? Losing Weight and 1.6 Ketones on Nova Max Test

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Michaellh33

Michaellh33

Member Since 2015
Hello,

I guess I got too lax with Brody's diabetes. I was reducing his injections to where he is now at 1.5 units. He has been in he 200-300 range for about a week now after an 81 but the injections have been fluctuating around 1.5 units. I haven't been keeping up with this like I should have been so can someone help me to know what the best course of action is for him?
 
I just googled and they say that over 1.6 on that Nova Max is time for the vet.

I would take him to the vet right away, but if for some reason that is not possible, make sure he is eating and add water to his food. Can you test his glucose? Is it high? He may need fluids and fast acting insulin (aka - vet).

If he is NOT eating and/or seems lethargic or not himself, vet right now. (I just noticed Brody had DKA in 2015)

I lost my baby to repeated DKA so I fear ketones. They can be reversed completely though if caught in time.
 
I’d take him to the vet ASAP for a thorough check and whatever treatment is needed. Then come back here and we can help you to get Brody doing better.
 
From THIS thread:

When do ketones show up on a blood ketone meter such as the Nova Max Plus or Precision Xtra Blood & Ketone meters?

The latest published research/studies in cats indicate ketones will begin to show up at readings of 2.4 and 2.55 on a blood ketone meter:

I agree though that a vet check is a good first step as ketones can spike quickly, and cats with a DKA history seem to be more prone to repeat.
 
So I took him to the vet and they ran a lot of lab work on him, they said there were no signs of ketones but said there was some signs of potential liver problems. The vet wants to put him on some milk thistle medication that is supposed to detox the liver or something. Then they want to run some lab in 30 days to see if the liver values improve or use that information to determine if they need to do a liver biopsy. I just don't know what could have caused this, I don't think he could have gotten into anything but maybe he did some how.

I am wondering if something is wrong with the food I am giving him though. I have been ordering Friskies Pate Chicken and Liver from Chewy but my cats have kind of just stopped eating it. I bought some Friskies Salmon Pate from Walmart and the moisture content of the cans seems radically different. So I am wondering if something is wrong with the food I am ordering. I am not sure.

I have moved his insulin back up to 2.0 units but overall his glucose level seems unaffected. Still in the 250-300 range. I will try to get the spreadsheet I have updated again.
 
There are some saying their kitties were getting sick, throwing up and diarrhea, from the Friskies. Can you try a different brand? The milk thistle is a good supplement for liver problems.
 
Trying this Crave cat food, but good lord is it expensive. Will have to try and find another suitable cat food.
 
To throw it out there - Silver scared me with a reading of 5.4 on the nova max this evening. He is fine though. Purring happy. Playing. Not dehydrated. Eating normally. Not lethargic. Those are the signs to watch for. We had a hospitalization two weeks ago when he was lethargic and not eating. Obvious something wasn't right. That's when I take to vet ASAP.
 
Does anyone have any recommendations on food? The Friskies Pate is about 9 cents per ounce. Crave is about 38 cents an ounce. I would be spending 4x as much on cat food.
 
monty_dweezil (GA) said:
I just googled and they say that over 1.6 on that Nova Max is time for the vet.

I would take him to the vet right away, but if for some reason that is not possible, make sure he is eating and add water to his food. Can you test his glucose? Is it high? He may need fluids and fast acting insulin (aka - vet).

If he is NOT eating and/or seems lethargic or not himself, vet right now. (I just noticed Brody had DKA in 2015)

I lost my baby to repeated DKA so I fear ketones. They can be reversed completely though if caught in time.
Click to expand...

I was given some very good advice here from @Sandy and Black Kitty via @Tracey&Jones that the 3.1 I saw on the novamax was trace. Here is the link. Silver was 6.1 last week and still was okay. I tend to look for symptoms more than just the number on the meter.

Here is a link to a post the ranges. They’re in the 10th paragraph of the first post...it begins with ‘The information that Christi received..”

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/12-16-webster-positive-ketones-dosing-advice.129974/
 
Well he was losing weight but now the vet has put him on some liver detox stuff, milkweed I think is what it is. The vet also tested for ketones but said nothing showed up so it seems like he wasn't having that issue. They told me his "liver values" were off on what ever test they ran.

In terms of food, it seems like all of the Fancy Feast has higher fat than protein. Is there any preference on which one should be higher for over all health?
 
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