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Post by Sherry on Feb 19, 2011 1:10:03 GMT -5
Athena has had one staring/phasing out episode that I'm aware of. It lasted all of about 3-5 seconds. No other symptoms. Otherwise, has been totally normal. No hind end weakness, no lethargy.
She has been raw/whole prey fed for the last 2 years. She'd been kibble fed for the first two years(4 years old at present).
What I'm wondering(never having dealt with insulinoma) is whether this can wait til her next lupron shot(Mar. 13) for a BG test, or if she should be going in earlier?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2011 1:30:19 GMT -5
Can you take her BG with a home meter?
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Post by sherik on Feb 19, 2011 1:46:53 GMT -5
I don't think 3-5 seconds is anything to worry about. When Zoey was diagnosed, she would stop and daze for minutes at a time. Those were her first symptoms. She did that on and off for over a year before she had her bad episode when I finally started the pred. Home meters are great. I test Zoey every couple of weeks or so if she seems off.
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Post by Sherry on Feb 19, 2011 1:54:24 GMT -5
Since we've never had one with insulinoma, we don't have a home meter. And I'm really hoping to never need one! If absolutely necessary, I could borrow my neighbor's(he's diabetic), but since it won't have been calibrated against the vet's, it likely wouldn't give me a very accurate reading.
And Sherik- thanks for that! I never even realized they could last that long!
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Post by Heather on Feb 19, 2011 2:05:35 GMT -5
I don't think that it's anything to worry about Sherry. I would watch and observe (take care that you don't read something into nothing when you're observing  ) but what you describe is nothing like the phases that Calypso would do. Now, she's been my only insulinoma so I'm definitely not an expert (may I never become an expert in "that" disease) When she would flat fert..she would headsway...ever so slightly...and the episodes would last oh...30 sec a min, maybe longer. It was really "is there any one home" type stare, not just a rest. ciao |
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Post by Sherry on Feb 19, 2011 11:37:40 GMT -5
Ok, thanks! As I said, this was 3-5 seconds, she was standing stock still, staring straight ahead without moving. Almost looked like she was staring at something that wasn't there.
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Post by joclyn on Feb 19, 2011 12:03:17 GMT -5
yes, the staring off is a symptom...she isn't doing it long enough, or frequently enough that i would think she's developing insu.
i would just keep an eye on her. if this occurs again and/or other symptoms start appearing, then, it would definitely be something to have looked at during the next vet visit. you'd only need to get in for a special appt if things are severe.
things to look for: staring off for extended periods of time, lots of speed-bumping, loss of weight, not as playful, taking more naps during playtime, drooling, hind-end weakness, walking off to side or in circles, head tilted often, sleeping more.
it's probably nothing, though...just a one-time thing (maybe she was just thinking about something she wanted to get to and was figuring out how to accomplish the goal). both boo & finola are a bit older than her and were on kibble longer and neither has shown any signs of insu since they've been switched, so, since her situation is actually better, food-wise, i really doubt this will turn out to be anything to worry about!
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Post by Sherry on Feb 19, 2011 14:47:37 GMT -5
Thanks Joclyn! Since I've never dealt with it, and knew staring off WAS a symptom, I was obviously overly worried  And no, she's never shown any of the other symptoms. I do know that an early kibble life does increase the risks for them, but yes- have been so hoping to avoid at least this one disease with their diet |
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Post by joclyn on Feb 19, 2011 15:13:38 GMT -5
with these guys, it's MUCH better to be overly worried about the little things!! they are so good at hiding discomfort and there is such a various in how the various diseases present that we need to be overly vigilant to catch things in the early stages - as that always gives the best prognosis.
it's the kibble with the grains that is more of an issue and contributing factor with insulinoma rather than the grain-free kibble...so, if she was on a grain-free, she're much less likely to develop this issue - especially since she's on raw now.
still a good idea to monitor her a bit more closely, though.
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Post by Sherry on Feb 19, 2011 15:44:11 GMT -5
I know when she lived in the other foster homes, the rescue provides Totally Ferret. So definitely NOT grain free. Not a clue about her original owner, though. AND she started on the raw soup from day 1 here. Even though we were just fostering So while, yes, I'll def. be keeping an eye out, fingers crossed she was just busy plotting something up! |
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