Neebie needs help!

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gabeandren

Member Since 2012
Hi Everyone-
I'm so happy that I have this message board to come too. My cat Renaldo was recently diagnosed with diabetes. As most of you know, when you first hear the words you start to think about how you're "going to do this". Of course, I will do all that's needed to get him the best care and to do what needs to be done to get him back on track. Giving him his injections (ProZinc 2x a day/1 unit each time) was daunting at first but like everything, it becomes second nature. Home testing freaked me out at first, but my Mother always told me "you do what you need to do"....so I did and have been for the last past 3 weeks since the diagnosis. The insulin was working beautifully and we were settling into a routine which was at best solid. Renaldo is such a good cat (until he "smells" the Vet's office which turns him into a Cougar!) My biggest problem has been his switch from dry food to wet. My 10 year old boy has been eating dry food for his entire life. He loves the wet food..but it doesn't like him.
I believe that I rushed him into it...giving him the food all at once verses introducing it slowly. The result, he vomit once and had diaherria (which freaked him out because she never had soft stool.) Under the Vet's guidance, he told me to feed him chicken and a some rice for 5 days to bind him and to get his stomach back on track. Well, of course he wouldn't eat it. When I put some sweet potato in the mix, he looked at me like "What the hell is that?" To get him to eat and bind him so I can give him his insulin, I took 2-3 pieces of chicken from his new food (Purina DM) mixed it with the chicken I poached and rice (about 1/4 cup) and fed him. Worked like magic. I was able to give him his shots for two days. This morning, I heard him in his litter box. The result was a hard stool followed by an extremely soft stool (sorry for being so descriptive) followed by a bit of liquid stool. Needless to say, Ren jumped out of the box....walked a few feet very low to the ground, and vomit. I have to say, my heart broke for him and I'm at my wits end. I take Ren's condition very seriously and want to give him the best. Maybe I shouldn't have given him the 2-3 pieces of the DM chicken, but I needed him to eat. I have to admit, this has really hit me hard. This is all I think about. Sometimes I'm afraid to leave him alone fearing that something is going to happen to him. So any little hiccup in the process truly upsets me which I know upsets him. I'm being so hard on myself and although I focus on all of the positive, my mind wonders to all of the things that could happen to him. My Vet is great but I guess no one really knows what it's like until you actually take on the responsibility and "live" it. That said...any words of wisdom...any advice would be so welcomed.
Thanks so much!
 
Hi guys .. so glad you are here and that you are hometesting! Now just go get your kitty's tummy on board, right? There is a vet here Lisa DVM, who has a site up about how to transition your kitty from dry to wet cat food .. I'll see if I can find the link and post it here for you .. hang on!


http://www.catinfo.org/ Ok, that site should give you some good information on how to switch your kitty over safely to his new wet food ....
 
Slow changes with food are recommended to prevent GI upsets like Renaldo experienced.

Back track and go to the food that didn't upset his stomach; he needs to eat. Yes, this may upset the glucose levels for a bit while you transition; you'll need to be patient.

Slowly mix the foods together at each meal while watching for evidence of GI upset.
You might do a day or two with each of these ratios; if no GI upsets occur, move to the next level.
75% old : 25% new
50% old : 50% new
25% old : 75% new

Watch the glucose levels carefully as you do this; you may need to reduce the dose! When starting out, a pre-shot glucose test should be 200 or higher on a human glucometer for you to safely give insulin (always test before giving insulin to make sure it is safe to give it). The vomiting could have been related to the glucose going too low, as you were changing to a somewhat lower carb food. Also, if you test 5-6 hours after giving insulin, the glucose level should be no lower than 50 on a human glucometer (80 on an AlphaTrak); lower than that can signal a hypoglycemic crisis. Please read How to treat HYPOS - THEY CAN KILL! Print this Out!! and have the necessary supplies on hand.

You do not need to use the pricey DM food; there are numerous low carb over the counter foods which are acceptable, such as the Fancy Feast Classic Pates. Cat Info lists a number of these.

It may be helpful to get some FortiFlora to ensure the gut bacteria are optimal. Plus, most cats really like the taste, so it encourages eating.

My signature link of Secondary Monitoring Tools explains how to do urine ketone testing. This is important in making sure the cat doesn't slip into diabetic ketoacidosis, where fat is broken down for calories. It can make the cat extremely ill when it happens, and very expensive hospital treatment is required to help the cat recover.
 
Also consider that you might have switched him to a food he has an allergy to. Keep that in mind in case this comes up time and time again. Usual ones are chicken :o , beef :shock: , and eggs.

But I would try going back first and then a slow transition of the same kind- if he was eating chicken earlier, continue to another lower carbed canned chicken.

Good luck on the poop (this is, you will find) an on-going topic with us. The 5 P's we concern ourselves about- Peeing, Pooping, Preening, Playing, Purring.
 
Hi Everyone-
Renaldo was finally coming around with the poop thing. The Vet gave me probiotics which he wouldn't take orally and the minute he smelled it in his food, it was over. I finally was able to "hide" it in his food, but it was an iffy things...sometimes he would eat it....sometimes he wouldn't. After two great bowel movements....the third one was completely liquid. Poor guy. He truly loves the DM food....but I'm lost at this point. I've heard great things about Flora (Purina) but I'm not sure if it's good for a diabetic cat and what the side effects are. Can anyone help? Or recommend a good food? Any help would be great. THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!
 
Re: Neebie needs help/FortiFlora

Dear Sue-
Yes, that's it. Was curious to know if any kitty's had any side effects. For some reason, my Vet said that it causes the Cat to salivate a great deal which freaks people out. I haven't read anything on the side effects, if any. To be honest, I'm not sure if my Vet has any other solutions to this problem. Renaldo still eats (thank God) so I can give him his shot and I know I'm very lucky...but I can't seem to balance out what and when he eats and how he processes the food. Poor kitty. I always feel like he's always hungry (feeding him 2x a day.....but according to the Vet, I can leave the food down because Ren is up all night crying for food. But at times I don't because I need to test his blood)
Gabe
 
Hi Sue-
Thanks for the information.
Did two testings today....one after 6 hours of giving him his first shot=100 bg.
One around 6 hours later=145 bg.
 
Re: Neebie needs help/FortiFlora

gabeandren said:
I always feel like he's always hungry (feeding him 2x a day.....but according to the Vet, I can leave the food down because Ren is up all night crying for food.
It might be an idea to try feeding your kitty several smaller meals throughout the day, rather than two big ones.

Eating smaller amounts often could help a lot with his digestive issues, also it can assist with diabetes regulation. Many of us feed our cats multiple times over any 24 hour period; my Cleo, for instance, is fed around 4 or 5 small meals throughout the day.

Just make sure you record what times you are feeding your kitty, so you can match it up with BG readings and work out BG trends in relation to both insulin and food.

H
 
So the 145 was at preshot? Did you give insulin?

We suggest that new diabetics do not give insulin if the preshot is under 200, but to wait 20 minutes (without feeding which can raise glucose levels) and retest. One, to be sure the number is going up, not down and to be sure it is over 200.

Can you set up a spreadsheet? It is a great tool for you (and us). If you ever need help on a dose, we can see what your history of doses/numbers are, at a glance, and give good advice. Here are the directions:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207
It's a little tricky so if you need help, just ask.
 
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