Vet visit tomorrow

[Amber]

Amber has an appointment with her V-E-T tomorrow. She is to have a full check up and some blood work done. I was going to get him to put the soft paws on her for me but 1. He has never done it before and 2. He says she will probably have to be sedated, which I am NOT comfortable with, so I will just try do do it myself, and maybe lose a few fingers or an eye in the process 

My current plan is to plug what she is eating into the Alnutrin nutrient calculator, which shows the values of the food versus AAFCO minimums and flags anything that is considered too high or too low, print it off, and show it to him. I want to have him run the CBC, and if the values come back normal and she looks healthy to him, leave it at that, but if he feels she needs it, I will also have a biochemical panel done. He will likely push for vaccines; I am going to tell him no and add "NO VACCINES" to her chart (along with no metacam, no rimadyl, no convenia, and no ketamine). I also want to ask him if he carries the Pure-Vax line incase I decide she absolutely has to have her rabies shot (it is legally required here, but i am not going to put her health at risk to be a "law-abiding citizen" so its doubtful).

Does anyone have any comments or suggestions for me? Do you think I should do the biochem test regardless of how he feels? Am I doing wrong by bringing her food into it? If he asks me why I make her food, I am just going to tell him that she doesn't process carbs well (which is not a lie because cats, as obligate carnivores, never do ). I just feel like he needs to know what she eats because I don't want him flipping out when her protein level comes back a little high.

[Amber]

I ended up having to babysit today, so her appointment has been moved to Friday.

[Lola]

The average vet doesn't know a lot about nutrition. My two cents...go with what YOU know. 
I am interested if you vet will be willing to skip the rabies shot, since it is the law in your state.  Good luck to BOTH of you!

[Amber]

Oh, I didn't mean to give the impression that I am going to listen to his input on her food, but her BUN, creatine, and a couple of other values may come back a little high on her blood test, so he needs to know that it is normal for cats who eat grain-free wet diets to have slightly elevated numbers in some areas, so he doesn't freak out. I am printing out the numbers so that if he starts in about how the average person has no idea what they are doing and I have no idea if the food is balanced, I can hand him a piece of paper that says it is. If he is willing/capable of getting into in-depth discussions about nutrient values and how they interact, I can do that too (for most of them). I am not going to let him govern what she eats, but I do want him to know that I know what I am doing, that her meals are properly balanced, and that she is getting everything she needs so that he doesn't worry. I am not going to tell him that her food is (mostly) raw, either.

[Lola]

Oh, I didn't mean to give the impression that I am going to listen to his input on her food,

You didn't.   

[Amber]

Well, that was fun.

I took Amber in planning for a basic exam, a CBC, and a biochem panel. Vaccines were brought up during the exam, but it was limited to "do you want me to giver her any shots?" When I replied no, he dropped it and didn't bring it up again. Her teeth had really bad tartar build up, so I let him talk me into getting her teeth cleaned. Since we were already doing the bloodwork, he charged me half-price. They ended up shaving part of her neck to take the blood. She is indignant. After the cleaning, when we looked at her bloodwork, her chem panel looks fine, but on her CBC, her WBC and NEU are very low... even lower than last time. He took another blood sample and wants to send it to a veterinary pathologist in Jackson to see what she says. He will be calling me with her price. He also said that he doesn't think that there is anything seriously wrong with her and he gets low WBC numbers all the time.

All in all, I love this guy. He isn't push, he listens to what I have to say, he works with me, and he genuinely cares about her well-being. The generous discounts help too. Amber isn't too  happy with him though.

[Middle Child]

I've been following your thread but didn't have anything to say, was just watching for the outcome.  Sounds like a great vet.

Amber had her teeth done, right then and there? Do they have a lab on premises, then, to get super chem results back so fast? (prior to general anesthesia I mean?)

My vet shaves the neck to take blood too.

I know what WBC is, but what is NEU?

[Amber]

Yes, he did her teeth right then. They do have their own lab for bloodwork. However, at my request, he took the second blood sample to send to the specialist in Jackson, who has a much more sophisticated lab. He was going to suggest it anyway, I just beat him to it. For the anesthesia, he only uses isoflurane gas for cats, no induction agent. It is the safest method, and she comes out of it immediately after the mask is removed. NEU is neutrophil count. Neutrophils are the white blood cell type present in the greatest amounts (for mammals) and their primary function is to fight infections.

[Middle Child]

You mean Sevoflurane?  Sevo is the one that is so fast acting it needs no induction or sedatives. No dopiness after either, it's lovely. It's what my vet uses too. It's wonderful. Iso is slower and a pre-anesthesia cocktail is needed. 

Glad Amber is doing well, I'll be interested to hear if you learn anything from the additional lab report.

[Amber]

Yes, that must be it. I apologize for my mistake. The lab results should be back by Wednesday, I will definately keep you posted.

[FurMonster Mom]

So glad you had a relatively positive experience.  

[Lola]

I don't have any experience with anything you have mentioned (knock on wood)...lab work, etc.   Therefore, I have nothing to add.     I am keeping up with your updates though.  Thanks for sharing.

[Amber]

I am a little upset at the moment. The specialist got the same numbers as my vet did, so it is not an equipment issue, but she couldn't find a cause with the standard tests. My vet is going to call one of his former instructors at his university that specializes in immunology and see what he recommends. He has been very clear that he thinks she is generally healthy and is in no immediate danger, but has said a bone marrow sample may be needed in the future, which is something I absolutely want to avoid if possible because it is extremely painful. I just want to know what is wrong with my baby.

[Lola]

The specialists got the same low white blood cell count as your vet did? 
How long, after contacting his instructors, do you expect it to take for you to hear back from you vet? 

[Amber]

Yes, the specialist got the same low results. He said that it may take him a while to get them on the phone, and that it could be the end of next week before I hear from him.