KETONES.. POSSIBLE HOSPITAL ADMISSION ON FRIDAY. FEELING LOST

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M & Maisie

M & Maisie

Member Since 2021
Hi,
My cat Maisie was diagnosed with diabetes last Tuesday (2nd March). She was started on 1 unit of Caninsulin twice a day but she seemed to get worse as the week progressed. Her symptoms included- vomiting, diarrhoea or loose stools, lethargy, her appetite decreased as the days went on and the excessive thirst only increased.
Anyway I got her in at the vets, they checked her BS and it was 26.5 (this was approximately 2 hours after she had had her insulin) so they ran more bloods and ketones showed up. The vet said it wasn’t at a dangerous level yet and I have until Friday to try to turn it around. She told me Maisie needs to be 30% better and eating 30% more by Friday and if not, she will be admitted for treatment immediately. I’m so confused by that though, what kind of measure is 30%?! I’m so scared that I might think she’s doing better but that she’s actually not and could become very unwell because I’ve made a mistake. I’m so new to all of this and I’m still trying to get used to my girl having diabetes without the added worry that I’m going to get this wrong, I won’t turn it around and she’ll end up in hospital because of me. I did ask the vet how much food Maisie should be eating between now and Friday for me to consider her doing 30% better than she is now and therefore not needing to be admitted but all she said was to look on the back of the packet of whichever food I give her and see what they recommend for her weight! ‍♀️ So not great advice at all. She hasn’t eaten much in the way of cat food today (a few bites here and there) but I was able to get her to eat a tin of tuna (a quarter of the tin at a time spread out throughout the day) but I know she can’t just eat tuna every day!

The vet also gave her an anti-sickness injection and an antibiotic injection just in case there is an underlying infection. She’s given me a weeks course of antibiotics for her (1 tablet, twice a day) and she’s upped her insulin to 1.5 units. I’m sure she also mentioned that they would be checking her thyroid from the bloods they took.


I only have tomorrow left to “turn it around” and closely monitor her. Any advice or suggestions for me? Can I even turn it around just by getting her to eat more?


Note- I’m not currently home testing, when Maisie was diagnosed last week I asked the vet about it and was advised not to do this (she said it’s not needed) but since joining this group I’ve seen that it is but I don’t have time to get equipment between now and Friday morning when I have to call the vet to tell them how she is.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum.
If your kitty has ketones, it is very important that she eats. As @Red & Rover (GA) said, 1 1/2 times as much food as she would normally eat.
That is good your vet gave an antinausea injection and antibiotics.
It sounds as if the injection for nausea is not enough. You may need to get some ondansetron tablets as well. They are also a antinausea medication that works on a different pathway and can be given at the same time as the cerenia which is what your vet probably gave your kitty.
I would not leave it until Friday if she is not eating. It would be much better to get her into the hospital and onto an IV drip earlier than wait until she is far worse. Ketones can get worse very quickly and eating food is one of the ways to stop them increasing. The other way is giving insulin.
So it would be better if you could learn to home test the Blood glucose levels.
Let her eat whatever she will eat at the moment. It doesn’t matter if it is suitable for a diabetic cat or not. Eating food trumps everything else.
Also make sure she is drinking well if you can. Add water to the food if she will allow it.
You can buy Ketostix from a pharmacy or Walmart and test the urine yourself. It’s a easy test. Anything above a Trace of ketones and I would be ringing the vet.
If you feel she is no better in the morning I would take her back to the vet to be reassessed.
Please keep us posted. If she needs admitting, please let us know and when it is time for her to come home again we can help you with that.
 
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Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Hi and welcome to the forum.
If your kitty has ketones, it is very important that she eats. As @Red & Rover (GA) said, 1 1/2 times as much food as she would normally eat.
That is good your vet gave an antinausea injection and antibiotics.
It sounds as if the injection for nausea is not enough. You may need to get some ondansetron tablets as well. They are also a antinausea medication that works on a different pathway and can be given at the same time as the cerenia which is what your vet probably gave your kitty.
I would not leave it until Friday if she is not eating. It would be much better to get her into the hospital and onto an IV drip earlier than wait until she is far worse. Ketones can get worse very quickly and eating food is one of the ways to stop them increasing. The other way is giving insulin.
So it would be better if you could learn to home test the Blood glucose levels.
Let her eat whatever she will eat at the moment. It doesn’t matter if it is suitable for a diabetic cat or not. Eating food trumps everything else.
Also make sure she is drinking well if you can. Add water to the food if she will allow it.
You can buy Ketostix from a pharmacy or Walmart and test the urine yourself. It’s a easy test. Anything above a Trace of ketones and I would be ringing the vet.
If you feel she is no better in the morning I would take her back to the vet to be reassessed.
Please keep us posted. If she needs admitting, please let us know and when it is time for her to come home again we can help you with that.
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Thank you, I’m in the U.K. so don’t have Walmart but I could check at my local pharmacy.

We’re in a national lockdown here right now, so I can’t just turn up at the vets and be seen, you have to wait for a vet to ring back for a telephone consultation and then an appointment can be made if it’s an emergency. I think the vet would just tell me to stick to the plan so I’ll ring first thing in the morning as the vet requested. Today I will try and get her to eat as much as I can. She definitely seems to be eating a tiny little better today, it’s currently 10:46am here and she’s been down twice for food so far, she’s not eating a huge amount when she goes to the food bowl but it is a step in the right direction. She’s just so fussy, she’ll only eat certain kinds of dry food, I haven’t found a wet food she likes in the almost 10.5 years I’ve had her. I’ve ordered a pâte to try her with that she’s never tried before so that’s coming any time in the next hour or so, if she doesn’t like that I may have to go to the shop and grab more tinned tuna. As for water she’s drinking A LOT. She has a water fountain upstairs that’s on 24/7, I also have a big bowl of fresh water available at all times downstairs and she’s been spending most of her day near the bathroom sink so anytime I go upstairs she’s straight up at the tap for a drink.
 
That is good she is drinking well. That’s important.
Let her eat whatever she will eat. Dry is fine at the moment. It doesn’t matter if it’s just tuna for a few days....no it’s not ideal but the most important thing is she eats as much as you can get her to eat.
Food is like a medicine when it comes to ketones. If she doesn’t eat, her body will start to use the fat in her body for fuel and the byproduct of that is ketones....so by feeding her as much as you can, you are stopping her body turning to the fat for fuel. Does that make sense.?
I would offer her small amounts often. At least every 2 hours.
If you can get the Ketostix from a pharmacy and test the urine, that would be great as it will tell you how it is all going and if you are managing to control the ketones.
After collecting a urine sample, you dip the test strip into the urine and read it exactly 15 seconds later against the colours on the side of the bottle.
It will continue to go darker so take no notice of that . It is the 15 seconds you need to look at.
Please let us know when you have tested the urine for ketones.
I am in Australia and will only be up for another hour but I will ask @Bandit's Mom and @Gill & George to look in and see how things are going with Maisie.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
That is good she is drinking well. That’s important.
Let her eat whatever she will eat. Dry is fine at the moment. It doesn’t matter if it’s just tuna for a few days....no it’s not ideal but the most important thing is she eats as much as you can get her to eat.
Food is like a medicine when it comes to ketones. If she doesn’t eat, her body will start to use the fat in her body for fuel and the byproduct of that is ketones....so by feeding her as much as you can, you are stopping her body turning to the fat for fuel. Does that make sense.?
I would offer her small amounts often. At least every 2 hours.
If you can get the Ketostix from a pharmacy and test the urine, that would be great as it will tell you how it is all going and if you are managing to control the ketones.
After collecting a urine sample, you dip the test strip into the urine and read it exactly 15 seconds later against the colours on the side of the bottle.
It will continue to go darker so take no notice of that . It is the 15 seconds you need to look at.
Please let us know when you have tested the urine for ketones.
I am in Australia and will only be up for another hour but I will ask @Bandit's Mom and @Gill & George to look in and see how things are going with Maisie.
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thanks so much!
The Scrumbles pâté came and success, she loves it! I just gave her half of the pot for now but she absolutely wolfed it down and has even just gone back to the bowl to look for more. As I type this she’s even grooming herself, which I haven’t seen her do this last week. I’ll wait to give her the other half just to make sure she’s not sick because of how fast she ate it and like you say spread it out over the day. The recommended amount on the pack says 3 of the 85g pots a day for a 4kg cat, she’s 3kg so how much should I give her today? I don’t want to overload her with a new food she’s not used to in case it upsets her tummy.
 
M & Maisie said:
thanks so much!
The Scrumbles pâté came and success, she loves it! I just gave her half of the pot for now but she absolutely wolfed it down and has even just gone back to the bowl to look for more. As I type this she’s even grooming herself, which I haven’t seen her do this last week. I’ll wait to give her the other half just to make sure she’s not sick because of how fast she ate it and like you say spread it out over the day. The recommended amount on the pack says 3 of the 85g pots a day for a 4kg cat, she’s 3kg so how much should I give her today? I don’t want to overload her with a new food she’s not used to in case it upsets her tummy.
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Wonderful she loves the food! And grooming!
Do you have more than 1 pot to give her?
I would wait at least an hour before offering any more. We don’t want her to be sick.
She needs 1 1/2 times as many calories as she would normally need at the moment. I would give her some of her other food as well as you don’t want to upset her tumm, as you say. Don’t forget to give her food during the pm cycle s well.
Do you think you will be able to get the Ketostix today?
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Wonderful she loves the food! And grooming!
Do you have more than 1 pot to give her?
I would wait at least an hour before offering any more. We don’t want her to be sick.
She needs 1 1/2 times as many calories as she would normally need at the moment. I would give her some of her other food as well as you don’t want to upset her tumm, as you say. Don’t forget to give her food during the pm cycle s well.
Do you think you will be able to get the Ketostix today?
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yes, I bought a pack of 8 so that will last us a few days and I can Amazon prime more when I get low. I have dry food out 24/7 so she has access to that too.
I’m not exactly sure how healthy this will be for her going forward after this? It doesn’t list carbs so I assume it’s not high ‍♀️ it just says 128cal/100g, 10% protein, 10% fat, 75% moisture, 0.5% crude fibre, 3.2% inorganic matter. The ingredients are- 26% salmon, 24% chicken, 20% chicken liver, minerals, salmon oil, sunflower oil and slippery elm powder.

There is a pharmacy next to my daughters school so when I go to collect her this afternoon, I will pop in and see if they have any.
 
You will need to be careful feeding low carb food that the BG doesn’t drop too low.
As you are not testing the BG yet, I would make sure that Maisie still eats plenty of the dry food as well as that is higher carb. Mix it up so that she is getting some dry throughout the day..
Do you have some honey in case of a hypo?
Here is a link about recognising one amd how to treat it. Print it off and put it on your fridge.
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/

I would really recommend you think about home testing the BGs. You don’t need your vets permission to do it and it will be much safer for Maisie.
I would look at getting a human meter and strips from a pharmacy and we can help you getting started with home testing.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
You will need to be careful feeding low carb food that the BG doesn’t drop too low.
As you are not testing the BG yet, I would make sure that Maisie still eats plenty of the dry food as well as that is higher carb. Mix it up so that she is getting some dry throughout the day..
Do you have some honey in case of a hypo?
Here is a link about recognising one amd how to treat it. Print it off and put it on your fridge.
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/

I would really recommend you think about home testing the BGs. You don’t need your vets permission to do it and it will be much safer for Maisie.
I would look at getting a human meter and strips from a pharmacy and we can help you getting started with home testing.
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Oh I thought a low carb diet was the best thing so that’s what I was looking for? Sorry I’m so new at this.
Yes I have honey in.

I’m not testing at the moment, the vet advised me not to when she was diagnosed last week but I am definitely seriously considering it after joining this group. Silly question, but where do you even prick them to get the drop of blood to test?

also I have an update. The vet just rang me to see how she was and to tell me the rest of the results from the bloods they did yesterday. She said they checked her kidneys using 3 different tests- 2 were normal, 1 was just slightly above normal and her liver test was just above normal so they’ve decided because of those results and the fact she’s now eating better with this new food that she doesn’t need to be admitted tomorrow. They’ve told me to just continue with the course of antibiotics they gave her and as long as she continues to eat ok and isn’t vomiting etc then they’ll just speak to me when the antibiotics are finished next week to discuss the next steps. I am so relieved but obviously aware she has ketones in her blood so we’re not fully out of the woods yet. I’m heading to the pharmacy to see if I can get the ketostix now
 
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
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6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
 
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugarsugar

Here is a video that one of our members posted showing how to test your cats BG
I see you are from the UK
Most of us use human meters, I don't know what is available in the UK
Maybe you can start a new post such as UK members need advice on human meters

You would also need to buy lancets 26 or 28 gauge
Cotton rounds to put behind the ear just in case you poke your finger, then put it on Maisie's ear for about 15 or 20 seconds to stop the bleeding. Press gently
 
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/

If you click on the blue link it will tell you how to set up your signature so we know more about your kitty. If you look at the end of everyone's post at the bottom you will see it in gray , information about our kitties.

Once you start home testing which is very important to do you will then create a spreadsheet we all use to fill in our kitties BG readings.
Look at mine at the bottom of my posts it will say Tyler's spreadsheet.

When the time comes just ask for instructions for how to set up your spreadsheet.
If you have a problem we have members who can help you with that
 
M & Maisie said:
Oh I thought a low carb diet was the best thing so that’s what I was looking for? Sorry I’m so new at this.
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You are correct. Low carb wet food is the best food for a diabetic cat. However when you are not testing the blood glucose levels and have been feeding a dry food diet that is most likely high carb, it is not a safe time to change over to a low carb diet.
You need to be testing the blood glucose levels and monitoring them closely when you do the change over to the low carb diet.
This is because the BG levels can drop by 100 points or more when you swap from a high carb to a low carb diet.
If you are testing the BG levels you can see what is happening and can adjust the insulin dose so you don't cause a hypo.

So once you are home testing and feel comfortable with it, we can help you swap Maisie over to a fully low carb diet.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
You are correct. Low carb wet food is the best food for a diabetic cat. However when you are not testing the blood glucose levels and have been feeding a dry food diet that is most likely high carb, it is not a safe time to change over to a low carb diet.
You need to be testing the blood glucose levels and monitoring them closely when you do the change over to the low carb diet.
This is because the BG levels can drop by 100 points or more when you swap from a high carb to a low carb diet.
If you are testing the BG levels you can see what is happening and can adjust the insulin dose so you don't cause a hypo.

So once you are home testing and feel comfortable with it, we can help you swap Maisie over to a fully low carb diet.
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Thank you so much for all the info, I’ll go through everything you’ve linked shortly. I didn’t get emails to say I had any replies so I’m sorry for my late reply.

unfortunately this new food has given her diarrhoea so I’m going to have to change it anyway! I want something wet that I’m able to tempt her with so I can crush her antibiotics in to it twice a day so I’m off to the shop now to find something else. Do you have any suggestions? (I’m in the UK)
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Oh I am sorry it gave Maisie diarrhoea.
How is her appetite today’s.
Here is a link to UK information. You might find something in here
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...-vit-b12-and-other-need-to-know-stuff.137376/
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She’s seems really hungry but not for her usual dry food, she’s not touching that. She just wants the new food but obviously it’s no good if it’s giving her diarrhoea. I think I’ll try mixing half a pot of the new food with lots of dry food to get her to eat it and hopefully it won’t go straight through her.

I’m starting to feel very overwhelmed.. I think it’s going to be much harder than I thought stabilising and managing the diabetes with how fussy she is with food.
 
M & Maisie said:
She’s seems really hungry but not for her usual dry food, she’s not touching that. She just wants the new food but obviously it’s no good if it’s giving her diarrhoea. I think I’ll try mixing half a pot of the new food with lots of dry food to get her to eat it and hopefully it won’t go straight through her.

I’m starting to feel very overwhelmed.. I think it’s going to be much harder than I thought stabilising and managing the diabetes with how fussy she is with food.
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Good suggestion from Lisa to use pumpkin. I found it worked well.
I’m sure things will all settle down amd you will find it much easier. It’s not uncommon for cats to get some diarrhoea when swapping over to a new food. Just do it slowly.and remember you need to be testing the BG before you swap too much of it.
You are doing a great job....it’s always hard in the beginning as there is so much to learn but you are half way there.:)
 
M & Maisie said:
She’s seems really hungry but not for her usual dry food, she’s not touching that. She just wants the new food but obviously it’s no good if it’s giving her diarrhoea. I think I’ll try mixing half a pot of the new food with lots of dry food to get her to eat it and hopefully it won’t go straight through her.

I’m starting to feel very overwhelmed.. I think it’s going to be much harder than I thought stabilising and managing the diabetes with how fussy she is with food.
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Our Chico is struggling with diarrhea for a while already, switching the food can give diarrhea for a few days, try mixing it in the spread of a few days, firs day 1/4 of the daily food intake, second day 1/2 of the daily intake and the 3rd day you can give fully the new food and it shouldn't bother her anymore.

We started treating Chico with diabetes a bit over a month ago, i know exactly how overwhelmed you are right now but take it slowly and i promise it will get better and easier. Focus on what is the most important at this moment which is ketones and Maisie eating, then start home testing and gradually do the food change. High BG values are not good for a cat from a long term point of view so don't stress to much if you measure higher values in the beginning, it is part of the process.

You are doing a great job take it slowly and it will get easier :)
 
Hi M.
There is a list of foods available here in the UK showing carb values etc that @Elizabeth and Bertie kindly put together, i use it a lot for my cat, it's invaluable.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J5JpMe6TDXrHq_aTl9hUtHy6Gs9oRBqlz4nPGKxtySA/pubhtml#

There is also a carbs calculator here that you can use if the food is not listed on the UK food list.
https://secure.balanceit.com/tools/_gaconverter/index.php?

There is also this brilliant thread for UK members also put together by Elizabeth and has a lot of very helpful information.
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...-vit-b12-and-other-need-to-know-stuff.137376/

Also M. it would help members on here if you have a spreadsheet set up so that any problems that arise with dosage etc can be sorted out quickly.
A spreadsheet contains valuable information and as it says on the how you can help us help you page, Helpers will always look at your spreadsheet before offering advice. If it is not up to date it is hard to offer suggestion or give specific dosing advise.
If you have any problems setting it up there is always somebody here to help you with it.
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/
Tee.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Good suggestion from Lisa to use pumpkin. I found it worked well.
I’m sure things will all settle down amd you will find it much easier. It’s not uncommon for cats to get some diarrhoea when swapping over to a new food. Just do it slowly.and remember you need to be testing the BG before you swap too much of it.
You are doing a great job....it’s always hard in the beginning as there is so much to learn but you are half way there.:)
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I’m not testing at home yet. The vet told me I didn’t need to so I didn’t know until I joined this group that I should.
It’s so much harder, obviously more so that she hasn’t been well. At this point I just really don’t know how she’ll ever be stable, I really feel like I’m fighting a losing battle. I just wish she wasn’t so fussy with food
 
Marina & Chico said:
Our Chico is struggling with diarrhea for a while already, switching the food can give diarrhea for a few days, try mixing it in the spread of a few days, firs day 1/4 of the daily food intake, second day 1/2 of the daily intake and the 3rd day you can give fully the new food and it shouldn't bother her anymore.

We started treating Chico with diabetes a bit over a month ago, i know exactly how overwhelmed you are right now but take it slowly and i promise it will get better and easier. Focus on what is the most important at this moment which is ketones and Maisie eating, then start home testing and gradually do the food change. High BG values are not good for a cat from a long term point of view so don't stress to much if you measure higher values in the beginning, it is part of the process.

You are doing a great job take it slowly and it will get easier :)
Click to expand...

Thank you! I’m not testing at home yet, the vet told me not to bother and until I joined this group I didn’t realise I should be. I’m already overwhelmed with the ketones, her eating etc so I think it would be too much right now. I want to try to get her eating better first and foremost so the ketones don’t increase. She’s always been a grazer throughout the day on dry food but now she’s screaming at me for food every time I go in the kitchen so I don’t even know how much/when to feed her. I definitely need to learn more, I don’t know anything about the curves and things people mention on here.
 
Teetee (UK) said:
Hi M.
There is a list of foods available here in the UK showing carb values etc that @Elizabeth and Bertie kindly put together, i use it a lot for my cat, it's invaluable.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J5JpMe6TDXrHq_aTl9hUtHy6Gs9oRBqlz4nPGKxtySA/pubhtml#

There is also a carbs calculator here that you can use if the food is not listed on the UK food list.
https://secure.balanceit.com/tools/_gaconverter/index.php?

There is also this brilliant thread for UK members also put together by Elizabeth and has a lot of very helpful information.
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...-vit-b12-and-other-need-to-know-stuff.137376/

Also M. it would help members on here if you have a spreadsheet set up so that any problems that arise with dosage etc can be sorted out quickly.
A spreadsheet contains valuable information and as it says on the how you can help us help you page, Helpers will always look at your spreadsheet before offering advice. If it is not up to date it is hard to offer suggestion or give specific dosing advise.
If you have any problems setting it up there is always somebody here to help you with it.
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/
Tee.
Click to expand...

Thank you! I’ve seen people talk about spreadsheets but I wasn’t sure how to do it or if I should do it because I’m not testing at home yet.
 
M & Maisie said:
Thank you! I’m not testing at home yet, the vet told me not to bother and until I joined this group I didn’t realise I should be. I’m already overwhelmed with the ketones, her eating etc so I think it would be too much right now. I want to try to get her eating better first and foremost so the ketones don’t increase. She’s always been a grazer throughout the day on dry food but now she’s screaming at me for food every time I go in the kitchen so I don’t even know how much/when to feed her. I definitely need to learn more, I don’t know anything about the curves and things people mention on here.
Click to expand...
The great thing on this forum is that you don't need to learn what the curve and what each number means before testing, people will guide you thru when you have to measure and what the values mean. For testing you need a glucometer (preferably a human one from a near by pharmacy) with testing stripes (they should come with the glucometer) and patience :)

It is important to measure in order to be sure the kitty is in safe values when giving insulin, it is even more important with caninsulin which brings the cats from high preshots to very low nadirs (lowest value in a cycle) in the same cycle. Chico started on Caninsulin, if you want to see how was his glucose changing during one cycle it is in the beginning of his spreadsheet.

Take it slowly, maybe start by buying the glucometer (we chose the first one we found in the closest pharmacy to us and it works just fine) and have it at home and maybe in the following days you will find the motivation to start measuring.

Good luck and remember it will get better and easier very quickly, the basic information you need to know if limited even though now it doesn't look like it:)
 
Marina & Chico said:
The great thing on this forum is that you don't need to learn what the curve and what each number means before testing, people will guide you thru when you have to measure and what the values mean. For testing you need a glucometer (preferably a human one from a near by pharmacy) with testing stripes (they should come with the glucometer) and patience :)

It is important to measure in order to be sure the kitty is in safe values when giving insulin, it is even more important with caninsulin which brings the cats from high preshots to very low nadirs (lowest value in a cycle) in the same cycle. Chico started on Caninsulin, if you want to see how was his glucose changing during one cycle it is in the beginning of his spreadsheet.

Take it slowly, maybe start by buying the glucometer (we chose the first one we found in the closest pharmacy to us and it works just fine) and have it at home and maybe in the following days you will find the motivation to start measuring.

Good luck and remember it will get better and easier very quickly, the basic information you need to know if limited even though now it doesn't look like it:)
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Thank you for your help!

Unfortunately I’m slightly more stressed out now. We’re having a rough evening! So the only way I’ve been able to inject so far since diagnosis is while she’s distracted with food (the vet okayed this). However this evening she just wasn’t having it.. I got her insulin ready when it was time, crushed up her antibiotic and added it to the food but she wouldn’t eat it. I tried everything but she wouldn’t have it so that antibiotic was wasted. I then tried a different kind of food (without using another antibiotic) but she wouldn’t eat that either. So in the end I’ve had to give her tinned tuna again just so she has something to eat and so she could have her insulin but she’s obviously missed the second antibiotic of the day. She ate everything I gave her but she’s just following me around my house shouting at me for more food. Its like this every day, all day long, I’m so appreciative of everyone’s help but I just feel more out of my depth as the days go on.
 
:bighug:
M & Maisie said:
Thank you for your help!

Unfortunately I’m slightly more stressed out now. We’re having a rough evening! So the only way I’ve been able to inject so far since diagnosis is while she’s distracted with food (the vet okayed this). However this evening she just wasn’t having it.. I got her insulin ready when it was time, crushed up her antibiotic and added it to the food but she wouldn’t eat it. I tried everything but she wouldn’t have it so that antibiotic was wasted. I then tried a different kind of food (without using another antibiotic) but she wouldn’t eat that either. So in the end I’ve had to give her tinned tuna again just so she has something to eat and so she could have her insulin but she’s obviously missed the second antibiotic of the day. She ate everything I gave her but she’s just following me around my house shouting at me for more food. Its like this every day, all day long, I’m so appreciative of everyone’s help but I just feel more out of my depth as the days go on.
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I am very sorry you are going thru so much stres, hope tomorrow will be better :bighug::bighug:
 
If she will eat the dry food let her have that. If she is used to grazing let her do that. Just let her eat whatever she will eat at the moment.
You are doing a really good job with Maisie
I’m going to tag @Bandit's Mom to help you set up a spreadsheet so it’s ready when you need it.
It will definitely get better. It’s always harder in the beginning if you have the added worry of ketones or something like that.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
If she will eat the dry food let her have that. If she is used to grazing let her do that. Just let her eat whatever she will eat at the moment.
You are doing a really good job with Maisie
I’m going to tag @Bandit's Mom to help you set up a spreadsheet so it’s ready when you need it.
It will definitely get better. It’s always harder in the beginning if you have the added worry of ketones or something like that.
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That’s the thing, she’s not eating the dry food anymore. It’s out 24/7 so she’s free to graze on it but I haven’t seen her eat it for days (I have been giving other food so I know she has been eating something at least). This evening I tried the new wet food she loved on its own and mixed with dry but she wouldn’t eat either so I ended up having to give her tinned tuna so she would at least have something but obviously I can’t give her just tuna every day.

great, thank you for that.
 
M & Maisie said:
That’s the thing, she’s not eating the dry food anymore. It’s out 24/7 so she’s free to graze on it but I haven’t seen her eat it for days (I have been giving other food so I know she has been eating something at least). This evening I tried the new wet food she loved on its own and mixed with dry but she wouldn’t eat either so I ended up having to give her tinned tuna so she would at least have something but obviously I can’t give her just tuna every day.

great, thank you for that.
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In the short term, the tuna is OK. It’s not ideal but any food trumps not eating!
Any cans opened that she doesn’t eat you can freeze if you put into a plastic bag and mark what it is. That way it can be used later and won’t be wasted.
You may need to ask the vet for some antinausea medication to give to Maisie at home each day for a few days either cerenia or ondansetron.
. It’s not unusual for newly diagnosed cats to also be nauseated in the beginning. My Sheba struggled to eat much for the first week after diagnosis.
Did you get the Ketostix from the pharmacy to check the ketones in the urine?
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
In the short term, the tuna is OK. It’s not ideal but any food trumps not eating!
Any cans opened that she doesn’t eat you can freeze if you put into a plastic bag and mark what it is. That way it can be used later and won’t be wasted.
You may need to ask the vet for some antinausea medication to give to Maisie at home each day for a few days either cerenia or ondansetron.
. It’s not unusual for newly diagnosed cats to also be nauseated in the beginning. My Sheba struggled to eat much for the first week after diagnosis.
Did you get the Ketostix from the pharmacy to check the ketones in the urine?
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Sorry. I haven’t been able to get on here all day for some reason.

I finally saw her at the dry food today and she’s also had more tuna so at least she’s eating. I did wake up this morning to discover she’d had A LOT of diarrhoea during the night in both litter trays.

No, they didn’t have any. The pharmacist said he would order some in for me, he’s expecting them to come in Monday or Tuesday
 
Antibiotics sometimes cause diarrhea and upset tummy. A little probiotic a few hours after the antibiotic might help.

Are there any other pharmacies around where you can call to see if they have any ketone urine test strips?

You're doing a good job.
Hang in there. :bighug:
 
Dyana said:
Antibiotics sometimes cause diarrhea and upset tummy. A little probiotic a few hours after the antibiotic might help.

Are there any other pharmacies around where you can call to see if they have any ketone urine test strips?

You're doing a good job.
Hang in there. :bighug:
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I was thinking it could be the antibiotics however she started having diarrhoea before she started the course but perhaps they’ve made it worse.
All the pharmacies are closed today because it’s Sunday.

thank you
 
M & Maisie said:
we don’t have tinned pumpkin here and we only have pumpkins in shops around Halloween
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Hi M
Asda have tinned pumpkin, as do Sainsbury's and Tesco
https://groceries.asda.com/product/all-american/americas-finest-tinned-pumpkin/1000211864831
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/baking-buddy-tinned-pumpkin-puree-425g
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/292613099
Are these ok to use @Bron and Sheba (GA) ?
Asda, Sainsbury's and Boots pharmacies are all open today, where abouts in the UK are you M.
 
Teetee (UK) said:
Hi M
Asda have tinned pumpkin, as do Sainsbury's and Tesco
https://groceries.asda.com/product/all-american/americas-finest-tinned-pumpkin/1000211864831
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/baking-buddy-tinned-pumpkin-puree-425g
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/292613099
Are these ok to use @Bron and Sheba (GA) ?
Asda, Sainsbury's and Boots pharmacies are all open today, where abouts in the UK are you M.
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Yes @Teetee (UK) they are all suitable as they only have pumpkin as the ingredient. Thank you for posting them.
 
M & Maisie said:
Thank you so much for all the info, I’ll go through everything you’ve linked shortly. I didn’t get emails to say I had any replies so I’m sorry for my late reply.

unfortunately this new food has given her diarrhoea so I’m going to have to change it anyway! I want something wet that I’m able to tempt her with so I can crush her antibiotics in to it twice a day so I’m off to the shop now to find something else. Do you have any suggestions? (I’m in the UK)
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Don't give up on that food if she's eating it! Many cats get diarrhea from a sudden food change. Try mixing her old and new food together a few day so it's more gradual. Or you can wait until it resolves on its own
 
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