Our cat is in the Hospital with DKA

Hi,

My family and I have a nine year old cat named CB that we just left at the pet hospital with DKA. We had no idea he was sick until this weekend when he stopped eating and drinking, and became very lethargic. Now he may not live and we are just looking for people with kitties that have gone through this . CB is a Maine Coon type cat and he is the sweetest, most loving, snuggly, soft and sweet cat on earth and we love him very much and are very worried and sad.

Thanks,

CB and his family

 

Hi there

I'm so sorry you are going thru this, I personally have not, but have seen others here go thru it. I hope and pray your kitty pulls thru.

What are the doctors saying on CB's prognosis? How are they treating him?

 

Hi,

Thanks for the reply and the good wishes. CB is at the pet hospital for a few days and will be receiving NaCl, Potassium Chloride, Vitamin B and Glucose. He will be on PZI Insulin. He is very dehydrated, eyes sunken in, and looks very bad. We will be visiting him tomorrow, so I will post more then. Thanks in advance to everyone.

Christy

 

Beautiful picture!

I've cross posted your thread into the PZI forum so those members can spot you to give you guidance with PZI.

Keep us posted on your kitty!

 

What beautiful kitties - love those faces.

I've never had to deal with Dude being DKA (thank goodness) but can only imagine how horrible it is. I'm sending lots and lots of healing vibes and prayers for your way for a speedy and full recovery. There have been many kitties on the board that have gone through this and have recovered and been okay.

Will be watching for your update - welcome to the board. There is a lot of valuable information here and a lot of experience. Don't hesitate to ask for help when/if needed.

Emmy & Dude (& Mittsi too)

 

Hi CB's mom,

my Danny had DKA three years ago when he had a urinary infection so I have a little experience with DKA. It can be fatal so it requires aggressive vet care for a couple days.

Is the vet hospital manned 24 hours a day? If not, you should really consider moving CB to a 24 hour facility. He needs 24 hour care, to include the IV to combat the dehydration. The NaCl, Potassium, and glucose are in the IV -- the first two are to get CB's electrolytes in balance. Giving the cat glucose in the IV may seem wrong since the cat is suffering from overly high blood glucose, but this is needed to balance out the insulin.

Please double check with the vet since I am pretty sure that CB is getting "R" insulin which is short acting and strong, meaning it will give a fast hard "push" down on the BG level. It's so strong that they give the IV glucose to help CB get a smoother ride.

Also ask the vet:
- is CB showing any signs of infection (such as urinary) since DKA is frequently associated with . If so, what antibiotic will they use? Have they cultured the urine?

- any sign of dental problems or infection?

- Is CB eating well? If not, have they given CB some appetite stimulant, such as cyproheptadine ? If not, why not? He must eat!

He may need a stimulant since he feels sick and is no doubt feeling stressed by being at the vet's. Talk to the vet about a nasogastric feeding tube and when that might be appropriate (e.g. appetite stimulant isn't working well enough). They slip a thin tube down through the nose. It is a guaranteed way to get food into him now. if he has a favorite food, bring it. You can also bring some people tuna or chicken simmered in water, maybe he will eat that. It would be much better if he doesn't get dry food, since that will raise his BG, but if he will not eat wet food, then you have no choice. CB has to eat. If he doesn't eat, he will burn his body fat and muscle, and he can get a very serious condition called "fatty liver" or hepatic lipidosis. It causes liver damage, which can eventually heal. It is treatable but expensive and dangerous. You really want to avoid it, and getting food into CB is how you can avoid it.

When you visit, I really recommend you bring an old t-shirt or two for CB's cage -- have family members wear them for a couple hours or better yet sleep in them. You probably won't get them back so make sure it's shirts you don't care about. CB is scared and having your smell with him will reassure him and help give him the strength to fight.

Take heart. Many cats do survive DKA. Everyone here will be rooting for you.

best wishes,
laur

 

DKA is a serious condition and some cats die of it but MANY cats here have survived it.
While your cat is at the hospital you have a little time to read up on diabetes and get prepared.

Here are some useful links:

1. Diabetes related FAQs: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/faq.html

2. Hometesting Tips & Tricks: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

3. Ketones and how to test for them: http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/read.php?8,1299632

4. Hypoglycemia Treatment (when your cat's blood sugar is too low or dropping fast): http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1122

5. Janet & Binky's Food Charts (look for food with under 10% carbs): http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html

6. Nutrition Basics for Felines (Dr Lisa's Site, including transitioning to wet food from dry, diet and feline health issues, making cat food): http://catinfo.org


For home testing your cat's blood glucose, you can get a cheap glucometer at Wal-Mart (ReliOn brand). Otherwise i'd buy the Bayer Ascensia Contour glucometer with a free rebate (you'll often see the rebate in your Sunday paper) and get the test strips on eBay (about $30 for 100 test strips).

By home testing your cat's glucose you'll save thousands of dollars not having to test glucose at the vet, and you'll be able to see for yourself how your cat is doing on insulin.

Initially, here's what i'd buy at the pharmacy:

1. Regular human blood glucose meter (glucometer)
2. Test strips for the glucometer
3. Lancets (28 to 30 gauge) to poke the ear and get blood
4. Cotton balls to hold against the other side of the ear when you poke, and then to apply light pressure to the ear to minimize bruising
5. Ketone test strips to test urine periodically to make sure your cat doesn't have ketones, a serious condition that could result from inadequate insulin, inappetance, or a possible infection
6. Neosporin/polysporin or Neosporin/polysprorin with pain relief to rub on your cat's ears every 3 days or so at the beginning to minimize scabs
7. Syringes you'll probably get from the vet, but you can buy them cheaper from hocks.com (around $16 for 100 syringes), which is linked thru FDMB and gives it a small commission. The link should be on the top or bottom left of this page. Whether you get U100 or U40 insulin, you can use U100 syringes with half unit markings in order to dose more precisely (we use a conversion chart to use U100 syringes with U40 insulin, or we count each hatchmark as 0.2u of U40 insulin). Many of us use U100 syringes, 5/16" needle, 3/10 cc, 31 gauge. i buy the GNP brand as it's cheapest. Make sure you buy the ones with half-unit markings, so you can use small dose increments. Some Wal-Marts also have U100 syringes with half unit markings. They're about $2 cheaper than at hocks.com if they have them.

Two extremely important aspects of diabetes care have been championed for years at FDMB: (1) home testing your cat's blood sugar and (2) switching to a 100% low carbohydrate canned/wet food diet (no more dry food unless your cat will absolutely not eat otherwise). With home testing and low carb wet food, many cats have gone into remission after a short time on insulin.

Most people here were very scared when their cats were first diagnosed, especially at having to inject insulin and home test glucose, but we all learned amazingly quickly. After a little while you'll be able to test/inject your cat while doing other things or even while talking on the phone. It just takes minutes a day. It's almost impossible to know whether your diabetic cat has high or low numbers without testing, plus it empowers you to partner with your vet in treating this disease.

 

No advice to share but you ARE in the right place.
Sending prayers for CB.
jeanne

 

Sending Angels & lots of prayers and green healing light to help your boy get better. It is so scary to have them so ill I hope it all works out and you get good news tomorrow Kath

 

Angel was DKA when diagnosed with FD. She became diabetic from a steroid shot. She spent 6 days in ICU at a 24-hour vet hospital before she was strong and stable enough to come home.

Once she was home, this website and message board saved her life, many times over. This is the best place to learn from the trenches, how to treat FD. There's so much wisdom and collective knowledge here, you've come to the right place for help.

DKA is a very serious condition and can be fatal, like others have said... but in my own mind, I never entertained any ideas that Angel wouldn't recover. I prayed and prayed, and spent as much time as I could at the hospital visiting her. I think that helped her recovery a lot. Because of the intensive care required, treatment of DKA can be very expensive, so please be prepared for that.

Sending CB healing vibes...

 

At the time she was diagnosed with diabetes, Gabby was also diagnoses with DKA, pancreatitis, and hepatic lipidosis. She was a sick kitty who spent 3 days on an ICU with 24 hour care. The other electrolyte that should be administered is phosphorus. Pancreatitis is not uncommon in cats with diabetes.

Gabby survived, despite two vets gently telling me how serious DKA is. I hope your kitty is a fighter and the electrolytes are back in balance soon. It's a slow process of getting them properly titrated back to their normal levels.

 

I am overwhelmed with the kindness and expertise displayed in the responses to my post. We have visited him twice and will know more in the morning. I just can't believe how fast he got so sick. Thank you for all your prayers and wishes. The vet keeps saying "if" he leaves the hospital now. I know I won't be able to sleep tonight, I will post after I call to check on him in the morning. Thanks everyone so much. <3 <3 <3

 

Angels and Prayers coming to help your baby. Sending lots of Healing green light ...Keep on being positive and your little one will come throught We will pray ton of prayers for her Kath .....

 

Hi everybody

CB is better! My son and I went to see him today, and he gets to go home tomorrow. The vet has changed him to long acting insulin and given him an appetite stimulant. His blood sugar is down to normal levels, he is eating a little and using the litter box. He is still very weak and a little dehydrated but is doing so much better. Thank you to everyone who posted with well wishes and advice, they really helped. So far the vet is doing everything wonderfully and taking such good care of him. I will keep everyone posted. CB thanks you too and has a message for everybody in the picture below.

Christy

 

Too sweet he is and beautiful give your boy a Cold nose kiss from our Zoo and hopefull a full recovery Kath

 

What a precious picture! I hope your sweet boy feels better soon and can come home tomorrow!

 

How thoughtful for CB to send a thank you card.

He is just beautiful.

Reminds me of my Smokey, who was also Maine Coon type and similar color.

Looking forward to good news from your end that CB gets to come home.

Come here often for advice...you will get lots of help here.

 

HI,

I just called the vet and we will not get to take him home today after all. He has elevated levels of bilirubin and is not eating very much. They are going to do an ultrasound and possibly put a feeding tube in his stomach. Bad news when I was expecting good.

Christy

 

Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear about this setback.

Smokey had a feeding tube.

It's not as bad as it sounds. Your kitty needs to eat to get over this.

A feeding tube can help. Here is a link that might interest you.

http://www.catinfo.org/?link=feedingtubes

 

Thanks. I feel a little better now. My son is on the way to visit CB before work and talk to the vet. Thanks for your post.

Christy

 

Prayers & Angels with beautiful healing green light coming to help you little one Hope you get better news soon Kath

 

After Harley's bout with DKA, he did came home with a feeding tube. I frightened me to begin with but pretty soon, it was like it was part of him. He needed the nutrition and this was the only way to get enough food into him. After a short time, he was eating on his own (with appetite stimulant) and the tube was pulled.

Sending good thoughts and prayers your way.

Pattie

 

Please look at the different types of feeding tubes on the link sent to you....catinfo........and ask your vet if he can and would do an esophagostomy tube. They are easier to put in, less invasive and less surgery time and feeding tubes can save lives. I would also ask your vet if he has Clinicare to feed through the tube with. It is a high potency liquid diet and will give your kitty everything he needs. I have dealt with 3 E tubes and 2 stomach peg tubes. I lost both of the stomach peg tube ones and will never again allow it. Your CB is beautiful and many prayers coming. Mishka is an old pro at dealing with DKA along with just ketones and 7 years later she is just fine.

 

We have 44 paws and 20 fingers all crossed that your boy will make a complete recovery and be home with his family soon.

It is just so hard when our babies are sick, especially when they are away in the hospital. (((((to all of CB's Family))))

Mel & Muse (GA)

 

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that CB has to stay at the vet's office longer! Sending healing vibes...

 

Our 13 year old was just diagnosed with diabetes, she will be getting her first injections friday 6 aug,I'm totally parinoid, will i give the right dose,am i doing it right, diet and a million other questions but trying to focus on her needs it's all about her not me, just want to give her the least pain and above all DO IT RIGHT.As DC (Darn Cats) caregiver, can't say owner since she's the boss, I hope i get over the panic attack when it comes to her injections. She's a beautiful long haired pure white, one blue eye one yellow.Our Vet in Brea California is awesome and been car ;-) ing for her for about 8 yrs.

 

HI,

Thanks for all the sweet thoughts and wishes for CB and information about feeding tubes. We might be able to take him home on Friday, here's hoping.

Christy

 

i would much rather the vet keep him as long as he needs to, than have him home and get into crisis. DKA is very serious and requires round the clock care. so it's good the vet kept him when his numbers weren't right to release him.

did you guys bring a used tshirt there for them to put in his cage? it helps to have family smells around. someone could just wear the tshirt overnight or for a few hours then bring it in for him.

hoping he's fully recovered and he's back in your arms soon.

it's going to be very important to keep his blood sugar numbers down. if you have another cat at home, it wouldn't hurt to practice getting blood from his ear and testing his blood sugar on the glucometer.

 

Hi,

I'm taking my pillowcase today for him to snuggle with and it should have his brother kitties smells on it too, son that will be good for him. Thanks so much for that suggestion. So far, the vet has really done all he could and been so available and caring. It helps so much to have all this advice here on the board, it reassured me that the vet was doing everything he could and in the right ways so far. I didn't think about practicing taking blood sugar on my other kitties-hoping they don't mind taking one for the team !

 

Thinking of you this morning.

 

HI,

We went to visit CB Thursday afternoon and got to take him home ! He ate like a little piggie when we got there. They didn't even have to put a feeding tube in. He is home now and sleeping alot and getting used to being back. He is eating when we feed him by hand. He is on PZI insulin and his next dose is due in about an hour. He is doing well. Thanks for checking in on him.

Thanks

Christy

 

((((((((((((CB)))))))))))))))) Glad you are home sending lots of Glowing healthy Green light to help you heal Kath& Trey

 

Glad to see that CB is back home with you. Crossing all paws & fingers here that he continues to improve.

Mel & Muse (GA)

 

So glad he is home and doing better.

You will find feeding by hand to be a real bonding experience with CB.

Give CB some extra lovin's today from all of us here at FDMB.

 

HI,

Thanks for the replies and the hugs. CB is continuing to do well. He really perked up when my husband came home from his business trip. He is grooming himself now and still eating like a piggie. Luckily he likes the Dietetic wet food, he is not loving the Dietetic dry food though. We have an appointment with the Vet today to check his blood sugar and see how he's doing. I'll let everyone know how he did, keep a good thought.

Love to all the Kitties cat_pet_icon

Christy and CB

 

Please get rid of the dry cat food and your kitty will do so much better ..Dry food is not good for diabetes it is like feeding them pop and ice cream and junk food. Just try it and see what do you have to loose.. only high numbers and it stays in their system longer too so takes a while to get the high numbers to come down....Read the stickies anbout the food guide The diet could make a big difference to your kitty coming off insulin Hope you don`t mine me tell you this ok Kath just want to help but can not give advice...ok Trey is 12 days off insulin and he gets only can food now

 

Hi,

Thanks for the advice about the dry food. I never mind advice, because I know it comes from experience and caring. It is the Purina dry food from the Vet made especially for Diabetic cats. Having said that, CB LUVS the Purina DM wet food, so we aren't going to buy the dry again. We went for a check up today and the Vet told us to bring the dry food back for a refund, so we may do that or feed it to our non-Diabetic kitties. I also like the Purina DM wet food, because, to me, it doesn't smell bad. His blood sugar was great today and they sent off his blood work to do another bilirubin check. We will find out Tuesday about that. I also found out that one of the Vets did a paper or research at school on finding veins in cat's ears to test for blood glucose. She also had a diabetic cat that lived for 7 years after diagnosis, and offered to talk to us any time. I think we were really lucky in our Vet choice. Every time they do something, I cross check it here and on the internet and it's always been spot on. Hope all the kitties on the board are well and to all the humans, have a good weekend !

dancing_cat

Christy

 

No vein needed.......

Christy, I am so glad to read that CB is doing so well. Had to point out that no vein is needed to test the ear........I use a lancing device and just press along the edge of the ear. If I hit a vein, I know it by the blood size, but you really do not need to aim for the vein. Anywhere along the edge will get you the blood.

 

I don't think she's home testing yet. She shouldn't be making any major diet changes without being able to monitor his glucose levels.

 

Oh ok sorry Boo never thought of that only was thinking how bad dry is Got to watch what I say nailbite_smile :mrgreen: Kath

 

Am so happy to check in here and see your posts that your little guy is doing so much better. That's great news and the picture and thank you card is the greatest. What a handsome guy.

Good luck - I do know that when I took Dude off the dry food and changed to the low carb wet food, his numbers went down 100 points immediately.

Emmy & Dude (& Mittsi too)

 

Hi,

Thanks for the replies and the good thoughts. I appreciate all the advice and good wishes.

Christy and CB