Minnie’s Hospital Adventure & Recovery

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Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)

Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)

Member Since 2019
Diarrhea got much worse today even though it’s 3rd day on metronidazole. Also some blood on the last litter box run so I freaked and here we are. She also vomited 3 times and I wasn’t able to feed her since 10am. I was afraid to syringe feed her and just have her vomit it all. I tried that with water and she did vomit. I just talked to the vet and she needs fluids not a surprise with all the water she’s lost and they want to run a few tests, a mini emergency blood test and check for ketones, etc. I’m not sure how long we’ll be here but her shot is already 40 minutes late. I’m not sure why but I tested her before we left the house and she was at 244. I’m assuming I’ll have to skip tonight. Should that be the least of my worries right now? :(
 
Aleluia Grugru & Minnie said:
Diarrhea got much worse today even though it’s 3rd day on metronidazole. Also some blood on the last litter box run so I freaked and here we are. She also vomited 3 times and I wasn’t able to feed her since 10am. I was afraid to syringe feed her and just have her vomit it all. I tried that with water and she did vomit. I just talked to the vet and she needs fluids not a surprise with all the water she’s lost and they want to run a few tests, a mini emergency blood test and check for ketones, etc. I’m not sure how long we’ll be here but her shot is already 40 minutes late. I’m not sure why but I tested her before we left the house and she was at 244. I’m assuming I’ll have to skip tonight. Should that be the least of my worries right now? :(
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I'm so sorry to hear this about Minnie, please keep us updated, poor baby
 
Aleluia Grugru & Minnie said:
Diarrhea got much worse today even though it’s 3rd day on metronidazole. Also some blood on the last litter box run so I freaked and here we are. She also vomited 3 times and I wasn’t able to feed her since 10am. I was afraid to syringe feed her and just have her vomit it all. I tried that with water and she did vomit. I just talked to the vet and she needs fluids not a surprise with all the water she’s lost and they want to run a few tests, a mini emergency blood test and check for ketones, etc. I’m not sure how long we’ll be here but her shot is already 40 minutes late. I’m not sure why but I tested her before we left the house and she was at 244. I’m assuming I’ll have to skip tonight. Should that be the least of my worries right now? :(
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Ale saying a prayer for you and Minnie please let’s us know how she is doing .
 
X-ray shows pneumonia so she’s starting on an antibiotic for that, getting Cerenia shot to get her eating again fingers crossed and something else for the diarreia. Her intestines are also filled with fluid with explains the diarreia but no real diagnoses as to why. If she’s still not eating and vomiting by tomorrow they want me to bring her back to be hospitalized for a few days until she’s better :(
 
Please keep us posted on how Minnie is doing.

I'm a big fan of S. boulardii for diarrhea. It's a probiotic -- a very specific probiotic. You can find it on Amazon or likely at a health food store but I'd call around. There's also information on this website on how to handle diarrhea. The metronidazole (Flagyl) may only be effective if there's some aerobic bacteria that's causing the diarrhea. It also has the side effect of depressing appetite.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Please keep us posted on how Minnie is doing.

I'm a big fan of S. boulardii for diarrhea. It's a probiotic -- a very specific probiotic. You can find it on Amazon or likely at a health food store but I'd call around. There's also information on this website on how to handle diarrhea. The metronidazole (Flagyl) may only be effective if there's some aerobic bacteria that's causing the diarrhea. It also has the side effect of depressing appetite.
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She’s on it. I brought her home but she’s not eating so I have to take her back to be hospitalized
 
Even with the Cerenia shot she’s not eating. They gave me an antibiotic for the pneumonia I can’t start without food so I have to take her back this morning to be hospitalized so they can try to get her eating and medicated. What do I do about the insulin? And are ER vets able to keep cats on the insulin routine? Last night on the phone they told me to bring the Lantus and I did but they they didn’t take it. I’m not sure what to do. Help please
 
The ER vets should certainly be able to handle giving insulin, and it's critical that they do so if Minnie has already skipped a shot and is ill. Bring the insulin and some syringes, maybe even make up a sample syringe for them to try to reduce the possibility of any dosing errors. They should be able to give insulin and monitor her BG during the day while they are checking other things.

I don't know about Endosorb, sorry. I hope they can get her feeling better very quickly at the vet-- getting the needed meds into her should help a lot, and the hospital is a lot better set up to do that than you are at home (I've often wished for a team of vet techs to help me pill my own kitties!).
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
The ER vets should certainly be able to handle giving insulin, and it's critical that they do so if Minnie has already skipped a shot and is ill. Bring the insulin and some syringes, maybe even make up a sample syringe for them to try to reduce the possibility of any dosing errors. They should be able to give insulin and monitor her BG during the day while they are checking other things.

I don't know about Endosorb, sorry. I hope they can get her feeling better very quickly at the vet-- getting the needed meds into her should help a lot, and the hospital is a lot better set up to do that than you are at home (I've often wished for a team of vet techs to help me pill my own kitties!).
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That’s what I did last night I brought a syringe filled but they didn’t want to take it. I’ll do it again today and the pen as well
 
Aleluia Grugru & Minnie said:
I don’t know I’m still trying to get her to eat a little and debating if I should try to syringe feed her. The antibiotic pill for the pneumonia is gigantic. I’d have to break it up in 4 and try to pill her 4 times
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That sounds like a nightmare. Why would they give you such a giant pill for a cat? Is there no other delivery method for this antibiotic?

Do you mean that if you can get some food and the meds into her you'll try to avoid taking her to the vet? If you think it's possible to get everything into her at home, it might make sense to try the syringe feeding. Sometimes that's enough to get them started, and then getting the meds into her should help as well. But if you aren't able to do that, she needs to go back to the vet.

I'm just concerned about the insulin situation. What is her current BG? I think I might be confused about where you are in the cycle looking at your spreadsheet, with time zone differences and such, unless you haven't updated since last night.
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
How long before you take her to the vet? What is her current BG?
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I’ll test her now
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
That sounds like a nightmare. Why would they give you such a giant pill for a cat? Is there no other delivery method for this antibiotic?

Do you mean that if you can get some food and the meds into her you'll try to avoid taking her to the vet? If you think it's possible to get everything into her at home, it might make sense to try the syringe feeding. Sometimes that's enough to get them started, and then getting the meds into her should help as well. But if you aren't able to do that, she needs to go back to the vet.

I'm just concerned about the insulin situation. What is her current BG? I think I might be confused about where you are in the cycle looking at your spreadsheet, with time zone differences and such, unless you haven't updated since last night.
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i posted her last reading didn’t I? Her pmps

she’s at 382 right now
 
I think you’re right. I need to take her back in. She’s not eating and they need to figure out why or help her eat, get the meds started something. They didn’t give her anything last night because the Cerenia shot takes 45 minutes to set in so I brought her home and at first she had a few licks of churu but then I spent 2 hours trying to get her to slowly eat it. I gave her the metronidazole and gabapentin and she drank some water but that was it
 
I just want to figure out the insulin dose before I take her back so at least they don’t have to do anything about it until the evening. The vet doctor wanted me to give her a dose when I got home last night 4 hours late. I didn’t I didn’t thing that was smart. So I’m not sure how concerned they’ll be with giving her her shots at the right time
 
I think that's the best plan. Two things:

1) make sure she gets some insulin while at the vet, even a token dose is better than nothing, and that they test for ketones while she's there. If they don't like giving insulin, give her at least a token dose this morning before you take her in and make sure they monitor BG during the day. She's unlikely to have a hypo in these circumstances, but if she does, they should be very able to deal with it at the vet as long as they're keeping an eye on her BG.
2) ask for a different way to give the antibiotic than the giant horse pill

Good luck! Feel better Minnie!
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
I think that's the best plan. Two things:

1) make sure she gets some insulin while at the vet, even a token dose is better than nothing, and that they test for ketones while she's there. If they don't like giving insulin, give her at least a token dose this morning before you take her in and make sure they monitor BG during the day. She's unlikely to have a hypo in these circumstances, but if she does, they should be very able to deal with it at the vet as long as they're keeping an eye on her BG.
2) ask for a different way to give the antibiotic than the giant horse pill

Good luck! Feel better Minnie!
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I want to give her full dose now. Do you think that’s too much without food even with the skipped shot?

they tested for ketones yesterday and did more blood work and X-ray and took a fecal sample. There were traces of ketones is what I was told
 
The vets will not take a syringe of insulin. It's a legal thing. You need to bring the pen. (They haven't a clue what could be in a syringe with clear liquid.)

Also, make sure it's OK to cut the antibiotic. There are some medications that cannot be cut. FWIW, I keep blank capsules on hand. There are pills, like Cerenis, that are bitter. I can put the pill in a blank capsule without it causing drooling or other effects from the taste.

I would be very hesitant to give insulin with the potential for no food on board. The vets may opt to use a shorter acting insulin than Lantus. Don't be upset if that's what they do.

I think you're smart to get her in to the ER vet.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
The vets will not take a syringe of insulin. It's a legal thing. You need to bring the pen. (They haven't a clue what could be in a syringe with clear liquid.)

Also, make sure it's OK to cut the antibiotic. There are some medications that cannot be cut. FWIW, I keep blank capsules on hand. There are pills, like Cerenis, that are bitter. I can put the pill in a blank capsule without it causing drooling or other effects from the taste.

I would be very hesitant to give insulin with the potential for no food on board. The vets may opt to use a shorter acting insulin than Lantus. Don't be upset if that's what they do.

I think you're smart to get her in to the ER vet.
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It’s chewable and it can be cut but it’s seriously human size I couldn’t fit it into capsules. It would take several, but it’s a good idea for the future

we’re here now thank you
 
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This covid19 protocol really sucks. We waited an hour in the car just for her to get picked up then another hour for the vet to call then the nurse with an estimate, which is a small fortune of course but I got the care credit while I was waiting and charged it. Screw it it’s my baby

so hospitalized for 24 hours at least maybe 48 depending on how it goes. Tube feeding and all meds intravenous. They tested her BG while I was still there and she was already at 412 but I did end up giving her 2 units before we left because I knew how long it’d take for them to just see her based on last nights wait. Anyway, they took the insulin and the filled syringe I brought and I can’t tell you all how much I emphasized that I don’t want them changing the dose and to give her 2.5 at 7:30 pm once she’s eating. That’s it for now, I guess I’ll know more after the ultrasound.

thank you all for your support. There’s no crying emoji :(
 
If it's a chewable pill, you could crush it, mix it with water and syringe it down. Ask the vet for a prescription for ondansetron. Cerenia and ondansetron work on different nausea receptors, sometimes one works or the other, or you could need both.

Sending you a bunch of these :bighug::bighug::bighug: and hoping the vet can get to the bottom of what is making Minnie feel unwell.
 
Ugh.... I'm so sorry. The only comfort at this point is that she's in the best place she could be for getting what she needs. Hopefully, they just need to get some food and meds into her to get her kick-started, and then you can take it from there at home with syringe feeding (if necessary) and all the love in the world.

:bighug: :bighug: :bighug: :bighug:
 
Wendy&Neko said:
If it's a chewable pill, you could crush it, mix it with water and syringe it down. Ask the vet for a prescription for ondansetron. Cerenia and ondansetron work on different nausea receptors, sometimes one works or the other, or you could need both.

Sending you a bunch of these :bighug::bighug::bighug: and hoping the vet can get to the bottom of what is making Minnie feel unwell.
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I know. She’s on ondansetron and has been for a while. I figured it out once I realized Cerenia in pill form didn’t work for her. Thank you :cat:
 
I’m sitting here with Bobo but I miss her so much. My mind goes to the worse places, of course because that’s just me. She’s been through so much since she was a kitten. She had an infection after she got spayed and allergic reaction to flea medicine and it goes on and on and on. While Bobo is the picture of health. I’m pretty sure she was the runt of the litter. She was tiny hence the name my mom gave her Minnie. Anywho, hoping that maybe I’ll at least get some answers with this second ultrasound and that could be the silver lining.

I agree Nan I was second guessing thinking I can do this at home and just syringe feed her every few minutes, but they need to get her better quicker and get to the bottom of it. Thank you for your prayers. I don’t mind being alone, except for times like these when all the decisions fall on my shoulders and I really really appreciate the guidance and support. It helps to feel less alone so thank you again :bighug:
 
Ultrasound showed even more thickening of the intestines so they want to do an endoscopy and biopsy tomorrow to get to the bottom of it. They’ll also send her home with a feeding tube I can use to feed her if needed for the next 2 weeks. She’ll likely have to stay until Tuesday but I was assured she’s resting comfortably, hasn’t had any more diarrhea and on schedule to get her 2.5 units shortly at 7:30pm. BG is 352 which is not horrible with stress and missed dose last night.
 
Thank you all so much :bighug:

Good news. I spoke with the internal medicine vet who did the ultra sound and is doing the endoscopy. She seems very knowledgeable and I really liked her a lot. She said Minnie is in good spirits and she greeted her with head butts, lots of chatter and is putting smiles on everyone’s faces at the hospital :) She’s a asymptomatic for the pneumonia so that’s under control and no more diarrhea. They switched her to a fast acting insulin because she needs to fast to go under for the endoscopy. Last reading was 202. They’re checking every 4 hours. She’s concerned about a diabetic cat not eating so the feeding tube sounds like a great option for food and meds and it can actually stay long term if needed. Hoping to have more answers after the procedure today. She’ll likely have to stay overnight because they want to monitor the tube for the first 24 hours.

:cat:
 
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Aleluia Grugru & Minnie said:
Thank you all so much :bighug:

Good news. I spoke with the internal medicine vet who did the ululate sound and is doing the endoscopy. She seems very knowledgeable and I really liked her a lot. She said Minnie is in good spirits and she greeted her with head butts, lots of chatter and is putting smiles on everyone at the ER :) She’s a asymptomatic for the pneumonia so that’s under control and no more diarrhea. They switched her to a fast acting insulin because she needs to fast to go under for the endoscopy. Last reading was 202. They’re checked every 4 hours. She’s concerned about a diabetic cat not eating so the feeding tube sounds like a great option for food and meds and it can actually stay long term if needed. Hoping to have more answers after the procedure today. She’ll likely have to stay overnight because they want to monitor the tube for the first 24 hours.

:cat:
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Awwwwwwwwwww you know my prayers continue! :bighug:
 
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