Xtra News Community 2

Yogi - my big strong strapping Burmese Boy became very unwell yesterday evening. Over the last week he has lost weight and his coat at times wasn't as glossy as usual. I rang the Vet first thing this morning  - there were no appointments left but without hesitation they found a mid morning. For no particular reason other than a feeling, I told Tracey (one of my absolutely wonderful Vets) that I was suspecting Diabetes even though he had no symptoms. It was just a feeling. Some of you remember my wonderful boy Sam and his great niece Zara both of whom ended up with Diabetes later in life. Neither of them had symptoms either but I had a feeling with them as well.

Yogi had some blood and urine tests this morning - his Glucose is 24.7 (should be 3.5-5.9). Although I am waiting for more results, it is Diabetes. Once the other results come through the dose of Insulin can be established. He will have 12 hourly Insulin Injections. Poor Yogi is so miserable. (http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww32/XtraNewsCommunity2/MSN%20emoticons/10emsad.gif) He will start to feel better once he stabilises. I hope he does stabilise.

Both Sam and Zara died of complications from Diabetes - Ketoacidosis which is really nasty. Once they go into Ketoacidosis Crisis, they go into septic shock. Tracey said that she was gobsmacked when she got the Glucose results back because yet again I had come up with the diabetes call. She is hoping that because we have got it early on, that we can get him right - I hope so.

Yogi might be a bully and a hood who has put me in hospital 3 times with serious cat bites, but I love him - he's a real cool dude.

(http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww32/XtraNewsCommunity2/MSN%20emoticons/11emcry.gif)

Poor Yogi! 

You know I hope the stroppy sod feels back on form in no time, and the treatment is easy and stress free.

xx

Tracey said Yogi was wonderful when they took the blood test - he always is for them apparently. I've given Insulin Jabs before so it's just a matter of starting that up all over again. The sooner he starts that the better but we can't start until we have the last blood and urine results in.

He's sound asleep in teh spare room at the moment. I've got them all curfewed today. I want Yogi inside keeping warm so the others have to be confined too. There would not be a problem if a certain little former Hastings resident didn't unlock the cat door when she feels like it. The door between the house and conservatory is closed firmly (the cat door is in the conservatory).

I feel so sorry for poor Yogi - he's so miserable and has no idea why.

The last of the results are in - confirmed Diabetes.

Yogi is being admitted to the Clinic Hospital tomorrow morning for a few days for Glucose Curves and they will get him started on teh Insulin. They will have him until at least Monday afternoon. Yogi is not going to be a happy boy tomorrow morning. He is miserable enough as it is and all he wants is for me to be cuddling him. He won't like sleeping without a human (https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/cry.gif)

Crickey! and I thought we were jumping through hoops with Sally and her hyperthyroidism.

Pilling the little minx by putting them in her food was no longer working. She was loosing weight again - down to 2.7kg.

Pilling her manually twice a day was going to be a nightmare - that cat is all legs, muscle covered legs. Getting a pill and a half into her in the morning and another pill at night is not something I wish to do every day. Fortunately there was another option.

Now someone has to hold her while I measure 0.1ml of gel out of a syringe on to a rubber finger stall and rub the gel inside her ear.


Hope Yogi comes right or responds well to his new medicated routine.

I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Yogi.

The lengths we go to for our babies!!! Sally likes to give her parents a challenge obviously (https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/wink.gif)

Yogi has had his breakfast - he ate the new dry food that he's to be on without complaint and even seemed to enjoy it. I will give him some soft food shortly before taking him in to the Clinic. I'll be taking one of his favourite polar fleece blankets to go in his cage. He's not going to be happy. He loves the staff at the Clinic - and is always a good boy for them. He gives them lovely cuddles too but he's never slept overnight not being snuggled up to a human or the other cats. It's dreadful seeing my big strapping lad looking so miserable.

Yogi has always been a larger than life personality. There is barely a hint of the ballsy boy we all know. Hopefully they can get him stabilised on Insulin and we'll see that back.

Yogi has now been on Insulin for a week. He's on Lantus, which takes longer to take effect, but in the long term is considered a better Insulin.

Yogi looks better than he did and although his coat lacks the shine and lustre that we expect of him, he's making head way. It is obvious the Insulin and the new M/D Hill's Science Prescription Diet are making him feel better (he's definitely not even 80% yet but he's better than he was). He's a bright boy, so I would expect that he'd realise that the injections make him feel better. When Sam was having Insulin 12 hourly, he would appear and sit on my knee waiting for the jab so obviously he knew it was making him feel better. (https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/smiley.gif)

So ... by my reckoning Yogi should be grateful ... right? (https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/shocked.gif)

Apparently not. The first week up until last night has been okay, but last night I tried to give him his Insulin before going to work (night shift). He flatly refused to have it. I had about 5 attempts and he challenged me face on every single time, threatening to bite me. (http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww32/XtraNewsCommunity2/Animated%20emoticons/40_WTF.gif) I went to work without giving him his Insulin and rang my flatmate who was finishing work at 2.00am and asked her to try. Yogi would not let her do it either. When I arrived home from work this morning at 7.30am I tried 3 times and he was not having a bar of it. Flatmate came out and held his head while I gave him the injection.  

I have had 3 hospital admissions from Yogi's bites - two of them serious infections and surgery as a result. I do not need another Yogi bite! Yogi might be popular with his XNC2 Aunties, but just in case you haven't quite grasped it ... Yogi is a bloody little shit. (http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww32/XtraNewsCommunity2/Animated%20emoticons/18_Gossip.gif)

(https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/tickedoff.gif)

... and of course he is an absolute angelic perfect patient for Eve when he's at the Clinic (http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww32/XtraNewsCommunity2/MSN%20emoticons/13emangel.gif)

**Nods sagely**

People tell me that my kids are wonderful wherever they go, and I'm, like, "Mine???"  Other people tell me I'm lucky that they behave when outside of my sphere of influence.  Looks like Yogi subscribes to the same bullshit.  :-\

Thomas is in the area.... do you want me to send him around with his welding gloves?  He can always get more.....

I have two words - Sally - pills - nuff said

I didn't tell you how I got her to the vet on Friday - it involved wedging Bobby in a gap too small for him - seriously I plonked him in the gap between Rebecca's bed and the wall all four legs hanging in air trying to send him under the bed to chase Sally out, locking the cat door and removing a drawer in Rebecca's bed then cornering and wrangling her snakelike legs to get Sally into a carrier when she shot up the hall like a rocket and was halted by the locked door.

(http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww32/XtraNewsCommunity2/Animated%20emoticons/09_ROFLMAO.gif)

I was thinking welding gloves as I drifted off to sleep this morning while I was planning this afternoon/evenings episode.

At least Sally doesn't bite even if keeping hold of her is like trying to hold several live eels. She has never been a carry around cat.

Seriously I would try wearing leather gloves, the cheap ones from The Warehouse would do, to try and get Yogi.

If you are successful he may learn like Sally does and disappear at the sight of the gloves but them a sneak attack may work.

The leather gloves .. or any gloves (including welding gloves) wouldn't work. You have to lift the skin with one hand while popping the needle under the skin with the other to give the injection.

I made about 4 attempts tonight before deeing them to give Yogi his Insulin. He and I had another stand off.

Me:     Yogi, I'm not feeding you until you have your Insulin.
Yogi:    I'm not having it.
Me:     You're having the Insulin.
Yogi:    Make me


... and so it went on. I went away and had a shower and washed my hair - came back out and had another stand off with Yogi. I went away and dried my hair - came back - same thing.


Me:     I'm the grown up - you're the cat. You will have the Insulin.
Yogi:    F**** off


... so I dished up their dinner. Yogi was hungry. I tried to give him the Insulin while he was eating. One attmept from him at biting me but he gave in to food. I managed to give him teh injection while he was eating.


Yogi:           1
Yogi's Mum:  1



(https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/rolleyes.gif)

It's not funny but that had me giggling. 

I'm not going to ask who taught Yogi to swear.(https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/angel.gif)

He must have been listening to the neighbours (http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww32/XtraNewsCommunity2/Animated%20emoticons/16_Whistling.gif)

Yogi's Mum is home from night shift. She's tired and not to be messed with ....

Yogi:           1
Yogi's Mum:  2

Yay - Alicat was in The Zone!

Now ya gotta stay there for the next few weeks till he gets it through his stubborn brain that this is the New Rules!

Okay ... I'm up now. Not sure what zone I'm in, but Yogi - I'm in charge not you .... no really ... I'M in charge.











I'M in charge ... yes I am (https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/knuppel2.gif)

Well .... 3 attempts before I could get the needle anywhere near him but finally got him pinned on the kitchen bench. He growled at me but I told him that Aunty DT told me to be really firm and stay in the zone. Aunty DT better watch her back next time she visits. Yogi has a very very long memory (https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/smiley6600.gif)



Yogi:            1
Yogi's Mum:   3






(I only started keeping score after the little shit darling started challenging me over the Insulin).

(http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww32/XtraNewsCommunity2/MSN%20emoticons/04emsmileo.gif)

Auntie DT thinks the next visit might need to be via a cafe....

Surely Aunty DT is not scared of a little pussycat? (http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww32/XtraNewsCommunity2/Animated%20emoticons/05_Laughing.gif)

I finished night shift yesterday morning. I was really tired when I went to bed last night. I wanted to have a bit of a sleep in this morning NOT be woken up by a prowling brown bear!!!

After several attempts to make me get out of bed at 6.30am and open the conservatory door so he could go out (cat door is out there) - he propmpted me to lift the duvet ... so he could climb back into bed right? No. By lifting the duvet it meant I was exposing my hand and arm. Quick as a flash he bit my arm. I smacked him. He jumped off the bed. The poor girls got spooked but stayed under the duvet and went back to sleep anyway.

Yogi carried on prowling then settled for about half an hour then came and jumped Bailey. She got out of bed, poor Mitzi shot out of bed and came face to face with the brown bear. He chased her with a bottle brush tail. That's the final warning for me. I got out of bed much earlier than I wanted or needed to!

There was a stand off. I cheated. I put his food on the bench. He was obviously ravenous so while his face was in the food bowl and his back turned ....


Yogi:            1
Yogi's Mum:   4

Now if he is smart he will begin to associate getting a quick jab with getting food.

Sally is not that smart ::)

Oh Yogi is SMART enough to work that out.  It's the stubborn factor that she's got to break through. 

...and it doesn't help that when I relayed the 'goings-on' to the Vet Nurses and Vet, they were all laughing at Yogi's antics.

They did tell me I am handling him the right way by nabbing him while he's eating. I have also arranged that he can go and stay there at short notice at the end of next week when I go to Auckland to see Mary Poppins if my flatmate can't manage him.

And yes SP - Yogi is VERY smart, but he likes a challenge ... and I am that challenge (https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/rolleyes.gif)

Right ... Yogi challenged me again and growled at me. I dished up his food and while he was eating it I gave him his Insulin. Food came first!

He's had his Clomicalm and is now settled for the night.

Flatmate said she wanted to do the Insulin this morning. I told her eaxctly what she needed to do as it's a very small window of opportunity. Yogi saw her coming while he was eating and did an 180o turn so that he was facing her. I turned him round smart and she got it in. Personally, I think Yogi is going to challenge every single time ... cos he can (https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/undecided.gif)

Too bad reverse psychology isn't going to work on him.

When my friends son was diagnosed with diabetes and he was beating his mum up over it and being a royal pain in the arse about his shots etc, she sent him to live with me for a month.  I was hopeless as giving the shots and basically turned it into a dart and where it hit was where it went in.  After about a week of my miserable attempts he took over doing it himself and never looked back.

We are still friends though and he pops up on a lot of my facebook postings with a cheeky comment. 

That's a very generous offer thanks DT (https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/smiley.gif) Are you sure a month will be long enough? (https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/grin.gif)

 :o

Ask Jason on my friends list what it's like to be at the receiving end of one of my injections....

No, better not, I think he's just finished therapy.

I can't do it.  I'm hopeless.  I even stuck him through my thumb once because I can't look at the needle.  I was a mess.  Hysterical.  Dad got a phone call "I'm going to die from insulin poisoning". 

There is very real reasons why I'm not a nurse.  Blood is one.  Needles is the other. 

Get him on a pill - I'm ace at delivering pills into defiant moggie throats.

PMSL

No pills for Insulin - has to be jabs sadly.

Yogi update ... he is back at the Vet Clinic hospitalised today and overnight for on-going blood sugars throughout the day to see if he is on the correct Insulin dose. Yogi will have these regular Glucose Curves done until they are happy with his Glucose levels.

I think he is looking better, but he is being a challenge over the Insulin still. We seem to have it almost under control by attacking him with the injections while he's eating. The fact that he is extra hungry at the moment helps.

Eve has him today and Yogi (http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww32/XtraNewsCommunity2/MSN%20emoticons/14emlove.gif)LOVES(http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww32/XtraNewsCommunity2/MSN%20emoticons/14emlove.gif) Eve.

Some good news ...

Yogi spent yesterday (and overnight) at the Vet again. It is 2 weeks since he started the Insulin and the results are amazing already. Yogi's Glucose was 24.7 before he started the Insulin, and yesterday they did regular blood sugars throughout the day. He started the day yesterday with 9.3 at 8.00am followed by 5.5 at midday then 6.9 at 4.00pm.

Considering they were striving to get his Glucose to be consistently under 12 on Insulin, the results are dramatic.

His Insulin dose has been decreased and Eve is so excited about the results, she has asked to have him back next Monday (after only one week) for another day of Glucose Curve. Usually, they wait another 3-4 weeks. He is still on Insulin injections twice a day, but I can see the dose being possibly cut down even lower. He will be on a special diet for the rest of his life and never allowed dry food again (Yogi's not happy about that!) but the prognosis is much better than it could be.

Eve told me yesterday repeatedly that the excellent results we are seeing are because of me picking up the diagnosis and getting him to them so soon.

Yogi is in remission. He is now off the Insulin Injections and will stay on a special diet for the rest of his life. The remission won't be permanent but it's good for teh moment. Yogi will go back in another week for an all day Glucose Curve again to make sure we're still on track.

He's a very lucky boy and I'm very pleased not to be giving injections twice a day to an unco-operative Burmese. They havebeen gradually decreasing the Insulin for the last 3 weeks and Yogi has done well.

Yay! Hope Yogi stays well for a long time!

Sally is doing well on the gel now although she has not turned up for a couple of doses. We get her the moment she does turn up.

That means at the moment she is getting them in the morning while she is asleep. She is so surprised that she forgets to runaway afterwards. :D

They can be little shits about their medication!

I've come to realise that the title of this thread is probably inaccurate.

Now that he is obviously feeling better, Yogi's back to bullying and harrassing the girls. I had some long tiring and busy early shifts on Thursday and Friday. I was up at 4.40am both mornings so was desperate for a sleep in yesterday morning before my late shifts. Yogi started hassling me at 5.30am then went on the prowl. He wanted me to get up and feed him. My cats have never had a routine becasue my flatmate and I are both shift workers. The cats have always had their breakfast when one of us gets up. It could be anywhere between 5.00am and 9.00am. There has been no issue with that from any of them. They stay in bed until I get up - simple!

Yogi is hungrier now - the food absorbs a lot quicker because of the Diabetes so he needs top ups. I'm sympathetic - I really am BUT I like my bed. I like my sleep and I sure as hell don't like having to get up earlier than planned to be a bloody referee between the 'incidents' always caused by Yogi.

Yesterday morning I ended up giving in and getting up at 6.45am to feed them. Yogi then bounced and chased Mitzi and Bailey so I threw him out into the conservatory (the cat door is out there too). He cried like a baby cos he wanted to come back to bed with me - tough! I got up and pottered around at 8.30am. Yogi could see me through the glass doors but I ignored him (they hate being ignored so that is my secret weapon). Little shit then started pulling mouthfuls of wool out of the sheepskin rug I have in the conservatory. I opened the door but ignored Yogi. He followed me around crying cos I was ignoring him. I gave in after about 30 minutes and we were friends again.

Poor Yogi - my arse!

Yogi update ....

Yogi went in for a dental today with his beloved Eve (Yogi LOVES Eve). He didn't lose any teeth - I had been dreaming thinking that he might need his 4 fangs removed because of gingervitis. Eve rang to say that although there was gingervitis, it wasn't too bad at all (http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww32/XtraNewsCommunity2/MSN%20emoticons/09emcrook.gif) so need for fang removal.

The good news is that Yogi's glucose is 6.5 meanting the Diabetes is well in remission and he has maintained his glucose levels being under 12 - which is what the goal was.

Awesome.


Now, do you want me to bribe Eve about the fangs?

Glad to hear that the diabetes is under control.

Him still having his fangs - is that a mixed blessing? ;)

Eve did think long and hard about teeth extraction for Mum's sake (https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/wink.gif) but couldn't really justify extraction. It was considered though.

Very much a mixed blessing (https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/cool.gif)

Yogi was quite unwell yesterday. He didn't show much interest in food and slept all day. He was very quiet - out of character for my wee man! I decided to monitor him overnight and see how he was today before ringing the Vet, however he seems better this morning and was hungry again. He's on antibiotics becasue of his dental last Monday so maybe they were making him feel under the weather.

? update ?

Yogi is back to normal - attitude included. I was fairly convinced it was the antibiotics so stopped them 9then rrang and checked with Eve that it was okay to do so). She agreed with me that he was reacting to the antibiotics. They have made a note on his file not to give him those drugs again. It was also pretty hot here so that was affecting him as well.

Yogi had his annual check up this morning (with Eve of course) and his glucose is 5.7. He is still in remission. Yogi got loads of cuddles from Laura (Nurse) and Eve (Vet) and was such a good boy when they attacked him with needles for his blood tests.

That is excellent news.

Maybe I should see if Yogi can share his secret and talk Sally into lowering her own thyroid levels.

You seriously trust Yogi?  (http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww32/XtraNewsCommunity2/Animated%20emoticons/09_ROFLMAO.gif)

Poor Yogi is very unwell.

He was fine yesterday but when I got up this morning (4.20am) for early shift, he was sitting in the sink in my en suite. Rather odd I thought but went and had a shower anyway. He was still there when I went back into the en suite. He kept going into the laundry and climbing the litter tray - nothing happened. Poor Yogi had urinary retention. I was meant to leave for work by 5.20am but I was really worried so rang the boss and said I would be late. The Vet Nurse doesn't arrive at my Clinic until 7.00am so I was there parked up by 6.30am waiting for any sign of anyone arriving.

I left Yogi there with a lovely Nurse and received a phone call just over an hour later from Eve (Yogi's very favourite Vet) who just happened to be working today. Yogi has had a barrage of tests and is on antibiotics and pain relief (he was stoned on Temgesic when Eve rang me this afternoon) and they are waiting for the urinalysis results to come back. The bloods are fine and the initial urinalysis show crystals and blood in the urine. Finally, this afternoon after the antibiotics and pain relief, Yogi had a decent size pee. He has FLUTDS (feline lower urinary tract disease - potentially fatal) and goodness knows what else.

Yogi is spending a few nights with his Vet friends. I will find out more tomorrow.

Bobby has had that and is on a special diet permanently as a result. It took weeks of tests to make sure he was clear of crystals and infection. Fortunately for my wallet Bobby is very good at producing samples and was able to come home every night, one morning he was only there for 30 mins before producing the required pee.

Good on you for recognising it was very serious and getting him to the vet straight away.

Poor Yogi!
how is he doing now?

Yogi update ...

Yogi is peeing by himself (without assistance). He is eating and drinking and back to normal (I hesitate to use the word 'normal' and 'Yogi' in the same sentence).

The crystals in his urine are no longer there, the bloods came back clear with both the red and white blood cells showing nothing amiss - no infection. They are waiting for more results from the urine cultures (that takes a few days). He will be coming home tomorrow morning (Saturday).

At this stage FLUTDS has now been ruled out. Yogi is a bit of a mystery as he was so poorly on Wednesday morning. It could be idiopathic cystitis. There is no treatment/cure for it and it can come and go. They don't really know what causes it although it can be stress.

Stress ... Yogi ... nah! He is so chilled out especially since we moved to Upper Hutt. He's even friends with Mitzi!

If the same thing happens again, they will look at doing an ultrasound just in case there is something more sinister lurking, but for now it is business as usual.

Yogi has been told by the lovely Vets looking after him that his Mum has spent mega bucks on him and he is to refrain from biting his Mum!!!!!

Yogi is home. I collected him this morning. It was a very vocal trip from Wellington to Upper Hutt. Apparently I abandoned him and he was subjected to quite a few indiscretions at the hands of the Vet Clinic staff. Yogi failed to mention in his rantings that he has been cuddled majorly from the moment he arrived there on Tuesday morning by the Vets and Nurses who absolutely adore him.

All of his tests have now come back - within normal range. That is excellent news but a mystery as to how and why he had urinary retention in the first place.

Yogi is currently wandering around the house (and the section) loudly telling anyone who is the slightest bit interested what I have put him through.

I'm off to bed in another hour - night shift tonight and tomorrow night. He will LOVE having me to himself in bed. The girls are out enjoying the beautiful sunshine.

I received a telephone call from Eve last night. She had sent some urine off for cultures and although everything else had come back fine, the last of the cultures grew a bug. Yogi has E Coli so went back in this morning for the lovely long-acting antibiotic injection - meaning I don't have to pill Yogi (https://cdn.smfboards.com/Smileys/smf/smiley.gif)

It's actually good news that he has grown that bug as we now have a cause - urinary tract infection - for what happened.

Yay for long acting antibiotic injections.

Oh yes! Yogi is not that bad to pill, but why would anyone pill a cat for 10 days when one injection of the same drug will do?

Yogi is doing fine - he spent a few hours at the Clinic yesterday (I had already made plans to go into the City so left him there). The girls said he was a very good boy and gave them loads of cuddles. His favourite Vet (who was on a day off) popped in so she could get a cuddle from him and introduce him to her wee sons.

Glad to hear our boy is on the mend.  Poor Yogi - so stoic when he's sick.

He's doing fine now. One more trip back to see Eve in January for another test just to make sure the bug is gone.

His Aunty Grace arrives tomorrow for Christmas. That means another knee, another person for cuddles .. another bed etc etc. Mitzi is going to be delighted. Grace was Mum and Dad's neighbour for about 50 years. She knew Mitzi very well and Mitzi adores her Aunty Grace.