Is this the end my friend?

Hi yall,
It' been a while. Life has kept us very busy. We unfortunately have a new development. As of Friday 01/12/2018 Taters appetite has quickly declined. (At this time she is still drinking, urinating, and defecating though). While she was eating the past two days, taking her the better part of a day to finish off a 3 oz can in AM (Same for her PM feeding), this morning she wants nothing at all. This is highly unusual for her. She usually acts half starved, trying to eat anything in sight. Her sugar levels have also remained high (300s to 400s) despite her insulin injection, she usually does 1 to 1.5 U depending on how her levels are at the time of feeding. Last week she had a crazy low at 38 which was rectified by a little bit of peanut butter and her insulin. We never were able to get the sugars regulated and they have been yo-yoing since she started her insulin. I am going to try to get her into the vet today and see whats going on but I fear my little Sweet Taters is done fighting... She's tried so hard since her diagnosis last May. Shes had many infections along the way, has lost quite a lot of muscle mass and fur from her back end (we aren't sure why the fur loss is happening). I've been keeping a close eye on her and she seems lethargic and uninterested in anything. She has taken up refuge in the bottom of my closet. I have had many cats over the years since I was 5, and when they seek a spot like that it's usually one of two things: The cat is about to birth or it's about to pass. I am beside myself as to what to do really. I went so far as to throw away a pen with Lantus still in it and open another one in the off chance the open one was bad somehow. I even gave her a shot in between shots at 1:30 am this morning, something I never do, because her levels were still so high after her PM feeding and shot. I don't know what else to do. I can't imagine the stress this disease has inflicted on her internal organs since we are unsure how long this disease ran unchecked since her diagnosis. She's due for her AM shot an hour ago, I checked her BSL and it was in the 300s again despite the in between dosing.. I am going to try to give her a little more and see if that helps any. However, I did manage to get the levels down to 170s on Friday and Saturday but she still seemed miserable. I am sitting here on the couch typing this through my tears trying not to be bitter. Trying to come to terms that I may need to let her soon but for my own selfish reasons my heart does not want to. We lost my older cat, Kayleigh, last June...I don't know if my heart can take losing Taters too...
Sorry for rambling on,
Edit: I just gave her 2 U in the hopes that would help, she got pissed off, growled at me, but came out of her closet to eat at least. I will keep a close eye on her until the Vets opens and I will take her in and see what can be done. Not sure what else to say, I can't keep a thought to save me right now.

 

I'm so sorry.

I hope the vet can give you better news than what you are fearing.

In the meantime, are you testing for ketones? That's always a huge worry when a diabetic cat's appetite goes off, and might possibly explain her rapid decline this weekend-- ketones can develop very very rapidly.

Please don't give any more "extra" shots. It's really not safe, especially with a "depot" insulin like Lantus. Are you getting BG tests during the day? Do you have them in a spreadsheet like the one we use here or in some other form you can share?

Do you have any karo or honey on-hand in case she drops low again? I'm not sure peanut butter is carb-y enough to be reliable in a hypo situation-- any port in a storm, but it would be good to have something else available.

Hang in there-- she only recently stopped eating. It may be something minor/fleeting, you really don't know yet.

 

I test bsl am and pm before feeding. The vet had me scale back on the amount of times I was testing. I don't have A spreadsheet because I am horrible with xcel. At the vets now Taters started peeing blood. Maybe it's just a urinary tract infection.

 

Let's hope! Fingers and paws crossed here for a good vet outcome.

 

Make sure they test her for ketones!!!

And ask about anti-nausea medication (ondansetron or Cerenia, NOT Reglan/metoclopramide) and an appy stimulant to help with appetite.

Sending healing vibes and prayers for Taters.




Mogs
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Also, make sure that the vets know exactly when and how much insulin you've given Taters over the past 3 days - especially the extra doses because it may take many hours before their influence will become apparent in Taters' BG levels.

Fingers and paws crossed that the vets will get Taters over this hump.

If Taters does have inflammation or infection in the urinary tract then that will be temporarily elevating her blood glucose levels and they should improve again following treatment for the underlying problem.

If you can restart doing blood glucose checks in between doses as well as at AMPS and PMPS that will be a great help to getting Taters better regulated going forward. (Effective Lantus dosing adjustments need to be based on the nadir BG, not preshot BG.) I know that you hate them, but if you could start getting Taters' BG readings into a spreadsheet it would really help us to help you to help her. Once things are back on an even keel we can find someone here to help you set it up and then it's just a case of plugging in a couple of numbers each day.

Be sure to let us know how the vet consult goes.




Mogs
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I'm sorry to hear that Taters is not doing very well. Since you don't have a spreadsheet, we can't tell the effects of the insulin and BG levels on her health. If she is persistently in the 300's, as you said, then that causes glucose toxicity to different organs. I hope the vet can help you and Taters overcome this latest issue.

 

You've gotten some good medical advice so I'll just add this. You're not being selfish for not wanting to let Taters go especially after losing Kayleigh. We have had multiple losses in a very short time period, I really do know how you feel, it never gets easier and there is no simple answer. Saying goodbye to a friend is never easy. All the reasons to either keep on fighting or letting go are between you and Tater. I wish you luck and peace. Now I'm rambling on too.

 

I hope it is something simple like a really bad UTI which is bad enough.

Healing vines being sent.

 

So it seems my Sweet Taters has a raging infection somewhere. They aren't sure exactly what though. They ran quite a lot of tests, sent urine off for some more, gave her fluids, cerenia injection, sent some cerenia home with us, as well as some baytril. To the tune of $500 Here's hoping we can knock out whatever is ailing her.

 

I'm glad that the vets were able to identify the problem. Fingers and paws crossed that the treatment will help Taters feel much better very, very soon. I hope the Cerenia will help her to eat better. The fluids she received should hopefully make her feel more comfortable.

I suggest you keep a close eye on Taters' BG levels to make sure they're OK after the extra insulin earlier on. Also, it would be a good precaution to check her urine for ketones daily for the time being, just to make sure she's clear of them.

Be sure to keep us posted about how Taters gets on.





Mogs
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Yes, that is good they were able to do a decent diagnosis. At least there is some issue you can try and treat. The bill can seem high, but decent lab diagnostics are expensive. Sometimes when our kittehs are having big problems we have to spend a little more money, and a lot of time. But it is worth it if you can bring them thru that unhealthy period and make them better. We have had the same situation with Leo several times (expensive, lots of time). Now he looks like a regular healthy cat.
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You have some hope now and that's a great thing!!!! Sending healing hugs to you and Taters!

 

Tiz so terribly hard to see your lovely pet in trouble and not be able to help. It is frightening isn't it. I am glad that the vet was able at least to see what was happening .
I hope that this latest infection is vanquished to nothing very quickly for you both and Taters gets back to her usual self.

You have a great big huge hug.

 

Did they tell you she’s anemic? Any idea what’s causing it? Hopefully there’s a UTI and antibiotics will cure that.

 

Taters is finally on the mend. She had "raging uti" as the vet put it. Her appetite isn't back 100% but she is eating now. Bsl are better too. She's a tough old bird..eh..cat. She's taught me not to count her out just yet! She just likes to give me a heart attack. Thanks for all the well wishes and advice! We really appreciate it.

 

I am so pleased to hear this news, Kasey! (((Taters)))

Great photo!


Mogs
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UTIs can be really tough on kittehs. I am glad to hear the diagnosis confirmation, and also that she is on the mend.

 

So happy to read this!

 

When you get the next blood test pay attention to tge HCT or PVC as it was low. Could very well correct itself by the next labs but I’d want it checked again in a month.