Calorie Supplement-Not eating well

[Drea03]

Hello All,
My cat Milky is almost 18 he is hyperthyroid which has elevated his glucose and he's been back on insulin for about 6 months now. He has been getting Lantus .07 U SID-BID. His diet is fancy feast turkey and giblets and stella and chewys freeze dried raw. He was recently constipated and not feeling well. The Vets and I have been treating him with SQ fluids and some other things which have since helped him to have a few BM's, but the issue is that he is still not eating well at all. I have tried 5-6 different foods, tuna, different flavor S&C raw and he is still barely eating anything. I used to work in the veterinary field so I know my options for calorie supplements etc but with him being diabetic, I cannot seem to find or think of anything that doesn't contain a crap load of sugar that also has calories and nutritional supplements. Any ideas out there on how I can help to support him in this area? Thank you so much!

 

[Christie & Maverick]

This info post might give you some ideas on How to Stimulate Kitty's Appetite

Have you checked his potassium levels lately? Might be worth doing so, you have some concurrent issues (hyperT and diabetes, and at his age perhaps even some Kidney issues?) if he is low in potassium, that can cause constipation, lethargy, appetite loss among other things. I'd also see if there are some dental issues that are causing him to not want to eat well. You may need to consider also appetite stimulants if his appetite doesn't improve.

Hope this helps. Could you please remove the GA from the thread title? That indicates the cat has passed away (gone ahead or guardian angel).

Just curious, what syringes do you use to measure .07u of Lantus? That seems like quite a small dose.

 

[Drea03]

Thanks for the reply and the link. I never thought of oregano before. Good info. We were trying to wait until he felt a little better to do all his labs that way they would be more accurate but we might end up doing it sooner now. His teeth are ok, I have checked them multiple times and no issues noticed. I think a stimulant might also be in the cards here pretty soon. I was hoping there was a nutritional supplement out there somewhere or ideas to help in the meantime. He is also the devil at the Vets and you can't really do much to him without sedation. I used to be able to hold him when I worked there and get some things done but now it's very difficult especially because of his age, and me not being there, etc.

I use U-100 Ulta Care syringes with the half unit markings. His initial dose was 1.4U BID but his levels were getting too low so we lowered it. He is supposed to have a fructosamine test as well so we will see what his range looks like. I also test at home with Alphatrak2.

 

[Christie & Maverick]

You're welcome! There are potassium supplements you can give if he is indeed low, but it would need to be monitored, since being too high in potassium can be even more problematic (heart problems). I'm not sure what sub-q fluids you are giving but the LRS has potassium, so helpful if he is low but something to be aware of if you continue to use. It's hard when they get older, I know my guy hates the vetty visits, but if you have not had blood run in 6 months at your kitty's age, it's worth doing to at least rule out possible reasons why he's not feeling 100%. It's great you can check Milky's teeth! I can do the fronts, but getting a view of the back teeth is next to impossible! One thing to think about, some dental issues are hard to see without X-rays, what often happens is below the gum line, and not visible. Might account for him feeling poorly, if he has some pain he won't eat well.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Hi there I noticed your signature still says Vetsulin, can you please change it to lantus , that's the first thing members look at.
Just look to the right and you will see Thread Tools , click on that, you'll see edit thread , put lantus and hit save . I hope you can get Milky to eat

 

[Drea03]

You're welcome! There are potassium supplements you can give if he is indeed low, but it would need to be monitored, since being too high in potassium can be even more problematic (heart problems). I'm not sure what sub-q fluids you are giving but the LRS has potassium, so helpful if he is low but something to be aware of if you continue to use. It's hard when they get older, I know my guy hates the vetty visits, but if you have not had blood run in 6 months at your kitty's age, it's worth doing to at least rule out possible reasons why he's not feeling 100%. It's great you can check Milky's teeth! I can do the fronts, but getting a view of the back teeth is next to impossible! One thing to think about, some dental issues are hard to see without X-rays, what often happens is below the gum line, and not visible. Might account for him feeling poorly, if he has some pain he won't eat well.

Hello, yes I am giving LRS fluids. We did a full panel of blood work today and some add on tests as well as appetite stimulant and pain meds, etc. Hoping he perks up until we can figure out whats going on. I did get hom to lap up a little tuna juice a bit ago so thats a plus. I did find a supplement that might help some but it does have tapioca starch so we will see if the meds dont work I might get it and try. Thank you for your words and help

 

[Drea03]

Hi there I noticed your signature still says Vetsulin, can you please change it to lantus , that's the first thing members look at.
Just look to the right and you will see Thread Tools , click on that, you'll see edit thread , put lantus and hit save . I hope you can get Milky to eat

Hello, I just updated. Thank you for the reminder