New to the board - Fred won't eat

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gingerkipps

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My 15 year old cat Fred was diagnosed with diabetes about a month ago. After several days in the hospital, the vet settled on 3 units of Humulin N twice a day. So far, he's been doing really well, though he continued to want to eat non-stop. Suddenly, tonight, he's walked away from food twice and he seems lethargic. I just read another thread that said don't give insulin if he's not eating, so I won't do that, but I'm worried sick. Of course, it's the middle of the night and the vet is closed. I don't have a meter yet (couldn't afford the $100 right away after massive vet bills for Fred and for Thom, who was diagnosed with CRF while Fred was in the hospital getting his insulin regulated; Thommie went downhill very fast and only lasted a week and a half after diagnosis) but I've ordered one of your newbie kits. My own glucose meter requires more blood for a reading than I can get out of Fred's ear, I tried 6 times. I'm going to try to get him to eat again before I go to bed and in the morning and will take him to the vet first thing if he still won't eat. The other post talked about antibiotics making the cat sick to it's stomach, but Fred's not on anything but insulin. I guess there's not really a question in here, I guess I just needed to share my worry! :) What does OTJ stand for?

Thanks,

Ginger and Fred
 
Ginger, cute names for you and your kitty.

I'm glad you are going to the vet first thing in the morning. By any chance did you change Fred's food when he was diagnosed? If so - do try his old food and see if he will eat that for you.

I would urge you to reconsider that dose until you are able to test his blood glucose. 3units N is fairly high for starting...and Humulin N is not the best insulin for a cat.

You might ask your vet about Lantus (glargine). It is gentler and longer lasting in the system and should give him coverage throughout the 12-hour cycle.

Please post after your visit and give us an update.

I'm very sorry about Thommie.

Hugs,
Pam & Layla
 
Ginger wrote, "I don't have a meter yet (couldn't afford the $100 right away after massive vet bills for Fred and for Thom, who was diagnosed with CRF while Fred was in the hospital getting his insulin regulated; "
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The Relion Micro meter is $10 - $12 at Walmart. A pack of 50 test strips for that meter is $20. It is a very good meter.

Ginger wrote, What does OTJ stand for?"
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Off the juice. In remission.

Lana
 
Thank you for the replies. Didn't realize I could get a meter for so little. The $100 one is AlphaTrak, recommended by the vet, specifically for animals. Walmart, here I come.

My vet is in surgery this morning, I'm waiting for her phone call, and will take him in this afternoon.
 
gingerkipps said:
Thank you for the replies. Didn't realize I could get a meter for so little. The $100 one is AlphaTrak, recommended by the vet, specifically for animals. Walmart, here I come.

My vet is in surgery this morning, I'm waiting for her phone call, and will take him in this afternoon.
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Many vets recommend the AlphaTrak because they make a lot of money selling them, but a human meter works perfectly fine for home testing. The variance between meters is not significant enough to make any difference when determining insulin dosage.

Did you give insulin this morning? If Fred isn't eating, you don't want to give him insulin, especially not 3u of Humulin.
 
No insulin this morning. Seeing the vet at 2pm. He's still drinking water, but totally not interested in food. The vet said last week that we might need to switch to another insulin, so I'll ask her about that again.

I'm getting a free FreeStyle meter in the mail but I might go ahead and get one of the Walmart ones so I can start testing sooner. Also, I think I saw something in one of the posts about some issue or problem with the FreeStyle?

I didn't realize that we were Ginger and Fred! His full name is Fred Astaire, because when he was young, he was so lithe and agile, flying through the air and dancing around the house. He doesn't dance so much anymore :) And my Ginger is a nickname for Virginia, but my mother was a Fred and Ginger fan.
 
Yes, I would ask for a prescription for Lantus. It's a much better insulin than Humulin for cats and has an exceptional remission rate. You'll want to make sure he starts on a low dose of 1u. Please keep us updated! I'm just a little worried that your vet is going to try and start Fred too high, since they started him too high on the Humulin.

I think it's good to have two meters anyway, because then you have a back up in case one breaks or you run out of strips and can't get more right away for one or the other. I have the Relion Micro from Walmart and the Aviva Accuchek and I like them both. The Freestyle is a good meter; the one you want to stay away from is the TrueTrak, or anything with "True" in the name.
 
Ginger, I'm assuming you are the most recent Newbie Kit request I received and is packed and leaving for you in a moment.
You are getting a one touch mini meter. Great meter but not a reliOn. I send out what I have at the time.
Along with a vial of strips, plenty of lancets, a rice sockie to warm the ear, a couple of catnip toys, think that's all.
I would recommend you start an ebay account an order some one touch strips asap.
There are very good deals on ebay, better than any store. That is where I and most of us buy these strips.
Lori
Newbie Kits.
 
I was given a great suggestion for stimulating appetite, a probiotic called Fortiflora and I ordered it on amazon.com I also had trouble with my cat eating and after he lost almost 2 lbs started using an appetite stimulant pill called cypro, prescribed by my vet. It worked but my poor cat hates being pilled and on top of all the ear pricks and sticks, it just seemed too much. The fortiflora came yesterday and when I sprinkle it on Zener's food, he eats like a lumberjack! My cat was also started on Humulin N and switched after 2 months, still unregulated. He is doing much better on Lantus, almost immediately symptoms of excessive drinking and urinating went away. Still not regulated, but getting closer. This message board group is fantastic and I feel much less anxious about it all now - like we may be able to manage all this! Hang it there!
 
Thank you for this info. The vet and I talked about an appetite stimulant but then somehow I didn't get it before I left, maybe because he ate some food there. I'll get some Fortiflora, though, and have it on hand.

Thanks to everyone for all the information and good wishes. I was on the CRF board for a week or so, while trying to maintain Thommie, and I think these boards are just amazing. What did we do before the internet?

Took Fred to the vet today and she did bloodwork and urine. I'll get the results tomorrow. No insulin until I speak with her/he's eating. He actually gobbled up some Hill's AD food at the vet, so I brought some of that home. She also hydrated him a bit (which I can do at home if he needs it) and gave him a vitamin shot. He wasn't hypoglycemic, and his sugar wasn't terribly high even though he hadn't had insulin in 24 hours (371, that seems high to me, but maybe that's just in human terms -- she said it was up in the 600's a couple of times -- I have much to learn). Maybe he was just tired of the food I was using. :) Vet and I talked about switching to Lantus. I was so terrified last night that I couldn't sleep but today, seeing him eat at the vet, and getting all this info on this board, I feel much better.

Now I just have to figure out how to get Fred's picture on here!

Ginger & Fred
 
Glad you are feeling a bit more secure.
the 370 at the vets was likely stress induced.
I'd bet dollars to donuts he would have been 100 or more points lower at home.
Lori
 
gingerkipps said:
Now I just have to figure out how to get Fred's picture on here!
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I somehow managed to do it from the user control panel, edit avatar...I think! But I posted on the tech board here and got help right away. They are great too! Hope you have a quiet and peaceful night.
 
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