Just Diagnosed and in Need of Advice

Status
Not open for further replies.
RavenSun

RavenSun

Member Since 2017
`Hey there! My name's Mira, and yesterday my cat was diagnosed with diabetes after going into ketoacidosis. Up until yesterday, he was actually my parents' cat- Tater was our family pet that I absolutely loved growing up. I'm 20 years old and just starting out, and Tater is 11 (so thankfully, he still has a few years left if I can nurse him back to health.) I moved out a year ago with my boyfriend, which was when Tater's health seemed to take a huge turn for the worse.

Yesterday, my parents texted me to let me know that Tater was "dying", wouldn't eat anything, and looked generally awful. I immediately took the day off work and drove over to see him, and found that he indeed looked terrible- dry fur, runny/glassy eyes, unresponsive, yowling in pain, and with awful breath. I found out that my parents planned on allowing him to die naturally, thinking that it was "his time to go." Realizing that he was showing the signs of kidney failure, I fought to get permission from my parents to take him to the vet, at my expense.

Several hours later I ended up at the vet's office with my sick cat, and Tater was diagnosed not with kidney failure, but with diabetes. He had been in such bad shape, that I was thrilled he would survive the night (and hopefully for a long time after.) The initial vet bill has hit me pretty hard, since I wasn't expecting to end up caring for a diabetic cat, and now he's become my financial responsibility overnight. The vet held him overnight to be put on an IV, and I'll be picking him up this morning, and bringing him home. I can't in good conscience allow him to be cared for so poorly, and knew that if I brought him back to my parents, they would let his health go again and he would end up in the same situation, if not dead.

I'm on a very small budget, and very stressed out / scared of what's to come. I managed to afford the initial $400 USD vet bill, but that didn't cover his insulin, or any of the curve visits that my vet tells me I'll need to schedule for him for the remainder of his life. I guess I'm just in need of advice on how to proceed. I'm very interested in doing home testing for Tater (I work from home, so it's an ideal situation and I'll be able to monitor his health very closely) I'm just not sure how to approach my vet about it, or where to start. To give some context, as of yesterday Tater was in very bad shape, so he has a lot of recovering to do. His blood glucose was at 560 rather than the normal 100-160.

To summarize- I ended up with a diabetic cat that I can't/can barely afford overnight, and desperately want to learn how to care for him while staying within my means / not going into debt. This cat has nowhere else to turn but me.

Thank you all!
 

Attachments

  • C7tz4ngWkAEA4e_.jpg
    C7tz4ngWkAEA4e_.jpg
    43.8 KB · Views: 74
Last edited:
I'm fairly new to this, too. I found that there are many online pet pharmacies where you can get insulin (after they call your vet) and other supplies. The insulin needs to be cold-packed, which costs extra. You will find a lot of information, including the best bargains, from reading through some of the other people's posts. Also, on YouTube, I watched videos of how the tests are done. After 4 or 5 tries, I finally got a reading today. It's scary because I don't know if it hurts my cat, but I think she's getting used to it, too. There's a lot of info to digest. I recommend going to the vet for a glucose curve, so that they can adjust the dosage. After that, you can take care of everything at home.
 
There's lots of ways to save money. You can do curves at home, get a meter from Walmart etc. I don't know the situation your parents are in or how your relationship is but if it was "their cat" shouldn't they be helping out? I guess that's where the "social" in social media comes from. With some luck your little spud-man has many years to go. Get ready for a whole lot of note taking, you're in the tribe now.
 
Noah & me said:
There's lots of ways to save money. You can do curves at home, get a meter from Walmart etc. I don't know the situation your parents are in or how your relationship is but if it was "their cat" shouldn't they be helping out? I guess that's where the "social" in social media comes from. With some luck your little spud-man has many years to go. Get ready for a whole lot of note taking, you're in the tribe now.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately my parents refused to help with any of the medical bills- if they had it their way, Tater would be dead. They didn't want to spend the money associated with caring for him properly, or even take him to the vet to be euthanized humanely. Yesterday after I found out he was going to be held overnight on IV, I called them to give them an update on his condition and asked if they'd give the cat to me. So he's my cat now, fortunately. I'll definitely be trying to do the curves at home myself, I just hope it won't put him in any danger, since he was untreated for this long. And I hope so! I absolutely love this cat, so it would be amazing if I could keep him around for a few more years, lol.
 
srk3cats said:
I'm fairly new to this, too. I found that there are many online pet pharmacies where you can get insulin (after they call your vet) and other supplies. The insulin needs to be cold-packed, which costs extra. You will find a lot of information, including the best bargains, from reading through some of the other people's posts. Also, on YouTube, I watched videos of how the tests are done. After 4 or 5 tries, I finally got a reading today. It's scary because I don't know if it hurts my cat, but I think she's getting used to it, too. There's a lot of info to digest. I recommend going to the vet for a glucose curve, so that they can adjust the dosage. After that, you can take care of everything at home.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'll definitely be looking into buying insulin online, since I've read that it's cheaper. Are the visits at the vet several times a year only/primarily to do a glucose curve? I'm nervous about not bringing him to the vet, if he's going to be missing out on care that I can't give him at home.
 
Hi!! Welcome to the forum, you will find lots of good people with a lot of experience here to help you so hang in there. I know is very scarry at first we all have been there but you can really help your kitty

It would be good if you mentioned what insulin is your kitty going to be in

You can find a lot of information in here, you can start here with the frequent questions and answers and take it from there


Also it is very important that you consider home testing that is not only a lot less expensive than getting the curves at the vet but it will keep your kitty safe and help you with the dosing, most people here use human meters for the testing, they are cheaper and is more easy to get supplies since you would be needing a lot of testing strips
 
RavenSun said:
Unfortunately my parents refused to help with any of the medical bills- if they had it their way, Tater would be dead. They didn't want to spend the money associated with caring for him properly, or even take him to the vet to be euthanized humanely. Yesterday after I found out he was going to be held overnight on IV, I called them to give them an update on his condition and asked if they'd give the cat to me. So he's my cat now, fortunately. I'll definitely be trying to do the curves at home myself, I just hope it won't put him in any danger, since he was untreated for this long. And I hope so! I absolutely love this cat, so it would be amazing if I could keep him around for a few more years, lol.
Click to expand...

By home testing you won't be putting him in danger all the contrary you will be keeping him safe, the poking him is hard ( for you more than for him) at first believe me I know I was scared to death the first times but It does get easier
 
RavenSun said:
Yeah, I'll definitely be looking into buying insulin online, since I've read that it's cheaper. Are the visits at the vet several times a year only/primarily to do a glucose curve? I'm nervous about not bringing him to the vet, if he's going to be missing out on care that I can't give him at home.
Click to expand...

I guess the visits to the vet will depend on his condition, there are situations that your vet will have to deal with and you will have to take him, but for the most you can take care of him at home and actually most kittys do better at home where they are not stressed than at the vet
 
RavenSun said:
` I'm just not sure how to approach my vet about it, or where to start. To give some context, as of yesterday Tater was in very bad shape, so he has a lot of recovering to do. His blood glucose was at 560 rather than the normal 100-160.
Click to expand...

560 is high but don't panic probably all our kitties have had readings like that at one point or another, once he starts on insulin it would go down. Also as his numbers start going down he will start feeling better and with time even his fur will recover.

Did the vet said if he has any other problem besides his high glucose numbers?
 
RavenSun said:
Yeah, I'll definitely be looking into buying insulin online, since I've read that it's cheaper. Are the visits at the vet several times a year only/primarily to do a glucose curve? I'm nervous about not bringing him to the vet, if he's going to be missing out on care that I can't give him at home.
Click to expand...
Insulin is still going to cost about $100, but it lasts several months. You don't have to take him to a vet for a glucose curve, but you have to test him every 2 hours for 8 hours total, so you need to do it on a weekend.
 
Not all insulins cost $100 but the better ones are in that range: Prozinc, Lantus / Levemir. There is no need for a glucose curve to be done at the Vet, it is much better to find a Vet that is ok / prefers you do them yourself at home because kitty is less stressed. Also, no need for the expensive prescription diets, most of us feed Fancy Feast and Friskies pate (non-indoor formula) and use human meter (like Walmart's ReliOn Confirm/ Micro). When you setup your signature, make sure to put a note about his DKA: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/editing-your-signature-profile-and-preferences.130340/

Home testing is the best tool we all have, along with putting all that data in our Spreadsheets: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

Tater can still live out his full life with your help :).
Feel free to ask any questions! We all are familiar with the overwhelming and scared feeling.
 
I second what others have said: the curve at the vet is not necessary, once his DKA is taken care of. Once you have some time to read the info here and ask questions, you can manage his diabetes well at home. Many vets will urge their clients to buy an AlphaTrak meter, expensive prescription food (that is actually worse than many of the foods we use here), and insist on in-office curves. If your vet does that, politely say good-bye and find a new vet. As Yong said, while the insulin can be pricey, the syringes, human meters, human test strips, and food can all be quite reasonable. And they will still provide you with everything you need to give your kitty excellent care at home. You can also check in the thread here for the supply closet where you may be able to find some of the things you need. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/supply-closet-for-sale-or-free.15/
 
Welcome to this forum which is an excellent resource and you will learn everything you need from here! And of top of that you will meet fantastic people who will guide you through.
First of all I would like to congratulate you on your approach to your kitty's health and praise you for being such a fantastic cat mum. Shame on your parents (terrible attitude, very uncaring and heartless, they obviously don't know about KARMA but it is their problem) but let's concentrate on positives: you have decided to treat your sick kitty and you will succeed! It is difficult and daunting at first but it gets easier with practise.
Please read all information provided on this website (yellow stickies), it will help you understand what feline diabetes is.
You need to get a glucometer (a kit has everything in it like lancets, testing strips etc), insulin, syringes. You must test your kitty BG (blood glucose) at home few times, before every injection of insulin and let us know what readings you are getting in order to establish a dose.
But first thing you need to do is to change the FOOD from dry kibble to very low carbohydrate wet food. Don't let your vet to bully you into buying a prescription diabetic food for your cat. Again, all information about feeding proper food is here. The change from high carb food to wet very low carb food must be gradual when cat is already on insulin because high carb food raises cat's BG level a lot and if you suddenly give low carb food the insulin dose might be too high and you will have to deal with a hypoglyceamic episode.
Please take time to read and ask questions, we are here to help you.
Take care and good luck
Marlena:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Welcome! We can help you help Tater. There are many ways to save money, ranging from trying an economical insulin (Vetsulin) to home testing (no curves needed at the vet) with a human meter to feeding grocery store brands of low carb wet food (Friskies pates).

Did the vet say that Tater has DKA, diabetic ketoacidosis? We need to know that because it will affect the advice we give.
 
Wow, I'm so sorry that your parents did that but I'm happy to hear that Tater will be okay. For starters you don't need those curves that your vet said "you'll need to have done for the rest of the cat's life". All of that "in clinic" curve BS is just that... BS and a waste of time and money. I was looking for a new vet yesterday and I called around and asked a few vets some questions, on the second one, I asked the lady if she believed in having the patient do "in clinic" curves and she said no because they do not give a true result. Well, after answering all of my other questions correctly, I ended up choosing her as my new vet and I couldn't be happier, maybe you could do the same as I did. I told her at the start of the call that I was looking for a new doc that would mesh with me and I didn't want to waste my time or hers with an appointment and she agreed. In my opinion any vet that doesn't have a few minutes to answer a few questions over the phone and refuses isn't worth my time anyway.

Aside from all of that though, you can absolutely do this all by yourself. You can get insulin without breaking the bank if you just take a look around this forum. Use a human monitor, many of us use the relion brand from Wal-Mart and you can get the test strips, lancets and syringes there as well. Buying the box of 100 test strips is cheaper per strip, you can reuse the lancets, NEVER EVER reuse a syringe though. Check your state laws but I think that in most states you can buy syringes without a script so you don't even need your vet for that either. The Relion 3/10 short needle with half marks is what I use and buy a box of 100 they're only 12 bucks. I think that I've pretty much covered the things that will cost you money. Oh wait, food... I feed Friskies Classics Pate, you can get it at almost any grocery store or Wal-Mart, I buy the 5.5 oz can and it's .49 cents per can. It's one of the better foods that's on the cheap end of things so that's what I recommend. NO dry food!

Next you'll want to create a spreadsheet on here so that people can see it and help you out. I've made a video on how to test your cat's blood glucose on the ear. It's still uploading but I'll post it soon. You did a good thing, there will be easy times and tough times but it's worth it.
 
An update on Tater's condition: I brought him home yesterday, and he's a lot perkier, and more mentally present. He was very indifferent before I brought him to the vet, but he was responding to my voice yesterday, purring, and showing interest in exploring his new home. Fortunately, I couldn't have hoped for a better vet to work with- she was super supportive, and willing to work with me to find an affordable treatment for Tater. She encouraged me to home test, and even offered me a donated veterinary glucometer to use on my little guy. I'm taking Tater in for a follow up visit, where she'll walk me through doing his first curve, and make sure that he's less dehydrated.

The brand of insulin that she prescribed me is Vetsulin, and told me that porcine insulin would be safer/better to give him than human insulin. They're charging me $60 for a 3 month supply of insulin, which works out to be within my means, and it's convenient since I can just run to the vet clinic and pick some up when he's running out. They also gave me a few cans of a vet prescribed diabetic cat food, but she gave me the green light to switch to a diabetic safe, cheaper OTC canned food after the more expensive food runs out.

I am having an issue with getting him to eat. He's still showing no interest in any cat food- I offered him the canned food from the vet, Friskies pate cat food, but he wouldn't even sniff it. I also tried heating the food up to make it a little more appetizing, that didn't work either. He's also on antibiotics right now for a UTI - could that be affecting his appetite? And is the best route just to syringe feed him until he starts eating on his own again? I'm getting worried about the little guy.

I syringe fed him some Gerbers beef flavored baby food mixed with water last night, but it was a very unpleasant experience and couldn't get him to eat much before he panicked.
 
Veronica & Babu-chiri said:
Hi!! Welcome to the forum, you will find lots of good people with a lot of experience here to help you so hang in there. I know is very scarry at first we all have been there but you can really help your kitty

It would be good if you mentioned what insulin is your kitty going to be in

You can find a lot of information in here, you can start here with the frequent questions and answers and take it from there


Also it is very important that you consider home testing that is not only a lot less expensive than getting the curves at the vet but it will keep your kitty safe and help you with the dosing, most people here use human meters for the testing, they are cheaper and is more easy to get supplies since you would be needing a lot of testing strips
Click to expand...

Hey there, thank you so much for the warm welcome! I'm thrilled to know that there are other, more experienced people who have gone through the same thing I'm going through! I brought Tater home from an overnight stay at the vet's yesterday, and after explaining my situation to her, she was more helpful than I could have dreamed. She offered to give me a donated veterinary glucometer that is never used for free, so that I could home test, and scheduled another appointment for next week so that she can check up on Tater's condition, and then walk me through how to test him and do a curve.

The insulin that she prescribed me is Vetsulin- she explained that he would do better on a porcine insulin than a human. They're going to be charging me $60 for a 3 month supply, which is well within my means. He's been taking the shots like a champ, which is awesome.
 
Veronica & Babu-chiri said:
560 is high but don't panic probably all our kitties have had readings like that at one point or another, once he starts on insulin it would go down. Also as his numbers start going down he will start feeling better and with time even his fur will recover.

Did the vet said if he has any other problem besides his high glucose numbers?
Click to expand...

Yes- he also has a UTI, and a respiratory infection. The rest of his numbers were fairly normal, though.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
Welcome! We can help you help Tater. There are many ways to save money, ranging from trying an economical insulin (Vetsulin) to home testing (no curves needed at the vet) with a human meter to feeding grocery store brands of low carb wet food (Friskies pates).

Did the vet say that Tater has DKA, diabetic ketoacidosis? We need to know that because it will affect the advice we give.
Click to expand...

Yes, she did. He was held overnight and put on an IV, since the DKA was so advanced, and he was so dehydrated. They started him right away on insulin, and I brought him home yesterday. He's looking better, but still in pretty rough shape. He's still not eating voluntarily, but I think it may be because he was also prescribed an oral antibiotic for an accompanying UTI, and his stomach is sick from it. I've been feeding him watered down Gerbers beef flavored baby food with a syringe, to make sure he has something in his tummy but it's not ideal.

The vet prescribed me a diabetic cat food, but was very understand when I explained that I wouldn't be able to afford it in the long term. I'll be feeding him Friskies pate cat food, with my vet's approval. She also not only agreed to let me home test, but encouraged me to home test, and will be giving me a veterinary glucometer that they have lying around the clinic for free this upcoming Friday, and will be walking me through testing him, which is absolutely amazing. Until then, she has me giving him 2 units of Vetsulin twice a day, and explained that it'll be enough until Friday just to give him his insulin and antibiotic, and let him recover a bit.
 
srk3cats said:
Insulin is still going to cost about $100, but it lasts several months. You don't have to take him to a vet for a glucose curve, but you have to test him every 2 hours for 8 hours total, so you need to do it on a weekend.
Click to expand...

They ended up prescribing me a very economic insulin, so I'm happy to say that I'm going to be able to afford it! The vet was very understanding and willing to work with me to find an affordable treatment for Tater. I'm self employed and work from home, so doing a glucose curve at home is very doable for me. The vet actually was kind enough to offer me a used veterinary glucometer, and scheduled an appointment for me to go in a week from now so that they can check Tater's condition, and teach me how to use the glucometer.
 
RavenSun said:
They ended up prescribing me a very economic insulin, so I'm happy to say that I'm going to be able to afford it! The vet was very understanding and willing to work with me to find an affordable treatment for Tater. I'm self employed and work from home, so doing a glucose curve at home is very doable for me. The vet actually was kind enough to offer me a used veterinary glucometer, and scheduled an appointment for me to go in a week from now so that they can check Tater's condition, and teach me how to use the glucometer.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you have a great vet. My vet didn't bother to show me how to use a glucometer. I gave her a nasty review on Yelp.
 
I'm glad you found such a supportive vet.

The infection is definitely messing up with his appetite and BG but it is very important that he eats and that he gets water

I would try and assist him with the eating you could try some of the canned food if it is a pate, it works better if you give him just a little bit every time and you alternate with giving him water also.

When Babu was diagnosed a few months ago he also had UTI and I had to syringe feed him for almost two days before he actually started eating what I did was I gave him food every two hours and water every two hours so it was a little bit of food I waited an hour and gave him water about 1 1/2 cc of the syringe each time.

It is REALLY important that he eats
 
Sounds like you have a very supportive vet. Tater still needs a lot of attention: inappetance + infection +high blood glucose can be a perfect storm in a kitty that has just spent time in clinic on fluids, etc. The two complications to be concerned about are diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hepatic lipidosis. Eating enough is essential, along with good hydration and insulin. Kitty needs food on board before you give Vetsulin because it acts quickly. If he won't eat it won't be safe to give insulin and that compounds the risk of complications. I'm not trying to be dramatic or frighten you. These are issues you have to know about.

Tater needs food, whatever he'll eat, and to be syringe fed if necessary. He might also need antinausea meds and an appetite stimulant to get him over the hump. Antibiotics can also upset their tummy.
 
Last edited:
Mira, please take note of Kris's and Veronica's advice - this is very important. So, in order to give insulin your kitty must eat something. He needs meds for nausea and something to stimulate his appetite, just like Kris suggested. If your cat is not eating you need to speak with your vet as soon as poss and ask for these meds. If you give insulin and kitty is not eating you are in danger of hypo and if you don't give insulin you're risking DKA and hepatic lipidosis. It is a very difficult situation so you really need to speak with your vet.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
Sounds like you have a very supportive vet. Tater still needs a lot of attention: inappetance + infection +high blood glucose can be a perfect storm in a kitty that has just spent time in clinic on fluids, etc. The two complications to be concerned about are diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hepatic lipidosis. Eating enough is essential, along with good hydration and insulin. Kitty needs food on board before you give Vetsulin because it acts quickly. If he won't eat it won't be safe to give insulin and that compounds the risk of complications. I'm not trying to be dramatic or frighten you. These are issues you have to know about.

Tater needs food, whatever he'll eat, and to be syringe fed if necessary. He might also need antinausea meds and an appetite stimulant to get him over the hump. Antibiotics can also upset their tummy.
Click to expand...

I've been giving him syringes of food, and water all day, and his appetite is starting to increase. He let me feed him about a quarter of a can of food in one sitting just a few minutes ago, along with a large amount of water. He's also started to go to the bathroom on his own, which is good. If his appetite hasn't returned by tomorrow, I'll call the vet and see if I can get him some medication for the nausea- as of now, he's doing much better than this morning, and he's showing an interest in food!
 
RavenSun said:
I've been giving him syringes of food, and water all day, and his appetite is starting to increase. He let me feed him about a quarter of a can of food in one sitting just a few minutes ago, along with a large amount of water. He's also started to go to the bathroom on his own, which is good. If his appetite hasn't returned by tomorrow, I'll call the vet and see if I can get him some medication for the nausea- as of now, he's doing much better than this morning, and he's showing an interest in food!
Click to expand...
These are all very good signs! Keep at the syringe feeding for now. :)
 
Veronica & Babu-chiri said:
I'm glad you found such a supportive vet.

The infection is definitely messing up with his appetite and BG but it is very important that he eats and that he gets water

I would try and assist him with the eating you could try some of the canned food if it is a pate, it works better if you give him just a little bit every time and you alternate with giving him water also.

When Babu was diagnosed a few months ago he also had UTI and I had to syringe feed him for almost two days before he actually started eating what I did was I gave him food every two hours and water every two hours so it was a little bit of food I waited an hour and gave him water about 1 1/2 cc of the syringe each time.

It is REALLY important that he eats
Click to expand...

I've been feeding him pate cat food mixed with water, and syringes of pure water every two hours, and his appetite for the food especially has been growing each time I feed him. This past time I fed him just a few minutes ago, he ate nearly a quarter of a can of cat food, and a large amount of pure water as well. He also went to the bathroom on his own, which is a great sign! I'm going to continue syringe feeding him today, and if he still isn't eating at least a bit of food on his own tomorrow, I'll call my vet and see if I can get him some medication for his nausea.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
These are all very good signs! Keep at the syringe feeding for now. :)
Click to expand...
Will do! And yeah, I'm very optomistic! I hope that feeding him every 2 hours is frequent enough. I don't wanna traumatize the poor thing, but I understand that it's also very important that he eats and drinks!
 
RavenSun said:
I've been feeding him pate cat food mixed with water, and syringes of pure water every two hours, and his appetite for the food especially has been growing each time I feed him. This past time I fed him just a few minutes ago, he ate nearly a quarter of a can of cat food, and a large amount of pure water as well. He also went to the bathroom on his own, which is a great sign! I'm going to continue syringe feeding him today, and if he still isn't eating at least a bit of food on his own tomorrow, I'll call my vet and see if I can get him some medication for his nausea.
Click to expand...
Sometimes they become nauseated when they aren't eating and getting food into them makes them feel better.
 
RavenSun said:
I've been feeding him pate cat food mixed with water, and syringes of pure water every two hours, and his appetite for the food especially has been growing each time I feed him. This past time I fed him just a few minutes ago, he ate nearly a quarter of a can of cat food, and a large amount of pure water as well. He also went to the bathroom on his own, which is a great sign! I'm going to continue syringe feeding him today, and if he still isn't eating at least a bit of food on his own tomorrow, I'll call my vet and see if I can get him some medication for his nausea.
Click to expand...

This is great!! very good signs, sometimes all they need is a little food to remember they have to eat, and after that they eat on their own if he keeps eating and doesn't throw up then he won't need any nausea medication is as matter of waiting and see how he does the rest of the day and nignt:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Marlena said:
Mira, please take note of Kris's and Veronica's advice - this is very important. So, in order to give insulin your kitty must eat something. He needs meds for nausea and something to stimulate his appetite, just like Kris suggested. If your cat is not eating you need to speak with your vet as soon as poss and ask for these meds. If you give insulin and kitty is not eating you are in danger of hypo and if you don't give insulin you're risking DKA and hepatic lipidosis. It is a very difficult situation so you really need to speak with your vet.
Click to expand...

I've been syringe feeding him diabetic friendly pate cat food and water since this morning, every two hours all throughout the day. He wasn't super happy about it at first and would only let me give him a little, but he's gradually been allowing me to feed him larger amounts, and he actually seemed to enjoy the food this past time I fed him and allowed me to feed him a quarter of a can of food. He's also been going to the bathroom on his own when I leave the room, which is a huge relief. I'm going to continue to hand feed him today and see if his appetite grows, or if he starts to eat on his own. If he doesn't start eating on his own by tomorrow, I'll make sure to call my vet and get him on a medication for his nausea.
 
Veronica & Babu-chiri said:
This is great!! very good signs, sometimes all they need is a little food to remember they have to eat, and after that they eat on their own if he keeps eating and doesn't throw up then he won't need any nausea medication is as matter of waiting and see how he does the rest of the day and nignt:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
Click to expand...

Fortunately he hasn't thrown up, or even spit up any of the food or water that I've given him all day! So that's a relief! I'll watch to make sure he keeps it down for the rest of the night, and hopefully he'll be on his way to eating of his own volition soon! :) I really appreciate all of the help and advice, I couldn't be happier to see Tater recovering!
 
I thought I'd give an update on Tater just in case anyone was invested in this - on Tuesday the 28th I woke up to find Tater still not eating on his own, breathing raggedly, and generally in poor health. I thought I'd bring him in to the vet to have him looked at again, just in case, and they got me in ASAP. He had lost a quarter of a pound, his temperature was dangerously low, and his electrolytes were dangerously low. The vet told me that he was rejecting the treatment and his insulin wasn't working, so he had to be hospitalized for further testing and to be put back on an IV. Later that day, the vet told me that he had a 50/50 chance of survival, and that there was another underlying condition that was causing him to be incredibly sick and to reject treatment for his diabetes. They sent me home, preparing me for the harsh reality that if he didn't improve overnight, the only humane thing to do would be to euthanize him and end his suffering.

Miraculously, he started improving overnight after being given a potassium supplement. They kept him until yesterday evening (Thursday, the 30th), and over that time he continued to improve, shocking the vet to the extent that she came in yesterday to start her shift, saw him sitting up and looking alert/normal, and cried. He is currently on 4 medications and a larger dose of insulin, but that's only temporary, and he's doing /much/ better. He's eating entirely on his own, exploring the house, running/playing, purring, and generally enjoying his new health. He is doing better than he's been doing in over 6 months. I'm hoping that he continues to recover- if so, he has many more happy, healthy years ahead of him! Thank you all for your advice, Tater is on a good path now! :)

C8QIZR_XYAADbNJ.jpg
 
Hi Mira, I was the one who said last Saturday that your parents really should be helping you out with the finances. I guess your cards are maxed out now. I'm truly happy to see Tater back at home and your parents should be too. Any change with their attitude? Tater is in a better home now, they should appreciate that, obviously you do. Continued luck to both of you. Noah, Dickson and the boys.
 
Me again Mira. Everyone who knows me knows I can get a little mouthy, that's why I bring my own horn for my shopping cart. I know it's not my place to comment on your parents but it's just painful watching this unfold. Tater deserves better and you so obviously care for him and love him. Animals aren't disposable. Sometimes life sucks if you get too old or don't have the money to take care of them. Just something about your story and the way you told it touched a nerve. So Mom and Dad, if you really can't help we understand but this is your daughter. I need a little baking therapy right now so I'm going to log off, preheat the oven and watch Alien. Stupid aliens! You looking at me? You want a piece of me?
 
Mira, I'm so happy about good news!
Well done, keep us informed, please don't just let us guess how things are, keep in touch.
We are thinking of you and praying for improvement in Tater's health.
Sending love and hugs:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Mira--I've been following Tater's story and my heart crashed when I started reading your post of Friday. I do hope your little guy is continuing to heal. This board is GREAT! I'm on my 2nd diabetic cat and the information here is spot on. You are so fortunate to have a vet who works with you too. Please keep us posted on how Tater is doing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top