UK Newbie with poorly cat....

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Sarah Lyle

Sarah Lyle

Member Since 2017
Hello to everyone, very grateful to find FDMB!

My cat Yossel is 14 and was diagnosed with diabetes 2 weeks ago with i think ketoaccidosis as he had very high ketones and was continually drinking, we brought him in with a chest infection only to have diabetes diagnosed after bloods done. (The diagnosis was a shock as he has always been on home cooked food - high protein and low carbs with only a very small amount of commercial cat food to add as flavour.) He then spent 48 hours at the vets on IV and we picked him up and had a lesson on giving insulin. He is on Prozinc. 1.5 units twice a day 12 hours apart. Since then no 2 days have been the same and he is still drinking and eating ravenously. One day he is lethargic and the next more active. On Monday he spent a day and overnight for a BG Curve. The vet rang and said "His highs are too high and his lows are too low but he seems fine in himself" We picked him up and we have to take him back in 2 weeks for BG testing that tests the blood over a fortnight for us without having to take him in all day and night.

With home testing, our cat does not liked to be messed around with so we balked at pricking the ears every few hours. However he is so poorly I think I will be buying a glucometer tomorrow at Boots because we can't go on like this.

Today he is the worst he's been. His appetite is poor and will only eat manufactured cat food- if we lift it up to him. He has also stopped drinking this afternoon and is very lethargic. We took a urine test worried about ketones again but thankfully it came up with zero. Last night we did not give him insulin because he seemed to have low blood sugar due to his lethargy and starving, we were worried in the night in case of going hypo. I don't know whether that was a good idea or not. He had his injection this morning. We've spent a fortune at the vets already - but tomorrow if he is no better should I take him in?

Sorry if that sounds stupid. I am just very depressed and feel like i'm between a rock and a hard place.

Kind regards
Sarah Lyle
UK
 
Hello and Welcome and so sorry your baby got the diagnosis of diabetes. I am very glad that you plan to get a meter to test him as it is so necessary to keep him safe and to know how to change the insulin dose.

With a recent ketoacidosis and giving that he is lethargic and not eating, I would be most concerned about another episode. You can get ketone strips from the pharmacy that measure ketones in the urine. That would be a good idea while he is in higher numbers to check often However, if it were my kitty, I would have him seen ASAP. The recipe for DKA is not enough insulin + in appetence + an infection or other systemic stress. Please keep offering food with as much water in it as he will tolerate as that will help to flush out ketones. And if you feel he is getting worse, please seek an emergency animal hospital.

Keep us posted. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
You don't sound stupid, just stressed as we all were at first. It's tough him not liking to be messed with because home monitoring is the best way to get a clear picture of what is going on. I can tell you they get used to it but just this morning Tigger gave me a hard time about testing. I am more persistent so I won, lol. Something that really affected our readings were the wrong kind of treats. It would hike his bg up by about 100 points! We switched to freeze dried chicken treats so that is no longer a problem. Is he getting treats that may be throwing things off?

Other people with more experience I'm sure will chime in but it sounds like he is "bouncin", starting out high, going too low and then too high. That is usually caused by too high a dose of insulin though that doesn't seem logical. If they get too much insulin and go too low, their body kicks into protection gear and some fancy hormonal hocus pocus happens that causes the bg to go higher to compensate for the very low value. I learned that here. You will get your boy regulated it just takes a while dometimes. Tigger was diagnosed in April and we finally got him regulated last month. He had complications from steroid and treat use and we finally figured it out. Good luck to you and read as much as you can here. It really helps.
Stephanie
 
Thank you very much Bobbie&Bubba and Stephanie, very kind to reply and so quickly. Bobbie, I did use a urine sample strip on him and he came up OK for ketones. Thank God!
Wow Stephanie - nearly 4 months to regulate! Actually you may be right, because our cat does not like being touched too much in order to give him the insulin we have been giving him about 4 "dreamies" in the UK they are addictive kibble treats that I know they are not good for him but it means he does not notice the injection. Probably has about 8 or 9 bits a day - could that be doing it?
We actually very recently bought a hydrator so will start to make our own - we got it the same time of his emergency vet visit and we've not even had it out the box yet as everything has gone out the window!
 
I love the name Yossele, but for a female? She is beautiful! Looks like full Siamese. My Chloe was diagnosed in January and I still don't have her regulated. I probably never will, but as long as she has a good appetite I don't worry. Please get a spreadsheet going.
 
Hi Sarah
I'm sorry to hear your worries but take heart - you have definitely found the very best place on the internet to come for help, advice and support. We have all been where you are, and no-one would say you are remotely stupid so please don't even think that.

First off - if you are seriously worried that Yossel is having a bad day, do ring your vet or the on-call emergency vet and explain your concerns. They'll be able to advise whether you should take him in or not.

Ongoing, the important thing is that you want to do your best and this certainly involves getting a blood glucose meter - many cats do demonstrate differences in behaviour, appetite, etc when their BG is too high or too low, so the first thing will be to identify just how Yossel responds to his current dose so you can tweak it accordingly. What the vet said about highs being too high and lows too low suggests a number of things and it is only by collecting data on a regular basis that you will have the information to work out what might be going on. Home testing sounds daunting but is nowhere near as bad as you think, and you will soon get the hang of it so it becomes part of your routine.

One of our basic rules here is that you should never give insulin without testing BG first. You may be over-dosing and sending your cat into hypo which you know about. So yes, get a meter as soon as you can, familiarise yourself with it and practise on yourself. There are loads of hints and tips we can give you to make it easier to start on Yossel. One thing to bear in mind though is cost - meters themselves vary in price but it's the strips that will be the ongoing expense so look for a meter whose compatible strips aren't going to bankrupt you. Many of us here buy strips on ebay - if you check the seller's reputation you should be ok and it saves a lot of money. BTW do you have pet insurance - ? If so it should cover these items.

If you home test there is no need for a fructosamine test which is what you mention your vet wants to do. This just gives an average of BGs over a period of two or three weeks and as such has very limited value when it comes to knowing how a cat responds to a particular dose of insulin. Save your money and buy a meter instead.

It's hard to know what else to say for now but it it is *possible* that Yossel is getting too much insulin. The swings in BG may be contributing to his behaviour, and the fact that he was on a low carb diet before his dx isn't a common scenario - many if not most cats are fed high carb dry when they are dx. Added to that, BG readings taken at the vets can raise numbers through stress, so the vet *may* have prescribed the 1.5u on that basis. At home, Yossel's BGs would probably be lower so might not warrant the same dose. I hope this makes sense! It's a possibility but just a guess.

Anyway, good luck and let us know how you get on.

Diana
 
Thank you very much srk3cats - your Chloe looks like a seal point siamese like mine! Yossel is a boy :) Thank you I am sorting out the spreadsheet now actually.....

Thank you also to Red & Rover for Elizabeth and Bertie and her carb sheet!
 
Thank you Diana & Tom for your great advice. I wondered about the over-dosing as well but when i went to collect him from the vet it was "carry on the same"
Thank you about the glucometers - I had a look on ebay but they seem to be all from Bulgaria and take weeks to deliver. I will check out prices of strips as opposed to what I can buy tomorrow in town.
Today my vet said to wait to bring him in if he does not eat for 24 hours. But as he is eating I didn't want to stress him unnecessarily. The cat I mean!
 
Hello and welcome! What a gorgeous kitty cat! :cat:

I'm in the U.K too. If kitty likes wet food then I can recommend what I feed mine. She gets sheba fine flakes in jelly, Whiskas +7 in jelly and Felix as good as it looks. They are all low carb and Tempest (my kitty) loves them. If Yossel has had dka it wouldn't hurt to add a bit of water to the pouches to keep him hydrated. I just squoosh a bit in and mix it through so it's like a watery jelly-gravy.

Hopefully you can get the hang of the bg testing it's invaluable- I would have lost my kitty had I not been testing. I use Thrive treats to bribe her with - she only gets them when it's test time (afterwards) be patient and understanding when training to test. It really pays off. Now I reach for my test supplies and Tempest comes running. :)
 
Hi Sara - from another UK-er!
When it comes to glucometers I have tried so many of them and the one I would recommend is AccuChek Aviva Nano. Test strips are quite expensive but shop around, sometimes independent pharmacies are cheaper than Boots or supermarket ones and of course internet search might be an option.
I'm so sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time with your kitty and believe me, we all know how you feel. You could ask any questions here, we are here for you to help.
If you see your kitty's BG very up and down it probably means that the dose of insulin is too high. When this is the case the cat BG would be suddenly reduced to low number only for kitty's system to switch the alarm on - sudden drop in blood glucose needs to be quickly counteracted by liver throwing a lot of glucose back into the system - this how I can describe it to you in a very simplistic way so not to burden you too much with technicalities.
I would discuss this with your vet, ask them maybe to consult a specialist to make sure that kitty is well treated. Unfortunately many vets are not very knowledgeable when it comes to feline diabetes, they know more how to treat dogs and this is a big difference.
We see it here all the time.
Could you find out what your kitty's curve numbers were at the vets? That would help us to see a pattern.
Home testing is crucial and we always make it the first thing which has to be mastered when treating kitty at home.
Marlena:cat:
 
Sarah Lyle said:
"dreamies" in the UK they are addictive kibble treats that I know they are not good for him but it means he does not notice the injection
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I don't know the carb count for the "dreamies" but I imagine if they are like the Temptation treats here in the states they could be very high and depending on how carb sensitive your kitty is could spike the numbers higher. If you kitty likes chicken, some poach chicken breast and keep some in the refrigerator and give a small little piece as a "Pokey treat" That would be a carb free treat and after a bit most kitties start associating the treat to being tested and or/ getting the insulin and stop being combative.

You could decide where it is you are going to test. Some use a table or counter. Take Yossel to that area and just rub his ears. And then give him a chicken piece ( a small little 1/2 inch size) and let him go. Do that several times a day and it desensitizes him to having his ears messed with and then when you add the BG test, he might be more cooperative. Lots of peeps have good success with doing that.

Good luck and keep asking questions as that is how we all learned. And you might want to introduce yourself over in the ProZinc forum for those peeps to help you with dosing questions.

I am so glad you found us as there is so much information and help here.
 
Yes on the Dreamies - not ideal for diabetic cats. Many of us here in the UK buy the tubs of Thrive freeze-dried 100% chicken treats, much better. They're expensive in the supermarkets so it's worth stocking up at a good price online... look on www.zooplus.co.uk. Cosma also make a very similar product - just go for what's on offer!
But, small pieces if cooked chicken, ham or cheese are also great treats.
 
Thank you very much Marlena and Tara from NI (my Dad is from Belfast !) so kind of you! Marlena I will look for the Accuheck Aviva Nano tomorrow in town or off ebay if its quick and cheaper. Thank you for the advice on that as there are so many to choose and all the USA ones - you cannot get them in the UK it seems, so I appreciate your help with that Marlena!

Thank you Diana for the Thrive freeze dried chicken treats I will look on zoo plus!

Yossel is eating his proper home cooked food now as well as the rubbish and has started drinking a bit - although still very lethargic and doddery. I am off to the Prozinc group now about dosing.

Thank you very much for your kindness today - to everybody - you have made me feel alot better!
 
Hello Sarah and Yossel,
I am also in the UK with Josie who is almost 14 diagnosed a few months ago. She was definitely not up for home testing or injections at the beginning, scratching, growling and hissing every time which was very upsetting and distressing for all of us but with time and little tricks I learned from here such as 'bribing with cooked chicken breast cube treats before during and after, always testing at the same spot ( kitchen table top), investing in a decent meter and injecting insulin in the scruff whilst eating for distraction so she doesn't notice a thing.. all helped us to get used to each other and to establish a pretty good routine. Be patient and brave, things will get better in time. Home testing and monitoring is key and the only way to keep your kitty safe.
Setting up Yossel's spreadsheet is a very useful tool as you record all your BG readings in one place and it will help you (and us) to understand how your kitty responds to treatment, plus with little notes on the side you can keep track of any changes.

As for which meter to buy from personal experience I would recommend what we use, Accu Chek Performa Nano. It's very straightforward, quick and easy to use with only a small blood sample needed. It's not the cheapest, around £25 for the meter and £5 for 10 test strips but you can get really good deals on the strips from online pharmacies and eBay. We chose this meter as it is available in almost every Boots pharmacy and it's been very handy being able to just pop in to any shop to buy a box of strips when we lost track and unexpectedly ran out of them, it saved our butts a few times already!
Dreamies are pretty naughty for diabetic cats, no wonder they used to be our cat's favourite..! You can replace them with the freeze dried treats mentioned above, HiLife 100% chicken treats are available in Waitrose/Tesco/Sainsbury's to buy or my cat goes nuts for the Natures Menu treats, they are available in Pets at Home, other pet shops and online.

As for food you will probably have to go through a few brands until you find the right ones.. Before Josie was recently diagnosed with pancreatitis she was eating Sheba Fine Flakes and Butchers Classics Very Meaty very happily for months, both high meat content, no cereal and low carbs.

Hang in there Sarah and don't forget to take a step back to breathe!:) I was in your shoes when we started the sugar dance in May, so overwhelmed and freaked out thinking we will never get on top of all of this but with the support and guidance of these incredible ladies here I learned to prioritise the issues and work my way down from the top of the list by tackling just one thing at the time. I also kept asking questions, plus spent hours and hours day and night reading up about Feline Diabetes on the internet and reading all relevant threads on FDMB..
In time things got easier, we all calmed down ( including kitty ) and became less and less stressed as we slowly started gaining confidence from having a better understanding of things.

Hope your beautiful Yossel will be a happy kitty again very soon!
Good luck with everything, never feel silly to ask any questions and keep us posted how you're getting on!:cat:
 
Thank you Monica and Josie for sharing your experiences and your beautiful reply was very heartening I am off to Boots tomorrow to pick that up or Marlena's whatever i can get. - and thats great that Natures Menu does delicious cat treats!
My cat looks so poorly..... every evening I think will he still be here in the morning? So depressing.
 
Sarah Lyle said:
Thank you Monica and Josie for sharing your experiences and your beautiful reply was very heartening I am off to Boots tomorrow to pick that up or Marlena's whatever i can get. - and thats great that Natures Menu does delicious cat treats!
My cat looks so poorly..... every evening I think will he still be here in the morning? So depressing.
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Sarah, I'm concerned to hear just how poorly Yossel is... I know you said that in your first post but it's sort of got lost amongst all the replies here. If he is still worrying you to this extent in the morning, ring the vet. We don't know what's causing this... we're taking guesses that the insulin dose isn't right, but it may not be that at all...
Really hoping that he and you have a good night and that you'll both feel brighter in the morning.
 
Sarah Lyle said:
Thank you Monica and Josie for sharing your experiences and your beautiful reply was very heartening I am off to Boots tomorrow to pick that up or Marlena's whatever i can get. - and thats great that Natures Menu does delicious cat treats!
My cat looks so poorly..... every evening I think will he still be here in the morning? So depressing.
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I'm so sorry Sarah that you're going through such worry and sad times. I can only second Diana's suggestion of taking him back to the vet to see if there's anything else making him unwell.
I really hope Yossel will pull through and will feel and look much better soon.
Please keep us updated.
 
Update on Yossel:

Hi everyone and thank you! I got up at 3am as he was only eating if you fed him with spoon, breathing became laboured so I took him to the vet this morning. Sounds like he has the chest infection back again that he had when he was first diagnosed with diabetes 2 weeks ago. Vet gave him a 24 hour jab and some amoxcyllin (can't spell) drops to start tomorrow. He said yesterday urine sample looked good and he's not dehydrated. "As long as he is drinking and peeing". I took him home relieved quite a lot! He said if chest not better by wednesday to bring him back for further investigation. He's not had insulin since 11am sunday and I'm not to give it till he is over this infection. Me and Mum went out to town to get an accu check nano performa we found at Boots. When we got back Yossel looking more poorly and he still won't eat. This afternoon he drank a gallon of water and then threw it all up. We were worried about his BGs so decided to have a go straight away we watched some videos -but bloody hell what a struggle it was! We used up all the lancets that came with it, tried every setting and could get nothing out of the ear tip, we tried paw in desperation and nothing. In the end Mum got an insulin syringe and we pricked his paw - still not enough blood for the monitor to read! By this time the four of us were exhausted and for no reading. (my brother joined in helping)

I was hoping he would be better this afternoon but he was better this morning and last night was eating 1 or 2 mouthfuls from a spoon of his favourite rubbish cat food. Today he has not eaten a thing, and is either sitting by the water bowl or sitting in his hidey-hole corner. I spent £100 today at the vets and for the glucometer. I just hope and pray he won't need to go on a IV drip. We are all thoroughly fed up and depressed and God knows what Yossel feels with all the messing around! I am hoping maybe the antibiotic injection has caused nausea. I hope and pray!
 
I'm so sorry to hear that this worry is continuing, Sarah. You're doing all you can. Did the vet take a BG reading? It would be very interesting to see what's going on there. I'm rather concerned to hear that the vet said no insulin until the infection has gone - infection can easily raise BGs so if Yossel has a chest infection it's quite likely that his BGs are raised in which case he may well need insulin... the tricky thing here is that we still don't know what kind of readings he's given you so it's hard to comment. Drinking a lot is a definite sign of high BG though so it may be that he is very high and would benefit from a shot - I'm not suggesting you go against the vet's advice but high BG needs insulin and poor Yossel might feel better if he was given some... but we just don't know without any readings.

I do sympathise with your difficulties over getting blood and a reading... tbh most of us struggled the first few times. It's a question of cultivating a lot of patience, taking it slow and steady, making sure you give treats to Yossel for being a good boy - and also treating yourself in some way for your hard work, whether a cup of tea, some chocolate or a gin and tonic!! Seriously - we always talk about the importance of treats so do incorporate them into your routine.

Keep trying with the testing though. Are you warming the ear before trying to get blood? That's one of the first things to do really... use a piece of cotton wool and dampen it thoroughly with warm water, wring it out and then hold it against one side of the ear for a few moments before pricking the other side - the warmth will help blood flow. Don't despair and don't give up - as I said, we have all been where you are and we know what it's like at first. You will get all the encouragement and tips you need here, and do persevere because it is so important to collect data to know what's going on with Yossel.

Honestly, we all know how tough this is so please do keep asking questions. Everyone here cares very much about kitties and their owners, and we will always suggest the best ideas we can based on our own and others' experiences.
 
:bighug::bighug::bighug: Poor Yossel and poor you! Lots of hugs sent your way.

I get the frustration your feeling at the bg testing. So take a deep breath and I will try to talk you through.

1) make sure his ear is warm. Really important especially when beginning testing. I like to rub Tempests ear a bit too, to get the blood flowing.
2) use a round make up pad bent in 2 when you go for the poke and hold the ear taught. Makes for easier pokes. I also feeehand poke without machine as I can see better.
3) poke the edge of the ear as close to the outside rim as you can and poke don't hesitate.
4) at the beginning kitty fidgeted a lot so I'd pinch the blood between my nail and finger (have clean fingers)
5) put the strip (or push it) right into the machine and when ready allow the strip to sip up the blood. I found this slightly awkward and used the wrong bit of the strip. There's a little bit that sucks the blood up.
6) if you get this far treat kitty cat with some special treats, and yourself to a glass of wine or chocolate ;)if you don't, treat kitty anyway at the point you get to be that step 1 or 3 or whatever. And lots of fuss/playtime.

Try 3 times then take a break! No more than that. You don't want to stress yourself or him too much. Oh and sing! That does actually help. It can be anything from a nursery rhyme to the top 10 hits!

Most of all. Be patient with yourself and kitty. Like everything in life practice makes purrfect. :cat:
 
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Sarah Lyle said:
Update on Yossel:

Hi everyone and thank you! I got up at 3am as he was only eating if you fed him with spoon, breathing became laboured so I took him to the vet this morning. Sounds like he has the chest infection back again that he had when he was first diagnosed with diabetes 2 weeks ago. Vet gave him a 24 hour jab and some amoxcyllin (can't spell) drops to start tomorrow. He said yesterday urine sample looked good and he's not dehydrated. "As long as he is drinking and peeing". I took him home relieved quite a lot! He said if chest not better by wednesday to bring him back for further investigation. He's not had insulin since 11am sunday and I'm not to give it till he is over this infection. Me and Mum went out to town to get an accu check nano performa we found at Boots. When we got back Yossel looking more poorly and he still won't eat. This afternoon he drank a gallon of water and then threw it all up. We were worried about his BGs so decided to have a go straight away we watched some videos -but bloody hell what a struggle it was! We used up all the lancets that came with it, tried every setting and could get nothing out of the ear tip, we tried paw in desperation and nothing. In the end Mum got an insulin syringe and we pricked his paw - still not enough blood for the monitor to read! By this time the four of us were exhausted and for no reading. (my brother joined in helping)

I was hoping he would be better this afternoon but he was better this morning and last night was eating 1 or 2 mouthfuls from a spoon of his favourite rubbish cat food. Today he has not eaten a thing, and is either sitting by the water bowl or sitting in his hidey-hole corner. I spent £100 today at the vets and for the glucometer. I just hope and pray he won't need to go on a IV drip. We are all thoroughly fed up and depressed and God knows what Yossel feels with all the messing around! I am hoping maybe the antibiotic injection has caused nausea. I hope and pray!
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The lancets that come with a human meter are generally to thin to use with a cat. Get some 28 gauge lancets. Don't bother with the divice, just give it a good poke. It's OK if you go all the way through. Make sure the meter you got tales the smallest blood sample. .3. If it needs 0.5 or 0.6 you will have a MUCH harder time getting a readable sample.


I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC.
 
Hi Sarah, sounds like you had a right fiasco, although can't say I haven't been there myself!:banghead:

We ditched the lancet pen after two attempts as couldn't get on with it and using freestyle lancets. Used up the ones that came with the lancet pen and Accu Check device then now we just buy the 28gauge freestyle lancets in bulk of 100 or 200 pcs from Boots Dispensary and use them.

You might not know this but if the the Accu Chek glucose meter switches off with the strip inserted whilst you're trying to get the blood sample then you can just press the switch on button and it goes straight back to ready to test without having to take the strip out and start all over again.
Janet's video above is brilliant and it helped us a lot when we were struggling. I also wouldn't attempt to try more than 3 times ( unless it's reshot testing..) as it would only stress out all of you and it's just not worth it. But even if unsuccessful give a treat anyway for cooperating so well... Choose a specific treat that you would ONLY give at test times so he will associate the treat with the testing. As for you being clumsy or unable to poke properly trust me you will get better! I struggled so much at the beginning but didn't give up. I couldn't give up as testing is essential. So don't let this put you off, I know it seems hard and hopeless right now but it isn't!

Don't remember seeing your reply to whether you have pet insurance, if you do they cover all expenses. We are with Tesco Pet and they've been brilliant, they pay for everything for us from treatments to needles and test strips until our contract with them runs out. Maybe worth giving them a call even now if you don't have insurance at the mo..
 
Also the more you poke the more capillaries will form in the ear making it easier to bleed each time. Here is a photo of the ear where to poke, you might find it useful..
 

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Thank you very much everyone for your advice. Yossel very poorly - frustratingly he was healthier before he went to the vets ! He is drinking a lot and throwing up water. I've been at work and mum has been looking after him, at one point she thought he was a goner. He could hardly stand at one point. He's not eating I truly believe the antibiotic shot has made him nauseous and so he can't even keep water down. The antibiotic will leave his system by the morning. He sniffs food but will not eat. Another night with the terrible worry he won't make it thru.
 
Sarah Lyle said:
Thank you very much everyone for your advice. Yossel very poorly - frustratingly he was healthier before he went to the vets ! He is drinking a lot and throwing up water. I've been at work and mum has been looking after him, at one point she thought he was a goner. He could hardly stand at one point. He's not eating I truly believe the antibiotic shot has made him nauseous and so he can't even keep water down. The antibiotic will leave his system by the morning. He sniffs food but will not eat. Another night with the terrible worry he won't make it thru.
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Sending hugs and prayers.
Do you have any anti nausea meds to give him? It's concerning he can't keep water down. :( Truly hope he starts to feel better after that shot leaves his system. If he was able to keep something down I'd recommend feeding him some soupy foods. Perhaps give your out of hours vet a call and ask for some advice?
 
Poor thing! I would take him back to the vet for further investigations as things just don't feel right to me. Maybe whilst there your vet could check blood sugar as well? I'm really surprised they didn't check it today..
Hope things will improve soon!
 
I just rang the vet they advised rubbing honey
into his gums. They said 4 x vomiting water in the day isn't enough for coming in tonight for an IV. I have to wait to see if he improves otherwise I am to go in at 8.20 am to see the vet.
 
Thank you so much for your support and hugs I am afraid my lovely Yossel is at deaths door. I took him in this morning amd the vet said hyper crisis it is with BG and ketones "off the scale" but they would put him on a drip try and stabilise him with small amounts of insulin. He looked so poorly I think I am too late. They will ring in 2 hours with an update. Lots of love to you all its been a horrendous night of suffering for my poor boy I dont know if my brother and I have made the right decision by him.
 
Sarah Lyle said:
Thank you so much for your support and hugs I am afraid my lovely Yossel is at deaths door. I took him in this morning amd the vet said hyper crisis it is with BG and ketones "off the scale" but they would put him on a drip try and stabilise him with small amounts of insulin. He looked so poorly I think I am too late. They will ring in 2 hours with an update. Lots of love to you all its been a horrendous night of suffering for my poor boy I dont know if my brother and I have made the right decision by him.
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Oh no so sorry to hear that! We have had others with ketoacidosis that have pulled through with a few days on an iv. So sorry to hear hes so sick.
 
Oh Sarah, Im so sorry to read this. Hope Yossel will respond to treatment and will be able to recover from this. Thinking of you loads, please give us an update when you can. Big hugs to you
 
He had ketoacidosis when diagnosed 2 weeks ago and went on iv for 24 hours. But this time he went in alot worse condition. He's 14 and I think he's had enough. God knows how he made it thru the night. But thank you Janet. Xx
 
I'm so so sorry to see this, Sarah... sometimes it's a case of what will be will be... thinking of you...
Hugs.
 
Thank you everyone for your lovely kind thoughts and wishes. Vet just rang to say they have got his bg down from off the scale figure and he was v low in potassium so he is on a potassium line as well she said he is sitting up and now drinking and interacting with them. So that's encouraging! They will call again at 4pm for further update. If he comes through with this I will ask for his bg numbers and start a proper regime from there. I can't stand to see him go through this again.
 
Encouraging news, Sarah, we are all relieved here so I'm sure you must be extremely so... really hope Yossel will pull through and yes do start a proper regime and remember we are with you every step of the way xx
 
Sarah Lyle said:
Thank you everyone for your lovely kind thoughts and wishes. Vet just rang to say they have got his bg down from off the scale figure and he was v low in potassium so he is on a potassium line as well she said he is sitting up and now drinking and interacting with them. So that's encouraging! They will call again at 4pm for further update. If he comes through with this I will ask for his bg numbers and start a proper regime from there. I can't stand to see him go through this again.
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This is encouraging. Kitties can come through DKA and go on to thrive. It's hard on them and it can take weeks but a good BG testing/insulin dosing routine in the aftermath can get him there. My guy had a bout in March of 2016.

There are many people on FDMB who can guide you afterward, both in the FD treatment and the post-DKA care.
 
Sarah Lyle said:
Thank you everyone for your lovely kind thoughts and wishes. Vet just rang to say they have got his bg down from off the scale figure and he was v low in potassium so he is on a potassium line as well she said he is sitting up and now drinking and interacting with them. So that's encouraging! They will call again at 4pm for further update. If he comes through with this I will ask for his bg numbers and start a proper regime from there. I can't stand to see him go through this again.
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Well pleased to hear this Sarah, may the good news long continue!:cat:
 
Thank you Diana Kris and Monica that is so lovely to hear. Post DKA care et al, I have re-read through the home testing posts here by you all and am out today to get some 28 gauge lancets from boots. xxxxx
 
I'm pleased to hear there has been a significant improvement and hope the trend continues. :) Watching, waiting and praying for more good news. :bighug:
 
Sarah Lyle said:
Thank you Diana Kris and Monica that is so lovely to hear. Post DKA care et al, I have re-read through the home testing posts here by you all and am out today to get some 28 gauge lancets from boots. xxxxx
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Love your newly found energy and determination Sarah! Very impressed you got the spreadsheet up, also loving your Signature:):cat: Keep it up, stay positive and determined, we are all rooting for you and Yossel! xx
 
Hello to all you dear loving people. My poor Yossie didn't make it. His kidneys failed late this afternoon and we chose to end it for him as there was little hope. The vet said he was a very difficult case as most newly diagnosed cats go on to be regulated and that his kidneys possibly caused him problems from first diabetes diagnosis . My lovely brother brought him home and honestly he looks better than he did when he was suffering last night, it was like a release. He has gone to the rainbow bridge he loved me the best in our family, was always on my lap, he was such a clean, well behaved very vocal sweet little boy and would follow our other cat Punk around in utter hero worship as he loved Punk. Punk and Yoss have been together for 14 years with us both from 3 and 6 months old. It is heart wrenching and we are all inconsolable.
 
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