Hi there! I'm very rarely on the forum these days. My experience with tube feeding was decades ago and involved what is called a PEG tube that goes into the stomach from the chest wall rather than the usual current method of inserting the tube into the neck. The cat I was treating was not diabetic. She'd stopped eating for other reasons. I can tell you, though, that it went far better than I anticipated at the time. My cat had the tube for three weeks, adjusted well and settled nicely for each feeding (every few hours, small amounts at a time). Getting the consistency of the wet food right to avoid blocking the valve could be a challenge but that was it.
Re DKA: Teasel had two bouts, one in the spring of 2016 (diagnosed in January 2016) and the other in the summer of 2018. Each time he spent many expensive days in the ICU at the emergency clinic. It took a long time to get him back to normal at home and it involved anti nausea meds, appetite stimulant meds, etc. As for what set him off those times, it's hard to say. His response to insulin was extremely volatile for many years and I had to work at finding a low carb wet food without additives that seemed to trigger his vomiting (followed by dehydration, followed by DKA). I found that Wellness brand turkey pâté agrees with him and even though it took almost 5 years his BG is quite well regulated now. Touch wood, he's been fine since.
Caveat: if you look at his SS you'll see I rarely test between PSs now. DO NOT copy this! I've settled on this because he's stable and because I have physical issues that limit my mobility.
