Not Eating

Status
Not open for further replies.
Lizzey and Errol

Lizzey and Errol

Member Since 2017
Hey y’all.

Errol has been having some rough days recently. He hasn’t been begging or eating food like he normally does. His numbers are lower than normal in the morning and then are above normal in the evening. I’m not worried about his number as much, but the fact that he’s not wanting to eat has me very concerned. He has diabetes and a kidney disease and I know that it’s been progressing, but I’m thinking he’s beginning to come to the final stages.

Is there any reason why he could have just stopped wanting to eat? Is this a major warning sign?
 
HI,
Have your tried any of the toppers to entice him to eat? The bonito or tuna or mackerel flakes are pretty enticing for most cats. Amazon also has some flavors you can sprinkle on. Parmesan sometimes works too.

My boy is very fussy and we have to switch flavors pretty much every day.

If it is not the food I am wondering if Errol is nauseous ? Many cats with kidney disease have nausea and zofran/ondansetron works like magic :smuggrin:
I am not sure if you give SQ fluids but that alone can get everything feeling better including appetite as it will help flush the toxins out. I have had many cats with kidney disease and it is really amazing what SQ fluids can do to slow the progression and just make them feel better all around.

I give ondansetron daily as a prevention as well as cerenia on 5 days off 1
ondansetron works for up to 6 hours and I give my 12# cat about 3mg and my 19# I give 4mg as often as needed every 4-6 hours. Cerenia last 24 hours.
You could also add a appetite stimulate in the same gel cap. Cypro and mirtz are the 2 most common. Most use cypro but for some it doesn't work and many vets prefer mirtz now in a pretty low dose until you find what works for you.

I would not give a stimulant without a anti nausea pill.
:bighug:
 
PS sometimes warming the food helps too--many feel the senses are not as good when they are seniors and the heat will bring out the scent. Also it takes about 30 minutes for the meds (in above post) to work.
 
I will try switching up his foods! He is very picky and prefers human food over cat food (he begs but we don't give anything to him unless its chicken or fish) So we started feeding him tuna as well as canned cat food and he was doing okay with eating. Lately he hasn't even been begging for food and that is the main problem. He is always up begging for food and now he isn't which is what has me super concerned. He does get fluids twice a week, I'm not sure what the fluids are that he gets because I take him to the vet for them. He only got the fluids once early last week and there was no one who could take him for the second day. So maybe it is the lack in fluids that are causing his loss in appetite? I am taking him later today to get his fluids so maybe that will help. I will keep you updated!
If fluids do not work I will talk to my vet about the nausea pills!
 
Can your vet teach you to give them?
It is really easy and much less money.
You would need a script for fluids and needles.
1 of mine gets daily the other 3x a week.
It has kept the ki values in decent numbers.
We have been doing 1 for 3 years and my 20 yr old since he was 11. His labs are really good due to the fluids starting early as soon as we saw them creeping up.
Good luck today
 
When he first needed his fluids the vet sent me home with everything I needed to do them at home, but the needle freaked me out so the vet told me that they do fluid therapy for however many times you need for a flat monthly fee. It is not the most convenient thing to take him to the vet twice a week but we managed to do it. My vet is wonderful and the vet techs LOVE Errol, so they are always happy to see him when I bring him in.
Errol is also a very skinny cat and the fluids can take up to a day to finally be absorb in his body so it is just easier that we take him to the vet.
 
A cat not wanting to eat is something to be concerned about, not necessarily the final stages though.

Is there any other sign is he peeing and pooing ok ? Any signs that he may have nausea or stomach acid ( like getting close to the food then walking away )? Any chance he may have an infection like UTI? Have you checked his values lately (creatinine, BUN, phospurus, potasium, calcium, sodium ,etc )?
 
Lunch time update: Errol ate quite a bit for lunch today and seem to be in a happier mood.

I haven't been paying close attention to his litter box use but I don't think he used it much yesterday since he was not eating. Going to keep an eye on every time he eats and uses the litter box. When he doesn't eat it worries me like crazy because he is skinnier than skinny (about 8lbs) and I know his body can't handle when he doesn't eat. We feed him every time he begs for food and have been trying to get him to gain weight but it just doesn't happen. I am open to any suggestions to things I can feed him to help bulk him up but also that won't affect his diabetes or KD. He's not big on cat food but loves to eat meats.
 
Being hungry all the time and not gaining or even losing weight is a symptom of unregulated diabetes, and even when they are regulated it takes time for them to regain weight so be patient.

What stage CKD is he? It could help too if you included his last labs results.

I tried to look at his numbers in the spreadsheet to see if any ideas came to mind but it appears empty so I'm not sure is the right link.

You could try giving him cooked egg whites mixed with his food if he accepts them they are high quality protein without the phosphorus
 
I always feel inappetance is definitely cause for concern...I would suggest a full blood panel...his CRF may be getting worse and anti nauseants required (I have had four cats with kidney failure) ...eating very little can cause fatty liver...this happened to one of my kitties...dont mean to alarm you but this is what I would do...
 
I wanted to give y'all an update on Errol. When we went to get fluids on Tuesday they weighed him and he was down to 7lbs. They told me that I needed to get him to eat even if it was a bowl of cat treats. So I spent the rest of the day trying to get him to eat whatever I could. He was able to eat a little but he just wasn't being himself. The next day I brought him back to my vet fearing the worst. We did blood test and xrays. The xrays showed that the mineralization in his kidneys was greatly progressing, but there was nothing else alarming. The blood test came back and showed that his potassium levels were scary low and there was a couple other levels that were not in a good range but the potassium was the most alarming. He is now getting potassium pills as well as getting potassium through his fluids that he gets three times a week. He is also on some other medication to help his kidneys. He is doing a lot better now and is back to his normal self. He is still not eating as much but I think he is just being picky on the foods that we are giving him.
 
what were the other alarming blood results ? glad to hear Errol is doing better...please tell me the meds your vet prescribed for kidney failure? My kitty is ij kidney failure too but no vet has prescribed me any meds for it....just iv ringers...
 
My vet prescribed Benazapril to help with his kidneys. He’s only in stage two but moving into stage three. That’s strange that they haven’t prescribed you any medicine for your cat. What stage is he in? They should at least get you started on benazapril
 
That is very strange. There is medications that help slow down the progression of the kidney disease in cats. There is nothing that can completely cure it but there is things you can do to slow it down. I am very shocked that your vet has not offered for any of those options.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top