sparky6233
Member Since 2023
I have 8 cats (5 are brothers and sisters 4yrs and 6 months old) Last week Bear got extremely ill. Vomiting all over. I took him to our vet (the only vet in my town) we thought he ate ribbons off of a toy and had a blockage. Our vet just felt his belly, said it was tender, said he would pass the ribbons in a few days, gave him an anti-nausea shot and sent him home. As the night went he became more and more lethargic. We took him to the closest emergency hospital which is an hour away. They did not care about him at all. Said it would be 12 hours before they could get to him and we’d be better off going home and waiting for our regular vet to open. We brought him home and took shifts in sleeping so one of us was always watching him. I also texted my vet about what was going on. She called me early morning and said he needed to go to an emergency animal hospital because if he needed surgery he would have to be monitored for a few days and she wasn’t equipped to do that. We found another emergency hospital an hour and 15 minutes from us and they said they could see him immediately and if he needed surgery they would do it that day (others said they couldn’t).
So we get him to the hospital, they take his vitals and did an x-ray. The x-ray showed something was going on in his intestines but was not conclusive of a blockage. They did say that his blood glucose levels were high which they were not sure if it was stress induced but would monitor him and that in the morning an internal medicine specialist would evaluate him and give him an ultrasound. She said he was a bit young to be developing diabetes, especially with not having any symptoms before he got really ill.
The specialist evaluated him, ran tests, did the ultrasound and said there was not a blockage but he had severe pancreatitis and inflamed abdomen from the pancreatitis. She explained what it is and that there is no medicine to fix it, it’s treated with supportive care, and sometimes they need insulin and plasma. She wanted to feed him to see what his sugars would do. They didn’t feed him until after she came in because in case he needed surgery for a blockage he couldn’t have food. They finally feed him and his sugars went up. So they started him on Lantus once a day, but his sugars were still going up when he ate so they changed it to 2 units twice a day. He was in the hospital for 4 days. He was not 100% recovered when they sent him home on Saturday. They felt he was well enough to go home and continue care here. She prescribed him 2 units twice a day of Lantus. Hills Feline DM GlucoSupport dry food. He refused to eat the wet food while there. I found that odd because yes my cats eat dry food (they’re all grazers) but in the mornings I give them Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers. All will eat that except for 2 of my cats that refuse to eat wet food. She also put him on Lantus because he’s a grazer and won’t eat at specific meal times. My home vet wanted to change him to her insulin, the only insulin she carries and if I don’t switch him to that she will not monitor him. I told the specialist about that and she said the insulin my vet carries is for dogs and is meal specific which Bear will not do well with that and he needs to stay on Lantus. At this time we don’t know if he will be insulin dependent permanently or if it’s until he’s over the pancreatitis. We are supposed to take him back next week on Thursday to do a blood curve on him as well as an ultrasound on his pancreas. I just don’t know how accurate that will be because stress can make their levels go up and it’s an hour and 15 minute drive and he hates it. She does not have us monitoring at home right now. After reading threads on here it scares me that we’re giving him insulin twice a day not knowing what his levels are. I don’t want a hypoglycemia event. The emergency hospital is far. My vet is only open 4 days a week and she refuses to answer her phone after hours. I’m nervous and scared.
Currently taking 2 units of Lantus a day. 6:20AM and 6:20Pm
Not set meal time but free eats Hills Feline DM GlucoSupport as well as Fancy Feat Classic Pate in the morning. He doesn’t seem to be a fan of Pate’s. I’ve tried Fancy Feast and 9Lives pate’s. I’ve tried to get him to eat more can food in the evening and he takes a couple bites and walks away. He loves Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers but I read that’s not good for diabetic cats.
After his insulin shots I give him a couple of the Pure Bites Freeze Dried Chicken treats as a reward for doing so well with the shots.
All of my cats are on this diet as well.
Suggestions on monitoring? Should I even though his specialist says no need to do that right now. If I should monitor what monitor do you suggest? What gauge for lancets? How many times a day? What are the normal range numbers for a cat? I read other threads about a monitor everyone use from Walmart and the correct numbers for a cat with a human monitor but I can’t find those threads again.
So we get him to the hospital, they take his vitals and did an x-ray. The x-ray showed something was going on in his intestines but was not conclusive of a blockage. They did say that his blood glucose levels were high which they were not sure if it was stress induced but would monitor him and that in the morning an internal medicine specialist would evaluate him and give him an ultrasound. She said he was a bit young to be developing diabetes, especially with not having any symptoms before he got really ill.
The specialist evaluated him, ran tests, did the ultrasound and said there was not a blockage but he had severe pancreatitis and inflamed abdomen from the pancreatitis. She explained what it is and that there is no medicine to fix it, it’s treated with supportive care, and sometimes they need insulin and plasma. She wanted to feed him to see what his sugars would do. They didn’t feed him until after she came in because in case he needed surgery for a blockage he couldn’t have food. They finally feed him and his sugars went up. So they started him on Lantus once a day, but his sugars were still going up when he ate so they changed it to 2 units twice a day. He was in the hospital for 4 days. He was not 100% recovered when they sent him home on Saturday. They felt he was well enough to go home and continue care here. She prescribed him 2 units twice a day of Lantus. Hills Feline DM GlucoSupport dry food. He refused to eat the wet food while there. I found that odd because yes my cats eat dry food (they’re all grazers) but in the mornings I give them Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers. All will eat that except for 2 of my cats that refuse to eat wet food. She also put him on Lantus because he’s a grazer and won’t eat at specific meal times. My home vet wanted to change him to her insulin, the only insulin she carries and if I don’t switch him to that she will not monitor him. I told the specialist about that and she said the insulin my vet carries is for dogs and is meal specific which Bear will not do well with that and he needs to stay on Lantus. At this time we don’t know if he will be insulin dependent permanently or if it’s until he’s over the pancreatitis. We are supposed to take him back next week on Thursday to do a blood curve on him as well as an ultrasound on his pancreas. I just don’t know how accurate that will be because stress can make their levels go up and it’s an hour and 15 minute drive and he hates it. She does not have us monitoring at home right now. After reading threads on here it scares me that we’re giving him insulin twice a day not knowing what his levels are. I don’t want a hypoglycemia event. The emergency hospital is far. My vet is only open 4 days a week and she refuses to answer her phone after hours. I’m nervous and scared.
Currently taking 2 units of Lantus a day. 6:20AM and 6:20Pm
Not set meal time but free eats Hills Feline DM GlucoSupport as well as Fancy Feat Classic Pate in the morning. He doesn’t seem to be a fan of Pate’s. I’ve tried Fancy Feast and 9Lives pate’s. I’ve tried to get him to eat more can food in the evening and he takes a couple bites and walks away. He loves Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers but I read that’s not good for diabetic cats.
After his insulin shots I give him a couple of the Pure Bites Freeze Dried Chicken treats as a reward for doing so well with the shots.
All of my cats are on this diet as well.
Suggestions on monitoring? Should I even though his specialist says no need to do that right now. If I should monitor what monitor do you suggest? What gauge for lancets? How many times a day? What are the normal range numbers for a cat? I read other threads about a monitor everyone use from Walmart and the correct numbers for a cat with a human monitor but I can’t find those threads again.
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