? Sprocket is acting weird, doesn't want to eat

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Darnell & Sprocket (GA)

Darnell & Sprocket (GA)

Member Since 2015
My Sprocket has been getting finicky with his food lately. I know that's not a good sign. I have had to put a few kernals of dry food mixed with the canned food, then he eats it, but won't clean the dish like he usually does. He has been social, talkative, yet searching out plastic to chomp on. He does get kinda cranky with thumping his tail sometimes when we pet him or ask him to move.
I have not been able to test much because I need someone to help me, n was told to test at 6hr mark to see if he is under control.
Suggestions please, I know I need to learn more but I have been dealing with a human family crisis past few months. Just to verify, the insulin brings down the BG numbers, correct?
 
Yes, that is correct, but you really do always need to get a blood glucose test in before you dose with insulin to keep your kitty safe.

Sorry to hear you've been having a family crisis; that certainly makes things more stressful in trying to treat a diabetic kitty, too.

Is Sprocket on 3 units Lantus right now?
 
It would also be great if you could get him set up with a spreadsheet here, where you can record your blood glucose tests & other daily details, like how much/when fed, any unusual behaviors day-to-day, etc. We have folks who can help you with that, too!

You mentioned that he's been searching out plastic to chomp on; you may need to have his teeth examined by a vet, as this behavior could indicate that he's got some gum inflammation or a bad tooth.
 
Yes, Sprocket was on 3 units since end of March. I did take some BG tests over the months but not every day or week. Now that I look at the numbers, I don't know. I have not found a spreadsheet with all you mentioned. That's what I was going to create but family crisis interrupted.
I am going to put my numbers chart here with his info and see what people think.
5/25/15--4:15pm, great appetite, 3units at 7:05am, BG = 376
6/5/15---5:30pm, great appetite, 3units at 6:20am, BG = 119
6/6/15---1:23pm, great appetite, 3units at 6:15am, BG = 254
6/15/15--2:10pm, great appetite, 3units at 6:30am, BG = 301
7/13/15--11:33am, great appetite, 3units at 6:30am, BG = 81
9/12/15--1:30pm, ok appetite, 2.5 units at 6:30am, BG = 349
9/12/15--6:01pm, ok appetite, gave 3units at 6:60pm, after BG = 401

I feed him Sheba canned, friskies canned, fancy feast canned, whisked canned, sometimes proplan canned. They like variety. All pate, chunky, and shredded. A tiny amt of dry kibble, mix of kinds, on the canned food to encourage them to eat if not the fav flavor. (No $$to waste. Plus this is occasional, maybe 1-2 times per week.)
When I saw the "81" at the 5 hour mark from when I gave the Lantus insulin, I was worried about him going down too much since he was not even to the halfway point from the insulin injection. This is when I started giving him 2.5units instead. I remember someone saying higher is better than lower.
Plus, before this he had gained weight so then I was trying to give them less food.
Then last 3 weeks he started acting weird as I described at first post.

Ok, now what do ya think???
 
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Instructions are here.

Understanding the spreadsheet/grid:

The colored headings at the top are the ranges of glucose values. They are color-coded to clue you in as to meaning.

Each day is 1 row. Each column stores different data for the day.

From left to right, you enter
the Date in the first column
the AMPS (morning, pre-shot, test) in the 2nd column
the Units given (turquoise column)

Then, there are 11 columns labeled +1 through +11
If you test at +5 (5 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +5 column
If you test at +7 (7 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +7 column
and so on.

Halfway across the page is the column for PMPS (evening, pre-shot, test)
To the right is another turquoise column for Units given at the evening shot.

There is second set of columns labeled +1 through +11
If you snag a before bed test at +3, you enter the test number in the +3 column.

We separate day and night numbers like that because many cats go lower at night.

The nadir is the lowest glucose between shots. There is a general period when it will happen which is specific to the insulin being used and testing then helps make sure your cat doesn't go too low.

It is merely a grid for storing the info; no math required.
 
I don't know. Everytime I think he is better, then he won't eat what he usually does. I am so scared. I need help. I need a helper to guide me through this. This forum is so huge, and confusing. I go on fb groups, and i get knowledgebase people but they do strict protocol, and wont help completely because everyone has to do that there. I am just trying to keep him and myself under control.
Sorry, I am frantic now. Last couple of days, he won't eat right away. Sometimes I have to put treats on top but he won't always eat the entire thing. He is taking 3 units every 12hrs. Flavors he usually loves, he is just looking at it.
What do i do?
 
Freaking out now!! Changed my thread to 911 because I am very scared. I don't know what is going on. Last two days and today, he looks at food when I put it down, sometimes he will slowly go over to dish or I have to make him smell it.
I have put treats in it or crunchies and he will eat some.
His insulin is near bottom of bottle because my mom n I are both using it, could it be not working as good anymore? I only opened it 2months ago.
Please help me. I am going to do a BG test as soon as my bf gets home. i can't do them alone, and need more strips so I can't waste any.
Is there Someone or a few people that can guide me for a bit. This site is overwhelming. I still can't find that spreadsheet. Found instructions but no sheet.
I left the whole thread up so you can see the info above too.
Please help me n Sprocket.
 
Deep breath! Please don't panic. The most important thing at the current moment is that he eats something. Is there any way you can get him to a vet?
How much has he eaten approximately in the last two days? They need to eat enough to keep their liver functional (prevent hepatic lipidosis).
If you have any parmesan cheese or Fortiflora at home, try sprinkling it on his food.
Is there no way for you to figure out if he's had diarrhea?
 
How often are you feeding him? Is he losing weight?What have his numbers looked like lately? I can't help you with the spreadsheet but I can help find someone who can.
 
Thanks both of you. Just tested him. His BG is 354. He is due for his shot in like 20mins. I usually feed a fancy feast can (split with other cat too)at 6am~ish, half can about 10am, rest of half about 1pm. Then whole ff can about 3:30pm. Full can at 6pm, then half about 10pm, and whole can about 1am, so they let me sleep till 6am. Approximately on time. I have another cat, sometimes she leaves her food but only a little. He will usually finish it. He is 16 n half lbs. He was@13 in March at hospital. He has been eating great since about end of August.
Now he is finiky to flavors he usually eats.

He has been eating but not like usual. I had to put some crunchies on top to encourage him to eat .
He has not had diarrhea, he needs his 3month bg test. Vet is not very helpful. Has been little more sleepy, n clingy but not too bad.

Rest of BG numbers are above except the test I just did and on 9/14/15 at 6:09am when hr was ravenous and aggressive towards other cat. His number was 374 then.
I think I answered all the questions, did I miss any
 
With a kitty that has already had ketoacidosis and is running high numbers and not eating it may be a good idea to have them seen by the vet. I see he also has an enlarged liver so he would definitely be more prone to having another episode which I am sure you know how serious that can be. He may also be having a pancreatic episode and may need meds and fluid.

ETA. Plus there is always the possibility of some sort of infection going on. I would definitely consider a vet visit.
 
Darnell said:
Thanks both of you. Just tested him. His BG is 354. He is due for his shot in like 20mins. I usually feed a fancy feast can (split with other cat too)at 6am~ish, half can about 10am, rest of half about 1pm. Then whole ff can about 3:30pm. Full can at 6pm, then half about 10pm, and whole can about 1am, so they let me sleep till 6am. Approximately on time. I have another cat, sometimes she leaves her food but only a little. He will usually finish it. He is 16 n half lbs. He was@13 in March at hospital. He has been eating great since about end of August.
Now he is finiky to flavors he usually eats.
Rest of BG numbers are above except the test I just did and on 9/14/15 at 6:09am when hr was ravenous and aggressive towards other cat. His number was 374 then.
Click to expand...
Have you tried cutting back on feedings? It could be possible that he just isn't hungry. What time do you give him his shot, looks to me like around 6:30?
 
What has your vet had to say about it? I saw that you said he's not being very helpful. When was the last time he saw Sprocket or talked to you about what's going on with him?
 
Feedings: they are usually hungry at these times. My other cat is small and eats like a bird so she is not helpful with trying to keep a feeding schedule.
I don't have any ketones test strips.
He does get his shot about 6:30am or pm. The original vet said to keep his eating n shot within the same hour everyday. He is at the 6 o clock hour.
I called the vet, we have a tech appt for wed at 11:50am for a blood test that measures the past 3 months of his BG. And a BG test at about his halfway point.
Then they would show the doctor n see what he wants to do.
They have never called to check on him. I need a different vet.
 
With Lantus, it isn't quite as essential that he eat at a specific time as the onset of action is gradual and gentle.
Some active play for 15-20 minutes pre-meal may stimulate the hunt-catch-kill-eat behavior chain and prompt him to eat when you put food down. It may help the insulin work, too.
 
Darnell said:
Feedings: they are usually hungry at these times. My other cat is small and eats like a bird so she is not helpful with trying to keep a feeding schedule.
I don't have any ketones test strips.
He does get his shot about 6:30am or pm. The original vet said to keep his eating n shot within the same hour everyday. He is at the 6 o clock hour.
I called the vet, we have a tech appt for wed at 11:50am for a blood test that measures the past 3 months of his BG. And a BG test at about his halfway point.
Then they would show the doctor n see what he wants to do.
They have never called to check on him. I need a different vet.
Click to expand...
I know with Squallie, I can't feed him for about 5 hrs before his pre-shot meal, or he won't eat very much. It's good that you have an appointment with the vet coming up; I would ask him about all the issues the members here have mentioned on this thread! And if you are not happy with your vet, definitely look for one you think can work with you. I had to change from a vet I'd used for years, and liked personally, to a new vet, as she and I were decidedly not seeing eye to eye regarding Squallie's treatment.
 
Thank you all. Tonight, I tried the parmesan cheese sprinkle n he liked it. I still had to put his nose to it but he ate it. I will print these links out tomorrow.
And let you know how the morning goes.
Good night.
 
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