New Member - Ketoacidosis and Inappetance

Hello Everyone.

I'm new here and new to feline diabetes. My 15-year-old calico Scout was diagnosed on Monday morning after having crashed on Sunday from undiagnosed diabetes. I've been doing a lot of reading and after having had hyperthryoid, CRF and cancer kitties, am trying to get a grasp on what dealing with diabetes entails.

As it turns out, it was much worse than my vet first led me to believe, and Scout was in ketoacidosis. She's responding well to the insulin and her blood sugar number has dropped back into the normal range. On Monday, her kidney numbers were normal, her heart was sounding strong, and her liver numbers were just over normal.

We did a blood electrolyte test yesterday and her numbers there are all in the normal range.

The problem is that she is also getting antibiotic in her IV for a UTI and refuses to eat.

We're trying some famotidine with her today, and I'm stopping back at the vet this evening to encourage her. Any suggestions for food, etc. to get my baby girl eating again will be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Linda & the "Cat Pack"

 

eating is critical so try everything, even it's not the most diabetic friendly diet right now.

one thing to definitely take with you is some meat baby foods

and i'd even try a little tuna or tuna juice too at this point.

fwiw, has the vet mentioned an appetite stimulant at all like cyproheptadine or mirtazipine? might be a good idea too.

 

It is great that the DKA was caught so quickly!

Often newly diagnosed cats feel like crap...so they don't eat....which makes it harder to treat...which makes them feel like crap....etc. etc.

I had to syringe feed Squeak watered down babyfood from a syringe I got from my pharmacy (later found out there are feeding syringes you can get from your vet) and I also gave him an appetite stimulant called periactin/cyproheptadine. I would talk with your vet about this stimulant and syringe immediately, I'd buy plain meat babyfood that doesn't contain onions or pasta, and I would also talk about the choice of antibiotic. IF the antibiotic is clavamox that may well be contributing to the nausea, in which case you need to find out if another antibiotic will work on that particular UTI (requires a culture and sensitivity test) and also get some pepcid ac (not pepcid complete) and give 1/4 tablet twice a day always with a chaser of water.

It may take a few days but syringe feeding food plus giving a low dose of insulin twice a day will start to balance things out and the appetite should improve.

Jen

 

Besides what's been suggested--

Some inappetant cats really go for A/D, which your vet likely has in stock.

Warm the food in the microwave to make it more smelly.

Yogurt, plain

Deli meat--ham and turkey

Chicken breast, cut up, raw or lightly cooked in the microwave.

Parmesan cheese, bonito (tuna) flakes, or catnip on top

 

sounds like your kitty is still at the vet. is there any reason she can't come home and still get the antibiotics at home. she may eat better in her own surroundings. treating diabetes is not difficult at all once you learn the ropes. you'll want to own a glucometer so you can test her blood sugar twice a day and insulin to shoot twice a day.
once you get her home and get the supplies you'll need we can walk you thru every inch of it.
ask for lantus if possible.
if you need help with supplies financially let us know. we have a small supply of newbie kits.

 

Linda, are they syringe-feeding Scout?

They just don't feel like eating when they have DKA. Make sure you come home with the antibiotics, fluids, and appetite stimulent. When recovering from DKA - Layla always went for foods that were different from her standard favorites.

Just make sure they are feeding her - and keep offering anything edible until you find the magic mix!

Best,
Pam & Layla

 

Hello!

Scout came home from the vet Wednesday night after ten days of hospitalization for her ketoacidosis. She was on IV for fluids the entire time, plus was given Baytril for a UTI and famotidine to help with tummy upsets, but both were stopped Wednesday.

I was supposed to give her the first Lantus shot yesterday morning, but since she refused to eat, skipped it.

Last night, she took about 7 bites of only the stinkiest fish food I offered, so I administered the insulin.

This morning, she again refused to eat, so no insulin. She is acting normally otherwise, grooming, enjoying her favorite places, scratching at her corrugated, moving around the house and interacting as much as she used to with my other cats.

It's the not eating that has me baffled. I've offered her all kinds of food, but mostly she sniffs and backs away as if she can't smell anything. She will also lick the juice off of some and then stop. I'm working closely with my vet, and have asked about administering cyproheptadine if this continues. Has it helped in some of your diabetic cats?

Scout was always what my dog breeder friend refers to as a "food slut" - any food, any time, any place. This is a cat that sleeps by the food dish so she doen't have to walk far to eat when she gets up. But since the DKA, she simply shows no interest in eating.

Does the appetite ever come back? Or does syringe feeding become a way of life? I'm frustrated and frightened that after investing an entire paycheck and a half to get my baby back home with me, that she's not going to make it.

Knowing that every cat is different, particularly stubborn calicos like Scout, I'd still appreciate any input from your experiences on the time frame for appetites returning, and what finally did the trick for your kitties.

Thanks.

 

Linda,

Call the vet and get the rx for the cypro or mirtazapine today. Don't go into the weekend with a cat that isn't eating. I've used both on my cat and both work. I prefer the mirtazapine because it is 1/4 pill every 3 days, and usually see an interest in food within a few hours. They cypro is twice a day pilling - but both do work.

This is very important because no food - and then you can't give insulin, so this makes for a potential relapse.

If the vet doesn't have the pills on hand to dispense she can write a prescription and you can get the pills at any pharmacy. They are not expensive. While you are at the pharmacy get some ketostix (to test urine for ketones), and if you don't have one, a human glucometer. Buy the meter with the cheapest strips because that is the biggest ongoing expense. Many people here use the Relion from Walmart. I used the True Track from CVS/Walgreens for a long time without issue, but now use the OTU and buy strips on ebay.

It is wonderful she is acting like a kitty again - but food and insulin are imperative to get through this period.

Best,
Pam & Layla

 

I only had to syringe feed for a few days (I think...it was a long time ago) but if you can do it frequently and give her an appetite stimulant and give her insulin, she should turn around. But she needs both the feeding and the insulin...

 

Hi Linda,

You are testing Scout's BG at home with a glucometer, right? That's very important, because skipping shots for a kitty who just spent 10 days in the hospital for DKA is a dangerous thing. You really need to be able to monitor her BG to know what's going on.

I'm glad she's finally home from the vet. Angel never did well at the hospital, and always improved dramatically when she got home.

Heather

 

Linda, is Scout eating yet on her own? Keep an eye out for jaundice......look at the inside ear skin for signs of yellowing.......you don't want her to go into hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver). Some cats just stop and even syringe feeding isn't getting enough into the cat and the next thing you know they are into HL. If she still isn't eating, you might want to talk to the vet about a feeding tube. http://catinfo.org/feedingtubes.htm

 

Thanks again, everyone!

Scout started to nibble more last night and this morning, but just to be on the safe side, I got enough cypro for today and tomorrow from the vet.

I'm not using a glucometer, simply because I can't afford one right now. Scout's vet bill was astronomical, and between the Lantus and all the different foods I'm trying on her, I'm wiped out even though payday was yesterday.

I'm in touch with my vet every day (except Sundays) so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that her eating will continue to improve and the insulin will keep working. My vet is only 10 minutes away, so I can run her up any time I need to.

Hopefully, in two weeks when I'm home from my teaching job for the summer, I can get a glucometer and start a chart for her. The vet says it's not necessary, but I know I'll feel more comfortable knowing her numbers. I'm also still trying to figure out how to check her urine, since mine is a multi-cat household, and confining Scout is an impossibility for many different reasons.

Thanks again for your comments.

 

Linda,

If you look up at the top of page of this forum, there is message from Cindy and Mousie about homestesting starter kit. If you click on her name, you can send her a message and ask for a free kit. Look down on her page for the PM (private message) tab. She put kits together for newbies.

 

Thanks so very much!

I just filled out the info for the newbie kit and really appreciate the help.

Scout is now eating about 1 oz. of food four times a day. It's mostly Fancy Feast salmon, something I would never ordinarily give my cats, but after a decreased appetite for a week before her diagnosis, ten days in the hospital of force feeding, and two days at home of just licking at things, I'm happy she's showing an interest at all. She absolutely would NOT let me syringe feed her yesterday, and since she was getting so upset at my attempts, I stopped so as not to raise her glucose levels!

The good news is she actually gobbled a few mouthfuls of Evo canned yesterday, so I'm hoping her taste for the healthy stuff will return. Her usual diet was Wellness canned chicken and Merrick B.G. chicken kibble, but apparently, she has decided that is what made her sick and refuses to touch either. She was the queen of the free-feeders with the kibble, but I'm going to have to figure out a way to control that now, LOL!

I'm also apprehensive about testing her glucose levels - I'm very squeamish about anything medical and before last Wednesday, believed I could never, ever, use a needle syringe. But giving Scout her shots has been so easy (knock wood!) that I actually decided to quit taking her sib Carmella to the vet every week for B-12 shots and try to also do those myself at home to help save more money to put toward Scout's vet bills.

As a school teacher myself, this is a really good learning process for me. Again, all of my heartfelt thanks - Scout's too!

 

Glad she has decided to eat, Linda. Add some other meat types as soon as you can. With a finiky eater, you don't want her stuck on seafood because of the phosphorous levels. Once or twice a week is suggested for seafood.

If you want to put your city/state in your message, maybe there is someone near you who could come help you learn how to hometest the first time. It really helps to have someone show you in person.

 

Linda,

I'm glad Scout seems to be feeling a little better. Don't worry about the BG testing, you'll get the hang of it in no time. It's not too hard, and if you can find someone local to help show you how to do it, that will help a lot.