A bit of upsetting news: Katy has been diagnosed with diabetes, and is blind due to rapid cataract formation (we’re talking overnight). She’s actually in the hospital as I write this, she’s been there over 24 hours now and I am as anxious as a mama can get. They’re doing a blood glucose curve, where they draw her blood every couple hours and see what her blood sugar level is. I of course have been in contact with the vets several times (it’s a big hospital, at least 3 vets have seen her so far) and they just can’t seem to get her regulated, they’re now doubling her insulin dose to see if that works. Best estimate, she’ll be home this evening. Worst case, tomorrow morning.
I’m really just in shock. I feel like a terrible vet tech and an awful mama. How on earth did I not see this? Her blood glucose right now is crazy high, like 400s-500s; how is it I didn’t notice any symptoms? I took her in about a month ago because she had blood in her urine; they did a urinalysis and found glucose and ketones, neither of which is good and both of which can indicate diabetes. So they did bloodwork and her blood glucose was very high, in the 400s as I recall. But the vet we saw was not convinced it was diabetes. He knew I was a tech, so he sent us home with antibiotics for the UTI and subq fluids to give for a few days to see if that would bring her glucose down. He said he would call to check on her in a couple days, never did. I should have called him, I know, should have brought her back in for repeat bloodwork. If I had things would probably be under control now and she wouldn’t be blind. (The vet did see some cloudiness in her eyes at that time, but he said it was just from aging. He gave no indication it was cataracts.) But I suppose I shouldn’t second-guess myself, what’s done is done and now we need to deal with it.
One of the hard things is how expensive this is getting so fast. Between the vet visit and hospitalization, all the meds, the insulin, it sure ain’t cheap. And unless I get my own glucometer and do curves at home, Katy will be going back like once a week. Sheesh! My husband is not real pleased, he knows Katy means the world to me, but he’s the only one working right now and we do have bills to pay. She’s turning out to be a very pricy pup, for certain. The vets know we’re not made of money, that we want to get Katy home as soon as we can, we just can’t help feeling like they’re milking us for as much as they can get. It’s just exhausting and emotionally chaotic.
It sounds odd, I know, but the easy part for me will be taking care of her once she’s home. It just comes naturally to me, I was very hands-on caring for her before, during, and after her amputation. I don’t like leaving her in the care of other people, I like doing as much as I can for her myself (and being a vet tech, that’s a fair bit). Not to mention it’s cheaper 🙂 Planning my schedule around her, when she needs to eat and have her insulin, pfft, it’s nothing. She’s my girl, y’know? I used to take this dog to school with me just so I could keep an eye on her while she was healing, so she wouldn’t be home alone and run the risk of hurting herself. I’m her mama, it’s my job to take care of her, simple as that.
Prayers and advice and support would be much appreciated, for Katy and myself. It’s a new chapter in the exciting “tail” of her life, one I’ve certainly never read before, and we’re both hoping for a happy ending. 🙂