Mac88
Member Since 2020
Hey guys, I previously was on here two years ago for my cat Butterscotch. He previously went into remission twice but has been diabetic since 2020 and is doing well on Lantus and is 13 nearly 14. We're super lucky to still have him and test his BG twice daily at home before injecting.
Yesterday morning, my other boy Mac (7yo) was acting very lethargic. Now he's normally a very aloof cat, so I didn't notice anything was off until he didn't run to the food dish when I fed everyone that morning. That is so unlike him as he loves food and is always the first there. I spotted vomit by him and rushed him to my vet. He has never been diabetic before and only had asthma up to that point. He did drink a bit that morning at least but would not eat.
My vet did bloodwork, an x ray and ketones test. Mac had lost 3lbs. His bg was 492, his kidneys showed levels in acute renal failure, his liver was slightly elevated, and he had a ketone score of 50 (which my vet said was low so not as much to worry about). WBC was sky high. My vet said he was very sick and needed to be hospitalized at a 24/7 vet hospital and hopefully they could regulate the diabetes and get him on track.
I had to call multiple vet hospitals before finding one that wasn't over capacity and could see us. We drove the hour down there and Mac was just laying there on the seat, so out of it that I was worried he may pass away. We got to the hospital safely and they looked at everything and said the ketones indicated DKA. In all my years with Butterscotch and his diabetes, he has never had DKA so this was all new to me. The emergency vet estimated $5-7,000 for hospitalization and treatment. I broke down because I could not afford it. I told them I wanted to save Mac, but I did not have that money. I honestly thought it was the end of the road. They asked me what I could afford and I said probably $2k as I already had paid $350 to the other vet for testing. They called around and found another ER vet (ironically one that I had called and said they couldn't take me due to being full) that would do the hospitalization for around $1700-2500 and would take him due to his critical state. This felt like a miracle because I did not think Mac would survive given his state and the cost the other vet quoted.
We drove another hour to this other vet, which was scary because Mac was again just laying there, barely moving and I had to keep checking he was still breathing while safely driving him there solo. They pushed us to the front of the queue and got him into a room and looked at. I quickly signed the papers to get him admitted and they told me they'd call today with an update, and obviously right away if he took a turn for the worst. They started him on IV, insulin, the whole standard DKA protocol.
I honestly was expecting/dreading a call during the night that he was gone, but he made it through the night. The vet and I spoke and she said Mac looked better today, was up and walking around his cage, looking stronger. His kidney and liver levels looked worse than yesterday morning, but an ultrasound showed no permanent damage that they could see and some inflammation of the pancreas. They are thinking that inflammation may have been what caused the DKA. His urine tested negative for ketones which she said was very good. He did not want to eat on his own, but they said he took his syringe feeding just fine. The vet sounded cautiously optimistic and said I could visit him tomorrow and to bring food he likes to see if we can entice him to eat. She is also on board with transitioning him to Lantus like Butterscotch and is writing a script for me to fill to bring them a Lantus pen as they don't carry it at the hospital. She also said the next 12-24 hours are critical in his recovery and that if his kidney and other levels get better, we know he's on the mend.
I'm honestly overwhelmed. A couple days ago, I would've said Mac was super healthy so for him to nearly die so quickly from DKA is just crazy to me. I'm still worried he's not going to make it, so I guess I'm just looking for some stories of cats recovering from DKA and acute kidney damage and some advice on how to move forward with him when/if he comes home. I want to do right by my boy and hopefully get many more years with him as I have with Butterscotch.
It's also crazy/concerning to now have two cats with diabetes. The only things they have in common are both are long hair, both were overweight (but not massively so) and both had steroids prior to diagnosis (Mac had a maintenance dose for his asthma). Is anyone else here managing multiple cats with diabetes and how do you do it without getting overwhelmed.
Thanks guys for any advice you can give.
Yesterday morning, my other boy Mac (7yo) was acting very lethargic. Now he's normally a very aloof cat, so I didn't notice anything was off until he didn't run to the food dish when I fed everyone that morning. That is so unlike him as he loves food and is always the first there. I spotted vomit by him and rushed him to my vet. He has never been diabetic before and only had asthma up to that point. He did drink a bit that morning at least but would not eat.
My vet did bloodwork, an x ray and ketones test. Mac had lost 3lbs. His bg was 492, his kidneys showed levels in acute renal failure, his liver was slightly elevated, and he had a ketone score of 50 (which my vet said was low so not as much to worry about). WBC was sky high. My vet said he was very sick and needed to be hospitalized at a 24/7 vet hospital and hopefully they could regulate the diabetes and get him on track.
I had to call multiple vet hospitals before finding one that wasn't over capacity and could see us. We drove the hour down there and Mac was just laying there on the seat, so out of it that I was worried he may pass away. We got to the hospital safely and they looked at everything and said the ketones indicated DKA. In all my years with Butterscotch and his diabetes, he has never had DKA so this was all new to me. The emergency vet estimated $5-7,000 for hospitalization and treatment. I broke down because I could not afford it. I told them I wanted to save Mac, but I did not have that money. I honestly thought it was the end of the road. They asked me what I could afford and I said probably $2k as I already had paid $350 to the other vet for testing. They called around and found another ER vet (ironically one that I had called and said they couldn't take me due to being full) that would do the hospitalization for around $1700-2500 and would take him due to his critical state. This felt like a miracle because I did not think Mac would survive given his state and the cost the other vet quoted.
We drove another hour to this other vet, which was scary because Mac was again just laying there, barely moving and I had to keep checking he was still breathing while safely driving him there solo. They pushed us to the front of the queue and got him into a room and looked at. I quickly signed the papers to get him admitted and they told me they'd call today with an update, and obviously right away if he took a turn for the worst. They started him on IV, insulin, the whole standard DKA protocol.
I honestly was expecting/dreading a call during the night that he was gone, but he made it through the night. The vet and I spoke and she said Mac looked better today, was up and walking around his cage, looking stronger. His kidney and liver levels looked worse than yesterday morning, but an ultrasound showed no permanent damage that they could see and some inflammation of the pancreas. They are thinking that inflammation may have been what caused the DKA. His urine tested negative for ketones which she said was very good. He did not want to eat on his own, but they said he took his syringe feeding just fine. The vet sounded cautiously optimistic and said I could visit him tomorrow and to bring food he likes to see if we can entice him to eat. She is also on board with transitioning him to Lantus like Butterscotch and is writing a script for me to fill to bring them a Lantus pen as they don't carry it at the hospital. She also said the next 12-24 hours are critical in his recovery and that if his kidney and other levels get better, we know he's on the mend.
I'm honestly overwhelmed. A couple days ago, I would've said Mac was super healthy so for him to nearly die so quickly from DKA is just crazy to me. I'm still worried he's not going to make it, so I guess I'm just looking for some stories of cats recovering from DKA and acute kidney damage and some advice on how to move forward with him when/if he comes home. I want to do right by my boy and hopefully get many more years with him as I have with Butterscotch.
It's also crazy/concerning to now have two cats with diabetes. The only things they have in common are both are long hair, both were overweight (but not massively so) and both had steroids prior to diagnosis (Mac had a maintenance dose for his asthma). Is anyone else here managing multiple cats with diabetes and how do you do it without getting overwhelmed.
Thanks guys for any advice you can give.
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you are having a very hard time at the moment
it's been a rough few days.
