Still losing weight

Jasper was diagnosed a few months ago with diabetes. (General info in signature)

He has been on glargine (lantus) since January along with a DM wet only diet. His insulin has been slowly upped to 2x a day and 1 1/2 units. Positives: He is no longer vomiting at all (yay!) and not lethargic; in fact, the old man has quite a bit of spunk.

What's concerning... he is so skinny...boney really . He was 16 lbs when adopted in 2012. Went on a diet, and lost a few. over the years. He had rapid dropped back in 2019/2020 when he was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism. He was down to 12 lbs. which doc said was where he should be given his frame Ideally 11 lbs, but not in the manner he lost it. Flash forward to end of 2023 he began vomiting and being a bit more lethargic, and drinking a ton and looked skinny . Diabetic diagnosis in January and down to 9 lbs

He was started at 1 unit am only and DM food. His #s pulled high still and lost more over the course of Jan-March. 8.4 lbs. went to 1 unit 2x a day, then 1.5 unit 2x a day. His demeanor is super but still so skinny.

My vet is perplexed and even tested his thyroid again. pulls right in range, as did his curve. But he has lost another cou

I wasn't sure if a more calorie dense option would be better to help him gain some weight, or if there is something I am missing? He takes his shots like a champ but is a nightmare to prick for blood I can keep trying but he gets soooo stressed, even following the tutorials.

Any thoughts, even if just ideas on what to ask the vet, woukd be appreciated. I just want my little buddy not to be only skin and bones.

Many thanks!!

 

@Wendy&Neko
@Bron and Sheba (GA)

 

Your thinking sounds like it's on the right track. Jasper needs more calories. It doesn't matter if it's a more calorie dense food or if you give him more of what he's already eating. I'm hesitant to suggest a change in food since it sounds like you were successful in getting his vomiting under control.

The piece that may be missing is Jasper's blood glucose (BG) level. If a cat's BG is not regulated, he can't make good use of what you're feeding him. Insulin is what moves the end product of food metabolism (i.e., glucose) into the cells. If you don't know what Jasper's BG is, you don't know how well regulated he is and glucose may still be floating around in this blood stream. This means he's not getting nutrition into his cells or he's not getting enough nutrition into his cells. This is why many cats lose so much weight prior to being diagnosed with diabetes. If Jasper is hard to test at home, you may want to consider asking your vet about a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) such as the Freestyle Libre. There is a sensor that the vet (and ultimately you) can adhere to your cat's skin and you can get BG readings from an app on your phone.

 

Can you post the specific BG for the curve?
When s last time a blood panel was done? Ard hte kinsy values good
When was last time UA was done?
About how many calories does he eat daily?What do his feces look like? Looking for a GI problem

 

I will ask the vet about this!! Thank you!

 

He had a full senior panel done in February. Kidney levels are perfectly in range, along with thyroid. No other issues noted with blood panel.

He eats purina dm pate (3/4 can am and pm) sometimes a smidge more at each serving

or

7/8 can of the dm slices am and pm. Usually he ends up with a full can am and pm of the slices.

He gets cosequin supplements (1 pill on pm food)

He is my champion pooper lol. I always know it is him because he is my only one who doesn't cover in the box. Something he has never done since adopted 12 years ago (so not a new behavior).

The other thought I had was his BG maybe spiking during the day. We have 3 cats (moved in with my fiance 2 yrs ago). His cat hates my two, and in order to keep the peace, we kitty swap. Meaning my two roam free at night and until afternoon, while his is in our bedroom. Then swap so she has some time out. Jasper hates being confined, so it isn't ideal, he kitty boxes the door but settles down for his cat midday snooze fest. Wasn't sure if this would cause his level to spike like when he goes to the vet.

He is going next week for his next curve and I will ask the vet for the exact numbers to post.

He hasn't been as ravenous the last few days, actually breathes and isn't done in 30 seconds, so that is good. I just wish I could get him to gain a bit of weight back.

Thanks so much!!