? Senior cat just diagnosed - Concerns!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Try giving her some tuna or unseasoned chicken breast. She needs to eat some. I'm not sure of the dosage of Pepcid but I know it's ok to give
 
Sharon14 said:
Try giving her some tuna or unseasoned chicken breast. She needs to eat some. I'm not sure of the dosage of Pepcid but I know it's ok to give
Click to expand...
I did not realize that was generic for Pepcid, thanks for letting me know. It will be easier to find at the store now that I know that it will be with the Pepcid.

As for food, she likes the original Wellness food (grain free chicken, turkey) I bought when we first got the diabetes diagnosis, so I'm giving her some of that. It's not on the low phosphorus list though so I guess I have to find something else? I'm not sure how to check the phosphorus levels in food.

She also eats the freeze dried chicken treats that I bought and usually one of those treats will prompt her to eat the wet food afterwards. I will go to the store tonight to find some different types of food and see which ones she will eat.
 
From a quick google search, I found this link: http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPhosphorus9-22-12.pdf
If someone could let me know if this is a safe source, that would be good. I am not sure what to trust. The Wellness chicken is on there, I attached a screenshot of the entry for it, but I'm not sure what levels of carbs and phosphorus are appropriate. Any advice would be appreciated.
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2016-07-02 at 6.28.06 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2016-07-02 at 6.28.06 PM.png
    75.9 KB · Views: 147
I am going to look for the Max Cat flavors as well as the Wellness flavors on the low phosphorus list. I have another cat, do you think all of these foods are ok for him as well? He will definitely at least sample her food and if I put something better tasting out, she is likely to eat that instead.
 
The wellness low carb, low Phos food is fine for your other cat. The only one I might be wary of for the other is the hi tor neo because it is low protein. It won't hurt the others to get some though, just wouldn't want to feed it exclusively. I'll check out the Purely FF. I'm trying to get Colin on a low Phos diet too!
 
If you want to give her fluids at home (especially as you have experience) you should be able to do that. Do you still have the apparatus? You can get the fluids and go ahead and start?

She is your cat and you are her best advocate. You can decide what you want to do for her
 
Sue and Oliver (GA) said:
If you want to give her fluids at home (especially as you have experience) you should be able to do that. Do you still have the apparatus? You can get the fluids and go ahead and start?

She is your cat and you are her best advocate. You can decide what you want to do for her
Click to expand...
I would have to look around for it, I've moved houses since she was last sick. Plus, my normal vet's closed tomorrow and I'm not sure about Monday, since it's the 4th. I guess I should have been more assertive today, but I trusted that they wouldn't steer me wrong.

Having her home, she really doesn't seem too much different than before her trip, though I did get her to eat a bit more by giving her the tuna I mentioned above. She's drinking water like CRAZY so the fluids would probably have been a smart idea. I'll try to get them asap because I don't want her to become dehydrated and stress her kidneys any more than they already are.
 
Well, at least that's helping her then! I feel so bad for her

I'm just not sure what's causing her not to have much of an appetite... I bought Pepcid to give to her every morning like the vet suggested.
She's eating, but not nearly enough, and right now she's hiding... More often than not, whenever she goes over to eat, she just ends up drinking tons of water instead. I'm assuming she still isn't feeling well, but I don't know how else to help her. :/
 
Ok, thanks!!
What seems to do the trick is getting her to eat one of these dried chicken treats, then immediately putting food in front of her. It's like, she eats the treat, then BAM she's so hungry, she can't help but eat lol. She started purring so hard just now while she ate, she was making these little chirping sounds lol.

Also, what she's eating is the k/d dry food we got samples of from the vet. I have put so many types of food in front of her lately, I'm surprised this one actually interested her.
 
Just got a preshot value of 453! yikes

The vet warned me that her dose might need to be adjusted once she started eating more. Right now, she's eating some k/d dry food. Of the many foods I've laid in front of her, that seems to be her go to. I'm not sure if I should give the 0.5 dose or go up to 1 unit. Is it safe to jump up by that much between doses?
 
It's good she's eating. The K/d is high carb so she may need more insulin until you can get her eating the low carb wet food. I think the 1 unit is ok as long as she is eating and you be able to test some today so we can see how the dose is working.
 
Sharon14 said:
It's good she's eating. The K/d is high carb so she may need more insulin until you can get her eating the low carb wet food. I think the 1 unit is ok as long as she is eating and you be able to test some today so we can see how the dose is working.
Click to expand...
Ok. Another thing, how do I get her to take a Pepcid pill? I've cut it up into smaller pieces but she always seems to know it's there anyway I try to give it!
 
If she'll eat some wet food, you can crush it and mix it in with a little water. If she says no to that, does she like cheese?
 
I will let you know! I'm letting her have a break from all this doctoring for a few minutes

Whenever I give her insulin shot, she yelps at me when the needle goes in. Am I doing something wrong or is it because she's not expecting it, like she would be at the vet? Like this morning, she was purring and very calm when I gave the shot, but she yelped at me when I pierced her skin. Then she just goes right back to purring like nothing ever happened... I have been giving the injections more on her side than on her shoulders because she is always laying down on her favorite chair when I give the shot.
 
My cat has never yelped, but once and awhile he moves off right when I stick him. Be sure you're injecting at a 45 degree angle so it's under the skin and not into it. I've read something about the bevel going in at a certain way, but I can't see the bevel, so I haven't explored that. I'll look for the post though and link it.
 
Sharon14 said:
Here it is
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/problem-with-lantus-injections.152537/#post-1614151
Post 52
Click to expand...
Oh that's interesting, I will try that when I give her shot tonight.

Also I managed to force about 1/2 the Pepcid pill into her mouth to swallow (I cut it in half to try to hide in food). I will try to give the rest in an hour or so. Do you think it would be ok to do the whole pill at once this way? It seems kind of big. I will also have to get one of those pill shooter things so she doesn't bite me.
 
Have you tried crushing it into a powder and mixing it in wet food?
It's fine to force it, but try to wash it down with a little food. Maybe a treat?
I've read on this site and others that the Pepcid dose for cats is 1/4 of a 10 mg tablet. I'd not give her more just yet until we can check that dose.
 
Okay, I will leave her alone then. If it's only 1/4 of a 10mg pill, that's a lot more manageable.

Yes, I tried crushing it, but she licks at the food and then tastes it! She's always been really hard to give pills to, so hopefully we can find a way.
 
From Tanya's site:
The most effective treatments for excess stomach acid are slippery elm bark, from health food stores (seeHolistic Treatments) and/or a drug called famotidine, trade name Pepcid AC (not Pepcid Complete).



With Pepcid AC, you usually start with a quarter of a 10mg tablet once every other day, but if necessary you can go up to a quarter of a 10mg tablet twice a day (all with your vet's approval, of course).
 
Bobbi & Angel said:
Okay, I will leave her alone then. If it's only 1/4 of a 10mg pill, that's a lot more manageable.

Yes, I tried crushing it, but she licks at the food and then tastes it! She's always been really hard to give pills to, so hopefully we can find a way.
Click to expand...

Pepcid is fairly bitter, so if your kitty is in any way picky, tasting it in their food will likely put them off. I know that was the case for Squeak.

When I was giving her Pepcid, there were two methods we'd use - the first, and easiest, was putting the pill piece in a "food ball." You need a pate food that's a bit drier and sticky - I'd flatten a bit of food out on a saucer, put the Pepcid in, then roll it into a tight ball. If I found it too sticky, sometimes I'd put it in the fridge for a bit to firm it up. If I was lucky, Squeak would just eat the whole ball at once and the Pepcid would be down the hatch.

If she wouldn't take the food ball, my husband and I would pill her with a method recommended by my vet. One of us would pull her head back until we had a straight line from her chin down to her throat. Then we'd open her mouth and the person with the best aim would drop the pill in and it would go right to the back of her mouth. Then we'd let her head down and carefully syringe a bit of water into the side of her mouth until she'd swallow. The water helped not only with getting her to swallow, but also with making sure the pill didn't get stuck in her throat as I've read that I can burn if it gets caught.

Hopefully one of those methods might work for you.

Also, I wanted to confirm that my vet prescribed 1/4 of a 10mg Pepcid AC, just like what it says on Tanya's site.
 
Elle & Squeak said:
Pepcid is fairly bitter, so if your kitty is in any way picky, tasting it in their food will likely put them off. I know that was the case for Squeak.

When I was giving her Pepcid, there were two methods we'd use - the first, and easiest, was putting the pill piece in a "food ball." You need a pate food that's a bit drier and sticky - I'd flatten a bit of food out on a saucer, put the Pepcid in, then roll it into a tight ball. If I found it too sticky, sometimes I'd put it in the fridge for a bit to firm it up. If I was lucky, Squeak would just eat the whole ball at once and the Pepcid would be down the hatch.

If she wouldn't take the food ball, my husband and I would pill her with a method recommended by my vet. One of us would pull her head back until we had a straight line from her chin down to her throat. Then we'd open her mouth and the person with the best aim would drop the pill in and it would go right to the back of her mouth. Then we'd let her head down and carefully syringe a bit of water into the side of her mouth until she'd swallow. The water helped not only with getting her to swallow, but also with making sure the pill didn't get stuck in her throat as I've read that I can burn if it gets caught.

Hopefully one of those methods might work for you.

Also, I wanted to confirm that my vet prescribed 1/4 of a 10mg Pepcid AC, just like what it says on Tanya's site.
Click to expand...
The food ball is a great idea, I will give it a try!!
 
Angel's preshot test was 322. Does it seem safe to continue with 1 unit as her dose? She is definitely eating better today and seems to have a bit more energy even. I have been leaving out the k/d dry food I got from the vet and she's eating that along with Wellness turkey wet food. I will be leaving the house tonight after her shot for a few hours and I just want to be safe and check in with you guys!
 
Sharon14 said:
Hi Bobbi, sorry no one was here when you posted. Have you shot? Can you test some tonight?
Click to expand...
It's okay!

I did 1 unit. I will be out of the house from about 8 until maybe midnight at the latest (her shot was done just a few minutes ago at 7:10), but I will get a test as soon as I'm home. She's been eating better on her own, so I think she'll be ok while I'm gone, but I will make sure to get her to eat more before I leave just to be safe.
 
I did a test about 30 minutes ago when I got home, 346 (+5). I'm wondering if this has anything to do with the k/d dry food not being low carb? She seems reluctant to eat enough of the wet food to fill her up, but tomorrow I will try to feed her only the wet food if possible since it's actually low carb and I will be home basically all day. Plus, she's definitely eating more now than she was last week. I will stick with the 1 unit dose in the morning unless anyone here thinks I should do something else?
 
Try the wet first, only give the dry if she won't eat enough to shoot. Sticking with the one unit is good. Try to get some tests in so we can see how well it's working.
 
Just read the Humulin info. because Humulin tends to peak early, it suggests you run a curve, testing at +2,3,4,5,6. If you can, that's what I'd do. If she's still dropping at +6, run more tests after as well.
 
Sharon14 said:
Just read the Humulin info. because Humulin tends to peak early, it suggests you run a curve, testing at +2,3,4,5,6. If you can, that's what I'd do. If she's still dropping at +6, run more tests after as well.
Click to expand...
Thanks. She was 151 (+4), 126 (+5), and 137 (+6). I think I will do another at +8 or so just to see what happens. She seems pretty tired out right now and she wasn't like this yesterday. I wish I had gotten some numbers during the day yesterday to compare.
 
Sharon14 said:
Good numbers! Yes get another at +8. Is she eating and drinking well?
Click to expand...
Yes, although she seems so sleepy. I brought the food to her a couple times just to be safe and she ate just fine.

Is there any kind of dry food that would be acceptable to leave out as a supplementary thing? She isn't the kind of cat who will sit and eat a bunch of wet food at once and it gets dried out if I'm not home to fuss over it (then she doesn't want to eat it). My new job starts tomorrow and I don't want her to stop eating during the day while I'm out! I haven't seen any lists with low carb, low phos dry food on them, so I'm not sure if that's really possible to find?

Edit: never mind, I found this list: http://www.felinecrf.org/dry_food_usa.htm
 
Check this one out
https://www.youngagainpetfood.com/cat-food.html
I think the mature zero formula is low Phos. Call them and they will send samples. It seems expensive, but is so dense they don't have to eat much to get the calories they need. Wet is still better for her though, to make sure she gets moisture. Some people use an auto feeder with frozen pucks of canned food that melt by the time the feeder opens. If you're interested in that, I'll tag someone that uses one to tell you about it.
 
Last edited:
Part of my issue is that I have 2 cats and while they sort of eat separately, the non-diabetic one is a bit of a hog and will eat whatever wet food he can find. Being able to leave a dry food out just in case he gobbles up all her wet food makes me feel a little better.

I will call for samples of that food.
 
Bobbi & Angel said:
Thanks. She was 151 (+4), 126 (+5), and 137 (+6). I think I will do another at +8 or so just to see what happens. She seems pretty tired out right now and she wasn't like this yesterday. I wish I had gotten some numbers during the day yesterday to compare.
Click to expand...

It looks like her lowest point (nadir) was +5. Sometimes Humulin drops right away, so this later nadir is good. The next thing you want to figure out is how long the insulin lasts - when does the number rise to a higher level like your morning number? Having information on how the Humulin may work in her body will help you figure out dosing.

Right now, one unit is looking pretty good. She dropped slowly and not too terribly much.

Just for general reference, on a human meter, we consider a cat regulated (the first goal) when they are in the mid 200s at preshot and lower hundreds or double digits at nadir (but not below 50 which is nearing hypo range). So her numbers are pretty good.
 
Sue and Oliver (GA) said:
It looks like her lowest point (nadir) was +5. Sometimes Humulin drops right away, so this later nadir is good. The next thing you want to figure out is how long the insulin lasts - when does the number rise to a higher level like your morning number? Having information on how the Humulin may work in her body will help you figure out dosing.

Right now, one unit is looking pretty good. She dropped slowly and not too terribly much.

Just for general reference, on a human meter, we consider a cat regulated (the first goal) when they are in the mid 200s at preshot and lower hundreds or double digits at nadir (but not below 50 which is nearing hypo range). So her numbers are pretty good.
Click to expand...
So, if her number goes too high too soon before the pm shot, that means her dose might not be quite high enough?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top