RE hypoglycemia in an 18.5yr old cat

[Sharon and Taz]

Thanks for all your help last night. Just wanted to update you on Taz. He is now running BS 200-300 and I am trying him out on half his 2x daily PZI dose of 2.5. He is only taking the gravy from his Fancy Feast so I am supplementing with pured canned kitten food in water twice daily. He is very prone to hepatic lipidosis and I am afraid after one day of crazy sugars he may be headed that way. He has never had pancreatitis. For now my vet and I are watching him and will have labs back at some point. He has not vomitted since before this all started. He does have bad GERD and is on pepcid 2.5 M-W-F which typically controls the regurge. confused_cat

 

[sehjak (Susan & Lanky)]

Hang in there Taz, and thank your Mom for the update.

 

[Michelle and Mannie (GA)]

I hope all works out well for Taz. And thanks for the update - I wish I could have helped you more last night, but you did find capable hands. Well wishes from Mannie and me.

 

[Cheryl and Winnie]

He is only taking the gravy from his Fancy Feast so I am supplementing with pured canned kitten food in water twice daily. He is very prone to hepatic lipidosis and I am afraid after one day of crazy sugars he may be headed that way. He has never had pancreatitis. For now my vet and I are watching him and will have labs back at some point. He has not vomitted since before this all started. He does have bad GERD and is on pepcid 2.5 M-W-F which typically controls the regurge.

Hi sharon,

Nice to see your update. wondering --what has triggered his HL in the past? what lab work was done?
does he have any other health issues besides his gerd? how was that dx'd?
what other meds and/ or supplements does he get other than the pepcid, if any?

I guess I was confused and thought he had a dx of pancreatitis b/c of this in your post last night :

Pancreatitis doesnt usually subside on its own and he is no longer vomitting. He is just not feeling well.

actually, chronic pancreatitis does not always include vomiting. My civie ( non diabetic cat) has had it for a few years and rarely vomits w/ flares. I give supportive care, which helps to treat the symptoms of flares, and hopefully make them shorter, flares can and often do subside on their own. and different symptoms of it can come and go. ECID ( Every Cat is Different)
(btw he also has gerd and is 18 1/2++ :smile: ) When Wolfie was first dx'd w p-titis the only symptom he had was low appy for a few days. and then it would dissipate w/o any treatment.

Has Taz ever had a fPLI test? It is all too common w/ DM kitties. I think that is why at least one other poster other than myself asked. You might find this link interesting : http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... msg-876776

I'm glad he has stopped vomiting and you are getting some food into him.
Have you ever tried appetite stimulants w/ him? mirtazapine or cyproheptadine?

When I have had to assist feed , I have made little meatballs out of wellness or other food that is ground and high density calories. and pop them in his mouth ( gee I make it sound so much easier than it is... depends on how willing he is to cooperate )

welcome to the board ! I look forward to hearing more about Taz.
I hope he continues to feel better, that you get more food into him, and his labs turn out fine.

 

[Sharon and Taz]

Hi everyone! Sorry it took me so long to get back with an update... Taz's labs came back all fine exceot for the lipase which was 8! You were right he does have pancreatitis. He is eating a little better on his own but I have still been trying to feed him every 2 hrs. Hiis BS are still 200-300 on less than half his daily PZI. No Vomitt! I'll be looking up more on pancreatits and certainly love to hear from thise of you have been there and done that!

 

[Cheryl and Winnie]

pancreatitis

Hi everyone! Sorry it took me so long to get back with an update... Taz's labs came back all fine exceot for the lipase which was 8! You were right he does have pancreatitis. He is eating a little better on his own but I have still been trying to feed him every 2 hrs. Hiis BS are still 200-300 on less than half his daily PZI. No Vomitt! I'll be looking up more on pancreatits and certainly love to hear from thise of you have been there and done that!

Hi Sharon,
Was not here today/yesterday to see your message.
I am guessing that Taz had a fPLI ( Pancreatic Lipase Immunoreactivity ) test in stead of a straight lipase test b/c of the number you shared. i would double check w/ your vet, as a regular lipase test will not dx p-titis.
Here is the link to the texas a & m gi lab which developed the fPLI test. They have a nice write up explaining how it is dx'd a a little bit about the disease:

http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/gilab/research/ ... itis.shtml

idexx now also does a test ( developed w/ the help of the texas lab-- tests can be done either place)
and they too have some info at their site:

http://www.idexx.com/animalhealth/labor ... /index.jsp

I think it might be best to start a new thread w/ pancreatitis as topic ( you can include link to this thread in your post so everyone can get the background) that will get more folks attention that have experience with this disease. and please ask any question you may have. The 2 links above along w/ the link I gave you in earlier post -- jojo's write up on p-titis-- are good starts to read.
The treatment is very symptom oriented.

Did your vet offer anything for Taz? appy stimulent? nausea med? pain med? supplements /vitamins?
I'd be happy to offer what meds I use for my kitty. But I'll wait to you post back and see what's what, k?

I will look for your next post ! sorry I missed you guys today. Hope you and Taz had a nice weekend and that he is eating much better.

ps and of course let us know how his dose reduction went.

 

[Sharon and Taz]

Re: Taz has Pancreatitis

Hi All! Thanks you for your input. First I must apologize for my ineptness with the computer. I wanted ti update on taz and get input as to what to do and what to expect. As a background, Taz is an 18.5 yr old cat who has a history o diabetes/insulin depx9.5 yrs, has had hepatic lipidosis x2, and multiple different infections. He has been less hungry over the past few months but with decent BS 150-250 on PZI insulin 2.5/am, 2/pm. He started vomitting and became lethargic last tues4/6 and his BS was 24. over the course of that evening his sugar came back up and has not been lower than 200 since however he looked terrible and didnt want to eat. he had full labs drawn 4/8 and the feline lipase came back at 8.4. LFT's and electrolyts, Bun/creat are normal with normal CBC(anemia only) and urinalysis(3+sugar). He is picking at food which is an improvement but his weight is 7lbs which is well below his normal of 8.5-9. My vet suggests that I give him mashed potatoes as he needs the carbs(sorta against the diabetic cat feeding norm)and reduce the fats. I am still giving him sq fluids but have been told use .9NS by one vet and LR by another. Thoughts anyone? He is not on apppy stimulants or pain n=meds but is taking vitamins and Pepcid M-W-F.