DKA: Saving the Crashing Diabetic

Learning Objectives

• 1Explain the three concurrent pathophysiologic cascades of DKA — unrestrained ketogenesis, metabolic acidosis, and osmotic diuresis — and describe how each drives the clinical presentation
• 2Construct a 24-hour fluid resuscitation plan for a feline DKA patient including dehydration deficit calculation, crystalloid selection rationale, and the potassium sliding scale with safe maximum infusion rates
• 3Set up and titrate a regular insulin CRI for feline DKA, apply the glucose monitoring and dextrose supplementation protocol, and explain why insulin must continue after glucose reaches 250 mg/dL
• 4Identify the clinical signs of treatment-induced hypokalemia, hypophosphatemia-driven hemolytic anemia, and cerebral edema, and describe the specific interventions for each complication
• 5Counsel owners on feline diabetic remission probability, low-carbohydrate diet selection, home glucose monitoring options, and early DKA recognition to prevent recurrence

Course Syllabus

1. 1
   Meet Pepper — The Diabetic in CrisisPreview

   module-1-meet-pepper

   8 min
2. 2
   Pathophysiology — Metabolic Meltdown

   module-2-pathophysiology

   9 min
3. 3
   Fluid Resuscitation — The Foundation

   module-3-fluid-resuscitation

   9 min