Diabetic cat hasn't eaten since breakfast yesterday - Help??

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@Justyn oh, I know. I seriously thought Turkey was dying when he was in the middle of the pancreatitis attack (episode? not sure what they're called). If it is indeed pancreatitis and you can get him on the anti-nausea/pain meds hopefully he'll make a quick recovery. It was literally within 24-48 hours for Turkey. He started eating the same day - didn't even need the appetite stimulant scrip I got for him since the Cerenia took care of the nausea and he was no longer in pain.
 
Just went to walmart for ketone strips.... and now in absolute shock and disbelief as the test came out VERY HIGH... the color was as dark (meaning high levels) as it gets while following the instructions on the back... No way I can afford an ER vet tonight - having the hubby take him in for blood work tomorrow morning but it's only with the vet tech as vet didn't have appt's - so i don't know if they'll be able to do anything else such as give us fluids,meds, etc as i will not be able to afford to have him hospitalized and don't think he'll even make it till Thursday (let alone tomorrow at the rate he's looking like every hour more)... and i just don't understand now especially how it got so bad so quick.. granted, i'd never checked his urine for ketones (even though its so damn easy and cheap, lesson learned much too late) but his BG readings have been normal for the first time in so long... and he's been so amazingly doing great and i've been checking him less and less because he'd been acting great and gaining tons of weight/muscle mass, and is still nice and chunky - but no warning period... In the AM he ate like a lion, peeing normal amounts, grooming and playing a lot! but the PM same day is when he stopped eating since and the lethargy arose....

I know my vet last time recommended a hospital stay for iv drip of fluids, but i truly can't afford that so would see if they'd be able to just give fluids under the skin and let me take fluids home to do at home, as i can tell he is definitely dehydrated. thank you all for your help, but I am truly in shock about his ketone results and not sure if the vet would agree to let me do the home-remedy, as he may need a really good flush...
 
TurkeyCat said:
@Justyn oh, I know. I seriously thought Turkey was dying when he was in the middle of the pancreatitis attack (episode? not sure what they're called). If it is indeed pancreatitis and you can get him on the anti-nausea/pain meds hopefully he'll make a quick recovery. It was literally within 24-48 hours for Turkey. He started eating the same day - didn't even need the appetite stimulant scrip I got for him since the Cerenia took care of the nausea and he was no longer in pain.
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Now I'm wishing it was just pancreatitis.... who knows, with my luck - it could be a double whammy...
 
I've been reading your description of Socks' condition and alarm bells are going off for me. You say he hasn't eaten much since yesterday, his breathing is laboured, he's dehydrated and you're getting a "very high" reading on the ketone test strip. He could well be diving down into ketoacidosis and this is a true medical emergency! You've mentioned several times above that you can't afford any vet expenses until the end of the week and that Socks won't be seen until Thursday. If there's ANY way you can get him seen immediately, please do it. Do you have friends or family that can help?
 
@Meya14

High urine ketones in this cat - Can you help?

Justyn - read over stuff Meya14 has posted for other cat with ketones. (you can search in the upper right corner search box for her user name and it will bring up a lot of posts).

Hydration is key, plus getting some insulin in, and testing a lot.
 
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Yes, with the ketone strip confirming, it definitely seems as DKA... there's no way we can get him to an ER vet tonight, and are looking into resources for him to get seen tomorrow but i only have an appointment with a vet tech -so I'm not even sure how they're going to be able to help as the appointment is just for a blood draw.. His condition has been getting worse through the day, was at his water bowl drinking lots but hasn't been at it for an hour or two now... to say the least, i wasn't prepared for anything like this and have family that are struggling more than i do... the only thing i can hope for is for him to make it through the night so i can try to get a care credit limit raise, as my vet won't help with financing.. i gave him 1u at 715 after his PMPS reading was 430 (although he didn't eat of course) but trying to get his numbers down further... he was so consistently in these numbers before but nothing like this had happened with the worse regulation... don't have any resources at this time of the night
 
All,

I have posted a 911 alert on L&L to see if we can get more eyes over here to help Justyn and Socks.


Mogs
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Justyn, have you tried giving him chicken baby food (just chicken and gravy)? Many cats love it. You really do need to get him seen. This is highly critical. Please contact DCIN. You have no time to lose.

If he is that nauseated, I'm afraid syringe feeding would just cause him to vomit, losing even more fluid. If he's not drinking water, that's a really bad sign. You might try syringing water into him. All this is assuming you even have a syringe to do this with (it's different from an insulin syringe).

I'll be praying for you and your baby. I hope you can get in touch with DCIN and get him seen. Please keep us posted!
 
If you attempt syringing water do it SIDEWAYS across the mouth and in very small amounts to allow time for swallowing.

Make sure any baby food you try does not contain garlic or onions. If in any doubt post for advice here.

.
 
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I did try chicken and hes absolutely not hungry... He was drinking tons of water himself up until about 3am and hasnt moved from a spot since... Trying right now to get him in hospitalized with vet...
 
Yes and he was puking quite a bit last nght so couldnt try force feeding as he was gaging every time at the smell... So unbelievably shocked its gotten so much worse so quickly
 
Yes I'm hoping the vet can get him in... i doubt just sub-con fluids will even hold him over... i've moved finances around and I'm going to surely hurt for it later this month but the issue is just getting him care asap... Hoping my vet will agree to start treatment (hospitalization) asap while waiting for blood work to come in tomorrow.. He tested very high for ketones so am hoping they'll take my word for it in the mean time.. he's very clearly dehyrdated and lethargic - so hoping they see that he needs help asap - but we truly will not be able to take him to an ER for care, i just applied for a credit line increase of $500 on my care credit that i've paid down most of my original $500 - and of course, denied. Vet doesnt open until 9am - left a message and waiting so hopelessly for their call. His stomach area felt pretty large despite not eating for now 2 days, and im wondering if it could also be pancreatits as it was just bigger in one part of his tummy... don't know what we're gunna do if the vet can't get us a normal appointment and just stuck with a tech... not sure what their level of ability is for treatment..
 
If my vet is able to, we would keep him there during the day and pick him up at 5pm, and bring him back for another day of hosp - but there's no way I could afford an ER vet and we'd have to look into EUTH before being able to keep him in an intensive care..
 
Justyn said:
If my vet is able to, we would keep him there during the day and pick him up at 5pm, and bring him back for another day of hosp - but there's no way I could afford an ER vet and we'd have to look into EUTH before being able to keep him in an intensive care..
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Please see my post right above yours. You can e-mail Jenna at DCIN. I sent a FB PM to her with the link for this posting. This organization helps people with diabetic kitties in emergency situations. Once you are in contact with her and it is approved the financing can be done very quickly. An ER vet with 24 hour monitoring is the best place for your kitty, as they need to treat DKA very aggressively.
 
I will email DCIN... thanks.. and vet agreed to get him started on iv fluids for the day... but when we bring him in we will find out if it's even worth to try stabilizing as his condition has just been getting worse this morning..
 
DKA must be treated with IV fluids to balance the electrolytes, fast acting insulin and a dextrose drip if the numbers drop too low, and food..if the kitty will not eat they may have to put a nasogastric tube in to feed until he is eating on his own. This treatment cannot be done at home and must be done by a vet who knows how to properly treat DKA. This can save his life and DCIN will help with most of the cost if you get a hold of Jenna
 
Justyn said:
I will email DCIN... thanks.. and vet agreed to get him started on iv fluids for the day... but when we bring him in we will find out if it's even worth to try stabilizing as his condition has just been getting worse this morning..
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Without treatment he will get worse every minute. It is a very fast moving condition, like minute by minute.
 
Justyn said:
no no definitely not trying to treat DKA at home - vet will get him in in a few minutes - if he's strong enough..
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If your vet can get the proper treatment started then please contact Jenna at DCIN. If you can get Socks stabilized at the vet he will still need more care and taking him home until the next day is not a good approach.

ETA Prayers and healing energy sent for you and Socks :bighug: :bighug:
 
They got socks hooked up with an iv for now until the vet can take a look at him to see if blood work/treatment is even worth it... On top of this, my fiance may have actually lost his job due to calling off to take him in today as I needed to be at work for Overtime... It's unbelievable how family emergencies are excused, but as pets are part of anyone's family, his job couldn't care less.. So now, especially if vet thinks he needs 24 hour care, that just won't be possible..
 
That is horrible that your fiancé may have lost his job over this. While I hate lying above all else, I'd do it in a heartbeat with an unsympathetic employer if I were in your position. Please don't give up on Socks. He's a very young cat and if you get him through this you can enjoy many more years of kitty bliss with him. Sending healing prayers and thoughts that Socks rallies and you can get him the care he needs ASAP. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
That is horrible that your fiancé may have lost his job over this. While I hate lying above all else, I'd do it in a heartbeat with an unsympathetic employer if I were in your position. Please don't give up on Socks. He's a very young cat and if you get him through this you can enjoy many more years of kitty bliss with him. Sending healing prayers and thoughts that Socks rallies and you can get him the care he needs ASAP. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
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Appreciate the kind words, as I completely agree and my employer couldn't care less - but his is just awful as this is only his SECOND time calling off. Thank you again
 
Justyn said:
On top of this, my fiance may have actually lost his job due to calling off to take him in today
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Utterly heartless if his employers carry through on this threat. (I despair of people who have allowed their value systems to become that screwed up.) I pray that the employers will show some compassion.

Sending more prayers for Socks.

:bighug:


Mogs
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I'm sure DCIN will help. Don't give up yet. Was your fiance able to go to work after taking Socks to the vet? What if he offered to work late? I hope his employer will get over it and he can keep his job. I think you have a wonderful fiance, by the way.

Sending tons of prayers for Socks, and :bighug:s for you and your fiance.
 
I have emailed DCIN and am waiting for a reply.. but unfortunately his work couldn't care less about being there - it's more about the point (occurrence) and i swear, if he were even 1 minute late on a normal day- it's an occurrence so the same as him staying home. He would have gone in if he didn't get such a nasty email from his manager... But I know vet office closes at 6 so they may be able to give me sub con fluids to take home to get him through the night - but we're still waiting on the vets call to let us know what they think - if they think he'll make it through and what treatment options we have.. and he is wonderful, i am very lucky to have him...
 
Justyn, could I ask you to please take down the 911? You have a bunch of us following you now, and Socks in getting care. Seeing that on a subject line causes hearts to stop around here! ;)
 
Thank you all, I am hoping they'll let me know of any resources... In the mean time socks is just getting fluids until the vet can determine if he will be able to be treated... i just hope they are honest rather than just trying to get money out of us - as if they honestly say he needs 24 hour care, we'll have to look into EUTH, but have a feeling they'll say he should be ok with just the day hospitalizations as he was last time - but with how bad of condition he's in, i agree with you guys about 24hr care being his best option. but i was just quoted from the only one in my town a $1000 deposit for the NIGHT
 
FYI: I see a "GA" label beside your thread title and people will think that you've lost Socks already. GA means "gone ahead" or "guardian angel" for kitties that have passed.
 
Justyn, if DCIN gets involved they will take care of the deposit etc. for emerg. care so please don't make a hasty irreversible decision till you hear back from them.
 
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