refusing to eat

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lillie95

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Good morning,

A little over a week ago my cat who is almost 16 years old was diagnosed with Diabetes. According to the Vet, all other lab results were fine. She has been responding excellently to the 1 unit of Lantus given twice daily. The problem is she continues to refuse to eat independently. I have tried a variety of foods with a strong odor. I have even put it on her nose and tongue, but it has not made a difference. Because of this I have been feeding either with my finger or with a Syringe. I have been mixing prescription food and various high quality foods and feeding. There is no problem with getting her to eat this way. I understand it is quite common for older cats to begin shutting down as they are approaching death. This maybe happening with my cat. Though for now I want to focus on doing what I can to solve the eating issue. So, I could really use some help with that problem. Thank you
 
What was she eating before the prescription food? Could you give her some of that. You could switch food to something high protein, low carb in time, but for now if eating her old food would get her eating, I would do that.

When you say no problem getting her to eat this way, do you mean she'll eat her old food?
 
When she was diagnosed, did she have a full blood panel done? Were all of her other values normal - kidney, liver, thyroid, etc? Just because she's 16 and diabetic doesn't mean she's ready to die yet. We nursed a CRF cat for 4 years and she lived to be 21. Where there's quality of life, there is often quantity and you deserve to pat yourself on the back for taking such good care of her for all this time!

There could be any number of reasons why she won't eat but one thing to consider is that in my recent experience, not eating can be a sign of pancreatitis. My guy Harley was recently diagnosed and I'm still treating him now. It may or may not be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Finger and syringe feeding is good as she needs her water and nutrients but if things don't improve, a trip to the vet may be in order.
 
Sometimes cats will stop eating by themselves for no good reason. You might want to talk to your vet about about giving 2.5 mg of Pepcid AC twice daily since that sometimes helps. Also there are appetite stimulants that might help. I have been syringe feeding my Mitten about half her food since she does not want to eat more.
 
Hi - I just wanted chime in here. I went over to Lillie's house and taught her owner how to test BG levels. Lillie is currently getting 1 unit of Lantus twice a day. She will eat if hand fed, it is eating by herself that is the issue.

Ellen
Rover - GA since 2009 (still miss him!!)
 
hello my friend. Ok then, my suggestions wold be to try
sprinkle with parm cheese
fortiflora
halo treats
freeze dried chicken
tuna juice
try warming so let stinky aroma to be more potent
some tuna juice (water) not oil.

or if absolutely have to, you can try smashing some of his favorite dry on top to start process going. hopefully more will chime in
 
Hello,

I want to thank everyone who has so far responded to my post. I have been checking her blood sugar level routinely since being taught by two very kind woman on Friday. Except for Sunday afternoon and evening Lillie's levels have been very good. Being new to giving insulin injections and the amount give is only 1 unit it is quite possible I made an error on the dosage on Sunday AM. Meaning I mistakingly under dosed. Things are back to normal in that area, so far today. As for the tests by the Vet, it was my understanding it was a complete workup, which only showed diabetes. Also, the Vet indicated a X-Ray showed a small spot on the liver. When questioned she seemed to think it was nothing to be concerned about. Nevertheless, I plan to follow up on both issues. Regarding the suggestions for eating, I have tried some of them with no success. I have ordered a homeopathic medication that is supposed to help with stimulating appetite. Despite the lack of success in having her eat independently she continues to take the food I offer through a syringe. She continues to find her way to the litter box and other areas of my home with no problem. Though when it comes to the litter box she will urinate outside the box, so I try to watch and put her inside it. I do have a question though about the Pepcid AC. In what way does it help a cat. Also, is there any drug interaction with Insulin? Again, thanks to everyone. If you or anyone else has any further suggestions please feel free to post them.
 
Pepcid is supposed to settle their stomachs. It is often used with kitties with pancreatitis. The dose is usually 1/4 10 mg tablet crushed into the food. Regular pepcid, not double strength.

Is FortiFlora what you ordered? It is supposed to be very helpful stimulating the appetite.

It does sound like the worst problem you are looking at now is getting her to eat on her own. If she is eating enough, I would continue the syringe feeding. Hopefully she will get tired of it soon and start to eat on her own.
 
When was the last time your kitty had a dental? Eating on her own may be painful for some reason - syringe feeding seems to surpass the need for them to chew, so perhaps that's why she won't eat on her own, but eats when you feed her that way. Among the other suggestions, please find out if your vet examined her mouth thoroughly. Sounds like you're doing everything you can to get her to eat, that's very good. Cats need to eat, even if not diabetic.

"Spots" on organs can be something or nothing. I would recommend an ultrasound to clarify the possibility it is something to be concerned about. In other words, don't worry about something until you know more definitively it is something to worry about!

Did you mention or ask about pancreatitis? There is a specific blood test for that, called a feline PLI test. It may be helpful to rule out pancreatitis before other diagnostics are done.

Hope you find an answer soon.
 
Is the going outside the box a new thing? something that just started?

did you recently change litter? brands? scents?

I'm wondering if something else is going on to make her go outside the box. That usually is a sign something is wrong. It may be as simple, as "I don't like the new litter you put in" to something more serious as a urinary tract issue.

Definitely have her mouth looked at, it's possible she needs a dental and her mouth/teeth hurt. It sounds like she is hungry and wants to eat, yet something is preventing that.

Regarding giving a too little insulin one time - well honestly, better to underdose than overdose. You can always get back on track with the next shot.

I hope you get some definitive answers soon. In the meantime, sounds like she is being well taken care of.
 
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