What could be sweeter then a diabetic pet?
 
 Sunduster
Here is his picture as he was when I was showing him. I used to be a Maine Coon breeder. Sunduster was a cat that I had bred over 12 years ago. His genes were not so good and he did not produce healthy kittens. He also had a heart murmur, so I had him neutered. He became my loving pet. I no longer breed cats. About 3 years ago, Sunny was diagnosed with diabetes. The first vet that I went to with Sunny was not too knowledgeable about this disease and had Sunny taking 7 units of a humulin insulin in the morning every day. For awhile he did ok. He gained weight ( he had gone down from 12 to 7 lbs) and was up to 9 lbs. But he soon became very lethargic and had started dropping his coat. The vet did not know what was the cause of all of this. I became very frustrated and took Sunny to a new vet. The new vet ran some tests to determine if Sunny really did have diabetes. It turned out, of course, that he did. But he was taking way too much insulin. The new vet also suggested that we change to the PZI insulin with 2 units twice a day. Which we did. I noticed a complete change in Sunny almost immediately. He was eating better, felt better, had more energy, and was gaining weight. This lasted about a year. Then he started losing weight and his wonderful coat again. So the vet suggested that I take him to a specialist who could take tests that the regular vet could not. That trip to the specialist cost me over $1000 and she could tell me nothing that I already knew. All the tests she did were inconclusive. Another year went by and Sunny started losing more weight and had stopped eating. I had to force feed him. The only thing that I could get down him was baby food. By this time he was down to 6 lbs. My regular vet again suggested the specialist. So I took Sunny and this time I had to leave him there for 5 days. During those 5 days, Sunny did not get any better. The specialist did ultrasounds to try to determine what was causing him to lose weight. Again the tests showed nothing wrong. Sunny's blood pressure started dropping and he started getting cold. They had to keep him on a heating pad. I had taken him in on a Monday evening. By Wednesday he showed no signs of getting any better. They had to put a feeding tube in his nose to give him food. They had wanted to do a biopsy of his intestines, as they had suspected that he had intestinal cancer. But because of his blood pressure dropping they couldn't do it. I went to visit Sunny every evening, talking to him and trying to get him to eat. Every time he saw me, he would mew twice and that was all. He kept getting weaker and weaker until he was nothing but skin and bones. On Thursday, I asked the specialist if I should consider putting Sunny down. The vet said "not yet" as he still wanted to try to keep Sunny's pressure up to do the biopsy. By Saturday things were not any better and the vet suggested it might be wise to think about sending Sunny to the bridge. So Saturday afternoon, I went to the hospital for the last time to say good bye. I held him, talked to him, petted him, until it was time. Then when the vet started the process I held Sunny's head in my hands, still stroking him and telling him that I loved him. I asked the vet to cremate his remains because I wanted his ashes. When I got them back, I could not believe it. There was hardly anything left. I know that if I ever have another cat that is seriously ill I will not put it through what Sunny went through. My final bill was $2528!!! For 5 days of finding out nothing and putting a cat through unnecessary suffering. Never again. I have Sunny with me and I know that he is safe and happy. |
