Walter was diagnosed about 6 weeks ago. He never had any litter box problems. Since starting insulin he will pee in the litter box but poops all over the house. I'm desperate and do not know what to do. Still working on getting his levels down. Started at 680 with 1unit Prozinc. He is now 6 units and this morning pre shot was at 350 finally. He has lost a lot of weight. His poop is like soft serve ice cream. I feed him Friskies pate.
Help, desperate, Walter newly diagnosed
- Thread starter Terrypa
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Idjit's mom
Very Active Member
Welcome. I suggest you post this question in the Main forum, get more eyes on it, so you can get some advice. Take a look around the board, read the yellow tagged info and stickies at the top of the forums. It's all valuable information that helps with the sugar dance.
Kris & Teasel
Very Active Member
Welcome! You're on a very high dose at 6 units in a newly diagnosed cat. Was that series of increases from 1 u done weekly after a blood glucose curve done by the vet? Was the dose raised in 1 u increments? It's impossible to know with no blood glucose data to look at but he might be on too much insulin, dropping too low and that is making him feel ill. Sometimes the only way they can tell us that is by changing their litter box habits.
Would you be willing to learn to test his blood glucose at home? It really is the only way to monitor how Walter is responding to the ProZinc. They're often stressed at the clinic, resulting in higher than usual BGs. The vet can then decide to increase the insulin dose based on those inflated numbers and that can mean too much insulin.
Here's some home testing info to look at: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
Many owners find the idea of testing BG at home daunting, even more than giving insulin shots. It's a whole lot easier than you think and with a bit of practice you'll become a pro!
Would you be willing to learn to test his blood glucose at home? It really is the only way to monitor how Walter is responding to the ProZinc. They're often stressed at the clinic, resulting in higher than usual BGs. The vet can then decide to increase the insulin dose based on those inflated numbers and that can mean too much insulin.
Here's some home testing info to look at: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
Many owners find the idea of testing BG at home daunting, even more than giving insulin shots. It's a whole lot easier than you think and with a bit of practice you'll become a pro!
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Djamila
Very Active Member
I agree with Kris. The pooping issue is likely how Walter is telling you he isn't feeling well. If we can make some progress on getting his BG under control, it will hopefully resolve. And as Kris said, the best way to do that is going to be home testing so you can make proper dose adjustments based on the more accurate numbers you get at home.
My hunch is that you are home testing since you mentioned his BG this morning before breakfast. If that's right, let us know and we can help you get a spreadsheet going (we have one already made that you can use) and start to figure out how to get him feeling better.
As for the soft-serve, I would also suggest getting him on a probiotic. A lot of folks around here use s. boulardii. You just mix a little into food and most cats don't even notice it's there. You can also try slippery elm bark for a quicker fix. If you're interested in trying either of those, I can direct you to some more info.
I'm so sorry to hear that Walter (and you!) are having a hard time. This all takes a little time, but he really can get better. Hang in there and keep posting with your thoughts and questions. We've all been there and we're here to help.
My hunch is that you are home testing since you mentioned his BG this morning before breakfast. If that's right, let us know and we can help you get a spreadsheet going (we have one already made that you can use) and start to figure out how to get him feeling better.
As for the soft-serve, I would also suggest getting him on a probiotic. A lot of folks around here use s. boulardii. You just mix a little into food and most cats don't even notice it's there. You can also try slippery elm bark for a quicker fix. If you're interested in trying either of those, I can direct you to some more info.
I'm so sorry to hear that Walter (and you!) are having a hard time. This all takes a little time, but he really can get better. Hang in there and keep posting with your thoughts and questions. We've all been there and we're here to help.
Thank you so much for your replies. Walter was diagnosed at the end of April. They first thought he had a thyroid problem but then did a blood workup and stated he was diabetic. The vet tested him the next week to get a starting number which was around 730. He was started at 2 units. Than. ks to your website I have learned a lot about taking his bg at home. I feed him and give him his shot at 6 am and 6 p.m. right after eating. His bg keeps going up and down last Friday he was finally around 350 at 11 am. This morning he was back up again to 467 and the vet has increased him to 6.5 units. Walter is 14 years old we adopted him when he was around 2. He was abandoned in a house that was foreclosed on and locked in the house for 2 weeks living on toilet water and insects. Since being with us he has had a wonderful life with all the rest of the dogs, cats, and bunnies all rescued.
Back to Walter, he tends to be high in the morning, then around 11 goes back in the low to mid 300s. I feed him friskies puree which actually has more protein than the vet's food he wanted me to buy. I also give him a protein snack of tuna or turkey breast around 12 and then another can of friskies in the evening. He has never had a bowel problem or a litter box problem in the 12 years he has been with us. It seemed to have started within a week of the insulin. I have asked the vet and he keeps telling me it will get better but it hasn't.
Where can I get the slippery elm bark? What is it a pill or liquid? How much do I give? Walter has lost a lot of weight and is down to about 7 pounds.
Back to Walter, he tends to be high in the morning, then around 11 goes back in the low to mid 300s. I feed him friskies puree which actually has more protein than the vet's food he wanted me to buy. I also give him a protein snack of tuna or turkey breast around 12 and then another can of friskies in the evening. He has never had a bowel problem or a litter box problem in the 12 years he has been with us. It seemed to have started within a week of the insulin. I have asked the vet and he keeps telling me it will get better but it hasn't.
Where can I get the slippery elm bark? What is it a pill or liquid? How much do I give? Walter has lost a lot of weight and is down to about 7 pounds.
Yong & Maury GA
Very Active Member
Welcome!
Your situation reminds me of when I took my boy to the Vet. We thought it was hyperthyroidism but the blood work came back as him being diabetic. There are lots of wonderful people here to help you and Walter do the sugar dance
. My job doesn't leave me much energy to be as active as I was 
but I do have to suspect his dose has been increased by too much too quickly, which can also result in his BG staying higher. The Spreadsheet is an invaluable tool .
Your situation reminds me of when I took my boy to the Vet. We thought it was hyperthyroidism but the blood work came back as him being diabetic. There are lots of wonderful people here to help you and Walter do the sugar dance
. My job doesn't leave me much energy to be as active as I was but I do have to suspect his dose has been increased by too much too quickly, which can also result in his BG staying higher. The Spreadsheet is an invaluable tool .
Djamila
Very Active Member
This site will explain about Slipper Elm: http://felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm#SEB_cautions and give some suggestions on where to buy it.
Here is the link to setting up a spreadsheet so we can understand the numbers you're seeing: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
Once you get that set up and some data entered, we'll be better able to see if we can help you figure out what's going on, and what to do about those numbers.
Please ask if you have any trouble setting it up, or figuring out what goes in which box. You can also look at our spreadsheets in our signatures for some examples.
Here is the link to setting up a spreadsheet so we can understand the numbers you're seeing: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
Once you get that set up and some data entered, we'll be better able to see if we can help you figure out what's going on, and what to do about those numbers.
Please ask if you have any trouble setting it up, or figuring out what goes in which box. You can also look at our spreadsheets in our signatures for some examples.
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