Alfie

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jen and Alfie

Jen and Alfie

Member Since 2017
Alfie has been really sleepy for the last two days. I first thought it might just be he was worn out after stopping bouncing so badly.

He stopped begging for food (he was constantly hungry) and even left a bit of food in his bowl at meal times which is unheard of since he was diagnosed.

Tonight he's really sleepy, totally flat out but still responsive, able to walk etc. But he didn't have any interest in his food this evening. I've not seen him pee all day so haven't been able to test for ketones.

The vet hospital says if we can't get a test in another hour then call them back and they'll probably want him brought in.

If he has ketones, I'm not sure why he's chosen now! His numbers are still high but have been more stable the last couple of days at a lower level than he's had for more than a week!

Will keep you all updated.
 
Jen and Alfie said:
Alfie has been really sleepy for the last two days. I first thought it might just be he was worn out after stopping bouncing so badly.

He stopped begging for food (he was constantly hungry) and even left a bit of food in his bowl at meal times which is unheard of since he was diagnosed.

Tonight he's really sleepy, totally flat out but still responsive, able to walk etc. But he didn't have any interest in his food this evening. I've not seen him pee all day so haven't been able to test for ketones.

The vet hospital says if we can't get a test in another hour then call them back and they'll probably want him brought in.

If he has ketones, I'm not sure why he's chosen now! His numbers are still high but have been more stable the last couple of days at a lower level than he's had for more than a week!

Will keep you all updated.
Click to expand...
Keep us in the loop, Jen. :bighug:
 
He didn't have a pee so we took him to the vet hospital (at 10pm here). He gets really vicious at the vets so they didn't want to really stress him out by trying to wrestle him for a blood sample.

So they advised to come home and wait for a urine sample. Which he finally did an hour and a half later! He tested positive so we rushed him back in.

They've sedated him and are going to get fluids into him and take bloods etc to check if he's acidotic.

For now we just have to wait and see (and try and get some sleep!). Please all send him your positive thoughts and prayers!
 
Jen and Alfie said:
He didn't have a pee so we took him to the vet hospital (at 10pm here). He gets really vicious at the vets so they didn't want to really stress him out by trying to wrestle him for a blood sample.

So they advised to come home and wait for a urine sample. Which he finally did an hour and a half later! He tested positive so we rushed him back in.

They've sedated him and are going to get fluids into him and take bloods etc to check if he's acidotic.

For now we just have to wait and see (and try and get some sleep!). Please all send him your positive thoughts and prayers!
Click to expand...
Was his ketone reading (on a strip or with a meter?) high? He's in the best place right now and getting treatment quickly is best so this can be nipped in the bud.
 
Oh Jen I'm so sorry to hear that. He's absolutely where he needs to be right now and they'll take excellent care of him. As you know, we've had a few DKA kitties lately who have gotten treatment at the vet and are now home, doing well. So Alfie can do the same!!

Sending all the healing vines I can. Keep us posted.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
Was his ketone reading (on a strip or with a meter?) high? He's in the best place right now and getting treatment quickly is best so this can be nipped in the bud.
Click to expand...
He tested moderate on a strip at home, I don't know what reading the hospital got. I've just spoken to them, he is acidotic. They gave him fluids to rehydrate him and he's now on a glucose and insulin infusion.

They've had trouble getting BG readings as he's so feisty (which is good in one way I suppose!), but his last test was 13.2 about four hours ago so he's going the right way.

I suspect they'll have to sedate him again to test him later. I'm just glad he's made it through the night. Now we just have to wait and hope the medicine does it's stuff.

Thank you for all the positive vibes. I will keep you updated :bighug:
 
Oh no. I'm so sorry, he's definitely in the best place and it sounds positive. Sending prayers and hugs :bighug::bighug:
 
Update:

He's doing ok. They've managed to get blood out of him this morning now they've found a vet nurse who can handle him! His blood sugar is higher this morning (16.5) so they've reduced the concentration of his glucose so his insulin will have more effect. He's also getting potassium.

In good news, he's still being feisty! And his ketone test this morning just showed a lesser amount than last night (+ rather than ++). And his pH was 7 yesterday and today it's 7.23 so he's going in the right direction. They're going to keep monitoring him and tweaking things through the day to get his sugar down. He's in the best place so we just have to give him time and keep everything crossed.
 
I'm so glad you got him to the hospital.
If you can visit him and bring him something that smells like home or you, like a pillowcase or old T shirt, that will calm him a bit.
 
I don't know if they'll let us visit. On one hand I want to because I want to see him but I'm not sure if us visiting and then leaving him there on his own again will be worse than him not seeing us! He does have something from home with him but I doubt it's providing much comfort. He's not too bad as long as people aren't trying to handle him, so I hope he's mainly just sleeping and letting the drugs do their work :(
 
I'm sure that he is resting and letting the meds get him feeling better, Jen. Just being able to smell something that smells like home will be good for him.

I think YOU will feel better if you get to visit him. I really think he will too...he'll see you and spend some time with you and you can see with your own eyes how he is. He might be a bit sad when you leave, but he knows you will come back for him. And he really is in the best place for him right now. If the vet will allow you to come by and see him, I would.

Please come here and vent/cry/whatever you need. That's what we're here for. And heck, I've done it tons and tons of times. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Teasel spent three days in the vet clinic ER ICU when he had a bout of DKA back in 2016. I visited him every day and he seemed to enjoy seeing me. It tore my heart out to see him tethered to an IV line but I tried not to focus on that. He got through it and spent at least 2 - 3 weeks at home afterward slowly regaining his strength. It was a very expensive hospital stay but worth every penny to me. I was glad that I was able to do it. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Rachel said:
I think YOU will feel better if you get to visit him. I really think he will too...he'll see you and spend some time with you and you can see with your own eyes how he is. He might be a bit sad when you leave, but he knows you will come back for him. And he really is in the best place for him right now. If the vet will allow you to come by and see him, I would.

Please come here and vent/cry/whatever you need. That's what we're here for. And heck, I've done it tons and tons of times. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
Click to expand...

That's very true, I would feel a LOT better for seeing him! The hospital will be calling with another update later, I'll ask them if they'll let us visit tonight. I know he's in the best place and they're doing everything they can. There wasn't much sleep and plenty of tears in our house last night. Today we're just trying to get through work, but the distraction of work is better than sitting at home I guess!
 
Your experience is probably different than mine. My kitty spent almost 9 days in a hospital an hour and a half away from my house. I LIVED to go see him for our 20 minute visit each day. J.D. was in critical condition with DKA when he was admitted, and everyday he got just a little teeny bit better. On the 4th day, they had changed him to a lower cage, and I was able to sit on the floor outside his cage and talk to him and asked if I could open the door, and he got up weakly and and crawled into my lap with a tube attached to each leg. On the 5th day, he saw me and practically jumped into my lap. I know he was happy to see me and I him, and I think it helped the staff know he was getting better to see him do that.

Tell him you are just there to visit and give him love and healing wishes, and will be back tomorrow. Cats are smart.
 
Jen, sorry to hear about Alfie being DKA but it sounds like he is showing good signs and in good care :). Sounds like you caught it early too. Sending healing vines to Alfie
vibes.gif
:cat: and hugs to you:bighug::bighug::bighug:!
 
Dyana said:
Your experience is probably different than mine. My kitty spent almost 9 days in a hospital an hour and a half away from my house. I LIVED to go see him for our 20 minute visit each day. J.D. was in critical condition with DKA when he was admitted, and everyday he got just a little teeny bit better. On the 4th day, they had changed him to a lower cage, and I was able to sit on the floor outside his cage and talk to him and asked if I could open the door, and he got up weakly and and crawled into my lap with a tube attached to each leg. On the 5th day, he saw me and practically jumped into my lap. I know he was happy to see me and I him, and I think it helped the staff know he was getting better to see him do that.

Tell him you are just there to visit and give him love and healing wishes, and will be back tomorrow. Cats are smart.
Click to expand...
We're lucky that the hospital is only 10 minutes away, so will definitely visit tonight if they let us, I'd love to see him. And I'm sure your right that it will do his good to see and hear us. It's also good for the staff trying to care for him to see that he's not a mad tiger all the time! I'm hoping he'll be calm with us because he'll be pleased to see us (though he normally tries to take chunks out of us too at the vets, he's not fussy! o_O)
 
Last edited:
Called the hospital late this afternoon to chase an update a couple of hours ago and they said we were welcome to visit but the vet that's been treating him couldn't speak to us as they'd had a few emergencies come in.

Then an hour later got a call back from someone to say as he's very poorly and there having trouble stabilising him, as well as having a few emergency cases in, they'd rather we didn't visit.

I'm now waiting for a call back from the vet with an update and am obviously getting frantic! It's 7:30pm here and they're approaching their shift change for the evening.

Will give it another ten minutes and chase again. I felt quite positive after speaking to the vet this morning, but that's starting to disappear!
 
Yong said:
Maybe they got confused on which kitty you were asking about since they had a few other emergencies come in. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
Click to expand...
Thanks Yong, I hope you're right. I've chased again but still haven't been able to speak to anyone. I've been promised the vet will call me ack before she goes off shift. I hope so, otherwise we're in for another sleepless night.
 
Just spoke to the vet. They're having a hard time getting his sugar down (surprise surprise!). He was at 28 in the middle of the day, now at around 18.

He's not eating. His pH is 7.25, I don't know if that's good or bad but it's better than 7 which it was last night. I don't know what to expect at this point. They aren't willing to give any sort of prognosis.

They've just managed to get a decent sized blood sample so will be running lots more tests tonight. So we're about to go to bed as we're exhausted and are just praying he's still with us in the morning.
 
Love & Prayers sent to you all. Will be waiting to hear how it goes tonight. :bighug::bighug:
 
Sending you guys good thoughts and healing vines for Alfie. Come on Alfie, you can beat this!
 
He'e made it through the night, phew! I spoke to the night vet at 7am. They've had three blood sugar readings in a row under 10 which is great news. I just hope he stays that way during the day when things get busier and more stressful in the hospital. He's only showing a trace of ketones at their last urine check.

I'll know more when I get to speak to the vet treating him once the day shift starts and will post another update. We're keeping everything crossed here. Thank you for all the hugs and healing vines! :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Great news! Keep going Alfie! :cat: I know you can do it! :bighug: Be good for your Mummy and get well soon.
 
Update from speaking to the vet this morning:

She's happy with how he's been doing overnight but his sugar has gone up a bit this morning (16). They're going to try switching him back to Prozinc, rather than intravenous insulin, starting with 1.5u. He had no ketones in his urine at their last check which is great news. She says he seems a bit brighter and she's going to try him on some food (cue a long discussion about what and doesn't spike his BG food wise. She's going to try a Royal Canin diabetes wet food that's probably higher carb than I'd like but some food is better than none as he's not eaten for nearly 48 hours).

They've done some tests, his kidneys are fine, liver is slightly bad but she said that's expected in diabetics and his CK(?) is high but that's because he's so stressed. If he keeps improving they're going to start testing for any underlying problems like pancreatitis, UTI's etc tomorrow, but that involves sedating him again so she obviosuly wants him a bit stronger before then.

I've been asked to call back in a few hours and she'll decide if we're allowed to visit him tonight then. Keep those healing vines coming everyone! :bighug:
 
Thanks for the updates, Jen. We all worry when someone's kitty is ill. I wouldn't worry about carb level in a DKA kitty. They need hydration, electrolytes, high enough carb food and enough insulin to forestall ketone development. When Teasel was in hospital for his DKA episode he was fed the version of Purina DM that's 10% carbs.
 
The vines are continuously being sent! I really hope you can visit him tonight. I think you'll BOTH be happier just seeing each other for a bit. We're here for you, Jen, if you need to cry/vent/celebrate good news/whatever!!! :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Following from the sidelines and sending more healing vines for Alfie. So relieved to hear he's improved. Hope you can visit today! I think that would make both you and Alfie feel much better! :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Update from the vet. He's eaten and was really hungry which is great. He 'much preferred the dry food' according to the vet. Yeah, I bet he did, he's not had any for three months!

But his glucose reading have been 16 and 22 and his urine had traces of ketones again at the last test. :(

She's let me drop in some of his usual food (Sheba fine flakes) and is willing to try it but isn't wild about it as it's not great quality.

And as he's been so much better with them she doesn't want us to visit in case it upsets him and makes him harder to handle. Which I understand but isn't great. I've taken one of my jumpers in that I've worn and he likes to sleep on but I'm not sure they'll let him have it because of infection control.

We just have to see if tomorrow's tests and ultrasound shed any light on why he's been so hard to regulate :(
 
Alfie's back on IV insulin as his BG is too high on the Prozinc and he's showing traces of ketones in his urine again. They're going ahead with the ultrasound and other tests today so he'll need to be sedated, which obviously carries risks while he's this stressed.

It's a total rollercoaster, every time we think he's doing a bit better he gets worse again. If he doesn't make it through this I can't stand the thought that this is how he's spending his last days, alone and scared being prodded and poked by strangers!
 
Have you asked them again about trying a visit from you?
Sending mega healing and get better vines to Alfie.
 
We did last night, the vet didn't want us to visit as he's getting used to them and much better with them handling him. She didn't want to risk that going backwards if he saw us, which I understand. I don't want to upset him either if he's got a bit settled with them. The last thing he needs is more stress. Although obviously we are desperate to cuddle him! :arghh:

I'll wait and see if they find anything conclusive with their tests today and ask them about visiting again later. They have given him my jumper that he likes that I took in yesterday and he's sleeping on that, so that's something. He can at least smell me and home.
 
Oh Jen...I might call the vet again and let them know how upset you are and how much you NEED to see him. I know what they're saying, but honestly, I don't like it. Your mental health (not saying you're crazy, but anxiety is probably through the roof like mine would be) is very important and the vet saying they don't want you to see him just because they feel it's better seems almost cruel. You could let them know that you understand what they're saying, but at this point, you just really need to see him with your own eyes.

I hope they let you visit today AND that he's getting better. Understand that ketones can take some time to resolve and the vet is doing everything they can. I know it's upsetting to see him go backwards a bit, but the good news is that the vet caught it immediately and started the right treatment to fix it. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Rachel said:
Oh Jen...I might call the vet again and let them know how upset you are and how much you NEED to see him. I know what they're saying, but honestly, I don't like it. Your mental health (not saying you're crazy, but anxiety is probably through the roof like mine would be) is very important and the vet saying they don't want you to see him just because they feel it's better seems almost cruel. You could let them know that you understand what they're saying, but at this point, you just really need to see him with your own eyes.

I hope they let you visit today AND that he's getting better. Understand that ketones can take some time to resolve and the vet is doing everything they can. I know it's upsetting to see him go backwards a bit, but the good news is that the vet caught it immediately and started the right treatment to fix it. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
Click to expand...
Yes, I agree, I think I'm going to insist on visiting him tonight regardless. I am pretty much crazy at the minute! I know he's in the very best place. We've had no luck trying to regulate him so I know he needs proper investigation and stabilisation otherwise this will just happen again as soon as he's home.
 
I agree with Rachel. I don't think a visit from you would cause him to act any differently with the clinic staff and a visit will do both you and Alfie a world of good! Glad they let you leave your jumper but there is nothing like familiar cuddles and scritches to soothe the soul and help the healing! :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
We're all here sending positive healing energy to you and Alfie. I hope you can visit him today. I was very glad I was able to see Teasel when he was hospitalized for DKA. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
I was thinking the same thing as Rachel but didn't know how to word it without anyone coming off as a crazy Mum! But that's like a doctor telling a parent they can't see their kid in the hospital. I think it might be good for him to see you guys :bighug:
 
We've seen him!! Vet was a bit reluctant but let us come. It was such a huge relief to be able to give him fuss and kisses!! And he was happy to see us and enjoyed all the fussing :cat: We feel like huge weight has been lifted, even though he's not out of the woods.

He didn't get sedated today as they were worried about his high BG. Now he's back on IV it's coming down again (readings between 15 and 23 through the day). Plus his urine was free of ketones again. He's staying on the IV until he's had two urine tests in a row free of ketones. Then they're going to try Prozinc again. Vet has agreed to try our wet food then and not feed dry unless he won't eat anything else.

They're going to ultrasound and other tests tomorrow all being well.

We will sleep much better tonight now we've been able to kiss his little furry face! Keeping everything crossed! Thank you all for all of your support, it means a lot! :bighug:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top