A bad scare

[Mikehat44]

Hi all, I am new to the forum and am glad to know it exists
I am proud papa to a 14 y/o shorthair neuter who was diagnosed with diabetes 3 years ago. He has been doing just fine and regulated with 2 units of prozinc twice a day. He is usually ravenous at meal time and is always tolerant of his shots.
I should have realized when he started drinking tons of water last week that it was a bad sign but I figured he is getting up there in age and just needed more water. I wish I knew about this forum before as he stopped eating suddenly and became very lethargic. A trip to the emergency room after he vomited bile wound him up staying there to treat his ketoacidosis brought on by a UTI
The vet said he would most likely bounce back with their treatment and the next day he did perk up but still didn't really eat... The next day they told me I should come in and visit because he was worse off than when I brought him in and they asked me to see if I could coerce him to eat. When he saw me he perked right up and he did eat for me They were planning on keeping him overnight again but the vet the previous day told me that if he still hadn't eaten, I should take him home to see if he would eat there. That was the best possible thing for him as I took him home and he was so happy to be out of the scary noisy dark place It took him a little time but he slowly started to eat little bits of baby food here and there... Not enough to really give me hope. I also am a proponent of wheatgrass juice so I have been giving him that as well. Then someone suggested I try raw goats milk, so I researched it, tried it, and lo and behold... 3 days later he is really starting to get his appetite back ! After a follow up to the vet today his BG was high at 442 as they had told me to only give him one unit if he was not eating a lot, so today he is back on his regimen of 2 units twice a day and it really seems to have helped him out greatly ! Now it is time to get a BG meter and make sure he is on a steady regimen of testing. I think the only reason I haven't done it yet is because he has been so healthy.

I am looking for other DKA stories and suggestions on how to avoid it in the future
Hooray for Smudgey !! :smile:

 

[tylertheragdoll]

Welcome Mike and extra sweet Smudgey! Thank goodness you had the instinct to take Smudgey to the emergency vet after he vomited bile. You've come to the right place! There are many experienced folks to help you.

If you haven't already done so, you should get urine ketone testing strips that are indicators of DKA. Some brands: Keto Diastix, Ketostix, etc. They are at the local big box stores like WalMart, Target and online as well...

Quoting directly from this post that has a lot of good info on DKA:

Diabetics of all species therefore need to be checked for ketones with urine testing stix, available at any pharmacy, whenever insulin level may be too low, and any of the following signs or triggers are present:

Ketone Monitoring Needed:
Little or no insulin in last 12 hours
High blood sugar - over 16 mmol/L or 300 mg/dL (though with low insulin, lower as well...)
Dehydration - (skin doesn't jump back after pulling a bit gums are tacky or dry)
Not eating for over 12 hours due to Inappetance or Fasting
Vomiting
Lethargy
Infection or illness
High stress levels
Breath smells like acetone (nail-polish remover) or fruit.

In a diabetic, any urinary ketones above trace, or any increase in urinary ketone level, or trace urinary ketones plus some of the symptoms above, are cause to call an emergency vet immediately, at any hour of the day.

Also, you are absolutely right! Get the BG home testing going as you will find that is so important in safely regulating your cat. Other more experienced people on this board will have much more info on this but just wanted to make sure you also got those urine testing strips along with the meter.

Speaking of meters, many people on this board use a human meter like the WalMart brand ReliOn Micro or Confirm as the pet meter strips like Alpha Trak2 are very expensive ($1/strip) and adds up quickly. If getting the Micro or Confirm, there are generic test strips (even cheaper than the ReliOn brand) called Arkray GlucoCard 01 Sensor Test Strips ($.28/strip if you purchase 4 and get 1 free). Kindly use the "Shop" button at the top of the FDMB board if you can - the board gets a small commission which is another way of "paying it forward" for all the invaluable advice provided here.

Diet... you probably know this since you've been managing Smudgey's diabetes for 3 years but just in case... This is one of the best places to go to for cat nutrition, health, diabetes, UTIs, etc...: http://www.catinfo.org. It's such a good read. I go back to this site and Dr. Pierson's detailed chart of cat food w/ carb, phosphorous, protein info. and learn something new each and every time! The target for our sugarcats are <10% carbs, with recommendations for <8% carbs. If your cat has other urinary health issues, add water to Smudgey's wet food and also look at foods w/ <250mg phosphorous.

There will also be recommendations to set up a signature and Google spreadsheet to track Smudgey's BG #s, food, other key health information so experienced folks here can advise you. There are very tech savvy but user-friendly people who can guide you along the way.

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

You have gotten great advice. I just wondered if you had seen the protocl we put together for ProZinc

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=109077

Is he back on regular food? It's great that the goat's milk got him back on track, but as you know, it isn't good for him long term - none of the basics he needs. The food chart on catinfo.com is excellent and should give you lots of possibilities.

And yes, home testing is the way to keep him safe. We'd be glad to help with a shopping list and some videos etc. if you need it.

 

[Mikehat44]

Thank you so much for the replies. I am happy to say that Smudgey is back to his old self… begging for food, playing, etc… =)
I have bought him some natural and raw food products for him to try including Weruva, Hound and Gatos (high protein), and Answers Details for cats… So far he likes them all but he gorged out on the Weruva and vomited 3 times I think this may be common when choosing different foods ? This was also after the vet told us to up his insulin to 3 units. He does well on the Hound and Gatos and I have yet to try the Answers.
Also after his 2nd follow up, the vet gave him a clean bill of health other than his BG was up again so we are to adjust the insulin. He is fine today with normal eating, drinking, resting, playing.
The Keytone Strips arrived and I am waiting on the BG Meter that I ordered through amazon. I promise I will order through this site next time as I got the replies after I had already ordered.
Taking a urine sample seems easy enough and I have found videos on how to draw blood from the ear. The vet wants me to wait so she can show me, but it looks pretty easy - as easy as giving shots really…

Any other further comments are welcome.
It is a lot to take in at once but we really appreciate everyones input.
Thank You =)
Smudgey and David
(and Shirley too !! she's a 4 year old seal point… keeps him on his toes ;-) )

 

[phlika29]

Hi

It is best to change foods slowly as you want to avoid upsetting your cats tummy and being sick may affect how their body reacts to insulin. The recommendation is that you change by just 25% per day. I would be wary of trying lots of new ones as you don't want to bring on a pancreatitis attack. The same goes with the wheat grass and the goats milk. I think if a cat doesn't eat it normally as part of their diet that it's probably best not to give it to them.

With regards the increase in insulin -did the vet have to increase 1 unit from 2 units twice a day to 3? If so I would go careful as the recommended dose change is usually lower and that is when you are monitoring there blood glucose. If you are not monitoring and are changing food at the same time there is the risk smudgey may run low and you might not know it.

Please be careful and start monitoring as soon as your meter arrives. There is no need to wait for the vet. It isn't hard. You just need some nice low carb treats, the warm rice sock (or use your hands) and a little patience.

Hopefully someone else with more experience with prozinc will post some more info.