Question about sub q fluids | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Question about sub q fluids

McKenzie LaPray

McKenzie LaPray

Member since 2025
Stoney is due for his PM shot in about an hour and a half. We also plan on administering sub q fluids to flush the ketones out. Is it safe to give the fluids after he eats and after insulin? Or do we need to wait a few hours? He also needs his anti nausea medicine too. I tried looking up every keyword to find an answer but had no luck. Thanks in advance!
 
I always used to wait an hour or so between giving insulin and giving fluids. I never noticed a difference in his numbers either way, but did it to be cautious. Also, you can give the insulin in the scruff and the fluids can be given further down.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
what kind of ketone readings have you been getting?
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He had a reading of 0.1 at +6, but we are back up to 1.9 at PMPS. Monday he had a reading of 3.9 and we took him to the vet. He is not wanting to eat much. I think it is time for syringe feeding. I tried to give him his OG Sheba and he ate a couple of bites but not enough for my liking
 
Does he have CKD? What’s his diagnosis other than feline diabetes? I am just trying to understand why he doesn’t want to eat and what else is going on. Is he vomiting? There are no labs on his spreadsheet’s labs tab.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Does he have CKD? What’s his diagnosis other than feline diabetes? I am just trying to understand why he doesn’t want to eat and what else is going on. Is he vomiting? There are no labs on his spreadsheet’s labs tab.
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No vomiting. Vet didn’t mention CKD, from what I can recall. These are my updates from Monday night on my last thread!


Update: we are leaving the emergency vet now. He is not technically in DKA. He is elevated, his BG was 413. We requested sub q fluids, anti nausea meds, and more Mirataz. They did administer covenia, for precaution. Vet advised to increase his dose, which we may do tomorrow morning to 2.75u per MPM and nadirs of 200+. He also said we only need to test ketones twice a week. I love this vet, but there some advice I am just not taking, and that’s some of it. He looked at his teeth and saw nothing to worry about but we are still going to take him in for his dental exam at his regular vet in the morning. I want a second opinion based on the way he has been eating his foods. I’m hoping the sub q fluids will really flush this out of his system.



Update #2: Vet appointment this morning showed no sign of dental issues. She said there is some tartar but not enough that warrants a dental cleaning.



Update #3: Anti nausea meds definitely kicked in this morning. Mirataz too. He was crying for food and when my husband set down the other cats food, he darted towards it and may or may not have snacked on theirs. It’s the same food so it doesn’t matter! Hoping with his appetite back we can get the ketones down with snacks. He is also scheduled for sub q fluids tonight to flush them out
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Did they check electrolytes at the vet? Any bloodwork done? Did they test his ketones themselves?
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Bloodwork attached. They did not test ketones to my knowledge since we had already done them at home. 🙄
 

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Earlier before his shot, I mixed in a small amount of catnip with his food. I also sprinkled some on his food to see if that would get him to eat. We gave him his insulin after a couple of bites of food. Had dinner next-door at our parents, came back and I put it in front of his face and he’s eating. Maybe the anti-nausea medicine just needed to kick in. But I’m hoping that we don’t have to do this every day. I’m not understanding the pickiness when he was never one to turn away food. This morning he practically went feral for food and we gave him two cans. He ate about 1 1/2. He also only really eats if I’m holding the bowl, which is fine. He’s eating more right now, thankfully, but just ended up turning his nose to it. Argh!
 

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McKenzie LaPray said:
Earlier before his shot, I mixed in a small amount of catnip with his food. I also sprinkled some on his food to see if that would get him to eat. We gave him his insulin after a couple of bites of food. Had dinner next-door at our parents, came back and I put it in front of his face and he’s eating. Maybe the anti-nausea medicine just needed to kick in. But I’m hoping that we don’t have to do this every day. I’m not understanding the pickiness when he was never one to turn away food. This morning he practically went feral for food and we gave him two cans. He ate about 1 1/2. He also only really eats if I’m holding the bowl, which is fine. He’s eating more right now, thankfully, but just ended up turning his nose to it. Argh!
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Oh my gosh. I am going through this with one of my cats right now.
 
McKenzie LaPray said:
No vomiting. Vet didn’t mention CKD, from what I can recall. These are my updates from Monday night on my last thread!


Update: we are leaving the emergency vet now. He is not technically in DKA. He is elevated, his BG was 413. We requested sub q fluids, anti nausea meds, and more Mirataz. They did administer covenia, for precaution. Vet advised to increase his dose, which we may do tomorrow morning to 2.75u per MPM and nadirs of 200+. He also said we only need to test ketones twice a week. I love this vet, but there some advice I am just not taking, and that’s some of it. He looked at his teeth and saw nothing to worry about but we are still going to take him in for his dental exam at his regular vet in the morning. I want a second opinion based on the way he has been eating his foods. I’m hoping the sub q fluids will really flush this out of his system.



Update #2: Vet appointment this morning showed no sign of dental issues. She said there is some tartar but not enough that warrants a dental cleaning.



Update #3: Anti nausea meds definitely kicked in this morning. Mirataz too. He was crying for food and when my husband set down the other cats food, he darted towards it and may or may not have snacked on theirs. It’s the same food so it doesn’t matter! Hoping with his appetite back we can get the ketones down with snacks. He is also scheduled for sub q fluids tonight to flush them out
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Thank you. Because I didn’t see all this until now. I have been at the vet with one of my cats since Monday morning.
 
McKenzie LaPray said:
It is so disheartening. We did up his dose, the vet advised that we should with his ketones. We went up by .50, per MPM because I didn’t want to overdo it. So now he’s at 2.75. Could that be why he isn’t wanting to eat?
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I am glad you increased his dose. It looks like he may need more. I’m so sorry you are going through this. Don’t give up. Some cats just need more insulin than others.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I am glad you increased his dose. It looks like he may need more. I’m so sorry you are going through this. Don’t give up. Some cats just need more insulin than others.
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We will try 3u in the morning. I’m so sorry about all of the loss. We have not experienced that yet. (Crossing our fingers). Our 3 kitties are our first pets since becoming “adults” and having our own home. We got one, then thought she needed a friend, then found another one as a kitten at a gas station covered in fleas, and just couldn’t leave him. They really are our children and we would do anything for them. But we are trying to buy a home, Stoney!!! Give us a break!!! 😂 I am trying to laugh through the pain. My husband keeps telling me to stop going on deep dives down the forum. I was having major anxiety last night reading about covenia. Needless to say, we will not be letting the vet give that to him again. Thankfully he has not had any adverse reactions so I think we are in the clear.
 
Oh my heart goes out to you and your husband. It’s true Convenia does carry risks, but even I have used it in feral cats that I cannot medicate and they were okay. Just don’t do repeated Convenia injections or use in a cat with anemia. Stoney is going to make it.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Oh my heart goes out to you and your husband. It’s true Convenia does carry risks, but even I have used it in feral cats that I cannot medicate and they were okay. Just don’t do repeated Convenia injections or use in a cat with anemia. Stoney is going to make it.
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We have successfully given sub q fluids! I thought he was going to be way worse. He took it better than he does his tiny insulin needles. Probably because I was constantly feeding him freeze dried treats. I’m going to stock up on those over the weekend! He likes them sprinkled over his food too.
 
I have done fluids that way many times (my daughter feeding treats the whole time.) And I do the crumbled freeze dried treats as well. I call it magic chicken dust. What flavors does he like?
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I have done fluids that way many times (my daughter feeding treats the whole time.) And I do the crumbled freeze dried treats as well. I call it magic chicken dust. What flavors does he like?
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Good morning! He likes the chicken! We tried the minnows, none of our cats like those. I need to see if there are more kinds other than those two. I’m about to test. Let’s see what his numbers are this morning!
 
There's tips on giving fluids here: Subcutaneous Fluids – IBDKitties

Tanya's CRF page has info, too, but the links to the all the fluid info seem to be not working. Here's an archive: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Subcutaneous Fluids

Freeze dried treats come in a lot of different proteins: beef, chicken, turkey, fish, lamb, etc. I give Northwest Naturals freeze dried treats in either vension or lamb since my cat also has IBD and food allergies. Chewy has a wide selection of treats. If you find a treat your cat likes, see if it's available in a dog version. The dog version is a bigger bag and doesn't cost too much more. The treats are larger in size but you can break them up into smaller pieces.
 
squeem3 said:
There's tips on giving fluids here: Subcutaneous Fluids – IBDKitties

Tanya's CRF page has info, too, but the links to the all the fluid info seem to be not working. Here's an archive: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Subcutaneous Fluids

Freeze dried treats come in a lot of different proteins: beef, chicken, turkey, fish, lamb, etc. I give Northwest Naturals freeze dried treats in either vension or lamb since my cat also has IBD and food allergies. Chewy has a wide selection of treats. If you find a treat your cat likes, see if it's available in a dog version. The dog version is a bigger bag and doesn't cost too much more. The treats are larger in size but you can break them up into smaller pieces.
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Thank you! I read through Tanya’s site on Tuesday and yesterday. Feels like stoney has already absorbed all of what we gave him last night. That’s a great idea on dog sized bags!
 
Just be sure the ingredient is just 100% meat. Sometimes the dog ones have added stuff.

Glad your cat handled fluids well yesterday :) Those needles are harpoons 🫣 Squeezing the fluid bag gently helps push the fluids into the cat faster.
 
squeem3 said:
Just be sure the ingredient is just 100% meat. Sometimes the dog ones have added stuff.

Glad your cat handled fluids well yesterday :) Those needles are harpoons 🫣 Squeezing the fluid bag gently helps push the fluids into the cat faster.
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I’ll be sure to check the ingredients beforehand. Thanks for the tip! We have it hung pretty high on a curtain rod, and it went quick! Maybe 5 minutes. He didn’t cry once when we were putting the needle in. He cries more with his insulin!
 
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Odd. I wonder if ProZinc stings when injected? Are you inserting the needle bevel side up? Maybe try a different site to inject in case the one area is just sensitive?
 
squeem3 said:
Odd. I wonder if ProZinc stings when injected? Are you inserting the needle bevel side up? Maybe try a different site to inject in case the one area is just sensitive?
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Bevel side up, we alternate for each shot. Right shoulder, left shoulder, right rump, left rump! He doesn’t cry every time but he does let out a yelp most times!
 
Lisa and little said:
I am so sorry you are both going through this.
It is so hard. You are doing a great job and those furry babies are lucky to have you .. 🙏❤️
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Thank you Lisa for your kind words. 🩷 he really is the best boy, we got very lucky with him. He was nearly the last pick of his litter because he had a scratch on his nose that needed daily ointment. I hope we have done well by him the last 5 years. I just love him so much! He ate a snack all on his own just a few minutes ago so that is huge progress… 😁
 
McKenzie LaPray said:
I’ll be sure to check the ingredients beforehand. Thanks for the tip! We have it hung pretty high on a curtain rod, and it went quick! Maybe 5 minutes. He didn’t cry once when we were putting the needle in. He cries more with his insulin!
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Yes. The higher you hang the bag the faster it will drip. What size needles are you using? I use the sharpest needles available (which are Terumo) because they’re much better/sharper than the ones you get from the vets generally — much easier to insert. I use smaller 20 gauge needles, but if you’re having trouble getting him to stay still long enough you may need to use the harpoons (18 gauge) from the vet. Even 19 gauge is an improvement over those 18s and they are available in Terumo. I have those at home as well (it depends upon the cat.)

Are you warming the fluids? If not, it makes it much more comfortable for kitty. You can just place the fluid bag (keeping the ports out of the bag obviously) in some hot water until it seems evenly warmed and feels warm on the inside of your wrist. Don’t forget to run the air bubbles out of the line (works way better if you take the needle off completely as it will run faster and knock any air bubbles out at the same time you are draining the cold fluids out.)
 
McKenzie LaPray said:
Bevel side up, we alternate for each shot. Right shoulder, left shoulder, right rump, left rump! He doesn’t cry every time but he does let out a yelp most times!
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ProZinc does not sting like Lantus does.

What kind of needles are you using? Some of those locations you are shooting may be more sensitive — like flank or especially rump (whereas the scruff isn’t all that sensitive). I shot the scruff for years and never got scar tissue or had any problems.
 
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