Need help quickly

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Pita's Mom

Member Since 2016
pita was diagnosed with diabetes this past summer 2015. She started off with special vet wet and dry food and 1 unit of caninsulin and gradually it was uped to 2.5 units after breakfast and supper. She did not respond. She is now on Lantus, 2.5 units after breakfast and supper. She is still losing weight and she has lost so much muscle mass in her backend she is having trouble walking. Yesterday she started vomiting and is vomiting today. She is really one sick kitty. What should I do?
 
Please take Pita to the vet ASAP. You may need to cut down on the insulin with her throwing up but you need to know why shes doing it. Trouble walking sounds like diabetic neuropathy which can be treated with additional B12 such as Zobaline. Are you testing at home? If not, PLEASE let us teach you - she may be in low numbers but you have no way to know unless you do.
 
No I am not testing at home, but if you tell me how to do it I will. Trying to get a hold of vet for appointment.
 
Go to a pharmacy and get a human meter. Based on the insulin you are using I'm guessing you are in the UK. (If I'm wrong and you are in the US you can get a good meter from Walmart all of theirs are pretty good for cats.) Do not get one that is manufactured by Nipro, (they are branded with True most often) they are not very accurate with cats.

See this article that explains how to test a cat's glucose. http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-test.htm
 
Hi Pita's Mom,

I replied on your intro thread, but I see you've got the info here I was looking for.

I agree with Lyresa that it's best you get Pita to the vet. Be sure to get him to check for ketones, and possibly pancreatitis.

It's impossible to tell without blood glucose data, but there is a possibility that Pita hasn't yet responded to insulin because she hasn't been receiving the right dose ... yet. As Lyresa says, we can help you learn to home test very quickly. Going forward that will give you a much better idea of how the insulin is/isn't working in Pita's body and how to get that sorted out.

With the vomiting - and this is ONLY speculation on my part - a pancreatitis flare is a possible cause. If that's the case, then I just want to let you know that Saoirse had a bad flare and she looked very, very sick indeed (and she also had a bloated abdomen) but when she got the right treatments and was able to eat OK again she recovered well and far, far more quickly than I expected. At her worst I was really petrified I was going to lose her. She made a complete - and quite astonishing - recovery within a couple of weeks. Should the vet find pancreatitis present in Pita, it is very much worth giving the treatments a chance to work (anti-nausea medication, appetite stimulant, fluids, pain relief, etc.). An injected dose of B12 cyanocobalamin can give an immediate boost and help with nausea and appetite.

Here's some pancreatitis info I posted on another thread earlier today. Some of it may be helpful to you (just click on the blue link text):

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...-non-eating-diabetic-cat.151388/#post-1586152

Also, the following links have information that I found invaluable in helping me to look after Saoirse:

IDEXX Guide to Pancreatitis and Treatments

Nausea Symptoms and Treatments



Mogs
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What a day. got back from hubbies doctor appointment (he has cancer) and Pita is eating hard food and has kept it down. I think she is having trouble adjusting to the new wet food the vet gave her. I am hoping she will be ok. I suppose I should have mentioned that last week I took a semi feral cat in to be fixed. It turned out that he had feline lukemiah. I had to have him euthanized and my 4 cats brought in and tested. Between that and Pitas new food and new insulin I had a vet bill equal to half my monthly income. Times are tough. I will not give Pita the wet food tonight just the dry. If she is still getting sick I will take her in tomorrow. Is there somewhere on this site I can learn how to test her?
 
Pita's Mom said:
What a day. got back from hubbies doctor appointment (he has cancer) and Pita is eating hard food and has kept it down. I think she is having trouble adjusting to the new wet food the vet gave her. I am hoping she will be ok. I suppose I should have mentioned that last week I took a semi feral cat in to be fixed. It turned out that he had feline lukemiah. I had to have him euthanized and my 4 cats brought in and tested. Between that and Pitas new food and new insulin I had a vet bill equal to half my monthly income. Times are tough. I will not give Pita the wet food tonight just the dry. If she is still getting sick I will take her in tomorrow. Is there somewhere on this site I can learn how to test her?
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Sorry I didn't see you post earlier. I get her to the vets tomorrow as they are closed now. Yes I am from Canada
 
Hi Pita's Mom,

I'm very sorry to hear all that you are going through right now. It must be very tough ... :bighug:

The food changeover can cause digestive upsets. It's great that Pita is eating something.

Here are some helpful links to help you start learning how to home test.

Home Testing Tips and Links (includes video tutorials)

Testing and Shooting Tips (includes helpful diagram of the 'sweet spot' on a kitty's ear where it's usually easiest to get a sample)

If you let us know which country you're in we'll be able to make suggestions about where to get reasonably-priced meters and test strips. Needless to say, if you're not sure about anything just holler and we'll do all we can to help.


Mogs
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Hi from a fellow Canuck and welcome to FDMB. It's never easy to get that feline diabetes diagnosis but with a hubbie not well and that feral cat.....well, you've been dealt a hard hand. I'm so glad you found this board! It's a marvelous group of folks here with an abundance of hands on experience and you will get all the help you need to look after Pita which hopefully will help lighten the load a bit!:bighug:

As for meters in Canada, the least expensive meter in Canada is the Bravo available HERE, online. They will deliver across Canada and if you stock up, it's free shipping. The strips for this meter are only available online through this website. If you prefer to get a meter where strips are readily available at a local retailer/pharmacy, there are a number of meters including the Freestyle meters by Abbott, Bayer Contour, One Touch Ultra and Verio which all have similar prices for strips but are almost double the price of the strips for the Bravo meter.

Where in Canada are you located?
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Hi from a fellow Canuck and welcome to FDMB. It's never easy to get that feline diabetes diagnosis but with a hubbie not well and that feral cat.....well, you've been dealt a hard hand. I'm so glad you found this board! It's a marvelous group of folks here with an abundance of hands on experience and you will get all the help you need to look after Pita which hopefully will help lighten the load a bit!:bighug:

As for meters in Canada, the least expensive meter in Canada is the Bravo available HERE, online. They will deliver across Canada and if you stock up, it's free shipping. The strips for this meter are only available online through this website. If you prefer to get a meter where strips are readily available at a local retailer/pharmacy, there are a number of meters including the Freestyle meters by Abbott, Bayer Contour, One Touch Ultra and Verio which all have similar prices for strips but are almost double the price of the strips for the Bravo meter.

Where in Canada are you located?
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I am in southern Ontario in a little town called Dresden. Thank you all for so much information and everyone is so kind. I wish I had found this site sooner. I will get back and let you know how Pita and I are doing. Where are you from?
 
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