riebejamen
Member Since 2020
It's been a year since I joined FDMB; I haven't posted much. I thought I had a handle on Oliver's diabetes; now, not so sure. Could use advice. And maybe more anti-anxiety drugs for me. LOL
After Oliver's initial diagnosis last year, I dutifully gave him insulin shots for months; recorded everything he ate and when, and did multiple glucose readings a day. After the sting of disapproval regarding the use of the ReLion meter and Fancy Feast (FF) pate, and hurried vet appointments from the parking lot, not to mention covid, I did not actively pursue w/ his vet. I gave him his anti-nausea med every day, and continued to monitor and feed him FF. Some days he has more balance issues (ie wobbily walk) than others, but overall doing well. The multiple glucose curves at the vet were not productive and expensive. Home testing gave more consistent results, but could not regulate insulin dosage, so stopped.
Two weeks ago my husband broke Oliver's food bowl. Oliver has also been eating more of the regular dry food that sibling gets, and less of the FF and kidney diet food of another sib.
Last couple days, he has barely eaten. FF or dry. He's vomiting occasionally. Small amounts of saliva. He puked up his meds Fri morning, as well as the small treats I gave him. Hubs is a home, and said he did not observe Oliver drinking, nor did he ask for FF. But hubs is not observant. When I got home, I used meter , and pre tested with control solution for first time in months. I was definitely not good at getting blood. I stopped counting at 8 sticks. His reading was 293. Vet had said she wanted between 100-300. Don't remember if she knew meter was 'human'.
One of the issues he has, is major teeth issues. Last dental advice (last June) was full extraction. That is when diabetes was discovered. No symptoms otherwise. Nothing dental has been done because of the balance issues and irregular glucose readings. Vet felt it was too risky. Couple months ago, Oliver coughed up his morning pill, and a tooth. It literally fell out of his mouth. Best described as 'icky.'
I don't believe that his eating pattern has changed just b/c his bowl was broken. He sniffs, and then walks away from FF flavor he likes. I'm worried that it is his mouth that is causingthe trouble. Ie, It hurts to eat, so he doesn't eat. Maybe drinking hurts too. I'm head to get better variety of FF flavors tomorrow.
He does not seem dehydrated, but he is not peeing as much as usual. And not hanging out in his super favorite places.
After vomiting very small amounts of saliva twice today, I gave him a 1/4 tab of 10 mg famotidine. It stayed down, and as a precaution, smeared honey on his lips. Better to be high than low. Did not give sub q fluids.
I will call the vet on Monday, dread calling ER vet. Appts are hard to find. I had a really bad experience in January with another cat who couldn't be seen, or euthanized at any ER clinic for 8 hours+, and no vet would come to the house. That was a rough weekend.
Am I missing something diabetic with Oliver? His body language, lack of activity, and not eating suggests something is going on, and he does not feel well. If the Relion meter isn't reliable, should I continue to take readings? When he was first diagnosed, he had minimal to zero symptoms, so I think current behavior is something different. I haven't tried syringe feeding.
(Sorry for the long post, I seemed to have a lot to say!)
Thanks for help in advance.
After Oliver's initial diagnosis last year, I dutifully gave him insulin shots for months; recorded everything he ate and when, and did multiple glucose readings a day. After the sting of disapproval regarding the use of the ReLion meter and Fancy Feast (FF) pate, and hurried vet appointments from the parking lot, not to mention covid, I did not actively pursue w/ his vet. I gave him his anti-nausea med every day, and continued to monitor and feed him FF. Some days he has more balance issues (ie wobbily walk) than others, but overall doing well. The multiple glucose curves at the vet were not productive and expensive. Home testing gave more consistent results, but could not regulate insulin dosage, so stopped.
Two weeks ago my husband broke Oliver's food bowl. Oliver has also been eating more of the regular dry food that sibling gets, and less of the FF and kidney diet food of another sib.
Last couple days, he has barely eaten. FF or dry. He's vomiting occasionally. Small amounts of saliva. He puked up his meds Fri morning, as well as the small treats I gave him. Hubs is a home, and said he did not observe Oliver drinking, nor did he ask for FF. But hubs is not observant. When I got home, I used meter , and pre tested with control solution for first time in months. I was definitely not good at getting blood. I stopped counting at 8 sticks. His reading was 293. Vet had said she wanted between 100-300. Don't remember if she knew meter was 'human'.
One of the issues he has, is major teeth issues. Last dental advice (last June) was full extraction. That is when diabetes was discovered. No symptoms otherwise. Nothing dental has been done because of the balance issues and irregular glucose readings. Vet felt it was too risky. Couple months ago, Oliver coughed up his morning pill, and a tooth. It literally fell out of his mouth. Best described as 'icky.'
I don't believe that his eating pattern has changed just b/c his bowl was broken. He sniffs, and then walks away from FF flavor he likes. I'm worried that it is his mouth that is causingthe trouble. Ie, It hurts to eat, so he doesn't eat. Maybe drinking hurts too. I'm head to get better variety of FF flavors tomorrow.
He does not seem dehydrated, but he is not peeing as much as usual. And not hanging out in his super favorite places.
After vomiting very small amounts of saliva twice today, I gave him a 1/4 tab of 10 mg famotidine. It stayed down, and as a precaution, smeared honey on his lips. Better to be high than low. Did not give sub q fluids.
I will call the vet on Monday, dread calling ER vet. Appts are hard to find. I had a really bad experience in January with another cat who couldn't be seen, or euthanized at any ER clinic for 8 hours+, and no vet would come to the house. That was a rough weekend.
Am I missing something diabetic with Oliver? His body language, lack of activity, and not eating suggests something is going on, and he does not feel well. If the Relion meter isn't reliable, should I continue to take readings? When he was first diagnosed, he had minimal to zero symptoms, so I think current behavior is something different. I haven't tried syringe feeding.
(Sorry for the long post, I seemed to have a lot to say!)
Thanks for help in advance.
. First one was a pain in the ass. Took me hours to clear it, and only b/c hubby came in with super hand strength at the end. And broke the funnel in the process. Second, I managed to clear myself. WOOT! 
