3/24, Susie, 244 AMPS (loss of appetite)

Summer and Susie (GA)

Summer and Susie (GA)

Member Since 2020
? - 3/23, Susie, 223 AMPS, 267 @+3, 204 @+6, 233 @+9. 212 PMPS Question | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Per @JaxBenji I tested Susie last night @+4 and she was at 159. She has lost most of her appetite since yesterday evening. Did not eat all her PMPS dinner, her 1/2 dinner at +2 nor her late night treat. Acted hungry this morning but barely touched her breakfast. She always has a very healthy appetite except for one other time when she had an insulin increase around 1/2/21. She did start to throw up last night right after her +4 test but it was mostly just clear and foamy and a small amount. I don't know if this is from the increase yesterday or not. She doesn't act nauseous just a little sluggish. I have to leave the house this morning at 7:45. Might be back around 10:00 or could be later. Will test as soon as I get home. Hopefully she will have eaten her breakfast.
 
Yes. It's possible she is nauseated. I hope you have something to give her before you leave. With the foamy vomit, 1/4 of a regular 10 mg. Pepcid AC could help -- if she perhaps has an acid tummy.

Anytime Darcy won't eat, especially if there's any vomiting. I take him to the vet. I know you are leaving soon.
 
Cerenia can be given as an injection by the vet or as oral tablets.
You can also get ondansetron from the vet, it’s another antinausea medication and works on a different pathway to the cerenia.
Cerenia is given daily and ondansetron can be given up to three times a day.
And they can be given together if needed.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Yes. It's possible she is nauseated. I hope you have something to give her before you leave. With the foamy vomit, 1/4 of a regular 10 mg. Pepcid AC could help -- if she perhaps has an acid tummy.

Anytime Darcy won't eat, especially if there's any vomiting. I take him to the vet. I know you are leaving soon.
Click to expand...

This really sucks (excuse my French). First time I have to leave during the day in a long time and she is not well. Will stop by the drugstore on my way home and get the Pepcid. Can someone tell me how much of a 10 mg tablet she should have if she is nauseous? I have no pill cutter.
 
If you don't have any Pepcid (Famotidine) on hand, just pick some up at the drug store before you get back home. Don't worry too much. From past history, Susie will be in safe numbers while you are gone. You will be able to check up on her later this morning and decide what to do from there. Hang in there and keep us posted on that pretty little girl. I'll be concerned about her.
 
Summer and Susie said:
This really sucks (excuse my French). First time I have to leave during the day in a long time and she is not well. Will stop by the drugstore on my way home and get the Pepcid. Can someone tell me how much of a 10 mg tablet she should have if she is nauseous? I have no pill cutter.
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1/4 of a tablet. Get the pill cutter at the drug store today. It's 2.5 mg. (1/4 of a 10)
 
Poor Susie. I hope she'll eat soon. Here are some suggestions to try and get a cat to eat, but if she is nauseaus it may not help. Sending prayers. :bighug:

Do you have any parmesan cheese? If you maybe sprinkle a little of that on her food, she will perhaps eat? usually ondansetron is better for nausea than cerenia but it doesn't hurt to give her the cerenia....it can help.

Can you finger feed her....either see if she will lick food off your finger or will she let you dab some on the front of her tongue or on the roof of her mouth? Just be careful that it's only a small amount and that you don't get it down her throat.

Here's some info Jill often posts when a kitty won't eat:Here are some things you can do do entice your cat to eat:

-sometimes in order to get a cat to eat you even have to resort to dry it is more important that they eat. there are a couple low carb / grain free brands -- EVO and wellness core.

-making a buffet to give him choices
- heating food

sprinkle food with :
- forta flora -- a probiotic you can get at vets or online. is very smelly and cats love the taste of it.
- parm. cheese
- smashed crumbles of dry food
- Purebites Duck Liver -- crushed and put on as a topper.
- bonito tuna flakes
- halo chicken treats -- crumble into dust over food
- poor a little water from tuna in water over food ( I use low sodium/no sodium added as other kinds in water has veg. broth in it and I assume that means onions, which are toxic to cats-- check labels)
-powdered oregano. yep sounds weird . but some cats like it and it will entice them to eat.

other ideas of foods to offer your kitty to stim appy:
- trader joe tuna for cats
-baby food -- beechnut turkey and broth or chicken and broth. they have no onions or other additives. some babyfoods have onions . please read labels if you can't find beechnut.
- kentucky fried chicken
- deli turkey /chicken
- plain cooked ( boiled or baked ) chicken breast
-canned chicken for people (watch the label that their are no onions)
- chicken broth -- low sodium
 
If you want to go with something more natural, slippery elm bark is good. But I'm not thinking you have this on hand and you have to make a "tea" out of it usually (I have toyed with the idea of giving this to my cats in a little capsule since I take this myself in capsule form if I'm having any problems with acid reflux or heartburn.) I was just trying to suggest something that you could use in the short term to help Susie feel like eating again until you can find out why she is inappetant.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
1/4 of a tablet. Get the pill cutter at the drug store today. It's 2.5 mg. (1/4 of a 10)
Click to expand...
Forgot the pill cutter. I have something to cut with. I got the 10 mg Pepcid Complete. That was the only 10 mg they had in Pepcid form. My vet is double booked today but the receptionist will have one of them call me. I will ask about cerenia.

I think, like Jax said, I will wait to hear from the vet before giving Pepcid.
 
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carfurby said:
Poor Susie. I hope she'll eat soon. Here are some suggestions to try and get a cat to eat, but if she is nauseaus it may not help. Sending prayers. :bighug:

Do you have any parmesan cheese? If you maybe sprinkle a little of that on her food, she will perhaps eat? usually ondansetron is better for nausea than cerenia but it doesn't hurt to give her the cerenia....it can help.

Can you finger feed her....either see if she will lick food off your finger or will she let you dab some on the front of her tongue or on the roof of her mouth? Just be careful that it's only a small amount and that you don't get it down her throat.

Here's some info Jill often posts when a kitty won't eat:Here are some things you can do do entice your cat to eat:

-sometimes in order to get a cat to eat you even have to resort to dry it is more important that they eat. there are a couple low carb / grain free brands -- EVO and wellness core.

-making a buffet to give him choices
- heating food

sprinkle food with :
- forta flora -- a probiotic you can get at vets or online. is very smelly and cats love the taste of it.
- parm. cheese
- smashed crumbles of dry food
- Purebites Duck Liver -- crushed and put on as a topper.
- bonito tuna flakes
- halo chicken treats -- crumble into dust over food
- poor a little water from tuna in water over food ( I use low sodium/no sodium added as other kinds in water has veg. broth in it and I assume that means onions, which are toxic to cats-- check labels)
-powdered oregano. yep sounds weird . but some cats like it and it will entice them to eat.

other ideas of foods to offer your kitty to stim appy:
- trader joe tuna for cats
-baby food -- beechnut turkey and broth or chicken and broth. they have no onions or other additives. some babyfoods have onions . please read labels if you can't find beechnut.
- kentucky fried chicken
- deli turkey /chicken
- plain cooked ( boiled or baked ) chicken breast
-canned chicken for people (watch the label that their are no onions)
- chicken broth -- low sodium
Click to expand...
Thanks for all the info, Carla. I am printing it out. I will see if she will eat a little dry food but it is not low carb. She has never shown any interest in anything that wasn't cat food.
 
Summer and Susie said:
Forgot the pill cutter. I have something to cut with. I got the 10 mg Pepcid Complete. That was the only 10 mg they had in Pepcid form. My vet is double booked today but the receptionist will have one of them call me. I will ask about cerenia.

I think, like Jax said, I will wait to hear from the vet before giving Pepcid.
Click to expand...
Oh, I would not give pepcid complete. There is some extra ingredient in there. Unless vet says it's okay, that is. But most vets recommend the regular pepcid. You're the one who's going to need anti-heartburn meds soon :-( I agree that you should check with your vet. Whenever I call mine, that's what they tell me to do (the 1/4 of the 10 mg. regular pepcid). They'll probably want you to bring her in, which may not be a bad idea. I hope you and your mother are both doing well.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Oh, I would not give pepcid complete. There is some extra ingredient in there. Unless vet says it's okay, that is. But most vets recommend the regular pepcid. You're the one who's going to need anti-heartburn meds soon :-( I agree that you should check with your vet. Whenever I call mine, that's what they tell me to do (the 1/4 of the 10 mg. regular pepcid). They'll probably want you to bring her in, which may not be a bad idea. I hope you and your mother are both doing well.
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I'm trying to get her in. When I got home this morning I called right away. My vets are double-booked today but the receptionist said she would a vet to call me. I hope I hear back. I have seen her with her drinking water now three times since this morning and that makes me nervous. She just had a 228 @+650 glucose read so I'm not worried about the glucose. I tried two different kinds of FF l/c food and she wasn't interested. Then I tried some high carb (probably) Friskies seafood dry food. Still not interested. So, I offered her her favorite treat. Temptations. She did eat about 8 of those but nothing else.

I just got an appointment tomorrow at 11:00. My concern now is her liver and kidneys. She had the really high ALT and AST readings at the beginning of March so I probably should have them rechecked.

Thanks for everyone's help. Just hope she eats later this afternoon or evening.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Oh, I would not give pepcid complete. There is some extra ingredient in there. Unless vet says it's okay, that is. But most vets recommend the regular pepcid. You're the one who's going to need anti-heartburn meds soon :-( I agree that you should check with your vet. Whenever I call mine, that's what they tell me to do (the 1/4 of the 10 mg. regular pepcid). They'll probably want you to bring her in, which may not be a bad idea. I hope you and your mother are both doing well.
Click to expand...
Very sweet of you to ask about my Mom, Suzanne. I guess I mentioned her in a past post. She is fine.
 
FrostD said:
Aw I hope you can get her in, or at least be able to pick up some meds from the vet. Do you have syringes to syringe feed if needed?

Does she take pills well? Remember to never "dry pill" a cat.
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I went back a little while ago and she was eating but she did not each much. I'm sure that will throw off her glucose test at PMPS but frankly I don't care. I would much rather see her eating than be worried about a higher than normal glucose test which I don't think there will be since she is barely eating. I do have syringes to syringe feed. She has an 11:00 appt. tomorrow with the vet. As well as discussing her lack of hunger and the extra water drinking I will ask for a repeat of the blood chemistry and urinalysis test. I can't forget that her ALT and AST test were very high in early March. I don't know how she takes pills as I've never had to give her any. I do worry about her constant swallowing though. What do I do to avoid the "dry pill". Coat is with something?
 
Summer and Susie said:
I went back a little while ago and she was eating but she did not each much. I'm sure that will throw off her glucose test at PMPS but frankly I don't care. I would much rather see her eating than be worried about a higher than normal glucose test which I don't think there will be since she is barely eating. I do have syringes to syringe feed. She has an 11:00 appt. tomorrow with the vet. As well as discussing her lack of hunger and the extra water drinking I will ask for a repeat of the blood chemistry and urinalysis test. I can't forget that her ALT and AST test were very high in early March. I don't know how she takes pills as I've never had to give her any. I do worry about her constant swallowing though. What do I do to avoid the "dry pill". Coat is with something?
Click to expand...
Good that you were able to get an appointment soon. If she hasn't eaten much I'd syringe some tonight, don't want to risk ketones and insulin hitting her without much food.

A lot of people coat it with butter I guess. I give the dry pill (as long as it's small!) and then immediately syringe water or give him some treats. You just don't want the pill to get stuck in the bottom of the esophagus, so you have to "chase" it with something
 
FrostD said:
Good that you were able to get an appointment soon. If she hasn't eaten much I'd syringe some tonight, don't want to risk ketones and insulin hitting her without much food.

A lot of people coat it with butter I guess. I give the dry pill (as long as it's small!) and then immediately syringe water or give him some treats. You just don't want the pill to get stuck in the bottom of the esophagus, so you have to "chase" it with something
Click to expand...
Thanks, Melissa. I'll see what the vet says tomorrow. Just hope I get the blood test results by Friday. Do you think I should reduce her PMPS dose from 1.75 to 1.5 if she still has no appetite? Yes, I can try to syringe but worry that all of this started with her small increase of insulin yesterday morning.
 
Yes, Melissa is up on my soap box now... about never dry pilling a cat. You really can do esophageal damage. They need a little of something to eat or drink after a pill. If they take it in a pill pocket it should be okay (those are high carb though). Roll pill in cream cheese and roll little ball in Forti-Flora. That reminds me, when my Tabitha was really sick, she would eat a little cream cheese. She loved cheese of all sorts... but I know Susie has never shown any interest in anything not cat food. A few Temptations, that you mentioned she likes, after a pill would work. Syringing in a little water into the side of the mouth is another way. Tuna juice. Sheba Broths are very popular and usually available at the grocery store. Sorry .... you are probably already on HELPFUL TIP OVERLOAD right now! Just know that we all care about what happens to Susie and we care about you, too. I do hope she will eat more for your this afternoon... even if she just grazes all afternoon long. Even those Temptations treats count. Hugs!!
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Yes, Melissa is up on my soap box now... about never dry pilling a cat. You really can do esophageal damage. They need a little of something to eat or drink after a pill. If they take it in a pill pocket it should be okay (those are high carb though). Roll pill in cream cheese and roll little ball in Forti-Flora. That reminds me, when my Tabitha was really sick, she would eat a little cream cheese. She loved cheese of all sorts... but I know Susie has never shown any interest in anything not cat food. A few Temptations, that you mentioned she likes, after a pill would work. Syringing in a little water into the side of the mouth is another way. Tuna juice. Sheba Broths are very popular and usually available at the grocery store. Sorry .... you are probably already on HELPFUL TIP OVERLOAD right now! Just know that we all care about what happens to Susie and we care about you, too. I do hope she will eat more for your this afternoon... even if she just grazes all afternoon long. Even those Temptations treats count. Hugs!!
Click to expand...

Thanks, Suzanne. No pill pockets but I do have cream cheese. Right now I have no pills to give her. You're right. Susie has never shown any interest in any food other than cat food. This time of the day she usually comes out looking for food and she is back in my bedroom. As I said, she is drinking a lot of water today. I will try and syringe a little food tonight or see if she is interested in FF gravy food. I know that is not recommended for a diabetic but she does need to eat and I dread giving her more insulin if she doesn't have an appetite. No Forti-Flora. Thanks for your concern. I am going to type out a timeline for the vet tomorrow. Explain the high ALT in December and the high ALT and AST in March. She had the abdominal ultrasound and x-rays even though the vet could not find her pancreas (?????). The change in her insulin dose on Tuesday and what has transpired since then. Praying they can figure out what is wrong. All of this is very expensive but I love my girl and will let you know what I find out. Problem is I might not know anything until Friday or Saturday after the chemistry and urinalysis.
 
Summer and Susie said:
Thanks, Melissa. I'll see what the vet says tomorrow. Just hope I get the blood test results by Friday. Do you think I should reduce her PMPS dose from 1.75 to 1.5 if she still has no appetite? Yes, I can try to syringe but worry that all of this started with her small increase of insulin yesterday morning.
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I always err on the side of caution, so yes I personally would be giving reduced dose (I did for Mr kitty a few days ago when his numbers were low and I wasn't sure he'd eat). That said, her numbers have been high enough and she's not dropping very low, so you do have wiggle room.
 
FrostD said:
I always err on the side of caution, so yes I personally would be giving reduced dose (I did for Mr kitty a few days ago when his numbers were low and I wasn't sure he'd eat). That said, her numbers have been high enough and she's not dropping very low, so you do have wiggle room.
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Thanks, Melissa. My gut says that since she is not eating well that I will drop the dose to 1.5. I know her numbers are not low but she is also not eating.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Oh, I am sorry. It's the same vet as you had before. Do you use one vet at the practice or does who you see vary based upon the availability?
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There are about five vets in the office. I generally see three of them from time to time. My original vet, when Susie was first diagnosed with diabetes, has been gone for a while. He was the one who should have addressed the high ALT test in December. Now, my current vet, with Susie, is on vacation so I don't even know who I will see tomorrow. When I need an immediate appointment I need to take who is available. I do not even know who I am seeing tomorrow. Anyway, she did eat better tonight although not like she used to. I am super tired tonight. It has been a stressful day. I'm going to get something to eat and go to bed. I will set my alarm for +4 to get another blood test. Goodnight.
 
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