HELP! Monkey has bloated belly

Sorry that I open a new threat again. I would like to concentrate my issues in on one thread for your convenience, however this time is somewhat urgent. And I will give feedback to the previous comments you wonderful people made.

Please see the attachment: Monkey has bloated round shaped belly. I am not sure what does this happen. Also, there is some tumor of his skin surface. Please help me! IS there danger? Monkey has ok mood today, not too energetic, not completely sluggish. Also, his body temperature feels quite high, he has been high for at least a week. (By saying high, is it feels high compare to other cats. In addition he lost a lot of fur, such may make me feel his temperature is higher)

The reason I can think of:
1. He drinks too much water without peeing.
2. He eats too much dry, high carbohydrate food, because he eats a lot dry food for breakfast and diner, compare to my another cat PenPen, maybe double amount, I am not sure. But he eats a lot, maybe more than usual, that's my impression. I let him eat without limit because I afraid this blood sugar can get too low.
3. He eats wet good can and homemade food such as chicken breast. He is ALWAYS hungry therefore I give him a lot of extra meat in the hope that he can gain weight. Also, I feed him freeze dried chicken heart as a treat for blood checking, in the hope that it can replace dry, high carb snack. I am thinking maybe he is not used to digest these. Since he eats dry food all of his life.

Another issue:
1. Please see PenPen's spreadsheet, he fell to 63 ml/DL!!!! I am sure it is not the error of the device because I measure twice, with different testing paper. Luckily PenPen is completely fine today. One thing I did was feed some small amount of high carb snack. What should I do now? Do I need to reduce to dose?

To update previous post:
1. I have brought Lantus solostar 100ml pen*5 today, I am learning how to use. Please confirm the appropriate dose: Currently Monkey's dose is 3.25 U in U40, PenPen is 3.00 U. Do I want to convert it to the same amount of Lantus? and TWICE shot per day, 12 hours per one shot.
2. Please see my spreadsheet, I see Monkey has a high BG all day > 300, does it mean I feed too much dry food, or too few insulin?
3. I have brought wet can food for a complete nutrition (beef, lamb, chicken), plus homemade cooked chicken breast, chicken liver and heart.
4. In the following few days I want to weigh how much dry food they eat at breakfast and dinner. After I get the value, I restrict dry food by reducing 5% of the amount per day while free feeding can food. I may mix the can food to their dry food. Then I closely monitor their BG like 5 to 7 times per day, and reduce their insulin when necessary. Does this make sense?






Tumor on side belly:

Tumor on near the pelvis bone:

 

Oh Dear poor Monkey. I dont know Peter this to me sounds like an emergency. You say he hasnt been peeing? He could be blocked in which case he NEEDS to see the Vet. Hang on for more replies . I am so sorry this is happening and I send my prayers ans healing vines for Monkey.

 

Your prayer will help. I am not sure if it is an emergency, as maybe he is bloated for days or weeks. As my family member report it is not the first day he is like that. (he looks bloated only if his sitting posture is like in the picture, that's why I did not notice it previously). I am sure he pees in recent days and poop this morning. I am not sure if he pees today.

 

Amentment, my family report that he pees or poop maybe three times for today. Luckily he is unlikely to be blocked.

 

OK well that is good. WHEW. On the bloating...I just dont know.I am sorry. I'm sure others will have questions and answers.

 

Peter has your Vet addressed this skin condition (tumor) ??? Or is this something thats developed since Monkey's last Vet visit?

 

In addition, the vet said Monkey's has no problem with his organs, due to the result of blood check

 

I am not sure it is developed recently. And the vet did not even mention it, he just said there is skin inflammation and prescript antibiotics (At that time I was not taking care of Monkey so I am not sure)

 

And he just peed 5 minutes ago, he peed a lot.

 

Peeing is good so you can rule that out. I'm wondering if the Vet gave Monkey a steroid shot for his skin condition. THAT could drive his BG numbers up.
Do me a favor. Type @Deb&Wink or @MarjiandGracie in your next post. My tags arent working. Maybe one of them is available to help.

 

@Deb & Wink @Marje and Gracie . Monkey does not have steroid shot.

Btw, should I reduce the Caninsulin dose for PenPen as his BG fell to 63 mg/DL today

 

Peter has the vet said why Monkey is so thin?
Has the swelling if the tummy area happened before?
How much food are you feeding a day?

Yes you should reduce the dose of caninsulin because the BG dropped under 68.

just looked at the SS again and I see you are using a human meter now. However I would still reduce the dose of insulin.

 

Thank you Bron!
He did say this (bloating) has happened to Monkey before.

I "sense" the thinness is due to uncontrolled diabetes.

 

For food, I think about 63 gram of dry food, plus some chicken heart dried snack, plus some chicken breast and chick liver occasionally during the day. He eats whenever there is food.
I do not think it had happened in his life before few weeks ago... as reported by my family member.
Vet just said he is losing weight and increase the Caninsulin dose from 3 U to 4 U. He does not comment on why. He lost weight rapidly and losing a lot of fur and have skin problem in last 30 days. But since last Monday, I has started to take care of him, and he seems to be gradually gaining weight, growing new fur, have better skin, and have better mood. I suspect the reason that he was losing weight in last 23 days, was my family was very ignorant that they do not even know 1 insulin cycle takes 12 hours, and inject insulin in a very unprecise manner.

Should I reduce from 3 to 2.5 U?

 

Peter do you have the correct syringes for Lantus. They are not the U40 syringes.
You need U-100 0.3ml 30 or 31 gauge, 6mm or 8mm syringes with 1/2 unit markings. Brands are Uticare, Sure Comfort, B/D, Carepoint and Monojet.

 

I find that what I can do it use my U40 syringe to draw the Lantus glargine from the Pen, do you think it is a good idea? Btw I think the concentration of Caninsulin and Lantus is different? Again my question if I give 3 U of Caninsulin, how can I convert to Lantus.

Below is the Lantus I bought:

 

Yes the doses are 12 hours apart. Lantus is a depot insulin and you will need to hold the dose for 5 to 7 days to let the depot stabilise unless they BG drops low.you will need to choose whether you are going to do SLGS or tight regulation. You can find the yellow stickies about them at the top of the page

Peter DO NOT START THE LANTUS until you have the CORRECT syringes. They are completely different syringes to the U 40 and you will risk giving the incorrect dose.

I have to leave now as it is almost 1am and I need to get to bed. I’ll look in tomorrow.

 

THANK YOU BRON! Sleep well!

 

No you need U-100 syringes like Bron said, especially with half unit markings

 

Peter Bron is correct you need the new syringes. I know its inconvenient. But must be done. I dont know the conversion from one insulin to another but others here do.

 

Hey @jt and trouble (GA) and @Diane Tyler's Mom can you follow this up please. Peter needs to get the correct syringes first before he thinks about swapping over to Lantus. Thanks.

 

I will thanks Bron! lol hope Diane will also

 

Will do

 

I'm also wondering if Monkey could have gotten into something he shouldnt. If hes hungry can he get into things like the trash? My cat will try that. She knows better but if theres something in the trash that smells good she'll get into it.

 

I do not think he gets into trash, also he does not eat any human food now.

 

Peter as Bron said reduce Pen Pen's insulin , I guess 2.5 units would be ok

 

Peter you have to get the U-100 syringes with half unit markings

 

Ahhh ok but remember thinking and knowing are two different things. My kitty will not eat human food but she just cant resist that trash. I've never caught her eating it but havent seen her turn away from it either. Its just all over the floor where she rummaged. lol
I'm just trying to think of all the reasons belly bloat happens to my knowledge

AND YES! YOU NEED THE U-100 syringes. Trying to utilize the ones you have WONT work.

 

Peter, this is what they look like. I mark with a sharpie the dose so I don’t get it wrong. See?

 

One more

 

Cats usually develop several symptoms that will tip the pet owner off to a major problem. Until the vet knows just what has caused the bloated stomach, knowing the cat’s symptoms helps the pet owner fill the vet in more accurately: Repeated attempts to vomit or belch Swollen abdomen and stomach Drooling Lethargy Pale gums Lowered body temperature Shortness of breath Rapid heartbeat Sudden weakness or collapse

Read more at: https://wagwalking.com/cat/condition/bloating

Peter this is the best I can do for bloating. I am still praying Monkey will be ok.

 

Thank you Alessandra!

 

These are from Amazon if you can't find them at a pharmacy

• 

Roll over image to zoom in

BD Ultra-Fine BD Ultrafine U-100 Insulin Syringe 31 Gauge 3/10cc 5/16 inch Short Needle-1/2 Unit Markings 100/box (328440)
by BD Ultra-Fine
198 ratings
| 16 answered questions



Was: $31.70
Price: $27.68 ($0.28 / Count) &FREE Shipping
You Save: $4.02 (13%)














Eligible for return till 2020-05-31 and restocking fee may apply

• 31-gauge, 8mm (5/16") BD Ultra-Fine Short Needle is 37 percent shorter than a 12.7mm needle

 

I will try to find U100 syringes, hard to find available international shipping...

 

Thanks! It is a pity that Amazon dont ship these kind of stuff to HK

 

I looked it says they do ship to HK maybe I'm wrong take a look

AmazonGlobal Export Countries and Regions
Amazon.com ships products internationally with AmazonGlobal. Available product lines, shipping rates and fees vary depending on the delivery address for your order.

Search for Items Eligible for International Shipping.

Here is a full list of Amazon Global eligible countries and regions:


Australia, Asia and Pacific


Australia India Marshall Islands South Korea
Bangladesh Indonesia New Caledonia Sri Lanka
Cambodia Japan New Zealand Taiwan
China Kazakhstan Palau Thailand
Fiji Macao Philippines Vietnam
Hong Kong Malaysia

Peter call them and find out,, can you find these at any of your pharmacy's

 

Peter, a U100 insulin like Lantus is 2.5 times as concentrated as a U40 insulin like the Caninsulin you are currently using.
You can not use U40 syringes with a U100 insulin or you will overdose your cat.
You do not want to risk hypoglycemia with Monkey.

Please wait until you have the proper syringes, U100 syringes, to use with the U100 concentration lantus insulin.

 

Any thoughts on the belly bloat Deb?

 

It could be https://www.gopetplan.com/blogpost/ascites-in-dogs-and-cats. It may be related to growtn seen in the images.

 

OI thank you Larry. In any case Monkey should see a Vet sooner than later.
Peter I am so sorry.

 

I would reduce PenPen’s dose to 2.75u.

Monkey: has he ever been tested for parasites as they, particularly worms, can also cause stomach bloating. I would more likely think it is something along the line of ascites as @Larry and Kitties suggested due to some underlying cause (not diabetes). There is a condition associated with diabetes that can cause a potbelly but there is no other indication, yet, that we are there or need to worry about that.

I hope you can find U100 syringes. While it is possible to convert the dose to use U40 syringes with Lantus, the dosing itself becomes a nightmare because the Lantus dose would be much, much smaller and it’s virtually impossible to fine dose on a U40 syringe much less consistently dose. It would be an absolute last-ditch option and, personally, if that was the only option, I’d stick with Caninsulin.

When you find the U100 syringes, you’ll want to start his dose at 3.25u of Lantus provided you can be there to closely monitor. He’s getting nowhere on 3.25u Caninsulin but we don’t want to jump him up too much on the Lantus dose. We can fast track him if we need to.

 

No ideas on the belly bloat issue.

 

Poor Monkey, I would take him to see a vet, does it look infected, any thing oozing out of it, if you touch it

 

I have to agree wit this Peter.

 

I agree, vet time. I hope it isn't anything serious...

 

We had a member from Hong Kong the first couple years I was here. I think she used the BD Microfine u-100 syringes with half unit markings and got them locally at a pharmacy.

 

Thank you all of your love to Monkey and PenPen. Here is the update:

1. This morning, I found that Monkey's belly was a lot smaller than yesterday. After he had finished his breakfast, he went to poop and pee. My family report the feces look "healthy" and the volume of pee is "a lot". After that I checked Monkey's belly, it looks normal, maybe very slightly bloated, I am not sure. My guess is he consume木 too much water and food yesterday. In addition, there maybe gas inside him since he occasionally bulped. I think he will only need to see a vet if this happen again, what do you think?

2. I bought U100 0.3ml syringe easily in pharmacy in Hong Kong. Yes, it is easy to buy. 0.25 USD per one. I will post a photo later to discuss about the dosing. I want to be extremely careful. The upper one is U40, that I draw 3 units for Monkey. The below one is U40 0.3 ml

3. See my spreadsheet. PenPen went to 43.2 at +4!!! He looked fine and I gave him some high carb snack. Fyi, I fed 14 gram of dry food (I reduce 3 grams of food compare to yerterday) and a lot of can food. I am thinking, maybe the dose of 2.5 Caninsulin is still too much. Should feed the same amount of dry food and I reduce the dose to 2.0 Caninsulin?

4. Monkey still have very high BG during the cycle. Same as PenPen I fed 14 gram of dry food today, 3 grams less than yesterday. Given that his nadir is far from danger level, can I reduce his dry food to 11 gram and give a lot of can wet food?

 

Hi Peter, While I know its inconvenient these days to take a kitty to the Vet, I think you should get to the bottom of this bloating issue.
Watch him like a hawk. If that bloating gets ANY worse I would rush him to the Vet. (I'm sure others will have more advice)
Monkeys diabetes is out of control right now. If I remember correctly, he NEEDS to eat. I know this is complicated so PLEASE watch for more replies ok? You can use the dry food in case he goes low but I would give him canned food as his primary source of food. I'm all for the slow transitioning but it doesnt seem to be working. I'm keeping Monkey and Pen Pen in my prayers, and you too!

AGAIN please wait for more responses.
jeanne

 

Did the pharmacy happen to have the syringes with half unit marking on it
It would be much easier when you have to increase or decrease with half unit markings such as 0.25 or 0.5:units

 

i think so

 

I will listen to you Jeanne. If his bloating gets worse, I would take him to the vet immediately. Yes I am waiting for reply especially the dosing of Lantus. I am gradually reducing dry food and add wet food. I give him wet food as much as he can eat

 

Good for you Peter! I'm glad to hear that. I wish I could help you further but you will get good advice .
I'm hanging around to make sure someone helps.
take care and give all your babies some scritches from me.

 

Doesn't look like they have half unit markin

 

Same here. I’m not super experienced and I’ll defer to others, but I’d also want to have that skin condition rechecked. Cats hide pain really well and it’s better to be safe than sorry. I’d also ask the vet if he could be nauseated and if that may be the reason he’s not eating well because there are meds you can try for that like Cerenia and Ondansetron.
Have you tried baby food? You can’t feed him only that of course, but sometimes if they’re not eating well, it helps in adding more calories to the diet
Hope Monkey feels better soon!

 

• Full and half-unit syringe scales: Peter the ones on the left ate half unit markings
• You can use the ones you have put it is going to be more difficult when you might have to increase or decrease by 0.25 or 0.5 units. Maybe you can go back to the pharmacy and see if they have them, it should say it on the box or package @Peter H

 

Pen-Pen's insulin dose, of Caninsulin, needs to be reduced by at least 0.25U again. That reading of 43.2 mg/dL at +4 is way too low.

 

Peter, I think it would be better if you started a different thread for Monkey and Pen-Pen, and give them their own thread each, as they are both about to swap over to Lantus and have other issues and it would be very easy to get them confused.

 

Agreed.

 

@Wendy&Neko @Judy and Freckles

 

@Aleluia Grugru & Minnie This thread is 2 weeks old.

No need to tag people, since Peter is posting over in the Lantus ISG group now, and has been for a while for both of his diabetic cats.