Newly diagnosed with questions

[Mufasa24]

hello, my cat is 11yo and diagnosed this past Monday. Bare with me as I explain his story: He seems to have been sick for at least a few months. He was obese and losing a little weight after a diet change so we thought it was due to that but apparently not. He went to the vet on Monday night and his bg was over 600, kidney levels high and dehydrated. He was given 2u insulin and some fluids that night and taken home. He returned the vet on Tuesday and has been spending the day there for bg monitoring and subq fluids and coming home at night. Today his bg was 84 when he got there, then 104 during the day and 120 tonight before leaving. I asked the vet when he can be on home insulin and she said he is still very sick and she does not know how long this will last before he is stable enough for home treatment. I’m going to bring him back tomorrow but want to get second opinion. I was wondering in others experience how long this process should take and if a second opinion is a good idea. There is a cat-only vet nearby I would like to take him to. I feel like he will be much more comfortable at home and I can easily monitor his bg at home. I’m not sure if they would let me have fluids to take home but it looks easy enough and I work in human medicine so it seems easy enough to do subq. Thank you for any input!

 

[Jill & Alex (GA)]

Hello and welcome to the FDMB!

I asked the vet when he can be on home insulin and she said he is still very sick and she does not know how long this will last before he is stable enough for home treatment. I’m going to bring him back tomorrow but want to get second opinion. I’m going to bring him back tomorrow but want to get second opinion. I was wondering in others experience how long this process should take and if a second opinion is a good idea.

It all depends on why they're keeping him. If he's throwing ketones or in DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) hospitalization is usually best. Have they given you any diagnosis and/or explained their treatment plan?

This forum doesn't get a whole lot of traffic so I'll move this thread to Feline Health - (The Main Forum) where it'll receive more attention. Please look for it over there.

 

[Butterball]

You mentioned he's dehydrated and has high kidney levels. That's probably why they're keeping him, to make sure he's being hydrated with fluids and nutrients. That's not something you can do at home