Please I need Help

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

slykitten

New Member
Please can someone help me with my Gus. He 15 years old and been a diabetic for 5 years. This last past year has been hard for him. He has been throwing up and diarrhea since Jan. 2011. The vet said his vitals were good a few months back and put him on 1 .5 units of N . Gave me fortiflora but it doesn't work and he doesn't like it. Also some antibiotics he done taking them weeks ago He been eating good, but he is down to about 6 lbs. He is so skinny. When he throws up he can't stand. Had him tested for thyroid and it was neg. He is a difficult cat so evey time I take him to the vet he has to be sedated.
Any ideas why he vomits so bad and diarrhea ? Am I giving him to much to eat? and not enought Insulin or to much insulin?
Depends on how he is I feed him 1/2 can FF with the shot and Royal Canin for diabetic. then maybe a another teaspoon of FF for the night.
Gus is very alert, if he wasn't so bone skinny you wouldn't know he's sick.
Anythink you can do is vey much appreciated confused_cat
 
Well, N isn't an insulin that is really preferred for cats. The better choices are Prozinc, Lantus, and Levemir. Most people here use one of those, but I think there are some N users still around. Are you testing his blood sugars at home? That is the only way to know if he is getting enough, too much, or not enough insulin. We test using a human meter and a small drop of blood from the edge of our kitties ears. The weight loss COULD be from not enough insulin. The body basically starves when the sugar goes too high, and they lose weight. But without any blood glucose values we don't know for sure. The vomiting and diarrhea could be symptoms of pancreatitis. Has he been tested for that? Are you testing his urine for ketones? You can buy ketostix from most pharmacies. You dip them in the urine (or wave them through the urine stream) and they will tell you if he is spilling ketones in his urine. That can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) which is very serious and requires hospitalization.

We will do our best to help you figure out what's wrong with your sweet Gus cat_pet_icon
 
I'm very sorry about Gus. But we need more info. Like has the vet tested for kidney issues, hyperthyroid,pancreatitis, etc.?

Have you tested his urine for ketones? You NEED to buy ketostix from your pharmacy and do this as it can be a nasty side effect of improper regulation

Are you testing his blood glucose levels? Did you know that you can?

We can help you but we need more info

Jen
 
Thanks for your responses

This is what I know
I have checked for Ketones its Neg.
The last reading of BG at the vet was 265
Hyperthyroid test was neg.
I haven't home test.
The vet took him off Lantus and I think that was because of me. Gus just seemed to be vomit eveytime I gave it to him. I know I should take him off the N I don't really like that any better I think he crashes from it. Should I do that this week? Where can I get Lantus.

Tish :roll:
 
Tish, before changing insulins again, you need to learn how to hometest. At the top of the list of posts is a link to the feline diabetes message board (Fdmb) faq. Please read it. Testing will help you determine what dose to give, otherwise you are guessing, and Gus pays the price. I know you want to help him, that should be your next step and we can help

Jen
 
Jen
I'm scard to test him
But I promise I'll l get the kit at wal-mart tomorrow.
I have to get some weight back on him

Tish
 
Tish,
Don't be scared. At first, it's a little scary I guess, but after you've done it for a couple days, it's not a huge deal for you, or for Gus. Once you pick up the kit, post again here using "need help with 1st hometest" or something, and somebody can walk you through it over the computer. Hometesting is going to turn out to be the best decision you've made, and Gus will benefit tremendously.
Gus may have other issues going on that are causing the vomiting and diarrhea, but once you start home testing, you'll have a much better picture of how the insulin is working and you will be better able to figure out what else may be going on.

Carl in SC
 
Please don't be scared. You can do it and it will get easy! Most kitties learn to associate testing with treats, so it actually becomes a positive experience for them. It may take a while for you to get a drop of blood (took me almost a week!), but once Gus's ears learn to bleed for you it will get easier. I promise!

If you want to say what city you're in, there may be a member close to you. They can teach you how to do it and help you out!

With a prescription, lantus can be purchased at any human pharmacy. So can levemir. Prozinc is an animal insulin, so you have to get it from a vet (although some Costco stores carry animal meds, too). If lantus made Gus sick, you should try one of the other two. But I agree that you should get the testing down pat first, then switch insulin. N is very harsh, so prozinc or lev will be much gentler for poor Gus! Oh, and if cost is an issue, lev and prozinc will end up being cheaper than lantus since a vial of lantus can only be used for 28 days. Lev lasts at least 45 days, and prozinc you can usually use up before it goes bad.
 
where are you located? there may be a member close by who can come over and help teach you to home test.

My Maui had severe diahrhea for months - it stopped when she got diabetes, I removed her dry food and gave her low carb wet only. She still gets days where she has issues, but not like before when it was all day every day. Just something to consider - removing all dry food to see if that helps any.
 
It may be the combination of foods that you are feeding him. Many of us just feed our cats Fancy Feast. Have you tried removing the Royal Canin from his diet to see if that helps?
 
slykitten said:
Jen
I'm scard to test him
But I promise I'll l get the kit at wal-mart tomorrow.
I have to get some weight back on him

Tish
Click to expand...

TISH! Don't be scared! Believe me, the IMAGINED horror is a LOT WORSE than the real thing! We've been testing for 2 weeks - KT now lets ME know when it's time to test as that means REALLY GOOD treats and lots of extra lovin'... :-D
 
Charliemeow said:
If lantus made Gus sick, you should try one of the other two. But I agree that you should get the testing down pat first, then switch insulin. N is very harsh, so prozinc or lev will be much gentler for poor Gus! Oh, and if cost is an issue, lev and prozinc will end up being cheaper than lantus since a vial of lantus can only be used for 28 days. Lev lasts at least 45 days, and prozinc you can usually use up before it goes bad.
Click to expand...

I have to disagree with this. Insulin is a hormone, not a drug, so it is extremely unlikely that it caused Gus to be sick. More likely, he was sick from something else and it happened to coincidentally occur while she was giving the Lantus. The only side effect any insulin has is to lower blood sugar, because that's all the hormone does. She also wasn't testing, so we have no idea how the cat was dosed, or how the dose was effecting Gus.

If handled properly, Lantus usually lasts much longer than 28 days. 28 days is the minimum it's guaranteed to work, but some people can get up to 6 months of life out of it with careful handling. I'm currently on day 44 of my Lantus pen right now and it's still working great. Getting a prescription for the pens instead of the vial is a good idea because it's more cost effective--you spend a little more up front, but you get 15ml of insulin instead of 10ml , and with good handling you often use every drop of insulin before it goes bad. My pack of 5 Lantus pens cost me $230, but they lasted about a year. If you break it down, that is only about $20 a month.

I'm so glad you're going to start hometesting, Tish! It may be a little scary at first, but it becomes routine for both you and your cat. It's also the only way to make your cat better. You can't dose accurately unless you get several tests a day, and it's the only way to really achieve good regulation, or possibly remission. There a lot of people here to walk you through your testing! I remember I was in tears the first few days, but after couple weeks I was doing it one-handed while on the phone! It gets really easy. Just make sure you have low-carb treats to give after each test, and some neosporin + pain relief works wonders to rub on the test site so the kitty will cooperate.
 
Well I got the kit today and it didn't go well. i guess l have to take Gus to the vet for some more testing. I didn't want to stress him out, but the only one who got pricked was the Mr. and he wasn't to happy. I had him hold Gus while I used lancing device. I can't draw blood from Gus's ear. Why is this so hard? I got the One Touch Ultra.

Tish :dizcat
 
Tish would you like a phone call? A verbal walk thru...with video. It can help. I promise. Let me know.
Lori
 
Thanks so much
I will try again tomorrow. Good thing Gus is a trooper.
 

Attachments

  • 90pix.jpg
    90pix.jpg
    23.8 KB · Views: 1,057
I think it was hard for all of us for a time or 2 but I can promise it becomes easy. True! The cats grow to actually LIKE IT! Trust me.
 
Trish, you poor baby, and your poor baby kitty. I feel for you, and it can be really scary at first. The testing totally freaked me out, but then again, Murphy is so docile and I know she can be the exception to the rule. I am not an expert, but used to be an avid fan of Purina veterinarian diets. I do know that the Fortiflora is an extremely strong "probiotic" if you will and may be a little harsh on your baby's tummy and digestion. Have you tried using Panakare Plus? It is for pancreatitis, but Murphy isn't diabetic any longer, and I still give it to her, because it helped so much with her digestive issues, so I'm not giving that up for her. I've had more people tell me, and I've experienced, that Fortiflora is so strong, and some do present vomiting and other symptoms, but then again, it could work perfectly well for another kitty. Panakare to me is a life saver as far as enzymes are concerned. And, it stopped Murphy from vomiting all the time. Oh, that brings another question: does your kitty have pancreatitis? Has your vet done a PLI test on your baby to see what the numbers are? Vomiting would be a sign of pancreatitis. Just a few thoughts from me, and although I've not been active, I still am treating Murphy as if she were diabetic, excluding the insulin, she is now controlled by diet alone. I wonder if it could be dietary as well? Does your vet have access to a dietary consultant in his/her office that could help you? Perhaps with the body weight, which is what we used to gauge how much food Murphy needed and how many calories, maybe kitty isn't getting enough calories from carbs and protein. Lisa and Murphy (Trish, stay strong!)
 
Trish: Are you giving your baby any sub q fluids? They cannot hurt, and can only help. If there is vomiting, he could be losing electrolytes and needs hydration which is totally separate from what he would receive in his wet diet. Just a thought. Murphy loved her sub q's, she just sat there and purred and loved how they made her feel. Lisa
 
Thanks everyone
I still can't seem to get it. I can't draw blood, but anyway Yesterday took Gus to the Vet. Test came in he has Hyerthyroidism and Lymphoma, She said he was a very sick cat. Advise me maybe to put him down. Gus is difficult so he couldn't eat for 8 hrs. so he could be sedated for the test. He was so hungry when I took him in. No I couldn't put him to sleep hungry so I took him home.
His BG was only 232. Wondering what should I do now

Tish
 
Whew - You and Gus have a lot to deal with.

For me, it would depend on how sick the cat is acting. If he still seems to be getting some enjoyment from life, I might spoil him rotten for the next while and then help him on his way. For some lymphomas, I think that there is treatment, but not sure if your vet offered any further options for you. The hypert can also be treated, but again, it depends on just how sick all these things are making him feel.

If he still wants to eat, then feed him his fav lo carb foods. Others more experienced with these conditions will be along shortly with better suggestions.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top