I believe that experiences are shaped by experiences themselves. Especially in the medical field, weather it be human or veterinarian. I have just had so many problems misdiagnosed by vets that I've lost count. I have a memorable one. My Shepherd/Lab, Tara, about 10 years old had an off smell. Not a dirty smell, just an off smell. I couldn't figure out what it was, my regular vet wasn't concerned, and my dermatology vet said not to worry. Weeks past, and the smell got worse, plus Tara's coat was appearing very oily. Then one day she started to bite herself severely trying to relieve itching. She was literally damaging herself trying to get relief. My regular vet consulted with dermatology vet, and they both agreed that the dog had "fox mites" even though there was no evidence of them. Treatments that lasted about three weeks took place. In the meantime, the situation was getting worse. By this time, Tara had chewed off at least half of her fur and had severe infections. I was sleeping with her on the floor to comfort her. Because I was so concerned, I took her into dermatology vet and left her for a day for observation. Again, vet said that medication was working (even though I could see that it wasn't) and that we should continue with the medication prescribed. The next day the situation took a drastic turn for the worse, and I decided I couldn't take it any more, and the dog was suffering. I was so desperate that I called the Pennsylvania Veterinary School and was ready to take her there from Maryland. They told me that the best dermatology vet to be treating her was the one I had. The day I decided that things just had to end, I located another dermatology vet. I took in Tara, and the vet came up with a completely different infection for a diagnosis. In short, the treatment was taking place for the wrong problem for at least three weeks, new vet fixed things, and Tara lived for another 4 years. This experience and others prior and after, have made me extremely cautious when it comes to what is being done to my pets. I have also learned that if there are multiple vets in a practice, things can take place to increase revenue that simply should not be allowed. But again, when we who do not have formal training, we take our pets to someone who we think we can trust to fix things. I have come to rely heavily on all advice, weather it could be wrong or right when health issues come up with my dogs. When I get all of the information I can find in front of me, I weigh my decision, consult with at least 2-3 other vets, and I alone have the final say, as to what is going to happen to my pets. Just a thought. SG

I came across your postings while online looking for something else. It sounds like Princeton has had lots of tests, but has he been tested for diabetes? This sounds exactly like what my cat and I went through before he was diagnosed. He was given clavamox and some sort of steroid (I don't remember what it was.) He finally quit eating and became dehydrated. He had to go to the vet and be put on an IV. It was a vet I didn't know because I had moved about 8 months before this started. When I went to visit on the second day, he was sleeping in a litter box and was covered with feces and urine. Needless to say, I took him out of there and took him somewhere else. The second vet diagnosed diabetes and said that it was possibly caused by the steroids he was given. (The first vet gave him steroid shots along with the IV, which may have made it worse or brought it about more quickly.) The second vet said that it was likely that the steroids caused his blood sugar to spike so high that his body gave up trying to produce enough insulin. His blood sugar level was in the 900's which you would think the first vet would have noticed, but I am not sure if they routinely test for that. I don't really know if the steroids were the cause or not, but the second vet was MAD when he got the records from the first vet. Anyway....we've been doing insulin shots twice a day for almost eight years now and he is the picture of health other than being diabetic and now mildly overweight. Once we got him on insulin, he was better in about two days. I am sure they have probably checked for this, but I wouldn't assume anything....might be worth at least asking about. Chuck (my cat) and I will be thinking of you both.

Ashley, Thank you. I need all the prayers I can get right now. My DIL is too much.. like having a room full of crazy BM's! I am wondering if she has multiple personalities. On Saturday, she accused me of wanting to take DGS so I can have a baby of my own... and when I point blank asked her if she wants him back full time, she said no. She says she can't have a baby full time "at this point" in her life. I mean she flipped from me stealing the baby to saying she can't possibly handle him full time. I was at work and while I was with a customer, she walked out taking DGS with her. By the agreement, she is supposed to have Saturday & Sunday. Well, Sunday she didn't call or bring him back. On Monday, I talked to my son and he told me what she said to him... everything was twisted. He is upset & does not need to be bothered with worrying about this. He has a job to do over there, he should not have to have her telling him to tell me anything. She can tell me herself, but she tells him & he is frustrated because he is over there and can't do anything. So, Tuesday she calls my daughter to ask for diapers. My daughter takes her diapers & DGS had been taken back to the doctor. I called the doctor's office & was told DGS has an ear infection, but is otherwise okay. So, Tuesday evening, I ask her if she is going to stick to the agreement... she says no, he is staying with her. So, I tell her that I still want a drug test & I had talked to my attorney about guardianship. She told me to bring it on and she would pass a drug test. I told her if she takes a drug test and passes, I will drop everything and she can keep DGS full time. (lol, even though she ranted for ten minutes on Saturday on how that was impossible!) She didn't answer me. Then today (Wed) she sent me a text at 5pm, telling me my son wanted us to talk. (my son told me on Monday that he told her to have a talk with me) but I did not write back. Less than an hour later, she called me at work & said she had DGS outside & I need to get him. I wasn't shocked but I was in the middle of working... it's a very busy weekend coming up & normally I leave work at 5, it was 6 & I had planned to stay til about 8. I hesitated and she says "well you do want him don't you.. this is what you want, right?" And, I could not say no to taking him. She said she was going to go ahead & stick to our prior agreement. I went outside & there he was... dried boogers on his face, gunk dried on his eye, his little eyes were red and he looked pathetic. She handed him to me without a word & huffed back to her car. She was visibly angry, like I just forced her to give up her child. I took him inside & then noticed he had a fever. I called her and asked when he had last taken medicine. In a very friendly tone, tells me oops I forgot to give you his medicine, I'll be right there. She came inside & this time (mind you, this was about fifteen minutes after she huffed off) she was being sweet & bubbly.. like we were besties. She said she took a video of him taking a few steps and she couldn't wait to show me but she forgot it at home. It was WEIRD. Like a totally different person. So, I cleaned up and brought DGS home, gave him fever reducer & a bottle. He took a nap and woke up in the evening... we played, he ate, and he went back to sleep. I may finally sleep easier knowing he is here. But, I know she only did this because she wanted to go somewhere tonight. I have to take it one day at a time, because the next time I see or hear from her, I don't know what I'll get.

Congratulations on your adoptions :) You should not have to give your kittens pumpkin. It's a great help but something must be going on with them. What was the intestinal 'bug' that she was treated for already? I would specifically ask your vet about tritrichomonas foetus. If you can absolutely rule out all parasite problems, I'd look to diet for sure. I linked in an awesome write-up I was given on this forum about cat nutritional. You're going to want to switch to canned food when you finish reading it! Was the breeder feeding them the Chicken Soup? Did the kittens have normal stools while eating the Chicken Soup cat food? (They might actually have a problem with something in the Wellness). I went through a horrible ordeal with my kitten and I found that quality food doesn't exactly mean 'tolerable' food. It could be just one small ingredient that triggers that diarrhea... If they are having a problem with food ingredients, you should try one thing at a time until you can stabilize them (whichever you prefer, dry or canned). Once you get things right, you can introduce new things from there. If you are trying to do both canned and dry at the same time, you won't know what the offending food is. If the Wellness dry is bothering them, you're never going to know what canned food will work, either. It can be a very trying process on your patience! Here is a link that might be useful: Cat Info.org