BonnieB is off insulin but all is not well

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BonnieB

BonnieB

Member Since 2015
BonnieB was taken off her insulin due to a 156 pre-shot reading early Tuesday morning. 156 again on Wednesday and will get checked again tomorrow.

Some recent history: She was having difficulty eating and two months ago she had a dental cleaning and two teeth were removed. No other oral problems were noted at that time. She began to eat better for a while but soon was having difficulty chewing and swallowing her canned food. Strangely enough the Origen dry wasn't as hard for her. By next checkup she had lost a pound...in one month! She also has asthma with a lot of congestion and the drainage (I assume) causes her to gag and sometimes throw up. We are trying to use a cat inhaler for her but it's tricky! Now that she’s off insulin she could have an allergy shot which might help the congestion. Any advice on that idea?

My big thing now is food. She's not eating well and has lost a bit more weight.
The canned Friskies Chicken and Tuna Pate was the only one she ate when switched from the old K/D when she was diagnosed. She loved plain baked chicken breast for a treat after her shots. I'm trying desperately to find something that would not be so hard for her to chew and swallow. Worried about a possible tumor that would require an MRI diagnosis and then what? She's 20 years old and how could she withstand the surgery that would be required if it is a tumor? Should I try kitten food or perhaps baby food? She will eat water pack tuna but I’ve heard to only feed that sparingly due to mercury content. Do you think it would be ok anyway?

So sorry this is a disjointed message but my thoughts are jumbled knowing the final outcome of all this and probably sooner than later. But not just yet... she still has a quality of life…loves a warm lap and a cuddle and likes her sunny window.
 
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Wow, sounds like you've got a lot to deal with. I know it's hard when there's so many things wrong, what to fix first. And is it the right thing to do? Only you know that. I just had to say goodbye to my Lil Mouse, who was suffering the same stuff (that inhaler thing was a nightmare!). She had lost so much weight and nothing seemed to really help. I put her on the Prescription Hills a/d canned from the vet, it's loaded with calories and she loved it. I don't recall the actual carbs, but I don't think it was too bad as its mostly organ meat.
 
I understand what you are going through. I just went through the same thing with Tiger. You should ask your vet to prescribe an appetite stimulant. That may help. Also, if she is not eating, you may need to syringe feed her. Prescription A/D is high in calories and mixes well with water. You can also try the kitten food. If you have a small food processor, I found that mixing the food with some water in it helps to get it at a consistency where you can syringe feed.

With some of my cats I found sprinkling either Flora-Flora or parmesan cheese on top also can entice them to eat.
 
Thank you so much for the kind replies. I am so glad I finally reached out for some help. I'm so sorry you both have had to go through the same things with your precious ones. If only we could ask them how they feel, what hurts, what they want us to do to help...if only we could it would be so much easier to make decisions. But we muddle along as best we can always hoping for the best. Thank you again. You've given me some ideas and I will try the Prescription foods and some of the other ideas are very helpful. I'm so very grateful for this site and its wonderful members.
 
BonnieB said:
She loved plain baked chicken breast for a treat after her shots.
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You might be able to blitz up the chicken breast with a little water to make a paste that's easier for her to manage.

If she's congested then that might be affecting her eating if she can't smell her food properly. (I'm sorry to hear about the gagging problem. :( ) That she'll eat the tuna sounds like she might do better with 'stinky' foods. Here is a list of tips to help encourage eating. Maybe try the ones that are more aromatic (as Lisa suggests above)? Warming the food and serving it from a raised dish might help, too.

Persuading your cat to eat

I don't know whether you've already tried this but sometimes if a cat can't smell its food properly if you encourage it to lick a bit of more pungent food or, say, tuna water from your fingers the Jacobson's organ may pick up the aroma and that can sometimes be enough to persuade kitty that the rest of the regular food's OK to eat.

There's also a lot of good information about nausea, vomiting, etc., at the link below. Maybe something there might be of help:

Nausea, Vomiting, Stomach Acid - Symptoms and Treatments


Mogs
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Thanks for the response and the hugs! I hadn't considered the sense of smell might be so impaired it would effect her appetite. I'll try the suggestions, especially a little tuna water since she still seems to react well to that. I had thought maybe the drainage from the congestion was making food taste bad and was hoping to work on that with the inhaler but we've also discovered that to be a nightmare! (It looked so easy on You Tube!)
I checked out the link about the nausea and vomiting and will have to take some time to absorb that information. There is so much to think about. She did have a battery of blood work before her dental recently and everything was in the normal range. She also has had x-rays of her lungs and air passages which were clear. The congestion seems to be an upper respiratory problem of some sort.
I still think she's gagging on all the mucus as it drains into her throat. I can't decide if an allergy shot would be okay for her. It would be a steroid which would be a no-no for her while on Insulin but now she's not any. I'd welcome all opinions on doing that.
What a relief to share this with people who understand.
Our best to you all and those you love, Jane and BonnieB
 
Cats won't eat what they can't smell. Has BonnieB been sneezing at all? Piriton helped Saoirse with that (check blood pressure first). My vet also prescribed Bisolvon, a mucolytic, for her (didn't help Saoirse much but she didn't have a problem with mucus). L-lysine can help with some upper respiratory issues. Maybe ask your vet about the above?

Re the nausea page, I understand so well how hard it can be when you're worried and stressed to be presented with a 'wall of information'; it can be completely overwhelming. For now, I'd suggest you just get a handle on the symptoms to look for. If you spot the signs then you can read further about treatments or ask here for suggestions from members about the best things to try.

:bighug:


Mogs
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My Gizmo has issues with his nose...can't smell his food, and won't touch it unless I take a tiny dab, and place it just under his nose, right on the fur of his upper lip. This means he has to lick it off, and in doing so, he tastes it.

Then it's, "OH..That's FOOD!", and he'll dig in to his plate. BTW if your cat has a schnoz issue, like a post-nasal drip...he'll gag when he tries to eat. The blockage will create a tiny vacuum inside his throat and trying to swallow food is like trying to get ketchup out of an upside down ketchup bottle. But his throat could also be irritated by dental issues. And nasal drip can cause nausea as well. Baby food may be a good choice for tempting your kitty to eat. It's runny and easily swallowed. Tasty too. When Dottie gets hers, I have to give Gizmo some as well or he gets his nose out of joint...thinks I'm playing favorites.
 
Something that can look exactly like asthma is acid reflux. The cat will cough, choke and gag on the stuff coming up, then gulp it back down, and it looks just like asthma. This could also affect the ability to swallow by causing esophagitis. With esophagitis, canned food will be more painful for them to eat than dry food.
 
This is a great description of just the way it seems when she eats, especially the canned food. She even tilts her head and shakes it as you would a ketchup bottle!
 
Hello,
I meant to add more to the first post but got confused and posted it too soon. I thank everyone for all the help. She definitely has acid re-flux in my opinion. I can feel her belly moving when she's in my lap then there's the belch! I just didn't know it could mimic asthma. Do you know what would be good to help her with that? I had a vague suspicion that the insulin was causing that problem. Could there be any truth to that?
She licked Parmesan cheese off my finger so that she really found enticing! She had already eaten her chicken but I still sprinkled a dash of it on what she had left. She does prefer to "graze" so she should be back for more. It would be great to wake up her appetite. Also, I appreciated the comment that at her age there's not much point to worry about tuna! You re-enforced what I was thinking.
I have a list to talk to the vet about, but I swear I'm getting better answers from all of you! He doesn't seem to know much about diet and when I told him I was switching her from dry k/d to canned high protein he seemed okay with it but not highly supportive. I expected a more pro-active approach from him for her care.
I'm in awe of how much knowledge is here and it's so greatly appreciated that you are so sharing.
Hugs from Jane and BonnieB
 
Forgot to answer your question about pooping! We're watching the litter box more closely than ever now that she's been off insulin. Everything seems normal there.
 
Hi Jane,

Good news about the poops being OK. (Sometimes constipation can cause nausea/vomiting.)

If you're not already doing so it's a good idea to note the time and amount of poop produced, and also the size and firmness of stools.

How are you doing today? :bighug:


Mogs
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My cat Gizmo gets very constipated, I have to watch him carefully or he'll develop megacolon. And when he's constipated he can throw up some pretty nasty stuff. He's off dry food, finally, so his condition has improved considerably. I also sneak more water into his wet food, the little guy is almost eating gruel, ugh.
 
Hi Mogs, thanks for asking how I am. I'm doing much better because she seems somewhat better. I can't quite explain it but her eyes don't look so sad and tired. I know, we're not supposed to apply human emotions to a cat. But there was something before she was taken off insulin that was frightening and now after just these few days she seems brighter somehow. She's eating better, not great but better. And, she is doing some of her favorite things again like licking my husband's ears! She puts him to sleep at night doing that and it sounds ridiculous! When she did that last night the knot in my stomach settled down. When I first wrote you I was prepared for the worse at any time. Now, I think there's hope to keep trying to make it as good as possible for as long as possible. You've all helped me immensely so now I can help her.
Thank you.
Hugs from Jane and BonnieB
 
BonnieB said:
... we're not supposed to apply human emotions to a cat.
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I'm glad I never received that memo. ;)

I'm very glad to hear you're feeling better in yourself today, Jane, and heartened to read such a positive update about BonnieB. Good news that she's eating better. Fingers and paws crossed for good things for you all for as long as possible.

:bighug:


Mogs
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