Thursday, February 4, 2010

Health issues

When it rains in pours, it seems. In addition to the usual routine exams and shots, we've had a few extra trips to vet lately. In December I noticed that Noah's breath was getting foul but couldn't find anything obvious in his mouth, except that the right side seemed sore. We took him in right away and found he had an abscessed tooth that needed to be pulled, it had broken while chewing on a bone. He's fully recovered now. Last month we discovered a large gash of unknown origin on Paige's side. Her hair covered it quite well and I was horrified when I saw it the first time. 15 staples later... she's healed up and back to normal. A few weeks ago I noticed a what looked like an irritated nipple on Noel's belly. I kept an eye on it and what had originally looked like a nipple turned out to be a growth that continued to grow and break open. It was removed two days ago and sent in to make sure it's not cancerous. Keep your fingers crossed! Off the topic of dogs, but since he counts as one of our "paid" dog trainers, our cat Robin is struggling with his diabetes. If any of have any experience with your dogs or cats and diabetes I would love to hear how you've managed it!

3 comments:

  1. Do you portion feed your cat twice a day or are you trying to manipulate the units still free feeding? I have a tip if you are portion feeding your cat and the cat will not "eat on command". Elaborate on your problem and I may have run into the same senario before.

    Keeping the meals and the insulin as close to 12 hours apart is critical. Portion feeding and eating when served is much better and easier to manage than winging it with an open food bowl.

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  2. Thanks Deb. We have been free feeding but will go to the twice daily feedings. We had trouble doing the twelve hour insulin shots b/c he's an indoor/outdoor cat, but I think we've developed a system now for getting it in 12 hour intervals. We also just switched his food to a cat food that is supposed to be good for diabetic cats. I'm hoping with these changes we can get him well again.

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  3. When we board diabetic cats that don't eat on command, we found out that sprinkling a SMALL amount of catnip on top of the food peaks their interest, increases their appetite causing them to consume their meal. It's much easier to have them eat their entire meal so you can administer their entire insulin shot all at once. If the cat only eats 50% of its calories, the vets tell us they are only eligible for 50% of their insulin and so on. That formula goes on for several days until the long term effects of odd eating habits catch up abit and you have to adjust. Thats why I say it is so much easier if they will just eat their full meal when served, get their shot immediately after and be worry free for the next 12 hours.

    It's much better for you and the cat if they eat all their food so they are eligible for all their insulin each 12 hour period of time. The diabetics we watch have been told by their vet exactly how much cat food and how many units of insulin. Of course, treats or eating out of someones dish throughout the day throws all of that to the wind!

    I can also tell you that their activity level for the day also can affect how much insulin they need. If you turn this cat into a house cat and his activity level goes way down, his insulin doseage will probably follow.

    Another client with a diabetic cat has me top their food with exactly 3 feline greenies. The cat won't readily eat the food without the greenies in the dish. The calories for the three greenies are figured into his diet for the day. Every diabetic we watch has their meal quantity and unit measurement very specified for each 12 hour meal.

    Sounds like you are figuring it out. Watching their water consumption will also give you a clue about their blood sugar level. Your vet can help you through all of it until you figure out a system that will work.

    Good Luck. Try the catnip if you still have issues-it works.

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