I May be part of the problem

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by G & I, Dec 16, 2017.

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  1. G & I

    G & I Member

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    Dec 8, 2017
    Hi Everyone, currently Goma is reading very high bg numbers which I think can be attributed to many things including but not limited to an insufficient dosage level of insulin, weak insulin as what I have is expired as noted in previous posts, stress, and eating (among a host of other things) I am trying to ascertain what is going into her fluid therapy which she is on for her liver, and pancreas. I have obtained a list (in Japanese) reflecting the ingredient plus dosage level. My wife is in the process of translating for me. Goma was also being given a pain remover injection at the time of fluid therapy. She has a problem in her backbone near the tail. She has been off the pain remover for two days. In it's place the vet prescribed two other items; anitol and glucosamine. Without thinking I placed the glucosamine in her food. I started thinking that I had read that the glucosamine had a glucose or sugar component. I performed quick research and discovered that it should not be given to a diabetic cat. I therefore stopped giving it to her and today asked the vet about it. He apologized and I think he realized it was a mistake. I am hoping there is no dextrose in the fluid therapy. There is a long list of items so the translation is going to take some time.

    In addition after all Goma has been through with near starvation while in the vets care for testing I have probably been overfeeding her. Particularly since, until today, I did not have a low carb food to give her so I was giving her the Hill's m/d pretty liberally alternating with SPECIFIC FRW . Both I have later found have high levels of carbohydrates. Probably shot her numbers up with that alone.

    Because the vet is closed tomorrow (Sunday in Japan) Goma will have another round of fluid therapy tonight. There is a history behind this that makes me want this accomplished rather than having her go without for 36 hours or so. With the holidays coming up and this vet closing for 5 days, I am trying to be sure everything is looking okay.

    With all this being said - What feeding schedule and what amount of Fancy Feast are you feeding? Some of you have responded to previous posts of mine with feeding schedules and other great information. However, I am still trying to wrap my head around all of this and, to be honest am in info overload at the moment and the brain is just not processing to well. It will pass. The can says for each kg of cat give 0.8 cans per day. So, if I am seeing this right, Gomas is 2.3 so she should be getting almost 2 cans a day. She is also getting lightly cooked chicken breast and a taurine/ postassium supplement. Since she is underweight (putting it mildly) I am unsure the best way to proceed. Need to get those numbers down, and I also want to eliminate all the causes I can.

    Thank you in advance.
     
  2. Squalliesmom

    Squalliesmom Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2015
    Most of us feed small-ish meals at least 3-4 times a day. A lot of us add a small amount of water to the food to help keep our cats hydrated. There is a rough formula for figuring the amount of calories your cat needs to consume daily: (13.5 x current/desired weight) + 70 = number of calories necessary per day. For instance, if your cat weighs 12 lbs it would be (13.5 x 12) + 70 = 232 calories. You can adjust the amount up or down to "fine tune" it a bit. Since your kitty is currently underweight, you would want to use her desired weight in the formula, rather than her current weight.
     
  3. Nan & Amber (GA)

    Nan & Amber (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2016
    Don't worry about overfeeding her at this point-- she needs to gain weight, plus food/carbs is one of that things that can help keep ketones from developing, so even if the higher carbs are bumping her numbers up it's not all bad. Pain is another thing that can increase BG numbers, so part of what is going on now with her might be the reaction to the removal of the bupe. She's got a lot going on right now.

    Glad you found a good low-carb food option!
     
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  4. Squalliesmom

    Squalliesmom Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2015
    I use glucosamine in my kitty's food daily, and it has not been a problem. According to the Mayo Clinic. and others, it will not raise blood glucose levels.
     
  5. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2016
    It's OK to give glucosamine... If the problem is arthritis there are injectable medicines that are even more effective. The one I give here is called adequan. It was developed for dogs and horses but is used in cats as well.
     
  6. G & I

    G & I Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2017
    Great information, thank you! I have been feeding her every four hours in hopes to get some weight gain. What I have gained is an increase in the amount of poop. I knew increased urination and drinking were associated with this, but the amount of poop has been incredible. Probably why she won't put on weight as it appears her body is not retaining anything. And I must be overcompensating for her period of involuntary starvation.
     
  7. Kris & Teasel

    Kris & Teasel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2016
    Please don't beat yourself up. The information overload is huge and it's coming at you from all directions. Take your time to process it in small chunks. There's a lot going on with your kitty and we've been focusing on the most critical parts of the picture - insulin and food. I'd hate for you to feel driven away from the forum because of all this.
     
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  8. Steph & Quintus & L & O

    Steph & Quintus & L & O Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2017
    Bear in mind that you won't see weight gain until weeks or months have gone by. It's a slow process! Patience pants :)
     
  9. Noah & me (GA)

    Noah & me (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2016
    We tried hard to follow the rules with our first sugar cat but with 8 other cat and a dog who yummy-loved wet cat food it wasn't working. Cats and closed doors don't work here either. Nigel was circling the drain when our vet said "Feed him whatever he wants whenever he wants" and presto! He got all his weight back and had textbook numbers. My advice only....Until Goma gets "stabilized" do the KooKoo dance, feed him whatever of the right food he wants whenever he wants it. BUT, he HAS to be hungry around shot time. VERY IMPORTANT. Maybe find out what his favorite food is and save that for shot time.
    Hearing "Every cat is different" can make you tear your hair out. I did air-quotations around stabilize because for some people it is the Holy Grail of diabetes. Remission is the true Grail but that's a story for another day. Five days without a vet? Print out the HYPO stickie and glue it to that side of the fridge. It's the first aid kit you never want to use but when you do need it you'll be glad it's there.
    A quick note to all else, Goma is 14 hours ahead of us. And to you Islander remember that while there's always someone here that particular someone you may need may be digging into some turkey here when it's 7:00AM there so be prepared.
     
  10. Sandi&Maxine&Whispy(GA)

    Sandi&Maxine&Whispy(GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2015
    We've used Adequan injections on a non-diabetic cat before. It is given intramuscular. Our vet allowed us to do it ourselves, we just stuck it in his buttcheek (under the tail at the top of their leg...I guess that is a cat's "buttcheek"? ;) ). We weren't using it for arthritis, the vet was using it off-label for interstitial cystitis, but I just wanted to tell you that this is something that you could easily do yourself if your vet allows. I too have heard that it is more effective for arthritis than the oral medication.

    Best of luck to you both,
    Sandi.
     
  11. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2016
    My adequan is given subcutaneous.
     
  12. Sandi&Maxine&Whispy(GA)

    Sandi&Maxine&Whispy(GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2015
    Hmm. Interesting, thx for the info.
     
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