3/16, Susie, Need a little help now

Summer and Susie (GA)

Summer and Susie (GA)

Member Since 2020
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...1-6-25-increase-tomorrow.244694/#post-2760910

Susie didn't want to eat her breakfast this morning but she seemed fine. I wonder if she just doesn't like the milk thistle powder in her food. May have to go to syringing it. Will watch her on this new dose.

UPDATE: @Marje and Gracie, @Gill & George, @Critter Mom, @Chris & China. I'm worried about Susie. She is not doing too well today and I'm not talking about her glucose. She has been very quiet. She hasn't left my bedroom all day and when I just picked her up to move her to her testing spot she started hacking and swallowing. No purring. No energy. I'm worried about giving her another 1.5 units of insulin at 6:00 if she is not handling the increase well. Please advise as I am supposed to shoot in 2 1/2 hours.
 
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Sue and Luci said:
I missed the backstory on the Milk Thistle. What's that for?
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Susie had really high ALT and AST blood test readings a couple of weeks ago. These readings are tied to her liver health. My vet did the ultrasound and x-rays but did not see a problem. The milk thistle has been recommended to me by a few people on this site. It is supposed to support good liver health so I bought some and am hoping it will help her with the "unknown" liver problem. Here is some information from the Chewy website about the Herbsmith's Milk Thistle. https://www.chewy.com/herbsmith-herbal-blends-milk-thistle/dp/112381
 
Butters & Lyla said:
Good idea, especially if Susie is easy to syringe. Some people will syringe all of the supplements so kitty's food actually tastes like cat food.
Best of luck with the new dose!!!
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Thanks, Lyla. I went back and she had eaten most of her breakfast. I don't know if she is easy to syringe but may have to find out if she doesn't want to eat her breakfast and dinner.
 
Summer and Susie said:
Susie had really high ALT and AST blood test readings a couple of weeks ago. These readings are tied to her liver health. My vet did the ultrasound and x-rays but did not see a problem. The milk thistle has been recommended to me by a few people on this site. It is supposed to support good liver health so I bought some and am hoping it will help her with the "unknown" liver problem. Here is some information from the Chewy website about the Herbsmith's Milk Thistle. https://www.chewy.com/herbsmith-herbal-blends-milk-thistle/dp/112381
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Thanks for the info! I was told by a holistic doc many years ago to take MT myself - as a liver cleanse...I've been taking it daily since.

I hope it helps your girl :)
 
Sue and Luci said:
Thanks for the info! I was told by a holistic doc many years ago to take MT myself - as a liver cleanse...I've been taking it daily since.

I hope it helps your girl :)
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Yes, humans use it too and I think many pet owners use it on their healthy pets as well. Just a little added protection. If you get it for your Luci just make sure it is a brand for pets and not humans.
 
? - 3/16, Susie, 267 AMPS, 263 @+2 - NEW CONCERN | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Please see my previous post. Susie is not doing well on the new dose. No purring, no activity and when I picked her up to put her in her testing site she started hacking and swallowing. She has a vacant look in her eyes. This increase may have been too much too soon. When I upped her Vetsulin to 1.5 units she stopped eating and I had to take her back down. I need some advice. If not, I am dropping her unit of Lantus back to 1.25. She has eaten her meals but she does not look well. Hope someone hears my wish for advice. I know there are others that are hurting too so if I don't get a response I will take my own action.
 
Hmm I've never heard of this, but perhaps she could be sensitive to the acid base (Vetsulin can also sting), or maybe feels "weird". Mr Kitty wasn't himself on ProZinc, so I wouldn't be surprised.

I'd hold the 1.5U a few more cycles just to see if it's a one-off day where she's not feeling well, or needs to adkust. But obviously if she continues to not eat go back to what works and maybe have a conversation with the vet (or wait for others here to chime in).
 
I don't think it has anything to do with the dose....it sounds like something else may be going on.

Her numbers say she needs the higher dose of Lantus so I'd hold the 1.5 but if she continues to act "off", she may need to go back to the vet.

Are you still using the MT? Wonder if that may be making her feel unwell (it shouldn't, but anything is possible)
 
FrostD said:
Hmm I've never heard of this, but perhaps she could be sensitive to the acid base (Vetsulin can also sting), or maybe feels "weird". Mr Kitty wasn't himself on ProZinc, so I wouldn't be surprised.

I'd hold the 1.5U a few more cycles just to see if it's a one-off day where she's not feeling well, or needs to adkust. But obviously if she continues to not eat go back to what works and maybe have a conversation with the vet (or wait for others here to chime in).
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I'm sorry but I confused with my link. Back when Susie was on Vetsulin (she is on Lantus now), and I increased the dose to 1.5 units she stopped eating. She hasn't stopped eating, altogether, on the Lantus but she had a bad day and I can't help but wonder if it was the increase in Lantus. You are so sweet to be commenting on my kitty when your boy is having so much trouble.
 
Sorry no real advice here. I am worried about Susie though. I hope you can take her to the vet soon if she doesn't get back to normal.

I'm not giving you advice, but if it were my cat and I had no advice from the moderators, I would test my kitty and then I would see if she was going to eat before I shot the insulin. If she's at a good number to shoot and she ate food, I would give her the shot... but that's just me. If she has something else going on, then going high in her glucose won't help her, but if she won't eat then that's another story. I'm sure others are going to reply soon so you can see what they say.

Poor Susie, I hope she feels better soon.
 
Chris & China (GA) said:
I don't think it has anything to do with the dose....it sounds like something else may be going on.

Her numbers say she needs the higher dose of Lantus so I'd hold the 1.5 but if she continues to act "off", she may need to go back to the vet.

Are you still using the MT? Wonder if that may be making her feel unwell (it shouldn't, but anything is possible)
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Yes, it is my second day of the milk thistle and you might be right about it. Okay, thanks so much for getting back with me. I'll check her blood in 30 minutes and see where we are. Unless there is anything remarkable I will give her the 1.5 units and delay the milk thistle with her dinner. Thanks, Chris and FrostD. I have been really concerned.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Sorry no real advice here. I am worried about Susie though. I hope you can take her to the vet soon if she doesn't get back to normal.

I'm not giving you advice, but if it were my cat and I had no advice from the moderators, I would test my kitty and then I would see if she was going to eat before I shot the insulin. If she's at a good number to shoot and she ate food, I would give her the shot... but that's just me. If she has something else going on, then going high in her glucose won't help her, but if she won't eat then that's another story. I'm sure others are going to reply soon so you can see what they say.

Poor Susie, I hope she feels better soon.
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Thanks, Suzanne. She was just at the vets two weeks ago. I believe you are right. If I ask for help, and receive none from the moderators, I will test and see if she will eat before I would give her the shot. That is certainly the smart thing to do.
 
I'm just worried that something else could be going on. I mean, it could be anything. She could have swallowed something.... just anything. I pray she will be feeling well soon. Interesting that you mention she acted similarly when you increased her dose on Vetsulin (but what about the coughing/swallowing thing? did that happen as well?)
 
And yes, I'd stop all new supplements (i.e., the milk thistle) until she's feeling better and then re-start slowly. It may be that she wasn't feeling all that well this morning either and that it wasn't the milk thistle at all that made her not that keen on eating?
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I'm just worried that something else could be going on. I mean, it could be anything. She could have swallowed something.... just anything. I pray she will be feeling well soon. Interesting that you mention she acted similarly when you increased her dose on Vetsulin (but what about the coughing/swallowing thing? did that happen as well?)
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Yes, she has been coughing and swallowing for a long time although the coughing is rare now. I will stop the milk thistle. I will test her in 10 minutes and, providing the test is in good numbers, I will shoot 1.5 units and then feed.
 
Maybe she just has a really big hairball in there and will cough it up. I hope it's something simple like that. Has she used the litter box today?

You don't happen to have any slippery elm bark powder on hand do you? It is very soothing to the digestive tract all the way from the mouth on down to the other end. I was just thinking this might help Susie -- if she has something going on in her GI tract. If I took my cat to the vet with this complaint, I know that the first thing she would do would be to look well into her mouth... then probably do an x-ray to look for any obstruction. In fact, I know this because my boy Bingley had some weird coughing/hacking/swallowing problems. One vet insisted he must have eaten a poisonous plant at home. I assured him this was not the case. It turned out he really just needed antibiotics. He had some kind of throat inflammation.
 
Summer and Susie said:
Yes, she has been coughing and swallowing for a long time although the coughing is rare now. I will stop the milk thistle. I will test her in 10 minutes and, providing the test is in good numbers, I will shoot 1.5 units and then feed.
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I'll be thinking of you. I hope she eats. It's such a worry when these things happen and we have no clue what is going on and we are just speculating and grasping at straws.

It's time for me to shoot Darcy right now, too (actually a few minutes late). I'll go do that now. I'm in Georgia so we are in the same time zone.
 
I'm glad she ate and you shot. Did she eat normally or was their anything unusual about the way she chewed or approached her food or anything?
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Maybe she just has a really big hairball in there and will cough it up. I hope it's something simple like that. Has she used the litter box today?

You don't happen to have any slippery elm bark powder on hand do you? It is very soothing to the digestive tract all the way from the mouth on down to the other end. I was just thinking this might help Susie -- if she has something going on in her GI tract. If I took my cat to the vet with this complaint, I know that the first thing she would do would be to look well into her mouth... then probably do an x-ray to look for any obstruction. In fact, I know this because my boy Bingley had some weird coughing/hacking/swallowing problems. One vet insisted he must have eaten a poisonous plant at home. I assured him this was not the case. It turned out he really just needed antibiotics. He had some kind of throat inflammation.
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I don't want to put Susie on any new supplements right now as I'm not sure the milk thistle isn't making her feel badly. I just had Susie at the vet two weeks ago. I thought I was getting an x-ray of her esophagus, along with her abdomen and ultrasound, but he didn't do it. She did get an antibiotic for the red rash on her belly which has now been cleared up. I don't know why she coughs/hacks at time but I do know that she swallows a lot. She did eat almost all her her dinner tonight after getting a 222 PMPS so I went ahead and gave her the 1.5 units of insulin. Yes, she has used the littler box tonight.
 
Summer and Susie said:
She is not doing too well today and I'm not talking about her glucose. She has been very quiet. She hasn't left my bedroom all day and when I just picked her up to move her to her testing spot she started hacking and swallowing. No purring. No energy. I'm worried about giving her another 1.5 units of insulin at 6:00 if she is not handling the increase well. Please advise as I am supposed to shoot in 2 1/2 hours.
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No feedback from anyone .... I'd say there's something else going on too.

@Chris & China (GA) - any thoughts one what else might be troubling Susie? @Bandit's Mom @tiffmaxee @Wendy&Neko - most of these folks tend to come on later in the day...
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I'll be thinking of you. I hope she eats. It's such a worry when these things happen and we have no clue what is going on and we are just speculating and grasping at straws.

It's time for me to shoot Darcy right now, too (actually a few minutes late). I'll go do that now. I'm in Georgia so we are in the same time zone.
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Hoping Darcy is okay. I hope my concerns did not delay his routine. Thanks for your support. Yes we are in the same time zone. Good to know that there is someone somewhat nearby to follow me, and for me to follow, on this site.
 
Summer and Susie said:
I don't want to put Susie on any new supplements right now as I'm not sure the milk thistle isn't making her feel badly. I just had Susie at the vet two weeks ago. I thought I was getting an x-ray of her esophagus, along with her abdomen and ultrasound, but he didn't do it. She did get an antibiotic for the red rash on her belly which has now been cleared up. I don't know why she coughs/hacks at time but I do know that she swallows a lot. She did eat almost all her her dinner tonight after getting a 222 PMPS so I went ahead and gave her the 1.5 units of insulin. Yes, she has used the littler box tonight.
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Yes. I remember you said that you wanted the esophageal ultrasound. I'm sorry they didn't do that. X-ray is the best way to start. I'm right there with you. I have to drop my cat, Ginger, off at the vet tomorrow to get some x-rays. She's losing weight and has perfect blood work and no vomiting or diarrhea and her appetite is excellent. So, I'm sure it will be expensive to get several views done :-( We checked thyroid and it's fine.
 
Yes, I didn't want to suggest any more things for her... but the slippery elm bark powder is good for a lot of things. You probably already have read about it if you had a cat with kidney disease. If it were my kitty, I'd be leaving her alone right now and would just be happy that she ate her dinner. I hope you evening cycle is a calm one.
 
Hi. I just got home from taking my two to the vet. There’s something going on with her liver.I remember all the markers were high. I would test and see if she will eat a little.

Looks like you gave her the full dose. I hope that means she’s eating.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Yes, I didn't want to suggest any more things for her... but the slippery elm bark powder is good for a lot of things. You probably already have read about it if you had a cat with kidney disease. If it were my kitty, I'd be leaving her alone right now and would just be happy that she ate her dinner. I hope you evening cycle is a calm one.
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Thank you, Suzanne. I am happy that she ate and I am giving her some time now after this shot. I won't be checking too much on her evening cycle tonight. Probably just a "before bed" test at 8:00. I don't think she needs too many test tonight considering she did not go lower than 205 all day. Goodnight, and thanks for your help today.
 
Summer have you x rayed her lungs? The coughing makes me wonder (Pearl has asthma and chronic pneumonia, lots of x rays in my house, super useful). The abdominal x ray not so much, but lung x rays can tell A LOT. Are you on Cerenia or Ondansetron for nausea? The swallowing could actually be that. Or it could also be congestion (upper airway illnesses). I would also consider Cyphroheptadine - functions as an appetite stimulant but is also an antihistamine with GREAT properties used for cats with lung conditions. Helps them breathe better. It has also been of great use to me with week with Chessie's URI - absolutely has helped decongest her.
 
I've merged the two posts of today. We request that people do just one post per day, so it's easier to follow what's happening.

I'm glad you've got 1.5 unit in the spreadsheet. The behaviour you are seeing is not something I've seen in relation to an insulin increase, especially when she needs more insulin.

A chest x-ray can also confirm the heart is OK. Heart issues can sometimes cause coughing too.
 
I didn't get the tag Summer, sorry.
I was away from the board all day yesterday, taking a new cat to be spayed, we've had a new little tux adopt us in the last couple of weeks.:)

I'm glad you stuck with the dose, as others have said it doesn't seem likely to be anything to do with the 1.5u.

You mentioned she had some AB for a rash, What was it? is she still on it?

Hope she's feeling better now.
 
Margaret (and Pearl) said:
Summer have you x rayed her lungs? The coughing makes me wonder (Pearl has asthma and chronic pneumonia, lots of x rays in my house, super useful). The abdominal x ray not so much, but lung x rays can tell A LOT. Are you on Cerenia or Ondansetron for nausea? The swallowing could actually be that. Or it could also be congestion (upper airway illnesses). I would also consider Cyphroheptadine - functions as an appetite stimulant but is also an antihistamine with GREAT properties used for cats with lung conditions. Helps them breathe better. It has also been of great use to me with week with Chessie's URI - absolutely has helped decongest her.
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Vet didn't suggest anything for the coughing because I told him she was much better. I'll continue to watch it. I'll probably go back in the next month to have her ALT and AST rechecked and will ask further about a chest X-ray.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I've merged the two posts of today. We request that people do just one post per day, so it's easier to follow what's happening.

I'm glad you've got 1.5 unit in the spreadsheet. The behaviour you are seeing is not something I've seen in relation to an insulin increase, especially when she needs more insulin.

A chest x-ray can also confirm the heart is OK. Heart issues can sometimes cause coughing too.
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Vet said her heart and lungs sounded good but she may need more test.
 
Gill & George said:
I didn't get the tag Summer, sorry.
I was away from the board all day yesterday, taking a new cat to be spayed, we've had a new little tux adopt us in the last couple of weeks.:)

I'm glad you stuck with the dose, as others have said it doesn't seem likely to be anything to do with the 1.5u.

You mentioned she had some AB for a rash, What was it? is she still on it?

Hope she's feeling better now.
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She had red spots on her belly and the vet gave her a shot of Covenia two weeks ago. The spots are gone.
 
Gill & George said:
That's good it disappeared.
Is it the first time she has had convenía?

Inappetance, vomitting and lethargy are documented side effects of convenía....
It can remain in her system for upto 63 days.
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Yes. I was worried about the Convenia too. I was just re-reading about Convenia again this morning because the owner of one of my foster kittens allowed her to receive a Convenia injection before I could advise her against it. She's now upset that she let the vet give her the injection. Dr. Lisa Pierson covers many of the problems with Convenia on her catinfo.org site.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Yes. I remember you said that you wanted the esophageal ultrasound. I'm sorry they didn't do that. X-ray is the best way to start. I'm right there with you. I have to drop my cat, Ginger, off at the vet tomorrow to get some x-rays. She's losing weight and has perfect blood work and no vomiting or diarrhea and her appetite is excellent. So, I'm sure it will be expensive to get several views done :-( We checked thyroid and it's fine.
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Hope Ginger is okay, Suzanne. Let me know when you find out.
 
tiffmaxee said:
Hi. I just got home from taking my two to the vet. There’s something going on with her liver.I remember all the markers were high. I would test and see if she will eat a little.

Looks like you gave her the full dose. I hope that means she’s eating.
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Yes, she did eat last night and today, Elise.
 
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