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- Oct 29, 2017
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My eldest kitty Jake (she's 8) has had a long odd history of random illness. She would lose weight, become lethargic and heat seek...and she had this weird black rim to her eyes (like she was wearing eye liner on the inside of her lower eye rim. I would take her to the vet and blood and urine tests would all be normal...they would prescribe an antibiotic and she'd recover and gain weight. On one occasion they even did exploratory surgery hoping to find something only to find nothing, give her abx and boom all better. This seemed to be pretty cyclical but always with a good outcome.
She started losing weight again in late December, but none of her other usual symptoms. The vet thought maybe the kittens we'd adopted had spread fleas to her (despite our religious use of preventative) and changed her flea med to one that would be novel and also treat worms i she'd gotten those from fleas. She had her first of the new med in January and actually seemed to perk up. Her weight didn't seem to go back on, despite a hearty appetite.
On Saturday night she was frisking about- chasing a ball around. She jumped up behind me on the counter when I turned my back for one moment and made my roast chicken hers with lots of nibbles. When I called all the kitties she was the first to come- and made sure the others knew SHE left the room first- all very usual for her.
On Sunday morning, she didn't come down for breakfast (canned food delight) and she is ALWAYS the first on there. She is always fed before the other kitties. I brought the food upstairs (we have 3 floors) and found her in the kitchen. I offered her food which she sniffed but did not eat. She did a little dry heaving and I thought she might have an upset tummy.
This morning she again did not come to eat. I pushed open the laundry room door as the dryer had just stopped- and she screamed. She was behind the door and I had crushed her. She was heat seeking. I put her in a cat cuddler and placed it on the counter. I put a small amount of pate on the roof of her mouth and she swallowed it. 15 minutes latter I put in a little water. I alternated food and water every 15 minutes for an hour and a half, then gave her time for it to settle. After a while I started again with the alternating items. After about 3 hours, she vomited everything. My vet was finally open and I took the first available for noon. By the time I put her in the crate I thought she was not ever coming home again. She was not even moving. In the lobby at the vet I reached in to touch her and she felt cold to the touch. They rushed us in and her temp was 97 degrees. She had lost 2 pounds (from 9 down to 7). She was dehydrated, constipated and vomiting. They squeezed urine out of her while examining her and put a test strip in the puddle- diabetic ketones in the urine. This vet told me treatment would be expensive and I should euthanize. I was horrified.
I asked him to make her stable enough to travel to the hospital that saved the kittens we found a year and half ago. He put her on a heating pad, and administered IV fluids. two hours later I was called to come get her for transport. Her bloodwork had shown some other problems that were hopefully complications from the dehydration.
I took her to the ER and they were waiting for us. They got a catheter in her and started some additional tests. She has to be there 3 to 5 days...if she makes it through the night. She will eventually get an insulin drip. They are hoping she does not have the acidosis part of the diabetic keto acidosis, and are doing a blood gas to test. They will do an ultrasound of her pancreas tomorrow to make sure she is not having any other issues with her pancreas. I had to leave a $7000 deposit (after paying the other vet almost $500) and they can't tell me if she even has a 50 50 shot.
They did talk about long term care and the cost- special food and insulin. It seems like a very inexact process for a cat. My parents are both type 1 diabetics and the management for humans seems so much more scientific. I worry about being successful in treating her if it is all so inexact. I worry about her declining fast like she did this time. I worry about managing her needs with the other kitties in the house having their own needs. Then I worry all this is for nothing as she may not make it through the night!
Anyone with experience to share to help educate me?I don't even know what to ask at this point.
She started losing weight again in late December, but none of her other usual symptoms. The vet thought maybe the kittens we'd adopted had spread fleas to her (despite our religious use of preventative) and changed her flea med to one that would be novel and also treat worms i she'd gotten those from fleas. She had her first of the new med in January and actually seemed to perk up. Her weight didn't seem to go back on, despite a hearty appetite.
On Saturday night she was frisking about- chasing a ball around. She jumped up behind me on the counter when I turned my back for one moment and made my roast chicken hers with lots of nibbles. When I called all the kitties she was the first to come- and made sure the others knew SHE left the room first- all very usual for her.
On Sunday morning, she didn't come down for breakfast (canned food delight) and she is ALWAYS the first on there. She is always fed before the other kitties. I brought the food upstairs (we have 3 floors) and found her in the kitchen. I offered her food which she sniffed but did not eat. She did a little dry heaving and I thought she might have an upset tummy.
This morning she again did not come to eat. I pushed open the laundry room door as the dryer had just stopped- and she screamed. She was behind the door and I had crushed her. She was heat seeking. I put her in a cat cuddler and placed it on the counter. I put a small amount of pate on the roof of her mouth and she swallowed it. 15 minutes latter I put in a little water. I alternated food and water every 15 minutes for an hour and a half, then gave her time for it to settle. After a while I started again with the alternating items. After about 3 hours, she vomited everything. My vet was finally open and I took the first available for noon. By the time I put her in the crate I thought she was not ever coming home again. She was not even moving. In the lobby at the vet I reached in to touch her and she felt cold to the touch. They rushed us in and her temp was 97 degrees. She had lost 2 pounds (from 9 down to 7). She was dehydrated, constipated and vomiting. They squeezed urine out of her while examining her and put a test strip in the puddle- diabetic ketones in the urine. This vet told me treatment would be expensive and I should euthanize. I was horrified.
I asked him to make her stable enough to travel to the hospital that saved the kittens we found a year and half ago. He put her on a heating pad, and administered IV fluids. two hours later I was called to come get her for transport. Her bloodwork had shown some other problems that were hopefully complications from the dehydration.
I took her to the ER and they were waiting for us. They got a catheter in her and started some additional tests. She has to be there 3 to 5 days...if she makes it through the night. She will eventually get an insulin drip. They are hoping she does not have the acidosis part of the diabetic keto acidosis, and are doing a blood gas to test. They will do an ultrasound of her pancreas tomorrow to make sure she is not having any other issues with her pancreas. I had to leave a $7000 deposit (after paying the other vet almost $500) and they can't tell me if she even has a 50 50 shot.
They did talk about long term care and the cost- special food and insulin. It seems like a very inexact process for a cat. My parents are both type 1 diabetics and the management for humans seems so much more scientific. I worry about being successful in treating her if it is all so inexact. I worry about her declining fast like she did this time. I worry about managing her needs with the other kitties in the house having their own needs. Then I worry all this is for nothing as she may not make it through the night!
Anyone with experience to share to help educate me?I don't even know what to ask at this point.
Although I have no experience with this particular diagnosis I wanted to send special thoughts and healing vibes your way. 
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