Sick cat - high blood sugar

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Ellen416

Member Since 2013
Hi everyone,

I currently have an 8 year old cat named Weens that has been sick since yesterday. He vomited multiple times (undigested food as well as clear vomit with a tinge of pink colour to it). Although he had just vomited around 3:30pm yesterday he was meowing for food so I gave him some dry kibbles (it's the vet brand for cats with diabetes. I think it's Hills MD. I got it when my other cat was diabetic and still use a very small amount for Weens daily cause he LOVES dry food. My other 2 cats only eat canned food). After I fed him I went to out for a few hours and when I came back he was hiding, which is unusual especially if I shake the food bag.
I found more vomit and at this point he wasn't interested in eating at all and was pretty lethargic. I decided (randomly) that I should check his blood sugar. ** the reason I have a tester is because I have another cat that used to be diabetic but I managed to get him in remission by changing his diet to canned food***. Weens' blood sugar level was 14.1. I tried giving him some canned food before bed but he wasn't interested.
This morning when I woke up he was hiding again but I got him out from behind the couch and checked his blood sugar again. It was 6.7. I tried again to feed him some wet food but he was not interested.
I am taking him to the vet when I get home from work but I have a question:

Is it possible for a cats blood sugar to ever be 14 and not be diabetic?
Is it possible he has a virus/infection that could have elevated his blood sugar level?
Could a low carb food (the Hills MD which is specifically for diabetic cats) still be too high in carbs?
I'm going to switch him to canned food only from now on anyway.

Thanks!
 
I would be very worried right now that he is either in DKA or headed that way....Have you checked his urine for Ketones?

Yes the vet's diabetic dry food is still way to high in carbs for a diabetic cat.

But again I wouldn't wait to get him to a vet if at all possible I would get him to the vet's NOW! Vomiting, hiding and not eating can turn very serious very quickly!!!


Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Thanks for your reply.

What is DKA? I have not checked his urine for keytones. I don't know what that is or how to do that.
I cannot get to the vet until after 3:30pm today.
 
I would also have them check him for pancreatitis while you are at the vet. Could be either DKA or pancreatitis. Best of wishes for you and your kitty.

Terri
 
DKA = diabetic ketoacidosis a potentially fatal complication of diabetes. Fat is broken down for calories because not enough insulin is available to use carbs. Too many ketones may indicate DKA. It is expelsive to treat due to hospitalization.

Not eating for as little as 2 days may result in hepatic lipidosis. Fat is broken down for calories due to not eating. The fat goes to the liver and overloads it. Jaundice, a yellow coloring, starts to show up in the skin and the whites of the eyes (sclera). This is a medical emergency.
 
DKA is kind of a perfect storm for a diabetic...it happens when 3 things happen together

Not enough food usually because of loss of appetite for some reason + not enough insulin + infection. Since you didn't mention if you were giving insulin or not this could be a big cause for concern.

Keep us posted on what you find out at the vet's today I will be watching for an update. Really hoping it is just something simple like an upset tummy. But always better safe than sorry.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
I haven't been giving him insulin cause it isn't diagnosed as diabetic.
I just happened to check his blood sugar out of curiosity cause he was vomiting and I had nothing else to check.
I'll check it again when I get home. I was able to get permission to leave work and made an appointment for 11:30 today.
 
I should also note that I've been told in the past that when an animal is sick (virus or infection) it can cause their blood sugar levels to read higher than normal. I am hoping this is what's happening (if its an easily treated infection, that is)
 
Yes infection can raise BGs so we will have our fingers and toes crossed that is all it is just something easily fixed like a kitty cold or something. Glad you got an earlier appointment with the vet. The sooner you find out what is wrong with him the sooner he can get to feeling better. It is always so hard on us beans when our furry babies aren't feeling well.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
I would just give them his symptoms...vomitting, hiding and not eating as well as the couple BG readings you have on him and see what they suggested. But I would think at least blood work is in order.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Note: vet stress may elevate blood glucose; as much as 100 points has been reported.
 
I left him at the vet. $570 dollars later.... he's having blood work, a urinalysis and X-rays in case he are something he wasn't supposed to (which he likes to do). I checked his blood sugar before I took him to the vet and it was 5.3 so it keeps coming down. (Not sure how to convert 5.3mmol/L to the other format)
 
Converted to US numbers it would be 95 so at least not diabetic :-D Poor guy hope he gets to feeling better soon.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Good luck with the test results. I hope you find out what's ailing your boy, and get something to make him feel better real soon. I'm glad he's eating again... I guess that's what you meant by *ate.
 
Sorry, I typed "ate" because I made a typo in my previous post.
No blood or urine results so far but the vet called and said she thinks she seems something on the xray (possibly he ate something he wasn't supposed to). They sent him home with me with all the stuff to give sub q fluids, some antacid stuff for his upset stomach and told me to watch him.

As soon as we got home he was fine. He was eating, walking around, acting normal.
I'll hear today about the blood and urine results but I think he is alright. Maybe it was brief stomach bug or something.
I'll update again when they call me.
 
Hi everyone!

Weens is doing well. They didn't find anything through the blood work or the X-ray.
I've been checking his blood sugar and its normal. I'll keep checking it though for the next few weeks to make sure it's ok.
As of now it looks like he has some kind of stomach bug. Thank god he's fine.

Thanks everyone for your replies!
 
Glad to hear it was just a minor upset tummy and nothing serious...it is just so scary when they don't feel well especially I think after we have had a diabetic because we are more vigilant with our civies, because most of us never get over the guilt of letting our sugarcats get sick in the first place. And we learn so much more about cats in general when treating our extra sweet ones.

Give Weens some ear and chin scritches from us all.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Yay! Dodged a bullet.

And now you know more than you ever thought you needed to know about DKA and hepatic lipidosis.
Someday, you'll be able to pass it on to someone who needs to know about it, whether on the board or at home.
 
Insulin resistance after pancreatitis

Hi,
My 13 year old diabetic cat Buffy has just had a pretty bad attack of pancreatitis which resulted in an inflamed gall bladder and very high bilirubin counts and jaundice...that all seems to be resolving well after 10 days of support and medication at the vet, who is excellent. She is eating, bright and lively, but her blood glucose is high, and has not responded to insulin over two days...I think she is up in the 30's, and is on 5 units twice a day...anyone else ever experienced insulin resistance after pancreatitis? What can be done? Thanks, shmim
 
Ellen,
Very happy to hear that all is well with Weens!

But for future reference....

Hills M/D is NOT appropriate for a diabetic kitty, canned, or dry. My vet prescribed the same thing for Bob when he was diagnosed. Then I learned that it wan't low-carb at all. nailbite_smile. Vet's might believe it, and Hill's must have really great salespeople who peddle it, but it is pretty much "carbage".

The % of carbs:
Canned = 14%
Dry = 13%

Hopefully, you won't need that info and your kitties will forever remain "sugar-free". :-D
 
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