Angela with Lugh New Member June 15, 2024 BS 631

[Angela and Lugh]

I went to a new vet Wednesday. I thought he might be okay. We went again this morning to check his blood sugar before food and insulin. This is my daughter’s cat and he lives with her. Turns out he threw up all his food last night. He did the same thing Wednesday night. Wednesday his blood sugar was 321. Long story short his BS WAS 631 this morning. Vet said to go up from three units of Vetsulin to five and come back in two weeks. Gave me a print out of hypo symptoms and said give karo if it happens and call him. Guess I will go back to the old vet. This one doesn’t make sense to me. He would not evengive him SubQ fluids. Said he wasn’t that dehydrated No I don’t test at home. I have been unsuccessful with doing it. The cat does not cooperate. We had been going once or twice a week to the vet so he could test him. His blood sugar vacillates so much. Most likely caused by a Percorten injection he takes for Addison’s disease. He has been in the low thirties to sky high. I do have a spread sheet that I try to keep up. He has one other bloodwork that I have not posted yet.
The old vet said he was in end stage CKD. We had scheduled him for euthanasia but decided to take him to an ER clinic an hour and a half away. They said he has stage 1 CKD and possibly triaditis or pancreatitis with IBD. We could not afford everything they wanted to do. But the regular vet tested him and he did have pancreatitis. He gave him a Convenia shot which I let him do because he wasn’t going to give him anything else.
im tired and I’m overwhelmed. My daughter is disabled and thinks it’s time to let him go.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1o-Qnn3dzhe5J7Y0uiYN1_kBj_imZIboZJfQKUq6mgVY/edit

MEDICATION LUGH

Prednisolone .35ml 2x. 3mg/1ml
Percorten injection every 25 days
Ondansetron liquid 4mg/ 1ml 2 x
Insulin—Vetsulin 3 units 2x (amount changes because of Percorten injection)
Milk Thistle—Pet Wellbeing 8 drops 1x STOPPED is this making him vomit
Slippery Elm Bark—Wild and Organic .45ml 1x

S Boulardii + MOS —Jarrow’s one capsule makes three servings

FortiFlora 1/2 package 2 x

Inulin 1/4 tsp 1 x


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-Qq7xSb9wxaOK6dtUyQmnBx-SWY7ZeNjyx_r4dyByI0/edit

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I suspect you need a vet that is more up to date on diabetes treatment.

If you can't test your cat using a glucometer, many vets will suggest a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) such as the Freestyle Libre. There is a sensor that is attached to the cat (it needs to be replaced every 2 weeks) and you can see the blood glucose levels on your phone.

Did the vet test for ketones? If Lugh has been vomiting, you need to be sure he's not got something medical going on. An infection or inflammation can cause ketones to develop. You can test for ketones at home using Ketostix. Pharmacies carry these. They are a urine test.

Vetsulin is not a great insulin for treating feline diabetes. It is harsh and acts fast. You also need to be sure to feed Lugh 30 min before an injection. 5u of Vetsulin is a big dose. It's especially a big dose if you can't home test.

What are you feeding Lugh? We recommend a low carbohydrate, canned food diet. Brands like Fancy Feast and Friskies have varieties of their pate-style food that are low in carbs and not overly expensive.

 

[Angela and Lugh]

I won’t be returning to this vet. I was trying a new one. He didn’t test him for anything except glucose. I asked for fluids and he said he wasn’t that dehydrated! I always feed Lugh first then wait almost thirty minutes sometimes more before giving him his insulin. I gave him 4 units yesterday morning and went back to three last night. He get Tiki Cat Chicken, Tiki cat ahi tuna and chicken, Tiki cat sardines, Weruva WX, and Weruva BFF Plat pate. The highest carb is the BFF and it is around 5 ME or 7.7 DMB. I used to feed him Fancy feast but I stopped because he quit eating it.
I joined the Freestyle Libre group on Facebook. The vet I have been using for a year thinks they are STUPID! Lugh is so thin right now. I need to do some more research on this. I watched the video where they were applying it.
I will have to check if there are any instructions about testing the urine for ketones. I don’t know how to it.
We are likely dealing with IBD plus pancreatitis. They gave him a Convenia shot about a month ago and he started feeling better. He ran his WBC again last week and the only thing still off was monocytes. His electrolytes are always off. I don’t know why and neither does this vet. The ER vet doubted the diagnosis of Addison’s because the two prior months before the ACTH test he had depomedrol injections.
All I can say is everything is so messed up and the vet I saw Saturday was number 6.
Maybe I can ask for ProZinc instead of Vetsullin. Would that be better?
I appreciate your response and information. Thank you so much.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

It seems like you're good on the food front.

Providing you can either get a urine sample or put a ketone test strip in your cat's urine stream, testing for ketones is not difficult. You can get Ketostix at any pharmacy. They are strips that have a "paper" at the end that's treated to show ketone levels. You follow the instructions that come with the container and then match the color on the strip to the color key on the container.

If Lugh has pancreatitis, this post, our Primer on Pancreatitis, may be helpful. I would point out that the only indication for Convenia is skin infections. Vets like to use it because it lasts at least 2 weeks. Other than giving your cat an antibiotic that likely won't be effective with the problem, if your cat happens to be allergic to Convenia and it has a long duration, you then have a major issue. Many vets won't use it for that reason and I won't allow my vet to use it with my cats. You may want to take a look at this information on Convenia from a vet.

If IBD is an issue, you may want to consider feeding Lugh a novel protein. There are foods that are low carb and not the usual proteins. Several of us with IBD cats also feed a raw diet. It may be something to think about.

Prozinc would be an excellent choice of insulin. The two insulins that are recommended by the American Animal Hospital Assn are Prozinc and Lantus (glargine).

Does there happen to be a cat only vet practice in your area? Maybe that would be an option.