Thinking about giving up

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ursa68

ursa68

Member Since 2014
My Colby is not doing well at all tonight. I'm afraid all his high BG numbers have really taken a toll on his body. By my scale he is down a pound from when he was at the vet last (about a week and a half ago), and he really can't afford to lose any. Tonight, I even offered him regular dry kibble. He ate a little and then turned away. He clearly isn't feeling well, and seems to be nauseous (licking his lips) and possibly in pain. If I remember correctly from my last kidney failure cat, nausea was a symptom. I don't know if I should keep on trying or let him go. Is this just a bad night, or is he telling me its time? I just don't know. He's diabetic, has EPI, and now the kidneys.... and he's almost 15. I'm just afraid his body is giving out. In the morning, I'm taking him in to get his blood levels checked. Based on those, I'll make a decision.

I don't really expect anyone to tell me what to do. I just needed to get that out, and share with people who I know will understand. Thank you.
 
Sorry to hear your Colby isn't feeling well! :bighug:That does sound like nausea- lip smacking, sniffing and walking away- do you think it could be his pancreatitis? Do you have Cerenia or Ondansetron for nausea? My Tiger had a pancreatitis attack late in October and I still need to watch her and give Cerenia and Famatodine when she is nauseous.

We are in very early stage CKD, depending on the month, but this is something that you can manage. Tanya's Website is an absolute gold mine of information, there is also a support group that I joined, please have a look. When I first learned of this diagnosis, I cried my eyes out, but some wonderful and supportive people here showed me that there is a lot that you can do to help Colby- many of these other kitties lived many wonderful years with CKD. There are a lot of us have multiple health issues with our sugar kitties,this is the place to come for moral support- we're here for you!

Here are some tips for getting kitty to eat that you might find helpful.
 
When Saoirse was struggling to eat last year she was very, very poorly - so lethargic, losing weight, and she started shedding like a mad thing. There were times when I was really scared I might lose her. Her inappetence made insulin treatment so difficult as well. The combination of cyproheptadine for appetite, ondansetron (generic) for nausea, occasional famotidine for stomach acid, and a course of B12 (per previous thread) helped her so much. When she started eating better, the insulin treatment became more straightforward and then she started being able to use the nutrients she was eating and she really turned the corner. Frankly I was amazed at how well she rallied when the insulin helped her to finally use the food she was eating as nourishment. Granted Saoirse did not have kidney issues, but I just wanted to share with you how very, very poorly Saoirse was at one time (and how distressed and frightened I felt at the time) and the amazing rally she had once she got the right treatments in place. (A longer-acting, gentler insulin (Lantus) was another key element of her treatment.)

I've just had a look at Colby's spreadsheet. I've not got that much experience with treating Saoirse's diabetes so I don't give any suggestions about anything to do with insulin (I'm not a medical professional). That said, Saoirse started on Caninsulin (the UK brand name for Vetsulin) and I must admit I was taken aback at how high Colby's Vetsulin dose is.

Can some more experienced members please have a look at Colby's spreadsheet and give Cindy some feedback? Is it possible that Colby has an undiagnosed high-dose condition or could the high Vetsulin dose be keeping him in higher numbers?

(Large bold type used due to urgency of situation - I hope it doesn't come across as 'shouting'.)
 
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I truly think Colby has something else going on and that's why he requires such a high dose. I've never been completely convinced he had pancreatitis. He lacks the symptoms. But he has had the EPI symptoms. The tests he had were kind of inconclusive.. either pancreatitis or the EPI.

I've been waiting on BCP PZI, but was going to talk to my vet about starting Prozinc. But then last night and today, he just seems so feeble. I just feel like I'm fighting so many things... he won't eat the food with the enzyme in it for his possible EPI, if he won't eat, his BG is all screwed up, the kidneys, etc. I feel like it's all a big vicious cycle. I don't want to have a cat who runs from me every time I get near.... that's no way to live. I'm not force feeding him. I've had a CKD cat before. I worked really hard to give her a good quality of life. But when she would no longer purr and looked at me with those tired eyes, I knew it was time.

Whatever the case, I've had a good cry and maybe things will look better in the morning. Thank you for all the suggestions.
 
I understand where you're coming from. The memory of how bad Saoirse was last year will haunt me the rest of my life. Even now, I watch her at pretty much every meal for signs of lip licking because I dread the thought of her ever getting that poorly again. Where some people have problems with BG regulation, my bête noire is Saoirse's food. Sometimes she starts mewling after she eats and it shrivels me up inside. :(

FWIW, Saoirse tested positive for both pancreatitis and EPI. At one stage last year her stools were highly indicative of EPI (fatty, pale, and stank to the high heavens) but as the flare subsided and her Lantus treatment progressed her stools steadily improved.

I wish for you a restorative and refreshing sleep. Sending you these ---> :bighug::bighug:
 
Thank you @Critter Mom , you do give me some hope. I went ahead and gave him a subq tonight and he is now resting in his Kitty Kup. I'm not going to bother him with BG tests tonight. I think it's time we got to bed before midnight for a change!
 
Oh yeah... and he finally ended up eating about half a can of wet food. Go figure. The roller coaster ride continues....
 
Edited: Upon a second reading of your post, I realized I missed the part where you already gave subq fluids. Obviously, you're already on top of the dehydration issue. Hope you and your kitty feel better.

Sorry that you are going through such a tough time. If you're suspecting kidney issues, have you checked to see if he's dehydrated? BJM has the method to do this towards the end of the Secondary Monitoring Tools from his signature.

Sometimes something as simple as dehydration can make a cat feel really icky. If you're suspecting kidney issues this is a simple thing to check. Subcutaneous fluids can make dehydrated cats with kidney failure cats bounce right back.
 
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Your spreadsheet shows high BGs but a pretty good BG drop. That is a good sign. Colby just seems to be a high-dose kitty. Some cats just require a high dose. My MurrFee is on 13 untis of Levemir and 5 units of ProZinc twice a day
 
What a difference a day makes! I talked to the vet. Colby's kidney values have actually improved from the last time he was there (thanks to the subqs)! All of his blood work looked pretty good. Instead of waiting on the free sample from BCP, we went ahead and ordered a paid vial to be received tomorrow. I can't wait to get him on another insulin! He's still not eating that great, so we have to work on that... could be due to the pancreatitis. I'm just hoping once he's regulated and not making big swings in BG, that he'll feel better and start eating and being his old self again. He was really dismal last night.

Thanks again for all the support!
 
Thanks for the update- great WCR! At our age, I allow that Tiger and I can have a bad day, but just as quickly, the next day will be better. You might be surprised how much better Colby does with a better quality insulin! I keep a constant supply of Cerenia, Bupe and Famatodine as well as Fortaflora on hand. If I even suspect that my Tiger feels nauseous from another p-titis attack, I start the Cerenia and Famatodine right away because it takes 2 hours for the cerenia to kick in before mealtime.
 
I do similar but with ondansetron for the nausea.

Delighted that today has been a better day for you and Colby. :) FWIW, Saoirse was in an awful state during the height of her flare last year - dreadfully lethargic, extremely depressed and withdrawn (I worried I might lose her) - but once she got the right meds, B12 and insulin she really picked up and went from strength to strength. Tisha, another cat on the board, also got very, very sick with pancreatitis last year but again with the right treatment she made a wonderful recovery. I'm wishing much better things for you and Colby.
 
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@Tiger and Ruth , sorry, but what does "WCR" stand for? Also, what is the cerenia for? The bupe is for pain, right? Colby has never had the vomiting and up until last night, he's never exhibited any signs of nausea.

@Critter Mom Thank you for your kind words. You gave me some hope last night. I hope that Saoirse continues to stay healthy and pancreatitis-free!

It really was dismal last night, and now I feel a little silly for being so gloom and doom! I honestly don't know what's different today. They didn't do anything at the vets, but do a blood panel. Since he's been home tonight, he's been eating really well. Who knows? But I'm really excited for the new insulin to get here!
 
WCR = whole cat report - basically, your cat is more than a glucose number, so considering how the cat is eating and drinking, eliminating, showing normal, pre-diabetes behavior, and so on. See my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for additional assessments you may wish to make.

The Buprenorphine is for pain.
The Cerenia is for the nausea; its difficult to eat when you feel like you need to hurl.
 
It does sound like pancreatitis may be part of this puzzle. Max has chronic pancreatitis and it started over five years ago. In fact he had a dental two weeks ago and I am pretty sure he us experiencing it now. He becomes gradually more and more inappetent. I started him on ondansetron for nausea and his eating has improved. I saw my vet today and he agrees with me. If you don't get the nausea controlled your cat may develop food aversions which is the last thing you need.

This is manageable as you can see as Max has dealt with it for over five years. The test for it is the specific fPL, a blood test. The treatment is basically fluids which you already give, a good nausea med, pain med if needed and feeding small amounts of food often. :bighug:
 
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@tiffmaxee Thanks, I think I will go ahead and get some anti-nausea med from the vet, just in case. He also mentioned possibly adding an antacid. Colby did have an fPL test back in December, it was >51. He also had a TLI of 127.4. The lab report said a TLI number greater than 100 "may be due to pancreatitis (acute or chronic), pancreatic hypertrophy, renal failure or small intestinal disease". He's been getting subqs every other day, and sometimes every day for about 2 weeks now. I wanted to do that until I could get his BG regulated. It's amazing what hydration will do! He's never acted like he's in pain, but obviously he has experienced some inappetence or nausea lately.
 
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