Newly Diagnosed and not eating

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mylo

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My cat Mylo was newly diagnosed with Diabetes 2 weeks ago, we got him treated right away with a 4 day hospital stay. He took to the canned DM food and insulin with 2 units in the AM and 1 unit in the PM while he was in the animal hospital. He has been home for 2 1/2 days and now he's not eating or drinking. We also have anyother cat and it's very challenging feeding 2 cats different food. They are both very aware that Mylo is on new and different food. My vet has been wonderful calling everyday to check in. I"ve stopped putting out the diabetic food and am now just offering him his regular science diet to see if he will eat anything. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks.
 
Hi and Welcome, to the one place you never want to be but will be so glad you found.

Most kitties don't like the prescription DM food for very long, and it is completely unnecessary. I personally have 11 cats only one of whom is a diabetic, and everyone here eats exactly what my diabetic eats, just good old fashioned Friskies Pate Flavors. You can check here for commercial foods that are really better in quality than the DM that Mylo might like better
http://www.felinediabetes.com/diabetic-cat-diets.htm Just want to keep his carbs under 10%. You don't have to feed both cats a different diet, his buddy can eat the same diet as Mylo, I know even my non-diabetics are in better shape since the diet change to regular old Friskies. Dry food isn't really very good for any cat, and really not good for a diabetic.

Other things that can sometimes get a kitty to eat:

Trying warming it in the microwave
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese
Add a little Tuna juice
Sometimes even letting them lick a few bites off your fingers will get them started.

Also which insulin did they start Mylo on? Most like a consistant dose, every 12 hours apart, not one dose in the morning and a different one in the evening.

Lastly if there is one thing we will nag you about is learning to test him at home. It is very easy once you get the hang of it, and we can teach you how.

Others will be chiming in shortly I'm sure with tons of other questions and links to info. You are now in the best place in the world to help you help your furry buddy Mylo, and we will help hold your hand and paw as you learn to do the Sugar-dance.

What right now probably seems very overwhelming and scary will soon be like brushing your teeth in the morning, just routine.

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang
 
Not eating or drinking is not a good sign. I would go to a pharmacy and at least get some ketone urine strips and check the urine for ketones. Measuring BG is also a very good idea.
 
Will he eat canned food like Fancy Feast? If he isn't eating by tomorrow, please contact your vet. Cats that quit eating are at risk for Hepatic Lipidosis (fatty liver).
 
Mylo was started on Lantus on Monday Feb 14. When we picked him up Friday afternoon, the vet told us they skipped his AM does because his Glucose was 70. When we got home, he ate a little and I was able to give him his 1 unit, then on Saturday morning he stopped eating, I did check his urine and he was high, both Saturday and today. He finally ate Satruday night and I gave him 1 unit and then this morning ate enough and I gave him 2 units. Since he has been sleeping, he has not used his litter box all day. He finally just ate a few morsels of his favorite dry food. How do most people measure BG? My vet told me to use ketodiastix and check his urine a few times a day. He is a finicky eater. He only eats cat food, no human food and he prefers dry vs wet. If it's wet he likes the indoor friskies pate so I will have to check the carbs on that. My vet does keep checking in with us and if things don't turn around by the AM, she wants him to go in.
 
Checking their BGs is very easy. We simply prick the edge of their ear to get a small sample of blood and then test it with a regular human meter. I personally use the ReLion Mirco from Wal-mart, I think the meter was like $12 and 50 test strips were around $20ish.

We at the very least check our kitties before each shot, you can find a lot of great links & info on testing here http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang
 
Hi there. You really need to be checking his blood sugar by pricking his ear or paw pad. We can teach you how to do this here. Without knowing what his blood sugar is you really don't have any data. You need to know this. I used to use the ReliOn meter and strips from WalMart. It's cost effective and worked fine. I'd seriously consider getting a meter and strips and a lancet right away so you can start testing him. It sounds scary but you'll learn and it won't be hard. No human diabetic takes insulin without first testing thier blood!

He also needs to eat. Have you ever syringe-fed him? That's on option if he doesn't start eating on his own very soon.

Friskies Pate varieties are most-likely all low carb.
 
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