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Linda J

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My name is Linda. I am needing advice about a possible diabetic emergency in my cat. Is anyone available immediately for advice?
 
No. She has been having high blood glucose the last few days. Been waiting to take her to vet in the morning, but she is lethargic and laying on her side. She will get up to eat a treat and she drank water about 30 minutes ago but seems unsteady on her feet and like she is not quite with it.
 
I don't want to take her to emergency vet unless necessary. Cost and I am a single mom with small kids that will have to drag them out of bed, but I will take her if necessary. She had a monitor on her that was giving me high readings all last week 300/400 and up. The monitor quit working Friday night. She has been ravenous, almost scratching me to get food out of my hand the last 2-3 days. I thought she could make it til morning and get her into the vet first thing, but tonight after scarfing down her dinner, her behavior changed. She went outside, I think looking for food so I put food down for my other cats. When I went to put it away she was sitting by the bowl of food just looking at it instead of tearing into it. She has been very lethargic. She is laying on her side and wont hardly raise her head unless i rub her. She did get up about 30 min ago to get water and she acted interested in a cat treat. I do not have ketone strips. I am not good on a computer and am having a difficult time navigating so please bare with me.
 
If she was eating well earlier, it's less likely that she's in serious trouble but there's no way we can know for sure. Usually they won't eat as well as looking very sick when they're throwing ketones.

Is she on insulin?
 
Linda J said:
Cost and I am a single mom with small kids that will have to drag them out of bed, but I will take her if necessary. She had a monitor on her that was giving me high readings all last week 300/400 and up. The monitor quit working Friday night.
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Sounds like she may have had the Libre on?

If you're in the US, you can get a blood glucose meter from WalMart called the Relion Prime which would allow you to get test results in just a few minutes. It's only $9 and the strips are $9 for 50 or $17.88 for 100.
 
Yes. I gave her Vetsulin with her dinner. She was started on it new about a week ago, because another insulin wasn't working well, but with the vetsulin she has been running very high the last week.
 
Yes. She had on the Libre. I don't know if she is low sugar now or high but I am guessing high. How would I know if she is in ketosis?
 
Unfortunately, Vetsulin isn't usually a very good insulin for cats either. It tends to hit hard and fast and wear off before the next shot is due. Some people have used it but had to give it every 8 hours instead of every 12 like the better insulin's last.
If you're low income, you might want to contact DCIN for help with insulin and supplies. We have 2 programs....a One time assistance and an ongoing assistance depending on your circumstances. Here's Where to apply
Linda J said:
How would I know if she is in ketosis?
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The only way to know is to either get some Ketostix that measure urine ketones or get a blood ketone test meter which you probably wouldn't find anywhere tonight. The urine ketone strips are at any pharmacy that has diabetic supplies. WalMart would have them if you have one nearby that's open.
I wish there was something we could tell you that would make a difference tonight. If she's been eating tonight, she's probably not in ketosis but there's just no way to know for sure without testing.
 
I do have a Walmart nearby. Unfortunately I will have to bundle up my 2 sleeping kids to get there, but I will if need be. What would the BG level tell me? With high glucose all this week she has been ravenous and scouting for any scrap of food she could find. What happens if it gets too high? Last week she was at the vet because she seemed out of it and she was 650 BG. They gave her IV and insulin and I was able to bring her home that night. What would have caused her sudden change from searching around the house back and forth trying to get me to feed her to all of a sudden just laying on her side and not really moving much or lifting her head? Thank you for all the above advice.
 
Linda J said:
I do have a Walmart nearby. Unfortunately I will have to bundle up my 2 sleeping kids to get there, but I will if need be. What would the BG level tell me? With high glucose all this week she has been ravenous and scouting for any scrap of food she could find. What happens if it gets too high? Last week she was at the vet because she seemed out of it and she was 650 BG. They gave her IV and insulin and I was able to bring her home that night. What would have caused her sudden change from searching around the house back and forth trying to get me to feed her to all of a sudden just laying on her side and not really moving much or lifting her head? Thank you for all the above advice.
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I don't think neuropathy because it just started tonight
 
I was reading online that if she has the DKA?? that I need to get her to a vet immediately or she could die. Just trying to access if she needs to go now or if she should be safe til morning.
 
Yes, if she is in DKA, she would need treatment ASAP....it's not something you can wait on.

Treatment for DKA is expensive though and they will require a down payment of at least 50% of the total cost before they'll treat.

If you want to try to hold off until morning, get as much water into her as possible as well as as much food as you can get into her....even if it's higher carb.
 
Ok. Thank you so much. I will try to feed her. If you have time, can you explain why that would help? Appreciate all your info!!
 
Just a quick fly by (I can’t stay right now, sorry) ... but if her breath smells fruity or like nail polish remover, you might not want to wait.

Note: not all people can detect the odor.
 
She ate about 1/2 can of Fancy Feast. Now she is back to laying on her side and not moving. I'm thinking I may go get the ketostix and the BG meter. Do I need uncontaminated urine from her to test the ketones? Fairly easy to use?
 
Hi Linda, @Chris & China (GA) asked me to look in to help you as she is unable to stay online any longer.
My main concern would be ketones.
I think it would be worth your while bundling up the kids and going to walmart and getting some Ketostix and testing the urine. Then you would know one way or the other if ketones were involved.
If it is just high blood glucose levels that is causing the lethargy, then it is not as urgent.

There are things that you can do down the track but at the moment I think the most important thing is to establish whether or not ketones are involved and if they are, then a trip to the ER is necessary as they can turn into DKA very quickly.
 
Linda J said:
She ate about 1/2 can of Fancy Feast. Now she is back to laying on her side and not moving. I'm thinking I may go get the ketostix and the BG meter. Do I need uncontaminated urine from her to test the ketones? Fairly easy to use?
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Great decision to go get the Ketostix and meter. If you can collect a urine sample from her from the litter box when she goes, that is fine. Get a human glucose meter....a ReliOn one is fine. Get test strips for it as well and some lancets 26 to 28 gauge.
Post when you return. I will be watching.
Were you able to get her to drink?. That is encouraging she ate some food.
 
Knowing Walmart, there won't be anyone to help me that knows what I am looking for. Will it all be over the counter with diabetes stuff. People diabetes stuff or back in the pet section. Is what I am looking for called ketostix?
 
It will all be over with the human diabetic stuff.

Look for a bottle of Ketostix or keto- diastix ....both will test for ketones.

With the glucose meter look for a ReliOn one. I'm not sure if they come in a package with you w with lancets and strips or if you have to get them separately ( I live in Australia) but they should have test strips that match the meter....make sure they match the meter and then also get the lancets gauge 26 or 28 gauge.
Take your phone with you and if unsure post and ask me
 
You might want to call Walmart first to make sure they’re open. Some Walmarts have ceased to be open 24 hours a day and it would suck to drag the kids out of bed only to find a dark store and locked doors.

You might also ask if they have ketostix over the counter (if they can figure out what that is, of course). My local Walmart didn’t the last time I checked..
 
Back and kids in bed. Was able to get everything. Unfortunately have to wait for her to pee. I did try a ketostik on some urine from a puppy pad and it was negative, but the urine was several hours old so don't really trust it. Getting ready to read all the info from the boxes about how to set up the monitor and get a blood sample. You still there Australia?
 
Linda J said:
Back and kids in bed. Was able to get everything. Unfortunately have to wait for her to pee. I did try a ketostik on some urine from a puppy pad and it was negative, but the urine was several hours old so don't really trust it. Getting ready to read all the info from the boxes about how to set up the monitor and get a blood sample. You still there Australia?
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Hi I am still here.
Well done getting all of that!!
How is your kitty...can you tell us her name please?
If you can get her to eat some more food that would be very good.
Post as soon as you get a urine result.
You need to read the result exactly 15 seconds after dipping the test strip into the urine, against the colours on the side of the bottle.
 
Her name is Macy. She is a black longhair. I will see if she will eat more and maybe drink. Still reading all the stuff on how to do the blood sample correctly.
 
She acted interested in eating but did not eat much. She did drink quite a bit of water. Hoping that will make her pee.
 
She just peed! Negative!!!! Happy Day! Will report back on blood sugar level when I get it. I'm scared to do it :(
 
Linda J said:
She just peed! Negative!!!! Happy Day! Will report back on blood sugar level when I get it. I'm scared to do it :(
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Negative is excellent news! But very well worth while doing.
Don't be scared doing the blood sugar. Give her a treat as you test so she has her head in food.
 
The BG reading was 324. Pretty easy to get since she didn't even lift her head. I'm baffled. Her readings have been much higher than that and she hasn't been so lethargic and like a wet noodle. Wondering if she has something else going on. At least I feel ok about waiting another 4 hours to get her to the vet.
 
Thank you so much Bron and Chris and everyone else who replied!! So thankful to have had someone to advise and support. Can feel very lonely and scary in the middle of the night when one of my babies is sick.
 
Linda J said:
Thank you so much Bron and Chris and everyone else who replied!! So thankful to have had someone to advise and support. Can feel very lonely and scary in the middle of the night when one of my babies is sick.
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Linda J said:
The BG reading was 324. Pretty easy to get since she didn't even lift her head. I'm baffled. Her readings have been much higher than that and she hasn't been so lethargic and like a wet noodle. Wondering if she has something else going on. At least I feel ok about waiting another 4 hours to get her to the vet.
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Well done getting the BG!!
Do you think she could be dehydrated?
Are her gums tacky or slippery?
If you lift up her scruff does it spring back or slow to move?
Do you think she is in any pain?
Maybe ask for a pancreatic test tomorrow ....Snap fPL ( yes or no pancreatitis test) or a Spec fPL which will tell you how severe it is. Pancreatitis is very treatable
 
I'm sure she is probably dehydrated as much as she drank a while back. I'm not sure about specific pain, but I can tell she feels awful. One of the things that got me really worried early in the evening was that she was just sitting and looking at me so pitifully and trying to meow, but nothing would barely come it. It was like she was pleading with me to help her. Also, the way she has been been laying on her side and barely moving. I keep checking to make sure she is breathing. I'm staying up with her the rest of the night. Want to get her to the vet ASAP. Thanks about the suggestion of the pancreatic test. I will ask. My regular vet is out of town until tonight so thats helpful for me to know with a dr. that doesn't know her.
 
Linda J said:
I'm sure she is probably dehydrated as much as she drank a while back. I'm not sure about specific pain, but I can tell she feels awful. One of the things that got me really worried early in the evening was that she was just sitting and looking at me so pitifully and trying to meow, but nothing would barely come it. It was like she was pleading with me to help her. Also, the way she has been been laying on her side and barely moving. I keep checking to make sure she is breathing. I'm staying up with her the rest of the night. Want to get her to the vet ASAP. Thanks about the suggestion of the pancreatic test. I will ask. My regular vet is out of town until tonight so thats helpful for me to know with a dr. that doesn't know her.
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It does sound as if it could be pancreatitis.
My Sheba used to get flare ups of pancreatitis and she was always lethargic, dehydrated, off her food, sometimes had a loose poop, and in pain. She would lie flat out on the floor.
Treatment is Sub Q fluids, pain relief, antinausea meds, and sometimes an antibiotic. May need an appetite stimulant but needs the nausea addressed first. Sheba usually recovered fairly quickly but some cats take longer.
Here is a link to pancreatitis
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/a-primer-on-pancreatitis.83108/
Please let us know how she gets on.
Now that you are home testing the BG levels ( Fantastic) you might like to set up a spreadsheet which will help you get her regulated. But you can do that after you get her sorted out.
What type and dose of insulin is Macy on?
 
She was switched to Vetsulin 2 units a week ago because with her other insulin she was bouncing high and low. We couldn't get it regulated. I think the Vetsulin has been much worse. I'm going to ask them to switch her to something else. I will do my very best to get back to you with an update. I feel so thankful not to have had to sweat bullets tonight by myself, or to have had shelled out a fortune at the emergency vet. I am horrible on a computer. I don't know how I even managed to get this far tonight. I had a really hard time trying to figure out how to even get on and ask a question. I thought she might die before I could even figure it out. I hope I can figure out how to get back to this particular post. I can tell this would be a very helpful forum to learn how to deal with Macy's diabetes.
 
Linda if you are switched to Lantus there is a supply closet here where members post supplies and insulin they may have wanting to sell because their kitty may have passed, I see someone has Lantus Pens for sale for 30.00 per pen plus shipping
If you need it let me know and I will give you her name.Please let us know how you make out at the vets @Linda J
 
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Linda J said:
Thank you so much Bron and Chris and everyone else who replied!! So thankful to have had someone to advise and support. Can feel very lonely and scary in the middle of the night when one of my babies is sick.
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Thank goodness for no ketones! I know you had a long night and I'm sorry I couldn't stay on longer (I had been terribly sick last night so was so happy to be able to contact Bron so you had someone with you!)

Looking forward to today's update.

What insulin was Macy on before you started the Vetsulin?
 
Chris & China (GA) said:
Thank goodness for no ketones! I know you had a long night and I'm sorry I couldn't stay on longer (I had been terribly sick last night so was so happy to be able to contact Bron so you had someone with you!)

Looking forward to today's update.

What insulin was Macy on before you started the Vetsulin?
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Heh all! I can't believe I was able to get back to this thread. I took Macy to the vet when they opened and dropped her off because I had to get my kids to school. I picked her up at 8:00pm. They gave her IV fluids, did a urinalysis culture, gave her anti nausea meds, started her on an antibiotic in case there was any underlying infection going on. I did tell them to check pancreatitis. I can't remember what they said about that. I was so tired from not sleeping. Maybe they didn't check because of cost?? What they said is that treatment would be the same as what we are doing. She is definately better, walking around and animated instead of a sloth, but I'm up middle of the night and still concerned. They wanted to up her medication to 3 units. Because she was so bad this weekend, I wanted them to give her the 3 units so I was positive that I wasn't doing something wrong. They also put another Libre on her so I could easily monitor. I was afraid 3 units might be too much. So I just checked her and her BG is 409 and increasing. They got her down today to about 300 and something. Looking at the graph on the Libre, its a straight line. The insulin has done nothing. I told them what someone on here told me about Vetsulin, that it wasn't the best. They changed her from Lantis over a week ago because her BG was doing highs and lows instead of settling into a zone. I would say that some of that could have been me. I have a hard time getting injections into her (all her hair and she has gotten so skinny now that there isn't much flesh to inject her). But my vet and I have a unique relationship. I had another cat, Boy, that I gave to her over a year ago. He had diabetes and I did everything I could but he wasn't doing well. I was spending a fortune and felt like I was watching him die. My vet fell in love with him when they kept him at the clinic over Christmas 2018. I was in a lot of financial stress and I didn't know how I could keep going both emotionally and financially. She offered to keep Boy at her house for 30 days and see if she could do all the tweeking and get him regulated. She offered to do it for free. How could I refuse? She was a Godsend. After 30 days, she had him regulated and was very willing to give him back, but she offered to take him as her own cat if it would help me. I decided that was what was best for Boy. She could afford it and could take care of him better than me. I lovingly gave him to her, knowing that he would be well loved. Anytime they go on vacation, she calls me and I go get Boy and get to have him back with my family. So as much as I hated to give him away, I looked at it like Boy has 2 homes that love him now, and I want him to live a healthy life and feel good. She was more capable of providing that. Macy is Boy's sister. About 6 or 7 months after giving Boy to my vet, Macy started showing signs of diabetes. That was probably 6 months ago. Macy has lost a lot of weight and I just cant seem to get her regulated. I keep blaming myself, that I'm doing something wrong, but seeing that they gave her the injection tonight and it is doing nothing. They didn't want to change her off the Vetsulin just yet in case her body needs time to adjust. They said they will review again over this week. Possibly do an ultrasound to make sure nothing else is going on. Holding off on that because of expense. I would love any kind of advice or suggestions. Once again I feel like I'm just watching her die. Her quality of life, continuing to bounce like this and not being regulated is so disrupted. She is not the carefree happy cat she has always been. I think its because she doesn't feel good. I would welcome any suggestions to help Macy. Thank you. I can't keep doing these all nighters :(
 
without reading this whole thread (which btw you have managed beautifully. I too was new to computers when I found this site back in 05) May I ask if Macy is eating dry food? I know you are new here so wont go into detail but it might help the advisers help you.
Again glad you found FDMB you are now part of this HUGE family. :bighug:
jeanne
 
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