Please help! Not eating, vomiting, very lethargic

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amyandtimmy

Member Since 2012
Hi,
My cat was diagnosed with FD on Monday after experiencing a very scary episode over the weekend when he stopped eating, was vomiting water- very dehydrated- and became nearly comatose. Since spending 2 days at the vets office, he has been re-hydrated, seems a bit more coherent, but he is still not eating. I took him back to the vet yesterday; the vet gave him an appetite stimulant pill and his insulin shot (1 unit). My cat woke me up in the middle of the night meowing, so I warmed up some tuna w/ the juice and he ate it- which made me really happy! But now this morning, I offered him the same thing and all he did was lap up some of the juice and then he threw it up. It has been nearly a week since I've seen him eat any substantial amount of food. I don't know how he can survive like this. What do I do? Everyone says- try everything, find something he likes- but I don't think that's the issue here. It's like eating makes him sick, so he doesn't even want to try it. I think the only reason he attempted to eat last night must have been because of the pill the vet gave him. I'm not going to give him his insulin shot this morning. I think I need to see a vet that is a bit more knowledgeable with FD. Does anyone know of a good vet in the LA area? Preferably near the Los Feliz/Hollywood area. Please help, I feel so overwhelmed and am doing this all on my own. I fear coming home from work and finding him dead.
-Amy
 
Amy,
Are you home testing yet? If not, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get a meter and strips if your baby is going to be on insulin. That's the only way you can keep him safe. Shooting blindly is like putting on a blindfold and shooting an arrow - you have NO idea what's going to happen. There have been several times over our last 1 1/2 years that if I had not tested first, KT wouldn't be here with me....it's not hard, we can teach you. It will take a couple of weeks for you and your baby to get the full hang of it but after that, it will become second nature and only take literally seconds. KT comes to the sound of the beep of his meter. I use the Walmart 'Confirm', strips are $20/50. There is a new Walmart one that has even cheaper strips too...it just takes a bit bigger drop of blood than the Confirm...no big deal.

BIG HUGE HUG and extra thoughts and prayers for sweet Timmy(?),
 
Need to check for ketones and or pancreatitis. They test for both right at the vets office. I would get him in right away, both can be very bad. My cat never had ketones but did have pancreatitis, and she was so sick to her stomach she would not eat or would throw it up. If he is that sick he needs to got to a vet that understands that diabetic cats are prone to ketones and pancreatitis and how to treat them. Best of luck to you and your kitty.

Terri
 
It might be that he is nauseous and wants to eat but can't. P'titis is one cause- definitely check on that.
 
Thee days w/o eating may result in hepatic lipidosis, where the body breaks down fat for energy and the fat overwhelms the liver; it can be fatal. You may see jaundice, a yellowing of the whites of the eyes and sometimes of the skin, too.

Please get back with the vet to check for pancreatitis and ketones which may provoke vomiting, and read my signature link on Secondary Monitoring Tools to find out ways to do urine ketone testing at home once he is stable again.
 
Thanks for all of the advice; I am still looking for the best FD vet in my area. Timmy has just eaten some tuna juice and perhaps a tiny bit of the meat; I am watching to see if he keeps it down. I will be getting my meter day after tomorrow, I hope. It is coming from the wonderful webmaster of this forum.
In response to some of the questions I was asked: He did have ketones when his blood was drawn/urine sampled last Saturday. But when I picked Timmy up from the vet this past Tuesday, the vet said the ketones were 'taken care of.' I believe that when they first tested his BG Monday morning (when Timmy was admitted at the vet's) it tested in the 500s. But the last reading they gave me was in the 200s. When I asked the vet about the possibility of a second issue being the cause of his loss of appetite, the vet dismissed my worries by saying "it's like looking for a zebra when you've already found a horse." But after what I've read on this forum, I think I'll be moving on to another vet. Just have to find one. Anyone have a FD vet recommendation in the LA area?

Thanks again,
Amy and Timmy
 
Have you recommenced the insulin?

I'm not sure of the answer myself, but it concerns me to think that a cat with ketones present will not be getting any insulin for another two days at least. The ketones were "taken care of" by the vet by administering insulin.

What do other, more knowledgeable members of the forum think?

To me, another two or three days seems too an awfully long time to wait, both for food and for insulin. He's not eating because he feels awful due to the effect of very high blood sugar and ketones. I would suggest making a runny mixture of wet cat food and tuna water, and slowly syringing it into the back of your cats mouth.

I understand the concerns about not injecting a cat who isn't eating with insulin, and the risks of a hypoglycaemic episode - this is why it is so important to test blood glucose - but I really think that two or three days until you receive the machine is far too long to wait to give him insulin, this could cause a DKA episode. Could you not purchase a blood glucose machine from your local Walmart? I've read they are very cheap (like under $20). Perhaps a US forum member could provide more info in this regard?

Alternatively, I think you need to get your cat back into the vets ASAP. I know you're trying to find recommendations for another local vet, but again, don't wait too long. Something needs doing today, if he still is not eating and you are (understandably) holding back administering insulin until you have a glucose meter. In which case, the vet's is the best place for him.

Good luck.

H
 
Hi Amy. I'm just sending you good luck vines in finding a good vet that really knows what he's doing, and will work with you to help Timmy.
 
UPDATE!

I am over the moon right now! My little Timmy decided to start eating again last night. He started with some tuna juice and then my roommate took some deli meat out of the fridge. There was no doubt that Timmy was very interested in it, so we offered him some small pieces and he took them! This encouraged me to try more, so I took the new wet food he's supposed to be eating and poured some warmed up tuna juice over it. He ate a small amount and has eaten even more this morning. He already looks so much better- his gait is much more stable, his eyes are no longer glossy, and he's being more vocal. He's still got a lot of weight to gain back, but I think he's definitely turned a corner. He hasn't had an insulin shot since noon on Wed, so I think I'm going to continue to hold off on that until I have his BG monitor tomorrow. Is there chance that his hyperglycemic episode was an isolated incident, and that he might not actually need insulin on a regular basis?

Thanks for all the support :)
-Amy and Timmy
 
I'm just worried for you because of the not eating and being lethargic and no insulin and having ketones recently. They can quickly reappear again. I am praying that your cat keeps eating and you get the glucometer tomorrow morning and can start testing him and give him insulin if he needs it. My cat is a DKA survivor and he was hospitalized for 8 1/2 days, so I know how dangerous it is. I am continuing to send your cat no ketones vines. Have you bought the ketone test strips and tested his urine, yet? You can buy them at any pharmacy. That's what I would do tonight, if at all possible, I would get a ketone test. Also, encourage him to eat as much as possible.
Please keep us updated.
Come on glucometer..
 
Please do some ketone testing (some suggestions below). Ketoacidosis can be very expensive to treat at the vet and is potentially fatal.

Urine Testing

Obtain Keto Diastix or similar product from pharmacy.
You will be looking for glucose and/or ketones in the urine.
Use a long handled spoon to obtain fresh urine sample while the cat urinates, or hold a test strip under the cat.
OR - place some strong plastic wrap over a section of the box frequently anointed and dip into a fresh puddle less than 30 minutes after deposit.
OR - Pick up some aquarium gravel and put it in a clean litter box.

Wait for the cat to use it.

In under 30 minutes, push the gravel aside, tip the pan, and dip the strip.

Compare test strip to color chart (this is an imprecise measure) Note: if cost is a problem, it is possible to remove solid debris from the gravel, and "wash" the gravel, dry it and re-use it. It is, however, very time-consuming and you'll need a large tub and a strainer over the drain to prevent it from going down and clogging the pipes.
 
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