4/7 Silver AMPS 202 - UPDATE

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...e-help-interpret-results.193727/#post-2166349

Hi
See last night's post re ER trip. I got up just now - I put his usual food down mixed with warm water. No interest. Tried Temptations treat when I tested him - no interest. Opened up a can of sardines - he ate about three bites.

Do I give him the shot?

How do I get him to eat?

Never done syringe feeding? What kind of syringe? Its too early for shops to be open, I have a syringe that I once had to use for a liquid antibiotic and its thicker - pic attached. How not to make him choke?

I don't have keto sticks but I did try using them before - Silver never ever pees when I am in the house unless I am asleep. When I am home for the whole day neither of my two cats use the litter tray until I go to bed. What do I do @Jill & Alex (GA)?

Waiting until someone tells me if I should give the shot despite him not having eaten.

Vet said to give the next fluids at around tea time today - 6pm ish.

Don't know how to handle a day of him lying under the table feeling miserable.

 

I am so sorry Silver isn't well. With Ketones on board, it's important to not skip the shot. The recipe for DKA is
in appetence + not enough insulin + systemic infection

You can try using that syringe, it's a bit small, but until you can get another one that's larger, you could try it. Make the food really thin with water. And watch the video that Jill linked to your thread yesterday.


Here's some info Jill often posts when a kitty won't eat: Here are some things you can do do entice your cat to eat: ( I have always had luck with Baby food when Bubba gets off his feed)
-sometimes in order to get a cat to eat you even have to resort to dry it is more important that they eat. there are a couple low carb / grain free brands -- EVO and wellness core. * I have added Young Again Zero Carb
-making a buffet to give him choices
sprinkle food with :
- forta flora -- a probiotic you can get at vets or online. is very smelly and cats love the taste of it.
- heating food
- parm. cheese
- smashed crumbles of dry food
- bonito tuna flakes
- halo chicken treats -- crumble into dust over food
- poor a little water from tuna in water over food ( I use low sodium/no sodium added as other kinds in water has veg. broth in it and I assume that means onions, which are toxic to cats-- check labels)
-powdered oregano. yep sounds weird . but some cats like it and it will entice them to eat.
other ideas of foods to offer your kitty to stim appy:
- trader joe tuna for cats
-baby food -- beechnut turkey and broth or chicken and broth. they have no onions or other additives. some babyfoods have onions . please read labels if you can't find beechnut.
- kentucky fried chicken
- deli turkey /chicken
- plain cooked ( boiled or baked ) chicken breast
-canned chicken for people (watch the label that their are no onions)
- chicken broth -- low sodium

Cats that are not eating much for a few days are at risk for hepatic lipidosis
Last resort to eat give Medium or the high carb, wet food

 

Thank you. I've tried the dry (I am in Canada and we dont get YA here). I just called vet and they said to give half his usual dose. Should I?
I've tried the Fortaflora as I had some in the house; tried sardines. Nothing. Not interested.

None of those other things I have in the house - its 6am and nothing is open. and I have no money - i just gave the last of what I had to the vet last night and my rent cheque will bounce on monday. I can just use what I have in house - Fancy Feast, dry food, sardines - all of which he said no to. I am scared. Should I give half or full dose?

 

I would give the full dose as you have a few hours before onset to get him to eat.

Do you have any oregano? I have had luck with sprinkling that on the food to get Bubba eating. Go to the grocery store and pick up some baby food. BeechNut brand doesn't use corn starch . Make sure it is all meat and broth, no vegetables.

ETA: I just saw where you can only use what's in the house due to $$

 

Do you have karo or honey or syrup in the house in case you would need to steer ?

 

I don't have any oregano. I just gave full shot.
Trying to reach DCIN as vet says he may need hospital stay. Silver growled when I gave shot. He's not happy.

 

No I don't but his numbers are high. Is 202 on freestyle meter but nearly 400 on accucheck and that number was close to what vet got last night on his pet meter so freestyle measuring too low.

 

Good luck Juliet. Keep us updated. Ketones and not eating is not a good scenario. Meantime, keep offering him food .

 

I am. He won't take anything.

 

I'm glad you shot the full shot, even if he isn't eating yet, I think that was absolutely the right decision. You do have a couple of hours before onset of Lantus, and you are starting from a decent cushion of BG, so he's safe for now even if he's not interested in food yet. Maybe just spend some time hanging out with him and petting him-- he's probably a little stressed from the vet trip and feeling yucky, it will help calm him down. You may need to syringe feed if he keeps turning away from food, and that will go better the less stressed the two of you are.

Sending eating vines for Silver!

 

Adding: did you ever get results from the pancreatitis test last night?

 

Can you get Meow Mix in Canada? I don't advocate giving fish based foods but it is one that I can sometimes get Gizmo to eat (and you can get them at the grocery and they are not expensive and low carb/low(er) phos).

 

I dont know of this has ever came up in any of your previous threads.... But where in Canada are you? We do have a lot of members there and maybe more on the FB page. If anyone is nearby enough, they may some different supplies you can try.

ETA: i am surprised the vet had you take him home last night with ketones, but I understand if the money issue played into that. Hopefully you'll hear back from DCIN soon because it seems to me that he needs to go back.

@Chris & China (i know you may not be awake chris, but I wanted to bring your eyes here.

 

Have you tried to heat up the food a bit? Just microwave 6-8 seconds until it is warm. It helps bring out the aroma too and sometimes will help get them to eat.

 

I hope you can get Silver to eat something this morning. Sending prayers.

 

Juliet is located near Toronto, Ontario (for folks in the US). I'm in Ottawa, Ontario - too far away to help.

 

I’m in Fort Erie......where exactly are you located

 

Brampton/Mississauga area.

 

Juliet, as someone mentioned last night, it's more important that Silver eats than what he eats at the moment. Do you have any human food he may be interested in? Deli meat? Cheese? Ice cream? As long as it is non toxic to cats (no onions comes to mind), see if you can entice him with something he may not typically get.

I hope there is another FDMB member that lives close to you. Hang in there.

 

Doesn't @Noah & me (GA) live in Toronto?

Hang in there Juliet!

 

Sending Vines Silver's way! Praying that he will eat soon for you.

 

the vines are for Silver, the hugs are for you Juliet. I know exactly how it feels to need to help and save your baby from a position of no resources. Just keep loving on him. It's so important to keep the insulin on board, but he's got to have food. Syringe feeding is not as awful as it seems. But you have to be patient and do it slow and small amounts for safety. Hang in there. Hopefully you'll get back to vet soon. Please syringe water too.

 

Can you try to put some food on your finger and put it into his gums?? If you can get some into his mouth, gently hold his mouth shut so he will swallow it, just give tiny amounts mixed with warm water as some suggested

 

The vet could give you some feeding syringes. Perhaps give them a call. I’m going to tag @Linda and Bear Man , who lives in Toronto. She may have some good advice.

The Yahoo feline assisted feeding group has lots of help. Highly recommended https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Feline-Assisted-Feeding/info

Sending vines!

 

I feel awful. I fell asleep. Am going to try food again but he is lying under the table so not a good sign and not expecting him to eat.
@LizzieInTexas i feed him FF fish varieties usually and nowbhe wouldn't even take sardines. Not dry food either. I don't know what to do. Vet mentioned meds to stimulate appetite. Should I go and get those from the vet?

 

Do you think he is nauseated? An appetite stimulant can help, but if there's nausea, it should be combined with something to counteract that (otherwise, he'll be hungry, but still won't want to eat ). Good ones for cats are Cerenia and ondansetron-- others can probably tell you more about them.

The other thing to think about, if he is having a pancreatitis flare (did the test come back?), would be pain meds. If pain is part of the mix, it can make a world of difference to a cat's appetite and well-being.

 

I'm sure you're exhausted, hang in there.

Does he look like he wants to eat, but walks away or licks his lips (sign of nausea)? Or does he just seem not at all interested in food? There are medications that address nausea and sometimes that's enough, but it sounds like he may need an appetite stimulant. If you can get that and an oral feeding syringe from the vet, I would do.

Any luck getting him to eat any human foods?

 

I don't know re nausea. I only have the tests i posted last night. I don't know how to interpret them.

 

Just want to copy and paste Jill's list here, so it's handy in today's condo and you don't have to swap back and forth:

 

You may need to force feed. See if you can get a feeding syringe from the vet and a couple of cans of Hills rx A/D food. I always gave Gizmo the opportunity to eat on his own before I forced fed so the association was there.

Mirtz is the appy stimulant that works for Gizmo (but ecid). Like Nan said above, if it is nausea got to get that controlled first.

 

Not interested in ANY food. Put some on my fingers. Opened his mouth. Took first bit off me then wised up and clamped his mouth shut.

I guess I must phone vet and have him taken in for hospital visit but no one answering my message from DCIN and I can't pay for the visit. What should I do.

 

Him not eating is biggest issue. I can't force him. It's not happening.

 

Him not eating is biggest issue. I can't force him. It's not happening.

i just tried. didnt work. losing my mind. dont know what to do.

 

If he took the first bit and then refused, it could be nausea. A cerenia shot should help. He may or may not need an appetite stimulant after that.

I think Chris mentioned an emergency number last night? Any luck finding it, I will see if I can dig it up for you.

 

Here is the blurb from DCIN website - Not sure if this is what Chris was talking about

Phone
Call or text [deleted]. Please note that this line is not continuously monitored, and it may take several days to get back to you.

For emergencies only, call our Executive Director, Jenna, at [deleted]. Please note that this is a personal cell phone number. Jenna is happy to help in an emergency, but we ask that you reserve phone calls to her for emergency situations – e.g. your cat is in dire condition and needs to go to an emergency vet clinic right away, but you can’t afford the deposit.​

 

I found a number, will pm you

 

Cass beat me to it, call Jenna

 

Juliet, don't call the first number, call the emergency one

 

The Yahoo group is very supportive. https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Feline-Assisted-Feeding/infohttps://

 

I’m so sorry you’re both going through this. Try and breath and try to relax just a bit.
Hoping DCIN can assist.

 

Silver and Juliet will be heading to the emergency vet in a few minutes. DCIN will be assisting this kitty to get the care he needs. If you are donating to Silver's case by Paypal, please put Silver in the notes section.

Thank you very much for your support!

 

Juliet, if you end up back at the vet today, bring both of your meters and extra strips. Tell the vet you are concerned with one of them reading low and ask the vet if you can have some of the veinous blood leftover in the tubing to test both of your meters at the same time as their lab value (assuming they would take more blood).

I know you took a reading at home yesterday after the vet, but stress at the vet can elevate numbers and it would be ideal to test your meters at the same time, and if possible with the same blood, that they use.

 

Thank you, DCIN!

 

Sorry that I've been offline. I'm back at the emergency vet. He's going to stay here for the weekend in the hospital and we will go from there.

Almost in tears as DNIN @Chris & China are covering the cost including last night. I'm blown away by the kindness to me and Silver.

I'll check back in when I get home.

 

Jenna called me back. That you for this!

 

Just catching up. I am so sorry Juliet that Silver is in this situation. I am thinking the vets is the best place when playing with keytones.


Vines for Silver - big huge ones! And hugs for you.

 

Breathing. Oh yeah. Forgetting to do that. Feel like I am hyper ventilating. So scared.

 

Prayers for Silver!

 

Just saw this after being at vet. Accuchekc measures same as vet so that's good. I always knew freestyle measured low but as you guys say - with the lower numbers it's not such a big gap. So I know in my mind that when I see yellow it's "vet pink". Blue - "vet yellow".

 

I'm sorry Silver has to be at the vet, but he will get good care there. I'm glad DCIN is able to help you. Try to breathe and relax a little bit. I know that is not easy. We are here for you if you need to post about anything. Sending prayers.

 

Hi Juliet. I'm in Milton, about 30km west of Toronto on the 401.
I have not carefully read every post so is this right?
He's not eating, you gave him shot, he does not appear to be nauseated, you can't force feed.
First off. I dislike the term syringe feeding because it does not prepare people for what they're about to do, it's force feeding. I know it can be just awful but cats will starve themselves to death before eating if they're sick enough. I saved Andrew's life doing it and I cried over and over again. It does not have to be a lot as long as it's something.
I think you're on Lantus so I'm no help there.
I know 2 great vets in Milton. Deb Hawkins and Dr. Aziz at Robinson. Aziz does his own urine and blood-work.
http://www.hawkinsanimalhospital.com/
https://robinsonpethospital.ca/
The emergency clinic in Mississauga is huge, MRI in the basement etc. I hate them. They overcharge, no compassion, have misdiagnosed us twice.
http://vetemergency.ca/

What works for me. Whiskas Temptations makes all the cats here nuts for food. Crumble it up in the food, the whole bag if you have to. It will affect his numbers in a bad way. Heating the food, moving the plate, begging, brushing, rubbing ears. I've done it all and suddenly they want food again.

Crap. Just read you're off to the vet. I'll leave this post up anyways and I am going to send you both all my love. Money would be better but right now I can't.

 

Thank you. Appreciate you being here the last several weeks Carla.

 

I did try the temptations. No luck. I tried force feeding. No luck either. I'm in Brampton. Not far from Milton.

 

I'm so glad Silver is getting the care he needs. DCIN in incredible!

And good on you, Juliette for taking him in last night, he may have been much worse off had you waited.

 

I'm still in shock that there are people out there that give help like this to strangers in another country who they'll never meet. And yes. I'm glad I went in last night. I won't take chances with his health.

 

Another country yes but it's just a line on a map.

 

You can still take the meters in at any point you go to visit him whilst he is there, tell them your concerns and try to get the same sample they use when they are measuring his BG.

Because of this episode, you're going to have to go forward with Silver assuming he is ketone prone and you will have to find a way to make monitoring for ketones part of your FD management regime. I know the blood meter strips are expensive. Maybe save up for one and in the meantime (or if you figure a way to make them work) use ketostix, they are cheap.

I know you have 2 cats and they don't pee in front of you, but there are ways around this. You can get litter that is non absorbing and test whatever you find in the box when you wake in the morning or when you arrive home. You won't know which urine belongs to whom, but the failsafe is if ketones are present, you assume it is Silver and act accordingly (giving fluids, feeding him more calories/higher carb food, etc.).

If you can get some anti nausea and appetite stiumulating meds from the vet to have on hand for any future episode where he is off his food, that would be a great thing.

Just breathe and try not to be overwhelmed: Silver is being taken care of, you can get some rest today, and you will figure a way to make this all work going forward. It also sounds like you have a couple FDMB people not too far from you, what a great thing that is.

 

I can't do the ketones thing. I have tried and failed. DCIN already pay for my strips. I can't afford the regular ones as it is. I'd never know which cat's pee I saw. I will just have to be extra vigilant to watch for changes in him and put water in his food. There is only one litter they will use. Any other kind they pee on the floor. And that is pine absorbent litter.

 

Hi Juliet - Hang in there. You are doing the best you can. I know how hard it is when a kitteh is not eating or cooperating well. We've gone thru it too.

With Leo we ended up with a lymphoma diagnosis, and that caused intestinal issues, which led to not eating. We dosed prednisolone, which reduced the intestinal swelling and brought him back. But getting to that point was a lot of work, including messy syringe feeding.

It's worth putting in the extra time now. It's hard work, but you can help get Silver through this tough spot. Healing vines for you.

 

Keep trying with ketones, mull it over and give it some more thought, you don’t need a solution today, I know you can figure something out that will work. If you wait to see changes in him, it might be an advanced situation by then like it was last night. Ketones can show up before symptoms do, that’s why it’s the best home diagnostic tool to prevent DKA.

The strips yes, they are paid for and you should use them. However, test the meters against lab/vet numbers while you have the opportunity. It is possible it’s just that one meter that is reading faulty, and if you can figure that it is, the manufacturer should replace it for you, gratis.

 

sending lots of vines to Silver and hugs to you!!!

 

This is kinda gross but... is it a hardwood floor? If so, you've got your sample!

 

You have not failed at anything Juliet. I've been doing this a long time, cried a lot, lost lots of cats. We are always here for you.
Try and get some sleep this weekend and please don't fall into the guilt trip of sitting on a plastic chair for 12 hours in a waiting room when there's nothing you can do. You're a good cat mum.

 

Hey, if it helps I can get you a reli-on meter and 100 test strips, my treat but you won’t get them until Tuesday as I have to go to Buffalo and can fed ex them to you....let me know.

Or shoot me a picture of the test strips box you use and I can see if they are available. Much cheaper in USA. I pay u$17.50 for 100 test strips......

If I can help, let me know and if the test strips you use are available I’ll buy you a bunch and send them to you
Shawna

 

Am home from vet. Silver is being given short acting insulin to lower his BG and get rid of the keytones. Also they did urinalysis to check for UTI.

@Stacy & Asia i will get those testing strips and try again. When he's better how often to test for keytones? Someone suggested putting cling wrap in the litter tray would that work? Would cat use tray with cling wrap over the litter? I'd not know which cat but if I checked and if saw keytones I know it would be silver.

Exhausted and going to try sleeping. @Chris & China reminded me to eat so gonna do that then sleep. Vet will call me in 6 and a half hours for update.

Soooooo grateful to DCIN!

 

I'm in Canada I don't think we can get relion strips here. I checked both my meters @Stacy & Asia with what the vet got this morning. The accucheck was exact same reading. None of the meters I have are faulty but freestyle reads low. I've looked at lots of ss and whenever a switch is made from AlphaTrak to freestyle numbers drop dramatically. Accucheck measures sand as AlphaTrak.

I'm comfortable knowing to mentally adjust the freestyle meter readings to vet's readings until I run out of freestyle strips then I'll switch back to accucheck.

 

Yes please eat and get some rest. More of these

 

Julie.........take some saran wrap (plastic wrap of any sort) and put it directly over the litter in the box(s), flatten it out a bit so that it makes a dent at the bottom - you can push the litter to the sides. Then when Silver goes to pee it will just float on the plastic and you can do a test then, or with one of the large syringes for feeding, take a pee sample and take it to the vet so they can test further. Just hang around so that when he goes to pee you can go right after so he doesn't try to bury it. It's simple, I did it for Davidson lots of times........

 

Yes, I know were you are I'm in Fort Erie/Niagara area and Buffalo is 5 min. away............I can go for you as I cross over all the time. I can get the type you have too if you tell me what you have exactly, or attach a picture. I don't use Accucheck but if you need more strips I'd be happy to buy you some.........my treat!

 

Brilliant. Thank you! The things we do for our babies.

 

You guys are all amazing. I would not have got through this day without your support. No one else would understand.

 

So happy to hear you are getting help (how incredible of DCIN!) and that Silver is at the vet for a stay - I think they will take good care of him. Hugs and vines your way.

PS - what I do for a urine sample is just close the door in the room with the litter box, then wait two hours or so (or until it looks like he wants to go into the room) and then wait for him to use the litterbox. Have a throw away small bowl ready, and just stick it under his stream! Sounds gross but it's the easiest way to do it.

Good luck with everything, I will be thinking of you today.

 

For those of you following along, just a reminder that DCIN needs your support to be able to help kitties like Silver!

Of course we'll help no matter what, but if you'd like to help with Silver's bills, please consider a donation!

Our Critical Care Fund is already in deficit from what we've paid out already this year, so any amount will help!

If you need more information, please feel free to send me a Private message.

 

Continued vines for Silver. Get your rest Juliet...the work really begins when he gets home. Take care of you.

 

Exactly, you would treat any ketones you see as his and act as if. Looks like you got good suggestions re: cling wrap. I use a disposable paper cup attached to the end of a dowel rod for Asia (not pretty, but it works and is cheap), but I know Silver won’t use the LB in front of you. Amanda’s suggestion is good too, if you got a small litter tray and put him in another room (bathroom?) maybe right after eating, you could get a sample that way. I don’t know Silver’s patterns, but Asia eats and predictably goes to pee right after eating.

When he comes home, I would make every attempt to get a daily test for ketones. When they get back it doesn’t mean they are 100% it takes them a bit to regain their strength and get back right again and that is a critical time for you to preserve the work done in the ER. After the immediate crisis is over, I would test weekly to be safe and more that that when you have any indication of ketone likeliness:

• He’s spending time in higher numbers than usual, or has lost regulation/his usual pattern on insulin

• He’s not eating as much as usual

• Losing weight or looks like he has lost weight

• He’s acting off in any way

Though it is uncommon, some cats make ketones even in low or normal numbers. The best things you can do are:

• Make sure he gets enough food/calories and is eating (have rx at home to help with nausea/appetite stimulation if needed)

• Test for ketones regularly

• Add water to his food to keep him hydrated

• Make sure he gets his insulin

 

I use a shallow long handled spoon (Teasel's own personal spoon!) that I slip under his backside as he pees. If you can catch Silver going into the box you might try that.

 

Thanks @Kris & Teasel @Stacy & Asia I'll try the cling wrap thing but his patterns are he goes to use the tray at night only when I am in bed asleep and when I am at work. Neither of them use the tray when I am home. I will use the cling wrap but I won't know which cat I am testing. Hopefully both. I used the strips before and could barely tell it's change in color when it touched urine so I must have done it wrong. Will buy cling wrap and test sticks tomorrow.

So. If he stops eating or acts odd take to vet immediatelyyest for ketones daily until this is over then weekly.

Re his numbers. I will have to switch back to accucheck as it measures same as vet. On freestyle his numbers were just above 200 and therefore not too bad. But vet and accucheck has him in the pinks. So all the yellows I see on the ss since the meter change are really pink. Meter not faulty. This is a plus or minus 20% thing. Accucheck pink minus 20% and freestyle yellow add 20% is same number. So it's allowed but basically it's 40% difference between the two.

 

Plain Ketostix ($8 - $9?) are cheaper than KetoDiastix ($20-ish) so buy Ketostix. The KetoDiastix give a BG colour change but you don't need that. Your meter is a much better way to gauge BG. Use the meter that gives you peace of mind. In Canada all test strips are expensive.

 

Well how polite of them, not all cats have such manners. Civvie Toki seems to have a habit of using the LB when the humans are eating dinner, especially if guests are over!

The test strips don’t change color at all if there are no ketones present. I wish it did, just so you know the strip got wet, but that’s how they work. May it never change color for you.

 

Thanks for getting the first smile out of me today. Toki sounds funny.

Okay so when I used the strips last time then he must have had no ketones. Okay. I'll get some tomorrow. Thanks @Kris & Teasel. Yes I'll continue with freestyle meter then but vet said with the numbers he's had lately he's uncontrolled even tho in yellow - actually. Just thought of this - they have been trending upwards into yellow amps and pmps lately. So maybe this was my fault?

 

How do I flag this post so I can go back to it often?

 

No, not your fault. Who knows what's behind this lapse into ketosis? It could be a bad tooth that's doing it.
Re ketone test strips: the colour difference between "negative" and "trace" is so small that it can be hard to distinguish. Time the strip properly (usually 15 seconds for colour to develop) and view it in really good light. Once opened, a bottle of strips is good for only 4 months.

 

I would just copy and paste the thread link into your condo in the comments section. There may be other ways to flag them, you can bookmark too, but I’ve seen a lot of people link them in their SS.

 

Morning Juliet. I think you need
I got called away last night & now I read it has all been happening up there in Canada world.
I'm very pleased that Silver is getting help and that you have got some rest.

Catching up on it all but first thing.

THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT. Anymore than Ty's pancreatitis was my fault. Bodies do this stuff & decide to go a bit wonky.
If Silver talked human he would have said a bit ago that he felt a bit odd around the edges.
You are a superb Mum & you were onto it.

Can someone please show me the way to DCIN page please? What a fabulous thing that is. Nothing like that here in NZ.

 

Find Chris&China's post #74 and then look for the dark blue "DCIN Critical Care Find" link in her signature test.

 

Feel better soon, Silver!!!

 

Doh! Not enough cups of tea yet.
Yup. Onto that then.
?

 

Looks like you've received a lot of help, suggestions, and ideas. Sending positive thoughts for Silver's speedy recovery!

 

Sending lots of vines your way, I pray silvers gets a speedy recovery, my thoughts are with you guys

 

I should have said this before because I'm closer than almost anyone to Juliet's location.
Sorry Juliet, no car, no money, had an episode last night and I can barely open my eyes.

 

Vet should be calling me in half an hour so I can update. Hate not having him in the house today. His civvie sister keeps looking for him.

 

I bet so, when bella was first diagnosed with diabetes and vet kept him a cpl days his brother Andy looked and looked for him meowing and meowing, it was sad for Andy but made me happy he loved bella so much, hope all is well Juliet! Please let’s us know when you hear something BIG

 

Paws crossed.

 

Vet called. Will try and recall everything:

He's started to eat a couple hrs ago so they didn't need to give him appetite stimulant.

He has a UTI which might explain the increases in insulin not bringing his numbers down the last couple weeks. DCIN approved vet to send sample to lab for a culture whatever that means. Something about determining type of antibiotics I think.

They are giving him something for his low potassium levels - what is that?

His BG was 19 (sorry brain not working to do calculation to US numbers) and dropped to 17 during the day. Not too good really. They are continuing to give him short acting insulin to bring down to between 9 and 11 she said.

They will call me again in the morning. They said he didn't appear to be in pain so have not given pain meds as they could cause other problems.

I think I have captured everything this fuddled tired brain managed to grasp.

 

Just getting on now. These are for you Juliet. Thank you DCIN.

Great news that Silver is eating some! And that they have found the infection source.

They may give potassium through his fluids. When I supplemented at home, it was a tasteless powder added to Neko's food.

 

Praying things continue in the right direction.

 

Exactly....they put a little urine into special dishes and let the bacteria "grow"....when the bacteria have had a little while to grow, they try different antibiotics to see which one kills that particular bacteria the best.

Lots of different bacteria can cause UTI's....without knowing which bacteria you're fighting, they can only guess at the best treatment (and they usually guess wrong)

Good news!!! Hope he continues to improve!!!

 

Did I do something to make him get sick? How did he get the bacteria as an indoor cat?

 

Yes they did say they put more stuff in his bag.