GA bodie-labored breathing and seemingly weakness in back legs

sadye claxton

sadye claxton

Member Since 2020
latest post link https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...8-high-amps-729-lethargy.249035/#post-2809631

Gave Bodie Odansetron as suggested just a bit ago. This is in addition to the fluids adminstered today, cerenia given this am, ear meds, b12...all at the vet ( cerenia this am at home)
he has been very lethargic all day, I came in to do a reading and check on him....he just pooped a firm stool which was a little bit outside the box (idk if he kicked it out or not) but while i was in here with him he got up to move and it looks as though his back legs are weaker than normal. he is lying down, bascially out of it...his breaths are short and quick, AT LEAST 40 bpm...assuming ER is what I need to do. However he was SO STRESSED at the vet today I"m so hesitant to make him that stressed again. WHAT TO DO??? This has changed so quickly
 
Chris & China (GA) said:
In cases where breathing is that labored and fast, the ER is where he needs to be.
Click to expand...
he is quiet and seemingly peacefully at rest but i THINK I'm counting right...the rise of his abdomen is each time I count, not a full exhale I don't think? But each rise is right to count, right? I'm only second guessing myself bc I've never dealt with this AND he was SO stressed at the vet today and resting now I hate to make him that stressed again on top of all of this...counting again now
 
I'm counting the same number of breaths in my healthy cat who is also sleeping...he seems lethargic but comfortable. I think the stress of bringing him in again with seeing the same breaths from my other cat is making it a hard decision. He was so super stressed today and is now at least seemingly peaceful. I'm sorry for the back and forth i'm just so torn. He was JUST in today and the vet bascially said she didn't know what was going on
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
No ketones is good.
How is the breathing now?
Click to expand...
Still breathing the same, I can hear it and it seems he's pulling through his nose more than normal but again, doesn't seem in distress. Changes position every now and then which could be trying to breathe better but idk....I SPECIFICALLY asked the vet to check for ketones today and they said they would and she said, "no ketones" to me, but this stupid pandemic makes me crazy in that I couldn't go in to see what she was doing. I HOPE she didn't just look at his labs from last friday which read no ketones and said that...I can't image that's the case but ... I'm just so torn bc of the amount of stress he's already been under today. To take him into the ER to be poked and prodded in bright lights, from resting now in his home...the vet literally said today she didn't know what was up. Could the 100ml of fluids on top of a murmor caused overload? Is it ketones NOW? I want him to be peaceful but I also dont want him to silently suffer
 
If he's lethargic and not breathing right, he definitely needs a vet. Ondansetron has a couple of rare side effects including heart arrhythmia and low blood pressure either of which can cause fainting, collapse or severe lethargy.
 
sadye claxton said:
Could the 100ml of fluids on top of a murmor caused overload? Is it ketones NOW?
Click to expand...
Potentially, yes - any fluids can be problematic but it depends on what the underlying cause of the murmur is. Heart murmurs aren't a diagnosis in themselves. Cats can have murmurs with no heart disease, or sometimes heart disease with no murmur. All a murmur tells you is that further investigation is needed to determine whether or not there is a heart issue. Ketones can build in a matter of hours; however, if he's not generally ketone-prone, that's a less likely answer.
 
manxcat419 said:
Potentially, yes - any fluids can be problematic but it depends on what the underlying cause of the murmur is. Heart murmurs aren't a diagnosis in themselves. Cats can have murmurs with no heart disease, or sometimes heart disease with no murmur. All a murmur tells you is that further investigation is needed to determine whether or not there is a heart issue. Ketones can build in a matter of hours; however, if he's not generally ketone-prone, that's a less likely answer.
Click to expand...
I don't know if he's ketone prone or not...I just bought the strips as he was climbing abnormally, had them tested last friday at the vet and again today. had them on hand to continue but he's been doing really well up until about a week ago with super highs we were trying to get down, but without signs of eleved BS until really yesterday morning
 
Please let us know how things go.
It’s better to get him checked when he’s like this. I know it’s hard to see them stressed like that.
What time is it there? Are you able to wait at the vet until you know what’s happening?
:bighug::bighug::bighug:​
 
If he's open-mouth breathing, they're not going to let him sit in his carrier. They'll have him on oxygen at the very least while they examine him and try to figure out what's going on with him.
 
manxcat419 said:
If he's open-mouth breathing, they're not going to let him sit in his carrier. They'll have him on oxygen at the very least while they examine him and try to figure out what's going on with him.
Click to expand...
thanks. Yea they just came out and asked me if I wanted them to resusitate him if there is an emergency as he's open mouth breathing..and yes on oxygen "turned way up" she said. Needless to say I'm a mess right now. He was at least calm at home.
 
Make sure they know that it's the first time he's had ondansetron so they know to check for rare side effects from that.
 
Hopefully they'll be able to get him stabilized so they can figure out how best to treat him. I have to get to sleep - I've been fighting to stay awake for the last hour, but I will look in first thing in the morning to see how he's doing. Stay strong for your boy and try to trust the ER vets to be doing everything they possibly can for him. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
@tiffmaxee @Bron and Sheba (GA) @manxcat419 vet denies Otansadron could be the culprit. She wants to put him on an IV drip of "regular insulin" to bring his BG down quickly...THEN restart Lantus.... thoughts? safe to do? He's in bad shape she also wants to run labs, chest X-rays to check to see if fluids are okay to give given the murmur and keep him overnight in oxygen.. idk if we can afford all of this AND i'm worried about the IV insulin
 
They'll be monitoring his glucose levels very carefully. IV insulin is actually used relatively often in situations where a cat is running extremely high and not doing well. Get an estimate from them so you know how much you're looking at and then talk to them about what they think is the most essential treatment if the estimate is more than you can afford.
 
I agree with April,…Using the IV insulin should be ok as they will monitor and this is what they do for cats that have DKA for example... The insulin drip with the regular insulin will bring the BG down more quickly and steadily than Lantus. Sounds like they know what they are doing. Sending more vines and hugs for you:bighug:
 
sadye claxton said:
now shes saying its IM injections of insulin ( the tech anyway)....Idk I guess we're going to just leave him with them and hope they do whats best for him thanks everyone
Click to expand...
If the vet said an insulin drip, that is much more likely than an IM injection of insulin. As far as I am aware insulin is only given subQ or IV. I think the vet tech has it mixed up.
 
Many prayers for your poor boy, Sadye, and for you. You did the right thing by getting him to the ER vet. He is in the best possible place right now.
 
IM injections of regular insulin will bring BG down more quickly. Of course, I don't know if vets do this, or if the tech got it wrong. BG as high as his would contribute to lethargy and weakness.
Prayers and hope Bodie is getting better, with expert care:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
You mentioned low potassium I think on Thursday, and that your vet wanted to start supplementing potassium. Some of the symptoms of low potassium can include trouble breathing, weakness particularly in the back legs, and lethargy. I would mention the low potassium to the ER vet, since if I recall correctly, it should be monitored especially if the insulin is given IM, but I would think also via IV.
 
Yes potassium was only 2.6. Your vet mentioned a heart murmur and I wonder if this is heart related.prayers. :bighug:
 
tiffmaxee said:
Yes potassium was only 2.6. Your vet mentioned a heart murmur and I wonder if this is heart related.prayers.
Click to expand...
The murmur could also be low potassium-related if it was a new finding. Potassium that low can absolutely affect heart function. We had a non-diabetic with CKD who would have potassium crashes despite regular supplementation and would look as though she was dying then bounce back when it came back up. She'd had a benign heart murmur all her life, but it was much more pronounced when her potassium dropped very low.
 
manxcat419 said:
The murmur could also be low potassium-related if it was a new finding. Potassium that low can absolutely affect heart function. We had a non-diabetic with CKD who would have potassium crashes despite regular supplementation and would look as though she was dying then bounce back when it came back up. She'd had a benign heart murmur all her life, but it was much more pronounced when her potassium dropped very low.
Click to expand...
Max had a benign murmur as well. Later he developed chf unrelated and was gone in days. I regret not rechecking because of this.The two not related.
 
sadye claxton said:
@tiffmaxee @Bron and Sheba (GA) @manxcat419 vet denies Otansadron could be the culprit. She wants to put him on an IV drip of "regular insulin" to bring his BG down quickly...THEN restart Lantus.... thoughts? safe to do? He's in bad shape she also wants to run labs, chest X-rays to check to see if fluids are okay to give given the murmur and keep him overnight in oxygen.. idk if we can afford all of this AND i'm worried about the IV insulin
Click to expand...
I think this makes sense. Definitely get X-rays. They need to get that bg down.
 
Sounds like Brodie is in good hands, :bighug::bighug: Thinking of you today.

Neko also had a meaningless heart murmur, later got heart failure, but it reversed for six months though still had other heart issues. Fluids triggered her heart failure and she had to go into oxygen for a couple days. Xrays will tell the story.
 
sadye claxton said:
at the ER vet now they just took him back. I feel terrible for subjecting him to this AGAIN today as now he's panting and super stressed...and i have no idea what they're doing in there with him OR if he's just waiting in his carrier
Click to expand...
Sending prayers to you and your Bodie. All cats get stressed at the vet but I believe somewhere in their little kitty mind they know you are doing what’s best for them. He’s where he needs to be. :bighug::bighug:
 
I am beyond saddened to report my sweet Bodie passed away at the ER vet at 7:00 am this morning. As I was on the phone with the vet, she was explaining all they could try, but that it would be days in the hospital with multiple sticks to monitor his Potassium, more imaging, fluids, etc to MAYBE bring him back to a good quality of life. As we were talking, in almost the same breath that the vet told me she and her collegue thought it was most fair to him to let him go, the tech came and let her know Bodie was seriously decompensating in his oxygen chamber, and I told her to just help him go without suffering. I tried to get there to talk to him while they did so, but I couldn't get there in time. The sweet Bodie who was once abandoned by his person, then found by us. (we found him on the streets and took him in for the last year and a half ) I HOPE AND PRAY did not feel abandoned yet again as I handed him off to the tech around 2:45 this morning and never saw him again. I NEVER want my furkids to go without me there...I can only hope he felt loved. As far as what was going on, yes the Potassium was a huge issue, he had dropped to 1 from 2.7 last Friday. The chest xrays did not show any heart issues, but suspected pneumonia OR partially collapsed lung from lying on one side too long...they suggested IF we were to try to bring him back to treat for pneumonia and K supplimentation. They gave him IM regular insulin once there and it did nothing to his sugar. I don't know, hindsight is 20/20, but I WISH I knew that getting a shot of regular insulin to bring him down quickly was a thing. My vet never mentioned it, and I was trying to stick to the TR guidelines and increase slowly...he needed more aggressive insulin intervention days ago. The vet said he stayed too high too long. ANYWAY, just greiving now and trying not to beat myself up too bad. Just a mess here....he is already SO badly missed.
 
I am so, so sorry to read your sad news. I truly believe that he did not feel abandoned at all - he knew you were doing your very best to help him. Sometimes our cats choose this way so that we don't have to see their final moments. They are trying to repay us for our love and care by saving us from being haunted by those memories. You really did do absolutely everything you could. You simply cannot know what you don't know. And Bodie's case was complicated enough that there were things you could not have reasonably been expected to know. He would never blame you for not having the knowledge that an ER vet has and you need to try to forgive yourself for not having that knowledge too. And remember, he will always be with you - you can't see him in the same way, physically, but he will never truly leave you. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
I am so very sorry for you, Sadye. You fought hard for him and you gave him a loving home while he was with you. He will always be with you and you WILL see him again someday - God willing.
 
Please please please don’t beat yourself up. You did everything you could for him. I’m so very sorry for your loss. Take care of yourself.
 
sadye claxton said:
Thank you all for your kind words and being willing to stay up late and talk me through things on multiple occasions...for being here for me. I truly value this group
Click to expand...
So deeply sorry for your loss Sadye. :rb_icon: Sending prayers to help you through this. Bodie touched all of us but unfortunately I didn’t get to know him till the end. He will get to meet all of the kitties so many of sent to cross the Rainbow Bridge. :bighug::bighug:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top