Florence, 14, diagnosed this afternoon

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Ally & Florence

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Hi,
I'm Ally & I my 14 yr old cat, Florence, was diagnosed as diabetic earlier this afternoon. I noticed excess drinking & urination about 10 days ago, but put it down to the horrendous heatwave we've been having here in Perth. Yesterday I noticed she was leaving biscuits in the bowl - she's been on a diet for a few months & is usually harassing us for more, so this started to ring alarm bells. I took her in today for a checkup & the vet did a urine-test which showed excessive glucose in the urine. Proteins were a bit high & can't remember what she said about ketones, but presumable no DKA. She also took a blood test to check there was no underlying issue such as kidneys. Results should be back Monday afternoon. cat_pet_icon

My main issue at the moment is that Flo is just not interested in eating & I'm worried that she may deteriorate between now & Monday if she doesn't get any food into her. Has anyone been in a similar situation? The vet didn't want to initiate insulin injections until she knew there were no other issues and did say not to worry if she wasn't interested in eating, but worrying is what you do!

Advice appreciated & welcomed,
Cheers, Ally
 
CAT NOT EATING-Re: Florence, 14, diagnosed this afternoon

Hi Ally and Florence,

You are right to be concerned about Flo not eating. DKA can deteriorate fast. I don't have any experience in this dept, but there will be others on here shortly. It's 5 am now in the Eastern US. Can you get a glucometer at a local pharmacy and test Flo yourself? If her numbers are high then she should be started on insulin immediately. The sooner she gets insulin treatment the better she will feel.

edited to add... Ally, please edit your post to say that Flo is NOT EATING in the subject line. More people will respond quicker.
 
Hi Ally, and welcome!

The red flag in your post is DKA. If Florence has it she should be hospitalized now, not later. Please go to a pharmacy and buy ketostix, they will be with the diabetic supplies and here in the US they are often kept behind the counter, so ask your chemist. Test Florence's urine and, if the reading is moderate or larger, take her to a 24 hour emergency facility.

DKA is caused by some combination of not enough food, not enough insulin and/or an underlying infection. It requires immediate treatment. DKA is a fatal disease if not treated quickly.

Please post here as soon as you have checked for ketones. Actually, since Florence is already inappetant, diagnosed diabetic and not on insulin if she were my cat I would be on my way to the ER right now.

Gia & Quirk (GA)

Guilt trips are a detour from life

Please let us hear from you as soon as possible, we can help you manage the rest, but for DKA you need hospitalization.
 
Ally, rght now I would buy some Ketostix (ketone urine testing) or KetoDiastix (tests urine for both glucose and ketones). I think the others misread your post as Florence does have them, instead of the vet saying there is no sign of them. The not eating is a major factor......will she eat canned? Dry food should be pulled and she should be fed canned. Right now I would feed her anything she wants to get her to eat. Also, please buy a glucometer...hometesting is a life saver. Please keep us informed on how Florence is doing.
 
Hi & thanks for the welcome & responses. Flo deteriorated during the night & we took her in to the emergency vet early this morning. She had gone into shock & DKA. The vet surgeon stabilised her condition and by this afternoon her temperature, blood pressure & breathing were all pretty close to normal. However her kidneys still were not producing urine. She's remaining at the hospital overnight while they start with insulin & hope to kickstart her kidneys, but I'm expecting the worst - I'll hear from them in the morning.

Will let you know what happens. Not in a good head-space at the moment.

Ally :cry:
 
You have done everything right, Ally, and it sounds like the ER folks know exactly what they're doing. We are sending prayers and support to Flo and to you.

Please take this time to learn about the basics of treating FD. Start with our FAQs and Dr. Pierson's invaluable site on feline nutrition, www.catinfo.org To learn about insulins go to the petdiabetes wiki and explore the various groups on the Insulin Support Groups forum. The more you know when Flo is released the better you will feel about everything.

If you want your hand held, post about it. There are a lot of post-DKA moms here to help you through.
 
Sending prayers that Florence will pull through and be home with you soon. She is at the right place...Mishka battled several severe DKA episodes in the beginning and she not only survived, she is still here with me 6 1/2 years later. I will say that cats that throw ketones may very well be prone to them so I would make sure you have Ketostix on hand, a huge ladle to catch urine in, and a disposable cup. I buy those clear drinking cups so when I catch urine in the ladle I can then pour it into the cup and test. That way I can also retest if need be.

Please let us know how Florence is doing today.
 
I hope your kitty starts responding to treatment soon. It took my Whistle 6 days in the ER for her DKA to subside and her kidneys to start responding. The vets didn't think she would pull through (her kidneys were looking very bad, probably due to dehydration), but we kept giving her one more day, and she did eventually start responding. So don't give up hope too soon, because with good treatment many kitties with DKA are able to come home and have a good quality of life.
 
Hi to all - update on Florence.

My beautiful & much-loved companion of 14 years crossed the rainbow bridge just before noon today. Her kidneys were still not responding & she had suffered a stroke, also. She seems to have waited until we were with her and went of her own accord just as the surgeon came to send her over. She will be so greatly missed but leaves so many wonderful & happy memories.

My thanks for all your prayers and best wishes. Good luck & long happy lives to you all.

Ally :cry:
 
Ally, was so praying Florence would pull through. My heart goes out to you....you did everything you could for her and she waited for you to be there. Heartbreaking......my deepest sympathy on the loss of your little girl. wings_cat
 
I'm so sorry, Ally, that Florence's time has come. She lived a life blessed by your love and companionship. God called her home to be with Him. May He grant you comfort and peace now.
 
I am so very sorry for your loss (((((Ally))))). Godspeed and Angel wings, Florence. wings_cat
 
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