7/14 Henry WC. Ket: 0.8 AMPS 295 +4 205 +6 182 +8 167

John & Henry

John & Henry

Member Since 2022
Previous thread: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...12-4-400-6-363-8-233-pmps-309-ket-0-5.265700/

AMPS isn't for another 6 hours but I wanted to start this post before I go to bed..

Henry is having another "off" night. I now have a very good handle on when he isn't feeling good. He lays by the front door, paces around the house like he's looking for something and stops eating. His appetite all day has been ravenous but he hasn't eaten for the last 8 or more hours now despite being given two different kinds of non-enzymed food (w/pills). The last time this happened on 7/9, the pattern was similar: he was overly ravenous all day and ate every scrap of everything given to him, then later in the evening/night/early morning would start pacing, lay by the front door, not eat and just have that "look" in his eye (2nd set of eye lids prominent) & seem weak. I caught him fixing to pee outside his box again tonight (which hasn't happened since last time) and put him in his box before he had a chance to go (he refused to go in the box). A ketone test revealed what I already knew... Ketones are up to 0.8 :( I just gave him subQ fluids which worked like a miracle last time and he seemed fine the next day, so paws crossed they work again.

My wife thinks I'm just prolonging his suffering and sometimes I think the same. He's not the same bright kitty he's always been. He doesn't seem this sick every day, but he doesn't seem very happy either.

Some of his poop was lighter color today which means the enzymes aren't digesting as much of his food, so I guess I'm going to have to stop doing the pilling and he'll have to eat the enzyme laced food even if I have to syringe feed him.

I'll update this at AMPS.

edit: I feel like the Lantus decrease may have been a mistake. When is it considered "failed" and I can move back up to 1.75?
 
Last edited:
He’s probably bouncing from the greens still.
You need to give him time for the enzymes to do their job, it isn’t going to be fixed in a few days.
He’s just getting over this three DKA episodes and the need for the enzymes, and now he has to convalesce, that takes time.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
He’s probably bouncing from the greens still.
You need to give him time for the enzymes to do their job, it isn’t going to be fixed in a few days.
He’s just getting over this three DKA episodes and the need for the enzymes, and now he has to convalesce, that takes time.
Click to expand...
Yes, I understand it takes time. Everything I've read on EPI (including advice I got on here from @Shelley & Jess) says that the stool will give an indication if the enzymes are working or not, and for the most part it's looked better, but it seems when I give it with a pill for a couple days is when the stool will get that light colored "clay" look to it, whereas if the enzymes are mixed with the food it looks normal, but then he won't eat as much or ignore a dish altogether.

I suspect the subQ fluids will make him bounce back like last time. I just coaxed him into eating some (human) canned chicken and drinking all the water, so at least he's getting something into him tonight.

Thanks for your reply Bron.
 
It appears the fluids had their intended effect. He started eating (enzymed food) again at about AMPS -2. Totally different cat now @ AMPS. I'm starting to think it's not necessarily the h20 in the subQ fluids that cause his dramatic rebound (since he is drinking well), but the electrolytes. Maybe he has a Potassium Deficiency? or other mineral?
 
I think you have room to increase the dose again. But I'd be careful when you do it. He broke his bounce the previous time on the 6th cycle after seeing green, might do the same again. You don't want to increase on the same cycle they break the bounce, as the extra momentum can cause a really big drop. And of course you'd have to monitor closely, as he did drop quite low on 1.75 units last time.

A potassium deficiency would take a blood test at the vet to determine. You don't want to supplement without knowing that, as too much is also not good. How often are you giving fluids?
 
John & Henry said:
It appears the fluids had their intended effect. He started eating (enzymed food) again at about AMPS -2. Totally different cat now @ AMPS. I'm starting to think it's not necessarily the h20 in the subQ fluids that cause his dramatic rebound (since he is drinking well), but the electrolytes. Maybe he has a Potassium Deficiency? or other mineral?
Click to expand...
Might be time for an electrolyte panel on Henry (chemistry panel.). Are you doing fluids daily?
 
Wendy&Neko said:
A potassium deficiency would take a blood test at the vet to determine. You don't want to supplement without knowing that, as too much is also not good. How often are you giving fluids?
Click to expand...
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Might be time for an electrolyte panel on Henry (chemistry panel.). Are you doing fluids daily?
Click to expand...
So I gave him 60ml/day for the first 9 days in which he didn't have any of these big downturns he's had 2 or 3 times now. I decided I would save the last ~250mls of fluid/supplies I had to give as needed in case he had a downturn/ketones so I wouldn't need to take him in for another hospital stay. I've given the fluids to rescue him 3 times now outside of those first 9 days. The reason the vet gave him this electrolyte solution was because he was low on potassium (possibly others electrolytes as well) and she thought that would be the best way of warding off another DKA and flushing out ketones. So it's been 22 days now since I picked him up from his last hospital stay, I'm not sure how his levels have changed since then, but with the way potassium interacts with cellular biology/ketones/insulin and is a big part of the balancing act that resolves DKA I think low potassium is the most likely problem. It's probably best he goes in for a check up soon anyway, so I'll make an appointment. Hopefully she'll give me more fluids for him since that seems to be the one piece of magic that pulls him back from the brink.

Wendy&Neko said:
I think you have room to increase the dose again. But I'd be careful when you do it. He broke his bounce the previous time on the 6th cycle after seeing green, might do the same again. You don't want to increase on the same cycle they break the bounce, as the extra momentum can cause a really big drop. And of course you'd have to monitor closely, as he did drop quite low on 1.75 units last time.
Click to expand...

So his BG finally came down early this AM and we've been cruising sideways since (at about 150 right now), so I'll hold off on an increase for now. Hopefully the bounce has broken. I haven't tried to put a correlation between subQ fluids and lower BG, but it makes me wonder since the drop happened a couple hours after he got the fluid. It could have been the R that was given around the time of the drop too, but there's been other times where the R has done little to nothing, so it's hard to draw conclusions sometimes. I'll check his ketones here shortly, but I can almost feel they're lower just by the way he's acting.

Thank you for your replies Wendy & Suzanne.
 
FrostD said:
Only other thing I'd add - as long as your nose works, you'd smell the insulin from a fur shot. It smells sort of like brand new tires, like a tire show room if you've ever been in one. Potent, unmistakable. You probably smell it when you draw up too much insulin and have to let some out.
Click to expand...
That's a great idea. I always thought the smell I was smelling was the lubricant from the syringe, I never thought to smell the insulin itself. I put some on my hand last night and gave it a sniff, definitely got that tire/rubber smell to it that's distinct from the syringe lubricant. I'll start giving him a good sniff near the injection site to see if I can smell it in the future!
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Nice to see those blues ! I'm so happy to hear he seems to be feeling.
Give that cutie kisses for me. All I do is keep thinking about him :bighug::bighug::bighug::cat:
Click to expand...
Awww, that's so nice. I'll give him a great big kiss for you.
20220714_210255.jpg

His latest move is to lay in the dogs bed, which makes her sooo jealous (as if she wasn't already jealous enough of him getting fed constantly)
Henry says, "Thank you aunt Diane" :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 

Attachments

  • 20220714_210255.jpg
    20220714_210255.jpg
    29.3 KB · Views: 122
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top