9/25 Harley updated ss - ketones small amount

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Harley and Pattie

Harley and Pattie

Member Since 2010
Last night was the first night I have slept straight through and Harley was not happy about it. Usually I am up at 1am to test and give a snack but not last night. He cried from 4:30 until shot time at 5:45. When I went to give his shot, I put a little food in his bowl and he looked up like "is this all you are giving me." He would not eat until the plate was full - little dickens!

First shot at 8.5.

Pattie
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Re: 9/25 Harley AMPS 338

Patti...you are better than me. I'll get up to give food at +8 (1:00am), but I can't wake up enough to heat up the rice sock and test her too.

Come on down a little Harley, k?
 
Re: 9/25 Harley AMPS 338

I'd get a few tests in to see where he is going...but then tonight you might get a couple more. Are you home tomorrow to do some testing too?
Ya know, I think personally that those night time checks are very important....
Good luck with the new dose ....use the force Harley! :mrgreen:
 
I knew something was wrong today. Harley has not been acting himself, more lazy. He just came in and threw up - yellow liquid with grass in it. He went to pee and keto stix shows small amount of ketones. Of course my stomach hit the floor and I am pacing. Gave him gruel to eat which he refused. It was made from EVO. Made me even more upset. So I tried FF which he is now drinking up. Vet is out of town which does not help me. I can feel the panic rising - I really have these ketones and I don't know why he has them with the amount of insulin he is on. confused_cat
Pattie
 
Small ketones as in more than trace?

Good that he's drinking some gruel. Have you ever given Harley subq fluids? And is there a vet you can call, if not your own?

Ketones can happen on any insulin dose. My understanding is that it probably means the insulin isn't enough. You increased this morning. You have used R before, so don't be afraid to use that if you need to. You probably know how to use it better than I do, but since his numbers aren't extremely high I would use just a small dose, and get some spot checks to see how far that drops him before increasing.
 
Libby and Lucy said:
You have used R before, so don't be afraid to use that if you need to. You probably know how to use it better than I do, but since his numbers aren't extremely high I would use just a small dose, and get some spot checks to see how far that drops him before increasing.
Click to expand...


Question: What's "R"?

Hope Harley starts feeling better soon...poor kitty.
 
I know that whenever I see ketones I panic. I just hate to even think what might come next. He is above a trace – registers small amount. The new meter has the wrong sticks so I cannot use that one to test. I called around to Target, Walmart, Cub and they all have the glucose strips (which I bought thinking they were the ketone ones), but no one carries the ketone sticks for the meter.

I also thought that ketones were formed when there is not enough insulin to handle “stuff”. I cannot imagine that at 8.5 units that there would not be enough to cover. One strange thing, Harley is turning his head when he chews. Now I know the vets have said his teeth are fine, but I wonder if something isn't going on there. I hope to get him in to see the University vet sometime this week.

I gave ½ unit regular insulin about 15 minutes ago. It should peak before the lantus does so there should not be a problem with sudden drops. Libby, I hate this. I want things to be ok for him, and I know they will be.
I test in about ½ hour and then shoot 8.5.

Pattie
 
R is regular insulin. The box would say Humulin R. It is fast acting and Harley's University vet uses it when Harley has ketones.

Pattie
 
Sounds strange to turn his head to one side....I always wonder how a vet would know what was going on with the roots of the teeth if they just peel the lips back to see if there's plaque. I wonder if something is going on in his mouth Pattie. That would explain so many things.
Have you had blood work done recently...wonder if you would see evidence of an infection with a blood work up. Hope you can keep him eating that watered down gruel....
 
Last blood work and dental exam - peeling back to look at teeth - was in May. When I email Dr. Eva, Harley's University vet, I asked for an appointment sometime this week. She will be back to work on Monday so I should be able to get in.
The blood work at that time was normal. Kidneys, BG, K+ all were good and no signs of IBD, pancreatitis, or infection. That would have been maybe 5 months ago and things could have happened in the meantime.

He does lap up that gruel stuff.

Pattie
 
FWIW, a visual exam of the teeth in a conscious cat really doesn't give the full picture. Often, the vet can't really get a good look at the rear molars unless the cat is anesthetized. If he's chewing on one side, which is what it sounds like, it may be a dental issue. And, it's also possible that he chomped on something and injured a tooth since the last time your vet took a look.

The good news here is that you are on top of this. You can always take Harley in to the ER vet and get sub-q fluids.
 
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