Yellow bile

For the 1st time in 12yrs my cat didnt eat today.
I thought he had arthritis turns out it was neuropathy.
I gave him his 1st 1 unit shot of Lantus about 4hrs ago. The vet tested his bg today and it was 360. Friday when they tested his bg it was 460 and he had just ate prior to being tested.
The vet also gave him an IV until he started to squirm.
Another 1st for my cat, Hax, is 20 minutes after licking the gravy from an empty can of cat food (his fav part of the meal) he pucked up what looked like pale yellow bile. He gave me a im sick meow.
Now hes laying on the couch semi sleeping.
Im kind of stressing out.
I think ill go get some fancy feast.

 

Do you have a glucose monitor? I'd be worried about what his sugar is. Does your vet have a after hours on-call or answering service? I don't have any good answers for you but I'm sure some more experienced people will be on here soon.
@Lisa and Witn (GA) , @Critter Mom

 

Also, you might want to post on the Lantus forum

 

It would be helpful if you tell us about any health problems your kitty has along with diabetes. What sort of IV did the vet give him and why? Was it fluids for dehydration? What food does he normally eat and when in relation to his insulin shots? Have you been taught how to test his blood glucose at home?

 

Try feeding small, regularly-spaced meals; it can help prevent the vomiting.


Mogs
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IV for dehydration.
he didnt eat the fancy feast or the soup type of food.
He also didnt leave my bed last night. I know because i close the door with an inch gap. This is also a 1st.
I just tried to feed him from my hand. He tried to lick up just a small bite but seemed to wince when he had to chew. Could be a gum or tooth issue.
no other illnesses. the vet did check his gums and teeth yesterday.
Problem now is im out of cash.

 

I tried diluting his food and my large hiking water syringe to squirt the food in his mouth. That didnt work so well.
he ate maybe 2 bites and the same yesterday only due to my efforts of hand feeding.
anyone have any tips for feeding?

 

You could try using a smaller syringe with diluted food or maybe buy some unseasoned meat puree baby food to feed. If he goes too long without eating he could get very ill, especially as a diabetic cat.

• What did the vet say about the condition of his teeth and gums?
• Do you test his blood glucose at home?
• Have you ever tested his urine at home for ketones using Ketostix?
• Were you able to afford having blood and urine tests done by the vet?
• Did the vet prescribe anything for nausea and lack of appetite?

Sorry for all the questions but we need as much info as possible in order to help. Also, you could post a new thread on this forum asking for info on getting some financial assistance to care for your guy.

 

3 out of 3 co-workers say if hes not eating I should have him put down.
I guess if he doesnt eat tonight ill bring him to the vet tomorrow.

 

How stupid people are (I mean your co-workers) is beyond belief!
When I told my colleague at work about Rocky's diabetes she said she would put her cat to sleep! Has she got a cat? Yes, she has unfortunately and she feeds this cat cheap kibble and if her cat gets ill she takes it straight to the vet's to euthanase.
It makes me very angry.

 

OK, that's what your co-workers have said. Now - what do YOU want to do??

 

*** LONG POST ALERT! ***

Good lord, NO!!! There are lots of things you can do to help a cat who is off its food.

It may be that your little fella is nauseated. Some humans report that Lantus upsets their stomach and I have observed that some members' cats seem to become nauseated in the early days of insulin treatment. Also some cats may have undiagnosed chronic pancreatitis and that also may cause nausea.

First thing I'd suggest is to ring your vet for advice on how much insulin to give tonight - and be sure to let the vet know that your kitty appears to be quite lethargic. A starting dose of 1 unit of Lantus twice a day is in line with the dosingn guidelines for a cat weighing about 9-10lb (per Roomp-Rand published study) but if your little one is not eating enough you need to be extra careful that his BG does not go too low. If you could get a blood glucose meter straight away (e.g. Relion Confirm from Walmart - strips are affordable) we can help you learn to check his BG at home to make sure his BG is in a safe range. It's also important to get urine test strips to check his urine ketones (e.g. Keto-Diastix or Walmart's equivalent) to make sure your kitty is not throwing ketones because he's not eating enough at the moment. (For information, ketones can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) - a major complication of diabetes which needs emergency veterinary treatment). Ketone build-up can also cause nausea and inappetence.

Here is a very helpful link to information on nausea and inappetence plus how to treat it:

Nausea, vomiting, excess stomach acid - symptoms and treatments

Licking the jelly off food is a very common clinical sign of nausea. Signs of abdominal discomfort may include squatting in a tense 'meatloaf' position, hiding (e.g. retreating under a bed or table), seeking out cool surfaces to lie on (e.g. tiled/stone flooring).

A Cerenia injection may be the fastest way to assist with the nausea (lasts about 24 hours). Ondansetron is another anti-nausea treatment (and I've found it a better anti-nausea treatment - generic is MUCH cheaper than the branded Zofran version) but it can take a day or so to reach full effect. Typical dose is 1mg twice a day (10lb cat) but a higher dose can be used if nausea is more severe. I would give my Saoirse 2mg twice a day for her nausea issues (chronic pancreatitis - 10lb cat).

Part of the problem with nausea can be a build-up of stomach acid when the kitty's tummy is empty. This may then lead to vomiting of liquid (sometimes yellow/brown, sometimes clear/foamy) in response to the stomach acidity (see above link for more info - it's written for cats with kidney issues but the symptoms are the same for cats with nausea and inappetence due to other GI issues). If you can manage to keep your kitty ingesting even small amounts of food very regularly that might help. Try mixing the food with water into a thick, soupy consistency and see whether your kitty might lick some from your fingers. If that works then try offering a bit more from the palm of your hand - the warmth from your hand and the reassurance of your presence may encourage him to eat a bit more. As has been suggested above plain meat baby food (NB: just meat and broth; no garlic, onion, or other ingredients harmful to cats). If you can get him to eat even a few teaspoonfuls of the food/water mix every hour it could help a lot.

An appetite stimulant may also help to keep your kitty eating but it really needs to be given in conjunction with anti-nausea treatment; partly because untreated nausea may stop the kitty eating in spite of the appetite stimulation plus it can also lead to kitty developing aversion to the food being offered and refusing to eat it in the future.

Here is a document about treatments for pancreatitis. Although it's written to address pancreatitis it has excellent advice on treatments for nausea and inappetence. It is very helpful as a guide to asking your vet for the right treatments:

IDEXX pancreatitis treatment guidelines

Your vet should be able to run blood tests to diagnose whether your kitty might have pancreatitis (SNAP fPl can give an immediate indication of whether pancreatic inflammation is likely to be present, or Spec fPL will be sent to external lab with results back in a few days). I do think it advisable to get your kitty checked by your vet as soon as possible. Ask the vet to check for discomfort/tension in the abdominal region and also to check whether there is any back pain (an inflamed pancreas can cause both). Should a pancreas flare be the problem it can be very painful. Buprenorphine can help a great deal with pain management and therefore appetite plus it can help the flare to resolve quicker.

Try to do what you can to get fluids into your kitty; dehydration can make them feel worse. If syringing fluids do it from the side of the mouth, ACROSS the mouth and very slowly to allow time for your kitty to swallow and to avoid aspirating fluids into the lungs. If you're not sure you can do this safely get him to the vets sooner for fluids.

Bring a sample of urine with you to the vets and ask them to check for ketones if you've not been able to do so yourself (critically important for a diabetic, especially when the cat is not eating enough).

I'm very disheartened by the suggestion of your friends to 'give up' if your kitty doesn't eat. Anti-nausea meds and appetite stimulants can help enormously (plus pain relief and other supportive meds if pancreatitis is the issue). For general info (not to scare you, just providing information) if inappetence is not responsive to meds it is possible to use a feeding tube to provide nourishment for a cat who is experiencing difficulty with eating. Here is a vet-authored article where you can learn more about them:

Feeding Tubes Can Save Lives - Dr Lisa Pierson

With regard to worries about treatment costs should more than supportive meds be needed please don't make any hasty decisions based on finances: there is a wonderful organisation called Diabetic Cats in Need who may be able to help you and your kitty with treatment costs. I'm tagging some members who may be able to give you further info on this. (@Chris & China, @Marje and Gracie)

Another thing to watch for is constipation as this may cause nausea, too. Given that your kitty has been diagnosed with neuropathy it may also be affecting his gut motility (diabetic gastroparesis). If the nausea is constipation-related then Cerenia and ondansetron are unlikely to be any help until the constipation is resolved. Again this is something to ask your vet to check for during the examination. A very short course of metoclopramide (Reglan) can help to improve gut motility. (NB: Metoclopramide is not helpful as a nausea treatment per se in cats as they have very few of the receptors it targets - see the IDEXX document above for more info on this. It should not be used long term because it can cause movement disorders.) Lots of information on the feline GI tract here:

www.felineconstipation.org

Sorry for the carpet bombing of information; I just want you to have information available to you so that you know about all of the effective treatments for feline inappetence. Your little fella is young; there are a lot of things that can help him.

Sending a little prayer for your kitty - and a lot of anti-nausea vibes.




Mogs
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Me, too!


Mogs
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Your cat most likely has a treatable condition, at least you could try to help him, I've seen many cats being very ill and with proper care they recovered and enjoyed long life.
Good luck, we are here to help you.

 

"Im kind of stressing out." This is what you said in your first post.

Something tells me that you want to help your boy because you came here yesterday, signed up and have posted looking for help. Why should the opinion of co-workers who might not be cat lovers or even animal lovers count at all? He's your cat, you've had him 12 years and how you feel about him is your business. There are many people here who understand wanting to help a kitty who's been a buddy for many years. Please don't act in haste.

 

We'll do all we can to help you both.




Mogs
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I don't really work with DCIN, but instead the Lantus Land Emergency Fund, but we assist regular members with emergencies, when we can. It's best to send DCIN a message at the link Mogs left and see if they will contact you back to help.

Sending many wishes that your kitty will be ok. I do agree that inappetance can often be addressed.

 

@Marje and Gracie -

Thanks for answering the tag, Marje. I don't know how to go about contacting DCIN. I had hoped you might have a contact link. Do you know who I might contact for this info?

Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

(((Marje)))




Mogs
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Good Lord, this makes me angry! Please ignore them. If it was your human child would they say the same thing? Pets are not disposable. Most cats will quit eating when they are ill, even minor illnesses. You treat the illness. You obviously care for your cat or you wouldnt have posted here for help. Please listen to those here offering advice.

 

@Hax -

Hi - just checking in to see how your little fella is doing today. Sending a little prayer that his appetite is better.




Mogs
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Rather than put personal emails on the board, I am just linking this page where I found the information for board members within their contact info. If you scroll down, you'll see "Team Members" with contact info. I would email the director.

Thank you, Mogs. I think of you often.

 

Hax, any news/progress?
Please let us know if you can.
Sending prayesrs

 

I'm catching up on back posts and want to thank you for the great information...and especially for the feeding tube link.

 

I'm so glad you found the info helpful. Dr Pierson's article on feeding tubes is both educational and reassuring. Prompt deployment of a feeding tube could have saved my Danú 6 years ago; unfortunately the vet treating her did not respond properly to my girl's emergency situation and left it too late. I would hate anyone else to go through losing a cat for want of proper, timely veterinary care.


Mogs
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