Eukanubo 3/21

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hbs60

hbs60

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Good morning,

Euk isn't doing well, but not horribly either. I thought it was odd that he didn't get me up as usual, I got up and instead of following me, he stayed in bed. After a while, I decided to pick him up and he growled. Lately he's been growling when I pick him up, which is not common either. Refused to eat. He used the litter box and just threw up some liquid stuff. I think he's nauseous but how can I tell? +11 glucose is 283, normally I would be very happy but with his not eating, I have the same dilemma as to whether to dose at all or not. If he doesn't eat, I'll probably not dose at all. I wish I hadn't canceled the vet visit yesterday and today I'm busy at work all day, I'll try to see if I can drop him off, but I have no idea whats wrong, I'm starting to worry about things like kidney failure, or pancreatitis, or God knows what. At least he is up and looking at me, not curled up in a ball or in agony, which is of some comfort, but something just ain't right...
 
HI HB,
I am sorry he isnt feeling well and It sounds like he should go to the vet
It kinda sounds like he could be in pain, and with not eating may Pancreatitus
or something else
I would also worry about shooting if he is not eating
Did you check for ketones?
 
He used the litterbox when I wasn't looking and it was too late for me to get a sample. I'm sure they'll check all that stuff at the vet. Last time he had X rays, the vet said that he seemed to have a thickened small intestine but wasn't sure if it was something to worry about (like lymphoma) or not. Being that he got very sick last year and ultrasound revealed a lymph node that was too small to biopsy, I'm thinking that he may indeed, have lymphoma which may be causing intestinal problems, thus, the end may be near :sad: Of course, it could be just a hairball problem or something simple like that, there's no way I can tell. Realistically, I'm trying to prepare for the worst, as he is 14 and had a good life. Even if he gets better this time, I don't think he can keep up with this for too long. At least I'm comforted by the fact that he's had a good life and I'm doing everything I can to keep him healthy and comfortable. I guess more shall be revealed later today...
 
Good luck at the vet. Hopefully it's just a hairball or he needs an enema or something not so long term. You said he's 14, I had a little girl that made it to 18, despite all kinds of UTIs and other issues. Euk is getting into his "glory years" - hopefully he's still got a little fire in his belly (speaking of... did he eat something he shouldn't have?).

I think the drop off at the vet is a good thing. They can keep a check on him and you can have some peace of mind. Hopefully the "this too shall pass" will sum up his experience. I know Grayson sometimes gets grumbly when I pick him up. Maybe Mr P is just a little inflamed. Good luck - keep us tuned in as you can.
 
The only thing I can think of he's eaten is grass from the backyard, which he's done a lot of times before with no apparent ill effect. He seems to prefer to eat grass than his regular food. He's also started to munch on the houseplants this morning but caught him just in time. It seems he's trying to get relief from the nausea any way he can. He looks quite alert and is still interested in looking out of the window, but still, the list of things that could be wrong is still something to consider. I'm off to the vet in a few minutes, I'll let y'all know what transpires today. Thanks to everybody for your support, you've been great!
 
No idea, as I don't know enough about plants to say one way or another. He doesn't look poisoned as he is quite alert and is still interested in looking outside of the window, I would think he would be all lethargic and ill-looking.
He's at the vet's now, so I need to get ready to go to work and wait to see what they say.
 
Good luck with Euko at the vet.
I hope it will be something easily treatable. Hopefully they can give him something for the nausea so he will start eating again.
Its good you took him in right away before he goes too long without eating.
I'll check in later for an update.
 
Hi, all,

nothing yet, waiting for the vet to call. They called me soon after I dropped him off because they wanted his insulin and spreadsheets, when I got there, the vet (a different one because the regular one wasn't in today) wanted to give him 2 units for a glucose of something like 393, so of course I said no way, explaining how he responds to the doses, but that I thought he would do OK with 1/2 a unit, which is what he got.She was talking about fructosamine and the DM diet but I explained that he was on a diabetic diet before when originally diagnosed and didn't work, and at this point I'm not worried about the fructosamine. They are getting X rays, urine, labs, so far haven't heard of any results, I called and the dr was busy, but the tech said that he seemed OK and nibbled a little at his food. We may not get all of the labs until tomorrow but at least I want to know about the x rays as they have already been done.
The worst part is the wait. I'm home for lunch, so I cleaned his dish, changed his bed liners, threw away his old food with a heavy heart, not knowing if he'll be back or not. Nothing to do but hang in there...
 
You got that right - the worst part IS waiting to hear back. I just spoke w/ Kim and she's in the same place.

I know it's really hard to be home, not knowing, waiting... and I'm sure the house feels terribly empty. You have to keep in mind, however, that you've been on top of Euk's condition for a while now - you know better than them - what it takes to keep his BG in line. You can tell when he's "not quite himself". They can only do their standard operating procedure. YOU are the primary reason he's doing as well as he is, AND are [hopefully] teaching them that ECID. SOPs only work when the bean doesn't know better or doesn't wish to pursue it.

Hold on to the hope that he's strong enough to get through whatever this turns out to be. Stop in to sit with him if they'll let you - he'll be relieved to have dad nearby. And try to be as patient as you can while waiting the results.

Prayers & thoughts w/ you, Euk & his doctors.

Lu-Ann
 
Clumsy I phone update: (I'm at the vet)
x rays normal ( big relief) no ketones in urine(another big relief) rest of labs pending, ate a little, will be sent home on appetite stimulant results tomorrow
 
OK, we are now home so I can type easier than trying to text with the I-phone. He was given two medicines, mirtazapine to stimulate his appetite, 1/4 tab every 72 hours (interestingly, in humans mirtazapine is an antidepressant that causes weight gain and can be sedating) and famotidine (same as Pecpid) 1/2 tab twice a day for 5 days for stomach irritation, which makes sense to me. He got 1/2 unit around 9:30 AM (normally I dose around 5-5:30 AM so I'm thinking of skipping his evening dose because it will really mess up his schedule. The good thing is that there is no horrible intestinal obstruction, no ketoacidosis, so the thing that remains to be ruled out is kidney failure, in which case I need to make some decisions. I fear that managing both his diabetes and kidneys will be too overwhelming so I may need to make "the decision" in the near future. Sure, there's no rush, but I'm not optimistic that he'll bounce back so I'm trying to get ready. I was bracing myself for that today and while I'm relieved that it wasn't necessary, he's not out of the woods and it's taking a toll on me.

At least, for now, he's home, seems OK although a bit bewildered, and will take it one day at a time. Thanks, as always, for your support.
 
Be careful with the mirtazapine (sp?)--it made Cass act like he was drunk; and since started eating I only gave him the once dose. If he's super spacey that may be the culprit. The vet hospital said you can dose 1/8 of a tablet if you can cut it that small.
 
Glad you were able to get Euk to the vet and get some meds. I hope they will be a big help to you.
Try to stay positive. The one day at a time mantra is a good one always.
Sending you all the best...
 
The vet gave the mirtazapine while still in the office so not much I can do about it. So far he's acting bewildered but I think it's the stress of today. He does seem to be eating better thank goodness. I checked a BG around his usual PMPS time and it was I the upper 400s so I went ahead and gave a token dose of 0.2. So, it seems the crisis is over for now but I'll feel different depending on what the lab results are and how he does.
 
His acting bewildered is probably just a result of being at the vet most of the day. My kitties always act jumpy when the come home from the vet for awhile, esp. if they were dropped off without their mom bean for tests or something.
Glad to hear hes eating a little, the pepcid will help too.
I think you made a good choice reducing his dose tonight.
Waiting for test results is so hard on us when we're already worried about our kitties.
The kidney issues can be managed unless really bad. His other results were good, so hoping everything else will be too.
Sending you and Euk good vibes for a stress free and peaceful night. I know hes glad to be back home.
 
A couple of ideas about the cutting of the pill.

I use a razer from my tool drawer to make even the smallest cuts. It's nice & thin, and sharp, so it makes a clean cut. The other thing I've started doing, as Moochie Pooch can pick a pill out of ANYthing, is to take the dose on a plate, take a glass and crush it. It doesn't fly, just goes to powder. Then put the food on top, and mix it up well. If it works for Moochie, surely it will work for Euk!

BTW: On Kitty & Chewy's post today, Kim mentioned several things that Kitty may get for her kidney issues - see below. She's not been on this evening while I've been here, and she's not answering either phone, so I'm guessing she went up to the vet school as she said earlier. Some of those items might be worth asking your vet about, if they are, in fact, the issues Euk is having.

Probably the biggest concern is she is anemic-- another thing I mentioned to the vet this weekend. I knew that the licking of the concrete was a sign of anemia, but her red blood cells were in a normal range on the blood work at the ER Sunday, so I thought maybe it was a calcium deficiancy. She was dehydrated on Sunday, so the RBC would have been more concentrated and masked the anemia. I know this is not good news and an uphill battle. The vet asked if I wanted to go to the vet school, but I am not sure that would help, but I am going to consult with them. I am taking her back to my vet this afternoon--we will start B12 shots, fish oil treatments, Iron supplements, and Pet-tinic. The other Big negative is her bone marrow is not regenerating many red blood cells---I used epogen in a CRF cat I had before to help with this, but supposedly it is not easy to get now. I will make an attempt to find it today--there are some negatives in using it, but it can be very beneficial.

Glad he's home with you. Will be watching for your results tomorrow. Good luck!
 
I have been following & haven't said anything because I don't have advice.
I do want to say I hope Euk starts to feel better very soon.

I am thinking about both of you.
I know you will keep us updated & I will be watching.
Jenn & Baxter
 
Thanks to all of you who have been so supportive and caring. It really makes a big difference when I'm worried to know that others are watching and being there for us, it feels a lot less lonely that way. As far as the pills, they dispensed them pre-cut so I don't have to worry about that, and he happens to be a very good pill taker. He seemed fine last night, but didn't sleep with me he normally does. This morning he seems OK but is refusing to eat. I think I need to give it time as he does eat but it makes me nervous to give the insulin when I have to go to work.
 
If he still isnt eating shooting the insulin will not be good
Glad he is home and doing ok
Good luck today with the results
did you give him the pepcid this moring?
Healing vibes your way
 
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