New Member-Please help (diabetes/mild kidney disease)

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Weezer10

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Hi I am new here, have read posts over the years for tips but haven’t ever posted. Any help would be greatly appreciated! My cat Weezer has had diabetes for going on four years. His numbers have been regulated and he has always had a great appetite. About three months ago out of the blue he began vomiting maybe once a week. July came and he was vomiting every 2/3 days-sometimes once and sometimes all day long. When he would vomit, he wouldn’t want to eat for days after. As this began, his numbers were still regulated even though he was missing his insulin some due to lack of food/vomiting. The vet chalked it up to him needing b12 which didn’t end up helping. Now he is not wanting to eat at all. He will drink but won’t consistently eat. We have done blood work multiple times, x rays, fructosamine test, b12 shots and an abdominal ultrasound which all came back clear besides him being diagnosed with mild kidney disease. The vet says it’s so mild that it’s nothing to worry about it/nothing needs to change which I’m also concerned about. We had to take him to the vet two weeks ago for dehydration (he drinks regularly but was severely dehydrated)/an enema and then he needed fluids again that next Monday. He seemed fine after that but still didn’t have an appetite. The vet advised us that if he eats half of his food to give him half of a dose of insulin which we have done. He also put him on Cerenia which made his appetite completely disappear. Since he started Cerenia his numbers have skyrocketed and this evening he is very wobbly when walking/almost unable. He seems very disoriented. Has anyone had anything similar happen? I’m not sure if it’s dehydration or his diabetes/kidney disease. The two urgent vets are at capacity so we have to wait for the morning. We have taken him to the vet to have him checked probably 15 times within the past two months and they can’t figure out why this was happening. Please help, anything is appreciated.
 
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Hi I am new here, have read posts over the years for tips but haven’t ever posted. Any help would be greatly appreciated! My cat Weezer has had diabetes for going on four years. His numbers have been regulated and he has always had a great appetite. About three months ago out of the blue he began vomiting maybe once a week. July came and he was vomiting every 2/3 days-sometimes once and sometimes all day long. When he would vomit, he wouldn’t want to eat for days after. As this began, his numbers were still regulated even though he was missing his insulin some due to lack of food/vomiting. The vet chalked it up to him needing b12 which didn’t end up helping. Now he is not wanting to eat at all. He will drink but won’t consistently eat. We have done blood work multiple times, x rays, fructosamine test, b12 shots and an abdominal ultrasound which all came back clear besides him being diagnosed with mild kidney disease. The vet says it’s so mild that it’s nothing to worry about it/nothing needs to change which I’m also concerned about. We had to take him to the vet two weeks ago for dehydration (he drinks regularly but was severely dehydrated)/an enema and then he needed fluids again that next Monday. He seemed fine after that but still didn’t have an appetite. The vet advised us that if he eats half of his food to give him half of a dose of insulin which we have done. He also put him on Cerenia which made his appetite completely disappear. Since he started Cerenia his numbers have skyrocketed and this evening he is very wobbly when walking/almost unable. He seems very disoriented. Has anyone had anything similar happen? I’m not sure if it’s dehydration or his diabetes/kidney disease. The two urgent vets are at capacity so we have to wait for the morning. We have taken him to the vet to have him checked probably 15 times within the past two months and they can’t figure out why this was happening. Please help, anything is appreciated.
@Wendy&Neko
@tiffmaxee
@Suzanne & Darcy
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
 
Hello and welcome.

Are you home testing his blood sugars? I am worried when you say he is wobbly, almost unable to walk and disoriented. Given he's on Novolin which is a strong acting insulin/not good for cats, and not eating much, I'm worried about a hypo:
How to treat HYPOS - THEY CAN KILL! Print this Out!!

Side note, I much prefer ondansetron to Cerenia to help with nausea. Next time you talk to the vet, ask for an ondansetron prescription - you fill it at any human pharmacy.
 
I agree with Wendy that Novolin N is unsuitable for cats. I would ask the vet to swap him to Lantus or Prozinc.
I also agree ondansetron is better for nausea.
I am concerned he could have ketones which can be dangerous. To test for those you will need a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart or a pharmacy. You will need to collect a urine sample from your kitty. You can slip a large spoon under him when he pees. There should be no ketones. If there are I would take him to the vet.
I would offer him anything he might eat at this stage as we need him to eat. Don’t worry if it’s not diabetic friendly. please update us how he is going
 
Thank you! I really appreciate it. I will try all of these suggestions and keep you updated. Yes we home test. We have tried multiple insulins prior to Novolin (lantus being one-that’s what he started on). Novolin has been the only one that got him regulated as well as a low carb wet food diet. I will test him for ketones tomorrow and try some more foods. Forgot to mention he has had a urinalysis within the past two weeks that came back clear. Also-since he has barely eaten anything the past day or so, he hasn’t had his insulin. Wouldn’t that make his numbers low since he hasn’t eaten? What would cause them to start to rise all of a sudden? When they started elevating is when I noticed him starting to get wobbly. Not sure if constipation could be causing the weakness in his legs since he has been constipated in the last two weeks before his enema. I’ve seen that some use miralax but just scared of dehydrating him worse. Thank you again, I appreciate it more than you know!
 
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If he’s not eating and he’s not been getting Insulin, I am concerned. They are two things that can predispose kitties getting ketones.
Is he lethargic?

I am very surprised Lantus didn’t work. It is a very good insulin for cats. Maybe it was not being used correctly. Novolin N is an insulin I would not use for my cats. It is a harsh, fast acting insulin which does not last the 12 hours needed.
 
It could be diabetic neuropathy? High blood phosphorus levels can cause weakness and uncoordination in the limbs. I would not expect that to be the case if he has mild kidney disease, however. What were his BUN, Creatinine and urine USG? Constipation can cause problems walking if it’s severe. What kind of blood glucose numbers do you usually get on him? Preshot numbers? Mid cycle numbers? At what point in the cycle do his numbers begin to rise (how many hours after the shot?). I am just trying to figure out what you mean by regulated because some vets are happy with cats being in the upper 200s and 300s, which is not good regulation and is unhealthy for the cat.

Please let is know how your kitty is doing. I am concerned and I hope he gets good care at the urgent care vet this morning.
 
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I am so sorry… I was about to tell you that the diagnosis of “mild kidney disease” is concerning since he needed IV fluids and was dehydrated… How did it happen, how did he pass? So so sorry for your loss…
 
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