Increase in Insulin, Cat loss of appetite

J

jonathan.312

New Member
Hello

My cat was diagnosed with diabetes in February 2018.

The vet started her on 1U of Prozinc every twelve hours. A few months later we went to 1.5U, then 2U.

I have her eating mostly an all wet/canned food diet of Purina DM,1 can per day with 1/2 can in the A.M with shot, and 1/2 can in the pm with shot, but also leave out 1/4 cup dry Purina DM for her to nibble on throughout the day. The vet said this was an ok amount to feed her. She weights 13 pounds, and tell me she is overweight.

Two weeks ago I went in to the vet for a fructosomine, and after the results came in my vet increased the insulin amount one full unit to 3U every 12 hours

After a 4 or 5 days, my cat has started not eating as much, for me it seems like she is eating too little. There has been consistently more than half of the wet food leftover not eaten for the A.M, and P.M feedings. My cat does manage to eat most, if not all of the 1/4 cup dry food, by the end of day.

I contacted my vet, and I do have an appointement for early next week, but he said regarding the loss of appetite, that because she is overweight, he is not concerned with it at this point

Is there something wrong with my cat? or is the 3U working, and she is therefore not as hungry?
 
Hi and welcome! Well, first of all, that's QUITE a jump from 2 to 3 units. We never increase by that much with a cat, since it can cause you to skip over the really best dose.

So to clarify (sorry, it's early for me!) your cat eats just 1 can of food per day and then has dry food during the daytime, correct? I feel like that's probably the right amount of food...the wet food is in 5 or 6 oz cans right? Honestly, the fact that she isn't eating most of her food is REALLY concerning to me. I know you said you don't test at home or for ketones, but without that info, it's hard to advise you. Home testing would tell you whether she was in good numbers or not, which is information you really need. If she's not eating as much, it can cause problems with dosing since they need food on board for that.

And ketone testing will keep her much safer. I say this because what you are saying really sounds like ketones to me. Any chance you could grab some ketone testing strips for a pharmacy and get one in? If not, I think I'd ask the vet if you can come in today. Ketones are much easier to handle the sooner you catch them. I don't want to push you, but I'm just very worried by those symptoms...if the cat isn't eating enough, it can get dicey quickly. And if she isn't eating nearly as much, that means something is off. Even if the vet says she needs to lose weight, this isn't the way she should be doing it...but just stopping food. If she's overweight, I'd think she would be more likely to WANT to eat more.

While a cat could be less hungry as they get regulated, they would still want to eat more than your cat is currently eating. I hope you can get into the vet soon to check for ketones. It could also be pancreatitis...which would make your cat feel pretty icky. We have a few cats here with that, and they just have to dose around it and treat the symptoms to help the cat feel better.

Please do let us know if you have other questions or what happens! We worry when we hear a cat isn't feeling well.
 
Yes, the reduced appetite is quite concerning. I second Rachel's suggestion to get a ketone test today, or get into the vet and have them do one. It's an easy in-office test and can rule out or confirm DKA.
 
I've been through DKA twice with Teasel. Believe me, it's NOT something you want to deal with! Here are some tips for urine ketone testing using strips from any human pharmacy:

Here are some tips on how to do urine ketone testing (VERY important if BG is high and kitty isn't eating well!):
  • put the end of the test strip right in his urine stream as he's peeing
  • slip a shallow, long handled spoon under his backside to catch a little pee - you don't need much
  • put a double layer of plastic wrap over his favourite part of the litter box and poke some depressions in it too catch pee.
Most test strips have to be dipped and allowed to develop for 15 seconds before viewing the colour change in very good light.
 
I tested my cat for ketones today, per everyones advice. It was the first time I have ever done this, I was able to hold the test strip under her urine stream with ease. It looks like she may have Trace amounts of Ketones. But I can't really tell from the color.
I think next time I will try to capture her urine in a small paper cup and dip the test strip in it, to try and get a more definitive result


ketones.jpg
ketones.jpg
 
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It's really important that you check the strip at the exact time directed. for most strips it's 15 seconds, but check the directions on your box to be sure. Assuming that's right, I can't emphasize enough how serious ketones are. Trace is still okay-ish, but it's definitely cause for vigilance. We have seen far far far too many cats hospitalized or worse from DKA. If your kitty isn't eating or is lethargic, get her to the vet ASAP. The sooner they get started on an IV, fast acting insulin, and whatever else is involved in this, the better the outcome. For now, make sure to add as much extra water as you can to her food. Water helps to flush out the ketones. And be sure that you are home testing her blood glucose and giving the best possible dose of insulin (we can help with that). Not enough insulin can make ketones worse. And absolutely make sure she is eating. It's so important that she's getting calories. Keep testing every time you can until it is back to negative.

I'm not an expert in this area, but @Kris & Teasel can help you out with any questions you have. She is far too much of an expert in this as she's had to deal with it a couple of times with her little guy.
 
I'm so glad you got a ketone test! Yes, if you don't check at exactly the right time, the strip can darken, so if this picture was taken later than the 15 seconds (or whatever the box says) it could be that it shows trace merely because it was later than it should have been checked. Whatever works easiest for you to get the ketone test is great...it sounds like it won't be too hard! I'd encourage you to keep getting those tests since as Djamila says, ketones are very serious.

How is she doing these days? Is she eating better? Is she acting more peppy?

If you decide you want to learn to home test her BG, we'd be thrilled to help you with that. That will help give you more control and it really is easier than it sounds! Being able to check BG will help tell you what dose is working and we can maybe get a better idea of how to help her feel better. It's your choice and we'll do whatever we can to help either way, but it will really help you!
 
Great advice from Djamila and Rachel. Please consider testing your kitty's BG at home and keep up the urine ketone testing. As Djamila said above, I've been through DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) TWICE with my guy and it's very, very serious and VERY expensive to treat.
 
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