My cats name is Stanley. He was diagnosed on 6-15-13. He is 2 years old. We found him as a stray and took him in. We had to nurse him to good health when we found him and he was doing really good. He loved to play with his toys and he and our little dog were best friends. All his problems started with him vomiting periodically. Not knowing any better we tried changing his food several times and finally settled on Purina 1 for sensitive systems and this seemed to stop the vomiting. He started eating like a horse and was gaining weight like crazy, then suddenly he started losing weight and becoming less active. He would always come get me up about 5:30 every morning and this just suddenly stopped and he became withdrawn. He started hiding under things and we noticed his breathing was starting to become labored. We took him to the vet and was expecting the worst. The vet said he had a respiratory infection and he would need to keep him over night. The next day the vet called and said Stanley was diabetic and he would keep him another night and start him on insulin. When we went to get him the vet had started him on 2 units of Vetsulin twice a day and sent him home with an antibiotic. He was not eating enough at that point to keep a fly alive. After about 5 days he slowly started to eat a little more each day and seem to be getting better. We had switched him to Fancy Feast wet food. He will not hardly eat the patte, but will eat the ones with gravy. His breathing had returned to normal. Then on 6-25 his breathing became labored again, so we took him back to the vet and he sent us home with some syringes filled with antibiotics to give him once a day for five days. Again his breathing became normal and he was starting to become his old self again. He was starting to run and play again, was eating pretty good and had started coming to wake me in the morning again. Then yesterday it was just like flipping a light switch, he is wanting to hide again, slowed down on eating and we have noticed he is starting to get neuropathy in his hind quarters. We are at our wits end and don't know what else to do. We have already spent nearly $500.00 in vet bills and can not continue to do this. We feel so bad for him and feel like we are letting him down. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Newly Diagnosed
- Thread starter SandG2
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SandG2 said:
OK you have alot of stuff in that post!
OK, for food, you need to stay away from all dry food and for sure those yummy gravy foods. Stanley is going to have to learn to love low carb wet food. Just use Dr. Lisa's listing to pick foods with carbs 10% or less. You can give Fancy Feast or Friskies pates; they are all OK.
catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf
Next, pick up a blood glucose meter test strips and lancets... the most economical one would be one of the Relion ones, if you are in the US, and any OneTouch or Bayer meters are good is outside the US. It's important to know if Stanley can become a diet controlled diabetic or if he will need some insulin.
The insulin you are using is not great at all. Vetsulin was taken off the market a bit ago because of irregular results, so I would prefer to see people use Lantus or Levemir, or even Prozinc. This 'new and improved' Vetsulin is supposed to be fine, but I don't think I'd trust it.
For the neuropathy, no problem. Just give B12 pills; as many others have done, and the neuropathy will clear up.
What antibiotics did your vet have you giving and for what reasons? What did the vet say about the breathing problems, just a URI, and what was done when Stanley stayed there overnight?
If Stanley is not eating, talk to your vet about syringe feeding if it gets really bad.... if he's eating some higher carb wet food while he is not well, then let him until healthy again.
To cut on expenses, that is no problem... get a meter and strips so you know how he's doing, feed Friskies pates as they are good and also cheaper, and pickup some B12 pills at the pharmacy. You have insulin and syringes, so you are good on that expense.
Please don't worry about the expense because quite often, the vet charges are for needless things. If you are home testing, you don't need to take your cat to the vet for expensive curves. If he has a URI, then get meds and bring him home. If he is dehydrated and needs fluids, get a kit and give them yourself at home. Too much money is wasted by taking your cat to the vet who ends up stressed.
Gayle
Deb & Wink
Member Since 2013
There are other styles, consistencies of the Fancy Feast cat foods your cat may like. The Fancy Feast Flaked, Fancy Feast Chunky and Friskies Flaked style are all <10% carbs and appropriate for a diabetic cat.
You might also try mixing little bits of the pate food in with the gravy food. Change the proportions each day, a little bit more of the pate food, a little bit less of the gravy food. That is one way to get him used to eating the pates and slowly switching Stanley to a lower carb food.
You might also try mixing little bits of the pate food in with the gravy food. Change the proportions each day, a little bit more of the pate food, a little bit less of the gravy food. That is one way to get him used to eating the pates and slowly switching Stanley to a lower carb food.
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and suggestions. We came home this afternoon to find he could not stand and walk without stumbling and falling and his little eyes constantly moving around just like he was drunk, so we had to make an emergency visit to the vet tonight. This was a different vet than the one who diagnosed him with diabetes. After running some test he said we had been treating Stanley for diabetes for 3 weeks and he clearly was not diabetic. He had not had a shot since yesterday morning and his glucose tonight was 105. He clearly had some serious neurological problems going on that were quickly become worse as time went on today. After much discussion with the vet on all our options, we as a family decided it was time to have Stanley put to sleep to end all of his suffering. This was a very hard decision, but we just could not stand to watch him suffering with no true hope that he would ever get any better.
Deb & Wink
Member Since 2013
I'm so sorry about your loss of Stanley. Helping our kitties on to the Rainbow Bridge is one of the hardest but most loving decisions we can make. We here at FDMB will be grieving with you. My sincere condolences on the loss of your Stanley. Hold him close to your heart and remember the good times you had together.
Fly free little Stanley. You have earned your wings.
Fly free little Stanley. You have earned your wings.
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