Hi, My cat was diagnosed last friday and i came across this site. Just looking for any comments or advice. My cat is 15 yrs old and we brought him in last week because he wasnt eating anything. After a couple days at the vets, he was diagnosed as a diabetic and we brought him home. He still hasnt eaten anything on his own, we have been force feeding him baby food. we also have been giving him insulin twice a day. Hes very lethargic and is having trouble walking, like his back legs are too weak to walk on. I noticed his one paw was swollen. I brought him to the vets today and his glucose was good (205) and the vet prescribed some pills to increase his appetite but said she thinks its time to euthanize. Im becoming to accept that but just wanted to make sure theres not anything else i can try or do. Thanks for reading.
Newly diagnosed: Time to euthanize?
- Thread starter scmonkee
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grapey
Member Since 2012
205 is *not* very high for a cat with diabetes. This disease is very treatable! Your cat's diabetes may even be controllable with dietary changes alone! I would not euthanize. Also, you need to give the appetite medicine time to work.
I'm new to this, so I'm sure more experienced posters will be along soon.
I'm new to this, so I'm sure more experienced posters will be along soon.
BJM
Member Since 2010
Welcome!
Sorry to see your kitty isn't doing well.
What labs did the vet run? CBC? Urinalysis? Fructosamine? Other
What insulin are you using and what dose?
Are you home testing the glucose levels? Spot values at the vet won't tell the full story; home tests give a much more accurate picture.
If you are using Humulin N, that only works about 8 hours at a time.
What, besides baby food, are you feeding and how much. And make sure the baby food does NOT have any onion in it (can kill a cat)
We recommend low carb canned food, with less than 10% of the calories from carbohydrates - Fancy Feast Classics generally work well.
The difficulty walking may be neuropathy brought on by the diabetes; when you get that well controlled, the neuropathy may go away. Methyl-cobolamin may be given as a supplement to help that, too.
In addition to diabetes, it is possible he isn't eating on his own due to pancreatitis. Did the vet run the fPLI test? If you gently massage the abdomen, does the cat protest or seem painful? That would be a clue. Pancreatitis is very painful and pain medication, such as Buprenex, may help a cat to feel comfortable enough to eat.
Sorry to see your kitty isn't doing well.
What labs did the vet run? CBC? Urinalysis? Fructosamine? Other
What insulin are you using and what dose?
Are you home testing the glucose levels? Spot values at the vet won't tell the full story; home tests give a much more accurate picture.
If you are using Humulin N, that only works about 8 hours at a time.
What, besides baby food, are you feeding and how much. And make sure the baby food does NOT have any onion in it (can kill a cat)
We recommend low carb canned food, with less than 10% of the calories from carbohydrates - Fancy Feast Classics generally work well.
The difficulty walking may be neuropathy brought on by the diabetes; when you get that well controlled, the neuropathy may go away. Methyl-cobolamin may be given as a supplement to help that, too.
In addition to diabetes, it is possible he isn't eating on his own due to pancreatitis. Did the vet run the fPLI test? If you gently massage the abdomen, does the cat protest or seem painful? That would be a clue. Pancreatitis is very painful and pain medication, such as Buprenex, may help a cat to feel comfortable enough to eat.
C
Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)
My opinion,
Diabetes is never a reason to euthanize. I'm sorry your vet suggested that to you. Are there other conditions besides diabetes that make that an option? 14 is not extremely old. My cat was only 11 when diagnosed, but I know that other people here have had older cats that were found to be diabetic, and were able to manage the disease and give their kitties many more years of quality life. In my Bob's case, "PTS" was mentioned, and considered for about 30 seconds. He began insulin treatments, I home-tested his BG, and he got worse instead of better at first. He spent 3 days in emergency treatment and almost died. I switched him to a low-carb canned food diet, gave him two shots a day for about 10 weeks. At that time, he became a "diet-controlled diabetic" and he'll be that way for the rest of his life. He hasn't needed insulin since last July, and I hope he lives to be 20 or older. I'm not saying that the same thing will happen for your kitty. But I am saying it's possible, so I think it's too early to give up hope.
The 205 your vet got today.... how many hours after the shot was that? That is a really good number actually, this early in the game.
Carl
Diabetes is never a reason to euthanize. I'm sorry your vet suggested that to you. Are there other conditions besides diabetes that make that an option? 14 is not extremely old. My cat was only 11 when diagnosed, but I know that other people here have had older cats that were found to be diabetic, and were able to manage the disease and give their kitties many more years of quality life. In my Bob's case, "PTS" was mentioned, and considered for about 30 seconds. He began insulin treatments, I home-tested his BG, and he got worse instead of better at first. He spent 3 days in emergency treatment and almost died. I switched him to a low-carb canned food diet, gave him two shots a day for about 10 weeks. At that time, he became a "diet-controlled diabetic" and he'll be that way for the rest of his life. He hasn't needed insulin since last July, and I hope he lives to be 20 or older. I'm not saying that the same thing will happen for your kitty. But I am saying it's possible, so I think it's too early to give up hope.
The 205 your vet got today.... how many hours after the shot was that? That is a really good number actually, this early in the game.
Carl
Thanks for the replys. According to the vet, the appetite medicine should work in 6-8 hours but i definetly plan on giving it a couple days. He had a cbc but i dont think he had the urinalysis or fructosamine (not sure what that even is). He doesnt protest or seem in pain when i touch his abdomen so i dont think he has pancreatits. He is on humulin at 2 units twice a day. It was at 205 13 hours since his last shot. He lays in the same spot all day long (unless i move him) and doesnt even make it to the bathroom on his own anymore. We have tried all different types of soft food but he wont eat any of it.
BJM
Member Since 2010
scmonkee said:
Fructosamine is like the hemoglobin 1Ac test in humans - its like an average glucose over time. If it were high, it would suggest the diabetes is not well controlled.
Humulin lasts only 6-8 hours in the cat, giving you 4 hours when the glucose may be climbing.
There is something wrong if he is that lethargic and it may or may not be diabetes-related. If you've a WalMart nearby, pick up a ReliOn Confirm and some test strips. We'll coach you through how to test his glucose. Also, please pick up some urine ketone test strips and read my signature link on secondary testing tools for how to test for ketones and let us know what you get.
Have you considered a 2nd opinion? It really might be worth doing to find out what is going on. The first vet seems ... lackluster.
C
Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)
Wow. Okay, if he had a BG of 205 13 hours after a dose of 2u of Humulin, that's actually really good news.
Like BJ said, Humulin usually will only last up to 8 hours.
However, that also means that most likely that 2u dose is too high. One of the reasons he may feel lousy and just laying around is because he doesn't need as much insulin as he is getting.
Front paw or back paw? Is it still swollen? Does it feel hot? If you squeeze it, does he react like it hurts? He may have something wrong with his foot or, like he sprained it, or he's got an infection of some sort.
Do you know how to tell if he is dehydrated? Pinch up a hunk of fur and skin on his back and see how fast it returns to place?
The sequence of events just sounds "off" to me. You said you brought him in because he wasn't eating at first, then found out he was diabetic? Usually a diabetic cat will act like he's starving and eat like a pig, but will continue to lose weight. Do you know if there was anything other than elevated blood sugar in the cbc results that would indicate any additional problems?
If you want to try to manage this at home, here are the first steps you should take...
1 - go buy a human glucometer and test strips at a pharmacy or walmart. You can test his BG at home by yourselves and you'll be able to tell at any given moment where his blood glucose level is at. You need to know it is high enough when you give him a shot so that it is safe to do so. 2u of Humulin can have a very quick and harsh effect on his BG, and if it isn't high enough, you can cause his BG to drop to unsafe or deadly levels.
2 - call the vet and ask for specifics on the cbc numbers. What was "outside of normal" levels on the test. What was his BG on the test? If you can get that info, we can help you understand what all the numbers mean. Also ask the vet if he would consider prescribing another insulin, one that is appropriate for a cat (because Humulin is NOT) like Lantus, Levemir or Prozinc. They all last longer and are more gentle.
3 - reduce the amount of insulin you are giving him to 1u until you can get a meter and test him.
4 - feed him anything he will eat for now. If he goes a day or two without eating, it will cause all sorts of additional problems that could put him at risk.
There are hundreds of people here who will do whatever we can to help you and your kitty. There are thousands of cats still alive after being diagnosed with diabetes that are living proof of that. If you want our help, it's there and it's free for the asking.
Carl
Like BJ said, Humulin usually will only last up to 8 hours.
However, that also means that most likely that 2u dose is too high. One of the reasons he may feel lousy and just laying around is because he doesn't need as much insulin as he is getting.
Front paw or back paw? Is it still swollen? Does it feel hot? If you squeeze it, does he react like it hurts? He may have something wrong with his foot or, like he sprained it, or he's got an infection of some sort.
Do you know how to tell if he is dehydrated? Pinch up a hunk of fur and skin on his back and see how fast it returns to place?
The sequence of events just sounds "off" to me. You said you brought him in because he wasn't eating at first, then found out he was diabetic? Usually a diabetic cat will act like he's starving and eat like a pig, but will continue to lose weight. Do you know if there was anything other than elevated blood sugar in the cbc results that would indicate any additional problems?
If you want to try to manage this at home, here are the first steps you should take...
1 - go buy a human glucometer and test strips at a pharmacy or walmart. You can test his BG at home by yourselves and you'll be able to tell at any given moment where his blood glucose level is at. You need to know it is high enough when you give him a shot so that it is safe to do so. 2u of Humulin can have a very quick and harsh effect on his BG, and if it isn't high enough, you can cause his BG to drop to unsafe or deadly levels.
2 - call the vet and ask for specifics on the cbc numbers. What was "outside of normal" levels on the test. What was his BG on the test? If you can get that info, we can help you understand what all the numbers mean. Also ask the vet if he would consider prescribing another insulin, one that is appropriate for a cat (because Humulin is NOT) like Lantus, Levemir or Prozinc. They all last longer and are more gentle.
3 - reduce the amount of insulin you are giving him to 1u until you can get a meter and test him.
4 - feed him anything he will eat for now. If he goes a day or two without eating, it will cause all sorts of additional problems that could put him at risk.
There are hundreds of people here who will do whatever we can to help you and your kitty. There are thousands of cats still alive after being diagnosed with diabetes that are living proof of that. If you want our help, it's there and it's free for the asking.
Carl
RockStar033
Member Since 2012
i'm pretty new to this as well but i'm totally shocked that your vet would even suggest euthanizing.... Please don't give up on your kitty yet!, There are lots of diseases that are very manageable if you are willing to put the time in.... and Diabetes is one of them! I would get a second opinion from another vet, and in the meantime, try using methylcobaline(B12) injections to help with kitty's back legs.... and definately go and buy a blood glucose monitor for home testing...
Please don't give up on your precious kitty now! This board is a great resource and i don't know what i would have done without it
Please don't give up on your precious kitty now! This board is a great resource and i don't know what i would have done without it
Larry and Kitties
Member Since 2009
Did the vet determine if there were any ketones in the urine? Ketones cause lethargy and loss of appetite. You can go to the pharmacy and purchase test trips that check for ketones in the urine. I would also call your vet and ask about ketones.
Lisa and Witn (GA)
Member Since 2009
What other tests did your vet run? If a cat is sick or has an infection, that can cause diabetic symptoms such as higher glucose readings. Did your vet test for anything other than diabetes?
Melanie and Smokey
Member Since 2010
A BG of 205 13 hours after Humulin makes me wonder if the laying around might be a hypoglycemic effect. Humulin can be down hard and fast, so if he's still 205 at 13 hours, one wonders where he was at 3-5 hours.
Please read through Carl's post and follow his advice. Getting your kitty onto a different insulin and finding out what is causing the lack of eating before making a decision sounds like the best course of action.
Good luck and prayers for your kitty.
Please read through Carl's post and follow his advice. Getting your kitty onto a different insulin and finding out what is causing the lack of eating before making a decision sounds like the best course of action.
Good luck and prayers for your kitty.
shadycat
Member Since 2012
I was wondering also if there could be something else going on besides the diabetes. I am new to all this, but with glucose readings that close to normal, it is surprising just the diabetes could be making him that lethargic and cause those symptoms. I definitely wouldn't euthanize until trying to control the diabetes and trying to find out if anything else is wrong. Whatever it is, diabetes, or something else, could be very treatable. Wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion. Good luck and hope your kitty feels better soon!
Charlies_Mom
Member Since 2012
I agree, it sounds like your kitty may be hypoglycemic if he's lethargic and his blood sugar is only a little over 200 thirteen hours after an injection....meaning, 2 units twice a day is likely way too high. My cat was on Humulin for a long time and he only got 2 units if his starting blood sugar was over 350. Maybe I missed it, but are you home-testing? If you're giving insulin without first testing his blood sugar, you're asking for hypoglycemia, which can result in death. Symptoms include lethargy, no appetite, weakness, etc. Giving insulin to a cat that barely eats is also VERY dangerous because he needs to be eating so his blood sugar doesn't dip down too low after the shot.
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