Appetite Loss

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

DragonFly

Member Since 2015
My Delsey was diagnosed with T2 just a week ago. Her fructosamine level was 380. Vet prescribed Lantus. 1U, twice daily.

Delsey is 16 years old, about 4.5 lbs (she has always been tiny).

We started her 1st dose 2 days ago. Her pre-shot test was 251 mg/dL (we use a Walgreens TrueResult meter). That night we both had to work till very late unexpectedly and so we were forced to skip her second dose.

Next morning (yesterday), her pre-shot level was 187, plus she wasn't interested in her breakfast at all, so we didn't shoot. Here is the thing, ever since the first day, we notice that she has lost her appetite. She always has health appetite before. Now, she mostly nibbles at it here and there. So yesterday night because my wife didn't see her eating all that much all day and Delsey wasn't cooperative at all when we tried to measure her BG, so didn't give her the shot either.

So here we are at the third day, her appetite is not back yet. Is it something I should be alarmed of? Is it a temporary condition when her body is adjusting to the medication?
 
Hello and Welcome!

Rhonda is right, for a kitty that tiny we'd start at a dose of .5U. No matter whether you use the Tight Regulation Protocol or the Start Low Go Slow Method to determine dosing, we would have suggested .5U to start. A fructosamine of 380 is not far above the normal range for fructosamines. I've seen 190-365 as the reference range. Some kitties just need very small amounts of insulin. When people are new to diagnosis, we first suggest no shots below 200 on the Feline Health forum.

One other thing, we've heard a lot of issues with meters with the name "True" in them and not working well for testing kitties blood sugar. Any chance you could pick up another brand of meter and try testing with that?

What food was Delsey eating before her diabetes diagnosis? What is she eating now? A food change may cause some digestive issues, sometimes slower changes are best. Here are some tips on Stimulating a Kitty's Appetite.
 
Hi Rhonda,sorry I don't know the answer to that one, not enough experience. Was just going to suggest Wendy but see she has posted while I'm still typing, great advice. Good luck and welcome.
 
So you have the information, the initial dose of Lantus (or Levemir) is determined by a weight based formula:
initial dose = 0.25 x ideal weight in kilograms = 0.25 x 2.04 kg = 0.51u​

When you say Delsey was diagnosed with T2, what do you mean? I'm sort of assuming you mean feline diabetes (i.e., Type 2 diabetes) but T2 also can refer to thyroid function.

Did you happen to get any additional tests beyond your pre-shot test? Lantus dosing is based on the lowest point in the cycle (i.e., the nadir) which can fall somewhere around mid-cycle -- although that can vary. If you can get some spot checks, it might help to sort out wny Delsey's appetite is off. Did your vet happen to run any other blood tests when you got the fructosamine level?
 
Sorry Rhonda. I don't know the answer either. Not enough experience. However, I see Wendy & Sienne (very experienced)have posted with very good advice.:)
 
Thanks Wendy and Sienne. I didn't see you online when I posted that. :) I don't think I have enough experience either. Was just going by the formula I had seen before.
 
Sorry for the belated reply, been working long hours.

Anyway, let me answer the questions asked.

Not sure this is her ideal weight or not but she has always been skinny and tiny ever since she was a baby. None of the vets she has ever seen has said anything about her size, so I guess it's probably her ideal weight.

Yes, by T2 I meant type 2 diabetes ... sorry for the erroneous short hand.

Pretty much all her life, we fed her dry food. For the last 7 or so years, Purina One. Then for the past few 3 years we have been giving her Natural Balance and Newman's Own canned food as treats, 2, may be 3 days a week. Then when the vet first suspected she is diabetic, we switched her completely to low carb canned foods ... Tiki Cat and Weruva.

We has not done a curve for her yet. It's very difficult as we both work long hours most of the times. And I don't know why, it take both of us to do the glucose test. Everyone says the test is not painful to the cat but our Delsey resists it much. It is very hard for us to get the sample from her.

The Lantus dosage was prescribed by the vet and she told us that 1U is very low dose.

Anyway, my wife is off half day today she says Delsey's appetite seems to be OK.

So, back to my original question. Does the Lantus kill her appetite because the dosage is too high?
 
It might not be the actual insulin killing her appetite, but too much insulin may be making her feel unwell. Usually, when a cat goes low, they are hungrier. But I suppose she could not like the feeling and it may make her not eat. That's why testing mid cycle is so important. If you are having trouble testing, here is a link to some tips that may help. Where are you located? Perhaps there are members who live in your area and could help you and your wife ( and Delsey) learn to test.

I don't mean to question your vet, but do you know how much experience she has with diabetic cats? Most people here will tell you that their vet started them on a higher dose than we recommend. I was one of those. I couldn't figure out why Cinco's numbers weren't coming down. Turns out, he was getting too much insulin and it was having the opposite effect from what we wanted. When I followed the formula you've been given and reduced his dose, we started making progress. Most vets assume that their clients are not going to spend a lot of time and effort to manage their kitty's FD, so they don't give you a lot of in depth info. You'll find plenty of that info here. If you haven't already done so, please read the stickies at the top of the L&L page. TONS of great, helpful info there.

Welcome to Lantus & Levemir Land, the nicest place you never wanted to be!
 
This morning Delsey was eager for her breakfast like she'd always been before. YES! Seems like her appetite is back. I think we'll observe her for another day or two before giving her the Lantus again. And, I will try only half the prescribed dosage and see if it makes any difference.

Meanwhile, we will read up and watch more videos on testing. Delsey never likes to be "handled" and that definitely adds to the difficulty. We rubbed her ears and even tried the warm rice, but still it would take more than a few lancing to get a sample.
 
Here is a post on Testing & Shooting tips - maybe something there will be helpful to you guys. You do want to work on getting the testing down, especially since Delsey may not need much insulin and you don't want to overdose her.

When I got here people told me punkin would get used to it, but I was pulling him out from under furniture, hoping I didn't dislocate his little arms or anything, in order to test. In fact, we had to wrap him up like a tight little burrito for 2 weeks in order to test him. I found videos on how to do that on youtube. We wrapped him really tightly, pinned his front legs down to his chest so he couldn't crawl out of the bath towel. He looked like a little shrimp! I did it because I was convinced that he HAD to have it in order to be safe, and as his "mom" it was my job to make him do it. That helped me resist feeling guilty because I was making him unhappy. After a couple of weeks, he gave up and resigned himself to it.

One thing you may be running into is that it takes about 2 weeks of poking before you get blood all the time. The poking stimulates the growth of new capillaries - and after a couple of weeks Delsey will likely give up fighting you, and will also give blood pretty much with every poke. I posted a picture of a flashlight that I used in that tips post, that way I could see where the capillaries were and aim for one. That helped a lot.

Also, always give a treat every time you poke, whether or not there is blood. That way Delsey will associate the testing with a treat. We boiled chicken breasts, cut them into 1/2" cubes, froze most of it and kept a couple of tablespoons in the fridge for pokey treats. It was amazing how much punkin tolerated for one little cube.

And welcome - glad to have you here in Lantus/Lev Land! The best place you never wanted to be. :) Ask as many questions as you have - we've all been in your shoes and we understand how overwhelming it can be.
 
Thanks for the link. Still reading through it. Anyway, today, Delsey is very active and affectionate. So, it's a good sign I believe. We will observe her over the weekend and determine our next course of action.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top