Very sick cat and just diagnosed with diabetes

[Xander11]

Hi, my cat Xander was put on Megace by our vet for behavioral problems with our other cat. Basically Xander was attacking our female cat Celie, and we tried all kinds of things til the vet finally said after Xander opened up Celie on her thigh and it got infected that we try a drug. At that point we were desperate and the vet convinced us to try megace. Our vet never took any blood or tested for any problems with Xander and sent us home with the medicine, and instructions to give him one tablet once a day. Two weeks later, we have a barely hanging on cat, he dropped weight rapidly, even though we seen him eating. He was lethargic and spaced out. We took him the next morning to the vet, and he kept him for 4 Days, calling us daily with updates. The vet told us he was very sick and that he was diabetic. Also that he had jaundice and his bilirubin was elevated. He was giving him insulin (Vetsulin) and fluids and prescription cat food. By Saturday he sent Xander home, we picked up our cat which still has a very pale yellow color, which the vet said will subside as he continues to eat and we get his BG lowered. He showed us how to give the shot, and said we had to give 3 units twice daily. The first one he had at the office and without eating first, by the time we got home he wouldn’t eat. We bought everything we could think of, tuna, chicken, soft food dry food, anything. He would take a couple bites then walk away. We didn’t give him his second shot that night, cause he hadn’t eaten, and I was afraid of low blood sugar, which I know is deadly. That’s when I found this forum, and read about how much insulin to give. The next day xander was better, responsive, a bit playful and overall better than he was. We offered food again and he ate 1/4 of the food we put down, so we gave him a 1 unit insulin dose. He is soooo skinny, his vertebrae are visible, his skin is hanging, and we are going to a new vet this Wednesday. Our old vet charged us 700 dollars for a problem they created in my opinion when he gave our cat megace, which I researched afterward albeit too late, but everything that happened was textbook adverse effects of that drug. Are we doing the right thing by lowering his insulin dosage? I feel like raising his insulin to 6 units a day in 3 Days is ridiculous? Right?

 

[Sharon14]

Welcome! Sounds like Xander feels better on the lower dose, but the only way to tell if it’s enough insulin is to home test his blood sugar. It’s easy to do and we’ll be glad to help you. What are you feeding?

 

[JanetNJ]

Hi, my cat Xander was put on Megace by our vet for behavioral problems with our other cat. Basically Xander was attacking our female cat Celie, and we tried all kinds of things til the vet finally said after Xander opened up Celie on her thigh and it got infected that we try a drug. At that point we were desperate and the vet convinced us to try megace. Our vet never took any blood or tested for any problems with Xander and sent us home with the medicine, and instructions to give him one tablet once a day. Two weeks later, we have a barely hanging on cat, he dropped weight rapidly, even though we seen him eating. He was lethargic and spaced out. We took him the next morning to the vet, and he kept him for 4 Days, calling us daily with updates. The vet told us he was very sick and that he was diabetic. Also that he had jaundice and his bilirubin was elevated. He was giving him insulin (Vetsulin) and fluids and prescription cat food. By Saturday he sent Xander home, we picked up our cat which still has a very pale yellow color, which the vet said will subside as he continues to eat and we get his BG lowered. He showed us how to give the shot, and said we had to give 3 units twice daily. The first one he had at the office and without eating first, by the time we got home he wouldn’t eat. We bought everything we could think of, tuna, chicken, soft food dry food, anything. He would take a couple bites then walk away. We didn’t give him his second shot that night, cause he hadn’t eaten, and I was afraid of low blood sugar, which I know is deadly. That’s when I found this forum, and read about how much insulin to give. The next day xander was better, responsive, a bit playful and overall better than he was. We offered food again and he ate 1/4 of the food we put down, so we gave him a 1 unit insulin dose. He is soooo skinny, his vertebrae are visible, his skin is hanging, and we are going to a new vet this Wednesday. Our old vet charged us 700 dollars for a problem they created in my opinion when he gave our cat megace, which I researched afterward albeit too late, but everything that happened was textbook adverse effects of that drug. Are we doing the right thing by lowering his insulin dosage? I feel like raising his insulin to 6 units a day in 3 Days is ridiculous? Right?

You were right to lower to 1 unit. Without testing anything higher is dangerous. I would go out today and buy a meter. This came on suddenly and if it was caused by the drug, it may go into remission suddenly.

I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC.

I can write you a shopping list of you are willing to learn how to home test.

Also the perscription food is expensive and no better than grocery store foods. Most of us feed fancy feast classic or Friskies pate foods.

So glad he pulled through that ordeal! What a nightmare!

 

[Xander11]

Welcome! Sounds like Xander feels better on the lower dose, but the only way to tell if it’s enough insulin is to home test his blood sugar. It’s easy to do and we’ll be glad to help you. What are you feeding?

We are feeding fancy feast classic and friskies not what we would normally feed him, but we are desperate for him to eat at this point.

 

[Xander11]

You were right to lower to 1 unit. Without testing anything higher is dangerous. I would go out today and buy a meter. This came on suddenly and if it was caused by the drug, it may go into remission suddenly.

I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC.

I can write you a shopping list of you are willing to learn how to home test.

Also the perscription food is expensive and no better than grocery store foods. Most of us feed fancy feast classic or Friskies pate foods.

So glad he pulled through that ordeal! What a nightmare!

Thanks JanetNJ! Yeah we are going to test him at home, but I know it’s a trial and error period we are in, and we hope to get him in to his new vet later this week. Apparently megace causes liver failure and diabetes is magnified if the cat already has it. It’s been very stressful, but he is actually sleeping now, instead of being restless. Any help would be greatly appreciated! So glad I found this forum or our Xander would have probably died from low blood sugar from insulin overdose.

 

[Sharon14]

Fancy Feast and Friskies are low carb and fine, and as you say eating is paramount right now! Have you looked into milk thistle or denamarin to help with his liver values?

 

[Xander11]

Fancy Feast and Friskies are low carb and fine, and as you say eating is paramount right now! Have you looked into milk thistle or denamarin to help with his liver values?

No I don’t know much about any of that, unfortunately. Where and how much should I buy and dosing?

 

[Sharon14]

I’ve never used either, just read about it here. I believe the denamarin is a large pill and difficult to give, though some have no problem. For the milk thistle, you can probably get a human form, but I’m not sure. I’ll tag @Marje and Gracie to give you more info. She’s out of town at the moment, but hopefully will check in soon. You should run it by your new vet first too.

 

[JanetNJ]

Thanks JanetNJ! Yeah we are going to test him at home, but I know it’s a trial and error period we are in, and we hope to get him in to his new vet later this week. Apparently megace causes liver failure and diabetes is magnified if the cat already has it. It’s been very stressful, but he is actually sleeping now, instead of being restless. Any help would be greatly appreciated! So glad I found this forum or our Xander would have probably died from low blood sugar from insulin overdose.

Do you have a Walmart nearby?

 

[Xander11]

yes

 

[Sharon14]

HERES some info on milk thistle

 

[JanetNJ]

yes

Ok here's what you want to get

1. Relion micro or confirm meter $15
2. Box of 100 extra test strips $35
3. Box of 26-28 gauge lancets (don't get the 30-33 kinds, they are too thin) $3
4. Cotton cosmetic rounds to go behind the ear
5. Neosporin ointment with pain relief
6. A treat for you

 

[Marje and Gracie]

I’ve never used either, just read about it here. I believe the denamarin is a large pill and difficult to give, though some have no problem. For the milk thistle, you can probably get a human form, but I’m not sure. I’ll tag @Marje and Gracie to give you more info. She’s out of town at the moment, but hopefully will check in soon. You should run it by your new vet first too.

Thanks, Sharon, for the tag.

I’m sorry to hear Xander has been so ill. Do you know what his liver values are? You would look for ALT, ALP, AST, GGT, and bilirubin on his labs. If they did a urinalysis, it will also indicate whether there is bilirubin in his urine. I’m thinking his liver values have to be pretty high for him to be jaundiced. Did they suggest you give subcutaneous fluids to help with that?

Denamarin is an excellent product to help support the liver. However, the pill can be difficult to give even though it’s coated and you cannot split it without sacrificing efficacy. It also has to be given on a totally empty stomach 2-3 hours before a meal. That was the tough one for me. I’ve also used milk thistle that I got through my vet.

I am a big believer in Dr. Karen Becker and her approach to pet health. She has a Liver and Kidney Support product that has everything you would need for Xander’s liver issues. It’s a powder so you don’t have to pill Xander.

Whatever you do choose to do, I hope you will get some kind of liver support for pets into him and help that liver. Please let me know if you have questions by tagging me.