Help for Bo

[Meeka10]

Hello I was hoping I could get some opinions about what’s going on with my boy, Bo. He is going through a bad health issue. I think I may need to take him to a new vet.

He is 5. He was diagnosed with diabetes in January of this year (he was 4 at the time). He’s been treated with shots of Lantus insulin twice a day. The amounts have varied. Our vet has us bring him in weekly for glucose checks. We are not currently testing at home, but are considering this. The vet said we should get a One Touch monitor but it’s very hard to draw blood at home.

The week of 10/29 he started to refuse food. Even his favorites. I learned from the forum about lower carb food and have the carb calculator for cat food. He was doing well but suddenly refused. Vet did blood work that weekend and said nothing was abnormal. The week after he was nibbling and throwing up after nibbles or drinking.

Between then and now, we’ve been doing antibiotics, appetite stimulants, syringe feeding and had a very scary incident where his blood sugar dropped and he was unresponsive. Luckily, we gave honey and the vet had someone on call for emergencies and he came back to us about 2 hours later.

I got him to eat a little this morning on his own but now he won’t walk to the litter box or drink. We have to carry him to the water and litter Box. He won’t eat either. He’s seeing the vet tomorrow but I am perplexed how she hasn’t given us a name for what is happening. My husband googled and found a liver condition related to his behavior but he isn’t jaundice at all and labs are in the normal range for his liver.

Any similar experiences or advice would be appreciated because I am at a loss.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I’m sorry your Bo is unwell.
It is really important that cats eat. If they don’t they can get sick with other serious illnesses.
One of the things is hepatic lipidosis. That could be the thing your husband is referring to. You will need to see the vet urgently and get tested for this.

Another thing that can happen with diabetic cats is they can get ketones if they do not eat. This can lead on to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) which can be deadly if not treated early.

I am very concerned your kitty is not walking and you have to carry him.
****I think you should take him now to an ER if there is one available to you. He doesn’t sound well at all.

Do you happen to have Ketostix at home that you could use to test his urine for ketones?
Are you skipping any doses of insulin?

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

A cat shouldn't go more than 3 days without eating. If you're giving insulin, you need food to balance out the effect of the insulin. Like Bron noted, there are a few things that are rather worrisome. Getting your cat seen by an emergency vet seems more than prudent.

 

[Meeka10]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I’m sorry your Bo is unwell.
It is really important that cats eat. If they don’t they can get sick with other serious illnesses.
One of the things is hepatic lipidosis. That could be the thing your husband is referring to. You will need to see the vet urgently and get tested for this.

Another thing that can happen with diabetic cats is they can get ketones if they do not eat. This can lead on to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) which can be deadly if not treated early.

I am very concerned your kitty is not walking and you have to carry him.
****I think you should take him now to an ER if there is one available to you. He doesn’t sound well at all.

Do you happen to have Ketostix at home that you could use to test his urine for ketones?
Are you skipping any doses of insulin?

Thank you. The vet knows he is lethargic we told her. He does drink at the dish and urinate when we bring him to the box. He does jump out of the litter box and walk into the next room to find a spot to lay down. It could be we are being overly cautious in carrying him because he’s not getting up from his bed. He just drank and was throwing up and she said it’s going to happen. I’m not happy. He has an appointment at 9am. He is alert and purring when I pet him. When he was having the low sugar we knew for certain he was in failure. It was horrible.

hepatic lipidosis Is what husband found but he doesn’t have all of the symptoms. We will ask the vet.

I do not have ketosticks and we are not skipping insulin.

 

[Meeka10]

A cat shouldn't go more than 3 days without eating. If you're giving insulin, you need food to balance out the effect of the insulin. Like Bron noted, there are a few things that are rather worrisome. Getting your cat seen by an emergency vet seems more than prudent.

Thank you. The vet knows he is not eating. We are syringe feeding the DM cat food. She showed us how. She also gave appetite stimulants but it doesn’t seem to help. Last night he did eat on his own when I hand fed him.

 

[Meeka10]

Thank you. The vet knows he is not eating. We are syringe feeding the DM cat food. She showed us how. She also gave appetite stimulants but it doesn’t seem to help. Last night he did eat on his own when I hand fed him.

A cat shouldn't go more than 3 days without eating. If you're giving insulin, you need food to balance out the effect of the insulin. Like Bron noted, there are a few things that are rather worrisome. Getting your cat seen by an emergency vet seems more than prudent.

I understand your advice but I just want to be clear that he is being fed.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

I don’t understand your vet saying that it is going to happen ( your kitty throwing up) and being lethargic. This is not normal behaviours and something is causing it. You need to get to the bottom of it, especially in a diabetic cat. If the blood tests were done weeks ago, things could have easily changed…they can change in a day.

I don’t know what the time is there, but if you husband could go out and buy a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart or a pharmacy now and you could test the urine for ketones, that would confirm or eliminate ketones from the picture ( which are very serious).

Keep feeding Bo every couple of hours as it’s really important he eats..

 

[Meeka10]

I don’t understand your vet saying that it is going to happen ( your kitty throwing up) and being lethargic. This is not normal behaviours and something is causing it. You need to get to the bottom of it, especially in a diabetic cat. If the blood tests were done weeks ago, things could have easily changed…they can change in a day.

I don’t know what the time is there, but if you husband could go out and buy a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart or a pharmacy now and you could test the urine for ketones, that would confirm or eliminate ketones from the picture ( which are very serious).

Keep feeding Bo every couple of hours as it’s really important he eats..

I agree with you, I don’t understand either. And yes you’re right the bloodwork can change. Thank you.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Once you get things sorted out and Bo is hopefully better, I would encourage you to look at home testing the blood glucose. It is the biggest thing you can do for him to help him get regulated and keep safe. We can help you with getting started with it…..it is not hard, and he will not hate you!
We also have a great spreadsheet which you can upload and record the BG data.

If he gets worse overnight, I would seriously consider going to the ER.
Make sure the vet tests for ketones in the morning in the urine. You can take a urine sample with you to the vets.

 

[Meeka10]

Once you get things sorted out and Bo is hopefully better, I would encourage you to look at home testing the blood glucose. It is the biggest thing you can do for him to help him get regulated and keep safe. We can help you with getting started with it…..it is not hard, and he will not hate you!
We also have a great spreadsheet which you can upload and record the BG data.

If he gets worse overnight, I would seriously consider going to the ER.
Make sure the vet tests for ketones in the morning in the urine. You can take a urine sample with you to the vets.

I would really love some guidance about testing his blood sugar at home if you could recommend a glucose meter. I was concerned about a lancet I’m not sure how to take the blood. My vet said from his ear or from his gums. This may be a dumb question but how would I collect a urine sample from him? And I will definitely keep an eye on him all night and post to you after the visit tomorrow. Thank you!

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

I would really love some guidance about testing his blood sugar at home if you could recommend a glucose meter. I was concerned about a lancet I’m not sure how to take the blood. My vet said from his ear or from his gums. This may be a dumb question but how would I collect a urine sample from him? And I will definitely keep an eye on him all night and post to you after the visit tomorrow. Thank you!

If you live in the US I would buy a ReliOn meter from Walmart. They have a few available. I think the Prime may be discontinued…..ask them….
Also when you buy the lancets ask for size 26 or 28 gauge.
We don’t test from the gums. We test the ears. I will put a couple of links at the bottom for you to look at.
No dumb questions here……..to collect a urine sample, just slip a large spoon or a small plastic container under him when he squats to pee.

Yes please let us know how you get on at the vet. Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions. Have a list to ask. Amd don’t let them fob you off. You are paying the bill!

Another thought is he could be nauseated. An appetite stimulant will not help with that….it will just make him feel he has to eat when he feels sick, which is horrible for him.
I would ask for an antinausea medication such a cereina or ondansetron. Both are good and can be given at the same time if necessary.
Ask them to test for pancreatitis. He could be suffering from that. It is a separate test such as an fPLsnap or an fPL spec.

HOME TESTING LINK click on blue typing

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

would really love some guidance about testing his blood sugar at home if you could recommend a glucose meter. I

You can buy the Relion Premier Classic( human meter) 9 dollars
17.88 for 100 test strips
26 or 28 gauge lancets
Some cotton rounds to put behind the ear and then fold it over to stop the bleeding for about 15-20 seconds

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us just use the lancets to poke the ear rather than a lancing device


I find it better to see where I'm aiming

Here is a video one of our members did
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

I hope they get to the bottom of he's not feeling well

 

[Meeka10]

If you live in the US I would buy a ReliOn meter from Walmart. They have a few available. I think the Prime may be discontinued…..ask them….
Also when you buy the lancets ask for size 26 or 28 gauge.
We don’t test from the gums. We test the ears. I will put a couple of links at the bottom for you to look at.
No dumb questions here……..to collect a urine sample, just slip a large spoon or a small plastic container under him when he squats to pee.

Yes please let us know how you get on at the vet. Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions. Have a list to ask. Amd don’t let them fob you off. You are paying the bill!

Another thought is he could be nauseated. An appetite stimulant will not help with that….it will just make him feel he has to eat when he feels sick, which is horrible for him.
I would ask for an antinausea medication such a cereina or ondansetron. Both are good and can be given at the same time if necessary.
Ask them to test for pancreatitis. He could be suffering from that. It is a separate test such as an fPLsnap or an fPL spec.

HOME TESTING LINK click on blue typing

View attachment 63012

Thank you so much for this information!
Bo saw the vet today. His sugar was 400. She said although he isn’t jaundice and his blood work isn’t coming up with the right numbers for it, that she would agree it’s hepatic lipodosis. She said to continue syringe feeding him. He was given fluids, antibiotics and appetite pill. Also a shot for nausea. She said it could take 8 weeks before he is better and we may have another 5 weeks of syringe feeding. Said to increase to 3 times a a day which we already did yesterday because I felt like he wasn’t getting enough food. Last night he used the litter box and climbed in bed to sleep with us. He was purring. I have hope. He’s just so tired. I will post a pic when I can.
Thank you for your help