Newly diagnosed & very sick

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MissyK

Member Since 2023
On the day after Thanksgiving this year (4 weeks ago) my 9 year old cat suddenly passed from complications of Hyperthyroidism, 2 weeks later I took his brother to get his rabies & distemper shot, he was completely happy and healthy. He had no signs or symptoms of diabetes but he stopped pooping for 4 days and I rushed him to the vet, they did blood work and said he had diabetes & his blood level was 535 also has an infection and gave him a 2 week antibiotic shot, she started him on 3 unites twice a day, the next day i took him to a different vet because I didn't care for how she handled my hyperthyroid cat & the fact she ignored that he had not had a bowel movement. At the new vet they did an enema, mirataz for his appetite, rechecked his blood work and it was still at 500, told me to come back in a few days, rechecked his blood on Tuesday and it was still 500 so he upped his insulin to 5 units twice a day, went back the next day and his levels dropped to 444. He is barely eating or drinking, he just lays around and breaths heavier than normal but not panting. I have tried warming his food, adding broths, the appetite stimulant, a stool softener, giving him tuna and nothing is working. He has lost 2 pounds in one week he weighed 19 and now is down to 17. I am going out and buying a human glucose reader this morning, but the vet is also stumped as to why the Vetsulin isnt working. I have contacted the vet and he has an appointment for first thing Tuesday morning. We do not have an emergency room or vet around here, I live in a very rural area. Is there anything else I can do or buy that may help him. How often should I check his levels at home.
 
Hi and welcome. My boy was 10 when he was diagnosed and also very very ill until the insulin started helping.

The lethargy and lack of appetite is concerning. Have ketone levels been checked? There is a deadly condition called diabetic keto-acidosis which can develop in an untreated diabetic feline, that's what happened to my cat. You can get ketostix at Walmart and stick them in a puddle or clump of urine to check ketone levels.

What are you feeding? Diabetic cats need very food that is low in carbs. Tuna is certainly low carb but should not be given as a primary food, too much sodium and is also lacking in the minerals and nutrients cats must have to live.

If I were you I would ask your vet to try a different type of insulin, Vetsulin is not really good for cats, it is also known as Canisulin and is officially recommended for dogs not cats. I would strongly recommend you try Lantus or ProZinc, I'm a big proponent of Lantus as it saved my boy.

There is also a chance that kitty is being overdosed. The symptoms you describe with the heavy breathing are sometimes seen in cats that are being overdosed on insulin. A few random checks of the blood sugar does not tell the whole story, kitty could be being overdosed and going way way too low in blood sugar but later when tested, it shot back up. Quite possible as Vetsulin is a very fast-acting, harsh insulin and does not have long duration. Get some Lantus!

As far as how much Lantus to give kitty I will defer to one of the expert gurus like @Christie & Maverick or @Suzanne & Darcy
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
Hi and welcome. My boy was 10 when he was diagnosed and also very very ill until the insulin started helping.

The lethargy and lack of appetite is concerning. Have ketone levels been checked? There is a deadly condition called diabetic keto-acidosis which can develop in an untreated diabetic feline, that's what happened to my cat. You can get ketostix at Walmart and stick them in a puddle or clump of urine to check ketone levels.

What are you feeding? Diabetic cats need very food that is low in carbs. Tuna is certainly low carb but should not be given as a primary food, too much sodium and is also lacking in the minerals and nutrients cats must have to live.

If I were you I would ask your vet to try a different type of insulin, Vetsulin is not really good for cats, it is also known as Canisulin and is officially recommended for dogs not cats. I would strongly recommend you try Lantus or ProZinc, I'm a big proponent of Lantus as it saved my boy.

There is also a chance that kitty is being overdosed. The symptoms you describe with the heavy breathing are sometimes seen in cats that are being overdosed on insulin. A few random checks of the blood sugar does not tell the whole story, kitty could be being overdosed and going way way too low in blood sugar but later when tested, it shot back up. Quite possible as Vetsulin is a very fast-acting, harsh insulin and does not have long duration. Get some Lantus!

As far as how much Lantus to give kitty I will defer to one of the expert gurus like @Christie & Maverick or @Suzanne & Darcy
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Thank you for the info unfortunately I just left the vet and they said his abdomen was full of fluid. His temp was so cold it wouldn't read and his bg was so high it wouldn't read. Thry said he was in heart failure and I had to make the heart breaking decision to let my baby go
 
I had just started typing that Kyle has given you some very good information and was going to offer some additional thoughts, but that doesn’t matter now that I saw that you had posted in the meantime. Sending you virtual hugs, how utterly devastating and shocking :bighug:. I’m truly sorry for your loss.
 
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