kitty just diagnosed and won't eat...also has ketone problem

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lucybooz

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hi everyone, i have an 8 year old kitty that has was diagnosed monday with diabetes. her glucose and ph #'s were extremely high and she was also running a fever. my vet kept her and said they were going to give her fluids - she wasn't eating or drinking - and try to get her feeling better, thus hoping she would eat. as of yesterday her #'s had come down considerably but she still is not eating. my husband stopped in yesterday to check on her and they asked if we had any ideas to get her to eat. i'm assuming they are trying to get her to eat the special diabetic food, but i think this morning i will call and ask to bring in something that she had been eating at home. i'm also wondering if she might be better off at home, in her own environment, where i can try different things to get her to eat. i know i wouldn't want to eat in a cage. i'm sure the hydrating is essential to rid her of the ketones (?), which had dropped but were still evident in her urine as of yesterday. i just don't want to let her sit in a cage and starve without having tried to help her eat. i know the doctors, etc. are busy people and they probably don't have time to coddle her like i would. also, how long can she go without eating?

any suggestions are very welcome.
 
Re: kitty just diagnosed and won't eat

It is dangerous for a diabetic not to eat. I would ask if the vet can give her a feeding tube to get some nourishment in her. Once inserted, if she improves, you can do the feeding tube at home. Lots of people here have experience with them.

Yes, you can also bring favorite foods from home and even try feeding her by hand - a little on your finger to get her interested.

Ketones cannot be treated at home, but I would make sure they are treating them aggressively. Here is some ketone info:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/ketones.htm

You can also bring a tee shirt from home that smells like you. That can be a comfort in a strange place.
 
Re: kitty just diagnosed and won't eat

Will the vet let you go in and try and get her to eat some of her favorite from-home food? It's worth asking them.

Good luck!

Suze
 
Re: kitty just diagnosed and won't eat

You'll want to feed canned, low carb food such as Fancy Feast Classics if possible. If she's been eating dry food all her life, she may not eat it, but it'd be worth a try. The only prescription diabetic food we'd suggest, would be the canned Purina DM, however it is pretty expensive compared to a whole host of retail low carb canned foods.

Check these sites for recommendations - you want anything with less than 10% calories from carbohydrates.
Binky's Page

Pet Food Nutritional Values

Hobos-Guide-To-Nutritional-Values-In-Cat-Food
 
Re: kitty just diagnosed and won't eat

talked with my vet and we are going in with some food from home. i'm taking some of what was her favorite plus some tuna - don't know if she will even look at the tuna, but hoping the smell will entice her. vet said she is improving but really needs to eat. still has ketones in urine - will ask what the #'s are when i go in this afternoon. after reading the site on ketoacydosis (?) i'm shuddering at what the cost of this is going to be. the original visit monday, including the cost of the insulin they gave her, was $250. now we are 3 days into a hospital stay, and he mentioned tube feeding her if they had to (nasal). he said that MAYBE if her #'s are good enough, we might bring her home tomorrow and see how she does with the eating being in a familiar element.

how in the world did this happen so quickly? she had her yearly checkup just this past february and she was fine.

we had another cat, years ago, who had diabetes. i don't remember it being this involved and scarey tho.

thanks for the advice. keep her in your prayers please.

i specifically asked the vet: IS THIS TREATABLE. and he said it is. i don't want to prolong anything that is inevitable. i don't want her to suffer in any way. however, if there is hope, i'll keep trying.
 
Re: kitty just diagnosed and won't eat

Just a suggestion--can you go back to your first post, hit edit, and change the subject line to indicate that your kitty has ketones? There are many folks here with a lot of experience managing ketones, and maybe this will help them see your post so you can get some advice. So sorry you are going through this, and I have not gone through it myself, but I have read a lot of other people's stories here indicating that you can treat this and your kitty can go on to be healthy and happy again. So sorry you are going through this.
 
Re: kitty just diagnosed and won't eat

lucybooz said:
...how in the world did this happen so quickly? ...
Click to expand...
Each cat is different (ECID) Things like pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, liver inflammation, etc can provoke drastic changes in glucose metabolism. And, it can happen if the cat is eating, and appears to have normal glucose levels - just look at what Momma of Muse has been dealing with!!!

lucybooz said:
specifically asked the vet: IS THIS TREATABLE. and he said it is. i don't want to prolong anything that is inevitable. i don't want her to suffer in any way. however, if there is hope, i'll keep trying.
Click to expand...


There definitely is hope - several folk here have had kitties with diabetic ketoacidosis who survived and went on to thrive. If you edit your subject to add "Qs on ketoacidosis" you'll get some stories about who has dealt with it and what helps prevent it (which generally includes diligent glucose and ketone monitoring).
 
Re: kitty just diagnosed and won't eat...also has ketone pro

went to vet's office and took some of her favorite food. SHE ATE!!!!!!!! everyone was so happy. she didn't devour it but.....SHE ATE!!!!!!! the fever is completely gone and she is drinking and urinating as he wants her to. they are going to continue the iv. our vet wants her to stay another night and tomorrow go back in and if she eats again, SHE CAN COME HOME!!!!!!! she was so glad to see me and the pathetic meow he had on monday is now her usual happy meow. when i petted her she hunched her back....just like normal. that was telling me, it feels good mommy. i told the vet that i think, had i not brought her in monday, she would have died.....he said she very well may have.....she was a sick kitty.

i'm sure this will be tense, getting on whatever routine we need to, but i feel so much more confident and sure that things are definitely looking up.

we have 2 other kitties (and 3 dogs), so i hope getting on a feeding routine with beeber and the other 2 cats won't be too difficult.

if anyone can give me a rough idea of what kind of monitoring we will be going thru i'd appreciate it.

thanks for the well wishes and the advice. i'm so grateful i found this website.

any advice, until she's eating like normal.......canned food (she wants nothing to do with the diabetic formula canned they are trying to get her to eat), or perhaps baby food? we've been feeding all 3 cats friskies canned (multiple varieties), but i would think that won't be what beeber needs anymore.

thanks again everyone!!!!!
 
Re: kitty just diagnosed and won't eat...also has ketone pro

Actually I have 14 cats, and 3 of those are diabetics...and guess what? Everyone here eats exactly what my diabetics do...Good Old Fashioned Friskies Pate style canned cat food....The only difference is that they now can't have anything with Gravy so all the tidbits, sliced and gravy lover stuff is out, except for the couple cans that I keep in a hypo kit.

All my cats agree with Beeber...the prescription stuff isn't worth eating...lol Not a single one of mine would touch it after the second day and the novelty wore off.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Re: kitty just diagnosed and won't eat...also has ketone pro

Friskees canned is fine as long as it is the "pate" varieties. Those are low-carb.

Carl
 
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