Willie is tired of his shots

Willie is a diabetic boy. He has been on shots (twice a day, Vetsutlin) for a year now. In the past, he's had an occassional day or even four-five days of fussing or not wanting to take his shots. However, we are now on day five (at least), and the battle gets worse each day. He almost absolutely refuses the shots (we've managed anyway), and is up to meowing and clawing, etc. to resist the shot...most of the time before we even get the needle in! We move the shots around due to calloses and comfort.

Note: Willie seems to be in great health...eats, plays, regular bathroom habits, etc.

Any ideas of what we should do? Is he just tired of fighting? We don't want to stab him with the needle, knowing it will only make it tougher the next time. I also don't want to prolong his life for my sake. What now?

 

What are his glucose levels like? Some cats have been known to fight their shots when their dose isn't right.

Also, could you please remove the 911 from your post? That icon is meant to be used for life or death emergencies only.

 

Do you hometest? That is really the best way to figure out what is going on. As Deanie said, it has been know for cats to fight shots when they are low. you can use any human glucometer that sips blood. Has he been to the vets lately? Have you had any blood tests done there? What is your shooting technique or routine?

 

First off, Vetsulin has had quality control problems and the manufacturer has said that it could mean that the insulin is lasting too long, causing blood sugar levels to go too low. The manufacturer is recommending that all animals currently on Vetsulin transition to other insulins and that no new animals be started on it. Has your vet talked with you about switching to another insulin? If so, what insulin(s) are they suggesting?

And, as the others have said, cats who's blood sugar level is too low have been known to fight their shots. I think it's very possible that Willie is getting too much insulin. Can you get a blood sugar reading on him and let us know what the number is?

Also, Vetsulin is know for having quick, steep drops in blood sugar levels; are you doing anything regarding feeding to help mitigate the drop. I'd recommend reading the Vetsulin guide here http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=302; the general procedure is test, feed, shoot, feed again.

Speaking of food, the type of food you feed has a dramatic impact on the blood sugar levels (and thus the amount of insulin needed). What type of food are you currently feeding? And have you recently made any changes to the food that's being fed?

Finally: if you go to the bottom of the page, there's a little pop-up list of forums. Click on the list, select Health Links and press Go. In the list of links that comes up, please look at Melissa's post on hypoglycemia. Read it, print it out and tape it to the side of your fridge; when you suspect hypo is not the time to find that your internet connection has gone down. Please note that the symptoms listed are possible symptoms; it's possible to have low blood sugar levels without having noticable symptoms until things are pretty far progressed. Also read Jojo's post on stocking your hypo toolkit, to make sure you have everything easily accessible if a hypo does occur.

The Health Links page also has a post on tips for learning how to home-test blood sugar levels; that's really the best way to know what's going on wiht Willie.

 

We have not been successful in testing Willie's sugar. We have poked his ear time and time again with no luck. We do, however, observe his eating and bathroom habits extensively for signs of changes in his sugar, as well as test with urine strips.

His diet is some canned tuna each day (approximately 1/4 - 1/3 can a day) and Hills WD dry food. This has been his diet since diagnosis (no changes).

My vet suggested, before Christmas, that Vetsulin was going to be discontinued, but did not elaborate on why. The last time we purchased insulin, he still had Vetsulin. We didn't know to request something else. I will definitely be calling the vet first thing tomorrow morning.

It has been over 6 months since his lat Vet visit (we live in a very remote area/1 1/2 hours from vet).

 

You should keep trying to test. Since you aren't testing now, you can learn without pressure. Have you warmed the ear? You don't have to try over and over, which may frustrate you and him. Just keep trying each day. Usually applying a warm damp cloth in a plastic bag, or a warmed rice sock will promote bleeding. Also, use a meter that takes a tiny speck of blood like a relio micro or a freestyle. I bet you can get it down if you just keep trying (and warm the ear).

 

Please consider trying testing again...

and don't take this as criticism, but WD is the worst food....look at its ingredients sometime.. Willie is a carnivore but you aren't feeding him meat. For more, read Dr Lisa's page www.catinfo.org

 

Did you ever watch a video on BG testing? This one helped me a lot but I always test the inside of the ear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NTvGq8xMeU

I have to agree with the last post about Hill's food. I hate all those foods. I also thought cats were suppose to be limited on fishy foods like Tuna. I can't tell you why...maybe someone with more knowledge on food will chime in.

It almost seems like he is telling you he may not need the shot. The only way you can know is BG testing I think.

 

This diet is unbalanced and very high in carbohydrate. Read www.catinfo.org to understand the awful effects of that you are feeding.

 

If your cat knows when the needle is going in, the needle is probably too thick =29ga. Could you get syringes with thinner needles? 31 ga 32 ga :smile:

 

Any news of Willie?

Just wondered if there was an update I missed.