Diabetes, DKA, and distance

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B. & Juniper "Babbu"

B. & Juniper "Babbu"

Member Since 2015
Hi all,

My softest son, nearly 12 year old Cat Guy ("Malachy" on the paperwork) has had a rough year.

Mystery illness in late February/March, with no indication from a full blood panel as to what might have caused it. He then continued to lose weight which escaped our notice for a while as he's longhaired and his fluff made it difficult to perceive his actual stature. (Also, he's not in my direct care right now -- I am overseas with my partner for 2 years on a fellowship and my proxy caregiver is a friend in Pittsburgh who's doing his best but I agonizingly wish it was me, I wish it was me, I wish it was me.)

To cut out a bunch of details he was diagnosed with diabetes at the end of August, started on PZI. Very underweight, but had one good checkup (2 oz weight gained!) and then a discouraging one, and then -- crashed with DKA.

He's been at the vet hospital for nearly a week and is in recovery from the DKA, which of course looked really dicey for the first 48 hours or so. They're now testing him on glargine (Lantus) and I've got my fingers crossed for that working out much better than the PZI which evidently was not doing anything for him. They anticipate discharging him tomorrow, and then bringing him back in in a week or two for a glucose curve.

I guess I'm mainly posting here because I'm hoping for success stories about aging underweight cats who crashed with DKA and pulled through to live a good while longer. I know this is sort of unrealistic in a lot of ways - what happens with one cat doesn't predict what happens with another; moreover, Cat Guy at nearly 12 is already pushing the average lifespan. But any positive stories would be incredibly welcome. I'm miserable on the other side of the globe from my soft man.
 
Hi 'B' and 'Cat Guy'! Welcome to the best place you never wanted to be!

Yes we have quite a few success stories with DKA cats! Actually many more that made it thru than were lost by far. The recipe for DKA is not enough insulin+not eating+infection/inflammation. One very important part of this 'sugar dance' is for your friend to learn test at home. It's not hard, it's just different.

12 isn't necessarily old for a cat - it's according to the breed. Dakota (aka Doc) is over 14, has been diabetic for over 4 years and is still being a silly normal cat.

We have a sub-forum entitled 'Feline Health' that will get you started. Poke around and post there with any questions! There's a lot to soak in, we love questions!

Again, WELCOME! We'd love you to invite Cat Guy's caregiver to join us too!
 
Hello B -- I can't share a DKA success story but I'm sure there are many here. I'm sure someone will be along to post to give you some positive perspective.

How hard it must be for you to be away from Cat Guy! How lovely to have a friend willing to take care of Cat Guy, but I know it is so hard for you.

Healing thoughts for your "soft man".
 
Welcome B & Cat Guy. I echo on how great to have a friend care for your kitty while you are away. Maybe your friend would also be interested in joining this group too. There is so much information here. I read, read and read some more have learned so much here. I have read many success stories of kitties that are recovering from DKA. Your vet has prescribed to you a great insulin. Home testing is the key. You have a lot of people that are very knowledgeable with the Lantus insulin. I bet Cat Guy will be glad to get home and to be on the road to recovery.
 
Thanks for your input friends. It's really encouraging to know that recovery from DKA is possible.

I'll definitely put the idea of home testing on the table with Sean but I'm not certain he'll throw himself into it like I know I would, or whether he'll consent to do it at all. I think the doctor at the hospital is gunning to regulate the BG higher than tight regulation would get it to account for not testing at home, but like I said - I'll bring it up. It's tough to be so removed and only able to ask for so much from a friend, you know?
 
Thank you for yout testimonial B & Cat Guy,
I also have a DKA (dx twice) cat who was on Lantus (9 months) then switched to PZI (since august), wich i'm losing my trust on this insulin. Numbers are quite alarming following that swap. For better insulin management, my vet says. I gave to my vet the benefit of doubt for choosing Prozinc but after a month of injections, i doubt of the benefits.
 
Home testing is a safety thing. Ask him if he'd drive with the windshield covered in mud.
While you work on gently convincing him, check out my Notes to Share in my signature. It has a link to Seconday Monitoring Tools which are other helpful assessments along the lines of things your vet may ask or which are common indicators of diabetes control (thirst, water intake, elimination, urine ketone and glucose testing).
 
J.D. is a DKA survivor. He was diagnosed when he was 11 years old, and had DKA soon after and was hospitalized for 8 1/2 days. He just passed away 2 weeks after his 20th Birthday last November, so he was 9 years on insulin, and lived a good long life.
I wish you luck with your softest son.
 
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