Worried about Low Weight and Decreased Feeding

My little girl has always weighed around 6-7 pounds and is now at 5.3. She has gone from free-feeding (dry) and wet 1x/day to only low-carb wet 2x/day. It's breaking my heart to see her going to where she eats and nothing is available for her. The sad eyes and her little cries are the worst! Due to her small frame and recent weight loss which has made her look even smaller I just want to get calories into her!

My vet isn't too concerned about her weight loss and only feeding 2x/day. I realize the benefits of 2x/day feeding, but it is truly difficult to observe her wanting more food; especially given how thin she has become.

Also: What has everyone been told re: the BG range your vet wants your cat to be in? When do you decide not to dose? I've received a few different answers from various vets on this. I was told not to dose if BG <200; another vet said <150.

Thanks all!

 

How much are you feeding now per day?
Why not feed more?

 

You could always leave an extra can of food out during the day so she could eat more if she wants too. One option is to use a timed feeder to give her the food during the middle of the day. Many cats prefer mini meals during the day instead of 2 regular feedings.

 

Yes, why not feed more? I feed Dusty enough to maintain his weight at 14lbs! He eats about 6 times a day; morning, leave some while I'm at work, after work, after my dinner, before bed and some for overnight eating. All Fancy Feast and all about half a can except the ones when I'm at work and overnight, those are closer to a full can although he won't eat it all. My BG testing is always done before the morning meal about every 3 weeks. Even when I was dosing him insulin I would feed at this schedule best I could.

 

Hi Opus,

If your little one is losing weight then she's not getting enough food. Did the vet tell you how much to feed her, by any chance? The vet who diagnosed Saoirse told me how much to feed her. I didn't stick with it, nor did I stick with the twice-a-day only feeding schedule she insisted on (Saoirse started getting very painful vomiting bouts if she went without food for more than about 3-3½ hours and that was completely unacceptable.)

What insulin is your girl on? If you let us know, maybe we might be able to suggest something that would work with her insulin and make her feel better (and certainly not as hungry)?

I feel for you.

Regarding when to give/not give insulin, members here home test their kitties' blood glucose levels. We keep the data in a spreadsheet (see the links in members signatures). The general rule here is not to give insulin if preshot blood glucose level is below 200 until you have enough data gathered to know whether it's safe to lower the 'no shoot' level.

 

Thanks to all who answered.

I'm feeding Chloe around 1/3 of a can of low-carb wet 2x/day. She has had three curves done and her initial numbers after diagnosis were decent 3.5 wks ago. She's actually had two more curves done just in the past 3 days due to circumstances which might take up too much space to go into for now. In any case, 4 days ago I began home-testing and had a mobile vet I'd met for the first time come to demonstrate technique. We compared the numbers on her glucometer and mine; I wanted to make certain the numbers were close and they were.

At 1:00 p.m. when Chloe's levels should have been on the downswing the reading showed 427! Too much insulin was my first thought which the mobile vet agreed on. My gut since dx has told me that Chloe was getting too much insulin. I have since spoken to my own vet and Chloe is now down to 1u 2x/day. In any case, Chloe's numbers have been all over the place with the highest being 534. This vet as well as my own vet both said to feed Chloe only 2x/day. Mobile vet said not to worry about her weight; cats can actually live on 1/3 of a can of food for a day. I will be calling my own vet on Monday to talk to him about his reasons Chloe should be feed no more than 2x/day and share with him what has been going on since he gave me this new directive. I'm thinking it has to do with the fact that normal BGs rise each time a cat/persons eat which may be causing Chloe's BGs to be so dramatic. Actually my vet's partner told me to let her free-feed and give her a snack in mid-day! AAARRGGG!

One of you asked what insulin Chloe is on. Humulin N. I know the benefits of the Lantus and would love to use it but it is so cost-prohibitive!

I hope I answered well-enough for any suggestions from any of you. I appreciate your feedback more than you know!

 

Feed more. I would fed 1/2 can twice daily. I am assuming that they are 5.6 or 6 oz cans
I I recommend that you record your BGs and other info in a spreadsheet so others here can view it and make informed suggestions. Here is how to setup the SS
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
You are right that N is not the best since it only lasts 8-10 hours.

 

Can we get you started using our grid to record your glucose tests? It will help us give you better feedback. Instructions are here.

Understanding the spreadsheet/grid:

The colored headings at the top are the ranges of glucose values. They are color-coded to clue you in as to meaning.

Each day is 1 row. Each column stores different data for the day.

From left to right, you enter
the Date in the first column
the AMPS (morning pre-shot test) in the 2nd column
the Units given (turquoise column)

Then, there are 11 columns labeled +1 through +11
If you test at +5 (5 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +5 column
If you test at +7 (7 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +7 column
and so on.

Halfway across the page is the column for PMPS (evening pre-shot)
To the right is another turquoise column for Units given at the evening shot.

There is second set of columns labeled +1 through +11
If you snag a before bed test at +3, you enter the test number in the +3 column.

We separate day and night numbers like that because many cats go lower at night.

It is merely a grid for storing the info; no math required.

 

Thank you for your suggestions in regards to using your grid to post Chloe's BG results. Bad timing as I am going out of town. I'll need to tackle this at a later time. FYI: I called my vet at home and he agreed with my concerns and said to feed Chloe 1-2 extra feedings per day. I have increased the amount of her daily 2x/day feedings as well. Both Chloe and I are feeling great relief today!

Thank you again to those who replied with help and suggestions. Much Appreciated!

 

Google drive has an app for smart phones, too.

 

Humulin-N is quite a harsh insulin in cats. Typically it has a hard and fast onset so it's very important that Chloe has a good bit of food on board before giving the Humulin-N so that the insulin has something to work on. Also, as Larry notes above, the Humulin-N doesn't have as long a duration in cats as some other insulins do, so feeding late in the cycle may further push up Chloe's numbers. I'd suggest talking to your vet about maybe giving Chloe quite a substantial feed before each insulin injection and then maybe a couple of smaller meals or snacks while the insulin is still active (i.e. before +8 - +10).

With regard to the cost of Lantus, many members here buy the pen cartridges, not the vials, because usually cats are on such small doses that the insulin in the vial ceases to be viable before you can use it all up. (Note: U100 syringes are used to draw up the insulin doses so no need to buy the pen needles.) I think pen cartridges come in packs of 5. Assuming you're in the US, the general recommendation is to phone around local pharmacies to see if there is anywhere that will sell you a single pen cartridge of Lantus at a time. It really can reduce the initial outlay and saves money because it eliminates the problem of wasted insulin when using vials. Also, some members buy Lantus from Canadian pharmacies where I believe it is cheaper. If you post a question about how to save money when treating with Lantus and include your location, I'm sure that you'll get much more specific and helpful advice about where to source it.

 

Check out BCP PZI - they will send your vet a free 5 mg sample vial.

 

I wrote instruction for setting up the spreadsheet and linking it to your signature from an iPad. Most of that information should transfer over to setting things up from your smart phone. The instructions are here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/setting-up-ss-and-link-from-ipad.132773/

I hope your kitty starts eating more and feeling better.