Help with newly diagnosed diabetic with FIV/mycoplasma

[BridgetD]

Hello,
A stray cat showed up at our house and adopted is two years ago. He started losing weight in December and when we took him to vet found out he was FIV positive and also had to forms of mycoplasma and anemia. His blood sugar and kidney function was normal at the time. He started doxycycline for mycoplasma and did better for a couple weeks and then started losing more weight and drinking and peeing excessively. We took him back two weeks ago and blood sugars were in the 600s. They started him on Prozinc 2 units twice a day. After a week no improvement. We have been testing with urine strips and glucometer at home. Last Thursday vet increased to 2.5 units twice a day, no improvement, so Monday increased to 3 units twice a day, still reading either to high to read or in the high 500s. Vet said not to switch food right now because we need to keep him eating, so I’m just trying to feed him what he will eat. Any advice or help? The vet said he has never had a cat with FIV, diabetes, and mycoplasma, so prognosis not good. Thank you!

 

[JanetNJ]

Hello,
A stray cat showed up at our house and adopted is two years ago. He started losing weight in December and when we took him to vet found out he was FIV positive and also had to forms of mycoplasma and anemia. His blood sugar and kidney function was normal at the time. He started doxycycline for mycoplasma and did better for a couple weeks and then started losing more weight and drinking and peeing excessively. We took him back two weeks ago and blood sugars were in the 600s. They started him on Prozinc 2 units twice a day. After a week no improvement. We have been testing with urine strips and glucometer at home. Last Thursday vet increased to 2.5 units twice a day, no improvement, so Monday increased to 3 units twice a day, still reading either to high to read or in the high 500s. Vet said not to switch food right now because we need to keep him eating, so I’m just trying to feed him what he will eat. Any advice or help? The vet said he has never had a cat with FIV, diabetes, and mycoplasma, so prognosis not good. Thank you!

Oh my goodness.... poor kitty, and poor mama. I have no experience with mycoplasma (that's a bacterial infection, right?)... and doxycycline is an antibiotic... how as the infection presenting? what part of the body is it affecting most? I'm glad you are testing the BG at home. Are the urine strips for testing ketones? We have a good spreadsheet template we use on fdmb that is on google sheets. You can see how we add it to our signatures at the bottom of posts... if you could set one up that would be helpful in giving you dosing advice on here. Here's a link https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

What are you currently feeding? How long have you had trouble getting him to eat?

to set up a signature, click on your name at the top and go to signature. Add info like your pet's name, date diagnosed, insulin type, food you are feeding, and all of his complicated medical conditions. This way the basic info is all right there and we won't ask you the same questions repeatedly.

 

[BridgetD]

Oh my goodness.... poor kitty, and poor mama. I have no experience with mycoplasma (that's a bacterial infection, right?)... and doxycycline is an antibiotic... how as the infection presenting? what part of the body is it affecting most? I'm glad you are testing the BG at home. Are the urine strips for testing ketones? We have a good spreadsheet template we use on fdmb that is on google sheets. You can see how we add it to our signatures at the bottom of posts... if you could set one up that would be helpful in giving you dosing advice on here. Here's a link https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

What are you currently feeding? How long have you had trouble getting him to eat?

to set up a signature, click on your name at the top and go to signature. Add info like your pet's name, date diagnosed, insulin type, food you are feeding, and all of his complicated medical conditions. This way the basic info is all right there and we won't ask you the same questions repeatedly.

Oh my goodness.... poor kitty, and poor mama. I have no experience with mycoplasma (that's a bacterial infection, right?)... and doxycycline is an antibiotic... how as the infection presenting? what part of the body is it affecting most? I'm glad you are testing the BG at home. Are the urine strips for testing ketones? We have a good spreadsheet template we use on fdmb that is on google sheets. You can see how we add it to our signatures at the bottom of posts... if you could set one up that would be helpful in giving you dosing advice on here. Here's a link https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

What are you currently feeding? How long have you had trouble getting him to eat?

to set up a signature, click on your name at the top and go to signature. Add info like your pet's name, date diagnosed, insulin type, food you are feeding, and all of his complicated medical conditions. This way the basic info is all right there and we won't ask you the same questions repeatedly.

Oh my goodness.... poor kitty, and poor mama. I have no experience with mycoplasma (that's a bacterial infection, right?)... and doxycycline is an antibiotic... how as the infection presenting? what part of the body is it affecting most? I'm glad you are testing the BG at home. Are the urine strips for testing ketones? We have a good spreadsheet template we use on fdmb that is on google sheets. You can see how we add it to our signatures at the bottom of posts... if you could set one up that would be helpful in giving you dosing advice on here. Here's a link https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

What are you currently feeding? How long have you had trouble getting him to eat?

to set up a signature, click on your name at the top and go to signature. Add info like your pet's name, date diagnosed, insulin type, food you are feeding, and all of his complicated medical conditions. This way the basic info is all right there and we won't ask you the same questions repeatedly.

Thank you for getting back to me! He was losing weight, lethargic, loss of appetite and very anemic on bloodwork. His appetite improved when he was on doxycycline but then he developed diabetes 3 weeks into treatment. We treated with doxycycline for a month. I will try to figure out the spreadsheet. We have been using the strips to check for ketones which he hasnt had and for any sign of UTI. He is currently eating a variety of dry foods and canned. I have read all of your advice that dry is bad, and canned only. He will not eat canned very well and only likes gravy, so I need to try to find a pate canned he will eat. The vet is worried about putting him on prescription diet that he will stop eating. Do you recommend prescription diets? He said he likes Royal Canin glycobalance?
Thank you!

 

[JanetNJ]

He will not eat canned very well and only likes gravy, so I need to try to find a pate canned he will eat. The vet is worried about putting him on prescription diet that he will stop eating.

Don't bother with the perscription food. If he won't eat pate, try some of the flaked fancy feast. It's a bit more sauce. Weruva makes some very gravy foods too like what a crock and Goody stew shoes. You could also try adding water to the food and some FortiFlora. FortiFlora might be a good idea after all those antibiotics.

So he was anemic? Has that been resolved? Because anemia causes loss of appetite and the fatigue.

 

[BridgetD]

Don't bother with the perscription food. If he won't eat pate, try some of the flaked fancy feast. It's a bit more sauce. Weruva makes some very gravy foods too like what a crock and Goody stew shoes. You could also try adding water to the food and some FortiFlora. FortiFlora might be a good idea after all those antibiotics.

So he was anemic? Has that been resolved? Because anemia causes loss of appetite and the fatigue.

Thank you for all of the suggestions. I am giving him a good probiotic. Yes he was anemic and he is still anemic, which could be from FIV or still mycoplasma. Talked to vet last night and he is not comfortable increasing his insulin again until after he has been on 3 units twice a day for a week, even though it’s still in the high 500s and 600s. It’s been two weeks in insulin and no improvement is this normal??
Thanks!