Please help - kitty with ketones

CCG

CCG

Member Since 2019
I will preface this by saying: I understand the best course of action would be to take our kitty to the vet. But we do not have the financial means to do that right now after paying a lot for his medical bills over the last month.

Full story here:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...one-to-ketones-running-out-of-options.215587/

Came home from the vet on Tuesday and I just did a urine test and he already has trace levels of ketones again. His glucose levels have been high... mainly above 400 the last two days. This is our last chance to try to tackle this issue before we have to put him down because we cannot afford it. I am devastated.

Any advice you can give on what to do right now is helpful. He is still eating and drinking and I am mixing water in with his food. I just gave another half dose of Lantus to try to bring his blood sugar down. Not sure what else to do.

Spreadsheet here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...hO9GnB5MpdyS8syA7AdO5S12k/edit#gid=1182885903
 
I have to rush out but keep feeding as much as he’ll eat. Put water with food if he’ll tolerate it.
Is the spreadsheet up to date?
Put the 911 prefix to get attention. I will look back in when I return
 
Bron and Sheba said:
I have to rush out but keep feeding as much as he’ll eat. Put water with food if he’ll tolerate it.
Is the spreadsheet up to date?
Put the 911 prefix to get attention. I will look back in when I return
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Thank you <3. Will keep feeding and monitoring. He is not interested in water but will eat food with water in it.
Spreadsheet is up-to-date with current numbers from his last two days home. I can add from the past but not sure how helpful it is.
 
Chris & China (GA) said:
Why have you reduced down to .5?



You mean on top of the .5 you gave at PMPS?
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Yes. .5 at 7am, .5 at 7pm, .5 at 11pm when we discovered the ketones.

Vets recommended the reduction from 1U 2x/day to 1U 1x/day after his last DKA episode. They thought there was a somogyi effect occurring where his glucose levels dipped super low and then jumped back up because of the insulin.
 
I disagree with your vet but there are lots of days missing on your spreadsheet too

How low was he dropping? And unfortunately, "bouncing" is normal, especially at first.

It's not a good idea to give extra lantus ….because then you can end up with more than 1 nadir, but with him running that high, I doubt it'll hurt much tonight.

You can use a different insulin with Lantus called "R" (Rapid) though, but you need to have someone with experience using it helping you if you do

Keep pushing food and as much water as you can get into him.

You might also want to try contacting Diabetic Cats In Need ….if you're low income, they may be able to help
 
Chris & China (GA) said:
I disagree with your vet but there are lots of days missing on your spreadsheet too

How low was he dropping? And unfortunately, "bouncing" is normal, especially at first.

It's not a good idea to give extra lantus ….because then you can end up with more than 1 nadir, but with him running that high, I doubt it'll hurt much tonight.

You can use a different insulin with Lantus called "R" (Rapid) though, but you need to have someone with experience using it helping you if you do

Keep pushing food and as much water as you can get into him.

You might also want to try contacting Diabetic Cats In Need ….if you're low income, they may be able to help
Click to expand...
Added missing days to the spreadsheet. We just joined the site yesterday after Ty's most recent DKA episode so all of my numbers were in a different spreadsheet.

Haven't given him an off dose shot of insulin before this. A last ditch effort because his numbers are so high.

Will keep with the food and water.

I have looked into those programs and we do not qualify :(
 
CCG said:
Added missing days to the spreadsheet. We just joined the site yesterday after Ty's most recent DKA episode so all of my numbers were in a different spreadsheet.
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OK...I still don't see any numbers so low that I would have suggested decreasing the dose. The lowest I see is the 167 and that's still higher than we want.

And again, it's very common for cats to bounce, especially at first.....cats are so good at hiding that they're sick so usually they've been diabetic for quite some time before we start to see signs and take them in and get the diagnosis. Their bodies have gotten used to living in those high numbers and it'll take some time to re-train them to accept them.

We want them to spend as much time in normal numbers as possible so the pancreas can hopefully heal and start working again.

If you're using the AlphaTrak meter, normal would be 68-150

Especially with the DKA, I'd take him back up to 1U tomorrow.
 
I am glad you have been able to post as well @Chris & China (GA). I'm back from the school run now.
I'm amazed the vet said to only give the insulin daily especially after DKA....what are they taught at university..
@CCG ...looking at the SS it says you gave 1 unit this morning, is that correct? And then 0.5 unit PMPS, and then 0.5 at +3 is that correct?
I see you have just posted again Chris......I was going to say the same thing. I also agree that she should go up to 1 unit twice a day.
 
Bron and Sheba said:
I also agree that she should go up to 1 unit twice a day.
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I think we're probably going to need to fast track her if the 1U doesn't do any better than it has been but we'll see what happens

@CCG ....with the DKA in the picture, you shouldn't worry so much about the carb content of what he's eating. The important thing is to increase the calories for now.....and we may want to increase his insulin quicker than normal too. The "rules" for treating a DKA cat are different from one that hasn't been in DKA
 
Keep getting as much food into him as he will eat, with the water added....that's good. And get a urine test whenever you can for the ketones.
With the increase in dose tomorrow morning to 1 unit twice a day, that should hopefully keep the ketones at bay but you will need to keep the food and fluids up and testing the BSL.
Keep asking questions.
You can take down the 911 now that Chris and I are here.
 
Chris & China (GA) said:
I think we're probably going to need to fast track her if the 1U doesn't do any better than it has been but we'll see what happens

@CCG ....with the DKA in the picture, you shouldn't worry so much about the carb content of what he's eating. The important thing is to increase the calories for now.....and we may want to increase his insulin quicker than normal too. The "rules" for treating a DKA cat are different from one that hasn't been in DKA
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Absolutely I agree with everything you have said!
 
Hi there and Welcome to L, B, & L land. What a scare DKA is! It's a good thing that Ty is eating for you and good job adding as much water as you can to her food as water helps to flush out ketones. Stay as vigilant as you are with the ketone testing as you don't want it to get out of hand . Here's the basic recipe for developing DKA: a systemic stress or infection, not enough calories, and not enough insulin. So, push the food and water.

She needs to be dosed twice a day with insulin, 12 hours apart each dose. Your vet is really wrong to tell you to only give it once a day especially to a DKA kitty. I agree with Chris that giving extra in the middle of the 12 hour cycle can be problematic to have two sets of nadirs ( the lowest point in the cycle ) to deal with.

If she were my kitty, I would increase to 1.25 when you can monitor her . Keep posting and let us know how we can help you.
 
I'm not going to comment on the DKA as I haven't got time to be on the board this weekend.
But just wanted to say that given the costs you have incurred, you may want to think about swapping to a human meter to save some money. They work just fine, in fact if you start to follow one of the dosing methods that we use on this site it is preferable to use a human meter as both dosing methods were developed by CG's using human meters and conversion is problematic.

I have never used a pet meter, managed to get George into remission and keep him safe using a human meter, having strips that are economical meant I could test as mucha as I wanted without having to worry too much about the budget.

Just a thought.

Carol & Murphy said:
What about subQ fluids (Ringers Lactate) to flush out the ketones?
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If kitty is eating and drinking normally and you can add extra water to food may not be necessary, also important that kitty has no heart issues before subqs are given. :)
 
Hi all. Thank you so much for responses. I don't know what was going on but I could not access the forum this morning.
I had to go to work for a presentation while my husband stayed home with Ty this morning.

The good news is that he is still alert and acting generally okay (slightly sluggish, but not like the last time he went into DKA), and he will drink water for me. He ate around 1:30am and I checked his blood glucose every 2 hours throughout the night. It was finally getting lower after the rogue 11pm shot of insulin I gave him to try to bring him down.

This morning my husband gave him insulin later than usual because he was not eating and glucose levels were already low(er). Spreadsheet is updated. He is hovering in the high 100s right now.

The bad news is that he still has not urinated so we have not done another ketone check. And he also is no longer eating for me. I am not sure what to do.
 
Gill & George said:
I'm not going to comment on the DKA as I haven't got time to be on the board this weekend.
But just wanted to say that given the costs you have incurred, you may want to think about swapping to a human meter to save some money. They work just fine, in fact if you start to follow one of the dosing methods that we use on this site it is preferable to use a human meter as both dosing methods were developed by CG's using human meters and conversion is problematic.

I have never used a pet meter, managed to get George into remission and keep him safe using a human meter, having strips that are economical meant I could test as mucha as I wanted without having to worry too much about the budget.

Just a thought.


If kitty is eating and drinking normally and you can add extra water to food may not be necessary, also important that kitty has no heart issues before subqs are given. :)
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Thanks for the tip. Will definitely check this out if we can get through this episode. The AlphaTrak2 test strips alone are ridiculously priced. $1 each, essentially.

Ty doesn't have heart failure but they did find a murmur and aren't sure how long he has had it.
 
Bron and Sheba said:
I am glad you have been able to post as well @Chris & China (GA). I'm back from the school run now.
I'm amazed the vet said to only give the insulin daily especially after DKA....what are they taught at university..
@CCG ...looking at the SS it says you gave 1 unit this morning, is that correct? And then 0.5 unit PMPS, and then 0.5 at +3 is that correct?
I see you have just posted again Chris......I was going to say the same thing. I also agree that she should go up to 1 unit twice a day.
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He actually had three doses of .5 U each yesterday.
At the end of the day the vet called and said we should do 1 U in the morning and .5 in the evening. But then I found ketones yesterday night.
I regret giving him the rogue dose of insulin at 11pm because it makes regulation harder. But I was desperate with his glucose levels being as high as they were and seeing ketones.
 
UPDATE
Ty just urinated and I tested for ketones. My husband and I are having a pretty tough time interpreting the strip. You'd think it would be straightforward. Assistance appreciated. We tested three times and are still having difficulty. Photos were taken exactly 40 seconds after dipping with urine, which is what the test strip protocol recommends.

Ty's test strip compared to a 'negative' ketone color: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S4-pVxsCUoSVH0ilpD1h3Zi5188Wouc9/view?usp=sharing
Ty's test strip compared to a 'trace' ketone color: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JXj9POu0H-J60jLP_Se_cVXCcZajh5kB/view?usp=sharing
Ty's test strip compared to a 'small' ketone color: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OVOuEvOH3-VM7MoZnduAIeQNQSiwLPNW/view?usp=sharing

Thoughts???
Husband and I are both in agreement that the color from right now is LIGHTER than the color last night. We interpreted last night's strip to be "moderate" ketone level. So we are trending in the right direction no matter what.

Biggest concerns now:
How to get Ty to eat. He still hasn't eaten since ~1:30am (it is now 12:15pm here)
He is having diarrhea. He hasn't eaten anything abnormal since he returned home from his hospital stay on Tuesday. But I think this could be a ketone flare-up because of something GI related. Or maybe it's the other way around.

Thank you all so much for being here.
 
CCG said:
Thoughts???
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It is hard to say certain on the picture. I always check in the daylight v. electric. makes it easier to read.
Just keep testing every time he goes to LB, increase his water intake to make him go more frequent.

CCG said:
How to get Ty to eat. He still hasn't eaten since ~1:30am (it is now 12:15pm here)
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Do you have feeding syringes at home?
You can get some at either your vet or a pet store.
He needs calories asap. and water - not only to flash the ketones out but to keep hydrated BC dehydration can cause inapetance.
Do you think he is nauseated - like sniffing the food and walking away, lip licking? These are nausea symptoms in cats.
@CCG
 
Tanya and Ducia said:
It is hard to say certain on the picture. I always check in the daylight v. electric. makes it easier to read.
Just keep testing every time he goes to LB, increase his water intake to make him go more frequent.


Do you have feeding syringes at home?
You can get some at either your vet or a pet store.
He needs calories asap. and water - not only to flash the ketones out but to keep hydrated BC dehydration can cause inapetance.
Do you think he is nauseated - like sniffing the food and walking away, lip licking? These are nausea symptoms in cats.
@CCG
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Yes the picture is even tougher than in person.

We don't have feeding syringes but will go pick some up. I have been spoon feeding him water and he is drinking it without much of a fuss. But is not willingly going to the water bowl.

He will sniff food but then move locations when I try to put it near him. He could be nauseated.
 
CCG said:
He will sniff food but then move locations when I try to put it near him. He could be nauseated.
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Here is what I have for my post DKA girl:
-Cerenia - vet pills for nausea. If possible get Ondasterton (Spellling?)too which is human pill for nausea.
Each work on different aspects of been nauseated and helps a lot, often used in combination.
The dose should be vet defined.
-Appetite stimulant such as Mirtazapin pills.
-Pain killer (in case there is pain)
-If no heart problems then ask the vet if adding Lactated Ringers Solution subcutaneously (SQF therapy) would be good. We had 100 ml - 75 ml a day in addition to 100 ml water taken orally (with food).
-If AB is still needed to be taken then ask the vet if it can cause diarrhea and which other AB can be used instead.

Post DKA food and water and good dose of insulin is the number one medicine.
Please try to figure out what causes not eating and try to remedy it. I do hope anti nausea meds help.

It is worrying that he is without food for that long.
 
Tanya and Ducia said:
Here is what I have for my post DKA girl:
-Cerenia - vet pills for nausea. If possible get Ondasterton (Spellling?)too which is human pill for nausea.
Each work on different aspects of been nauseated and helps a lot, often used in combination.
The dose should be vet defined.
-Appetite stimulant such as Mirtazapin pills.
-Pain killer (in case there is pain)
-If no heart problems then ask the vet if adding Lactated Ringers Solution subcutaneously (SQF therapy) would be good. We had 100 ml - 75 ml a day in addition to 100 ml water taken orally (with food).
-If AB is still needed to be taken then ask the vet if it can cause diarrhea and which other AB can be used instead.

Post DKA food and water and good dose of insulin is the number one medicine.
Please try to figure out what causes not eating and try to remedy it. I do hope anti nausea meds help.

It is worrying that he is without food for that long.
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Thank you. He has been in the hospital for DKA twice and they didn't give us any medications or recommendations :(

His glucose levels are remaining steady below 200 which is much better than they have been.
I just spoon fed him water and just under half of a can of watered down Fancy Feast. I didn't want to give him too much at once and make him sick. He was not happy about it but participated in the feeding and so far is keeping all of it down. Will continue this at routine intervals if he continues to do OK.
He is agitated with me which is just like his normal self :). He's our grumpy old man. He still has some fight in him
 
CCG said:
He has been in the hospital for DKA twice and they didn't give us any medications or recommendations
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:(:mad:
you really need to have the meds I posted about earlier - they are your tools.

CCG said:
His glucose levels are remaining steady below 200 which is much better than they have been.
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it is good but could be due to under eating.
CCG said:
I just spoon fed him water and just under half of a can of watered down Fancy Feast. I didn't want to give him too much at once and make him sick. He was not happy about it but participated in the feeding and so far is keeping all of it down.
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This is great!
HERE is the link to the video on assisted feeding - just scroll down the screen until you see the video.
I only post it in case you need it in the future.

My Ducia was very underweight post DKA and needed to gain weight asap.
We fed her via etube about 1.5 cans of Friskies classic pate 5.5 oz/ can in 24 hours.
Small feeding portions like 20cc syringe - one or two at once if possible and tolerated well.
She needed no less than 250 - 300 Kcal a day for awhile.

I hope you are successful with feeding.
Post for help as many here had done it.

I agree with others who posted above - I would have started on 1 Unit dose 12 hours apart, and feeding every 3 hours day and night. Not enough calories+not enough insulin=ketones development.
@CCG
 
Healing wishes & thoughts your way :bighug:. Its good to hear he is keeping the FF down. Its also good to hear that he's fighting & being his "grumpy" self...thats a nice sign & hopefully you are heading in a better direction.
 
CCG said:
Thank you. He has been in the hospital for DKA twice and they didn't give us any medications or recommendations
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:(:mad:
do you think if you call them and ask they'll oblige?
These are very good tools to keep handy, especially after DKA.
CCG said:
His glucose levels are remaining steady below 200 which is much better than they have been.
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it is very good but could be explain by the lack of food.
CCG said:
I just spoon fed him water and just under half of a can of watered down Fancy Feast. I didn't want to give him too much at once and make him sick.
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You are right on about no getting sick!
Ducia being underweight needed 250Kcal - 300KCal a day , it is 1.5 can of 5.5 oz Friskies Pate. Each can about 180 Kcal.
FF is slightly less calories, if I am not mistaken, and it means you may want to feed more.
Small portions by syringe - like 20 cc diluted pate a sitting every 3 to 4 hours.
 
Tanya and Ducia said:
:(:mad:
do you think if you call them and ask they'll oblige?
These are very good tools to keep handy, especially after DKA.

it is very good but could be explain by the lack of food.

You are right on about no getting sick!
Ducia being underweight needed 250Kcal - 300KCal a day , it is 1.5 can of 5.5 oz Friskies Pate. Each can about 180 Kcal.
FF is slightly less calories, if I am not mistaken, and it means you may want to feed more.
Small portions by syringe - like 20 cc diluted pate a sitting every 3 to 4 hours.
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They might. I am a little nervous about introducing anything else new to his system right now. Will see how the next day goes and if we need it.
Prior to today, Ty was willingly eating 1.5-2 cans of FF per meal on his own. But still losing weight. :(

We did about 20ccs 45 min ago and will try again in an hour or so if all goes well.

I am about to check his glucose again. Hoping that the lower numbers aren't just due to the lack of food. I'm hopeful because he ate in the early hours this morning and even ~2 hours after that (w/no additional insulin) his #s were dropping into the 200s from the 400s.
But we will see if this theory is true in a bit...
 
CCG said:
They might. I am a little nervous about introducing anything else new to his system right now. Will see how the next day goes and if we need it.
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I would wholeheartedly agree ...if it was not for the DKA.
The threat of ketone development is real and we had seen cats in the upper 100s throwing ketones.
You do not have to start on any additional meds but to to keep your hands on them.
Crisis often come when vets are closed. And Ty needs to eat, more so with the DKA in picture.
If it was my cat not eating I'd start with anti nausea - a small dose and see if helps the eating.
CCG said:
little nervous about introducing anything else new to his system right now. Will see how the next day goes and if we need it.
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I hope appy improves today.

I am worried that the next day or so might be a little too long and enable ketones to start reappearing if he does not eat well and his dose remains.
Food is a must for now, truly.
It's better to up the dose ETA: DOSE OF INSULIN a little to counter all of the extra food then to give smaller dose due to lack of appy - not post DKA cats anyway - I also think 1 unit dose 12 hours apart , with multiple feeding throughout the day is way to start.

Would you please post your next test number?

And how many hours post injection is it for you?
I have a little trouble reading your SS at a moment.
 
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Tanya and Ducia said:
I would wholeheartedly agree ...if it was not for the DKA.
The threat of ketone development is real and we had seen cats in the upper 100s throwing ketones.
You do not have to start on any additional meds but to to keep your hands on them.
Crisis often come when vets are closed. And Ty needs to eat, more so with the DKA in picture.
If it was my cat not eating I'd start with anti nausea - a small dose and see if helps the eating.

I hope appy improves today.

I am worried that the next day or so might be a little too long and enable ketones to start reappearing if he does not eat well and his dose remains.
Food is a must for now, truly.
It's better to up the dose ETA: DOSE OF INSULIN a little to counter all of the extra food then to give smaller dose due to lack of appy - not post DKA cats anyway - I also think 1 unit dose 12 hours apart , with multiple feeding throughout the day is way to start.

Would you please post your next test number?

And how many hours post injection is it for you?
I have a little trouble reading your SS at a moment.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much.

Spreadsheet is a little tough to understand right now because yesterday I gave:
.5 U Lantus @ 7:00am
.5 U Lantus @ 7:00pm
@ 11:00pm, found ketones in urine. We panicked and gave another dose of .5 U Lantus @ 11:00pm to try to at least get his blood sugar down (it had been in the 400s+ since had returned home from the hospital.
He ate multiple times between 11:00pm-1:30am last night.
I checked his glucose levels after that which are in the 6/13/2019 row, +4-+8 columns after PMPs. These were values between 1:30am and 6:00am

Today, he did not eat his breakfast as usual at 7:00am.
Between that and the fact that I gave him another dose of Lantus @ 11:00pm, and that his blood glucose was lower (high 100s), we decided not to give him more insulin until 10:00am.

So we are now +4 after his most recent dose of Lantus (1 U) @ 10:00am.

Fed him 1/2 can FF (syringe feeding) @ 1:00pm - 1 hour ago now.
His blood glucose was 155 prior to feeding.

He's now at 175 1-hour post feeding, +4 after morning insulin injection. (+7 after AMPS column on spreadsheet).
Also spoonfed more water after glucose testing.

Will do another glucose test and try to feed some more in 1 hour.
 
CCG said:
Will do another glucose test and try to feed some more in 1 hour.
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You can take the BG test later on - like 2 hours later but do not skip planned feeding.
The numbers in Blue are so welcome!
His nadir is likely is still ahead but with different dosing/ timing it is hard to be sure nor can we see the dose true potency in the 1st cycle, it often happens on the 3rd cycle because the Lantus "depot" has to settle in first.
I hope the 1U works for Ty!
CCG said:
Fed him 1/2 can FF (syringe feeding) @ 1:00pm - 1 hour ago now.
His blood glucose was 155 prior to feeding.

He's now at 175 1-hour post feeding
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nice food bump - the number of point up after eating. :)
 
Just fed him ~8cc more FF in syringe w/water. Lots of angry growls by the end. Also gave him more water.
 
Tanya and Ducia said:
@CCG
I wanted to tag Cassandra @AliceMeowliss&Cassandra whose girl Alice too is a DKA survivor.
And she had some no appy times. Cassandra might have some feeding tips for you , guys.
I have to log off to get some groceries or humans here will starve tonight (the cat's pantry is full thou).
Please keep updating your SS as you go so people can have a look at the day progress.
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Thank you so much @Tanya and Ducia
 
CCG said:
Lots of angry growls by the end.
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aw, poor baby!
I hope he'll improve for you soon!
Have you checked the tips on appy stimulants?
Ducia too was not happy about feeding... but I am sure that in the hind sight she appreciates my efforts... and does Ty, they know we are helping even if the process sucks.
 
Tanya and Ducia said:
aw, poor baby!
I hope he'll improve for you soon!
Have you checked the tips on appy stimulants?
Ducia too was not happy about feeding... but I am sure that in the hind sight she appreciates my efforts... and does Ty, they know we are helping even if the process sucks.
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Your notes reminded me that they *DID* give us mirtazapine last time he was in the hospital for DKA (April). I am going to give him the suggested dose.
 
CCG said:
Your notes reminded me that they *DID* give us mirtazapine last time he was in the hospital for DKA (April). I am going to give him the suggested dose.
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and by suggested dose, I mean the dose suggested by vet.
 
Okay caught up on all comments.... responding in progress.

CCG said:
Your notes reminded me that they *DID* give us mirtazapine last time he was in the hospital for DKA (April). I am going to give him the suggested dose.
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I would not give the mirtazapine without a nausea med. this is a reason to request Cerenia from your vet. Ondansetron (brand: Zofran) would also be great but I know that is an expensive human med. (I once personally for a human dose paid out of pocket more than $3 a pill but that was a few years ago.....)
The reason; who wants to be starving hungry and nauseous at the same time?
I have taken mirtazapine as a human, for sleep, actually. It has a cumulative effect and really does increase appetite ridiculously much. But please try to address the nausea first. The interest in water but avoidance of food would suggest nausea to me as well.

What helped Alice:
first, @Chris & China (GA) was a great support when I was in a panic, so between her and everyone else I have to say I agree with the advice you have received.
Alice became regulated and gained weight again through: lots of fluids in food (may cause some soft stool, not as important as calories and water!!!), feeding as much as she wanted pretty much (when she did have an appetite, which was actually most of the time), antibiotics post-DKA, and lots and lots of insulin. Your vet may tell you one thing differently from here because they are used to treating certain cases but maybe they just don’t have enough experience or time to really educate themselves on your case.

Another choice for short-term control would be, and anyone correct me if this is a bad idea please, but right after hospitalization and before I got Alice onto Lantus, she was on NPH three times a day. I had to test a lot. But it did give me short-term direct control. Please do not go this route without appropriate support and advice. You could feed high carb if you had to.

Alice bounced a lot at first on Lantus and I felt SO lost, but after about 5 weeks without much sleep I started to really feel some padding on her bones again, and she started to show more patterns of low numbers.

IF you have problems with the spreadsheet, or need someone to update it for you, we have a forum for technical help. There is a way to give someone else permission to access it and maybe they can fix it and update older numbers for you. The more data we all have, the more we can help.

I have a human meter and strips to sell at super low cost so I can trade them for the strips I need (definitely not looking for a profit!!!), but I need to look at everything and count stuff up. I saw someone mentioned switching to a human meter so this is why I mention it. :)

Darn I took too long to respond and see you gave the mirtazapine. Let us know if appy improves at least! I have found that Cerenia seems to restore appetite sometimes just because it can take care of the nausea which is the underlying cause to avoidance of food.....
 
Are you on Facebook? I saw you had trouble accessing the website here one night. It might help to have another way to contact a couple members, via phone text email Facebook whatever, just so you’re never in a bind with no support. That’s always really hard when it happens, for me!!! Especially earlier on or with chaos of extra problems.
 
So short version to what I have to say, Ty may benefit from fast track dosing. I am not the expert there. Feed, feed, and feed. All the water ever. If he is getting what is a normal amount for him, try to increase it.
I stock 20% w gravy, 14% w gravy, Sheba snacks because she loves them (about 3%), freeze dried meat 0%, 4% and 2% regular pate foods, corn syrup.
I stock Cerenia and mirtazapine and do not have ondansetron right now. Ketone strips.
I always have a ton of strips if I can help it.
Cotton balls. Dishes. Neosporin. Clean containers or spoons for pee collection. Lancets with more than one gauge if I have the option. Some days if she is hard to bleed due to cold ears or other circumstances a larger gauge is helpful in making the testing process quick, but a 30-32ga works fine for me mostly, that she has built up more capillaries.
Always try to keep extra syringes too, and I keep a paper little notebook to track her blood sugar before I put it into any electronic thing. I also make notes on poops and feeding and meds given and other relevant stuff.

Oh also wanted to say your Raegent strips are the complicated ones I tried to start out with too. Maybe try simpler strips made just for ketones.

I will check back in later, and please keep asking questions!!!


I know you must be very tired, stressed, and even scared right now. Know that you are doing your best. Feline diabetes is quite a marathon sometimes, but the interrupted sleep and panic and stress will subside over time and all get easier. Keep going. No one thought Alice would get better and a number of people in my life recommended I euthanize her but I knew she had more life in her left. Hugs and chin scritches to you both. Your pick who gets which. Lol. :bighug:
 
AliceMeowliss&Cassandra said:
So short version to what I have to say, Ty may benefit from fast track dosing. I am not the expert there. Feed, feed, and feed. All the water ever. If he is getting what is a normal amount for him, try to increase it.
I stock 20% w gravy, 14% w gravy, Sheba snacks because she loves them (about 3%), freeze dried meat 0%, 4% and 2% regular pate foods, corn syrup.
I stock Cerenia and mirtazapine and do not have ondansetron right now. Ketone strips.
I always have a ton of strips if I can help it.
Cotton balls. Dishes. Neosporin. Clean containers or spoons for pee collection. Lancets with more than one gauge if I have the option. Some days if she is hard to bleed due to cold ears or other circumstances a larger gauge is helpful in making the testing process quick, but a 30-32ga works fine for me mostly, that she has built up more capillaries.
Always try to keep extra syringes too, and I keep a paper little notebook to track her blood sugar before I put it into any electronic thing. I also make notes on poops and feeding and meds given and other relevant stuff.

Oh also wanted to say your Raegent strips are the complicated ones I tried to start out with too. Maybe try simpler strips made just for ketones.

I will check back in later, and please keep asking questions!!!


I know you must be very tired, stressed, and even scared right now. Know that you are doing your best. Feline diabetes is quite a marathon sometimes, but the interrupted sleep and panic and stress will subside over time and all get easier. Keep going. No one thought Alice would get better and a number of people in my life recommended I euthanize her but I knew she had more life in her left. Hugs and chin scritches to you both. Your pick who gets which. Lol. :bighug:
Click to expand...

Thank you very much. You are all so helpful and supportive. I wish I had found this site earlier!

Wish I would've seen the comment about nausea before I gave him the mirtazapine. Going to call the vet now to see if we can get an anti-nausea Rx.

Yes... I feel like we are getting conflicting advice from the veterinarians we've seen. They are both very nice and professional and seem to be doing their jobs well. I guess every kitty is different and needs different things, and what they've been recommending hasn't been working for Ty. So we are trying to slowly figure out what works better for him. I am hopeful that he is ketone-free later when I test. Will look into easier-to-read test strips. Though I do remember these not being cheap, so I will probably wait until we run out :-/.

He is resting now... and was quite agitated with me earlier. Going to let him sit for a bit longer, then test* sugars again and feed more.

I am not on FB :-/, and admit I was lost this morning. If anyone is willing to share their email with me, I really would appreciate it. You could message it to me if you don't want to post it in the forum.
 
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