Hi there, Rasmus has lost a little bit of weight (150g) but he's so skinny already I'm panicking. Should I up his dose to 1.75u? His BG is still high. Is the low dosage stopping him from getting the calories? Do I shove more calories his way? Please help! I cannot cope with him starving Infront of my eyes!
Let him eat as much as he wants. Kitten food is often higher in calories. Yes he's due for a dose increase. I'd do 1.75
Absolutely, provided it is the "right" food. He's so fickle. I'll go back to that food, and feed more and more often.
OK, dose has been upped. Food has been changed to his favourite (still LC wet food, but not as good as the stuff I was trying to put him on to) and I will feed him more during the day. I just want my kitty to get well. Poor little thing.
Have you had him checked for hyperthyroid? I only ask because I recently found out my cat is hyperthyroid and the symptoms for that are almost identical to diabetes (weight loss and a ravenous appetite being the main ones). I think all it takes is a blood test to check for it. If nothing else you could rule that out. Also, have you had his teeth checked? Dental issues make getting stabilized more difficult and since he's an older cat he might need a dental cleaning if he's never had one.
Hi Kaylie, you raise some good points. Yes, I've had him checked for hyperthyroidism. Our other cat had it and so when I brought Rasmus in to the vets for annual boosters, I commented that I was concerned about his weightloss. I knew he'd lost weight, but didn't know how much until he got on the scales. I asked the vets to run all the tests for "senior" cats (kidney illness, diabetes, hyperthyroidism and a few more) to get to the bottom of it. I suspected hyperthyroidism because of our experience with Max (the other cat), so I was shocked when it came back with indicating DM. As for the dental cleaning, I'll check with the vets next time I'm in! Thanks for pointing it out. Rasmus seems happier today. I've changed his food to his favourite, upped the dose slightly, and he's getting extra meals at +4 and +8. Fingers crossed. Xxx
