Sudden elevated numbers, lethargic, advice needed!

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Bella & Liz

Bella & Liz

Member Since 2019
Hello, Bella has been doing great the past few weeks and I thought we had really turned a corner. However today I came home from going out to lunch with family and noticed Bella had peed on my bed and had drool on her chin, she is also acting a bit lethargic and limp. I took her blood glucose and it was 171, which I know isnt technically too high, but compared to her numbers just a few days ago it had me concerned. She threw up and peed on the carpet several more times before I had to set up a temporary cat room in the bathroom to contain the mess. Her ears seem a bit warm, and I am not sure if this is a significant symptom but she is shedding way more than usual. Like I can easily pull a clump of fur off her, and its not just the undercoat but everything that I grab. The only thing I have recently changed is I have started her on probiotics and gave her a sprinkle of metamucil on her food the past few days as she was having a bought of loose stool (she has IBD/Lymphoma).

I just measured her BG and it was at 191 so I decided to give her .1 units of prozinc even though she hasnt eaten and I know it is slow acting.

Any advice on what might be going on would be really appreciated. Just super nervous about whats going on with her. I would love to be able to take her to the emergency vet but I am just worried they will poke and prod her and get her super anxious and in an even worse state.
 
the only thing I can think of right away is that she might have an infection, a Urinary Tract Infection that is making the BG rise and causing the peeing and perhaps the nausea. I hope some others will chime in and be able to offer more. @Bron and Sheba
 
She had a UTI when she was diagnosed about a month ago, however she didnt have such harsh symptoms so suddenly. I wish cats could talk =/
 
Is there any chance there is some hidden ingredient or preservative in the probiotics/metamucil that don't agree with her?
Hope she's feeling better soon- I agree, it would be so much easier if they could talk.
 
Cyberlizard said:
She had a UTI when she was diagnosed about a month ago, however she didnt have such harsh symptoms so suddenly. I wish cats could talk =/
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Wouldn't that be great? It's frustrating when you know they are sick but you don't know what's wrong. Is she interested in drinking anything? If you have some chicken you could boil it and make a broth, sometimes that's accepted, or water drained from water packed tuna if it's not too salty.
 
which Metamucil? am looking at a container in front of me, and see these ingredients which are red flags to me:

maltodextrin, orange flavor, aspartame -- I sincerely hope yours is a different formula !

was given this for hubby -- who is diabetic -- I wouldn't give this to him either
 
I know it's Friday night and the weekend seems to be the time when more emergencies happen right? But I would not wait too long to get professional care if Bella isn't drinking or eating. UTIs are very uncomfortable, if this is what is happening, and our little ones can dehydrate quickly when vomiting and voiding. If you take her in and it's a UTI, maybe ask for a pain reliever to help her be more comfortable until the AB starts working. I remember that awful gut ache and not wanting to void because it hurt sooooo bad. :eek:
 
looked your probiotic up, noticed fructoligosaccharides -- this came up when I Googled:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319299.php

Fructooligosaccharides are a form of carbohydrate. The term saccharide is another word for sugar, and an oligosaccharide is a molecule made up of a small group of these sugars.
Fructooligosaccharides are used as alternative sweeteners because they carry less calories than sugar; they do not cause a spike in blood sugar.

Although there are some potential benefits associated with using fructooligosaccharides, there may also be some risks and side effects. In this article, we will look at both the risks and benefits.

Fast facts on fructooligosaccharides:
  • Fructooligosaccharides are forms of oligosaccharides and come from natural sources.
  • Their sweet flavor makes them a common choice for alternative sweeteners.
  • Overusing fructooligosaccharides can cause side effects, including digestive upset and abdominal stress.
  • In general, the best way to add them to the diet is by eating a varied diet rich in the whole foods that contain them.
 
Just tested her, BG is at 159 and she has drank a bit of water and peed/pooped in the litterbox. Still seems a bit lethargic but overall a little bit more comfortable. I was hoping to make it till the AM cause her vet is open for a few hours on saturday, but if she keeps declining ill definitely be loading her up in the car and taking her over to the emergency vet.
 
Yea I saw that ingredient too, but I thought since it said it wouldnt spike blood sugar levels that it would be okay. Hopefully me trying to help her in one area didnt make her worse overall, frustrating.
 
Cyberlizard said:
Yea I saw that ingredient too, but I thought since it said it wouldnt spike blood sugar levels that it would be okay. Hopefully me trying to help her in one area didnt make her worse overall, frustrating.
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may not be the culprit at all -- may well be something else, UTI needs to be ruled out for certain -- and you say she is improving -- the claims do sound wonderful and the reviews are certainly optimistic --

good luck, will be sending good thoughts your way
 
I would not offer the extra supplements for a bit now, and see if that makes a difference. Could be the IBD flared up because of..and that's pretty painful too. I have Idjit on a raw diet and have read that it's a good diet for IBD, have you considered that?

And, can you remove the 911 in the title please. That's a life threatening alert and our hearts just pound when we see that. This is serious and needs attention, but thankfully not life threatening. :bighug:
 
Sure, just changed it. Wasn't sure if it qualified and I was nervous so I thought id put it as that, sorry. And I tried raw but my cats wouldn't go for it, I was just glad I could get them from dry to wet food in the end.
 
Cyberlizard said:
And I tried raw but my cats wouldn't go for it, I was just glad I could get them from dry to wet food in the end.
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Whatever works and good on you for transitioning to the wet food. I know you have to be careful with the IBD, and it's a balancing act to be sure. There may be other commercial foods that would work for pretty little Bella also. Good luck with everything and please keep us posted.
 
Sorry I have just seen the tag....it did not come through as a tag...I just happened to see it.
Have you tested for ketones in the urine. With lethargy and a recent and maybe current UTI I would definitely test to eliminate ketones. If you don't have any Ketostix, they can be bought from a pharmacy or Walmart for about $10. Just collect a urine sample and diet the test strip in and read at exactly 15 seconds against the bottle. Anything above a trace needs vet attention.
Have you tried plain mashed pumpkin for the bowels. It is great for constipation and diarrhoea.
 
Bella is doing a bit better than she was last night but still not 100% herself, numbers still slightly elevated so giving insulin as needed. Hopefully we will keep improving, going to try just adding pumpkin puree to her food instead of the metamucil when she has loose stool, see if that helps. I plan on scheduling a vet appointment this week to make sure everything is okay.
 
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