Charlie doing a little better and +5 is 304

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EllieKozak

EllieKozak

Member Since 2014
Hi guys. Even though his numbers are a little better than yesterday I'm afraid he's in dka again. He wouldn't eat unless I put the hc ff on top of his regular food. Will give him sc fluids in an hour. It seems like every time he bounces he goes into dka. I feel so bad for this poor cat. I am starting to think I might not be able to win this battle with this horrific disease. At least manage it to where he has somewhat of a quality life. :(
His amps was 412, when I got home from work at +10 was 392 and pmps was 394.
 
Re: Charlie dka again amps 412, +10 392 pmps 394

I have not been following your condos that much but have you tried or has anyone suggested "feeding the curve" when I notice my charlie dropping more then 50pts an hour I will feed him some mc food(trial and error as to how much to feed) to slow his drops. This seemed to have lowered both the peak and the duration of his bounce.
 
Re: Charlie dka again amps 412, +10 392 pmps 394

Hi Ellie, sorry Charlie seems to be off again. :YMHUG: Have you gotten a ketone test today?

I'm glad he is eating, even if it takes the high carb. Is he getting his regular amount of food in him? One last question, the SS shows 4 units today - is that correct and if so why?
 
Re: Charlie dka again amps 412, +10 392 pmps 394

I want to make a distinction, if I may. Having ketones present isn't the same as being in DKA. Ketones can rapidly evolve into DKA which is why we push to stay on top of the situation.

Given that Charlie is prone to developing ketones, IMHO, you really need to be aggressive with your dosing. Like Wendy noted, it's not clear why you dropped the dose and why by 1.0u. Given what Charlie's numbers have been looking like, you need to consider raising the dose every 4 to 6 cycles until you start seeing blues and greens with greater regularity.
 
Re: Charlie dka again amps 412, +10 392 pmps 394

Hi guys. Sorry that was a typo. He got 5 units not 4. I will update his ss now. Thanks for the advice on the feeding.
 
Re: Charlie dka again amps 412, +10 392 pmps 394

((((ellie)))

what are you seeing? Did you get a ketone measurement and if so, what is it?

You could increase by 0.25u L with your next shot. That's based upon nadirs in the 200's on human glucometers (which is about what he's having.)

I'll check back in on you later.

let him eat whatever he is willing to eat.
 
Re: Charlie dka again amps 412, +10 392 pmps 394

He hasn't peed yet to get a ketone test and the blood ketone meter STILL hasn't come in. I'm not positive he's in dka but he's acting lethargic and has "that look" that he gets. I hope I'm just being paranoid but he still dosent want to eat his regular stuff. Should I let him pick at his normal stuff or just give him anything he wants? He normally eats 5-6 large cans per day of LC. He ate about a can today so far. Quantity wise.
 
Re: Charlie dka again amps 412, +10 392 pmps 394

I would let him eat whatever he will eat. Part of the equation in fighting DKA is getting the calories in him. I would suggest that you try to syringe feed him or whatever you need to do to get the calories in him. Be sure he isn't nauseous and if he is, he will need an anti nausea med so you can feed him without him getting sick.

Good that you are giving him subqs. And as Julie and Sienna said, I'd be staying in those dose increases.
 
Re: Charlie dka again amps 412, +10 392 pmps 394

I would pull out the bag of tricks:

rotisserie chicken
heat up the food - makes it smellier
make little meat balls on the plate
use your finger to get some in his mouth- sometimes that will "prime the pump"
sprinkle on fortiflora, parmesan, oregano, catnip
pour on tuna juice (no onions/garlic in broth)
pull out new enticing cat foods

higher carb is ok if that's all you can get him to eat.

get the subqs in him and shut him in a room with something non-absorbent for the litter (gravel, dry beans or lentils) in a spare litter box (box lid inside a garage bag) and let him stay there til he pees so you can get a test.
 
Re: Charlie dka again amps 412, +10 392 pmps 394

Good luck getting him to eat tonight. Did you ever get the results of the acro tests?
 
Re: Charlie dka again amps 412, +10 392 pmps 394

His +5 is 304 and he's a bit more perky. Think the fluids and hc food gave him a boost. I'll take him to work and get bg's throughout the day and can check for ketones in the am too. Should have acro results tomorrow. He hasn't vomited at all. I also wanted to mention that he's on day 11 of 30 days of 25mg zeniquin (marbofloxacin) and has been on metronidazole for about a month 50 mg bid. If he's got ketones and is on antibiotics and had been eating perfectly til this afternoon and well hydrated how and why does this keep happening? I really wish I coukd stop or at least make his bounces less severe and taxing to him. As of this moment, he's grooming himself and being a love. And he ate a good amount of his regular LC mixed w about 70% of hc ff.
 
Would you put all of that med info into the comments section of the ss? Those bits of info are very important.

Without ketone tests i'm not sure we can know if there are ketones or not.
 
FWIW, in humans, metronidazole is notorious for loss of appetite. It's really hard, though, to tease out what may be going on. Trusting your gut and being alert to lethargy or Charlie looking "off" is wise. Of course, he's allowed to have a day when he's just not himself -- as long as he's bouncing back.
 
Hi there :cool:

Looks like you have received excellent recommendations (above).

EllieKozak said:
I am starting to think I might not be able to win this battle with this horrific disease. At least manage it to where he has somewhat of a quality life. :(
Click to expand...
Don't despair - you've cleared several key hurdles:

:!: Charlie is no longer suffering from constant diarrhea
:!: Charlie has gained some weight! - up from 7.25lbs on 08/23 to 8lbs on 09/25 - this is huge

You may have heard it said here in Lantus Land that when it comes to treating FD - 'It's a marathon, not a sprint'

Hang in there - and hang in here

Keep pushing forward
(we've got your back) ;-)

You can do this.
 
Hi, Ellie. I'm not sure if you've been checking Charlie's condo. It looks to me like Charlie needs a dose increase. Given where his nadirs have been sitting, it looks like increasing to 5.5u is indicated.
 
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