Lulu's back...

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Lulu's2Moms

Lulu's2Moms

Member Since 2010
Lulu stopped eating so much, and our new vet (we moved a year ago) seemed to just think he was getting old. His bg was stable but also the 130's so we knew something was up and I was worried about his teeth. His weight loss was becoming alarming… but his #'s were still okish… found another vet.

He had 4 teeth removed the day before Thanksgiving. Still refusing to eat… I began to force-feed him… working with the vet of course… and his #'s started to rise.

I am beside myself right now… and we are struggling financially. I decided to try and offer some kibble… a no grain formula but obviously more carbs...he is willing and able to eat this… but now he need insulin again. We cannot afford insulin and a wet food diet at this point… and he's not wanting to eat the wet food aside from licking the gravy... it's just breaking my heart.

The highest # so far that i've caught has been 271.

I don't know what I want or need right now from the board… just don't like feeling so alone and helpless I guess. I hate the idea of dry food, but at this point he's lost so much weight that it seems better for him to eat something even with insulin than starve without it. Just really sad right now… he's my little man. Don't want to be selfish, don't want to be mean… I want what is best for him and don't want to lose him.

Thanks for listening.

Amanda
 
Hi Amanda. If that is Lulu's picture in your avatar, she is Beautiful!

I hope you can somehow find a way to afford some insulin. Right now she needs to eat and if she won't eat the wet food, then feed her the dry. You don't want Fatty Liver Disease on top of the diabetes. I have a vet that has been telling me that J.D. is old for about 10 years now :roll: Must be old school or something even though the vet is younger than me :-| .

I just wanted to give you some comfort in telling you that you are not alone and anytime you want to post, if even just to write your thoughts down, that is okay. You have come to the right place, where there are a bunch of caring people more than willing to help you along this path.

Eventually, you will need to get Lulu on a wet food diet, but let her eat for right now. The transition can be a slow process.
 
Thanks Dyana for your support!

We bought insulin… but just can't do both wet food and insulin… and he's not eating it anyway. That is him in the avatar… he's lost a lot of weight since then.. but he's just as sweet and sincere… and helpful went it comes to home testing and the like. He's my little love!

Sorry to hear that your vet told you J.D. is old :roll:
 
I wonder if there is something left from the dental that makes it hurt to eat. Would the vet be willing to have another look and see if something was left in after the extraction? I am thinking he might look for no cost - in case he made a mistake?
 
Thanks for responding Wendy
I've never used lantus… do you still use a syringe with the pen? I'd love more info… and I'm certainly open at this point! If I can find it for $25 that would be great!
 
Hi Sue,

He went back a check up last Thursday and again this Monday and it looks like everything is healing well… but he went back for diarrhea and got more antibiotic with anti diarrhea stuff…

The vet seems really great at this point.. she's been very attentive, and I have felt both listened to and not like a crazy cat person (and considering the intricate records she got from me this in itself is astounding). She didn't charge us for the followup after surgery… and this last appointment on Monday the cost was super reduced… much better than the last vet who seemed to manage to charge us upwards of 200 every visit. I like this new vet…

She asked me to keep her updated… and I called her today and she called me back and was willing to take some time over the phone and wants me to call again tomorrow… I can tell she really likes him… don't really care if she like me or not!
 
Hello and welcome to the FDMB.

I'm Deb and the sugardude Wink, that beautiful long haired tuxie pictured to the right, says hello. Where in Massachusetts are you located? We're up on the north shore, on the coast.
 
Thank you for the link Carl! I will look into it… humulin n can be pretty abrasive… and his #'s are coming down quickly right now… it will be a late night!

Hi Deb… I'm west of Cambridge… but used to live in the hills with the dragons of western ma!
 
Have you contacted DCIN (Diabetic Cats in Need), to see if you can get into their financial assistance program?
 
How long ago did he get a shot and what's his latest #?
 
Evo Cat and Kitten dry is roughly 8% calories from carbohydrate. Check the local pricing to see if that'd work for you.

Young Again 0 Carb is internet only. Allegedly, the cat eats less once accustomed to it. Otherwise, it is rather pricey.

Stella & Chewey's freeze dried is also low carb. Meant to be rehydrated, but may be eaten as is.
 
He got his shot at 6pm and his last # 215 at 10… will be checking again in about 20 mins…

So eve cat and kitten dry is 8% carb?
 
Yes on the evo, and I think it's the lowest you can find other than the young again.

OK, if it's been four hours, the N should be close to peaking? Is that what you've seen before? About four hours to nadir? I never used it, but "typical" seems to be eight hours or so duration.
 
He's not had insulin in years… but yeah… hoping it's close to peak. with humulin n it can be up to 6 hours…

i will look into the evo… i'll have to drive a bit to get it…but if he'll eat it and it's cheaper than wet… i'll drive forever!
 
Roughly. And each cat is different (ECID), so there may be idiosyncratic responses to certain food elements. Careful observation, including glucose testing, helps you determine your cat's responses to foods.

Any nutrition numbers we have are from point in time analyses, so any time there are production batch changes in components, it is possible for protein, fat, and carb ratios to shift. If you ever notice product inconsistencies, check the date and lot numbers. Also notify the manufacturer if you observe a problem; they aren't omniscient and don't check as much as human food producers have to do.
 
Novolin lasts about 6-8 hours in the cat, which means that good control may require dosing every 8 hours, or extreme diligence in picking up the food about 6 hours after every shot.

Better insulins for cats include Prozinc, Lantus, and Levemir, all of which last roughly 12 hours in the cat.
 
Sorry, I've been offline… Lulu's struggling… still losing weight. The vet thinks there might be something like IBS or he might have some more serious issues. We cannot afford an ultrasound… and if it is cancer we cannot afford treatment either… so we are trying to deal with symptoms and keeping him comfy.

He is alert, interested, but way too skinny. We are trying everything to get him to eat, he's on a hungry med… but he will eat kibble. :(

I'm going to go and look for the dry food recommended earlier in this thread… his bg this am was around 160… the highest today was 203… not too bad… but that wasn't eating a lot either…

please keep him in your thoughts…

thanks again!
 
If kibble is the only thing he will eat - feed him that for now. You will just need to raise the insulin to compensate.

Wendy
 
Where is Massachusetts are you? I'm in Worcester. I can get you some Young Again Zero Carb to try, and I also have extra Lantus pens.

MJ
 
Thank you Wendy and MJ.

Lulu ate some dry food yesterday and he's been eating a little more of the wet… wish I knew what was really going on! His BG was up this am… so no dry kibble today… maybe tonight if it's down to a "reasonable" level.

Wendy, I am just outside of Cambridge… I have ordered some Young Again Zero Carb… figure it will be good for his brothers too! Hopefully it will get here quickly! It won't ship till Monday so I will have a chance to give them a call and see if they can expedite the shipping… it's expensive, but so is Fancy Feast for 3 cats! As for insulin, we are only giving it to him if his #'s go above 300… so far this week he's been below, including this morning, thank you for the Lantus offer, I am truly blown away by the generosity of everyone here… and I am so grateful for all of you!
 
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