It has been a long and stressful weekend waiting for our veterinarian to call with the testing results for Trouble, our 8 year-old Oriental Shorthair neuter.
Every time the phone rings, my heart beats a little faster and it sinks when the call is not from her. We are waiting to learn if Trouble has Diabetes Insipidus, a rare condition which should not be confused with "sugar" Diabetes. It is a disease that prevents the body from conserving water.
For several months Trouble was drinking a huge amount of water and had a ravenous appetite. All previous tests were negative for"sugar" Diabetes or thyroid problems. Dr Holder, our veterinarian thought it advisable to perform a 24 hour water deprivation test. Unfortunately his urine did not concentrate, which pointed in the direction of this rare condition.
Additionally one of the symptoms is incontinence and possible disturbance of litter box habits. Perhaps Trouble has been trying to tell us something is wrong, and we now suspect that perhaps this is the cause of the recent inappropriate elimination problems with which we have been plagued.
Update:
Dr Holder just called. The diagnosis is Diabetes Insipidous. His response to Desmopressin, a hormone that he is lacking naturally, concentrated his urine to normal levels. I am relieved that we finally have a diagnosis which can be treated with an eye drop twice a day.
Since we think that Lucyfur may also have been contributing to the inappropriate elimination event, due to anxiety, she will be treated with an anti-anxiety medication for several weeks, which hopefully will prevent further problems.
The cats will be coming home tomorrow, which is very exciting.
Tune in for future updates. I am hopeful they will all be positive.
7 comments:
My goodness! I amglad they found out what the problem is. And an eye dropper of medicine! That sounds like and easy way to administer medicine. Much easier than having to give it orally. I am glad they will be coming home tomorrow where things are familiar to them and they can rest at home.
wow...you can treat this with eyedrops! I'm AMAZED! I do eyedrops with Missy twice a day...and she even loves them cold out of the frig.
This is much easier than orally which is MUCH easier than by injection (we have one patient at the pharmacy whose cat gets up on the counter and MEOWS for his insulin, but then again, that's a different kind of diabetes.)
This is good news Jo. It really is. I'm sure your peepee problems will be over now. I just know you can't wait to get the kits home!
I'm so glad that you finally figured out his problem AND that the treatment is such an easy one. Wonderful news!
*OMG! Is the sky blue and the birds are chirping? That seems to be the comercials for some meds these days! Who would have throught Jo! I am so sorry about all that you are going through with this. It has been a long haul for you already!
Big hugs and prayers sent your way!
And again Jo, thanks for making this a fun, eduactional, teras of happiness and with some blogs ..sad...you keep us all going!
I found some interesting information about Diabetes Insipidus here. Check it out!
Desmopressin for DI is best when given via injection using U100 syringes.
It may sound daunting, but your kitty will do much better.
On www.felinediabetes.com there are people who deal with many types of issues including DI and other types of diabetes such acromolegy.
Also, Desmopressin when used on a feline and not given via injection should be administered through the nose, not the eye.
Your kitty will be back to her normal self if you do the injections rather than the nasal administration.
If you have time, check out the felinediabetes.com message board and post that you need info on DI. There are a few seasoned members that can help you.
Hello, my 1 years old cat - Sofia has the same problem - she drinks a huge amount of water and she is dolesses. My veterinar will to do the test in diabetes inspidius. Can you write me on email klahka@gmail.com how the test pass?? And please write me what kind of sympthoms had your cat??? Thank you very much in advance.
Post a Comment