Coco isn't doing so well...

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Fuzzbomb

Member Since 2015
I did the spreadsheet thing, hopefully it shows up the way it's supposed to. Coco started insulin on Saturday morning. Aside from a hypo episode on Sunday am (I know now I shouldn't have given her the shot) she's been doing OK. I pulled back her dosage after that, but her numbers have still been high so I went back to 2 units this morning.

She had also been throwing up prior to starting insulin. But on Sunday she threw up a very large hairball, and kept everything down yesterday, so we thought that was it. But more vomiting this AM. I'll see if I can get the timeline in the correct way...

5/18 PMPS BG=258, 1.5 units Vetsulin. She ate a can of Fancy Feast
5/18 +3 BG=212 - she seemed off, I was worried she was dehydrated, I hadn't seen her drink any water pretty much all day. So I gave her another tablespoon of FF mixed with a good amount of water, very soupy mix.
5/18 somwhere between +7 and +10 she threw up quite a bit - puddles of brown. At least 4 hours after she had last eaten - her stomach should have been empty by then, right?

So this morning I got up and snuggled with her from +10 to +11, and she actually seemed more like herself. Purring, snuggly. And suddenly at +11 she threw up a hairball. medium size, a little clear fluid with it.

AMPS BG = 303. I gave her 2 units of Vetsulin, and she ate another can of Fancy Feast. So far no more vomiting. At +2 her BG was 235.

I've noticed that after I give her insulin & food, she acts like she doesn't feel good - she'll go sit under a table or somewhere away, and just sit for hours. Her BG hasn't dipped low since Sunday, so it doesn't seem to be that. But she does act like she feels better when her numbers are high - is she just used to it being that way?

I am worried about the vomiting, and the hair balls. We have had her for 9 years and she has never had hairball issues before. I ordered some egg lecithin this morning, hoping that might help. She won't lick vaseline off her paw. Does this sound like IBS? Or something else? Has anyone had a cat go through something similar?

I realize things would be rough while we got her regulated, but it feels like since starting insulin she has actually gotten much sicker. Maybe that's just coincidence, I dunno. Grasping at straws here. We just don't have the funds to have lots of diagnostics done, so I'm hoping someone could point us in the right direction. It's a hard place to be for all of us right now.

Thanks, and sorry for the novel...
 
I'm sure someone with more experience and knowledge will come along and answer this soon. I wish I had more knowledge to help but, I wanted to respond with I see that happening with Morrigan sometimes too. I often wonder if the insulin makes her feel nauseous for a bit???

I'm sure someone will answer soon. :)
 
Fuzzbomb said:
I've noticed that after I give her insulin & food, she acts like she doesn't feel good - she'll go sit under a table or somewhere away, and just sit for hours. Her BG hasn't dipped low since Sunday, so it doesn't seem to be that. But she does act like she feels better when her numbers are high - is she just used to it being that way?
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My Bud is like this, too. After his shot, he usually hides behind the shower curtain or under the bed. His eyes are dilated a lot. It's odd, when his eyes look clear, he's in high numbers. And when his eyes look off, he's in lower numbers. I was wondering if he, too, felt better in higher numbers since he was used to them. We are using different insulin, so this is interesting.
 
Larry and Kitties said:
When did you change to Fancy Feast? If you just change the food change maybe casing the problem. Did you change slowly?
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We changed her over on the 5th or 6th of this month, so she was on it for a week or so before the vomiting started.

We didn't do it as slowly as we probably should have. :-/
 
My Fred has been barfing hairballs, as well. His numbers seem higher on those days. I've been giving him FF classics ever since he was diagnosed. It works well. I give several small meals , when I'm home...and free feed FF canned , when I'm at work. I also let him lick a little soy based buttery spread, with 0 carbs, off my finger, to help with the hairballs. Coco's SS looks ok to me. Fred has seen more pinks than your Coco.....we are wanting more blues and greens.
 
Yeah, the numbers seem OK - but she is so lethargic and doesn't seem herself.... and all the vomiting... Seriously, not once in 9 years has this been a problem, and then all of the sudden several times a day? I feel like there must be something off with her GI tract, but I was wondering if anyone here had similar experiences to point us in the right direction for testing/treatment.

Last night I was snuggling her and she wasn't even purring. That is not like her at ALL. You look at this cat & she purrs...
 
Fuzzbomb said:
We changed her over on the 5th or 6th of this month, so she was on it for a week or so before the vomiting started.

We didn't do it as slowly as we probably should have. :-/
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That may be a problem right there...??? Some cats have digestive issues right after changing suddenly. Wondering if you might want to go back to regular food for a bit and start transitioning more slowly once the vomiting has stopped? Are bowel movements ok? (meaning loose or not at all...ie: constipation?)
 
Louellen said:
That may be a problem right there...??? Some cats have digestive issues right after changing suddenly. Wondering if you might want to go back to regular food for a bit and start transitioning more slowly once the vomiting has stopped? Are bowel movements ok? (meaning loose or not at all...ie: constipation?)
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I think she had a normal movement yesterday - she usually uses a specific box, and my other two cats generally prefer a different one - but I didn't see her go in there so I can't be sure. Guess I'll be running to the pet store today...
 
There are several things which may provoke vomiting in our diabetics - hairballs, food batch changes, rapid food switches, IBD, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), and more.

Offer cool, fresh water for 24 hours, monitor the glucose, hold the insulin if she's too low to shoot, and if she doesn't eat, please see the vet.

Check the lot numbers of the food batches you purchase. Members of the board have found that batch changes may provoke vomiting much the same as a rapid food change in both more expensive foods (Wellness) and less expensive foods (Friskies).

 
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