Newly Diagnosed

[Snoops]

recently diagnosed of possible diabetes after having elevated blood sugar upon her entry into local animal hospital after being sheltered for 8 days and again at exit and at loss as to what to do now . She's a 15 yr old fractious cat and hates the vet. She has to be put under anesthesia for the vet to do anything to her. She had lost a lot of weight before taking her there in early August. She had lost even more weight when we picked her up. She of course was traumatized and really weak. We changed her to wet food and was eating pretty good however she has started eating less & less. As of today she is eating nothing and drinking very little. Should I take her back and see about the insulin or keep her here at home and keep her comfortable???
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[Squeaky and KT (GA)]

Please take her back - she may be headed toward DKA. Without the proper meds, you can't keep her comfortable at home. You need to get some food in her if you have to make it soupy and syringe feed her. If she doesn't eat, she may also develope Fatty Liver disease. If she needs insulin, her body can't use the food she was eating; she's starving to death. Offer her anything you think she might eat: boiled chicken, lunch meat, sprinkle her food with crushed kibble or treats, some cats like parmesean cheese sprinkled on it too.

HUGS,

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

I totally agree...she needs to get back to the vet ASAP....when they stop eating and drinking, they could be heading into DKA and that's very serious (as well as setting them up for Fatty Liver)

She needs to be on insulin to get her blood glucose under control, IV's to keep her hydrated (and flush any ketones from her system) and careful monitoring until you know she's doing better

 

[Snoops]

Please take her back - she may be headed toward DKA. Without the proper meds, you can't keep her comfortable at home. You need to get some food in her if you have to make it soupy and syringe feed her. If she doesn't eat, she may also develope Fatty Liver disease. If she needs insulin, her body can't use the food she was eating; she's starving to death. Offer her anything you think she might eat: boiled chicken, lunch meat, sprinkle her food with crushed kibble or treats, some cats like parmesean cheese sprinkled on it too.

HUGS,

 

[Snoops]

So you believe we should get her back to the vet asap and get her on insulin. Even tho she hates it there and usually comes back home in dire distress is better than keeping her comfortable here at home.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

If you "keep her comfortable at home", you could lose her

DKA is very serious, as is Fatty Liver and both are expensive to treat (and not always successful) so yes, I'd have her checked out

Another thing you can do is get some ketone test strips (available at any pharmacy) and test her to see if she's throwing ketones. You just dip the strips in her urine and read the results. Here are some Urine Testing Tips

If anything more than "trace" ketones, it's a medical emergency and she needs to be at the vet immediately

 

[Squeaky and KT (GA)]

So you believe we should get her back to the vet asap and get her on insulin. Even tho she hates it there and usually comes back home in dire distress is better than keeping her comfortable here at home.

Yes I believe you should get her back to the vet asap - even tho she hates it there, by your description, she's headed for serious trouble that can't be handled at home. Cats hide pain and illness very well - it's one of their strong survival skills. She may look 'comfortable at home' but she's likely not. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm really concerned for her welfare. If they have to sedate her to do the required care, then that's what needs to be done.

If you're not going to take her back to the vet quickly, please check her ketones every time she pees with the ketone test strips Chris mentioned above. Ketones are byproducts of burning fat to keep her body going rather than the food she has.

HUGS and prayers!