Worried

Heather and Gizmo

Heather and Gizmo

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I am worried about Gimzo. He has had a healthy appetite (not excessive), but today he has not had much of an appetite. Could it just be the increase in his insulin dose this morning? He was like this before I started treating him with Prozinc, but then his appetite got better. When should I be concerned enough to take him to the vet? Anyone else experience this with increases in insulin doses? Any advice you can give would be great.
 
I answered on your other thread and recommend that you get a urine ketone test. When BG is high-ish and they aren't eating well it's a good precaution.
 
Hi Kris. I do check his urine for ketones. It has been about 3-4 days since I checked last and it was negative. He is not drinking or urinating a lot. I clean his litter box every morning at the same time so I can see if it is more or less. So far today it has been less. Can you explain to me what the "meatloaf " position is? I don't know what this is. I have been adding pumpkin to his food once a day for the last three days to help with hard stool. Could the extra fiber be messing with his stomach since he is not used to it?
 
ketones can develop quickly, so a test a few days ago won't tell you if he has ketones today. Try to grab one the next time he pees, and you might even try setting him in the litter box a few times to see if it encourages him to go.

Meatloaf position is when they pull their legs under themselves. Like this (random cat off the internet):
Elsa-Clair-Meatloaf.jpg
 
Hi Djamila. Thank you for the image of the meatloaf position and for sharing the other thread. I will check him for ketones next time he goes. How can you tell if a cat has pancreatitis. Should I have the vet check for this? Gizmo does sit in the meatloaf position but not with both legs tucked under him. He only tucks one front leg under him. Just a couple of days ago he was jumping in the air to catch his toy and today he is just laying around and not interested in playing. I know that cats are so good at hiding their pain and I am afraid I am going to miss something. Should I be checking for ketones every day?
 
Pancreatitis is diagnosed with the snap-fPL, the spec-fPL, or an ultrasound. Unfortunately none of them are entirely accurate. The snap is the cheapest and least accurate. The spec is more expensive and is currently probably the best way to go - it's still not very accurate, but it's less expensive and less stressful for the cat than the ultrasound. If the test comes back positive, then it's positive. But if it comes back negative, it might still be positive.

So if you suspect it, I would recommend doing the spec-fPL and seeing what his level is. Treatment is usually cerenia (for nausea), bupe (for pain) and often sub-q fluids to keep their hydration up. I treat Sam with CBD and have found it to be the most successful treatment for him, and it takes the place of both the cerenia and bupe for all but his most severe flares.

As for the ketones - you don't need to check every day, but you do need to check anytime Gizmo isn't eating well.

Oh, and lab tests aside, the symptoms for pancreatitis are usually nausea, vomiting, inappetence, and pain. I can see Sam's pain in the way he sits, and because he'll stop jumping. And his eyes get dilated and he just looks like he's in pain. He also gets super snuggly (and he isn't normally one to snuggle). Thankfully, and unlike most cats, he isn't very good at hiding his pain.
 
Good morning Djamila. Gizmo's appetite came back around 10:30 last night once he ate his food with some pumpkin in it. Then he ate the whole 3 oz can of fancy feast. I did a urine test and it is negative for ketones. I wish Gizmo showed his pain easily, but he seems to be the master at it. Other than the inappetence which may be from nausea, there is no other signs. He did urinate less yesterday. He usually urinates about 4 times a day. Yesterday he only went twice. This may be his normal before diabetes, but it has been so long I don't remember and I didn't monitor it as much back then. He did eat his normal this morning. I will see how he does this afternoon at lunch. Thanks again for all of your help and guidance. How can you tell if a cat is dehydrated? Gizmo hardly drinks from his bowl anymore. I don't add water to his food on a regular bases.
 
You can try to pinch a bit of their skin and then let it go. If it snaps back quickly, it usually means they're okay. If it's slower, that indicates dehydration.

So glad to hear that Gizmo ate well! It could be that he was just having an off day...we all get occasional tummy upset and cats can have it too. Keep an eye on things and see how he does.
 
Heather and Gizmo said:
I don't add water to his food on a regular bases.
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I recommend that you start to add warm water to all his wet food meals. You can start with a little bit and increase according to his tolerance. If you can get him to eat his wet food in "stew" form that's great. It really helps with dehydration, constipation (if kitty is prone) and with flushing out ketones should they develop. Diabetic kitties are often less than ideally hydrated because of the high BG that pulls water out of their tissues. They pee more and lose it that way.
 
Good morning Rachel and Kris. Thank you for the advice. I will try adding a little more water each day. If I put to much he doesn't want to eat it. It loses some of the aroma when it is watered down and he is drawn to stinky food. He is a weird cat, but I love him. When I go home and lunch I will do the pinching of the skin to see if he is dehydrated. Thanks again for all the great advice.
 
Sam wasn't a fan either at first. I started with a little, and we worked our way up. Now he won't eat it without the extra water. If you use warm water as Kris suggested, it actually increases the odor of the food, so that should help.
 
I need dosing advice. I just did a BG reading on Gizmo, because I feed him at 6:30 and shoot at 7 pm. His BG readings is 190. I am celebrating the number, but I don't know if I still give him his insulin or not. Do I give him a lower dose?
 
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