kitty died --question

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Kat&Kitty

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I'm hoping someone can help me understand something. I'm still mourning the loss of my sweetheart cat and this is bugging me...

He was diagnosed DKA and died, also had hepatic lipidosis. At the emg. clinic, he was first given an insulin drip and had really good BGs with the drip (under 150). They switched his insulin and I'm not sure if it was switched to a short-term insulin and then "regular" insulin (that's what the vet called it), but at some point, he was switched to "regular insulin" and given 1 unit. Within 6 hours, his BG went from just under 150 to 325 and the next morning, he had to be resisitated. When I had him on Lantus, he was on .5unit and I think it may have been too much. I told the vet I was worried about her giving 1 unit and she said he's doing fine and sure enough, he went high. He RARELY EVER went to 300 with me --that was not normal. 325 is definately not normal. My guess is that it was too much insulin and his liver panicked, but I am not familiar with "regular" insulin and my cat never had a DKA issue before.

Can someone tell me if:
(a) does it make sense to take a critically-ill cat OFF a drip that's working?
(b) Can too much insulin in a DKA cat with hepatic lipidosis that causes high BG (or even if it was too little insulin) can high BG cause them to go down/arrest?

Thank You
 
((((Kat)))), so sorry for your loss. I have no answers either, but hope someone here can help. You may need to get the vet to be a bit more specific. "Regular" is a really subjective term.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. Why not make an appointment and talk to the Vet who cared for your pet. Or you could leave a message for a return call and explain why you're calling to the Receptionist. I did this when my 16 year old cat died, and the Vet answered my questions. I am so sorry. Let us know what happens. Hugs.
 
I can't give an answer to your question, but we are so sorry for your loss of your dear Kitty. Fly free, Kitty! You were much loved and you will be missed.

In sympathy,
Ella & Stu
 
I'm sorry to be another with no input. I'm sure there will be experienced Lantus users around to comment at some point. I just wanted to extend my condolences. Your sweet kitty is free of pain now, and I hope there is comfort for you in that.
 
I too, do not have any answers for you, but I did want to extend my sympathies on the loss of your sweet kitty.
Fly free kitty.... rb_icon
 
I am so sorry for your loss.
I hope someone with experience with this comes by. I would suspicious too but I have had several bad vet experiences so I am often suspicious of vets.
 
I think that a call to the vet who cared for sweet kitty will have far better answers than we could ever give, not having his chart handy.

That being said, I am so very sorry for the loss of your sweetheart. It is always so hard when we lose them, especially unexpectedly and suddenly. I am crying with you. Hugs from my herd, and prayers for your solace from me.

Best-
Michele
 
I'm so sorry for your loss :(.

I think the only way you can find out what sort of variables were involved in his specific situation that had them decide to take the course of action they did.. is to talk to the medical staff that he was in the care of.. I would guess that they were using the information they had, specific to him at the time, to make the best choices they could for him. And you made the best choice you could by getting him to the hospital in the first place.

Could things have been different? Maybe.. maybe not.. hindsight is an awful thing.. even if everyone does their best and even with the perfect courses of action, things just don't always work out.. DKA is a very serious condition that doesn't have the greatest survivability rates unfortunately.

You will be in our thoughts through your tough time.
 
((( Kat )))

Oh, no, Kat, I'm so sorry to see this.

Fly free, sweet Kitty.

Know in your heart that you did everything right, and more than many. Kitty knew your love and she is free from her ills.
 
Kat I am very sorry to hear about your dear Kitty. I agree with all the others that your cat's specific case is something you need to speak to the vet about. I can try to clear a few things up:

Kat&Kitty said:
At the emg. clinic, he was first given an insulin drip and had really good BGs with the drip (under 150). They switched his insulin and I'm not sure if it was switched to a short-term insulin and then "regular" insulin (that's what the vet called it), but at some point, he was switched to "regular insulin" and given 1 unit.
Click to expand...

The insulin drip was most likely "regular" insulin (aka: Humulin R, R insulin, short-acting insulin); sounds like he was switched from a constant infusion of R solution to shots of R.

Within 6 hours, his BG went from just under 150 to 325 and the next morning, he had to be resisitated. When I had him on Lantus, he was on .5unit and I think it may have been too much. I told the vet I was worried about her giving 1 unit and she said he's doing fine and sure enough, he went high.
Click to expand...

A few things here. We don't know what the rate of his insulin drip was so it's possible that one single unit given as a shot was more/less/equivalent. We don't have that information, the vet would. Also, it sounds like your cat was diabetic, and treated for diabetes already, and then developed DKA? There was something amiss somewhere in order for your cat to develop DKA, so the amounts of insulin he was getting right before he developed DKA may not be the best reference.

He RARELY EVER went to 300 with me --that was not normal. 325 is definately not normal. My guess is that it was too much insulin and his liver panicked, but I am not familiar with "regular" insulin and my cat never had a DKA issue before.
Click to expand...

I know it's common around here to say "the liver does XYZ" "the liver learns ZYX" "the liver panicks when YZX", etc. but liver function is very complex ... These more offhand descriptions can't be used in a discussion of your cat's acute medical crisis. Your kitty had a serious condition (DKA) coupled with a type of liver failure (hepatic lipidosis). Reducing anything down to BG numbers just doesn't work, and a compromised liver can't be counted on to do XYZ -- or anything, for that matter. .

Can someone tell me if:
(a) does it make sense to take a critically-ill cat OFF a drip that's working?
Click to expand...

Again, generally speaking only -- since you have to talk to your cat's vet about your cat's situation -- a cat on a constant infusion of insulin needs to be transferred over to shots. If, as you mention, he was doing well on the drip, it's perfectly reasonable to move to shots as he cant' stay on a drip forever.

(b) Can too much insulin in a DKA cat with hepatic lipidosis that causes high BG (or even if it was too little insulin) can high BG cause them to go down/arrest?
Click to expand...

Your cat was unfortunately very sick, Kat, and I think it was a much bigger complex of things that caused his cardiac arrest. Hepatic lipidosis kills a lot of cats, I'm sorry to say, and that might have been a factor here. The exact why and how is something to speak to Kitty's vet about.

Again, you have my sympathy. Having had a cat that died at the vet's once, before I was in the field, I know it's very easy to dwell on the details. Get the info you need from the vet, first of all, so you can clear up these doubts as best as possible. And do stick around if you need us -- we'd still like to be here for you.
Jess
 
I am so very sorry. DKA is very serious and very tricky and added to HL I'm sure it was a very difficult case. My heart goes out to you. I know you loved him and will miss him so much. ((((hugs))))))
 
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