Help!! Babygirl in Serious Trouble!

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Angiebaby

Angiebaby

Member Since 2014
My sugarbaby, Babygirl, has not eaten for over 48 hours now. Se takes Novlin Insulin. 2.5 in the am and 2.0 in the pm. I stopped her insulin yesterday due to her not eating. She has gotten worse. She won't eat, not drinking much or urinating much for that matter, she is lethargic, taking a few steps then having to stop to rest. She has not pooped since yesterday. I checked her bloodsugar on her relion meter and it is 516. I just pushed 2.0 units insulin at 6:15. I am trying to use a syringe to give her water. I heard chicken broth is also helpful. Any info would be great as she has been turned away by every vet in the area for inability to pay. I love my cat and will do anything for her. Please any advise is so very welcome. doing another bg at 7:15. Going to continue to check her bg to ensure she doesn't go hypo on me. Please help!!
 
You need to get food into her - check out youtube for videos on how to syringe/assist feed if she won't do it on her own. Offer her anything to get her to eat no matter what carb content etc. Cats develop liver problems quite fast if they're not eating. Since your spreadsheet is not up to date I don't know what her numbers have been like but if they have been high she may have developed DKA. Are you able to get some ketodiastix to check her urine for ketones?

:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Vyktors Mum said:
You need to get food into her - check out youtube for videos on how to syringe/assist feed if she won't do it on her own. Offer her anything to get her to eat no matter what carb content etc. Cats develop liver problems quite fast if they're not eating. Since your spreadsheet is not up to date I don't know what her numbers have been like but if they have been high she may have developed DKA. Are you able to get some ketodiastix to check her urine for ketones?

:bighug::bighug::bighug:
Click to expand...
I have updated her spreadsheet. I am syringe feeding her water and chicken broth. She is eating it, but losing a lot out of her mouth. Her blood sugar is going up as I expected it to with her drinking some broth. Her insulin peaks between 3-4 hrs after given. I am bg her every hour to keep a good eye on it. Any other advise? What should I try to feed her with the syringe? Any suggestions? Getting very nervous!
 
I have never had to syringe feed but the one rule I hear repeated often is not to give the foods they regularly eat as they may develop an aversion to them. You want to feed a high calorie food
 
You wrote in the Remarks section "

Got into the trash the night before so high am bg" Maybe she ate something she's not supposed to or wasn't good for her.

Here's the video for syringe feeding:
I used a Magic Bullet to puree the food. I used a mixture of Iams Maximum Calorie with other cat food.
 
Ok, her bg is down to 433 now at 3 hrs. I am syringe feeding her some kitty sip milk blended with real pumpkin as I think she might be constipated. I also have given her 5 syringes full of a mixture of blended canned turkey cheese & gravy with vitiam d milk. I am trying. Also giving her s syringe of water or two every 15-20 minutes. Any advice on how often I should be feeding and watering her with the syringe?

She is still lethargic and doesn't want to move. No urine at this point to check for keytones.
 
You can mix up any food to make it liquidy..... just know that she probably won't ever want to eat it again.
I would not use cow milk.
That's not good for them.

You want to feed fairly often to equate at least a normal portion.....

Perhaps this might help...
if you don't have all the ingredients below.... just do what you can...



THE '~LIVER SHAKE~' FOR SICK CATS
This liquid food is appropriate for cats suffering from conditions where they are eating very little or not at all such as anemias, leukemias, deficiency states with symptoms of lethargy, listlessness, and weakness.

1 cup RAW LIVER (BEEF, or CHICKEN)
1 cup FRESH CARROT JUICE or V-8, or Tomato Juice
1/4 cup *FRESH FILTERED WATER
1 RAW EGG YOLK
1 tsp.KELP POWDER OR SPIRULINA


COMBINE AND MIX IN A BLENDER UNTIL LIQUEFIED. (Note: it will be frothy)

Dosage:Administer 10cc daily 3-6 times a day. (6Occ per day max)

Some cats will need to be force-fed with a syringe, while others will drink it out of a bowl.

This food has a sweet and salty taste, and the energetic properties of tonifying (energy boosting), warming and stimulating and supports the kidneys, spleen, liver and stomach.

This drink is a complete dinner for a sick cat until they feel good enough to eat by themselves again.

*Substitute rice water if the cat has diarrhea. Rice water
is made by boiling white rice (2 Tbsp) with water (1cup) for 30 minutes.
This liquid aids digestion and assimilation and inhibits the symptoms of diarrhea.
 
Ok been up all night feeding and forcing water on Babygirl. She seems to be a bit less dehydrated, and her sugar levels are starting to come down. She still hasn't urinated or pooped. I have been feeding her a mixture of a little pure pumpkin and kitty sip milk. I am getting a blender around 9am, and will get the necessary ingredients for the above mentioned receipe for sick kitties. I am still unsure if she will come out of this, but she has begun to fight me a bit with the water and food. However, at this last feeding after her am bg, she willingly ate from the syringe. I am also giving her the kitty dip milk by itself, when she will take it. Water seems to be the hardest to push right now. I wish I knew how to get her on an iv and give her fluids that way. I know she would come out of it quicker. She still isn't really moving much, and is very shaky when she is up. I ask for prayer and any other advise on pushing water is greatly appreciated.

Also, how much water intake in cc's should I give her and how often? I am currently giving her 10-12cc's every 1/2-3/4 hour. I just don't know and figure more is better than less.

On a brighter note, she has not gotten sick since I began this process. Thank you all for the help and support. Trying to keep hope, but when I look at her I can't stop myself from crying.
 
Do your think she is nauseous? Is she smacking her lips, grinding her teeth?

I think I would give the water at least once per hour but could you try blending up a little if her normal food with alot of water so it is smooth perhaps you can both feed and hydrate at the same time.
 
You should give her subq fluids. Cleo has had the same symptoms and she was nearly dead. She healed in hospital with subq and insulin, then at home with care and patience. She was going in hepatic lipidosis. Please give her foods.
 
Hang in there, hoping that the liver shake can turn things around for your Babygirl sounds like that will be the best thing to get into her :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Ok, finally got her to urinate and get some for testing. I used Relion Keytone Test Strips. Following the directions, it showed her at a 40 or moderate. I have no idea what this means. Please help. She is eating without much resistance with the syringe. And she takes about 20-30 cc's of water every hour happily. She is urinating, but no poop yet. I am now feeding her canned pate mixed with water into a slurry. She eats 10-20cc's before insulin and two to three more of them throughout the day. I could not get a blender from anyone, so until Tuesday when I get paid I cannot make the liver shake for her. However, she is holding her head up some. Still lethargic and has a hard time walking. I keep hoping she will get better, but her bg reads are still very high.
I am unsure if I should up her dose of insulin, or just tough it out with the dose I'm giving her now.
Thank you all again, and as always please any and all advice is appreciate!
 
Anything above trace ketones means a vet visit now. Your cat is likely in DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) which can not be treated at home. She needs to be at the vet ASAP.

Not enough insulin + not enough food + infection/inflammation are classic setup for DKA.
 
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I agree....she needs to go to the ER where they can get her on IV fluids and get some electrolytes in her. Treating her st home with moderate ketones is not a good idea. They can also give her a fast acting insulin, often, to bring down her BG.

The recipe for DKA is not enough insulin + not enough food/water + infection. She will likely need an antibiotic to address any infection.

Have you checked into Care Credit? They can usually do really fast approvals. We've seen DKA often here. Here best chance is at a hospital.

Sending your sweet BabyGirl many healing prayers.
 
Well currently I have spent $300, at the vet hospital, only one in the area, and they will no longer treat her without 75% of treatment cost upfront. I am on social security and do not have the money to take her. I get my check Tuesday, but if I take her in and spend my ss money on the hospital, I cannot pay rent. I have tried the pet health credit card already, but have bad credit, so not luck there. I have called every vet in our area and they say she has to go to the hospital that refuses to treat her w/o 3/4 payment upfront. I am at my wits end. I cannot stop crying. Her numbers are now going down with force feeding feed and water. But I feel like if she's just going to die anyway why am I doing this to her. Should I stop m efforts? She holds her head up now, seems to be improving the more food and insulin she gets into her. Please help. Should I stop? I really need advice from anyone who has ever not been able to afford the care their cat needs.

BTW- the hospital wants to keeps her 3 days, at $500 a day, not including testing, etc. They want at least a grand to being treating her. If I had the money, I would not hesitate to spend it on her. God help me because right now, after reading your recent posts, I feel helpless to bring Babygirl out of this!
 
No don't give up hope. You just have to work with what you have got and part of that is your dedication and persistence.

Please have a look at this thread and about halfway down you will see that @Meya14 treated her DKA cat at home.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dka-feedback-guidance.130464/

Meya14 said:
My cat when he was diagnosed had severe DKA. Since my husband and I are both nurses, in order to save on costs, keep my cat happy, we chose to treat at home with the vets guidance. The main thing with DKA is the body is "starving" due to lack of insulin and burning fat which throws their metabolism out of wack and causes dehydration.

The key to treating DKA is Insulin + High carb foods + fluids + electrolytes + nausea control/appetite stimulant.

Ideally, you should NEVER reduce insulin during DKA especially if they are not eating, because lack of insulin is the cause. The body is not able to use carbs/protein as energy without insulin. The cat should be syringe fed every hour with high cal/higher carb wet food to maintain calories. Subq fluids (lactated ringers - which has electrolytes) and a potassium supplement given orally should be done at least daily, sometimes 2x/day depending on intake. You can do these at home, it's not much more complicated than learning to give insulin.

If she doesn't get the calories to stop her body from burning fat, the DKA will get worse. Insulin may need to be increased as well.
Click to expand...

I hope that gives you some hope. Can y get hold off some of the things mentioned?
 
If you have no other choice then you need to at least talk to a vet about getting something for nausea so she can tolerate what you feed her. She needs at least 1.5 times her normal calories. Iams Max Calorie is high in calories but low in carbs but you need a script. If you can't get that, just keep getting the calories in her. A little bit higher carb food might be better so you have some carbs to work with the insulin. If you can get a vet to sell you a bag of lactate ringers solution with needles and a line, you could give her fluids subq as shown in my video posted above.

But you need a relationship with a vet who is willing to work with you and help you do this at home. I'm assuming by Novolin that is it Novolin N and not Novolin R? I don't have any experience with N and so can't advise you on dosing so you should discuss with a vet. I would not give an arbitrary amount of insulin....you are walking a fine line if you can't get food in her. She needs Insulin but she has to have food so she doesn't hypo.

I don't know if you can successfully treat her at home. Perhaps...but you've got to have a vet's assistancc and agreement to write you prescriptions and direct the treatment she needs.
 
Go to your nearest humane society and ask if they can help you find a vet that will work with you. They usually have an in-house vet, and sometimes know low-cost places.
 
Angie, keep force feeding her with the highest calorie wet food you can find. If her blood sugars are still high, you will need to increase the dose in order to keep them below 250. What insulin is she on? You should be testing her BS frequently, as it can jump around. Feeding more is better than reducing insulin in DKA.

Keep giving 20-30ml of fluids every 2 hours or so -> Aim for 300ml/day of fluid and one can of food per day (more food is better).

You should find a vet who will provide guidance/assistance and take into account your financial situation. You really need to have access to medications/advice for diabetes in general, and for acute episodes like this.
 
ok giving her the liver shake as of am feeding. She got up after her forced feeding and insulin. She ate canned cat food, high calorie, on her own about 4 hours into her insulin, about 1/2 a can. This is why her bg went up during its peak, I think. She is moving better, and seems to be happier tonight. I am giving her pedialight to replenish her electrolights by syringe. I am giving her either 3.0 or 3.5 units in the am depending on her bg. I am trying to adjust her Novilin insulin per her bg. Everyone in the house is pitching in to help Babygirl. I pray she continues to get better. I hope to report better news on her bg numbers by tonight's readings. I am also doing curves pretty much continually on her right now to monitor her blood sugar. I want to thank everyone for their support and ideas. So far she seems to be better. Pray she continues. Thank you again and good night to all the too sweet sugar-fur-babies!
 
Great to hear that she ate some on her own :) thanks so much for the update, I was wondering. Keep doing what you're doing - pushing the food, water and insulin into her. So nice to hear that you have some backup in the house :) your Babygirl is much loved :):):) check her ketones again as soon as you have an opportunity. Lets hope you're making a dent in them.
 
Make sure the pedialyte doesn't have Xylitol (an artificial sweetner) in it, as this is toxic to dogs and cats. Personally, I'd skip the pedialyte due to the concentrated sugars if she is eating. You can buy low-dose potassium supplements over the counter and crush them and mix them into the food. This would be a better option. The food should have enough salt, so that's not a concern. Potassium is the major electrolyte that gets low and becomes an issue.
 
Another update. Babygirl is eating totally on her own. :D She has been constipated so I have been giving her a mixture of pure pumpkin and water, she laps it up and seems to like it very much. Her bg numbers are still too high :banghead:, but she is moving on her own, going to the kitty box without prompting, and walking without falling or stumbling. It's amazing how fast a cat can come out of a fit like she is having. :woot: Anyway, at tonight's feeding, I am going to try to get her back on her normal diet to see if it helps with her bg numbers. Hoping they will go down. I have increased her insulin by 1 full unit, and will continue to do so until we can get her under control again. Thank you everyone for your support and advice. Without your help, I fear I would have lost my sweet Babygirl prematurely. Thank you everyone again so very much. Everyone here is always so very helpful and supportive. This hugs for all of you! :bighug::bighug: I just wish more vets in my area where like the people I encounter here! ;)
 
That's great news but don't back off from the supportive fluids and food,etc. Keep doing what you have been doing, it is obviously working.:)
 
Such great news :) go Babygirl go!!!

I don't know the insulin you're using, I have never used it but I'm wondering if you shouldn't raise her dose a bit more to try and get those numbers down. As I said I don't know your insulin so just take this as a thought rather than a suggestion hopefully others that know Novilin will comment. Maybe you want to edit your subject line to ask the question?
 
You have to be careful with Novolin NPH. It hits hard and fast, dropping the glucose steeply and then wearing off in about 6-8 hours for most cats. This can leave 4-6 hours of uncontrolled glucose. Sometimes, shooting every 8 hours lets you keep the glucose more level. You would add both doses together, then divide by 3 to get a dose for testing that.
 
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