Concerned- Ketone Blood test 0.3 - returned from boarding - not eating

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HyperJMA

HyperJMA

Member Since 2016
Ok, so we boarded Mister Mistopheles while we were out of town. They said that he was cooperative and took his medicines well. They reduced his dose to 1 unit to prevent any low blood glucose incidents. We get him back home and he is *not* interested in eating! I haven't been able to get him to eat a single good meal. Last night we started giving him Ranitidine 10 mg. I gave him a second dose this morning around 11 am. We will see if that helps. I have made an appointment to take him in tomorrow morning to double check his bloodwork levels. There is always a chance the kidney infection came back. Our vet mentioned the possibility of putting him on low level antibiotics for the remainder of his life (i mean he's 19 - theres a low risk of adverse effects). We were trying to see if he could go without the antibiotics. Bryan thinks that it could be one of two possibilities. 1. He is recovering from being boarded and is sleepy and not hungry (trying to get back to a normal rhythm). 2. His kidney value are elevated.

Of course, I'm worried sick.....



https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19IL1nsnIIX2LEjAHaWjxN0owvE3rNGuAH1nCyrWvpbs/edit?usp=sharing
 
It's so frustrating when our kitties won't eat. Have you tried any pure-meat baby food (e.g., chicken or turkey)? That worked really well for my cat when she wouldn't eat anything else. Also, many people, myself included, have had good luck with Fortiflora; just sprinkle it on top of his food. Warming his food might also help.

I'm sure others will have a lot of additional suggestions. These are just a few that immediately came to mind for me.
 
I haven't tried the baby food yet.
Fortiflora doesn't work. We tried it before and he wasn't interested.

He just got up and drank a little a few minutes ago. And about two hours ago I prompted him to drink and he did. I saw him attempt to use the litter box yesterday but I didn't run in there fast enough to see if he did or not.
 
When I adopted my Stinky last year, he wasn't eating much for awhile. It ended up being a URI, which will make them not smell the food and then not eat.

If he was boarded, that is a possibility, imo. The other symptoms are not always evident (i.e. runny nose, cloudy eyes, discharge, etc)
 
Upper Respiratory Infection. Cats can spread it easily when they are in close contact like boarding or the SPCA (where Stinky came from)

I would call the vet and see what they say about getting treatment. Generally it's not an emergency per se, but something you want to get checked out.

How lethargic is he?
 
Tom Mehs said:
Upper Respiratory Infection. Cats can spread it easily when they are in close contact like boarding or the SPCA (where Stinky came from)

I would call the vet and see what they say about getting treatment. Generally it's not an emergency per se, but something you want to get checked out.

How lethargic is he?
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He has an appointment tomorrow morning so I will ask about the URI then.

Bryan thinks he is recovering from not sleeping well at the vet while being boarded. Makes a bit of sense to me.
This morning he slept on the couch for a good few hours. Then I irritated him enough and stood him up and he walked around for a while.... Walked to the top of the stairs, then jumped into a laundry basket, and is now sitting in the back door sleeping. I think I started to "hover" and that potentially altered his behavior. So, I'm trying to go about my normal summer-schedule day while keeping an eye on him while not hovering.
 
Tomorrow should be good.

I am not an expert by any means (especially around here!), I just know because I have seen this before. If he's not totally lethargic that's good.

Good luck tomorrow - hopefully it's very minor and he is back to 100% soon!
 
Was Mister Mistopheles eating/drinking well while he was boarded? Is Mister Mistopheles well hydrated now? You can check for dehydration by pulling up the skin around the scruff and seeing if it snaps back into place right away or is delayed.

If he was not eating well while boarded and he seems dehydrated at all, I would check him for ketones just to be safe. He could have picked up a virus or bacterial infection while boarding or perhaps as you speculated the kidney infection is back. I don't want to be alarmist but too little insulin, dehydration, too little food and an infection can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis which is very serious and can be life threatening if not caught and treated early. If you check for ketones and they are positive, then I would take him to the vet immediately. If they are negative, the vet can wait till tomorrow.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Was Mister Mistopheles eating/drinking well while he was boarded? Is Mister Mistopheles well hydrated now? You can check for dehydration by pulling up the skin around the scruff and seeing if it snaps back into place right away or is delayed.

If he was not eating well while boarded and he seems dehydrated at all, I would check him for ketones just to be safe. He could have picked up a virus or bacterial infection while boarding or perhaps as you speculated the kidney infection is back. I don't want to be alarmist but too little insulin, dehydration, too little food and an infection can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis which is very serious and can be life threatening if not caught and treated early. If you check for ketones and they are positive, then I would take him to the vet immediately. If they are negative, the vet can wait till tomorrow.
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Ok, I will use the blood monitor test. I'm about to test his BG also.
 
Ok most recent reading is
BG 225
Ketones 0.3 (considered in the trace region according to the paperwork)
 
Ok it's best not to have any ketones. Was that test done with a BG meter that measures blood ketones or was it a urine stick? It takes longer for ketones to show up in the urine than the blood, so if there is a trace in the urine, there could be more if the blood was checked. With the recent history, (lowered insulin, boarding, not eating and suspicion of kidney infection) I think I would be inclined to make a trip to the vet just to be on the safe side. Better to be told he is fine than have something lurking that could turn bad very quickly. :(
 
Found this from another discussion:

"If Kathy is using a blood ketone meter, readings of .9 and .5 are not a concern.

The latest published research/studies in cats indicate ketones will begin to show up at readings of 2.4 and 2.55 on a blood ketone meter:"

This is the thread it was on:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...3-2-285-ketones-9-late-5.159588/#post-1703072


ETA I believe there is a different "panic number" for kitties since the meter was intended for human use and kitties' blood is a different composition. Don't quote me on that though ;)
 
Lo0ks like Mary Ann, beat me to it! I just found that reference too. I agree it looks like there is a different panic number for meters. I didn't know if a meter or stick was being used at the time. If that's a blood value, I think a trip to the vet tomorrow is quite OK. Mary Ann, do you agree?
 
@HyperJMA I think those references were on the ketone strip leaflet and therefore are human references...not feline. Given that Mister M's BG is not that high, and the range in the other documentation suggests 2.4 - 2.55 I don't think that 0.3 is of any urgent concern but should be monitored. Sorry for any panic caused but DKA can come on fast and be fatal and I'd rather err on the side of caution.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Lo0ks like Mary Ann, beat me to it! I just found that reference too. I agree it looks like there is a different panic number for meters. I didn't know if a meter or stick was being used at the time. If that's a blood value, I think a trip to the vet tomorrow is quite OK. Mary Ann, do you agree?
Click to expand...

The reference numbers from the post I found are for a blood ketone meter so from my understanding until the readings reach 2.4 or higher on a blood ketone meter you don't have to panic. I was trying to find Sebastian"s readings since he used the same type of meter but I haven't been able to locate his post on it.
 
@HyperJMA Can you please remove the 911 prefix from the title of your message now that we have established that Mister Mistopheles is not in any imminent danger? You can edit the title by clicking on "Thread Tools" at the upper right side of the page. Thx.:)
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
Found this from another discussion:

"If Kathy is using a blood ketone meter, readings of .9 and .5 are not a concern.

The latest published research/studies in cats indicate ketones will begin to show up at readings of 2.4 and 2.55 on a blood ketone meter:"

This is the thread it was on:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...3-2-285-ketones-9-late-5.159588/#post-1703072


ETA I believe there is a different "panic number" for kitties since the meter was intended for human use and kitties' blood is a different composition. Don't quote me on that though ;)
Click to expand...
Thanks Mary Ann, I just saw your tag and glad you found this!
 
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