Can Diabetes or Insulin cause appetite loss?

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LadyGrey

LadyGrey

Member Since 2019
Newbie here! Great source of info here, THANKS!
I have multiple issues, so may not be cut&dry. William got diagnosed with Diabetes 3 weeks ago, caused by a month of steroids to reduce minor swelling in intestines. (yeah, not good prognosis, but I'm winging it, one issue at a time) Swelling has not advanced, but vet took him off steroids to focus on the diabetes.

William Loves food, and has been on prescription diet for Struvite Crystals most of life, currently on Purina UR. However, since starting injections, 1 unit, twice day, Lantos/Glargin, 3 weeks ago, his appetite has gone way down. I had started him on GlycoBalance both canned and Kibble for treats. I thought it was because of the diet change, he does NOT like GlycoCanned, but now won't eat the Purina, or Royal Canin SO Pate, Loves kibble, but he's starting to back off that. Gotta get food into him before each injection AND in General! Started FancyFeast Classic Pates and babyfood & was okay for a few bites. Just last night a friend spoonfed him and it worked great! did that this morning, but it's still a slow process and Not Normal.
SO to my question, Can Diabetes or Insulin cause this? Thank you in advance!
 
Most commonly an unregulated diabetic's appetite is excessive but that is not always the case. It sounds though like this lack of appetite is a recent development. If appetite was just lower than it had been, I'd think it might be that BG was under reasonable control but it sounds like he is not interested in eating much at all. Not having any information about what BG is like these days, my first concern would be ketones which can result from ongoing high BG and not enough food/insulin. Usually there is some sort of inflammation/infection involved as well and with the bowel issue in the picture, definitely something to be considered.

I highly recommend you get some Ketostix at the local pharmacy and test William's urine for ketones. Make sure to read the strip in good lighting and follow the reading time instructions. Any reading above trace is cause for a vet consult. Ketones can increase rapidly and lead to a condition called DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) which is very serious, hard and expensive to treat and can be fatal.

If you are unable to test William's urine at home (some kitties are very shy about their LB time) and William is showing any additional signs of not feeling well such as lethargy, hiding, lack of interest in your attention etc. then I would recommend a vet visit to have them check for ketones ASAP.

While it's possible for a cat to react adversely to any medication, I'm not aware of lack of appetite being a known side effect of Glargine.
 
Thank you for your response MrWorfMen's Mom!
His BG averages daily 130-180 mg/dl, the vet said he's Borderline Diabetic at this point. I'm doing a curve today to see how his numbers run. He's doing well behaviorally, loves attention and not hiding. He still wakes me up early for breakfast and yowls for food at dinner, it's just when it's in front of him that he loses interest after a bite, I get the sense he's still hungry, but maybe the food makes him nauseous?
I will look for a Ketostix today and see what I can get from that.
 
BG is pretty good so maybe your Little Lion (love that!) is just being ultra fussy and a different food option would spur his appetite on. I've heard a lot of folks say their cat was fine with those prescription diets for a time and then totally refuses to eat them. If there is still dry food in the mix, removing the dry might bring BG down even more. Very important however to withdraw the dry carefully and keep monitoring because it can have a significant lowering effect on BG and in some cases be enough to put kitty into remission.
 
LadyGrey, William is darling, and welcome both of you to FDMB. Would you consider setting up the spreadsheet so that we can see the BG readings that you have so far, and which you will getting going forward? It's not a requirement to be using insulin to record the BG data, then if insulin does become a factor, it's all set up and ready.

If you need help with the spreadsheet set up, please let us know. There are members who can assist or set it up for you.
 
Now that I discovered the SpoonFeed trick I may not need to rely on the Dry to get something into his belly. I traditionally reserve it for treats, a Tsp in food puzzles or lately to get him to sit still for testing.
He does this behavior when a furball is involved. I've been hoping he would Vomit and All would be well. The weird part is, he still noses the food puzzles around with his KittyBuddy Charlie, but doesn't always eat them now, just like a Catch & Release. We'll see how he does at the next meal.
 
LadyGrey, would you mind editing the signature to provide additional information on William?

You can use the Profile area to expand on what isn't included in the signature.

kitty's name/age/date of diabetes diagnosis/insulin you're using and dosage amount /glucose meter you're using/what he eats/any other meds or health issues he has. You can add your name, and a geographic location (sometimes the country/time zone matters) Be sure to SAVE when you are finished.

Thanks very much.
 
He ATE the WHOLE CAN for dinner with (almost) no coaxing!!! First time in TWO Weeks! Geezz. Now I just hopes he does it again in the morning AND that the FancyFeast doesn't screw up his Struvite tendencies. If he continues eating regularly will try put him back on his old prescription (JUST the ones he LIKES not GlycoBalance). **phew!**
 
Thrilled to hear William ate with gusto last night and hope the trend continues. Some of the prescription wet food is higher in carbs that ideal for diabetics, "SO" being one of them (I think it's around 14%) so if you can get William on a brand under 10% carbs and preferably no higher than 6%, it will help you get his BG regulated.
 
Thank you for the Carb Content info, really good to know. His favorite was the Purina UR (still have a Case of the stuff) I'll research that Carb content of that and maybe start there.
Unfortunately, this morning it was 2 bites and walked away again. But he's still hungry and runs to the dish when I put it down. I spoonfed him the rest and he really went after it.
I will tell the vet in my Glucose Report to her this morning.
 
If William doesn't like the prescription food, you can return it to the vet for a refund. The manufacturer will reimburse the vet.

Not sure if anyone mentioned it but we have a food list with carb levels already calculated, assembled by a veterinarian. Have a look HERE for options. :)
 
Great list, Thanks! Wow, the SO is High, I'll review the list & see what the options are. That's good to know the manufacturer refunds the vet. Chewy.com has been very good in the past about refunds for me and donating unwanted food to local organizations.
 
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