Kaz Hospitalized With DKA

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Claire and Kaz

Claire and Kaz

Member Since 2022
I was asked to start a new post as the other chain had got too long. There is nothing really to report.

Yes it's going to cost a fortune and I am worried about payment but will have to figure it out.
Unfortunately my vet is out with COVID although I still would have had to rush him to the ER as I could see it was serious.
To my shock and horror I ended up with this doctor who I had seen 3 years ago. They do everything by phone till right at the end when I demanded to see him before I left and then I saw the doctor.
This women had said on the phone that she recognized Kaz and I did not think much of it at the time as he had been hospitalized 3 years earlier for 10 days and was well liked by the staff due to his loving nature with all.
This doctor took one look at Kaz 3 years ago and told me that the cat looked so sick he should be put down when I refused she ordered 6K worth of tests which was ridiculous and would probably have killed Kaz at the time. I demanded to see the Dr in charge of the entire hospital. This is how I met Dr Brum and he agreed with me that there was something wrong and did two very inexpensive tests and found the issue almost immediately.
So now same doctor and she quoted me $4,400 - $5,400 for the stay so I immediately emailed my Dr and sent over the sheet listing all the procedures she wants to do and made it clear that Dr Brum had to be consulted for all procedures. Soon as he calls I will be making it clear that I don't want this women touching Kaz again.

I appreciate the reply stating that it would be costly plus I looked on line and they state the cost can be between 3K-5K so guessing tests may be appropriate.

Claire
 
So far they can not find any condition that would have caused the DKA and say it could be down to him simply not getting enough insulin when I had increased his dosage.

What they are saying does not seem to really make sense. They looked at his heart and heard a mummer but don't think its not heart disease but could be related to the amounts of fluids he's currently getting and that he had not received enough insulin so they are reducing fluids and have ruled this out.

His glucose levels were at 310 when he came in and are now at 250. Again this does not make sense as when I was able to get blood there were a couple of times he was at 380 and 480 but he never had DKA then so if his glucose levels are still high but within the range I was treating why would this happen.

They are doing the ultrasound to look at livers and kidney next.

However to be told that the DKA may have been triggered by not having enough insulin makes no sense as I uped his dose and if this is the case how in heck am I to stop this from happening again. I can't afford $5K every few months to have him hospitalized.

Not looking good all around. And to top it off they will not allow me to visit him so he's on his own and apparently is refusing to eat still.

Not promising news so far. If he does manage to recover I don't know what I am going to do in June when I fly to the UK for 3 weeks to look after my Mum and this can not be changed. No hospitals appear to board diabetic cats due to COVID and if he's not monitored and dosed correctly this will definitely happen while I am away.
 
DKA is caused by not enough insulin + not enough food + an infection or inflammation happening somewhere. Have they checked for inflammation or infection?

I'm sure Kaz will be recovered by June. Whoever is looking after Kaz might find a blood ketone meter easier to use rather than hanging out around the litter box waiting for a cat to pee.

 
They are still looking for causes. Yes he had stopped eating and I was originally told if he did not eat not to give him insulin. Slippery slope...

As for June I am still trying to find someone to look after the cat but its not easy especially with the 6am/6pm dosing. Nobody will do the blood glucose.
May have found 1 person but bit sketchy that may take them to her house.
Still trying to find a care center to take him as I think its his best option plus I travel twice a year so I need something long term where I know he's cared for. Seems like this place does not exist.
Hunt continues but right now have to wait to see if he even comes home.
 
There isn't necessarily a rhyme or reason to if/when ketones form in terms of BG. Not enough insulin is not enough insulin - generally speaking if they're unregulated, it's a risk (regulated on human meter being 50-120 nearly all the time). Some cats are prone, others not. My cat was unregulated for the better part of a year and never got ketones, but I do monitor daily when unregulated, weekly when regulated.

There are things you can do at home to keep the ketones away, I'm sure @Bron and Sheba (GA) will be along later when she gets online to mention that. Extra fluids help flush ketones. But hone testing and staying on top of dose increases is your best defense - you might consider a Freestyle Libre be placed before he gets discharged while you get the hang of testing. I am not sure what they would charge for that, it seems variable between practices.

Your second best defense is keeping him eating, even if it means assist (syringe) feeding. I would talk to your regular vet about keeping a stash of meds at home like Cerenia, ondansetron, and some appetite stimulants.
 
[USER=10387]@Claire[/USER] said:
They are still looking for causes. Yes he had stopped eating and I was originally told if he did not eat not to give him insulin. Slippery slope...

As for June I am still trying to find someone to look after the cat but its not easy especially with the 6am/6pm dosing. Nobody will do the blood glucose.
May have found 1 person but bit sketchy that may take them to her house.
Still trying to find a care center to take him as I think its his best option plus I travel twice a year so I need something long term where I know he's cared for. Seems like this place does not exist.
Hunt continues but right now have to wait to see if he even comes home.
Click to expand...
One option is to start a separate post on the Main Forum asking if anyone is around your area, if you're comfortable sharing. They may have recommendations, or even be able to petsit for you. We've had a few people "exchange" duties when they take trips
 
FrostD said:
There isn't necessarily a rhyme or reason to if/when ketones form in terms of BG. Not enough insulin is not enough insulin - generally speaking if they're unregulated, it's a risk (regulated on human meter being 50-120 nearly all the time). Some cats are prone, others not. My cat was unregulated for the better part of a year and never got ketones, but I do monitor daily when unregulated, weekly when regulated.

There are things you can do at home to keep the ketones away, I'm sure @Bron and Sheba (GA) will be along later when she gets online to mention that. Extra fluids help flush ketones. But hone testing and staying on top of dose increases is your best defense - you might consider a Freestyle Libre be placed before he gets discharged while you get the hang of testing. I am not sure what they would charge for that, it seems variable between practices.

Your second best defense is keeping him eating, even if it means assist (syringe) feeding. I would talk to your regular vet about keeping a stash of meds at home like Cerenia, ondansetron, and some appetite stimulants.
Click to expand...
@Bron and Sheba (GA) because I edited and might have broken tag
 
FrostD said:
One option is to start a separate post on the Main Forum asking if anyone is around your area, if you're comfortable sharing. They may have recommendations, or even be able to petsit for you. We've had a few people "exchange" duties when they take trips
Click to expand...

Thanks that's a good idea. I want to get him home first need to make sure that there is a cat to monitor.
 
FrostD said:
There isn't necessarily a rhyme or reason to if/when ketones form in terms of BG. Not enough insulin is not enough insulin - generally speaking if they're unregulated, it's a risk (regulated on human meter being 50-120 nearly all the time). Some cats are prone, others not. My cat was unregulated for the better part of a year and never got ketones, but I do monitor daily when unregulated, weekly when regulated.

There are things you can do at home to keep the ketones away, I'm sure @Bron and Sheba (GA) will be along later when she gets online to mention that. Extra fluids help flush ketones. But hone testing and staying on top of dose increases is your best defense - you might consider a Freestyle Libre be placed before he gets discharged while you get the hang of testing. I am not sure what they would charge for that, it seems variable between practices.

Your second best defense is keeping him eating, even if it means assist (syringe) feeding. I would talk to your regular vet about keeping a stash of meds at home like Cerenia, ondansetron, and some appetite stimulants.
Click to expand...

He has a button on him now and to be quite honest I would rather be spending $80 month for two buttons (if I can get the right adhesive) than $5K every few weeks which I 100% can not afford.
Also if I am to really look at it the test stipes are costing me $50 for 50 and throwing load away as they don't get enough blood. Then lances on top of that so when you add it all up I would thin the cost is not that different and the button will give me continuous readings and would help while traveling if I can train someone to replace the button.
This thought is already been playing in my mind.
 
I got the tag Melissa. Have to go out this morning but will come back later with a plan for when Claire gets Katz home. Claire, he most likely has some sort of infection or inflammation and the fact he was not eating well would have been enough to cause the DKA, especially if the dose of insulin was not high enough. Ask the vet if they have found an infection or inflammation such as a UTI or infected teeth or pancreatitis. Hang in there. We can definitely help you once he comes home.:bighug:
 
So Angel just called back again.
His BG is now 160 and they say they are slowing it down so he does not come down too quickly which seemed to make sense. I was worried about them giving him insulin after two days of no food.
Ultra sound shows an abnormal liver but they called it a diabetic liver and said this was not the cause.

Fatty liver or hepatic lipidosis[1] is a deadly dangerous condition in cats, brought on by not eating for over 24 hours. (read this and now this is concerning too this was under diabetes) More I read the more worried I get.

They think he may have an infection in the pancreatitis but they were a bit cagey about it, Not sure if this infection was here first or if it was triggered by the diabetes all a bit odd.
Tomorrow he is being transferred from ER to the diabetes / infectious disease ward which is a bit disturbing as not sure how to take the infections disease part of this. However I may get better answers and I found out today that my Dr Brum heads the cat diabetes ward so guess by default I seem to have a vet that must know about the disease if he runs it but as I said he's currently out with COVID.

This is what Kaz used to look like and the last two are todays pictures first from this morning and the other this evening he's not looking good and no food in two days. He looks like he's getting worse to me

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Aw poor kitty! He's hanging in there though

Are they giving any antibiotics at all? I'm no DKA expert but if you've looked for a day and can't find anything, time to throw a broad spectrum antibiotic (or multiple) at him.
 
Both hepatic lipidosis and DKA can be treated so try not to worry too much. It is just going to take time. Once he gets over the initial problem of the DKA and possibly hepatic lipidosis , you will be able to manage him at home and we can help you with that.
It is not unusual for diabetic cats to get pancreatitis. That can stop them wanting to eat.
I’m glad his BG is down to 160. If they are transferring him out of the ER ward, they must be fairly happy with his progress.
 
Yes, getting to leave ER is always a good sign. I hope you can get to see him tomorrow as It would do you both some good. He's a sweet looking kitty and tougher than you think he is. You both are in my prayers daily and Kaz will get through this and be fine. Some work ahead, but he will recover.
 
So they transferred him not because he is improving but the other departments specializes in diabetes and so they thought it would be better. At 4am his BG was at 286 then 299 then slowly started to come down again 271, 200 and last I heard 192 (4-5 hours ago).
Stopped glucose fluids and changed to different fluid due to the heart . They are now trying short acting insulin and they have added an appetite stimulant and an anti nausea but he still will not eat. They also have him on pain meds but say no to antibiotics at this time.
They are currently waiting on a urine analysis which was sent in 2 days ago which should have come back by now.

I have begged them to let me come see him and be allowed to try an get him to eat but so far they will not allow me. So now three days without food. Not sure how much longer he will last he was already losing weight.
 
I am sorry to hear that, it's very frustrating.

Did they say he's still having ketones?

Remember, he is your cat. I am not pushing you, but if it were me I would demand a broad spectrum antibiotic be given starting tonight if the urinalysis isn't back. I would also be requesting a feeding tube.
 
So saw Kaz last night he looked better than I was expecting I managed to coax him into eating a really small amount and kept telling him he needed to eat his dinner to see Sam (both words he know).
They told me last night that if he did not start to eat properly they were going to put a feeding tube in. Just got a call and he started to eat again so this is definitely good news hoping this continues.

His ketones have gone from moderate to small.
Potassium is back in the normal range so they are stopping fluids and changing to an oral medicine.
BG 201 which is still high and they increased his dose to 1.5 units from 1 unit. (I was giving him 1.5 prior to hospitalization)
Heart is still enlarged which they think is due to fluids so stopping fluids.
Has no UTI.

Looks like we are moving in the right direction finally picture below I think he's looking pretty good for everything currently going on

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Prayers are being answered!♡! He is such a sweet looking boy and a real trooper with a lot of life and love left inside of him. Thank you for posting a picture of him. I am sooo happy that he is going in the right direction. I know that just getting a visit from you and hearing your voice gave him tons of strength and hope. I know it was good for you too. It seems that his doctors are doing the right things. Thank you for sharing. Keep up the good work and keep your chin up!!!
 
Claire I am really glad to hear Katz is on the mend.
I am going to give you a list of things you will need to do to get ready for his return home. Try and get all these things done before he comes home as you will be busy with him once he comes home.
  • Buy a bottle of Ketostix for testing ketones. Can be bought from Walmart in the US or a pharmacy.
  • Ask the vet for antinausea medication such as cerenia or ondansetron. Most post DKA kitties are nauseated for a time after they get home and will need an antinausea medication.
  • May also need an appetite stimulant. You will need to give the antinausea medication first before the appetite stimulant.
  • Ask the vet about giving sub Q fluids at home……he may not agree if the heart is enlarged.
  • Get a range of canned food for when they get home including some higher carb foods.
  • You may want to buy a human glucose meter as it will be much cheaper to run and you will need to test quite often.
  • Get a copy of the path results from the ER.
Then when you get home Katz you will need to :
  • You will need to give one and a half times as many calories as he normally eats. Offer snacks every couple of hours during the day and evening as well as the 2 main meals. Food is like a medicine and helps keep ketones away. If your kitty won’t eat the low carb food, feed him whatever he will eat as eating any food is better than not eating,
  • Don’t skip any doses of insulin as insulin helps keep ketones away. If the BG is not high enough to give the dose…stall, dont feed and test again in 20 minutes and post and ask for help.
  • Test daily for ketones. Put the results of the tests into the remarks column of the SS so we can see. Please report any trace ketones at all.
  • Give antinausea medication if needed
  • Give appetite stimulant if needed after the antinausea medication
  • Give extra fluids. If kitty will tolerate warm water in the food, put a teaspoon into each snack..
  • Test the BG frequestly
  • Post daily with updates and ask for help as often as needed.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Claire I am really glad to hear Katz is on the mend.
I am going to give you a list of things you will need to do to get ready for his return home. Try and get all these things done before he comes home as you will be busy with him once he comes home.
  • Buy a bottle of Ketostix for testing ketones. Can be bought from Walmart in the US or a pharmacy.
  • Ask the vet for antinausea medication such as cerenia or ondansetron. Most post DKA kitties are nauseated for a time after they get home and will need an antinausea medication.
  • May also need an appetite stimulant. You will need to give the antinausea medication first before the appetite stimulant.
  • Ask the vet about giving sub Q fluids at home……he may not agree if the heart is enlarged.
  • Get a range of canned food for when they get home including some higher carb foods.
  • You may want to buy a human glucose meter as it will be much cheaper to run and you will need to test quite often.
  • Get a copy of the path results from the ER.
Then when you get home Katz you will need to :
  • You will need to give one and a half times as many calories as he normally eats. Offer snacks every couple of hours during the day and evening as well as the 2 main meals. Food is like a medicine and helps keep ketones away. If your kitty won’t eat the low carb food, feed him whatever he will eat as eating any food is better than not eating,
  • Don’t skip any doses of insulin as insulin helps keep ketones away. If the BG is not high enough to give the dose…stall, dont feed and test again in 20 minutes and post and ask for help.
  • Test daily for ketones. Put the results of the tests into the remarks column of the SS so we can see. Please report any trace ketones at all.
  • Give antinausea medication if needed
  • Give appetite stimulant if needed after the antinausea medication
  • Give extra fluids. If kitty will tolerate warm water in the food, put a teaspoon into each snack..
  • Test the BG frequestly
  • Post daily with updates and ask for help as often as needed.
Click to expand...
I appreciate this email but some of this will never be doable. I have spoken about this in prior posts but I have a job that is MANDATORY to be on site. Even is I was lucky enough to find another job at my salary level that do would be a MANDATORY job to be on site. I do not have the luxury of working from home except for Fridays and even then I can be requested to come in. I do not sit in an office I work in the construction industry and manage 35+ projects. I have daily meetings on site both with the owner/my team/architects/contractors.
If I do not have a job then I can not afford Kaz's medicine.
This email sent me back to bed this morning as I thought I was going to throw up.
I need to have a plan that is going to work for me and Kaz.

1) Buy a bottle of Ketostix - Had already ordered this a couple days ago it should arrive tomorrow (think testing urine may be a challenge as I tried before but will try again I have been looking into yet another blood monitor that checks this as well)
2) Medications - going to ask about appetite stimulants/nausea - already spoken to the doctor about this and she has said that she will only send me home with what she feels Kaz needs
3) Fluids - this will not happen due to the heart. The vet was trying to get the cat off fluids as quick as she could due to the enlarged heart and heart murmur.
4) High Carb food - COULD YOU PLEASE MAKE A SUGGESTION ON BRAND. I feed my Cat Tiki Cat which is high protein/low carb. When I google best high carb food for cats it comes back with only low carb options (assuming this is in case of an emergency as he's supposed to be on low carb?)
5) Have glucose meters (Both Alpha Trak2 AND CVS People monitor there is no Walmart near me and pharmacist said this was the best cost effective one that most people bought from them) but think in the long run the buttons may be a cheaper option plus I can not test as much as you would all like me to. The cat gets way too stressed and stress can lead to the cat getting sick and then we are right back in the hospital.
6) I will ask for the pathology results from the ER

7) I can not feed him every couple hours I am not home. Cat feeder will not work as I have other animals and I know Sam he eats everything in site. Already trying to get his weight down or I will have two diabetics in the house. Locking in separate rooms will not work done this before and Kaz became really stressed and stopped eating he needs to be with his brother. Kaz is a very touchy cat and needs interaction with me and the other cat or he gets stressed and depressed. Traveling to the UK twice a year has always been an issue he is usually fine first 2 weeks but the third he usually starts to have issues. THIS SCARES ME THE MOST AS I HAVE NO CHOICE I HAVE TO TRAVEL TWICE A YEAR AND RIGHT NOW I HAVE NO PLAN IN PLACE BECAUSE OF THE DIABETIS.
8) Don’t skip any doses of insulin as insulin helps keep ketones away. If the BG is not high enough to give the dose…stall, don't feed and test again in 20 minutes and post and ask for help. - Bit confused with this. No one has ever explained to me about levels and doses. I seem to tell people mainly vet what the level is and he will say 1 unit, 1 1/2 units , 2 units. I will see if someone will finally sit down with me and go over all of this as it would be nice to finally understand. Feel like I am flying half blind

I want to make it very clear I LOVE both my cats very much. I have just had to take out an $8 thousand dollar loan to treat him. I am very worried about my trip to the UK in June and then December as I think this may be the end for him as no one boards medical cats anymore plus Kaz does not do well in a cage as he stops eating. I have not slept in three days or really eaten as this plays in my head over and over. I am trying to do the best I can but I am not sure that my best is going to be enough. I hate feeling when I read posts that I am going to be contributing to his demise as I can't do what you want me to and driving home during work is not an option. No job means 100% death for Kaz as I will not be able to afford the meds as well as the monthly house bills.
 
Claire, do you have someone near you that can help care for Kaz while you are in the UK? If not, you may want to create a separate post asking if there are any members near you that may be able to help.
 
Lisa and Witn (GA) said:
Claire, do you have someone near you that can help care for Kaz while you are in the UK? If not, you may want to create a separate post asking if there are any members near you that may be able to help.
Click to expand...

Lias and Witn

Someone else also suggested this. I thought it would be bad luck to keep working on this till I get him home. I was going to post.
I am also having dinner with the Lady that usually looks after my cats tonight. Going to lay it all out and see what she says but even if she is willing to do the 12 hour visits Kaz will still be on his own for 95% of the day which causes concern for me. As bad as it is for Kaz I think he needs medical boarding which no longer appears to be an option. Think I have called every vet/hospital in this area.

But thanks this was going to be my next step after he comes home.

I only know how to post in one spot so not sure if I am supposed to be going to another area to make different kinds posts. I'm on a German Shephard forum and there you have to choose a category and post under specific topic.
 
I need some help if anyone is on.

They told me Kaz was eating and said I could bring him home tonight.
We got back at 5.50pm and his insulin was due around 6pm.
He is supposed to eat 150 calories with each meal.
Gave him the food they gave me and he was having non of it (yes he is on appetite stimulant and anti nausea pill which is once a day and he had it this morning.

So next I tried his normal food (Tiki Cat) it was a huge process but he ate a small can (60 calories) but would not eat any more. So now I go to give him the insulin (1 1/2 units) keep in mind he has a libre button on.
Because hes shaved on the side I saw this. He has lost weight the button was a bit in the way so I finally got enogh loose skin injected but 80% sure that I missed but not 100% sure. Next called the hospital and they told me to go ahead and give him half dose think this went in just so little skin now its hard.

Tried to give him more food tried 3 different flavors and it was no to all of them.

Should I be worried I feel worried.

As he has the button I know some of the readings and will try and backfill the chart with actual readings I know are real.

When I brought him home he was at 284 hes now at 319.

At what reading should I be taking him back to the hospital

Don't know how to set 911 but this is emergency as I think he has less insulin than he should have had and half the food.
 
Did you buy the Ketostix I mentioned? It is also really important that you test his urine daily for ketones as this will tell us if he is getting enough insulin and enough food. Food and insulin is what will keep the ketones away. It is ketones that form and go on to cause DKA and that is why we need to test daily for ketones.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Did you buy the Ketostix I mentioned? It is also really important that you test his urine daily for ketones as this will tell us if he is getting enough insulin and enough food. Food and insulin is what will keep the ketones away. It is ketones that form and go on to cause DKA and that is why we need to test daily for ketones.
Click to expand...
Yes I bought but they have not arrived no idea how I am going to be able to test the urine as its in the litter.
Already know I will have to take him back

Just need to know the BG level is it 400 450 500 when do we go back.
 
[USER=10387]@Claire[/USER] said:
Yes I bought but they have not arrived no idea how I am going to be able to test the urine as its in the litter.
Already know I will have to take him back

Just need to know the BG level is it 400 450 500 when do we go back.
Click to expand...
First of all I want you to try and relax a bit if you can. You are doing ok!
It is not the higher BG that you need to take him back to the ER…..his BGs will go up and down.
It is the ketones……If he gets more than a trace of ketones in the urine, then I would be concerned. We try and manage ketones by giving more food and more insulin. That is why it is so important that you start testing for the ketones in the urine as soon as the bottle arrives.
To get a urine sample https://docs.google.com/document/d/1quta5WLEjdO0Y_t2dAYSwN84h-LNZWxOdtVsJDKZ16A/pub

Do you have any other food you can offer? Such as dry food, or other food you used to feed him?
 
[USER=10387]@Claire[/USER] said:
Yes I bought but they have not arrived no idea how I am going to be able to test the urine as its in the litter.
Already know I will have to take him back

Just need to know the BG level is it 400 450 500 when do we go back.
Click to expand...
It's not the BG level, it's if ketones form. Can you run out and get some sticks from a pharmacy tonight?

Some people use a dedicated soup ladle to slip under them, or lay Saran wrap over the litter. For me, I leave a clean completely empty litterbox that only has a sprinkle of litter in one corner.
 
There is no way this will work I read this article already I can only use urine that is in the litter. No way Kaz will allow me to get it. He has a covered box no lid and we have issues with him going in the box then we have to go in for his other issue which is blockage and why he is on the Prazazin. So I need another option.

Vet said I could stick the thing in after he peed guessing your saying no. Doesn't matter what I try to do its wrong. I just can't win.
 
You can buy a blood ketone meter and test for ketones just like you test for the BG. Abbott has a blood ketone meter called the freestyle Optium neo glucose and blood ketone meter. You need seperate strips for the ketones.
 
T
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
You can buy a blood ketone meter and test for ketones just like you test for the BG. Abbott has a blood ketone meter called the freestyle Optium neo glucose and blood ketone meter. You need seperate strips for the ketones.
Click to expand...
Or I have the NovaMax Plus, it also does both. ADW usually has a sale, or also on Amazon which might get to you faster

You can always try to stick it in the litter, but unless it's fresh and still slightly puddled it might not do you any good. The litter itself can sometimes affect the test strips - so while it's better than nothing, it may not be accurate.

As for eating - you can try to entice him with just about anything. I think you said he doesn't eat table food but I could be wrong - but anything like chicken, plain tuna (spring water, no veggie broth), crushed up kibble on top of wet food, etc.

If he doesn't start eating on his own you are going to need to assist feed with syringes.
 
Hi Claire
I feel soooo much empathy for you. We took our Cleo to the ER hospital 2/20/22 because she wasnt eating and had diarrhea. She spent 2 days there and when we picked her up we had a libre put on her because we weren't testing her blood at that time.

Just like you, the first injection at home was a fur shot! We were feeling so defeated and sad and mad that we failed our furbaby. look at my spreadsheet with the libre info from 2/22 until it stopped working 10 days later. Her BG levels were ALL over the place.

What type of litter are you using? My vet said if I couldnt free catch her urine then he suggested the saran wrap or removing most of the litter from the box. He also said we could use non absorbant litter and do this:
  1. Empty, clean, rinse and dry your cat’s litter tray – this is important because dirt, chemicals, and even water can contaminate the sample.
  2. Sprinkle some non-absorbent litter into the tray – ideally one that’s designed for collecting urine samples. If this isn’t possible you could try shredded paper (preferably from a magazine because it doesn’t leak ink or absorb liquid too quickly).
I wont say I understand exactly what you're feeling, we all feel our feelings differently. I will say that our kitties feel what we feel. And I will say that when I felt like you are feeling, my sister gave me a mini intervention and took away my google privileges for one day.
You are doing great!
There are people on your side (me included) when you need.
 
any members live near you at all Claire? Maybe someone could help in person? I don't know where you're located or if you're comfortable even saying where, which I completely understand.

I'm in the North East USA. New York state to be exact, but not the city -- closer to Canada, near Lake Ontario.
 
Angela & Cleo said:
Hi Claire
I feel soooo much empathy for you. We took our Cleo to the ER hospital 2/20/22 because she wasnt eating and had diarrhea. She spent 2 days there and when we picked her up we had a libre put on her because we weren't testing her blood at that time.

Just like you, the first injection at home was a fur shot! We were feeling so defeated and sad and mad that we failed our furbaby. look at my spreadsheet with the libre info from 2/22 until it stopped working 10 days later. Her BG levels were ALL over the place.

What type of litter are you using? My vet said if I couldnt free catch her urine then he suggested the saran wrap or removing most of the litter from the box. He also said we could use non absorbant litter and do this:
  1. Empty, clean, rinse and dry your cat’s litter tray – this is important because dirt, chemicals, and even water can contaminate the sample.
  2. Sprinkle some non-absorbent litter into the tray – ideally one that’s designed for collecting urine samples. If this isn’t possible you could try shredded paper (preferably from a magazine because it doesn’t leak ink or absorb liquid too quickly).
I wont say I understand exactly what you're feeling, we all feel our feelings differently. I will say that our kitties feel what we feel. And I will say that when I felt like you are feeling, my sister gave me a mini intervention and took away my google privileges for one day.
You are doing great!
There are people on your side (me included) when you need.
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Thanks Angela & Cleo - Right now I physically can not take any more I fell like I need to check myself in and I am a strong independent person just so defeated everything I do is wrong and I am coming close to the end financially. I can't do any more tonight. I have to be up at 5am to rub this appetite stimulant in his ear and give the anti nausea medication so I can try and feed him at 6am.
Not sure what to do with the ketone right now. I haven't eaten in days so I am going to try and eat something and try and sleep for an hour or two. I appreciate the email as I know others are going through this and I am sure I am not the only single person going through it its just too much right now.
 
Hendrick's mom and dad said:
any members live near you at all Claire? Maybe someone could help in person? I don't know where you're located or if you're comfortable even saying where, which I completely understand.

I'm in the North East USA. New York state to be exact, but not the city -- closer to Canada, near Lake Ontario.
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I live in Massachusetts just outside of Boston in place called Allston although I was hoping to move to Needham this year.
 
Could someone please give me some advice.

So I was told when I left last night with Kaz to give the anti nausea and appetite stimulant meds once a day. They were giving them in the morning.
They said that I had to get up an hour before feeding time to administer these meds which means 4.30 - 5 am each day. I asked if I could change the time to the evening for these tablets and was told yes when I left last night.
However as Kaz ate NOTHING last night I was really worried and so got up at 5am and administered both and then tried to feed at 6am-6.30am. Would not eat hospital told me to bring him back.

Now the women I saw this morning who was obviously not a doctor as she kept going out to ask someone the answers to my questions told me that this med should be administered at least 3 hours prior to eating.
This means that giving both these meds at night would be the best. Surly if I give them both at 10-11pm at night then by morning the cat would be hungry.
She told me that I needed to keep this in the morning and should get up at 3am to give the meds. This is ridiculous.

My question can I tonight stay up (as it is a Saturday) till 11-12pm give these meds then and then starting Sunday night pull it back an hour to 10-11pm.

I am already sleep deprived and I can't see the harm doing this and if it makes the drugs work better this seems like a no brainer.

Could someone let me know I have to try to get him to eat in another 3 to 4 hours and this will be a mute issue if he does not eat as they have said if he does not eat by tonight he will be readmitted. (his insulin is also off by an hour and half right now. As he would not eat they told me to hold off on insulin and bring him in. Then when I got there and after they decided he could have insulin it was 8am. As I did not bring the insulin with me they refused to give him any from there own stock even though I said I would pay so by the time he did get the insulin it was about 8.30am. Going to adjust this to 8pm tonight then 7.30am tomorrow morning and 7pm tomorrow night and then 6.30am Monday morning which ties into when I have to leave for work)

Thanks for any help here.

Claire
 
Ok just double checking - when was the last time he had each medication, and what specific medications?

No, I've never given it 3 hours beforehand, an hour is plenty. It does tend to wear off before the end of the 24 hr window.

I know you are stressed, but you really do need to start syringe feeding or have them place a feeding tube.
 
I think I am going to switch it to 11-12pm tonight which would only be 3-4 hours earlier if I got up at 3am.

Medications - Appetite - Mirataz (mirtazapine) 2% transdermal ointment - apply a 1.5 inch strip to the inner ear (absorption gel/creams) easy to administer (once daily want to switch to this evening)
Cerenia - nausea/vomiting/decreased appetite - 1/2 tablet once a day (once daily want to switch to this evening)

RenaKare 2mEq (potassium gluconate) tablets HUGE - 2 tablets twice a day OR RenaKare Gel 5ml (1 teaspoon) by mouth daily. Tried this last night it went everywhere. Going to try this again tonight with a syringe as this will be easier than tablets.

Kaz is not due to eat for about 2 1/2 hours but he has literally just come to ask me for food WHAT DO I DO not sure if him asking is him liking a tiny bit or actually wanting to eat but I don't want to feed him now and then he won't eat before the insulin shot. I also don't want him to then not be hungry again in couple hours as I know if I ignore hunger pains they go away and I am no longer wanting food?????

Need the following answers:-

1) Can I give the two meds tonight instead of 3am (I THINK THIS IS OK)
2) I have to bring his insulin back to 6 / 6.30am time schedule due to work. Vets assistant told me it was ok to do it grudgingly
3) Kaz appears hungry now but insulin not due for 3 1/2 hours if i feed him now he probably will not eat in 3 1/2 hours plus until I actually put food in front of him will not know if he will eat.

Thanks Claire
 
FrostD said:
Ok just double checking - when was the last time he had each medication, and what specific medications?

No, I've never given it 3 hours beforehand, an hour is plenty. It does tend to wear off before the end of the 24 hr window.

I know you are stressed, but you really do need to start syringe feeding or have them place a feeding tube.
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Either he eats or he has to go back to the hospital not having a feeding tube at home.
Really don't want to have to force feed him either but may try if I have to.
 
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