8/18 Oscar AMPS 143, +5 101, PMPS 113, +2 108

a_rose51

Member Since 2021
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/8-17-oscar-amps-189-5-76-pmps-224.280567/

We’re officially switching back to SLGS. I start work on Monday and won’t be home until around +10 so I can’t test. More importantly, and where I need advice, Oscar is so scared of me now after a week of giving him liquid medication. I went and got him a Bupe injection and have only been pilling him since Monday but he immediately froths at the mouth and desperately tries to run away when he sees me. I can’t test him and it’s hard enough to pin him down to test and give his insulin. Any advice on repairing that relationship? And if he doesn’t start eating, I think we’re going to have to hospitalize him to take care of his lingering pancreatitis. I’m just so defeated.
 
Oh Andrea :bighug::bighug::bighug: .
Cleo is impossible too with pills and liquid meds. I resigned to getting the meds in a chicken/liver flavor chew treat from Wedgewood pharmacy then wrapping it in a pill pocket. Not the best since the pill pocket is high in carbs but it saved my sanity and our relationship. The meds in the pill pocket became "treat time" and it helped her trust me again at least enough for insulin shots and testing.
I hope you can get Oscar to eat and don't have to hospitalize him
 
I too can relate. I know it's not possible with all pills and/or liquid meds, specifically if they cannot be crushed and/or have such a horrible taste that it cannot be masked....BUT another member recommended the Churu snacks (Herman wouldn't even deign LOOK at a pill pocket)...and, success! Herman really liked it. Was a lifesaver. I was able to crush his Clavamox and give his Metacam after tooth extraction in the Churu. I don't think either of those meds taste too bad on their own so that may have been part of the success i had, but taste aside, forcefully putting something in Herman's mouth was a huge HUGE fight so I was glad to find the Churu!
 
I see you are giving Cerenia, which is horrible tasting. Have you asked your vet about ondansetron? I find it's a better drug for nausea anyway. The downside is it doesn't last the full day, so you have to give it 2-3 times a day. The upside is it doesn't taste awful. I've also seen some people put meds in a pill pocket, then put the pill pocket in Churu. Or wrap cat food around it to make a meatball.

I'm also not fond of Elura - it can cause excess growth hormone to be secreted, which in turn can raise the BG. Have you tried mirtazapine? Specifically Mirataz, which is a topical formulation you rub inside their ear. Way easier. My vet has also given me a topical (transdermal) formulation of maropitant (Cerenia is the brand name) that also gets rubbed in the ear. The downside is you have to clean the ear (warm water on a gauze) before applying the next time.
 
Oh Andrea :bighug::bighug::bighug: .
Cleo is impossible too with pills and liquid meds. I resigned to getting the meds in a chicken/liver flavor chew treat from Wedgewood pharmacy then wrapping it in a pill pocket. Not the best since the pill pocket is high in carbs but it saved my sanity and our relationship. The meds in the pill pocket became "treat time" and it helped her trust me again at least enough for insulin shots and testing.
I hope you can get Oscar to eat and don't have to hospitalize him
I do wrap the pills in pill wrap but I still have to throw it down his throat, but at least it doesn’t taste terrible, I guess. I can’t get him to take treats of any kind at the moment but I’ll keep trying. Thanks :bighug:
 
I too can relate. I know it's not possible with all pills and/or liquid meds, specifically if they cannot be crushed and/or have such a horrible taste that it cannot be masked....BUT another member recommended the Churu snacks (Herman wouldn't even deign LOOK at a pill pocket)...and, success! Herman really liked it. Was a lifesaver. I was able to crush his Clavamox and give his Metacam after tooth extraction in the Churu. I don't think either of those meds taste too bad on their own so that may have been part of the success i had, but taste aside, forcefully putting something in Herman's mouth was a huge HUGE fight so I was glad to find the Churu!
I’m sure they tasted terrible so I completely don’t blame him for hating it. I’ve tried churu and all kinds of other treats. He’s just not interested. Of course, now he’s suspicious of me so that certainly doesn’t help. But I’ll definitely keep trying other stuff! Thanks
 
I see you are giving Cerenia, which is horrible tasting. Have you asked your vet about ondansetron? I find it's a better drug for nausea anyway. The downside is it doesn't last the full day, so you have to give it 2-3 times a day. The upside is it doesn't taste awful. I've also seen some people put meds in a pill pocket, then put the pill pocket in Churu. Or wrap cat food around it to make a meatball.

I'm also not fond of Elura - it can cause excess growth hormone to be secreted, which in turn can raise the BG. Have you tried mirtazapine? Specifically Mirataz, which is a topical formulation you rub inside their ear. Way easier. My vet has also given me a topical (transdermal) formulation of maropitant (Cerenia is the brand name) that also gets rubbed in the ear. The downside is you have to clean the ear (warm water on a gauze) before applying the next time.
I’ve got both. I’ve been using the cerenia this time, as that’s what she suggested, but I do have ondansetron too. Maybe I’ll try that. I’ve been wrapping them in pill wrap but he’s just so stressed around me at this point that I could be feeding him fresh salmon and he wouldn’t want it.

I agree about the elura. Again, I’ve tried others but she suggested this one and thought we’d give it a shot. I hate that it’s liquid. And I gave it to him and a couple days later and his BG was in the 400s so that could explain the crazy jump. I’ll have to add that part to my spreadsheet notes. And I also have mirataz but he hasn’t seemed to respond to it in the past. It’s possible I’ve been impatient with it, but it’s so hard when he isn’t eating like he should. Thanks so much.
 
From the FDA page on Elura:
Elura may increase blood sugar levels for several hours after a dose, so it may not be appropriate to use in cats that currently have diabetes mellitus or have had diabetes in the past. The drug should not be used in cats with a condition called acromegaly, in which the pituitary gland in the brain produces too much growth hormone.
Might want to pass that onto the vet.

Ondansetron also comes in injectible format, which might be easier to give. You need to deal with the nausea first, before giving an appetite stimulant. Even with Cerenia it's recommended putting it in a gel cap before putting it in a pill pocket.
 
Is Oscar eating ok? I might try and get one a little earlier say maybe a +4?
Thankfully I got some beef fancy feast and he’s loving that. Normally they get chicken or turkey Friskies and I think he’s averse to it now. I tried to check him around +4.5 and he ran away and hid from me. Sadly, I can’t be crawling under the bed when the baby is sleeping so I gave up. But he was eating when I got up to check.
 
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