? 7/24 Bronx's eating is out of control

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Bronx's dad (GA)

Bronx's dad (GA)

Member Since 2016
No idea why he is eating even more than when he was unregulated. Has gained 2lbs over last month and it gets worse every day how he constantly wants food. Any ideas?
 
Max gained weight too and I was never able to get him to drop any of it but he was really old and not active. I couldn't ever get him to play once his sister left us. Will Bronx play?
 
I think that once they are regulated they do tend to gain a bit of weight if they are underweight. Was bronx under weight due to the diabetes? Otherwise it could be an Acro symptom. Did you change his food recently or add/remove a supplement?
 
Marvin's Mom - Nat said:
I think that once they are regulated they do tend to gain a bit of weight if they are underweight. Was bronx under weight due to the diabetes? Otherwise it could be an Acro symptom. Did you change his food recently or add/remove a supplement?
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I am constantly adding/removing supplements. I hope it isn't an Acro symptom since it is 3 months post SRT.
 
Marvin's Mom - Nat said:
Since you just got back from vacation, maybe he didn't eat much while you were gone and is making up for it now.
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No, actually went through a whole tub of RadCat in like 2 days which is mixed with his canned food. That tub usually lasts 5 days. Fed him 5 times already today and he is sitting by his bowl, trying to add as much extra water in the food to help fill him up. Something is definitely not right.
 
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No medical help.

Moral support. Possibly something in the air:
Today's menu:
Curtains
Cardboard
Blanket
Puffs of the kitten's hair

He's either having a weird pica moment (those are not his pica go-tos or it's from the anesthesia).

So, perspective......Bronx is eating food......(maybe a little bit of humor will brighten your day?)

Vines that Bronx's tummy hungries settle down.
 
Gill & George said:
As far as I understand the ravenous appetite is one of the symptoms of acro, and perhaps as the tumour 'pulses' you will also see 'pulsing of symptoms. I'm not sure what you can do to manage his appy though, perhaps @Wendy&Neko or @julie & punkin (ga) have some ideas/tips.

:bighug::bighug::bighug:
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I am afraid to think that is the reason, so frustrating since he is 3 months post SRT.

As I sit here writing this, he is crying for like his 8th or 9th meal today :(
 
Although weight gain would be an unusual symptom, increased appy could be a sign of HyperT. Usually HyperT comes with weight loss and not weight gain, but it still could be something to investigate.
 
Bronx's dad said:
I am constantly adding/removing supplements
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Maybe take a break from constant changes. It's really hard to isolate what might be causing what with constant changes. What was your last change? Can you undo it?

Another take on things, when is the last time he had bloodwork? B/w, especially the thyroid tests should be done every three months after SRT for the first year. OK, ignore that question, you just answered it. A small number of SRT kitties go hypothyroid, one symptom of which is weight gain. This is the opposite of hyperT Amy mentions. How is his fur looking? Any changes?

How are his LB habits? Any barfing or poo issues? Poor absorption of nutrients for any reason, such as gut issues, can make them starving, but usually goes with weight loss.

Neko's appy never pulsed. It was just ON, until the SRT started working and then it went down to just being an enthusiast. Her incident with bread starter happened more than six months after SRT.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Maybe take a break from constant changes. It's really hard to isolate what might be causing what with constant changes. What was your last change? Can you undo it?
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Last thing is Bupe added a few days ago.

Wendy&Neko said:
Another take on things, when is the last time he had bloodwork? B/w, especially the thyroid tests should be done every three months after SRT for the first year. OK, ignore that question, you just answered it. A small number of SRT kitties go hypothyroid, one symptom of which is weight gain. This is the opposite of hyperT Amy mentions. How is his fur looking? Any changes?
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What are the tests for hypothyroid? Fur looks fine, no changes.

Wendy&Neko said:
How are his LB habits? Any barfing or poo issues? Poor absorption of nutrients for any reason, such as gut issues, can make them starving, but usually goes with weight loss.
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Has had constipation issues for awhile, Lactulose seems to help but he usually goes for 2-3 days with no poop, then huge amount.

Wendy&Neko said:
Neko's appy never pulsed. It was just ON, until the SRT started working and then it went down to just being an enthusiast. Her incident with bread starter happened more than six months after SRT.
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Bread starter? Not sure what that means? When did SRT start working for Neko?
 
:bighug:

You mentioned that the pet-sitter overfed - could this be a carry over from that? Are you using the autofeeder only? If not, I would - even if it is set up to go off every hour (with a couple of bites) and you have to set it up in between. Disassociate yourself from the food - that might cut down on the begging. If he has gained that much he needs a cut back if over weight. It won't help his arthritis or joints. I wonder if this is the "last hurrah" of the tumor and things are getting ready to turn around. Fingers crossed. I wonder too, if he is having tummy issues and is eating because it makes it feel better (thinking like a human - I have no idea if that is the same with cats).

Use this opportunity to feed some of the foods you have that he doesn't like - lol. Good time to get them used up.
 
LizzieInTexas said:
:bighug:

You mentioned that the pet-sitter overfed - could this be a carry over from that? Are you using the autofeeder only? If not, I would - even if it is set up to go off every hour (with a couple of bites) and you have to set it up in between. Disassociate yourself from the food - that might cut down on the begging. If he has gained that much he needs a cut back if over weight. It won't help his arthritis or joints. I wonder if this is the "last hurrah" of the tumor and things are getting ready to turn around. Fingers crossed. I wonder too, if he is having tummy issues and is eating because it makes it feel better (thinking like a human - I have no idea if that is the same with cats).

Use this opportunity to feed some of the foods you have that he doesn't like - lol. Good time to get them used up.
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I am getting those extra supplements he doesn't like such as Apple Cider Vinegar & Natural Moves. He isn't turning his nose up against anything I feed him. I pray it is the last hurrah of the tumor but maybe now that I am home, he is associating me with getting food whenever he wants it unlike the pet sitter?
 
Rocky acts like he starving I'm surprised he hasn't choked yet the way he eats. He jumps at you while u r trying to open the can.
 
Bronx's dad said:
Last thing is Bupe added a few days ago.
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When did the hunger start? If could be that he's feeling better with the bupe added. I would keep the bupe in the rotation.
Bronx's dad said:
What are the tests for hypothyroid? Fur looks fine, no changes.
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Here is an article on hypothyroidisom in cats. Note that it's relatively rare and the vast majority of cats that get it are those that had radioiodine treatment for hyperthyroidism.
Bronx's dad said:
Bread starter? Not sure what that means? When did SRT start working for Neko?
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Bread starter = a mixture of flour/water/yeast that DH had out on the counter to make bread. Neko's dose started going down after SRT on the trip back home from Colorado. It didn't mean she lost her crazy appetite until quite a few months later.

I agree with Lizzie, try to feed most of the food from the feeder. Neko spend ages staring at the autofeeder - it saved me!
 
His extra hungriness did start before the bupe, but has been out of hand the last few days, about the same time as I started the bupe.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
What dose of bupe are you giving? Twice a day dosing? How much does he weigh?
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He is up to 18.4lbs, should be in the 15-16 range. Bupe is .5ml every 12 hours. I did start CBD (cannabis oil) about 2 weeks ago and that kinda does coincide with his hunger, but since the bupe it is out of hand.
 
That's a healthy dose of bupe. Neko was around 14 lbs and got .22 ml bid. But as long as it's not making him sleepy or wobbly, it may be what he needs. Maybe try easing off the CBD and see if bupe alone does the job?
 
Another thing on bupe, it can be in different concentrations too, you have to compare apples to apples. But it is usually dosed in a range, based on weight.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Another thing on bupe, it can be in different concentrations too, you have to compare apples to apples. But it is usually dosed in a range, based on weight.
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No idea how the vet figured .5ml to start. He is not wobbly and does seems happier.
 
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My first thought is still the acro. Punkin was always interested in eating more, even after the SRT. He did become hypo-T post-SRT.

Just a stab in the dark, but could the cannabis oil be stimulating his appy? Giving him the munchies, lol? Since you started it about the time his hunger accelerated, that's probably what I'd look at.
 
julie & punkin (ga) said:
My first thought is still the acro. Punkin was always interested in eating more, even after the SRT. He did become hypo-T post-SRT.

Just a stab in the dark, but could the cannabis oil be stimulating his appy? Giving him the munchies, lol? Since you started it about the time his hunger accelerated, that's probably what I'd look at.
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How did you figure out punkin had hypo-T?
 
Test the T4 quarterly for a year after SRT. If it's low, then you get the full thyroid panel done, free T4, T3 full and free, TSH. Good info on Gizmo's condo today.

ETA: blood tests should be send to Hemopet, Antechamber or MSU. Idexx doesn't do all the tests. Neko had low T4 a couple of times, but it turned out to be euthyroid sick syndrome instead and the T4 came back up.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Test the T4 quarterly for a year after SRT. If it's low, then you get the full thyroid panel done, free T4, T3 full and free, TSH. Good info on Gizmo's condo today.

ETA: blood tests should be send to Hemopet, Antechamber or MSU. Idexx doesn't do all the tests. Neko had low T4 a couple of times, but it turned out to be euthyroid sick syndrome instead and the T4 came back up.
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Great, thanks that is good to know. T4 was 2.2 in Nov, SRT 1st week in May, T4 was 2.2 on 6/19. Will get test done again in a few months.
 
Just an observation. The use of R has really been dropping him way more then the 50-100 points it should be used for. Not every time, but I see a lot of huge drops with the use of R. If he's having constant BG ups & downs with large swings IMO can create excess hunger and bouncing. I might try to lay off the R a bit and see what kind of numbers he gets on a consistent dose of L. He may need more L or maybe not. Just my 2 cents.
 
Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA) said:
If Bronx could give Rusty some of that hearty appetite they would both benefit! I hope that you can figure out what is going on.
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Yep, I'll take some of that appetite too. My boy is down to 12.2 lbs from 13.5lbs, although the anesthesia event didn't help. I would like him to eat more on his own.......please tell Bronx to send a little of the chow mode this way!

Head scratches to Bronx. He's got the best cheerleader on his team, his daddy cat. You'll get him sorted out.
 
I have lowered my R scale by about half. Seems he only drops hard on the following cycle after I give him 2 shots of R in the previous flat, high cycle. I will no longer do that, even if it seems 1st shot of R did nothing.
 
I missed these threads about Bronx, and the SRT treatment because of the volume of threads in this subforum.

I am glad to see you got the SRT done for Bronx. And I'm also glad to see that he is responding well. That is a significant insulin-demand drop since the SRT treatment. With Leo, he still required insulin almost a year after treatment. So I doubt he ever would get to zero. Now he is on chemo and Prednisolone. The Pred causes BG issues so his insulin demand went up a bit.
 
Hi Paul, it looks like this is the last thread you've had for Bronx, so even though it's old I'm going to bump it up.

You asked about the hypo-thyroid comment above and this is the first time I've been back to the board since then. Family has kept me busy and I'm not on the board much at all anymore.

Anyway, I kept getting Punkin's thyroid checked after the SRT, doing the total T4 test. The link to his labs are here if you want to see what I'm talking about. If you click over to the 2013 spreadsheet you can see the comments about his thyroid beginning in March. We had the SRT done in Sept 2011. By Nov 2012 his T4 measured at the bottom of the normal range. He was losing tons of hair - and he had very long, fine hair which drifted everywhere. I was always covered in cat hair when I went to work, lol. We thought low normal still meant normal range, but the hair issue had me talking here, and people suggested getting the breakdown of his thyroid chem. We didn't get that all put together until March, so I think he had really low thyroid from November til March. Thyroid affects everything, including blood sugar.

At his vet appointment in March, the vet had her book out of potential IDEXX tests and I was in the office talking to Marje on the phone, trying to figure out which of the lab test combination choices would be best. We opted for the two free T4 tests and the total TSH - all of them turned up extremely low.

We started punkin on thyroid replacement, but if I remember correctly, we hadn't gotten him to a good dose before he passed away from other reasons. The hair loss was the biggest sign, but his blood sugar was hard to control and I have wondered if it was also related to the thyroid.
 
Hey Paul, I hope you can get to the bottom of your bottomless pit. Wonder if it is the cannabis oil increasing his appy? What if you spread his daily calories over more feedings so he feels like you are attending to his run away appetite?
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I agree with Lizzie, try to feed most of the food from the feeder. Neko spend ages staring at the autofeeder - it saved me!
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I agree 100% on this. I put the autofeeders back in to rotation before Beenie's diagnosis. I did it to stop one of my civvies from waking me up all hours of the night for food. They get 5 small meals a day. Only one meal is not from the feeder. Beenie is still pretty ravenous and she stares at the feeder constantly and paws at it. So by disassociating yourself from the food it will give you a little peace. I know if I didn't have it Beenie would be no stop bothering me for food, its all she really cares about.
 
Paul
Just throwing this out there since the thyroid is in discussion. I know hypothyroidism has been brought up in this thread but just in case I do know of a specialist in NY that exclusively treats hyperthyroidism. Just an FYI. I stumbled across this place by accident and when I saw the name of the clinic I thought the gods had answered my prayers and there was FD specialist that actually existed!!! Unfortunately Dr Peterson limits his practice to hyperthyroidism only. I've actually called on two separate occasions (before leaning on this board for help) to try and convince them to see Beenie :rolleyes:. No luck but if anyone had a diagnosis of hyper I would refer them there in a heart beat.
http://www.animalendocrine.com/
 
julie & punkin (ga) said:
We started punkin on thyroid replacement, but if I remember correctly, we hadn't gotten him to a good dose before he passed away from other reasons. The hair loss was the biggest sign, but his blood sugar was hard to control and I have wondered if it was also related to the thyroid.
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Thanks for that great info Julie, I will keep an eye on any hair loss and will get T4 tests done at least every 6 months or so. How was Punkin's appy during this time?
 
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