Dude update.. still in the hospital

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occhi

occhi

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Hello Friends,

I just wanted to give an update on Dude in case anyone has any idea that either we or the Vet haven't thought of. He's been at the emergency Vet since Sunday afternoon. His Ketones are really not moving at all, in fact, they continued to go up the first 2 days he was there. I think they have stopped going up now but haven't started down yet. The Vet has run every test he can think of to figure out why he's so out of whack but there is nothing obvious happening. He does feel that we reduced the insulin to far (our other Vet told us to move down to 1 unit of Prozinc) and that might have caused the problem. They are currently giving him some fast acting insulin via IV (I dont know what its called) as well as antibiotics, and phosphorous and potassium supplements. He still wont eat but he doesnt fight them when they syringe feed him so he is getting food.

I can't sleep :)

Any ideas about what else we could possibly check for?

tmjn
 
I am so sorry .... I too have been where you are. Once a kitty goes DKA, is that what they are calling it? it can take some time to turn around. Have they checked for an infection? Usually .... reduced insulin alone won't send them into DKA by itself (usually ECID) but his not eating, that always makes everything worse.

You have him where he needs to be and lots of R will eventually bring his ketones down. You should try and bring him a shirt you have worn or something with your smell, remind him that home is still there.

In the past year I have had four different vets tell me my Payne wouldn't make it .... DKA four times and DK once. My comment was ..... you get her through this and I will figure it out and keep her alive. With the help of this board, it has been six months since her last.

And, I sorta have a handle on it, enough so that she isn't going to DKA again, finger crossed. So hang in there, I am sending healing prayers for both of you! :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
Hello Nancy and Payne,

They have said he is DKA yes. They also told me that when a kitty comes in DKA they automatically give them antibiotics in case of infection. They said he did not have an infection that they could see but are keeping him on the antibiotics to finish the cycle.

What is ECID?

That is a great idea about the shirt, we will take something to him tonight.

tmjn
 
ECID .... every cat is different .... yes, take him something .... before he quit eating did he have a favorite food? The eating is the important part, he needs to eat. If he did I would bring that, at this point it doesn't matter what it is, just something he will eat.

Unfortunately, when a kitty throws off ketones and goes DKA, you are always going to need to check his ketones and make sure he always eats. He can get beyond this .... my Payne is up in the sun, cleaning one of her civvies (other kitties in home) and she looks great! She has gained back all the weight she lost and her fur is so shiny because of the wet food.

To make you feel better ....at the top right of this page is a search engine for this site, type in Violet and Garland and read their whole ordeal. If they could make it, Dude can make it! Over 5,000 people have read their saga.

It will all work out but you have a lot to learn and this is the place to do it. ProZinc is a good, gentle insulin and we will help you through this.

Nancy and Payne
(who reminds me beans need their sleep :)
beans are what our kitties call us ....
 
He loves tuna. We took him some a couple days ago but he wouldn't touch it. We can sure try again though. I completely didn't understand how important ketone testing was. The Vet never said we needed to do that part and I'm sure some people here must have said to do it but I didn't really understand. We won't make that mistake again.

How often should we ketone test when we get him home?

tmjn
 
The learning curve in the beginning is steep but very doable. We will help you every step of the way.

In the beginning when he gets home, you will need to check daily. The most important thing is that he eats. I missed the last DKA because I thought she had got into some other food that made her sick and quit eating. She went into DKA within 6 hrs.

Also, I'm not sure if you have but you should post in the pzi forum. They can also guide you when he gets home. The people are friendly and will be ready to help you get Dude healthy. Sometimes health can get so busy .... come over, it is not as busy but everyone uses your insulin.

It will all work out.
Nancy and Payne
(it is right before her shot and she thinks she can WILL the cabinet open where the food is .... :)
 
Thanks for keeping us updated on Dude's progress.

They could not find an infection or any underlying cause when my cat had DKA, either. But, I knew he was in the best of hands that he could be in, when he was at the hospital. I brought him his favorite toy, and went to visit him everyday. I think the visits really helped him. Everyday, he got just a little bit stronger. I tried bringing his favorite food, and he still wouldn't eat, maybe a bite or two, but not enough, so he was given a feeding tube. Eventually, he was released from the hospital and came home with the feeding tube, still in place. I learned to give him his liquid food through the feeding tube, but the next day he took it out himself, and began eating on his own. That was a big happy dance day. That was 5 years ago. J.D. is fine today. I still check his ketones often.

I am sending super strong healing vines to your Dude, and hugs to you.
 
Hi!

Good news last night. Dude's ketones finally started to go down. He still won't eat but the syringe feeding is helping. The Vet said if all goes well today we might be able to bring him home tonight though I want to be sure we don't rush things and move him too early. I thought you would like to know :)

tmjn
 
It is important that you don't bring him home while he still has ketones, this is very critical. It is very common for a kitty to come home from DKA and then go right back because once the R stops, the ketones return.

Do you know how to give SubQ fluids? it is not hard but it is a good tool for keeping ketones away.

When Payne was first Dx diabetic, she immediately went into a very serious DKA .... she was in ER for 10 days. She was still showing trace after that time but they felt she would be ok .... this was before we realized that she threw ketones for almost no reason, she was back within 2 days and stayed another 5.

My prayers are with you and Dude, thanks for the update!
 
Hello Nancy and Payne,

I have no idea what SubQ fluids means let alone how to give them. Can you tell me?


tmjn
 
Nancy (thank you so much BTW Nancy) said:


It is important that you don't bring him home while he still has ketones, this is very critical. It is very common for a kitty to come home from DKA and then go right back because once the R stops, the ketones return.
 
In ER Dude is not getting pzi for the ketones, he is getting a regular insulin ... it is fast acting and helps knock the ketones down, it is normally referred to as R .... SubQ fluids are given for many reasons to help keep a cat hydrated but they are also good with keeping ketones down. In ER he should be getting both in high doses.

You can give him SQ fluids at home it is not that hard to do, you should talk to your vet. In the beginning after ER they help keep the kitty stabilized and healing.
 
hi!

Ok I will make a note to ask that. I have a whole notebook full of stuff I need to ask him about. They are going to be happy to see the back of me I'm sure. Calling every 4 hours asking 40 million questionss... oh yeah :)

Thanks again!

tmjn
 
occhi said:
hi!

Ok I will make a note to ask that. I have a whole notebook full of stuff I need to ask him about. They are going to be happy to see the back of me I'm sure. Calling every 4 hours asking 40 million questionss... oh yeah :)

Thanks again!

tmjn
Click to expand...
You Go Girl :-D Sending lots of healing vines to Dude!
 
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