6/1 Ruby AMPS 105/+2 121/+5 99/PMBG 76 no shot tonight

Yesterday on The Book of Ruby.

Gave Ruby another shot this morning. Hard to know if her AMPS was from her feeling better or the insulin from last night doing some lifting, but she seems totally fine aside from an episode of scarf and barf at brekkie. She's bright, active, and affectionate.

Have holistic vet appt in a few hours and an endoscopy scheduled for 8 AM tomorrow morning. Phew. Looking forward to getting off this rollercoaster ride.

I'm sad too, Suzanne, but I also knew that the situation was very touch and go. In a way, I'm glad I have the BGs to use as an objective measure of how she is feeling rather than guessing at clinical signs that may or may not be present. She lasted a good while without insulin, so I hope that if we can figure out the cause of the flares and treat them properly that they will happen a lot less often. Stability is the name of the game right now, and we'll be able to have a big joyous party when that happens!

 

I'm glad Ruby is feeling better this morning. I hope the vet visit goes well today and you can get something to help Ruby feel better. Sending prayers.

 

I wish I had a holistic veterinarian around. I hope you get some good suggestions. Who's doing the endoscopy? The AMC?

 

This vet does not advertise herself as a holistic vet which is why I didn't find her until now, but she's got certification from Chi U and her website says the practice supports raw feeding and she does stuff like acupuncture and herbal medicine. I literally found her from doing a Google search for raw feeding vets near me! So you never know, you might have one in your midst.

A resident at AMC is doing the endoscopy, and I might have them lined up to test Ruby's samples with Lymphopro, a new test (on pause currently) to differentiate IBD from SCL, all courtesy of @Tomlin!

 

The vet, Dr Xie (https://chiu.edu/about/meet-dr-xie), who is the founder of Chi U is based out of UF, & Chi U is based about 30 mins South of UF in Reddick, FL. They actually have a Vet Locator Tool so that you can find vets fully certified in TCVM as well as vets who are specifically certified in: acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition &/or tui-na or those who are currently students of the program.

Link for Chi U Vet Locator Tool:

https://www.tcvm.net/

Didn’t mean to hijack the thread ......

 

Home from the vet! Firstly, I was THRILLED to be able to be in the same room at a vet's office with Ruby. Ruby got sick in the middle of the pandemic and I have never ever met any of her doctors, so it was fantastic to have a patient, thorough, face to face conversation with a human being and I think Ruby was more relaxed with me there as well.

Secondly, the doctor's impression of Ruby at first glance is that she does not seem to have anything wrong with her. She was sniffing around at everything in the room and was friendly with the vet and the tech. The vet reviewed Ruby's history and was surprised at how well and healthy she seems. She was such a good listener and relayed a lot of her own experiences working at a feline only practice with complicated cats like Ruby. She was not surprised that Ruby's glucose levels are bouncing around as it's very common with IBD kitties, and said I should continue managing her diabetes as I have been.

Basically she's deferring to the IM specialists at AMC for Ruby's treatment after we find out the results of the endoscopy, but has offered acupuncture and Chinese herbs to support whatever treatment program they deem suitable. She did not want to start any of that until Ruby is fully recovered from her surgery, as doing acupuncture can lower her chi and leave her system weak. I made an appointment for acupuncture in two weeks, but I'm glad I went and got her very level headed input. Look forward to working with her more.

 

Wondering if anyone can guide me as to how much insulin I should give Ruby if she should have another blue or yellow start tomorrow morning before her endoscopy. I won't give if her preshot is green. I asked the hospital and they said "half a dose," so that means a drop at this point for us?

 

You could try a drop tomorrow if higher. Remember that the depot is also building, so since you are seeing green alreDy, a skip also Ok. Trust your gut at this point, you know Ruby well.

Sounds like a great vet visit today, so nice to see the vet. I see mine out in the parking lot for hand off and pick up only, so at least get to talk to her. Paws crossed for tomorrow’s vet visit. My girl recovered very quickly from endoscopy. Her voice was a bit muted for part of day - not a bad thing.

 

Thank you, Wendy, for the dosing advice and for reminding me about that wonderful thing called a depot. I often forget that's in play.

Thanks also for reassuring me about a quick recovery. I hadn't even started to worry about what her recovery would be like, have been so wrapped up in planning the procedure itself. It will be over soon, thank goodness, and we can put the experience behind us for a while.

 

Came up against a lowish green at PM preshot time and made the call to not give insulin. Ruby might be diving again now that she's feeling better and can't risk a lime green number tonight. Crazy how her numbers yo-yo!

 

One other thought as you go in tomorrow....when they are getting ready to discharge Ruby and if they mention that she has had any nausea from the anesthesia post procedure (I would also ask if there were any issues) make sure to check her when she comes out given that you know her best & if you think there is still any issue, ask them to give her an injection of Cerenia.

I bring this up because I had my first experience with post procedure nausea with one of my cats. The first time around he had no issue at all with the anesthesia (6 months prior). The next time, they let me know that he had some nausea with drool (no vomiting)after the procedure, but that he was fine. I went into the lobby to pick him up and made sure to check him out before heading back on the road with him. He was clearly still nauseated & I had them give him the Cerenia injection. That would have made for a rough commute for both of us. He is not diabetic and he doesn’t have a GI issue, so if I think about those underlying issues added to the mix...it is something that I would definitely want to look for and treat if there is an issue.

I did inquire about any change to the anesthesia from one procedure to the next and there was no change. Apparently, just because they do fine one time with the meds used, doesn’t guarantee they will be fine the next time.

I figured I would throw this info out there because it was the first time I ever had experienced this issue & with the handoffs going on due to the pandemic, it is best to unzip the carrier and check them out well with your own eyes before ending the visit & heading home.

 

Hi Katherine, I'm glad you liked the vet you saw today.
I will say a prayer for Ruby and you that all goes well tomorrow and you can finally get to the bottom of this and move forward. Give Ruby a big kiss for me.
Try and stay calm ok. ♥

 

Thanks, Amy! I will check on Ruby before leaving the hospital. We have an hour total trip home from the hospital—first in a taxi and then a bus, so a vomiting cat would not be ideal!

 

Thanks, Diane. I’m feeling pretty calm. Ruby’s been feeling better, she’s eating and her BGs have come down, and I have some really good doctors looking after her tomorrow. We will be fine.

 

Hi Katherine, sending loving prayers for you and Ruby for her procedure tomorrow. I’ll be thinking of you both. Hugs and positive vibes from me and Dolly.

 

So happy you are getting the endoscopy today (6/2). Praying for some good, treatable news. I look forward to hearing what your vets said and the results of the endoscopy.