6/23 Gilbert AMPS=349, +5.5=282, throwing up?

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Christy & Gilbert

Christy & Gilbert

Member Since 2013
Is it common for cats on insulin to throw up often? He has never been bad to throw up like some cats are, but has been the last few days. There have been no hairballs in it the last 2 days...just a few pcs of grass. He does get hairballs sometimes & I have noticed the last few weeks he has an occasional wheez/cough...it doesn't last long & sounds like a hairball.
 
Is the throw clear or foamy? Is it mostly in the early morning when his tummy is empty?
Is there food in it? Are you checking for ketones? Is he acting normal, otherwise?
 
Correction...there was a hairball in his last throw up...so that was probably the problem. He has been throwing up after he eats so it is moist food. He is acting fairly normal...maybe a little sluggish, but it has been around 90 so it is hot. I have never checked for ketones. From what I have read you have to test urine & I don't know how in the world I would get that done because he is a little skiddish. Can you give me the low down on ketone testing?
 
With J.D. I just wait until he is in the process of peeing and then I grab the little plastic cup I have waiting close by and put it under his tail. With a more skittish cat, you can put a layer of plastic wrap on top of the litter in his box and make little dips or indentations in it, and just dip the ketone test strip in any droplet of pee you can find, or you can temporarily replace the litter in his box with something non absorbant like fish tank gravel (or one member used lima? beans) and then just tilt the box and dip the test strip in the pee that collects.

All pharmacies have ketone test strips. They are good to have on hand if you don't already have some. At WalMart they are like $6 (or maybe $8?) for 50 strips. I always write the date I opened the canister of strips on the box they come in as they are good for 6 months after opening, and I don't think I've ever used all 50, but close maybe once or twice.
 
Very good tips...would have never come up w/ those myself! I think I will get some. What does it mean if he does have ketones in his urine?
 
I don't know if I'm explaining it thoroughly, but my cat is a DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis) survivor. When a cat is in high numbers for a while, they can sometimes get ketones especially if they don't eat or have an infection and aren't getting enough insulin.
If you see negative ketones that's a relief. If you see trace ketones that's a warning to be careful and get more food, water, and maybe insulin into your cat. Over trace is a trip to the vet. DKA can be fatal and is very expensive to treat.

It's just good to test for ketones if his numbers have been high, or if he's ever "off" (throwing up or acting lethargic), or not eating.
 
Ok...my vet drew urine out of his bladder upon his diabetic DX because I wanted to know if he had ketones in his urine...it was slightly elevated for ketones, but she didn't really want to test for it & acted like it was not a big deal. I think I will get strips & test @ home if I can. Thanks for info!
 
I have no idea why I often hear on this board about vets that think ketones are no big deal. :evil:
Ketones can develop real quick and a kitty can go into DKA in a matter of a day or less. J.D. was taken in critical condition to a hospital over an hour away and had to stay for 8 and 1/2 days where he had all kinds of expensive care including blood transfusions and slowly recovered and was able to come home with a feeding tube. They let me visit him every day, and he went from barely being able to lift his head, to walking into my lap with a tube in every leg when I visited him. It was the scariest time.

I would definitely get the ketone test strips, just to have and to test when you Gilbert is in high numbers or acting funny. You don't want him in DKA.
 
Fundamentally, ketones are a result of a process where rather than protein being metabolized, fatty acids are being broken down and forming ketone bodies. This usually occurs if a cat isn't getting enough insulin, isn't eating well, and there's an infection present. Dehydration can also contribute. Because ketoacidosis throws the blood's pH levels and electrolytes off, this condition can rapidly become life threatening. Gabby is another DKA survivor. I had two vets tell me that not all cats survive DKA so we are understandably on alert whenever we know that a kitty is prone to developing ketones.
 
Thank ya'll! Glad J.D. & Gabby are ok now! Gilbert lost a lot of weight in the span of about 3 wks...from appx. 16 to appx. 13 before diabetes DX. He was also drinking lots of water & having HUGE pees & was ravenous...would eat anything you put in front of him. Since starting insulin about a month ago, he has not really gained any weight back, but has filled out again around his backbone & is not so sunk in around his back end. He is still drinking quite a bit of water (he has always been a water drinker as well as my other 4 cats...they LOVE water), but not as much as he was & his pees have gotten a tiny bit smaller. He ate really well the 1st week or so of insulin, but now is getting a little more picky. I have high hopes & faith that we will reach the correct insulin dose & his #s will level out & hopefully go into remission. Finding this forum has been a god send!
 
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