Hi Melissa,
The initial shock of the diabetes Dx is more than enough to have to contend with, Melissa, so I'm sorry Stewie and yourself are having a bit of a baptism of fire.
We tried the can from the vet last night and he vomited a short time later. He vomited several more times over night. He has not eaten since then, taken small sips of water. We tried his old canned and dry and although he sniffs at it he then begins gagging and won’t try. How do I encourage him to take some nutrition. I tried heating the wet already. Monday feels a long way off.
OK. To summarise:
* Diabetes Dx Friday - BG in 500s.
* Stewie not receiving any insulin.
* Started vomiting last night and now exhibiting marked clinical signs of nausea (vomiting, gagging, hungry but can't eat).
* Stewie has had no food in the last 24 hours.
By the sound of things Stewie is severely nauseated. Based on what you're describing of his clinical signs I'm not sure he'll be able to eat without a bit of supportive treatment, especially as he's not even able to get down some of his old wet and dry grub.
It's possible the switch to the new food may have badly upset his digestive system but nausea can also be a clinical sign of ketosis or diabetic ketoacidosis (complications of diabetes), both of which mean that the kitty needs to be seen by a vet ASAP. A cat that isn't getting enough food and insulin is at greater risk of developing ketosis/DKA so as a safety precaution it's really, really important that you check his urine for ketones as soon as possible. If you don't already have some at home, I strongly recommend you pop out and get some urine ketone test strips (e.g. Ketostix or similar) and check for ketones without delay. Here's more info:
Testing your cat for ketones
Tips for collecting urine samples
Please be assured, Melissa, that I'm not trying to alarm you unnecessarily here. Fingers and paws crossed that Stewie will be clear of ketones but it is far, far safer and better for him to do the check to make sure.
WRT food intake, if Stewie doesn't eat anything within the next 12 hours I'd recommend you get him to a vet tomorrow for anti-nausea treatment. (I wouldn't wait till Monday.) Ondansetron and Cerenia are very effective medications for treating kitty nausea/vomiting. (Note: Reglan, aka metoclopramide, is sometimes prescribed by vets for cat nausea /vomiting but cats have very few of the receptors it targets so it doesn't work well, if at all. It works better for dogs.) Here's more information:
Nausea/vomiting/inappetence problems - symptoms and treatments
Stewie may also need an appetite stimulant to get him back to eating properly. It's really key to have the anti-nausea medication in place otherwise the appetite stimulant is likely not to work at all (or it can later lead to the kitty developing food aversions). Also, if you get nausea under control quickly then the kitty usually regains its appetite with minimal support from an appetite stimulant. For badly nauseated kitties, appy stimulants given on their own don't tend to be effective.
We'll do all we can to help so please keep posting with all the questions you have and for any assistance you need.
Mogs
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