New Member Question

Hi everyone,
I hope it's okay to ask a question right off the bat. I just joined today.

Our Coco, 8, was diagnosed in September. She's on 2 units of glargine two times per day. She's improved greatly and been doing well over the past few months. Last night however she didn't want to eat (which is beyond abnormal for her). Our routine is needle first and then she gobbles up her food. We did eventually get her to eat enough an hour or so after her needle that we weren't concerned about hypoglycemia anymore.

But she's had very loose, very stinky stools (started just before she got her shot) and not her lively self, quite lethargic and only seems to want to walk a short distance and then lay down.

She did eat this morning (we made sure she ate before giving her her morning needle). Just by chance today was her day to do a curve, so I've been checking her glucose every hour. Her numbers seem pretty in keeping with a good curve last time.

Any ideas if these loose stools and lethargy are just from something that has upset her stomach or if it's diabetes related? Her last curve # was 5.9 (5 hours after eating). She's an indoor cat so other than her diabetic food she really wouldn't have had access to come in contact with anything strange that she could have eaten.

Thanks!!

 

Hi there Coco and Coco's mum.

Has Coco's loose stool continued all day today too? Is she still lethargic?

What diabetic food is it that she eats?

 

Hi and welcome!

It's ok to ask any question when ever you need

To try and help you, we would need more information, like if she's on any medication, does she have any other illness besides the diabetes? How old is she ? Where are you located (this helps when having to suggest supplies and stuff)and as Ann mentioned what is she eating?

Loose stool is not usually related to diabetes but to some other issue a lot of times is food related but it can affect his blood glucose

You mentioned you are doing a curve today are you doing it at home? could you post the test results you are getting that would help a lot

Here we use a spreadsheet to keep track of all the test results so that everyone can see how he's doing if you could fill it with your results that would be great, this is the link to the instructions and the spreadsheet http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

There is a fourm for the insulin you are using with lots of information about it, the protocols, dosing, etc., that can be very useful this is the link http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/the-basics-new-to-the-group-start-here.18139/

 

Hi there & thanks to your both for responding.
I have filled out the spreadsheet (hoping I did it and linked it correctly). I'm in Canada.
- Coco is 8.5 years old.
- She's been on the Purina Diabetic wet food 2x's per day (half a can per day) and a few tablespoons of dry of the same brand of Purina Diabetic food from the vet since her diagnosis in September.
-She's not had any more loose stools since noon or so. She has not perked up at all and still seems very disinterested in eating (again, highly abnormal).
- I am doing the curve at home, I use the Alpha-trak.

I do hope that perhaps it's that she got a bad can of food and it's upset her stomach, but her amount of lethargy and disinterest in food is what has concerned me more than the loose stools.

I won't be feeding her the wet food again (will open a new can just in case it was that was the problem) until 7pm when she's due for her insulin. How much would she need to eat to safely give her her shot?

 

If her stomach and intestines are upset and irritated from the loose stols, she might feel a bit nauseus which can add to her desinterest and lethargy. Does she meow in discomfort?
Do you have a veterinarian you can call and ask what he/she might think?


Sometimes they can get pancreatitis, inflammation in the pancrea, even if they have good bg numbers.

 

No meowing in discomfort, she's actually unusually quiet (she usually 'barks' at me for food LOL). She's retreated to hiding under my daughter's bed for now and it's time to check her bg so I'll have to pull her out.

The vets are closed until Monday with the exception of expensive emergency care, which I don't think we're at an emergency stage.
My main concern was that this was diabetes related but perhaps it's just stomach upset. I guess if things don't improve by Monday morning we'll get her into the vet to get looked over.

Is there anything that can be done for Pancreatitis or does it just have to pass?

 

Pancreatitis is a very painful thing and a lot can be done, and should be, with the help of her ordinary vet. First one take at the vet an fPLI blood test for pancreatitis which has a reference range for how severe the inflammation is per the blood test. Then some painkillers and nausea medicine from the vet is needed. And if she can't eat at all due being in such pain sometimes also a feeding tube. A lot of supportive care.

Let's hope she perks up.

 

How's she feeling?

Are you testing before giving insulin? do you have any other test results ?

 

Hi there, thanks for asking. I have an appointment booked with the vet later today so hoping to get some answers. The vet only asked us to do the curve, she didn't say anything about checking in between curves. So, I wasn't testing before giving insulin, but will start if that is a good idea to do. She's eating, just not her usual voracious self. She is peeing and has had a couple BM's, but over the last 24 hours she's spending way more time just sitting in the litter box so I am starting to wonder if it's a bladder infection?

 

It's good the vet is going to check her out. Yes, could be a UTI, but you mentioned she has stomach upset and loose stools, the extra sitting in the litter box could be gas. Gas can make a kitty think they have to poo.
My vet didn't even suggest home testing, but if I had followed that advice, I would have lost my Billy on day five. I think it is imperative to test before each insulin dose, and I think it is good to get a couple mid-cycle readings as well, to better see how your baby is doing on the insulin.

 

Hi I hope the vet will find out whatsw going on with Coco, shess such a cutie. It's so very important to test her before giving any insulin morning and night time , and get a couple of mid cycles also

 

She's having some very nice numbers for a recently diagnosed diabetic, she's even having numbers under 200 which is actually great that is what you want to see but that also makes it more dangerous to shoot insulin without testing first, so please do consider ALWAYS testing before giving insulin to make sure is safe. You should withdraw food 2 hours before shooting time, to make sure the result you get is not food influenced, then at shooting time test and shoot, if she's under 200 ask here for some guidance before giving insulin.

And here's some information about hypos (too low blood glucose levels) that is important for you to read and consider because hypos can be very dangerous (even kill) http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/

Good luck with the vet keep us posted

 

There was a 911 emergency post here last night, for a kitty down to 76 BG reading, 1 hour after getting Prozinc. Low numbers can happen with any type insulin, even lantus.

That member didn't test before each shot either.

Please, test before each and every shot.
Have your hypo kit ready.
Melissa Whitmore did, and it helped save her cat Freckles life last night.
Read this thread, to see how members here helped Melissa and Freckles.
76 hour after ProZinc
She didn't have a spreadsheet setup either, Now Melissa does.
She wasn't testing before each shot. Now she will.

 

Hi everyone,
Thanks again for your help. The vet checked for pancreatitis and she was ok but there was some bacteria in her urine so she gave her an antibiotic shot and we'll see how she responds. They took a little extra blood and stored it in fridge and will save it just in case they need to run additional tests. Her bg test was 22.1 tonight so she had her insulin after her dinner.
Fingers crossed we see some improvement tomorrow!

 

Sienne and Gabby (GA) has suggested that there are many more experienced users of Lantus on the Lantus ISG. You may want to think about posting over there.
Lantus / Basaglar (glargine) and Levemir (detemir)