? Eating food vs not giving kibble

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Swati

Swati

Member Since 2021
Today is the second day of pure wet food and Stache is struggling. He was fine yesterday eating only wet food, today tho... He ate his breakfast too fast and threw it all up. Since then he's only consumed barely 90-100 calories. I've left the wet food out and he gives in, in fits and starts and eats bits off it but I'm worries that he's only had half his calories for the day (I'm not counting the calories he threw up this morning ... Or should I?). Anyway, my question is should I hold firm and just leave the wet food out and hope he eats it or should I give him a bit of kibble to up his calories intake?

He should way 10 lbs and I'm aiming for 180 daily calories.
 
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I'm guessing you haven't starting insulin yet -- which may be a good thing! Stache's numbers look good. Please keep an eye on his numbers. Normal blood glucose range is 50 - 120 and your cat is in normal range for at least part of the day.

Some cat's have a struggle with an abrupt switch to canned food. It may be worth making a slower transition. This is an article on transitioning your cat from dry to canned food. You can certainly go faster than what is outlined but I linked it so you had a feel for how to go about a transition.
 
Yup, I've read that article. I'm now rereading it. I asked Young Again for a sample of their mature zero so I can use that a little bit to give him the crunch he wants. From what I'm getting of the article I should out-stubborn him today. The foods there for him, he can eat it if he needs to. And then be a mindful tomorrow of his calorie intake and possibly give a little bit of kibble tomorrow of he isn't eating enough. Or should I throw a tinsy bit of kibble on top of his wet food to get him to eat a bit more? Thoughts?

And yes, no insulin yet. The pharmacy is taking forever with it but it's giving me the opportunity to transition his food and get a second opinion from a non-Banfield vet on Tuesday.
 
I'd be more concerned about how much Stache is eating if he was getting insulin. It's less of an issue at the moment. If he's looking miserable, I'd crush a few kibble and sprinkle the dust on the canned food to see if that will entice him to eat. It's entirely possible that his tummy is upset due to the quick switch. The thing you don't want to do is to create a food aversion. He may be leery of eating the same food that caused him to throw. up.

What insulin are you waiting for?
 
It's a different food from the one he threw up. And he does come and sniff and eat it every so often. But I'll try the kibble dust technique, thanks!

I feel like I've been transitioning slowly - over the course of a week (but maybe that's my own perception of slow).
 
Most pharmacies carry Lantus in stock. It's a widely used human insulin. You could have ordered it from Canada and that only takes about 10 days and is about 1/3 of the price of what you'd be paying in the US.

Did anyone mention to you that Semglee is a generic of Lantus (they are both glargine) and way cheaper than Lantus? It costs about the same as ordering from Canada. I would call the pharmacy and see if they can switch it out.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Did anyone mention to you that Semglee is a generic of Lantus (they are both glargine) and way cheaper than Lantus? It costs about the same as ordering from Canada. I would call the pharmacy and see if they can switch it out.
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Had not heard that! Thanks for the info. I'll see what I can do about switching. Would it be $99 or less? I found a coupon on the Lantus website that'll allow me to get the bottle for $99.
 
I'm honestly not sure of the price. Most of the people here who have purchased Semglee I think purchased the pens.

I'm tagging @Chris & China (GA) -- she may have more information on the pricing. I also think if you did a Google search you would be able to track it down.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Most of the people here who have purchased Semglee I think purchased the pens.
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In general is there a preference between pens or vials? I know the pens allow unused portions to last longer but I heard that even the vial can last for 6 months if you keep it in the fridge and don't jostle it too much.
 
Swati said:
True! Let me do that now.
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About $112 so my $99 lantus coupon would still be cheaper. I'll wait till my Tuesday vet appt for the second opinion and then purchase an insulin after that.

Thank you for all the info!
 
Swati said:
In general is there a preference between pens or vials? I know the pens allow unused portions to last longer but I heard that even the vial can last for 6 months if you keep it in the fridge and don't jostle it too much.
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I suspect he will be fairly low dose based on his numbers just with diet change, so I would try pens. A vial would likely last you 8+ months, which goes a little long for comfort for me, but I know people use them a long time.

I like the pens because the clock doesn't start ticking until you break the seal. So you're able to use it up usually well before it's been open too long.

Weigh cost per unit though - a 10mL vial is 1000 units, 3mL pens are 300 units.
 
FrostD said:
I like the pens because the clock doesn't start ticking until you break the seal. So you're able to use it up usually well before it's been open too long.
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Makes sense! I'll request a prescription for the pens.
 
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