If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Urinalysis for melamine or its derivatives
As I posted in another thread, I will be starting Alex on subcu fluids
tomorrow and made an appointment to meet with the veterinary tech. As planned, I decided to phone the vet hospital to see if his urine could be tested for melamine or its derivatives. The secretary told me that the vet hospital (which is a very large, modern, fully equipped operation) has not tested any animals for melamine and doesn't know of any labs that can do this. After some discussion, she said that the hospital had only run across one or two cats that seemed like they *may* have gotten sick from eating the contaminated food. She assured me that none of their clients who had been feeding their cats OM (as I have) had brought their cats in with kidney problems (who didn't have CRF from before, that is). All of my cats eat dry OM, and none of them has displayed any kidney symptoms (except for Alex who was a CRF kitty from before), but we have discussed on this group that symptoms can be delayed. The secretary told me that the vet hospital's current standard of care WRT this food crisis is to test the urine specific gravity of cats who may be displaying symptoms, but she had not heard of any testing for melamine specifically or its derivatives. What seems a wise course of action here? Retesting Alex's urine seems counterproductive since we already know he's a CRF kitty. I was thinking that maybe I should request a urinalysis/urine specific gravity on one of my young, ostensibly healthy cats as a control. Does that seem like a good plan? Or does anyone know of a lab in Upstate New York where I could ask the veterinarian to send the urine to test it for melamine or its derivatives? Or am I overreacting to the whole thing ? (My cats have not eaten any of the food that's been recalled (so far), but they have eaten food which contains wheat gluten and corn gluten). Thanks in advance for opinions. Best regards, ---Cindy S. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Urinalysis for melamine or its derivatives
cindys wrote:
As I posted in another thread, I will be starting Alex on subcu fluids tomorrow and made an appointment to meet with the veterinary tech. As planned, I decided to phone the vet hospital to see if his urine could be tested for melamine or its derivatives. The secretary told me that the vet hospital (which is a very large, modern, fully equipped operation) has not tested any animals for melamine and doesn't know of any labs that can do this. After some discussion, she said that the hospital had only run across one or two cats that seemed like they *may* have gotten sick from eating the contaminated food. She assured me that none of their clients who had been feeding their cats OM (as I have) had brought their cats in with kidney problems (who didn't have CRF from before, that is). All of my cats eat dry OM, and none of them has displayed any kidney symptoms (except for Alex who was a CRF kitty from before), but we have discussed on this group that symptoms can be delayed. The secretary told me that the vet hospital's current standard of care WRT this food crisis is to test the urine specific gravity of cats who may be displaying symptoms, but she had not heard of any testing for melamine specifically or its derivatives. What seems a wise course of action here? Retesting Alex's urine seems counterproductive since we already know he's a CRF kitty. I was thinking that maybe I should request a urinalysis/urine specific gravity on one of my young, ostensibly healthy cats as a control. Does that seem like a good plan? Or does anyone know of a lab in Upstate New York where I could ask the veterinarian to send the urine to test it for melamine or its derivatives? Or am I overreacting to the whole thing ? (My cats have not eaten any of the food that's been recalled (so far), but they have eaten food which contains wheat gluten and corn gluten). Thanks in advance for opinions. Best regards, ---Cindy S. I hope the secretary is not the one who chooses treatment for patients. With all of the focus on melamine, I gotta believe there are labs that can test for it in urine (and they're getting a lot of practice right now) and by now know how it alters blood chemistry. If you want that testing done, press your case: does the vet belong to VIN (and so have access to their on-line info)? How about a phone call to AVMA? I don't think it is necessary to restrict the search to your region. Good luck to you and kitty! |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Urinalysis for melamine or its derivatives
"Roby" wrote in message ... I hope the secretary is not the one who chooses treatment for patients. She was just relating her observations of what's been going on at the vet hospital. She did actually put me on hold to inquire (from the vet or vet tech) about the lab testing and came back with the answer that the hospital didn't know of any labs that were doing it; it wasn't simply her own opinion. With all of the focus on melamine, I gotta believe there are labs that can test for it in urine (and they're getting a lot of practice right now) and by now know how it alters blood chemistry. If you want that testing done, press your case: does the vet belong to VIN (and so have access to their on-line info)? I haven't discussed this with the vet or the vet tech yet, but when I go tomorrow, I can certainly do that. I have a very good relationship with our veterinarian. If I were to say to her: "Lab XYZ has the capacity to test the urine for melamine derivatives. Can you send Alex's urine sample to that place for testing?", she will happily do so. She didn't think he really needed to be on a potassium supplement at this point, but I said I would feel better if he had one, so she prescribed it. No argument. How about a phone call to AVMA? I don't think it is necessary to restrict the search to your region. I agree. Good luck to you and kitty! Thank you. Best regards, ---Cindy S. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Urinalysis for melamine or its derivatives
on Sun, 22 Apr 2007 18:29:38 GMT, "cindys"
wrote: What seems a wise course of action here? Retesting Alex's urine seems counterproductive since we already know he's a CRF kitty. I was thinking that maybe I should request a urinalysis/urine specific gravity on one of my young, ostensibly healthy cats as a control. Does that seem like a good plan? Or does anyone know of a lab in Upstate New York where I could ask the veterinarian to send the urine to test it for melamine or its derivatives? Or am I overreacting to the whole thing ? (My cats have not eaten any of the food that's been recalled (so far), but they have eaten food which contains wheat gluten and corn gluten). Isn't that some crap that a vet can't figure out a way to get urine tested for a known toxin?!? You should call the Banfield Hospital in your area if you have one. They are located in Petsmart. I am actually thinking about trying the one here for a checkup because I am hearing good things about them. I'm *still* looking for a vet who is not just good with cats, but wonderful with cats. Let us know what you find out. -- Lynne "We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly We are brave enough to bend to cry And sad enough to know We must laugh again" ~ Nikki Giovanni, 4/17/2007, Virginia Tech |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Urinalysis for melamine or its derivatives
Sorry about the tone of my post. I'm still crying about Sheelagh's Jack,
and this after crying enough for a lifetime over what happened at my Alma Mater... I'm drained and mad at the world. I just want to say that I'm in no way suggesting you should change vets. I think Banfield is dialed in about how to test for melamine and its derivitives. -- Lynne "We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly We are brave enough to bend to cry And sad enough to know We must laugh again" ~ Nikki Giovanni, 4/17/2007, Virginia Tech |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Urinalysis for melamine or its derivatives
"Lynne" wrote in message m... on Sun, 22 Apr 2007 18:29:38 GMT, "cindys" wrote: What seems a wise course of action here? Retesting Alex's urine seems counterproductive since we already know he's a CRF kitty. I was thinking that maybe I should request a urinalysis/urine specific gravity on one of my young, ostensibly healthy cats as a control. Does that seem like a good plan? Or does anyone know of a lab in Upstate New York where I could ask the veterinarian to send the urine to test it for melamine or its derivatives? Or am I overreacting to the whole thing ? (My cats have not eaten any of the food that's been recalled (so far), but they have eaten food which contains wheat gluten and corn gluten). Isn't that some crap that a vet can't figure out a way to get urine tested for a known toxin?!? Yes, I agree it would be, but I haven't actually discussed this with the vet herself. I spoke to the secretary who was asking somebody else. The hospital has at least a dozen veterinians and countless other personnel. The secretary could have been asking anyone. I suspect that they have been fielding dozens of phone calls from people who are panicked. It's easy to forget that the regular participants in this newsgroup are probably way more cognizant of what's going on regarding the tainted food problem than the average pet owner. We spend a lot of time on this newsgroup discussing the situation in many different threads, looking at the latest updates the minute they become available (thanks to bug lady). Yet, it is human nature to assume that what we know, everybody knows. I would be willing to bet that most people (who don't read the feline health and behavior group or some other websites that discuss feline renal disease) read the original list of recalled foods, verified whether or not their dog or cat had eaten any of the contaminated food, and once they verified that their animals hadn't eat any of the originally recalled products, done! Never considered again. Many people who feed their animals only dry food haven't given this a thought since the original bulletin regarding the cuts and gravy foods. And these were the more diligent ones. It is mostly human nature to look at the cat, say "Hmmm...the cat's perky and eating, so he/she is all right" and forget about the entire issue. My understanding is that acute kidney failure is treated in a particular way, and so at my vet hospital, if a person brings in an animal experiencing acute kidney failure, the treatment will be the same no matter what the cause, and that's why they're not sending blood and urine samples out to labs. I would also be willing to bet that testing for melamine is very expensive, and people are balking at the expense, particularly if their pets aren't exhibiting any symptoms, and if the pets are exhibiting symptoms, the treatment will be the same no matter what the cause. So, why spend $xxx for a test when the result isn't going to change the treatment or outcome? You should call the Banfield Hospital in your area if you have one. I don't think we have one, but I can check. They are located in Petsmart. I am actually thinking about trying the one here for a checkup because I am hearing good things about them. I'm *still* looking for a vet who is not just good with cats, but wonderful with cats. Let us know what you find out. Thank you. I will. Best regards, ---Cindy S. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Urinalysis for melamine or its derivatives
"Lynne" wrote in message m... Sorry about the tone of my post. I'm still crying about Sheelagh's Jack, and this after crying enough for a lifetime over what happened at my Alma Mater... I'm drained and mad at the world. I know what you mean. I was finally starting to get over Ringo and now this... I just want to say that I'm in no way suggesting you should change vets. I think Banfield is dialed in about how to test for melamine and its derivitives. I understood. Thank you. Best regards, ---Cindy S. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Urinalysis for melamine or its derivatives
On Sun, 22 Apr 2007 22:16:15 -0500, Lynne
wrote: You should call the Banfield Hospital in your area if you have one. They are located in Petsmart. I am actually thinking about trying the one here for a checkup because I am hearing good things about them. I'm *still* looking for a vet who is not just good with cats, but wonderful with cats. My personal experience with Banfield was that the vets were competent, and my cats were well cared for. But they had several techniques to get more money from you. When I took Jay Jay in for diarrhea 3 days after I adopted him, they said he needed another vaccination. I explained that he shelter already did that. They insisted that he required a booster. After 10 minutes of discussion, they marked it on their records that I *refused* the vaccination. My regular vet will just mark that I had it done elsewhere and note the date and type of vaccination. No guilt trips. When Maynard went in for an abcess, they said he should have bloodwork done. When Jenny needed treatment for Mange, she had to get a medicine applied every other week for 3 months. The treatment was standard for Shelties and collies (I found it on several vet sites). But they had me buy the whole bottle of medicine (since it is rarely needed at their office), and I had to pay $40 - $50 for each treatment. The price varied depending on who actually billed me. They charged me for testing (I paid when I dropped her off), and then was told that they can't test the same day as the treatment. Instead of giving me a refund, they said they would not charge the next week. But they tried to charge again, and I had to argue to get it fixed. The first two tests came back negative. The hair had regrown, and everything was great, At the end of the 3 months, they started talking about how it might have to be redone (another 3 months) if the test came back positive. I really felt they were preparing me for a positive test (which was really unlikely) so that they could get another 3 months of payments from me. When I took Maynard in for liver failure, I could see on her face that my cat was doomed. She said it was probably liver failure, but they could do bloodwork to see if there was something treatable. That made sense, even though it was pretty obvious he was going to die in the next few days. But then she went on to tell me about their emergency care that she wanted to start. It was going to be $300 the first night, in addition to the $300 of bloodwork and regular treatment. It was obvious that the emergency treatment would buy me only a day or two, and he was still acting ad eating fine (just bright yellow) yet there was the sales pitch and guilt trip. After asking here, I learned I could do sub-q injections at home, and that would at least make him more comfortable. I'm sure he did better at home with love and comfort, than being kept in a cage at the vet's office. I will go there if I have an emergency and my vet is closed. They are competent. My cat would be treated well. But I cannot trust anything they say in regard to tests and treatment needed. I have to do my own research and watch my wallet. I don't mind spending what I need to, but I don't want to be fleeced either. My regular vet will tell me when I don't need something that I have asked for. I can trust him when he says I need to test something and give a medication because I know he doesn't try to pad the bill. |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Urinalysis for melamine or its derivatives
on Mon, 23 Apr 2007 07:35:05 GMT, Meghan Noecker
wrote: My regular vet will tell me when I don't need something that I have asked for. I can trust him when he says I need to test something and give a medication because I know he doesn't try to pad the bill. Meghan, thanks for the feedback on Banfield. That makes me quite wary and I think I will go to another vet who was recommended to me. Unfortunately (well, fortunately for my dog), he was recommended by a dog person, so I don't know how good he will be with my cats but I will find out. -- Lynne "We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly We are brave enough to bend to cry And sad enough to know We must laugh again" ~ Nikki Giovanni, 4/17/2007, Virginia Tech |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Urinalysis for melamine or its derivatives
On Apr 23, 11:03 am, Lynne wrote:
on Mon, 23 Apr 2007 07:35:05 GMT, Meghan Noecker wrote: My regular vet will tell me when I don't need something that I have asked for. I can trust him when he says I need to test something and give a medication because I know he doesn't try to pad the bill. Meghan, thanks for the feedback on Banfield. That makes me quite wary and I think I will go to another vet who was recommended to me. Unfortunately (well, fortunately for my dog), he was recommended by a dog person, so I don't know how good he will be with my cats but I will find out. Hi Lynne, just wanted to add that I have not heard good things about Banfield. One thing I was told is that they promote declawing. Ok, I just did a quick Google and came up with these hits, including the Declaw Hall of Shame site: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...ital+declawing |
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Melamine found in CORN gluten in S. African pet food | buglady | Cat health & behaviour | 48 | April 20th 07 11:23 AM |
Melamine rice protein sold to 5 pet food companies | buglady | Cat health & behaviour | 2 | April 19th 07 03:44 PM |
possible Melamine poisoning in my cat. | [email protected] | Cat health & behaviour | 8 | April 8th 07 06:40 PM |
VIN information on melamine | buglady | Cat health & behaviour | 0 | March 31st 07 02:40 PM |
Help interpreting urinalysis results | Lynn via CatKB.com | Cat health & behaviour | 3 | March 9th 05 06:52 AM |