesome if this post didn't turn into a bash the vet post. That is not what I am looking for.

Also what types of things should I do to find a vet that will be a better fit with me and Hula?

Thanks!

 

My vet who is an internist had never used the Relion but was okay with it and once he saw what I was doing never gave me advice on dosing. I would email the spreadsheet ever few weeks. If I went to long he asked me why I hadn’t sent them. He never charged me and he’s a VERY busy vet. You really can’t convert from human to pet meters. All I can say is they are close together when numbers are very high or very low. Id either tell your vet you are comfortable with your meter, pretend you are using a pet meter, or find a new vet. You can get all the dosing advice you need here if you decide not to switch and use this vet for other issues. Just pretend you are following her advice on diabetes.

 

This puzzled me. Not all cats show symptoms. Tyler doesn't. My only way to know is via tests.

I think you just talk to her and see if she listens. I feel it OK that she lets you know her own concerns . It may not be what you or I would agree with but it does show care & attention.
You could perhaps show her the published protocol or tell her about the GoSlow method if you are using that, so she understands why you are testing as you are. Catching nadirs if at all poss is very important after all. Say that the aim is to have the ambulance at the top of the cliff , not the bottom. You are monitoring to pre-empt any possible hypo.

I think she must accept it is your choice of meter. It doesn't make the readings dodgy at all. It makes them different but they still work and they still show levels.

I am not sure why she would be adverse to spot tests. These are to help keep the cat safe. That is the exact same aim as a vet.

 

not blasting your vet but, a vet that thinks spot checking is unreliable and you should only check when you think he is hypo is a vet that is not very knowledgable with diabetic cats so i would not bother explaining anything and simply look for a new one! that charge for glucose curve consult is outrages, my vet specialist checks my spreadsheet here and emails me back.

a better fit would be to find a internal vet specialist, here's a link to help you find one in your area.
http://find.vetspecialists.com/

 

Thanks for piping in on this. I will check out the link you sent and I think I have found another vet that I can be comfortable with. I will be seeing them on Friday.

I now have a new dilemma. I ordered syringes online, and I really think I got the wrong ones, well I know I did. My hope is that I might still be able to use them. My vet gave me u-40 29 G 1/2"0.5ml. I bought u-40 0.3ml. The unit lines definitely don't line up and I am not sure the circumference is the same either. I would love to not waste this huge box I purchased.
the 0.3 is definitely smaller around, so I am thinking I am ok, because the lines are a bit further apart for units on these. Am I ok to use?

Thanks

 

.3ml is better for kitties I think because they are a bit easier to draw out smaller doses than the .5ml. As long as they are U40 you should be good to go

 

The .3 ones hold less then 0.5.... just makes it easier to see the units, but the unit amount is still the same. . In other words the vet one holds 50 units (so the barrel is wider and lines closer together) and the new ones hold a total of 30 units (so the barrel is thinner and unit lines slightly farther apart making them easier to see). As long as they are both u40, a unit is the same amount on each.

 

I actually love my alphatrak but the strips are expensive. Very accurate and I like having the same readings my vet gets. A compromise might be a weekly curve with the alpha for your vet and daily spot checks with the relion.

If your cat is having constipation issues try adding a little extra water and a teaspoon of plain canned pumpkin to the food.

 

Just wanted to check back in. I did find a vet that I am SUPER happy with. No poopooing to home testing, etc. still working on getting dose right but I think we have found a math for the vet.

Thanks again!

 

The Caninsulin I use is U40, makes people scratch their heads when I mention it. I use Monoject U100 syringes because I can get them in a higher gauge and get a much more accurate measurement when drawing the insulin.