Update on Puddy; she's gone*9/29* see post #421

[Medusa]

Mary, just a couple of quotes from Lara's post:



And from a quote she quoted :


You found Sergeline through the net - used mostly for people, though use of it in dogs and cats is on the net also. But it sounds like this Vitamin B thing isn't even mentioned in cats on the net - so even if Dr Lee was a Google hound, he would have found nothing.

Just a couple of things to bear in mind when you talk to him.

When I Googled it, the very first link had to do w/cats and BMS but, admittedly, there wasn't much info. Apparently, a vet had written a newsletter about it, so even if it's rare, some vets do know about it. Dr. Lee is always taking classes, etc. so he should also keep up w/what's online. I don't intend to attack him; that isn't my style. I won't be confrontational. I just want him to be aware of what's out there on the net and that can be found by people astute enough to look for it. He's said to me on more than one occasion "But then, I'm old". He isn't old by any stretch. He's younger than I am. He's still my vet and he's a specialist and I'll always remember the time that he gave up precious weekend time w/his sons home from college to do emergency surgery on Puddy because I was so insistent that the other vet call him for an opinion. Rather than give his opinion, he came in and performed the surgery. Yes, Dr. Lee's the man. No worries.

[Catty1]

OK. But I still want to know if he has seen HIS vet for a good once-over! And when is the last time you took REAL time off, Young Man???

[Medusa]

OK. But I still want to know if he has seen HIS vet for a good once-over! And when is the last time you took REAL time off, Young Man???

Trust me, he takes plenty of vacation. His office mgr. told me that he and his family were in FL this week. He just took a week off not too long ago as well. He's also cut back on his hours. I don't know what I'll do if he retires. When my first vet retired, I cried buckets of tears because I had just gotten Creamsicle, my CH baby, and I was scared to death to have her spayed because she's also deaf. Well, she didn't come into heat until she was nearly 6 years old and by that time I had found Dr. Lee. My first vet is the most compassionate man I've ever met and he LOVES cats and does it ever show. When he came out of retirement, I felt all my dreams had been answered. I had Dr. Lee as a specialist and Dr. LeBeau for the every day stuff. But Dr. LeBeau retired again after only two years back in his practice. He's had a bad back w/multiple surgeries and I guess he just can't be on his feet for too long. So I cried again. But his associate, Dr. Butera, is the one who told me to give Puddy all the B vitamins and not just B12, and she gave me the syringe for free. She's very sweet and compassionate as well. So I'll be going to her more often, especially since she's only 6 minutes away and Dr. Lee is 45 minutes away w/the shortcut that I found. W/gas prices the way they are and w/a stressed out and sick kitty in the car, if I can cut my drive time down, I'll do it. But Dr. Lee knows Puddy and her history and he loves her, I can tell. His eyes crinkle up at the corners and you can't fake that. I love the guy. If he wasn't married........

[Moesha]

I've been out of town since Thursday. The place we were staying didn't have internet service. Last night I finally took my laptop to the Krystal parking lot and logged on. Of course I could only read a few threads and one of them was this one about Puddy. I told my sister and she asked me why I would want to read about such a sad situation. I couldn't explain it. I just got home tonight and am so thrilled to read the latest developments! I hope things keep improving!

[Medusa]

I've been out of town since Thursday. The place we were staying didn't have internet service. Last night I finally took my laptop to the Krystal parking lot and logged on. Of course I could only read a few threads and one of them was this one about Puddy. I told my sister and she asked me why I would want to read about such a sad situation. I couldn't explain it. I just got home tonight and am so thrilled to read the latest developments! I hope things keep improving!

Thanx, Moesha. I know, even my son who loves me and all of my cats asked "How's Puddy or should I even ask?". A couple of my friends are surprised that I didn't give up long ago. I will NEVER give up. But there will come a time when I'll have to let her go. That's totally different. PT prayers and words of encouragement mean the world to me.

[ChrisH]

Although I don't post I check every day on Puddy and you and was so happy to read of the recent steps forward she is making, may it continue so.

Prayers & positive thoughts continuing.

[Medusa]

I just cannot believe the difference in Puddy. Ok, she doesn't want to socialize yet; understandable. She's been through a lot, especially this past week. Her quality of sleep has been awful, so she needs her rest. But she ate cat chow during the night, used her litterbox and drank water out of her bowl. She still insists that I keep the water bowl in the bathtub, so I'm not sure why that is but compared to how she was last week, I don't really care.

Dr. Lee did not call me this morning; I had to call him and when he got on the phone he asked "How's our patient?" and I started right in w/the debate about the vitamin B complex and B 12. His response surprised me. Before becoming a small animal vet, he was an equine vet and he said that B 12 was regularly administered to horses to make them run faster but that he was never a proponent of it. What that has to do w/Puddy and all her symptoms, I have no idea. So I told him of the immediate change in her behavior, appetite, sleep pattern, litterbox habits, etc. since the B complex injection into her bag of fluids and he said "Oh yes, we do that here" and I said "Why was this never mentioned as an option for Puddy?" and he said "I'm just not a proponent of it. You certainly can't hurt her but I've never known it to really help". I was floored. I said "The change in her is undeniable. I'll concede that perhaps the Selegiline is kicking in and maybe the combination of both is what triggered the improvement but I'm unwilling to stop the Selegiline to find out". He said "Well, I wouldn't advise that". Sigh.

Then I asked him about Burning Mouth Syndrome and he said "Mmm hmm...." I paused, waiting for him to say something but he didn't, so I took that as meaning he didn't know what I was talking about and it wasn't my intention to challenge or corner him. I truly wanted his opinion on it or case histories or something, anything but "Mmm hmmm". I told him that I originally called him months ago because Puddy's tongue had been hanging out of her mouth and it so concerned me and we thought at that time that it may have been due to her gingivitis. Another "Mmm hmm". However, since the B complex injection, she hardly sticks her tongue out at all now. When I told him that all this info was discovered on the internet, I got his standard reply about the internet being good and bad. Now, how is all this bad, I ask you???

We finished the conversation w/him saying "I'm for what works and if you feel that the B complex is working for her, then by all means, keep it up. There are those who feel that it's effective". I replied with "Well, I'm in that camp". He chuckled and said "Ok".

After I spoke to him, I called my local vet and told her of Puddy's improvement and she even sounded surprised but said "Oh! Good!" So I'll be picking up another syringe for her subQ's today. The thing that frustrates me about her office is that they only have one person on the desk at all times. It's difficult for her to book appts., take care of incoming patients, answer calls, do computer work, etc. w/out confusion. And they're always training new people, so they never know who I am. Sometimes I have to spell my name for them repeatedly; today I had to spell it 4 times and after all that, she asked "What is this about again?" I became impatient and said "Please, can you let me speak to someone who is familiar w/my case? This is important! I know I'm not Dr. B's only patient but this is very frustrating." She offered to have someone return my call but, historically, I get the call at the end of the day and this couldn't wait. I need those vitamins today and not after they close their office. Finally, Dr. B picked up the phone. They also only have 2 vet techs there at a time, which is also another problem. They've inherited a HUGE client base from Dr. LeBeau and they're overwhelmed. I understand it and I can be patient but if it's a matter of urgency, then I have to go to Dr. Lee instead. I don't want to go to him for routine things. I love Dr. B and she's nearby but unless and until that office starts humming, I'll have to continue w/Dr. Lee for all my vet needs. However, when it comes to surgery, Dr. Lee is the man. He has an anesthesiologist there at all times and so many vet techs and people working the front desk that I've lost count. To be fair, he has a large clinic w/5 vets on staff, so maybe my comparison of the two offices is somewhat skewed.

Anyhow, the most important issue is that Puddy has improved a lot and I'm feeling hopeful for the first time in weeks. I know that she won't be w/me forever but until the time comes that I must say 'goodbye', I want her to be as comfortable and happy as possible. If it wasn't for Lara and her research, Puddy probably wouldn't be here today. I was going to make that call if she hadn't improved. The way I see it, Lara's research and many prayers from my PT friends saved Puddy's life, if only for a little while. Life is good.

ETA: She ate her Fancy Feast this morning.