Diabetic cat with diarrhea

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Frank&Lionel

Frank&Lionel

Member Since 2019
hello! New to this group, but my cat was diagnosed with diabetes on June 1 rst, I have been bringing him in for fructosamine test every 30 days, my vet never mentioned home testing, but all of a sudden last night he puked like 5 times and had diarrhea for the last 24 hrs, he hasn’t puked again since last night but had another liquid poop, he is eating under 10% carb food, nothing has changed, he usually gets 2 IU at 10 pm but wondering if he shouldn’t get any tonight cause of his poops! Any help is appreciated thanks
 
It could just be an upset stomach but it could also be something like pancreatitis. My girls flare ups usually start with vomiting and diarrhea. How is his appetite? Does he seem like he might he nauseous?
 
he does have a sensitive stomach and it’s not unusual for him to have loose stool but it seems to be worse and a longer period then usual. He is always hungry and is still eating normal and drinking, but he does seem a little less active then usual, hoping it’s just a bug since he is keeping his food down now.
Sarah&Soph said:
It could just be an upset stomach but it could also be something like pancreatitis. My girls flare ups usually start with vomiting and diarrhea. How is his appetite? Does he seem like he might he nauseous?
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Well it’s good he’s keeping food down! You can try adding some canned pumpkin to his food to help with the diarrhea or maybe some probiotics. But if he keeps vomiting or the diarrhea doesn’t clear up, it would probably be a good idea to take him to the vet.

Also, as someone who has spent hundreds of dollars on fructosamines, they really are not useful at all for managing diabetes and dose adjustments, they’re really only helpful for the initial diagnosis. Home testing is the best way to manage Lionel’s diabetes. And it’s much cheaper!
 
Sarah&Soph said:
Well it’s good he’s keeping food down! You can try adding some canned pumpkin to his food to help with the diarrhea or maybe some probiotics. But if he keeps vomiting or the diarrhea doesn’t clear up, it would probably be a good idea to take him to the vet.

Also, as someone who has spent hundreds of dollars on fructosamines, they really are not useful at all for managing diabetes and dose adjustments, they’re really only helpful for the initial diagnosis. Home testing is the best way to manage Lionel’s diabetes. And it’s much cheaper!
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Yes that’s what everyone is telling me but my actual vet, he also has really bad teeth, I have a feeling it’s going to be impossible to regulate til he gets his teeth removed, unfortunately I can’t afford it right now, he is also almost 13, my other cat has hyperthyroid, so all these vet bills wasn’t something I was expecting, but going to look into a home meter once i m back at work, if he is still acting weird Monday I ll have to bring him in again, and lord knows I can’t handle anymore cat sicknesses financially or mentally:(
 
Oh yeah, teeth can definitely contribute to blood sugar issues and I know myself how expensive dentals can be! But throwing money at fructosamine tests won’t help you get any closer to regulation - I spent over $1000 trying to regulate Sophie’s diabetes before I started home testing, nearly $2800 if include the bill for her hypo emergency visit. And I was a graduate student at the time, so it’s not like I had a whole lot of extra money lying around lol. Within 2 months of starting home testing, she was in remission. And at $18 for 100 test strips and $2 for 100 lancets, she’ll be long gone before the cost of testing supplies ever catches up to how much I spent in vet bills!
 
Hi Frank and Lionel, welcome to FDMB. I'm sorry to hear that kitty is not feeling well and having some gastro problems. Here is some information on pancreatitis so that you understand what might be happening.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/a-primer-on-pancreatitis.83108/

Home testing doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, and as Sarah&Soph told you, the cost doesn't even approach vet visits to find out what the blood sugar is. Many vets don't suggest or support home testing, either through ignorance or for the fact that people coming to the clinic for blood sugar testing supports the vet and the clinic. It doesn't hurt the cat, it saves elevated blood sugar because of travel and what we call "vet visit stress", and it doesn't affect the loving bonds we have with our cats. Many kitties here run to the testing station when they hear the strip bottle rattle because they get a treat. And some actually have alerted their humans when the BG (blood glucose) was low so they got tested and a hypo (blood sugar too low) was averted.

You can go to Walmart and pick up a ReliOn Prime glucometer for about $10, and 50 strips are less than $10. A box of 26 or 28 gauge lancets is a couple of bucks. A fructosamine test is usually done to confirm diagnosis, but after that it only going to give you an average of blood sugar for the last few weeks. Home testing is going to show you what the blood sugar is right now, if it's too high, too low or ok. When recorded on the spreadsheet we use here, it shows from test to test, day to day how the insulin is working and if the dose is effective, or again, too high or too low.

It takes time to learn, but when you have the process down, it literally only takes minutes and it could save your kitty's life if he ever has a hypoglycemic event.

Please consider this, and let us know..we have testing videos, tips, and members are always happy to share what worked for them.
 
Perfect thanks for all the info, he woke me up this morning purring and walking on my head board, he is feeling a lot better, must of been a bug. Definitely going to look into home testing, he is really easy going so I don’t think we ll have a problem, when we start I ll definitely be asking for some help so we ll be talking again soon lol thanks
 
The home testing with the Walmart setup is very affordable. Testing will help you get Lionel on the best path to regulation. That means fewer vet visits for testing and the advice here is likely better than the advice from your vet. Most vets don't have experience managing diabetes and are unable to provide good advice.
 
Sarah&Soph said:
So glad he’s feeling[/QUOTE

So it is back again today :( and I can’t get him into the vet til tomorrow, he puked out all the food he ate today and is still having bad diarrhea so wondering if I should skip his shot tonight, I am going to skip it, he is too empty and because I don’t home test it’s the safest, any advice to help him threw the night? He hasn’t skipped a shot in 3 months, he should be fine though eh? He is drinking and eating when fed but was puking, just gave him a little and it has stayed down
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Oh, poor bud ): How much are you feeding him? Maybe try feeding him some small meals and see if that helps him keep it down? If it were my kitty, I would have him tested for pancreatitis just to be sure. If you do, it’s best to get the spec fPL test which has to be sent out, instead of the snap test that is done in house. I’ve heard it’s more accurate. Hopefully they can get him feeling better tomorrow!
 
Sarah&Soph said:
Oh, poor bud ): How much are you feeding him? Maybe try feeding him some small meals and see if that helps him keep it down? If it were my kitty, I would have him tested for pancreatitis just to be sure. If you do, it’s best to get the spec fPL test which has to be sent out, instead of the snap test that is done in house. I’ve heard it’s more accurate. Hopefully they can get him feeling better tomorrow!
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I can’t get him into the vet til Friday, unless I wanna pay $300 Emergercy fee, this am he has ate and had a hard poop, I didn’t give him his insulin this am either though, my vet is suppose to call me this afternoon to chat so hopefully they give some tips, but small meals only today and keeping an eye on him,
 
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