*Update* Need help, diabetic/not diabetic?

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myboo99

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I have a 15yo that's been diabetic for 4yrs but I have 4 cats total. I have him under control & we've switched all the cats to pates as soon as he was diagnosed. Now my 14yo tom is displaying symptoms. I took him in 6wks ago as he wouldn't urinate, lethargic, wouldn't eat, hiding ect. They tested urine which had high protein so he assumed uti. 10 days of antibiotics & within 3 days he peeked back up. 3wks go by & same thing only worse this time as he has neuropathy added in. Take him back in & urine protein is unchanged. However he says it's not kidney failure as he's concentrating his urine really well. Get home & the nueropathy gets worse, I call the vet saying this looks like diabetes! Check his bg & it's only 98 on antibiotics but not eating. Vet said just keep the new 14 day course of AB & if not better we'll do bloodwork.

He's finished the AB & flat out refuses to eat. Only drinks. I've been force feeding soft fired egg in coconut oil & some baby food at least every 12hrs. He's been hiding upstairs for 2 days. Go up there to bring him down & his breath smells like acetone! I just checked his sugar though 78. He's not high but he has the symptoms. Do I demand the vet check diabetes or am I crazy? He's in DKA regardless I just don't know why! I can't afford to keep guessing I need to figure this out, I just don't know what to make him do. He's a new vet & he's nice but last time I asked him to do blood & he didn't find it necessary. So now I have to pay another $50 visit plus all the other crap on top. I need to get to fixing it before he's really in trouble here. Any guidance/advice appreciated!
 
Also realizing this is going on I need to get carbs in him what do I feed him? I've been giving him meats/protein so I'll quit that. Just wondering what carbs can I give him through syringe?
 
Having never dealt with DKA I am only guessing here but if your cat is not eating that could bring his glucose levels down although I have no idea if he'd go that low if he does have diabetes. If you can only get food into him every 12 hours, his caloric intake must be really low which obviously would bring his blood glucose levels way down. Is your cat urinating more than usual? Given the other symptoms you are noting (neuropathy and acetone breath) , it certainly sounds like diabetes and DKA could be the problem. When the vet checked the urine for protein, did he not also check for glucose? If he did, perhaps the fact that your cat is not eating means his glucose reserves are being used up and he has nothing extra to spill out in his urine. Personally, I would be demanding a full blood panel to figure out what is going on because acetone smelling breath does indeed sound like DKA and that can be lead to some major vet bills and can be fatal if not treated immediately.

It also sounds like your cat could also be heading for liver problems if he is not taking in enough calories per day which again can lead to a very serious and expensive issue. If you can't get your vet to do more investigation and provide some more supportive care other than antibiotics, I'd be finding another vet immediately. Is there an emergency vet hospital in your area? From your description, it sounds to me like you need to get this figured out and dealt with without delay!
 
You can try feeding some baby food. There is a link I'll try & find that tells you what brand &/or flavour to feed. Also if he's dehydrated plain pedialite is ok even for a diabetic kitty.

Also you can check out Tanya's website http://www.felineckd.com/index.htm it has lots of information on kidney issues.

Hope your kitty feels better soon
 
No he's holding the urine but then when he does go he goes. Which happens to be on my rugs right now. I don't think he did check for sugar, at least he didn't tell me he did. We have one of the best vet programs in the country at our local college. I plan to call them tomorrow about getting him in, they're pricey though I had my diabetic there this exact time 2yrs ago. But I'm gonna see what they can do lab wise at least since they have the equipment & this other vet sends it out. But I just fed him gravy food/pedialyte then checked him at 1.5hr he was only 107. So may not be diabetic idk.

I've been trying organic chicken & turkey in broth but they don't stay down. Cat food & egg stay down. I'm gonna do 6-10ml of unflavored pedialyte every couple hours to try keep him hydrated tonight. I've gotten about 2oz of food in him tonight as well which is pretty good. So far he's keeping it down. I'll make some calls in the morning to see where I can get him in I just need to get to the issue & get him treatment. This is the worst time of year for all these expenses but not much I can do can't let him suffer.
 
I feel your pain as far as expenses are concerned especially at this time of year but it sounds like this is a bit of a puzzle that perhaps needs some fresh eyes. A diet lacking in carbs and sugar can produce acetone breath in humans. I've never heard anyone say their cats breath smelled like acetone from changing to a canned diet and since you switched all your cats over to lower carb pates when your other cat was diagnosed, it seems unlikely the breath issue is directly related to diet unless something else is going on. When I asked about the urination, I was referring to an increase in the volume of urine he is putting out but if he is urinating inappropriately, that could indicate he is still having kidney/bladder issues. Is it possible he's developed an aversion to the litter box because of previous discomfort he now associates with the litter box? At 14 yrs. old, he could have some arthritis making it uncomfortable to use the litter box too and that could also explain what you are seeing that looks like neuropathy. That leaves the lack of appetite and vomiting which again points to something else going on. I really think another opinion is your best option and taking him to the teaching clinic sounds like a great idea.
 
Thanks for asking. I took him into my old vet this morning. She wanted to keep him to get bloodwork done & fluids in him. He was jaundiced :( I asked if I'd get info back before close & she said hopefully but no news would be good news. I never heard so I'm planning to call in the morning. She was thinking it was fatty liver disease or possible bile duct carcinoma. Fatty liver seems so much more positive long term then the other so FX it's that!
 
Hopefully Tom will feel better tomorrow after having some fluids in him. Please keep us posted when you hear from the vetty bean.
 
Some antibiotics can cause liver issues. With two courses of antibiotics and him now not eating, it sounds to me like the liver issues could very well be a secondary side effect rather than the primary cause of his symptoms. Fingers crossed here and sending positive thoughts! Please keep us posted!
 
Ok I just want to thank you guys for advising & comforting. I could really use it right now. I spoke with the vet this evening, it doesn't look good. He has extremely high bilirubin & liver enzymes. She says fatty liver at bare minimum. She also did an X-ray & seen a shadow between the gall bladder & the liver. She suspects a bile duct carcinoma but says she can only 100% dx that with $600 worth of additional testing US & biopsy. She also said he had a glucose level of 196, she thought stress as I hadn't gotten 1 high level at home. But ultimately she said take him home & do short term care feeding/fluids there's no real options for you here unfortunately. Eventually need to make plans to euthanize him. I've been sick & devestated all night!

Researching how long does this normally take to progress ect. I'm seriously not ready to let this cat go right now. I stumbled across a website that sells holistic meds for pets. I recently in the last few years have had so many of my own health problems I've leaned towards this side of the health industry myself. Anyways they sell a liquid with milk thistle for liver support. I read every-single-review! All 200+ of them. Cats all healed from fatty liver disease & told to euthanize they were so bad. Ok great if I can get this user control then I only have to worry about does he have cancer does he not. Well they have a cancer formula to. 1 gal said her cats liver was 3/4 cancer, her cat is still healthy 18mths after dx's & treatment with this product! Old cats to well over 10. I ordered both with express shipping!! I HAVE to try something! I noticed they also carry a diabetic formula, if this works I'll be ordering it as well for my diabetic!! I'm feeling hopeful now so hoping I can pull this off to save him a lil bit longer!
 
I am so sorry for you and your kittie's health problem. I think it is great that you are researching alternative treatment since the vet DX was not good. Why not try something else. Fingers and Paws crossed for a good result for you and your baby. Keep us posted.
 
So sorry for your diagnosis. I agree with Bobbie, try everything you can, and I hope and pray it will help.
 
I'm so sorry to hear your vet's diagnosis. Was this your regular vet or a vet from the teaching clinic? With Fatty Liver it's necessary to get as much food into kitty as possible and keep him well hydrated. Often if fatty liver disease is suspected, a feeding tube is necessary to get enough nutrition into the cat so you will need to feed him multiple small meals daily. While there may well be something else going on, Xrays can often show anomalous shadows so without further tests it sounds like aggressively treating the fatty liver is the best you can do. Fingers crossed this is just fatty liver and that you can get him feeling better soon. :bighug:
 
Thank you very much!

I agree I'm just going to do what I can, outside of that isn't in my control. But I will give it my best to do right by him! I've had him home 3 days. I've been feeding 1-2oz 4X a day. He's not a huge fan but he does allow it w/o too much fight. Mixing pedialyte (unflavored) & water into his puréed food to get him the fluids. He seems so much better then when I took him in. Still has a ways to go but doing much better. Thanks again for your kind words I appreciate it!
 
Glad to hear he has improved. Fingers crossed that improvement will continue and he'll be feeling more like his old self soon! Please keep us posted!
 
I'm new to this group as my ozzy was just diagnosed so I don't have any advice to offer. Just some experience, my dog Zoe was diagnosed with cushings some yrs ago and due to other health issues my vet thought her prognosis was grim. I treated her with the cushings med plus read everything there was to read and found some holistic support to add. She had a good happy five additional years! I commend you on your search and don't give up! Good luck and I'm sending positive, healing prayers to you and your fur baby:
 
Wanted to update you all. I've been force feeding him for almost 2wks now at home. I went to Sub Q fluids on Sat as I just couldn't keep up with it all & he was vomiting a lot. I think his stomach had really shrunk from not eating so long & constantly pumping fluids & food orally was just too much. I've added the Milk Thistle as well that I'd ordered from that company. He has made a huge turn around in the last few days!! Very social, loving, alert ect. Using the box more & keeping everything down. His fur & dander have also drastically improved. He's still not eating on his own just yet but he is slowly showing some interest in food which is hopeful. All n all good update

I also wanted to share though that I've been giving the milk thistle to my diabetic as well. There's several reviews about it helping them on their site avoid insulin. His #'s are also improving in only a week. He wasn't getting much insulin anyways but it's dropped even further! I'm excited about where this leads for both of them & hoping the positive effect is long lasting!
 
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@myboo99 so glad to hear your kitty is doing better. Can you give me the name of the milk thistle product you're using? I'd like to check it out for one of my kitty's. Thanks!
 
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