Thumper 5/23

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Barbara

Barbara

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Continuing from last night, Thanks for all the good wishes! Things just continued to get worse around here this morning....washer broke, etc. :YMSIGH: I called one vet but they haven't called me back yet so I went to my vet. Saw the same one that I saw a couple of weeks ago but it was better this time. I just started into my speach about for my own comfort I was going to continue to test AM & PMPS, there's just no way I could shoot blindly. And I told her I had the Precision Xtra & what my readings were on ketones. She keeps saying she doesn't really know how the human monitors measure on a cat. She said she's not dehydrated & goes on the fact she's still eating, etc. I noticed this morning Thumper was "wet" around her tail & it smelled like urine, that has happened in the past when she has had these unexplained episodes of peeing on my bed and it would have little specks of blood in it. She has not done that this time (peed on my bed) but I asked about cystitis & possibly giving her pain meds while we were waiting on a culture & she seemed on board with all that. I was at that point going with the fact that if she were in pain that could cause the elevated BG & the ketone problem? I had also noticed she seemed to be breathing shallow & she was doing it at the vet so she got to see it & said it would not be normal if she were at home doing that. She listened to her lungs & said they seemed a little raspy (or something, Lord knows I forgot the term). Then she discovered Thumper had a temp of 104. She put her on a 10 day treatment of Zeniquin 25 mg starting tonight. She said she would still give her the pain meds if I wanted but she would rather not introduce 2 meds at once so I decided not to take that. We don't really know why she has a temp & I was ok with not doing the culture knowing she needed an antibiotic anyway. So I hope I did the right thing & I'm hoping whatever is going on with BG & ketones will clear up with the antibiotics.
 
Hmmmm, no ideas for you, Barbara. You might post on Health and mention the symptoms and the temperature and see if anyone has experience with something similiar. An infection would explain the stall you have had in bg levels. I hope Thumper feels better soon - so sorry you guys are going through this.
 
FWIW--Zenniquin is what Kitty was on for her UTI during the DKA epidsode. It worked Great! I sure hope Thumper gets to feeling better.
 
Raspy sounds means there is fluid in the lungs. Could be pneumonia or a very serious URI. Loss of bladder control could be due to a UTI. Either way, the antibiotic will take care of things. You can put your ear to Thumper's chest to listen to her lungs youself to keep tabs on what they sound like. An infection can definitely raise BGs and cause ketones to be very present.
 
I also just discovered she seems to be a little constipated. She seemed to be straining & the stools were kinda hard. She has had that problem before but that was when she was on dry food. I'm surprised at this cause she's eating only wet & I add so much water its almost soupy. What can I give her?
 
Poor Thumper. Glad she got the AB's so she can start feeling better really soon.

Miralax is the popular constipation remedy around here.
 
Ok, I will check with the vet tomorrow to be sure it's ok to give it to her with meds. What is the dosage? I see there is a generic available, is that ok? Thanks!
 
Oh, we talked about stress causing these urinary problems & also effecting her BG. I think Petey picks on her a lot. She told me to give Feliway a try & said they sell it but I could probably find it cheaper on the internet. Anyone have any experience with it? She said if that didn't work she could give her some kind of medication but I don't want to go there unless I have to.
 
The Feliway seems to work really well for many people here but it is a little spendy. They sell it at Petco, etc too.

Not sure about the dose of Miralax, maybe search it here.
 
Thanks Kristen! Sam's looking good....I was just reading your post! I just ordered Feliway on Ebay for 23.00, so hopefully that helps with wild man Petey.

Kelly I'm not sure that she said raspy....actually I'm now thinking it might have been "crackly". Regardless, that's a new thing for us & hopefully it doesn't go any farther. If she gets worse with breathing or starts coughing or just anything different she told me to bring her back in right away for chest xray or more agressive treatment. So, paws crossed this antibiotic takes care of whatever might be going on. She was just on my bed playing with me so I think she's not too bad off.

What a welcome back....and thankfully I got the washer fixed...couldn't really believe they sent a repairman out the same day...and it was under warranty so no charge! :-D
 
Hey Barbara,
just wanted to pop in and say hi, welcome home!
Sorry to hear things not going so great for Thumper.
Me and Callie have our fingers and paws crossed for a speedy recovery. Hopefully, with you being back home, she will be on the mend double quick!
 
Wow, hopefully the A/Bs will clear everything up and she'll be tiptop after that! That could definitely raise her BGs, and ketones are caused by a lack of insulin combined with either not eating or infection, so that all adds up. That's awesome that she is eating well, that is super-important.

You can find lots of Miralax info on Health. I think it's 1/4 tsp 2x/day to start. I'd probably hold off though unless the constipation is a real problem, as Miralax absorbs water from their system, which can be counter-productive in some ways. I tend to lean towards staying away from stuff like that unless you have a repeated problem that you know you need to do something about. Anyway, I'd ask on Health for ideas, and ask the vet too. There are other things you can try that might not have any possible side effects. Of course some of them have sugar so you have to be careful, but anyhow...
 
Oh, if she said "crackly" then Thumper definitely has mucus build up in the lungs. Think about a bad bout of bronchitis for humans that includes a "productive" cough - that's probably what she is dealing with.
 
I hope Thumper feels better soon and the antibiotics will get things cleared up soon.
If the Feliway doesn't work, ask your vet if it would be ok to give her Bach's rescue remedy in her water. You just give a drop or two in their water or by dropper. It is a homeopathic treatment. Worked wonders for a cat I pet sat for a few years ago whose owner was overseas for a month. It eases anxiety. Have used it with Henry and my little D dog before she passed away for anxiety with thunderstorms. Check with vet first though.
 
Barbara,
I too hope Thumper feels better soon. I think we started this insulin game about the same time. We just need to keep with it!!!

Ginny
 
Hi Barbara,
I am so sorry that Thumper is sick.
I am glad that you are hjome to take care of him though!

Sending you both warm thoughts and hugs
and I hope he feels better soon

Denise and Shakes
 
Sending good healing vibes for Thumper. Hope she feels better real soon!

Interesting thought Angela, on using rescue remedy. I use it myself and it’s good stuff. Obviously I’d check for safety of the kitty use, but good on ya for thinkin of that :)
 
Judy, she seems to be ok. I'm the one who's loosing it...switched to 1 unit yesterday AM, then forgot & went back to .8! Thanks for all the well wishes everyone. I started a new thread.

On the Rescue remedy, I guess it doesn't have any taste or smell?
 
On the Rescue Remedy, It does have a bit of a taste, buy the people one and try it (it sounds like you could use it to help you breath) I've used it for myself and my dog. I've read that some rub a drop inside their ear but for the dog I just drip it into her cheek.
 
Rescue Remedy is great! I've used it myself a lot and I used to have panic attacks on a regular basis and it even helped those IMO better than meds. Its great for generalized anxiety.
I keep it on hand for thunderstorms for cats and me.
 
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