Todd is Acting Odd Again. Suggestions?...

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ToddyTiger

ToddyTiger

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So here is my original post with some updates:

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=19469


So Todd came home after all of his weekend emergency vet visits. He started eating again, not a ton, but more than he was a few days before this. He was acting pretty normal. Started drinking again as well. Our vet suggested not giving him any insulin until they did a Glucose curve on him. So I didn't give him any last week. I took him in on Friday the 16th for a Glucose Curve, which was in the lower 300's. I do not remember the exact number. So the vet suggested giving him half of one unit twice a day. Over that weekend (The 17th and 18th) he really didn't eat much, so I decided to wait until Monday (when I would be home ALL day to watch him) to give him his insulin. he ate, not a ton, but enough, and I gave him the 1/2 unit. That evening, he didn't want to eat again, so I did not give him anymore insulin. The next day, not really wanting food, so no insulin. Today, again.. not waiting any of his prescription food. The only thing he will eat, and I don't really even call this eating.. is he likes to lick up all of the gravy from a can of Friskies turkey and cheese in gravy. He really won't eat the meat in it. Just the gravy, and if I'm lucky, he might eat a couple of little kibble pieces.

I'm waiting to hear from our vet about what I should do. I'm at a total loss. Aside from having low potassium, his blood work came back normal. He's still drinking fine and going potty fine. But he does seem kind of tired, though alert enough that he is following me around the house (again though, tired) and has been talking to me. I don't know what to do though. I have also been giving him Tumil-K for the low potassium. I don't know anything about low potassium, so maybe this is why he is acting funny?... I don't know what it's effects are on an older cat.

He got something in his left ear earlier as well and now he seems kind of sad. he was scratching at his ear and it started to bleed a little, so I cleaned it out with warm water and a cotton ball, which he hated.

I feel like I should rush him to the vet, but I also feel like there is nothing they can do for him. He is just not wanting food. I do have some canned a/d left, so I will most likely syringe feed him after I talk with the vet. My husband, though supportive, is also under the impression Todd is simply dying and is telling us this by not eating. I don't think so.. but I think he just doesn't want to spend anymore money on him.

I'm looking for suggestions on foods I can try (dry and canned), ideas on what might be wrong and such. Thank you all!
 
I would suggest that you home test Todd and see what his BG numbers are like. You can go to any pharmacy and pick up a meter, strips, and do the same testing as your vet does on the curve ... and save yourself a great deal of money. The pokes in the ear don't hurt; my two cats sleep through most of their tests. Without knowing if his numbers are high or low and how he is reacting to the insulin, it's tough to say what would be the issue. It could be that you just need to increase his insulin or maybe even decrease the dose.

As has been mentioned, you could ask your vet to test for pancreatitis - if he is not eating or drinking, you need to find out why.

Foods wet are better than any dry foods. I feed mine friskies and fancy feast; they are low carb and you can get a good variety.
Sorry I don't know anything about low potassium; hopefully someone else will have that info for you.
 
ToddyTiger said:
So here is my original post with some updates:

http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopi ... 28&t=19469


So Todd came home after all of his weekend emergency vet visits. He started eating again, not a ton, but more than he was a few days before this. He was acting pretty normal. Started drinking again as well. Our vet suggested not giving him any insulin until they did a Glucose curve on him. So I didn't give him any last week. I took him in on Friday the 16th for a Glucose Curve, which was in the lower 300's. I do not remember the exact number. So the vet suggested giving him half of one unit twice a day. Over that weekend (The 17th and 18th) he really didn't eat much, so I decided to wait until Monday (when I would be home ALL day to watch him) to give him his insulin. he ate, not a ton, but enough, and I gave him the 1/2 unit. That evening, he didn't want to eat again, so I did not give him anymore insulin. The next day, not really wanting food, so no insulin. Today, again.. not waiting any of his prescription food. The only thing he will eat, and I don't really even call this eating.. is he likes to lick up all of the gravy from a can of Friskies turkey and cheese in gravy. He really won't eat the meat in it. Just the gravy, and if I'm lucky, he might eat a couple of little kibble pieces.

I'm waiting to hear from our vet about what I should do. I'm at a total loss. Aside from having low potassium, his blood work came back normal. He's still drinking fine and going potty fine. But he does seem kind of tired, though alert enough that he is following me around the house (again though, tired) and has been talking to me. I don't know what to do though. I have also been giving him Tumil-K for the low potassium. I don't know anything about low potassium, so maybe this is why he is acting funny?... I don't know what it's effects are on an older cat.

He got something in his left ear earlier as well and now he seems kind of sad. he was scratching at his ear and it started to bleed a little, so I cleaned it out with warm water and a cotton ball, which he hated.

I feel like I should rush him to the vet, but I also feel like there is nothing they can do for him. He is just not wanting food. I do have some canned a/d left, so I will most likely syringe feed him after I talk with the vet. My husband, though supportive, is also under the impression Todd is simply dying and is telling us this by not eating. I don't think so.. but I think he just doesn't want to spend anymore money on him.

I'm looking for suggestions on foods I can try (dry and canned), ideas on what might be wrong and such. Thank you all!
Click to expand...


Any Friskies in gravy is a higher carb canned food, and unless he will eat nothing else, it really is not the best thing for a sugar kitty. It honestly sounds to me like he is sick at his tummy. Different things could cause him to be nauseous, including pancreatitis. Get some pepcid AC tablets, (or just generic famantodine), and cut the tables into 1/4s. Give him 1/4 tablet twice a day. Also talk to the vet about an anti-nausea shot and something for pain as pancreatitis is PAINFUL.

You might also try offering him some Evo kibble http://www.evopet.com/products/default.asp?id=1500. For a kibble food, it is fairly low in carbs @ 7%, but it is high in calories - something that he really needs right now if he is only nibbling foods. The Evo is VERY palatable to every cat that I have ever seen, (my civvies try to break into my bedroom to steal this from Stormy's bowl). Stormy Blue is now a diet controlled diabetic, but he has "skinny old cat" issues, (he is over 14 years of age). A low carb canned food diet just does not give him all of the calories that he needs, (he only eats about 3oz canned per day), so he gets 10 pieces of the kibble twice a day and maintains his weight pretty well with this addition.

SubQ fluids are also helpful when a cat is nauseous as they help replenish his body's fluids and they help to flush toxins from the body. Ask your vet about giving SubQ fluids at home until he is past this crisis.

~M
 
Thank you both for your suggestions!

So, I took Todd to the vet today, mostly because his ear was REALLY bugging him. Turns out, he had a piece of his dry kibble in his ear. The vet was shocked when it came flying out of his ear. I'm sure that feels a lot better.

So we talked about what we could, should do.. I brought up pancreatitis, because I know it can be hard to tell without a bunch of tests. She said we could treat it as such OR do all of the tests/ultrasound to see if that is what the problem is. She suggested we treat it as such and go from there.

She gave him fluids for today and sent us home with a bag of fluids (I've done SubQ at home before), some liquid pain meds, an appetite stimulant, antibiotics and some treats which he LOOOOVES (Hills Hypoallergenic treats). He is actually begging me for more of these treats. They also did a spot check for me, until I am able to get a meter. It is hovering in the 200's.

Anyway, our vet said no insulin for now, keep doing the Tumil-K and get him started on all of these meds and feed him WHATEVER he will eat. The fancy pet store is closed right now, so I can't go pick up any EVO, as suggested above. But I will tomorrow. Oh, and she did suggest the Pepcid as well, which I have. She also said if need be, I can syringe feed him some a/d, which I will probably do later this evening if he doesn't eat anything on his own (aside from these treats he now loves)
 
Fair warning - the Evo is EXPENSIVE. But a little goes a long way.... One cup of it is 602 calories.
A regular sized cat, 8-9lbs, would only need about 1/4 cup per day as a full diet, so a small bag, 2.2lbs, will last you a long time.
Calculate 15 calories per pound of "ideal" body weight and feed accordingly.
Spacing it out over 4-6 small meals a day would be helpful, too, so that his tummy is not overwhelmed..

I hope that your baby is feeling better very, very soon.

~M
 
Mary & Stormy Blue-

I found a store last night that sold EVO. I just got a little bag. He won't eat it though. Of course our other cats want it. But Todd won't go for it. I'll hold onto it in case he will when he feels better.

The only thing he gets excited about and will willingly eat are those special treats from the vet. If only they came in an actual kibble he would eat. Ugh..

Anyway, I started him on the antibiotic and pain meds last night. The pain meds seemed to help him get a bit more comfortable, but I don't know how much they actually helped. Today I'll start him on the appetite stimulant and the daily fluids. I feel so bad pumping all of these meds into him, when I know he can't stand it. I feel like that is making him feel even worse.

I recall going through something like this with him back in early 2008. Where he stopped eating and was really dehydrated and no one knew why. I remember him being on IV fluids for about 4 days and so on, and then he snapped out of it. I wonder if its the same thing as that time?... Of course, no one knows what it was last time, but it could have been pancreatitis!

Thank you for the well wishes! I hope he gets better soon. I don't want to lose my Toddy.
 
Don't give up hope, and talk to your vet. You can't afford to be passive. The underlying issue (pacreatitis?) needs to be identified and dealt with, but in the meantime, your cat has to eat to avoid serious illness such as hepatic lipidosis -- it is directly caused by not eating. So ask the vet about an appetite stimulant such as ciproheptadine.

Offer the cat any kind of meat: tuna (in water), chicken or pork chop simmered in water, low sodium deli turkey, etc. I never had any luck with meat baby food but other cats love it. I have found that a cat that won't eat from a dish will often eat little hand fed bits of chicken or pork chop.

I think you really need to start hometesting Todd, and checking his urine with ketostix. Denying insulin when a cat needs it (hometesting will tell you) is a bad thing. Denying insulin to an inappetant cat, is setting the cat on the path towards ketones and ketoacidosis. This is best to avoid as it is dangerous and expensive to treat. If you don't know what ketones are, check the faq then ask any questions you may have.

Have you posted your city/state so we can see if someone is nearby to show you how to test?

good luck,
laur
 
He is on a appetite stimulant. It is to be given every 72 hours. he got it this morning.. along with antibiotics, pain meds and Sub Q fluids. I did not get all of the fluids in him this afternoon. He wasn't hurt by it, he was just uncomfortable, so I'll give him the full amount here in a few minutes,

I think he is feeling better. He has eaten his m/d dry a few times today. Not tons, but more than he has been. He doesn't like actual meat, nor does he care for canned food. I will be syringe feeding him some a/d before bed, just to play it safe. But he seems a LOT perkier today.

I'm actually starting to wonder if he is having tooth issues. When he chews his dry food, it makes an odd crunching sound. It's not the jaw, it's his teeth. I wonder if he might have a loose tooth or tooth pain. I'm going to question our vet about this tomorrow, because I don't think they actually checked his teeth when I brought him in. A few years ago he made this same sound and after a day, one of his teeth fell out. Thankfully he was fine after that.

As for the ketones. They tested him at the vet a couple of days ago and he didn't have any.. according to our vet anyway. That of course doesn't mean he doesn't have it now. As for testing, I just need to get a good meter. Our vet lent us theirs for a day and I was able to do it, though he was not pleased with getting his ear poked. Honestly, we've spent well over $1,000 at this point, so we're getting to the point of not being able to afford a ton more. Thankfully our vet was kind enough to put some of his visits on a payment plan, but we can't push it right now. Last Nov we spent $4,300 for him to have surgery, which we're still recovering from money-wise.

And yes, I did add our location. I'm in Seattle, WA. :D
 
Walmart has a good cheap meter. The Relion Micro is like $9 and the strips are like $22 for 50. Many of us use it and I haven't heard anyone complain. It takes only a tiny tiny drop of blood. You will also need Fine size lancets, which cost about $4 for 100. Waaay cheaper and more accurate than having your vet test the cat's BG. I think ketostix are like $10 or so.

Good to hear the cat is on appetite stimulant. What is it, if you don't mind? I'm not familiar with one given every couple days.

For a dental issue, unfortunately the vet can't pick up many issues unless the cat is sedated. Cats just won't allow a really good look or probing around when they're awake.

Good luck on the testing. For us the key was using a really really warm rice sock for 30-45 seconds, until the ear was flushed pink.

laur
 
Thank you! I'll try to get to our Walmart today. It's about 40 minutes north of me. And thank you for the tip about the warm sock. When I did have a meter for a day, I had such a hard time getting him to bleed and I just didn't know what to do. Poor guy got poked so many times with no blood. :(

The stimulant is called... Mirtazapine. The bottle says every 72 hours, but it could be that our vet didn't want to overload him on meds, since he's on the pain stuff, antibiotics, Tumil-K and the fluids.

I am not sure if it's working or if he is just feeling a bit better in general. But this morning he ate half a scoop of his dry m/d. Which was great! I was also able to get the full dose of fluids in him last night before bed, thanks to the help of my (complaining about doing it) husband. haha

But Todd does seem better today. I am very worried about Sunday though. I have to leave for several hours that day, and I don't know what to do with him while I am gone. I'll be gone from 11am until probably close to 11pm. Though my mom can't give fluids or anything, I think I can at least have her come by once or twice to make sure he is ok and that he eats something. I can't leave food out for him, because our 3 other kitties REALLY want to eat his food.

Again, thank you!
 
Re: Todd is Acting Odd Again. Suggestions?... Update

I thought I would give another little update...

Todd seems to be getting better. Each day he is eating more and more of his regular food. He has also been eating a spoonful at a time of canned a/d on his own. He still gets picky here and there, but I do think he is improving. He is still not 100% though.

I was gone for most of yesterday, from about 11am until 1am. I had a friend stop by to feed him halfway through the day, and he ate a bit when I got home as well. He did not get his SubQ yesterday, because like I said, I was gone and there wasn't much I could do about it. I just gave him some subQ fluids though. He also did not get pain meds yesterday and I have not given any today yet. They don't totally knock him out, but he does seem a bit out of it for the whole day when he gets it. I am curious if that is normal for the drug Buprenor?... (0.2cc every 12 hours) I think in a few minutes I might give him half the dose. Our vet said I could, if he seemed super drugged with the full dose. He mostly just sits there quietly after he has taken it, and kinda stays that way for most of the day.

Also, does anyone have any experience with the appetite stimulant Mirtazapine? He got 1/4 of a tablet on Thursday (22nd) and was due for one yesterday, but I noticed his eyes were super dilated from Thur until late Sat night (24th). I read online that this is a side effect of this drug and some people have reported loss of sight because of it, as well as high blood pressure. The drug is given every 72 hours, so he is due for it, but I am worried about giving it to him, though he needs it. Now, I suppose it could have been the Buprenor causing the dilation. Does anyone know?..

I will be talking with our vet about what to do with his insulin, now that he is back to kinda eating. I will still be starting home testing, but I have to wait until we get paid on Friday. We just don't have the extra funds until then. But it will help greatly to do this at home.

At this point, I don't think we're totally sure if it's Pancreatitis or something else, but I am praying he will get better soon. <3
 
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