Desperate - need ideas

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Lori and Casper

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Casper has been a diabetic for two years. This forum helped us get through the first VERY TOUGH few months, and he has been doing exceptionally well until about a month ago. He has been gradually needing less insulin, and at that point he was getting 1 unit Vetsulin bid. Now he has pretty much has quit eating. Our vet, who has been an incredible support through this, can't find anything medically wrong with him. His numbers are great, he doesn't have ketones, etc. but he keeps losing weight because he turns his nose up at everything I put in front of him. He is now down to 1 unit once a day and we are thinking of taking him off insulin totally to see if he's having some sort of adverse reactionn to the insulin. His bladder is not enlarged, he is not drinking excessively. He does occasionally throw up, but it does not seem to be related to blood sugar numbers or full/empty stomach or anything. Then he REALLY doesn't want to eat. He basically just acts depressed. It's kind of like he's fading away and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Does anyone have a suggestion?
 
Has he had an x-ray to check for any hidden tumors? (worst case scenario, I know :sad: ) Has he recently had a full blood panel done to check all the basics? Is it possible he has a large hairball stuck in his stomach? What is his breathing rate per min while sleeping/relaxed? It should be around 20 bpm give or take a few.

Also, I am sure you are aware, but Vetsulin has been recalled due to inconsistencies in its production and effectiveness. It might be a good time to stop giving it if you think he may be at that point anyway.
 
Kelly and Oscar,
He is breathing 19 bpm, so he's not panting. The only sign I see of distress is sometimes his pupils will be very large, and sometimes he acts confused. We haven't done x-rays, but the vet did do a very thorough physical exam and said he did not feel constipated or anything like that. Oddly, he has had fairly normal bowel movements (although I'm not sure how he manages that with the little bit he eats)... We are on our last bottle of Vetsulin. It's unfortunate, because we were able to regulate him successfully on it for so long, but he's needing less and less anyway. We are hoping to become diet-controlled, if we can make it through whatever this is. He is 12 years old, but due to previous health problems, he can't physically handle any type of major surgery; he just doesn't handle the anesthetic (or invasive procedures at all). So... I'm hoping we can pull through this episode. Thanks for the suggestions - just hearing a "voice" helps!
 
are you feeding him fancy feast flavors? There is a thread around here about how cat's are turning up their noses at the new fancy feast cans. The ones with the new labels on them. Not sure if that is what you are doing, but I know mocha won't eat the turkey and giblets anymore. Just an idea
 
Has he been tested for pancreatitis? Oddly enough, Gandalf seemed to need less insulin while he was having his first acute bout of pancreatitis, even when he was eating OK. I have no explanation for it other than perhaps his body wasn't able to process the food properly and that contributed to the less insulin need.

The test is called f(feline)PLI. It requires bloodwork be sent to Texas A&M as they developed the test. It's the only accurate test for pancreatitis. More info here: http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/gilab/assays/cPLI.shtml

Good luck!
 
Lori, have they checked his Thyroid levels? That can cause those symptoms, although usually the appetite is increased, not decreased.

Are you still testing him and making sue his BG is stable throughout the cycle? No deep drops or big spikes?

If you are almost out of vetsulin, I would suggest switching to levemir or lantus. I used vetsulin with Beau for two years and can say that levemir was as easy to use (different) and the numbers were much more consistent. Beau is OTJ now after 3 months on lev.

Beau has also lost a lot of weight recently and was not eating well. In fact all my cats are somewhat off their food. I feed Friskies pate flavors and fancy feast. Lately, I have been introducing some other brands in trying to spark their interest. Anyway, Beau had a complete blood work up and thorough physical exam and the vet found nothing unusual except his thyroid was low. Beau has hyperT and was over medicated. His body temp was low also and he was sleeping under the down comforter all the time.

He is doing better with the lower thyroid med, but still not eating great. I follow him around with the dish coaxing him to eat, warming it up, adding tuna flakes. I can get him to eat "enough" to not lose more weight, but that's it. He is one of those cats that will walk away if anyone else come to his dish while he is eating, or if I walk past him, or the sun shines, or the wind blows... He also seems to be put off by the other diabetic I adopted. They don't fight but I think Beau is actually hurt that I am testing someone else and not him. So I am spending special time with him every day now.

How much weight has he lost? And how fast? Is he underweight? How many ounces of food do you think he is eating per day? Maybe he is so regulated that he doesn't need to eat as much as he did when he was not as regulated.

Prayers for Casper to feel better and start eating again!
 
I will ask the vet tomorrow about thyroid and pancreatitis. AND HE DOES EAT FANCY FEAST!!!!! All of this started about the time they changed the cans. He has gone from 15 pounds to 12 and a half over the past few months, with sharper drops recently. If he won't eat the FF because they changed it, what in the world am I going to do? I've tried the totally fish pouches (I forget the name, maybe purfectly fish or something like that), but he doesn't like the chunks. We've even tried Hills AD because he desperately needs nutritients, even though it is not designed for diabetics. I think he's still technically overweight, but he's pretty bony.

Thanks to all for the support and suggestions - I really appreciate everyone's comments!
 
If you have any of the pet food warehouses (PetSmart, PetCo, etc ? try going there and checking for old label FF. I did that just this last weekend and a manager even helped we with my haul :-) He said that they can end up with the old labels for longer because they have more stored than the grocers and Walmarts. My cats won't touch the new labels, but dig into the old labels I found.

Otherwise head back to the Janet and Binky tables. I have found that mine also really like the lower carbed Sophisticat pates and the Pro-Plan Chicken and Liver. Pro-Plan is also Purina and I was worried, but it looked like the old FF.
 
Lori and Casper said:
Kelly and Oscar,
The only sign I see of distress is sometimes his pupils will be very large, and sometimes he acts confused.
Click to expand...

What are his BG levels at the time he's acting this way?

Also, please have his blood pressure checked while at the vet. Dilated pupils can be a sign of high blood pressure; hypertension can cause vision problems and blindness.

Have you had a full blood panel run recently (to check liver, kidneys, etc.)?
 
Lori and Casper said:
Casper has been a diabetic for two years. This forum helped us get through the first VERY TOUGH few months, and he has been doing exceptionally well until about a month ago. He has been gradually needing less insulin, and at that point he was getting 1 unit Vetsulin bid. Now he has pretty much has quit eating. Our vet, who has been an incredible support through this, can't find anything medically wrong with him. His numbers are great, he doesn't have ketones, etc. but he keeps losing weight because he turns his nose up at everything I put in front of him. He is now down to 1 unit once a day and we are thinking of taking him off insulin totally to see if he's having some sort of adverse reactionn to the insulin. His bladder is not enlarged, he is not drinking excessively. He does occasionally throw up, but it does not seem to be related to blood sugar numbers or full/empty stomach or anything. Then he REALLY doesn't want to eat. He basically just acts depressed. It's kind of like he's fading away and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Does anyone have a suggestion?
Click to expand...

I also encourage having the fPLI done rule out pancreatitis. This test now can be done through IDEXX labs and has a faster turn around than when sent to Texas A&M who no longer runs the fPLI w/o testing B12 as well. Pancreatitis usually causes nausea resulting in refusal to eat. Ask your vet if he/she is willing to consider a medication for acid reduction, such as pepcid, and a medication for nausea (something other than reglan) to see if this can help with refusal to eat. Not all cats who are nauseated are vomiting. Some may simply stop eating. Also might want to consider gentle assisted feeding as well.
Sunshine and BA
 
He needs full bloodwork including T4, as everyone said, plus a blood pressure, plus an abdominal ultrasound. The sooner the better.
 
I also voice my opinion for at least a senior blood panel. This should give more info on what may be going on.

Yes, there are some issues going on with FF and Friskies since they changed the labels. My guys won't eat their Friskies. I have gone to Sophisticat and 9-Lives. So far, so good.

We still need to email Purina and keep complaining so they can let us know what changed...............
 
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