Tommy, Steve and Charlene Introduction

Hello,
Our boy Tommy (7) was diagnosed with DKA Monday 10/28/2019. He was very lethargic and his appetite declined the Saturday afternoon before. He has been losing weight over the last 3-4 months and didn't seem quite like his energetic self overall. We took him to urgent care 2 days in a row and they referred him to the hospital last Sunday. We were overwhelmed by the cost the vet gave us but had already spent a lot for 2 days in urgent care. His blood glucose was only 220 so the vet didn't think it was DKA at first and his blood was lipemic (?) and it wouldn't separate in their equipment because of the fat in it. They had to send it to a lab and the results weren't ready until Monday morning.

Sunday night we took him to Veterinary Referral Center of Colorado in the Denver area and he was there until this evening. I am at work and have a job where I work 24 hour shifts and sleep overnight (a group home) so I won't go home until Monday morning. My husband brought him home and so far he is talkative and doing okay. His prescription is for Lantus 2 x a day. Steve learned to do the injections and went to the pharmacy after taking Tommy home. My older brother lives with us and is retired--he is home most of the time so Tommy will have supervision and company along with my brother's dog and our other 3 cats.

I haven't had a long conversation with Steve yet about the other things we need to do, like when and how to check his glucose. It has been an overwhelming week and paying for 5 days in the hospital and 2 days of urgent care is overwhelming as well--but like everyone here he is one of our fur kids and we will figure it out.

I appreciate any feedback and comments! I have been reading threads here this week and feel better prepared because of that but know we have a LOT to learn
Tommy and his fam

 

Hi Tommy, Steve and Charlene and welcome to the forum!
I'll get you to copy and paste this introduction over on the Main forum please because this is just the into page and we give help over on the Main forum.
Here is the link
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/

There are a couple of things you can do to make it easier for us to help you.
If you could set up the signature, which will appear on the bottom of all your posts....it gives Tommy's info
Here is the link
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/editing-your-signature-profile-and-preferences.130340/

and also if you could set up Tommys spreadsheet and put in any blood glucose numbers you have done so far, that would be fantastic. We look at the SS whenever we help you and because Tommy has had DKA it is really important to monitor the BG levels.
Here is the link. If you have any trouble setting it up, just yell and someone will help you
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/suggestions-tech-support-testing-area.6/

I will go into more detail when you copy and paste over on the main forum but just wanted to mention a couple of things here.
When a kitty is recovering from DKA it is really important that the ketones are monitored daily.
This can be done quite easily by collecting a urine sample from Tommy each day and testing it.
You will need to get a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart or a pharmacy. You dip the strip into the urine and read it exactly 15 seconds later against the colours on the side of the bottle.

It is also very important Tommy eats well and gets enough insulin.
I'll wait until you copy and paste onto the main forum to give you more details.
I am so glad you found us.

 

If you haven't bought a blood glucose monitor yet, have a look at a ReliOn one from Walmart
We recommmend using a human meter here as both our dosing methods are based on the human meter numbers.
The vet may ask you to use a pet meter but they are very expensive to run...the strips are about a $1 each whereas the human strips are much cheaper.

 

Welcome to FDMB.

DKA is a rough way to learn about diabetes. I was in a similar situation with my kitty. I was a wreck!

Bron has given you great information in order to get started. I would underscore her suggestion that your shopping list include a way to test for ketones. You can test for urinary ketones using Ketostix. These are strips you use to dip into the cat's urine stream or urine you collect. Alternatively, there are blood ketone meters. The strips for the meter are expensive but if your cat objects to your getting a urine sample, the blood is easier. Ketone meters are available on Amazon.

There is a huge amount of information about Lantus in the sticky notes at the top of the Lantus insulin support group board. You are welcome to post there but you will need your spreadsheet set up and be ready to home test. In the interim, people get started on the Health forum.

As for when and how to test, vets will often suggest that you get a meter that's calibrated for pet blood. The meters are good but the strips cost around about $1.00 each (the same as strips for a ketone meter). Compared to the cost for strips for a human meter, they are easily double the cost or more depending on which meter you buy. The human meters are calibrated to run a little lower than an animal meter. The dosing methods used for Lantus (and pretty much every other insulin) are based on using a human meter. (In fact, the Tight Regulation Protocol that was published in a leading vet journal is based on home testing with a human meter.) When to test is up to you. Lantus is a bit more rigid than other kinds of insulin and shots need to be as close to 12-hours apart as possible. Pick times that work for your schedules.

One item that Bron didn't mention is food. A diabetic cat needs a low carbohydrate, preferably canned food diet. Low carb means under 10% carb (this info is not on the can) but most of us use foods that are appreciably lower in carbs. Lisa Pierson, DVM has a wonderful website on feline nutrition that includes a chart with information on carb content on most of the available foods. (There's also a link to the chart at the top of the Health board.) Many people here use Fancy Feast or Friskies pate style foods. These are among the least costly brands available.

Since you are lucky enough to have two additional caregivers at home, you might want to all get familiar with FDMB. Everyone can post and get information if they are unsure what to do. The members here are exceptionally generous with their time, knowledge, and support.