Raechel
Member Since 2015
I've been browsing the site all week - lots of helpful information here - thank you so much!
Our eldest cat (we have 3), Phobos was diagnosed with diabetes on Monday. We'd brought him to a vet the previous Friday because he was just extremely lethargic and didn't act/look good. He's lost a lot of weight lately and has been drinking a lot of water. She ran blood work and gave subcutaneous fluids, as he was quite dehydrated. Monday she called with the results of the blood work - diabetes. That vet doesn't work with diabetic patients, so we were going to switch his diet to low-carb canned foods and see how he did.
So, last week was up and down - he'd do ok (seemed perky/looked better), then the next day he'd be lethargic again. He will barely eat; their dry food is still out (downstairs), but I haven't seen him show any interest in that, at all. I've been feeding him canned food - Friskies and FF, low carb ones, but he was only eating a bit at a time and totalling a couple ounces. He's also been very constipated and the worst days are the ones where he's back and forth to the litter box constantly, won't eat and is very lethargic.
After doing a bunch of reading online, I found out about the dangers of them eating little to nothing, so brought him back in to (a different) vet this Friday. She read & explained the lab results from the first vet - his glucose was at 336, liver numbers were a bit high. So we did new blood work, to compare. Those results showed glucose at 454, liver numbers were fine and no ketones. They gave him more SC fluid, ordered Lantus and sent us home with Hill's A/D, lactulose, and directions to watch him closely over the weekend and push food.
Friday and Saturday were good - he was acting good & ate well - 3/4 can of the A/D on Friday and a whole can yesterday. Then last night he started the pacing back and forth to the litter box (we gave him one dose of lactulose on Friday and 2 on Saturday, but I don't think he's managed to go yet). Today he won't eat. I've offered him the A/D and a FF and he's only licked at it, and then turned away. I tried syringe feeding some of the A/D, but he fought pretty hard, so I stopped.
I started taking BG readings today, just to get a baseline curve as the insulin will be started tomorrow. Readings so far today have been 415 & 433, 2 hrs apart. I'm concerned with starting insulin, though, if he's not eating. The vet said he needs to eat ~1/2 a can before each shot. Even the couple days that he ate well, he wouldn't eat more than an ounce or so at a time. Any tricks?
I'm a little overwhelmed right now with everything and a sick kiddo as well right now. Any support would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Our eldest cat (we have 3), Phobos was diagnosed with diabetes on Monday. We'd brought him to a vet the previous Friday because he was just extremely lethargic and didn't act/look good. He's lost a lot of weight lately and has been drinking a lot of water. She ran blood work and gave subcutaneous fluids, as he was quite dehydrated. Monday she called with the results of the blood work - diabetes. That vet doesn't work with diabetic patients, so we were going to switch his diet to low-carb canned foods and see how he did.
So, last week was up and down - he'd do ok (seemed perky/looked better), then the next day he'd be lethargic again. He will barely eat; their dry food is still out (downstairs), but I haven't seen him show any interest in that, at all. I've been feeding him canned food - Friskies and FF, low carb ones, but he was only eating a bit at a time and totalling a couple ounces. He's also been very constipated and the worst days are the ones where he's back and forth to the litter box constantly, won't eat and is very lethargic.
After doing a bunch of reading online, I found out about the dangers of them eating little to nothing, so brought him back in to (a different) vet this Friday. She read & explained the lab results from the first vet - his glucose was at 336, liver numbers were a bit high. So we did new blood work, to compare. Those results showed glucose at 454, liver numbers were fine and no ketones. They gave him more SC fluid, ordered Lantus and sent us home with Hill's A/D, lactulose, and directions to watch him closely over the weekend and push food.
Friday and Saturday were good - he was acting good & ate well - 3/4 can of the A/D on Friday and a whole can yesterday. Then last night he started the pacing back and forth to the litter box (we gave him one dose of lactulose on Friday and 2 on Saturday, but I don't think he's managed to go yet). Today he won't eat. I've offered him the A/D and a FF and he's only licked at it, and then turned away. I tried syringe feeding some of the A/D, but he fought pretty hard, so I stopped.
I started taking BG readings today, just to get a baseline curve as the insulin will be started tomorrow. Readings so far today have been 415 & 433, 2 hrs apart. I'm concerned with starting insulin, though, if he's not eating. The vet said he needs to eat ~1/2 a can before each shot. Even the couple days that he ate well, he wouldn't eat more than an ounce or so at a time. Any tricks?
I'm a little overwhelmed right now with everything and a sick kiddo as well right now. Any support would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
