Maybe it's seizures

[cjsmith]

The vet says that the episode Duchess had last night is also consistent with a seizure. She could be having little TIA-almost-strokes, and she could be having seizures (even if she's not rigid or falling down), and if she had a brain tumor growing this is how it would start too -- episodic weird stuff.

Kitty first aid is: if it's safe to attempt, get a blood glucose reading to show the vet later; if it's safe to attempt, get some Karo syrup into her mouth; above all, get her to a vet in the hopes that she can be evaluated while this is happening. There's not really anything palliative I can do.

She'll call back with specialist information. I may get her a little kitty MRI.

Other than that, I just get to log frequency and severity for a while. If things get worse she'll go on anti-seizure meds.

[edit: Forget that "other than that" phrasing. A kitty MRI is $1420. Yiiiiikes.]

Comments

[wooddragon.livejournal.com]

Poor girl. I hope you all figure things out quickly.

Yeah, cat diagnostics aren't cheap. And people health insurance doesn't cover them, darn it.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

My guess is that either I'll spend the $1420 and figure something out quickly or we'll never really know. :-/

I wish I could fake my human health insurance into paying for her insulin. Heck, it's way cheaper than having a kid on the plan...

[ladycelia.livejournal.com]

No sweat equity for working at the clinic?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

This is done at a specialist in Redwood City, who is unlikely to accept my sweat. :-)

I am apparently quite unusual in that I expressed curiosity about this option. To do it, my clinic needs an account with the specialist place, and they have never yet set one up. I guess no one who goes to my clinic has ever done this. Now that I have the price I see why it's rare!

[kimatha.livejournal.com]

Well, I hope Duchess is comfortable and happy. It's tough when kitties get sick.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

It sure is. You can't explain to them why the annoying people who have sharp pointy things are going to help make her better; you can't ask where it hurts. Still, she does seem a lot more unaffected (except during one of these) than I am. She's not mopey, shows no signs of decreased energy or of discomfort...

[tryslora]

It does sound similar to the seizures Athena would have when her blood sugar crashed out. Usually she'd do better after a bit of corn syrup and then she'd start perking up by the time we got to the emergency vet and be yowling for FOODNOW.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Weird. In both cases I hadn't given insulin yet... but I realize that doesn't mean her blood sugar is up. Next time, syrup, and emergency vet quicker.

[ngakmafaery.livejournal.com]

...wandered in from friends' list...my cat had seizure-type things that were eventually found to be directly caused by commercial catfood and the artifical ingredients and dyes and crap in them, and when we stopped those completely, the seizure-type epsiodes stopped too, and he lived cheerfully for many more years...I hope it works out well for your little guy, too!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks! She's at least on a good-quality prescription diet for her diabetes, but if she has trouble with (say) dye, that'll be a toughie. Glad your kitty recovered so well!