need help !!

So my cats been home from the vet for five days, barely eating as his medication ( clavamox ) makes him very nauseous. He was on appetite stimulates and antacids but nothing worked. When he ate a tiny bit the the last couple mornings my vet brushed me off and told me to give him his insulin so I only gave him a .5 unit dose, both yesterday and the day before. Both times my cat became hypoglycemic ( bg 2.0 -2.3 ) last night his bg was 11.7, I skipped a dose, this morning it was 12.2 but he refused to eat again. Tried some cat nip and he ate .25 oz of chicken mousse and tested at 10.7 an hour later.

If he doesn't eat tonight to I give him a token dose? I don't want to miss too many but he has 5 more days of clavamox left and my vet is being nothing less than useless and I can not afford a new vet right away.

 

Hi Raven,
There are much more experienced people here who can advise, but if he hasn't eaten I would definitely test his BG and I probably would not risk giving him a dose. I have a good vet but managed Angel's diabetes much better thanks to this board, I had the confidence to tailor his dose to his bg readings.

 

I'd consider syringe feeding. Not the most fun thing to do with your cat, but a couple days of getting good nutrition in them can really turn things around. Just like a couple days of *not* eating, things can really go in the wrong direction.

 

Hi Raven, and welcome to yourself and your beautiful boy, Loki.

It's great that you're home testing blood glucose levels and caught the lows. Could you please let us know which insulin you're using and also which type of meter? This will help members replying to your thread to understand the blood glucose numbers (BG) correctly. Also can you let us know the date Loki was diagnosed with diabetes (opening post is not 100% clear that he's newly diagnosed so safest to check with you). In case you've not already seen them, here are some important links on safety:

How to treat hypos

Hypo toolkit

There are better meds for queasy kitties than acid blockers and appetite stimulants don't help much until nausea is controlled. Here's a helpful resource:

Nausea and appetite problems - symptoms and treatments

If by happy chance your vet is open in the morning, I'd suggest giving them a call to ask if they could give you an urgent prescription for ondansetron or Cerenia to help with the nausea due to the Clavamox. I have found that ondansetron worked better for my cats. (Note: Ondansetron is a human medication that can be obtained from a regular pharmacy with a written veterinary prescription.) In the meantime, here are some things that might be worth at least trying:

Tips for stimulating a cat's appetite

Persuading your cat to eat

At the second link, there are suggestions for cat-safe baby foods (no onions, garlic, chives, etc.). Sometimes cats will eat a little of that when they won't touch anything else. Any food you can manage to get Loki to take is welcome. One of the simplest things to try is raising food and water bowls a few inches so that Loki doesn't have to stoop to eat and drink.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFO: Diabetic cats who don't get enough insulin and food are at risk of starting to generate ketones. The risk is greater if there's some infection or inflammation in the mix, as is the case with Loki. If you're not already doing so I strongly recommend that you pick up some urine ketone test strips and start monitoring immediately as a very important safety precaution. Here is more information:

Ketones, diabetic ketoacidosis and blood ketone meters

Tips for collecting urine samples

Is there any chance you might be able to get a spreadsheet set up for recording of Loki's blood glucose readings and insulin dosing details? As soon as we can see the data we'll be better able to suggest things to help you both. Here are the links you need to get going:

How to create a spreadsheet

How to use the spreadsheet

If you'd like some assistance with the spreadsheet, just give a shout and we'll find someone to help you.


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