Sneakers 2/1 at AM 344 ketones?

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hmjohnston

hmjohnston

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BG-
last night when I got home she was in the 200's- a large drop from 400 but nicer than 600. this morning at +11 she was 344.

Ketones-
Well, I tested her last night when I came home and managed to get a sample but the spoon dipped and it got dirty with litter with no chance of a recatch.
It tested at less than moderate but I had read over the symptoms and she nothing else- walking okay, ate all her food, skin okay, not lethargic she has been drinking a lot but that might be getting over her large salty treats the day before and the site says that concentrates the ketones.

This morning, however, she was between trace and small but I will call around before my appt to see if my vet does ketone or who he refers me to and get an appt to take her in this morning. I can't change mine but it is at 8:30am so I will run back home and test her and then take her to the vet. I have ordered a blood test with 2 day shipping.
 
It is really important to stay on top of the ketone possibility. You have better numbers with the lower dose so that eliminates one of the danger signs. Is she still eating okay? (the other warning signs are decreased appetite and lethargy). One thing to help is also to increase her fluid intake - do you add warm water to the wet food to make it soupy? Some cats like that and it increases food and fluid intake.

I think having her checked out is a good idea and will put your mind at ease.
 
Moderate is a concern with Ketone levels on a urine stick. As long as you are seeing trace levels or below, you probably are okay--- though that too, is reason to be very vigilant with your testing. Ketones can come on very quickly. Like Sue said, do everything you can to increase fluid intake-- add water to her food etc. Ketones can present themselves, even with BGs in the 200s. Ginny's Alex, went into DKA without extremely high BG levels. If I recall correctly, he was in the 200s, but his insulin dose had been decreased dramatically. The numbers do look better on the lower dose, but insufficient insulin is the biggest contributor to ketones.

With my Kitty,who also went into DKA, if I see a decrease in her appetite and higher BGs, the first thing I do is check for ketones.

I am not trying to alarm you .....but, You need to continue to keep a close check on the ketones. They can be very serious.
 
Okay-
Back from the vet- and Sneakers is currently their only diabetic cat and they have had only a few... Like I figured.

He wanted to know why I switched her to 1u when she had been on 3u- had printed out the start low, go slow sheet so handed that over (and left it there). He said the ketones just indicated that she wasn't getting enough insulin and small to moderate was expected since I lowered the dose- IS THAT RIGHT???? :?: - and suggested I up the dose to 2u. She has another day on the 1u to to make it more than two days. I wanted to check on his diagnosis and suggested treatment. He didn't seem worried but I am- I don't have a lot of money to spend and would rather treat it at the start than have to deal with a full blown, deaths door episode.

KSE-
I have a meter ordered and on the way- 2 day shipping- they didn't have a meter to check the ketones via the blood :!: !!!. He didn't know anyone who did and their strips are out of date.
The first home test was between neg and trace (pm Monday), second between small and moderate (pm Tue), third between trace and small (am Wed).

Her appetite is down from normal and she was never one for being energetic unless she is on the hunt. She walks okay, breath sticks like normal cat breath- no fruit (haven't done my nails in years so nail remover isn't that much of a help).

Sue-
She drinks a lot and I do water down her food so it is like gravy. She didn't eat her dried treat this morning but ate some cheese last night and her watered down ounce this morning. Hasn't been touched since I left home this morning at 7 and it is now 11.
 
Ketones don't automatically happen when a dose is reduced, and they don't always go to ketoacidosis (which is the scary reason to check for ketones). If you haven't seen it, here is the Feline Diabetes site on ketones.

Ketones or ketone bodies (acetone, acetoacetic acid, and beta-hydroxybutyric acid) are waste products of fatty acid breakdown in the body. This is the result of burning fat, rather than glucose, to fuel the body.
Click to expand...

and

If the cat is bright, alert, and well-hydrated, the cat will not require intensive care. Your cat will require insulin, food, constant access to water, and close monitoring for signs of illness such as vomiting, anorexia, and lethargy.
Click to expand...

Hope this helps!
 
Thanks!
She just ate half of a FF tuna feast can, well watered down. And then got someway through the other half. I will add more water in it to soup it for later while i am gone. Maybe she is tired of the chicken for a while- and I can afford FF.

I have read the sheet on Ketoacidosis and printed it off to take to the vet as well. I've put the web address of the forum on it so they can pass it out to others who come up in the same mess I am.

Well, she just jumped to her chair and I haven't eaten since last night and am now going to go find lunch.

Thanks for replying- i know the normal times are morning and night.

I will keep her on 1u tonight to she will have had a full 48 hours and continue to test.
Every once and a while I can hear her wheezing. Is that something? At first I just thought it was a throaty purr but am not sure about it.
 
Like Lisa said, just because an insulin dose is decreased, that does not mean that ketones will develop. But, anytime a dose is reduce dramatically you need to be sure to test for ketones. It isn't the reduction, but an insufficient amount of insulin that is the concern.

Just continue to test and if you see anything above a trace reading, please post!

You are doing great. We will help you, just keep us informed.

Kim
 
will do, thanks!

I'm worried because my vet isn't so knowledgeable about this stuff. If she continues to show tomorrow morning- if I catch her! I might increase it by .5u but don't really want to until Friday at least.
 
Don't worry about your vet not understanding it! Go read my post today --today is my Kitty's one year anniversary of being Dx with diabetes. My vet claims to understand diabetes and all of the complications associated with it, yet read about the "mistakes" made in Kitty's treatment.

The only thing you need the vet for is to get the insulin. Other than that, you have this board and these great members to lead you.

Just keep Sneakers checked and let the group help you!

Where are you located?
 
Can you get a number around +6 before you increase? It looks like she may not be going too low because she is only dropping 100 points or so at +3, but without a number later in the cycle, we don't have a real picture of how the insulin is working.
 
It isn't showing for some reason-

North Little Rock, AR. I haven't seen anyone yet on the site that is close. I work at the teaching hospital in Little Rock and am thinking about posting and seeing if anyone on campus has a diabetic kitty and share info (we have 10,000+ employees/students/residents. Plus another 2,000 at the VA next door...)

He did seem a little off-put that I had dropped her dosage- possibly because I didn't ask him :roll: . But even I thought that was high at the beginning- I think her numbers have been good the last two days and I even had a chance to get her +4 today. If I am correct I need to test between +5 and +8 to see if she starts dipping and will be able to do that on the weekend.

When I next order syringes I will do the 100u ones so I can have them for a more accurate half dose.
 
I am sorry that I that I dont know too much about it
I wuold keep testing and collecting data
and if need I would raise when you can
 
Sue-
+6 is midnight around here and I will just need to set my alarm. Saturdays are off too as I leave at 8:30 and get home at 3:30. Sundays will be better.

She ate more today almost 5 oz and I think I will do 1/2 a FF later for dinner as she likes those. Bought more on the way home. I don't think I got a fasting rate at all during the day- possibly the +4 one but I don't know. I need to not leave food out on some days that I know I will be home on time- once we get past the ketone testing.
 
Yes, it would.

Okay- ketones between small moderate again but she has been more active today. I think it is the food- okay, it is the food. But, to be safe, I will raise the AM shot to 1.5u. She had 24 hours so I hope that was enough to knock out the high level of PZI.
 
Ketones are bad news. I would raise the dose, like you suggested.

In my opinion, ketones are second only to a severe hypo, as far as danger is concerned to a diabetic cat. I would exchange high blood gluscose levels for moderate ketones any day. Once again, that is my opinion.

Please continue to monitor the ketones and add as much water to her diet as possible.
 
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