shelaghc
Member Since 2017
I've been telling the vets for months that Jester's weight loss is a problem. (One friend even suggested that I was being an alarmist and that perhaps nine pounds was the correct weight for him - even though he's never been heavy and he's a very long kitty.)
Back in December - when he weighed in at nine pounds - the vet suggested that he might never regain that weight.
So I rallied with Jester and, because he just absolutely will not eat the high calorie / low carb food that would be the best help, I started over-feeding him. At one point I had him eating over 2.5 cans per day. By February, he had only gained just shy of half a pound.
One would think that should have sent alarm bells off with the vet, but it didn't.
Now I'm at work all day long and not around to really push him to eat as much. Still I've been mostly getting about two cans into him every day.
Last week we went for a checkup because he felt even bonier than before.
Not only did he lose that tiny amount of weight, he was down to 8.1 pounds. The vet tested him for CKD and thyroid, but both came back negative (although I know that thyroid can sometimes test negative even when there's a problem).
On top of all that, my baby is prone to upper respiratory infections and last week he started having symptoms. (Friday he had mucous in his eyes and Saturday he sneezed out some snot on my leg.) Which, of course, meant that he's been off his feed. Getting extra food in him was even harder. And, of course, his favorite foods are now not so tasty. I accidentally found something he is mostly eating - although the carb content is higher. Somehow, I'm still getting nearly two cans into him daily.
(No, he absolutely doesn't like fortiflora or any of the other toppings that some people have had success with.)
Miraculously, through all this, his BG numbers have been pretty freakin' good - nearly all blues and just a few of yellows for more than a week. Frankly, with all that's been going on, I haven't given him insulin since Saturday night (and none on Saturday morning). In fact, since the beginning of the month, there have been a total of eight times I skipped injections entirely.
Mostly he behaves like himself - grooming, litterbox, cuddling, purring, joining me in bed. He isn't playing or chasing things, but when a bug shows up - he does smack it down and eat it. I just need him to gain even some of this weight back. It breaks my heart to see him so painfully thin.
The vet is going to give him a battery of tests tonight to try to figure out why Jester keeps losing weight.
And the potential cost is scaring the crap out of me. (I have an application in with DCIN, but haven't heard back yet - not even to say it's been received.)
I'd appreciate any positive energy folks could send our way. We're due at the vet's office at 5:00PM eastern time.
tia
Back in December - when he weighed in at nine pounds - the vet suggested that he might never regain that weight.
So I rallied with Jester and, because he just absolutely will not eat the high calorie / low carb food that would be the best help, I started over-feeding him. At one point I had him eating over 2.5 cans per day. By February, he had only gained just shy of half a pound.
One would think that should have sent alarm bells off with the vet, but it didn't.
Now I'm at work all day long and not around to really push him to eat as much. Still I've been mostly getting about two cans into him every day.
Last week we went for a checkup because he felt even bonier than before.
Not only did he lose that tiny amount of weight, he was down to 8.1 pounds. The vet tested him for CKD and thyroid, but both came back negative (although I know that thyroid can sometimes test negative even when there's a problem).
On top of all that, my baby is prone to upper respiratory infections and last week he started having symptoms. (Friday he had mucous in his eyes and Saturday he sneezed out some snot on my leg.) Which, of course, meant that he's been off his feed. Getting extra food in him was even harder. And, of course, his favorite foods are now not so tasty. I accidentally found something he is mostly eating - although the carb content is higher. Somehow, I'm still getting nearly two cans into him daily.
(No, he absolutely doesn't like fortiflora or any of the other toppings that some people have had success with.)
Miraculously, through all this, his BG numbers have been pretty freakin' good - nearly all blues and just a few of yellows for more than a week. Frankly, with all that's been going on, I haven't given him insulin since Saturday night (and none on Saturday morning). In fact, since the beginning of the month, there have been a total of eight times I skipped injections entirely.
Mostly he behaves like himself - grooming, litterbox, cuddling, purring, joining me in bed. He isn't playing or chasing things, but when a bug shows up - he does smack it down and eat it. I just need him to gain even some of this weight back. It breaks my heart to see him so painfully thin.
The vet is going to give him a battery of tests tonight to try to figure out why Jester keeps losing weight.
And the potential cost is scaring the crap out of me. (I have an application in with DCIN, but haven't heard back yet - not even to say it's been received.)
I'd appreciate any positive energy folks could send our way. We're due at the vet's office at 5:00PM eastern time.
tia
