? Won't eat after dental extractions and hernia repair

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Casey & Shelby (Moo Cow)

Casey & Shelby (Moo Cow)

Member Since 2014
Hi guys,

I am new and not new. I never post but my name is Casey and and my 16 year old sugar Shelby has been diabetic for a little over two years. She went in today for a few dental extractions and a fatty tumor removal that turned into a hernia repair/tumor removal. She is also recovering from pancreatitis. We are now at 3 hours after when the vet said to allow her to eat and she is absolutely not interested. I did give her her dose of bupe hoping that would help but no go. She is almost at 24 hours since she ate last night. Between her mouth and her painful looking side I am not sure if I should attempt syringe feeding her not. I'm not sure what to do. She hasn't had insulin since last night either, and I gave her a reduced dose. As of last night she was negative for ketones. Can anyone give some suggestions please?
 
Sycorocker said:
Hi guys,

I am new and not new. I never post but my name is Casey and and my sugar Shelby has been diabetic for a little over two years. She went in today for a few dental extractions and a fatty tumor removal that turned into a hernia repair/tumor removal. She is also recovering from pancreatitis. We are now at 3 hours after when the vet said to allow her to eat and she is absolutely not interested. I did give her her dose of bupe hoping that would help but no go. She is almost at 24 hours since she ate last night. Between her mouth and her painful looking side I am not sure if I should attempt syringe feeding her not. I'm not sure what to do. She hasn't had insulin since last night either, and I gave her a reduced dose. As of last night she was negative for ketones. Can anyone give some suggestions please?
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I keep track of all her numbers but I don't have a way to share them. I haven't even attempted to test her since she got home, but the vet did a test there. I didn't catch what is was though.
 
Do you test her glucose at home? What have her numbers been? You could try to get her to lick some food off your fingers. Try to offer her some snacks or all beef baby food, no onions or garlic in it. How long since you gave her the Bupe?
 
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I'm fairly new, I don't know much about pancreatitus. I'm not sure how long she can go without food before you should start syringing her. Is there an ER clinic nearby that you could call if you need to or does your vet have an answering service covering his calls? Someone with more experience should be here soon. By the way, what kind of insulin is she on?
 
Try baby food....the meat only type...Gerbers ham is a favorite around here but they have turkey, beef and chicken too

We always suggest having a few jars of meat only baby food in the house...especially after a dental
 
About 90 minutes ago for the bupe. She is on lantus. I am going to attempt to syringe feed her but since I was doing that last week with the pancreatitis she is not very tolerable. She is now under bed and it's going to be hell getting her out.
 
Chris & China said:
Try baby food....the meat only type...Gerbers ham is a favorite around here but they have turkey, beef and chicken too

We always suggest having a few jars of meat only baby food in the house...especially after a dental
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Okay, I'm an idiot because she was eating better before surgery so I didn't grab any babyfood to keep on hand. I do have pork and hamburg that I cooked and was pureeing and she was sort of eating, or I was syringing it. Hopefully that should work for tonight. I still have her antinausea meds, shud I give her one of those?
 
if she ate a little, I wouldn't worry too much about it.....it takes more than 24 hours for fatty liver to develop and anesthesia from the dental slows down motility in the intestines too

If she's not eating better in the morning, I'd talk to her vet
 
Chris & China said:
if she ate a little, I wouldn't worry too much about it.....it takes more than 24 hours for fatty liver to develop and anesthesia from the dental slows down motility in the intestines too

If she's not eating better in the morning, I'd talk to her vet
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Okay, thank you. If I manage to get something in her, do I shoot her or not?
 
depends on what her blood glucose is and how much she eats

The nice thing about lantus is it's not necessary that they eat a big meal before shooting, but it IS important that they're at least willing to eat

If she's above 200 and you can get a little bit into her, I'd probably shoot her scheduled dose (this is where having our spreadsheet would really help in giving advice) or you could always give a smaller dose if you're not sure
 
Chris & China said:
depends on what her blood glucose is and how much she eats

The nice thing about lantus is it's not necessary that they eat a big meal before shooting, but it IS important that they're at least willing to eat

If she's above 200 and you can get a little bit into her, I'd probably shoot her scheduled dose (this is where having our spreadsheet would really help in giving advice) or you could always give a smaller dose if you're not sure
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Okay, thank you. She's high 400s. I'm comfortable shooting her regular dose. I did start the spreadsheets three different times and always had an issue and finally gave up. I don't have a computer or regular internet access so it's a major pain. Thanks for helping!
 
That's OK. I have to get up then anyway. I usually check the board to see if anyone need help. Being on the Pacific coast, it takes time to get to the next time zone. It can get a little quiet this time of night.
 
The anesthesia + messing around with intestines + bupe can lead to very stow gut motility, constipation, and nausea resulting from this. I'd personally ask your vet if you could give 1-2 days of metoclopromide to help kickstart the motility. After any abd. surgery there is the risk for what's called "paralytic ileus" (ie. slow gut). It's best to catch it early. The metoclopromide has some very bad side effects when used for a long time, but it's also very effective when only given for a day or two.

Continue to give insulin, continue to check for ketones. If you need to feed some treats/dry, or syringe to give the insulin, do that.
 
I am new to having a diabetic cat but I keep bone marrow broth in my freezer at all times just in case. I swear it saved my 1 cat many a time, who had a genetic problem with her kidneys and lived to be 19 yo. I make my own & am happy to share the recipe if anyone wants it. It came from a holistic vet I worked with for quite some time. Also Honest Kitchen has a dehydrated bone marrow broth that I know others have used that can be used in a pinch if there is no time to make it yourself. Bone marrow broth is great for all animals, but particularly those that are ill/debilitated/elderly animals. Have yet to have any cats not lap it up & mine see the syringe full of it & come running. It doesn't have any carbs so my vet says it is safe for diabetic animals too.
 
Ria said:
I am new to having a diabetic cat but I keep bone marrow broth in my freezer at all times just in case. I swear it saved my 1 cat many a time, who had a genetic problem with her kidneys and lived to be 19 yo. I make my own & am happy to share the recipe if anyone wants it. It came from a holistic vet I worked with for quite some time. Also Honest Kitchen has a dehydrated bone marrow broth that I know others have used that can be used in a pinch if there is no time to make it yourself. Bone marrow broth is great for all animals, but particularly those that are ill/debilitated/elderly animals. Have yet to have any cats not lap it up & mine see the syringe full of it & come running. It doesn't have any carbs so my vet says it is safe for diabetic animals too.
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Maybe this recipe is something you could post in the "Community and Off Topic Forum"?
 
I also do bone broth and chicken broth from the bones. I use organic marrow bones if I can find them and add 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar to the water...same for the chicken...this helps draw out the nutrients. For the bone broth I like to let is simmer for 12 hours is I can manage...it gets more of the nutrients from the bones. Chicken broth I usually do 3-4 hours simmering. Usually the broth will have a consistency of gel and I freeze it in small containers for quick defrosting and use.


ETA Bone broth made with a good quantity of marrow bones and simmered a long time is a good source of protein and many other nutrients
 
Ria said:
I am new to having a diabetic cat but I keep bone marrow broth in my freezer at all times just in case. I swear it saved my 1 cat many a time, who had a genetic problem with her kidneys and lived to be 19 yo. I make my own & am happy to share the recipe if anyone wants it.
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I would be very grateful if you could post the broth recipe, Ria. My civvie is having major GI problems at the moment. I'm trying to find a new food that agrees with her but it's very hit 'n' miss. It would be great to have something homemade to give to her which might help the situation.


Mogs
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So sorry I neglected to post this earlier. I hope it is helpful!! Honest Kitchen also does a dehydrated bone broth, which I purchased as a back up didn't use yet so not sure how they kitties would like it.

JING TONIC: FOR CANCER OR SEVERE DISABILITY “MARROW SOUP”

Make your favorite chicken soup recipe with organic chicken… you can add whatever organic veggies and rice you want. As the caretaker of an ill animal you need to eat too. When the soup is done, de-bone the chicken, and return it to the other ingredients. Take the bones and snap the larger ones in half. Put the bones in a pot or crockpot and barely cover them in water. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice, and a few cups of chopped carrots, celery, squash, and/or beets. The acids from these foods help extract the marrow/essence from the bones. This is brought to a boil and then simmered for many hours, the longer the better. Try for 4-8 hours in a pot or up to 12-18 hours in the crockpot. More water can be added as needed. Remove the bones and strain the veggies out at the end, unless the animal wants them. This nutrient rich broth can be given in small frequent servings to anorexic or debilitated cats & dogs. The simple ingredients are easy to digest. Chicken & veggies from the first soup can be added as the appetite returns. You do not need to wait the full cooking time to use the broth, as some can be taken out & allowed to cool while the rest cooks. Put unused portions in the refrigerator where it will gel. It can be slowly warmed on the stove. DO NOT RE-HEAT IN A MICROWAVE.
 
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