New to this and scared and frustrated!

my 10 year old male cat Stewie was diagnosed yesterday as diabetic at our vet. His numbers were in the high 500’s. He goes on Monday for the day long curve test st vet. We were sent home with cans of wet diabetic food. Previously Stew has had mostly dry as we tried to implement one wet feed a day recently. We tried the can from the vet last night and he vomited a short time later. He vomited several more times over night. He has not eaten since then, taken small sips of water. We tried his old canned and dry and although he sniffs at it he then begins gagging and won’t try. How do I encourage him to take some nutrition. I tried heating the wet already. Monday feels a long way off.

 

It sounds like the diabetic canned food from the vet has upset his system. If he doesn't normally eat wet food, it could be too rich for him. Here are some tips to try and get a cat to eat.

Do you have any parmesan cheese? If you maybe sprinkle a little of that on her food, she will perhaps eat?

Can you finger feed her....either see if she will lick food off your finger or will she let you dab some on the front of her tongue or on the roof of her mouth? Just be careful that it's only a small amount and that you don't get it down her throat.

-making a buffet to give him choices
- heating food

sprinkle food with :
- forta flora -- a probiotic you can get at vets or online. is very smelly and cats love the taste of it.
- parm. cheese
- smashed crumbles of dry food
- Purebites Duck Liver -- crushed and put on as a topper.
- bonito tuna flakes
- halo chicken treats -- crumble into dust over food
- poor a little water from tuna in water over food ( I use low sodium/no sodium added as other kinds in water has veg. broth in it and I assume that means onions, which are toxic to cats-- check labels)
-powdered oregano. yep sounds weird . but some cats like it and it will entice them to eat.

other ideas of foods to offer your kitty to stim appy:
- trader joe tuna for cats
-baby food -- beechnut turkey and broth or chicken and broth. they have no onions or other additives. some babyfoods have onions . please read labels if you can't find beechnut.
- kentucky fried chicken
- deli turkey /chicken
- plain cooked ( boiled or baked ) chicken breast
-canned chicken for people (watch the label that their are no onions)
- chicken broth -- low sodium

 

Is he on insulin yet? Have you tested him for ketones?

 

He is not on insulin yet, the vet is doing the glucose curve test on Monday. Just trying to get through the weekend and encourage him to eat a bit. I will try some of the buffet ideas that were suggested.

 

Hi Melissa,

The initial shock of the diabetes Dx is more than enough to have to contend with, Melissa, so I'm sorry Stewie and yourself are having a bit of a baptism of fire.

OK. To summarise:

* Diabetes Dx Friday - BG in 500s.

* Stewie not receiving any insulin.

* Started vomiting last night and now exhibiting marked clinical signs of nausea (vomiting, gagging, hungry but can't eat).

* Stewie has had no food in the last 24 hours.

By the sound of things Stewie is severely nauseated. Based on what you're describing of his clinical signs I'm not sure he'll be able to eat without a bit of supportive treatment, especially as he's not even able to get down some of his old wet and dry grub.

It's possible the switch to the new food may have badly upset his digestive system but nausea can also be a clinical sign of ketosis or diabetic ketoacidosis (complications of diabetes), both of which mean that the kitty needs to be seen by a vet ASAP. A cat that isn't getting enough food and insulin is at greater risk of developing ketosis/DKA so as a safety precaution it's really, really important that you check his urine for ketones as soon as possible. If you don't already have some at home, I strongly recommend you pop out and get some urine ketone test strips (e.g. Ketostix or similar) and check for ketones without delay. Here's more info:

Testing your cat for ketones

Tips for collecting urine samples

Please be assured, Melissa, that I'm not trying to alarm you unnecessarily here. Fingers and paws crossed that Stewie will be clear of ketones but it is far, far safer and better for him to do the check to make sure.

WRT food intake, if Stewie doesn't eat anything within the next 12 hours I'd recommend you get him to a vet tomorrow for anti-nausea treatment. (I wouldn't wait till Monday.) Ondansetron and Cerenia are very effective medications for treating kitty nausea/vomiting. (Note: Reglan, aka metoclopramide, is sometimes prescribed by vets for cat nausea /vomiting but cats have very few of the receptors it targets so it doesn't work well, if at all. It works better for dogs.) Here's more information:

Nausea/vomiting/inappetence problems - symptoms and treatments

Stewie may also need an appetite stimulant to get him back to eating properly. It's really key to have the anti-nausea medication in place otherwise the appetite stimulant is likely not to work at all (or it can later lead to the kitty developing food aversions). Also, if you get nausea under control quickly then the kitty usually regains its appetite with minimal support from an appetite stimulant. For badly nauseated kitties, appy stimulants given on their own don't tend to be effective.

We'll do all we can to help so please keep posting with all the questions you have and for any assistance you need.


Mogs
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As Mogs said, no food, no insulin and high numbers can be the cause of ketone development. Ketones can become quite serious if not caught early. You can pick up the strips at any pharmacy. Please keep us posted.

 

He really should have started the insulin today. Most start the insulin right away and then want a curve like 2 weeks later.

 

Treatment approach can vary greatly from vet to vet. For example, the treating vets at time of Saoirse's initial Dx insisted that she have a 3-day hospital stay (seriously!) when she was started on insulin. Other vets just pack clients off home with a vial of insulin and a pack of syringes.


Mogs
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@Melissa Coleman -

Hi Melissa,

Just checking in to see how Stewie and yourself are doing today? Did he manage to eat anything?


Mogs
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@Melissa Coleman -

Hi again, Melissa,

Just checking in again to ask how things are going (worried about you two).




Mogs
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