Breath smells like chemicals but 0 ketones on meter

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Katsallday

Katsallday

Member Since 2021
So jekyll was dka a few weeks ago and I've got him down to 0.0 ketones on my blood meter. However, just now I smelled the ketones or soemthing similar on his breath again. He's eating actually more than he normally does, drinking, playing. I don't understand. I have a very good sense of smell and I'm positive i smell ketones or something very close to ketone smell

I started him on azithromycin last night and upped his insulin to 1.75, he's eaten very well yesterday and today, he's still snotty, still shakey on his legs but jumps on chairs now, I took him to the vet this morning for fiv/felv testing both neg

I just don't understand. How can he be ketonic with 0.0 on my blood meter and eating? I smell the chemicals
 
Ketones smell like acetone (think nail polish remover).

It's possible that what you're smelling is the antibiotic. Take a sniff of the bottle. Some cats also experience a GI upset with antibiotics so that may be contributing. If you need to, you may want to give Jekyll a probiotic while he's on the azithromycin. Just separate the antibiotic and the probiotic by about 2 hours.
 
Are the ketone strips not expired? Test strips have one date for if the vial has not been opened (written on the vial) , and another for how a long the container has been opened. If the strips are individually foil wrapped then there is only the one expiration date.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Ketones smell like acetone (think nail polish remover).

It's possible that what you're smelling is the antibiotic. Take a sniff of the bottle. Some cats also experience a GI upset with antibiotics so that may be contributing. If you need to, you may want to give Jekyll a probiotic while he's on the azithromycin. Just separate the antibiotic and the probiotic by about 2 hours.
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I'm positive it's not the antibiotic, that is chicken flavored but smells like wet feet. I can smell chemical, possibly acetone but I think it could also be from his elevated BUN? I'm not being dramatic when I say I called the gas company for a gas leak and they told me it was 4 miles away! I have a permanently retracted eardrum, bad eyes, and nerve issues but boy can I smell things!
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Are the ketone strips not expired? Test strips have one date for if the vial has not been opened (written on the vial) , and another for how a long the container has been opened. If the strips are individually foil wrapped then there is only the one expiration date.
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I bought a 40 pack in 10 pack containers 3 weeks ago. That was #39 of all my strips. I have one left until Monday :( I'm pretty sure it's not expired but I'll double check when I get home
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Are the ketone strips not expired? Test strips have one date for if the vial has not been opened (written on the vial) , and another for how a long the container has been opened. If the strips are individually foil wrapped then there is only the one expiration date.
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Yep they're not expired.
 
He's taking a long time to get over the URI, poor darling.
Make sure he is eating well and drinking plenty.
Let us know the next ketone test. Was the last test when you got 0 ketones with the meter?
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
He's taking a long time to get over the URI, poor darling.
Make sure he is eating well and drinking plenty.
Let us know the next ketone test. Was the last test when you got 0 ketones with the meter?
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Yup last ketone test was 0.0 on the meter. I can take 1 test tomorrow and then Monday I get a package with 40 more tests
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
He's taking a long time to get over the URI, poor darling.
Make sure he is eating well and drinking plenty.
Let us know the next ketone test. Was the last test when you got 0 ketones with the meter?
Click to expand...
I'm considering taking away the dry dr elseys because it's so high in protein which can contribute to BUN. I know my nose is super sensitive i know i smell something on him and apparently if its high enough you can smell urea. Jekyll tried to wake me up at 8am for food but I knew he had wet food and dry food out so I continued sleeping. At 9 when I woke up all the wet was gone and he'd eaten some dry too. Since 8 am he's had almost 3.5 cans of FF (pureed still) and dry food. The dude has seriously been gulping food and I'm curious if it's the azithromycin or a BG of 250 which is "low" for him.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Strange when the ketone tests are negative
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Guess what? The smell is gone! I had a theory and tested it out, here's what happened. I hope this helps someone else with a sensitive smeller in the future!

The night before last I had work so I was exhausted when I got home. I work very short shifts, about 3-5 hours but they are taxing. This was the night of the dosage raise too for the prozinc. My husband did the PS, the feeding, and the +1 &+2. I did +3. I didn't think jekyll would want more food but I made him an extra pureed FF anyways, put it next to my "bed" and immediately slept. I had been tapering him off of Dr elseys, but had maybe half a cup or less on a bowl nearby. He'd been choosing the FF over it recently so no harm right? Well when I woke up all the food was gone. That means he ate a full FF at preshot, another full FF, and maybe half a cup of Dr elseys, AND he chewed on the dr elseys bag. And his numbers came down! Dr elseys is very high protein. I'm thinking because his bun was already elevated and then a huge meal of protein happened, I could smell the excess urea turning into ammonia in his mouth. I've since taken away the dr elseys amd I can't smell the smell anymore!

I think jek has been diabetic for much longer than just November. I read his old bloodwork for the millionth time and in the notes apparently a year before that appt. he was losing a ton of weight. How someone could wait that long idk. This poor old man. I'm scared that long wait for treatment has turned into something worse for him, but I'm prepared to fight. He's still twitchy, he can't poop well, he is always congested and snotty, but I will never give up. He lost his dad, his caretaker let him down, so here I am. He's officially foster failed!
 
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