Baby the cat in er ER for DKA need advice/hope. Labs in pics

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DeannaAndBaby

Member Since 2026
Hey everyone. Looking for advice, love, or encouragement. My Baby (literally her name) has been at the ER for DKA for 36 hours now. I need a little advice since the vets aren't telling me either which way. He glucose (200s) is getting back to normal and her potassium is at 3.6, so low normal. But they dont want to take her off potassium in case it drops. The ketones haven't dropped yet, but I dont know the levels right now..

I've paid enough to get her through in the ER until tomorrow morning. As anyone else gone through this? I've paid 9k already and I'm about to run dry. I'm praying while I'm not even the praying type that her ketones drop through the day and we can continue care at home
 

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DeannaAndBaby said:
Hey everyone. Looking for advice, love, or encouragement. My Baby (literally her name) has been at the ER for DKA for 36 hours now. I need a little advice since the vets aren't telling me either which way. He glucose (200s) is getting back to normal and her potassium is at 3.6, so low normal. But they dont want to take her off potassium in case it drops. The ketones haven't dropped yet, but I dont know the levels right now..

I've paid enough to get her through in the ER until tomorrow morning. As anyone else gone through this? I've paid 9k already and I'm about to run dry. I'm praying while I'm not even the praying type that her ketones drop through the day and we can continue care at home
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I saw your post over on the FD FB group and Kim's suggestion to post over here. I've tagged a few of our more experienced folks and hope they will weigh in with some assistance.
 
I called for a 3pm update. Her intake ketones were at 6. Right now were are down to 5.2. Potassium still being supplemented as they dont want to remove it yet, but at 3.6 still. and glucose bouncing between 197-251. Would this be a good sign? We are at about the 40 hour mark right now, and I've paid for her to be there through tomorrow morning so far.
 
My last diabetic kitty J.D. survived DKA and he was hospitalized there for 8.5 days in a University Hospital where it was less expensive. He wouldn't eat for them the entire time, so came home with a feeding tube which he quickly despensed with. He lived another 9 years to just past 20, so it was completely worth it. What was weird was when I bought my house my mortage company encouraged me to get a Home Equity Line Of Credit, and I said why? In case of emergencies. Okay, I did. That paid for it. He lived a very good life for those remaining 9 years.
 
Dyana said:
My last diabetic kitty J.D. survived DKA and he was hospitalized there for 8.5 days in a University Hospital where it was less expensive. He wouldn't eat for them the entire time, so came home with a feeding tube which he quickly despensed with. He lived another 9 years to just past 20, so it was completely worth it. What was weird was when I bought my house my mortage company encouraged me to get a Home Equity Line Of Credit, and I said why? In case of emergencies. Okay, I did. That paid for it. He lived a very good life for those remaining 9 years.
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You've given me an idea!!! What it looks like this is coming down to is time. At 4-5k a day, I can only realistically buy one more day. And her body is responding. The nearest teaching vet school is 2 hours away. I would literally convert my car into a little med bay with a j hook and all for fluids while I drove her there. I could buy 2 to maybe 3 more days at that rate.
 
I know it doesn't help, but I want to scream at the top of my lungs, why are these vet expenses so terribly expensive!?! It's hard to imagine why $4-5K a day is necessary. It seems like patient-gouging.

Have you asked the vet where Baby is now about moving him/taking him home?? What do they think?

I so wish I had some advice to offer. Some here have started a Go Fund Me. I know. No one wants to do it, but it's a thought.
 
Mary & Jude said:
I know it doesn't help, but I want to scream at the top of my lungs, why are these vet expenses so terribly expensive!?! It's hard to imagine why $4-5K a day is necessary. It seems like patient-gouging.

Have you asked the vet where Baby is now about moving him/taking him home?? What do they think?

I so wish I had some advice to offer. Some here have started a Go Fund Me. I know. No one wants to do it, but it's a thought.
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Would a go fund me be possible to be approved? I dont want to, but I'm at the point I'm needing to in order to give her time
 
The vets are not likely price gouging. DKA requires almost constant 24/7 monitoring and frequent lab work. Cats are on the equivalent of the kitty ICU. Compare the cost for a human on an ICU vs a regular hospital bed. It's vastly different.

When my cat developed diabetes, she was also diagnosed with DKA and hepatic lipidosis. She was hospitalized for 3 days. She recovered and lived another 6.5 years. Cats can recover from DKA. It will take your learning how to home test so you're getting both blood glucose and ketone levels.
 
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