Looking for a Vet in Raleigh, NC

Hi all, I'm so glad I found this site! I'm looking for a knowledgeable vet in the Raleigh, NC area. My little Timmie's sugar was found to be 520 on Friday - she didn't ask me to come in Sat, said she'd call me Monday...now this is making me worry. I didn't realize about his overintake of water for a long time so this has been going on a while; I took him in for weight loss. To complicate things, Timmie and his sister George are on a Hill's CD prescription diet - they've both had bladder surgery (prob why I only think good things when I see them drink lots of water). They are my children and they HAVE to be healthy. To further complicate matters I lost my job 14 months ago. If anyone can recommend a vet in the area I'd be most appreciative.
Thanks
Kristie :-|

 

Re: just diagnosed

My cat was recently diagnosed and I'm a full time student so I understand the money issues; it is definitely doable. I found that yelp was the most helpful when finding a good vet. The reviews were surprisingly accurate. If you poke around the site (I started at the homepage and went through every link) you can find questions to ask a vet about feline diabetes. It's helpful and it can see how experience a vet is about diabetes.

Although I am very new to this, what I recommend is home testing. It will save your kitty.

 

Re: just diagnosed

Hi And welcome to the group.

You may want to change your subject to - Looking for a vet in Raliegh - as that will get the attention you are looking for.

In the meantime, can you share some more information about Timmie.

Did the vet get you started on insulin?
What kind of insulin?
How much and how frequently are you dosing?
Are you familiar with home testing?

There are three key factors to managing diabetes: food/nutrition, home testing and insulin

1) Feline Nutrition: Now, as far as diet - definitely dump the dry food (if you are feeding any) and if the vet recommends purchasing prescription food like DM just say "no thank you". ALL cats, and especially those with diabetes, do best on a species appropriate diet that is high in protein and low in carbs. Dry food DOES NOT fit that bill and DM food, even canned, just really isn't that great as far as quality. Most here on FDMB feed low carb/high protein canned, raw bought from a pet store or they make there own.

Even the CD isn't the best quality and dry is really bad.

Here great links, one is to a food chart put together by one of our board members that breaks down the carb % and protein % of most of the commercial brand foods. You want to keep the carb % below 10% and around 7% is great. The other link is to a site by a vet "Dr. Lisa DVM" ... who also posts on this board from time to time ... there is in-depth info. there about many things, including nutrition and how to make raw food.
Nutrition/food info

The good thing with feeding your diabetic cat this way, is that it is ALSO good for any non-diabetic cat too. All your cats can safely eat the same food without worry and it may save you some costs and headaches of having to do separate feedings and keeping track of what they are eating.


2. Home testing: It is impossible to convey the value of testing your cat's BG (blood glucose) level at home. Some vets will "suggest" this, but most won't even mention it. They will send you home with insulin and an amount to shoot and maybe some instructions about hypoglycemia (blood sugar dropping to a dangerously low level).

Well, the thing is, human diabetics don't EVER give themselves insulin without checking there BG to make sure it is safe to do so, so why shouldn't it be the same for our kitties. Here on FDMB it is. You will notice that the vast majority of people here test their cat's BG at least 2x/day (before giving each shot to make sure the level is safe enough) and periodically at other times to see how the cat is responding to the current dose. We use a human glucometer, test strips and lancets - which are all very readily available and easy to use.

Our kitties get lots of love and treats for "putting up" with this and most of them actually come out to be tested on their own 'cause they want those treats . Here is a collection of great links that "Carolyn and Spot" pulled together about hometesting. See what you think ... it truly is the best way to not only keep Your cat safe but also really get a handle on this disease and help him to live a healthy life with FD (feline diabetes).

Home testing Links

3. Insulin: There are several types of insulin available. Many people, myself included use Lantus or Levimer both of which are great insulins. They are gentle insulin and given twice (BID) per day in 12 hour increments. Or you could also choose PZI or the new version called Prozinc.

Please read up on the insulins available, here is a link to the Insulin Support Groups:

Insulin Support Groups

However, one caveat and again this shows how these three things are inter-related:

If you are feeding dry food or even a high carb food, BEFORE removing these foods, please make sure of your insulin dose as it will most likely need to be reduced, so as to avoid a possible hypoglycemic situation due to the removal of the dry/high carb foods that will lower the BG’s and reduce the amount of insulin required. Again, another reason why home testing is important.

I know this all seems like a lot, and that's because it is ... there is a learning curve here. But as long as you are determined and keep at it, you will have it down before you know it and you'll be seeing the results in Your cat's overall health and happiness. Ask all the questions you can think of - that's why we are here!

 

Thanks Hillary!
Wow now I'm so overwhelmed I'm ready to cry. I read through a ton of info yesterday (thank you very very much for the links) They have been getting dry CD (yikes) I'd like to change immediately, but I'm thinking the vet will want to see him tomorrow to give insulin so I afraid to change today because I don't know the vet's plan or knowledge level and I'm afraid she'll ignore the nutrition aspect. I know that she said human glucometers don't work on kitties so that's bad right there. Honestly I was so worried that I'm not sure I took in all she had to say.
I just really, really, really want a vet who is extremely familiar with current therapies.
Thank you all for your replies.
Kristie

 

Kristie - Many vets are unfamiliar with the correlation of nutrition and animals. Sadly, unless they study the subject or learn about it on their own, many vets just believe the hype from the pet food companies and think that is the answer - push the prescription food.

It was only when I came here, that I learned about food that today, one year later, all dry food is gone, I'm feeding quality low carb wet food and even learning how to make raw food. My girls (3 of them) were all dry food eaters. I didn't know any different and no vet ever suggested otherwise.

Even now, after all I've learned, the vets still try to promote the prescription food to me.

I just smile, say no thank you and do what I learned here.

If you are not giving any insulin yet, you can safely change the food and see how that lowers his Bg's.

Regarding the meter, I was told that "you can't use a human meter. The only meter you can use is an animal meter and I don't know if I will even allow that, as you cannot test at home. You must bring your cat in for tests as it is the only way to know what's going on."

The fact is that YES you can use a human meter to test your cat. Most of us on this board use human meters without any problems.

I suggest that if you can, go to the store and pick up a meter, test strips to go with the meter, a box of lancets (little pokey things to test with). In addition, pick up the following:

- ketostix or ketodiatstix
- neosporin or other topical antibiotic ointment (with pain relief is ok)

Now as far as meter goes - Walmart sells the Relion brand meter and many people here use it. It's inexpensive and requires a small sample size of blood.

I use a one touch ultra and one touch mini. It's a good meter, but the strips can be pricey, unless you buy online.

When you get this stuff, we can then provide you with video and tips on how to home test. So, this way you can be a step ahead of the process when dealing with the vet tomorrow.

Depending on which insulin you choose, and I do recommend that you read up on the insulins, so you can tell the vet which one you want to use and get the vet to write the script for you. You will also need insulin syringes and for example if you use one of the L insulins, you may need a script from your vet for them and make sure that she writes U100 with 1/2 unit markings.

I'm trying not to overwhelm you with too much information, but I'd like you to be better prepared and informed when you do see the vet.

 

Again, I'm extreeeeemely appreciative for all the info and support!

 

anytime - it's why we're here.

And it was just about a year ago that I came here and had to learn fast. and figure out how to help Maui.

 

Hi Kristie and welcome.

Take a couple of deep breaths. I think when I found out that Gabby had diabetes it was among the worst days of my life. On top of the FD, she was critically ill with complications of the diabetes. FDMB was a lifesaver for me. What I can tell you is that I was completely overwhelmed with information at the beginning of this journey. The front end of this learning curve is huge. I think we tend to inundate newbies with everything we've learned and forget that it feels like you just swallowed a brick. So, deep breath and realize you don't need to know everything all at once. We're here to answer questions and provide support.

With kitties that have other medical issues, you and your vet need to work together to figure out the big picture. I really like my vet. She is a wonderful, caring and compassionate person who was fine with prescribing Lantus but does not know as much as the people here. Like many vets, she has carried over knowledge about shorter acting insulin to Lantus and the different types of insulin act very differently, As a result, we work together. Once she was sure that I knew what I was doing (or had good consultation from people here), she has not asked that I bring Gabby in for fructosamine levels or curves in the office. The time I brought in my spreadsheet, the vets in the office were blown away at the amount of data that I have. (Ok, I'm a testaholic!) They wanted to sell me prescription food. Once I knew better, I asked my vet some questions -- shouldn't Gabby be on a low carb diet? The vet said yes and then I pointed out that I could buy lower carb food that was better quality than the prescription food I was getting there. Once she saw I understood, she backed off since we were both working toward the same goal.

What I would suggest is putting some thought into what you think are the important questions and write them down. For example, how do you manage a low carb diabetic diet with juggling a diet that's important for bladder health? Is there any reason that both of your cats can't be fed the same thing? Which insulin does your vet prefer and why? Given the remission rates with Lantus, if the vet is recommending another insulin, I'd want to know why. If it's a matter of unfamiliarity with Lantus use, would your vet be willing to work with you to learn about it's use (since you now have all of us as resources)? Is your vet supportive of home testing? If not, why not? Again, there is research in top line vet journals to support the importance of home testing (at least with Lantus). (Sorry -- I'm a Lantus user so my information tends to be fairly specific to that insulin.) Find out what is the best way to communicate with your vet -- is it phone or e-mail? Can you get back in touch if you have more questions? If you're like me, you'll get home and think of all of the things you should have asked. Be clear that you don't want to be a bother but at the beginning, you are bound to feel unsure of yourself. Some people are fine with trusting the information they get here. Others want to run things past their vet. You need to do what you feel the most comfortable with but you also don't want your vet's cranky office manager to yell at you (and, unfortunately, we've seen that happen) because you need to contact your vet.

Take one thing at a time. We can help you prioritize. Probably most of us would focus on home testing first so asking your vet to show you how to test and how to give a shot are very important issues. You may want to bring a meter with you to the vet's office so you can see how the numbers from your meter stand up to the vet's testing. (Walmart's Relion meter and strips are among the least expensive available. Their syringes are also in 1/2 unit increments and are inexpensive.)

Remember that most vets have to know about a vast number of illnesses in a very broad range of species that they treat. For most vets, this means they can't be experts at everything nor can they be completely current in all areas of veterinary medicine. By the time you are up to speed on FD, you will, in all likelihood, be as well versed as your vet on FD. You may not know how FD fits in with other illnesses, but you will develop a surprising amount of expertise.

Sorry to have rambled on so long. Please keep asking questions. We're happy to help.

 

Thanks, Sienne. I feel much better able to speak with my vet now that I've a lot of the reading recommended here. You all have been great - thanks a million! I'll keep you posted on little Timmie's progress.
Kristie