NEW DIAGNOSIS

Hello everyone,

Our eleven-year old cat, Henry, was diagnosed last Friday (11/02/2018) with diabetes. Prior to this diagnosis, he showed no signs of being ill. He had always urinated in large amounts, drank a lot of water, wasn't lethargic, groomed himself well.

Two years ago, he had a major operation. He was having difficulty breathing and it was discovered that he had a perforated diaphragm-likely a birth defect that had finally reached a critical point. Emergency surgery was required to save his life. Several of his internal organs had made their way into his chest cavity; his pancreas had begun to attach it self there. All of his organs had to be repositioned to their proper place. Several months of very careful care followed. During this recovery time, he developed pancreatitis and since then has experienced periodic bouts that we treat with a week's dose of Cerenia.

Last Friday, he went in for his first senior exam where they discovered that his glucose levels were off the charts (in the 500 range. Apparently, they should be somewhere around 70-100 or so). He even had glucose in his urine. The doctor suggested putting him on Prozinc insulin (1 unit twice a day to start). We haven't done this yet, but will start tonight (11/06/2018).

Unfortunately, he is also experiencing a secondary issue, which is likely a bacterial infection around his pancreas, brought on by the increased glucose PERHAPS. If this proves not be an infection, he may have lymphoma, but as of now we are hopeful that it is just a symptom brought on by the diabetes.

We have started feeding him Purina DM wet food, which he seems like like alright, but we need to have other options available as he can be very finicky. Another problem that we have (which is a result of his surgery) is that he has a deformed sphincter which causes an uncontrollable reaction to too much food in his system. We feed him small amounts of food over the course of the day because if he eats too much, he simply throws it up, not due to nausea, but the action of the sphincter, which he cannot control. This is the main reason that we haven't started the insulin yet because he simply cannot get down the recommended amount of food that they want him to have prior to giving him the injection. We are currently awaiting word/advice from our vet.

We take our cat to a very good feline-only clinic and we trust them implicitly. However, we are also open to the hope and possibility that changing Henry's diet might "clear up" the diabetes.

Just wanted to introduce myself and Henry to the group! If anyone has any advice in regards to his food intake and the admission of the insulin, that would be helpful. Meanwhile, we will likely take a blood reading with a human monitor tonight and try and get an idea as to where he is.

Thank you!
-Lisa

 

Welcome! Poor Henry sure has been through a lot, sure hope you don’t add lymphoma to the list. Glad you’re here, please come to the Main health forum to ask any questions you have. Hope to see you there!

 

Hi Sharon! Thank you! Still learning the ropes-will post my questions in the Health Forum!

 

Hello Lisa, and welcome, to you and Henry!
.

 

Welcome Henry & Lisa!

 

Welcome Lisa and Henry!