Hypoglycemic coma

missatoms

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Hi everyone,

I hastily made a thread in "Crossing the Bridge" about a kitten I thought had passed away. After making the thread, I went to say my goodbyes to the kitten and she moved! I was so excited to see that that I rushed her to the vet ER immediately. I figured if they couldn't save her she could at least be humanely put down instead of suffering. I thought she had suffered some kind of trauma.

Here is a link to the previous thread (with pictures of her.) :
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...threadid=26068

She's currently still there and is considered critical but the vet says she thinks she'll pull through. I'm really hoping so.

Apparently she didn't have enough glucose in her blood. This is akin to a diabetic coma, I guess, because the vet said the kitten had more or less gone into a coma (or was well on her way.) They had to treat her by putting glucose on her gums and even had to give her oxygen - that's how close I was to losing her.

I'd also mistakenly thought she was a little boy kitty.. I guess I didn't check close enough. She's going to have to stay overnight and she isn't out of the woods yet but for anyone who read the thread in crossing the bridge this is just an update.

I'm so glad this site is here. Everyone else thinks I'm crazy for spending ~$300 on a little kitten but it was so painful to see her like that. I feel so lucky that she might survive.

Thanks for listening and I apologize for the hasty thread in Crossing the Bridge.
 

hissy

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Well I hope Grady pulls through. I will delete your thread in Crossing the Bridge with optimism-
 

purrfectcatlove

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OMG , my prayers are with you and the kitten
I hope she will make it . Bless your heart , I am sure you went through a lot today ((((HUG))))
 
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missatoms

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Thank you both so much. I called the animal ER a little while ago and they said she was doing ok with slight improvements as time goes on. I'm in for a long haul I think; she'll have to be bottlefed now every two hours. I'm not sure how I'll pull that off being a full-time student and working part time but, luckily, I still live my parents so they can help me out. I asked them to help with the vet bill since it's going to be around $300 and they said they'd give me a little money so I won't be broke until the next payday (which is in two weeks.) I'm so glad I was able to at least help her a little bit.. Thanks again. This site has given me such valuable information about taking care of sick animals, I don't know where I'd be without all of you.
 

purrfectcatlove

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Bless your heart . Hopefully all go's well with her . Maybe by the time you get her you wont have to feed her every 2 hours .
 

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Oh the poor little baby. I really hope she pulls through this, Grady is worth every cent and a lot more. The love and companionship cats provide doesnt even compare to the cost of a vet bill. I am really glad you are looking after her and giving her what she needs. Did the vet say why this happened? Is it a congenital problem? I cant imagine Grady could have diabetes at such a young age and the only other reason I could think of for her insulin levels to fall so low is starvation which I am sure is not the case. Speak to the vet about feeding Grady an appropriate diet or formula. Sorry to ask so many questions but I am really baffled by this one!

You said that you need to bottle feed her so I am guessing she is very young. How old is she anyway? Its a huge responsibilty caring for a kitten under 8 weeks and if she is less than 4 weeks then she needs to be bottle fed every 3-4 hours. Without sounding all nosy and stuff - caring for a very young and sick kitten is serious business. She will not make it unless she is able to get regular feedings and so many other factors need to be accounted for if she is going to make it. You are so wonderful for tring to do all this but I can imagine your workload already as a student is so tough and you will be exhausted if you go this alone.

Would you consider asking one of the vet nurses to raise her until she is old enough and strong enough to come home to you? If you are a student then I completely understand how little time you have and rearing a kitten is pretty much a full time job!

Anyway, great job for looking after her, I think she is lucky to have you as her owner and I hope she pulls through so bad. Let us know how she goes ok?
 
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missatoms

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Ok, I have an update - and it's a good one!

First of all let me say this. I always thought Grady was a little boy kitty. When I took him to the ER vet they kept calling Grady "she" and "her" so I'm thinking they know more than me, right? Must be a girl. After I picked Grady up from the ER I took the now female kitty to my regular vet. They called Grady "he" and "him". Grady definitely has a little peepee so I'm sure it's a boy but the ER vet calling him a her was confusing as hell. So for that portion, please refer to Grady as a he from now on


Now, onto the real update!

After picking Grady up from the ER vet, they told me I'd need to monitor him closely, feed him hourly to make sure his glucose levels stayed up and call my vet ASAP. I had them go ahead and fax over the records to my vet but was going to wait and see how things went.

When I got home I watched him pretty closely and began to get concerned. His heart rate was VERY low and his temperature was only about 92 degrees. I called my vet as soon as they opened to see if they could get an appt. for me quickly. Luckily, the girl said if I could be there in 15 minutes they'd slide me in. I got there and the vet said they wanted to hospitalize him.. I was absolutely crushed. After just spending $250 at the ER I didn't have the $269 they wanted. So I'm thinking this poor little kitten is going to die because I don't have enough money..

They gave me medicine (Clavamox, some vitamins) and told me to monitor him very closely and call if anything happened. At this time I'm terribly upset because I'm thinking all of this and he still might die. The vet assured me that I should see dramatic results within a few days so I brought Grady home and started giving him some KMR.

I also got a heating pad and took two tube socks filled with rice, placed them on either side and covered the whole setup with a towel. After about an hour laying on there Grady suddenly jumped up and started wandering around! Since that time he's done REALLY well. I'm hoping he has a full recovery and soon..

lunidoo, I don't know what caused it. We'd been watching the kittens and they appeared healthy - typical kitten stuff, running etc. I now know the mother wasn't feeding them enough and feel terribly negligent for not noticing immediately. I'm not sure if there is more to Grady's problem since his brother does not suffer from the same low glucose problems. They are both 4 weeks old.

Here are some pictures of Grady from earlier. He's a little messy from all the stuff I have to give him by syringe, plus he had a tough night. He's still a cute little fella though..



 
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missatoms

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Hi again,

Is there any definitive way to tell when a kitten has had enough food? I've stopped when Grady starts to push away but I'm worried I may be either over or underfeeding him. I'm also worried about getting water etc. in his lungs. I've never hand-fed a kitten before. He isn't using a bottle either, I'm having to use a syringe to feed him. I give him between .1 and .3 cc's of KMR per hour, and about the same of water every other hour.
 
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missatoms

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Grady just passed away about 5 minutes ago.. I am absolutely heartbroken. If anyone sees this, please move it to Crossing the Bridge.. words cannot express my sadness right now.
 

ldg

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Oh how heartbreaking!!! I am so, so sorry!!!! You obviously cared deeply for the little guy, and he was a fighter and a cutie. He was very blessed to know your love.

(((((Hugs)))))

Laurie
 

lorie d.

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I'm so sorry you lost Grady, and I know you did everything you possibly could to help him. During his very short life, he really DID know what it was like to be loved and wanted.
 

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I too am sorry for your loss and glad he had you in his corner fighting with him.
 
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missatoms

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Thank you so much for the well wishes..

I had to call my english professor and tell him I couldn't make it to class.. He was like "I know how it is, I love animals too but you should really come to class."

I know he's right but I'm absolutely devastated. I've had many animals my entire life and seen several of them die, but never this young and never after so much effort on my part. I can't help but feel guilty. If I'd noticed sooner he wasn't getting fed enough I could have prevented it. This is one of the worst feelings I've ever had..

Let me tell you all a little bit about him. He was, by far, the sweetest little kitten I'd ever come into contact with. Maybe that's why he stole my heart. I'd find him sleeping in the oddest places. One time I found him sleeping inside a bag of cat food. He would always come sit on my lap and even at such a young age, he purred a lot. My dad, who doesn't care for cats that much, even thought he was adorable.

Just last night he was walking around, showed that he had an appetite and gave a lot of signs of improvement. When I woke up to give him his hourly feeding I could tell it was almost over for him. He cried like he was in pain and after a few minutes began convulsing. Then he just slipped away from me.

I can't stop crying and though I know the pain will eventually stop for me, it's hard to see that far ahead right now. I'm so glad I have all of you who understand what I'm going through - believe me, other people are sympathetic but no one understands as well as fellow cat lovers who have gone through the same thing.. He left too soon and I'll be grieving for him for a long time. RIP Grady, I really believe you were my soulkitty.

Grady - 08/25/03 - 10/02/03
I'll never forget you little guy..
 

mom of 10 cats

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My heart breaks for you. I have a kitten almost the same age as Grady, and I know how fast they find a home in your heart. Please know that you did everything you could for him, and that he is chasing butterflies over The Bridge now. One day, you'll meet again.
 

sicycat

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this is just so sad.. I'm so sorry.. I cry so hard when I read these threads.

Rest in peace Grady
 
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missatoms

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Grady's brother Alex has also died. He was not in as bad of shape as Grady initially but he died a few hours after Grady did.

They were from a litter of 6 kittens of which they were the only two who survived for any amount of time. The others lasted a few days and then passed away. Considering the circumstances, I'm inclined to believe there was very little I could have done. I think it was most likely Fading Kitten Syndrome. The ER vet told me that was a possibility but was inclined to believe otherwise due to Grady showing positive signs after receiving some glucose in his blood. I now know that lack of appetite resulting in starvation is a side effect so having low glucose levels makes sense. I'll always miss the little boys but I don't feel as guilty anymore. At least they knew we loved them while they were here.

Again, thank you all for the support you've give not only to me but to anyone who's suffered through a cat passing. It is truly appreciated.
 
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