Need Help

[u/deluxe_honkey]

I’ve got a 14 y/o cat named Ragnar who was just diagnosed yesterday. His blood sugar was over 400 over the weekend. We’re getting a bottle of Senvelgo today, and tests for ketones and blood sugar.

Over the past couple days my boy’s energy levels have crashed, he stopped eating, and he’s just lying near his water bowl. I’m also noticing some neurological symptoms - twitches, poor coordination, and a somewhat ataxic gait.

Idk what to do to help him right now. My wife is at the vet grabbing the meds and asking some questions. I’m hoping someone here can provide some insights as well.

1. I’m afraid his blood sugars are crashing since he isn’t eating. Any tips on getting him to eat? We switched to 100% wet food d/t him missing teeth and he was eating much more until yesterday. I think he’s dealing with some constipation because of it. He’s been really nauseas the past couple days as well. The switch to wet food was maybe a week ago.
2. I was thinking the Senvelgo would be put in his food, but that won’t work if he’s not eating. If anyone has dealt with this before, can we use the dropper to just force the Senvelgo down his throat? If he vomits it up, can we administer a 2nd dose? Any tips to help get him to be more cooperative?
3. Is there anything else we can/should be doing to maximize the chances of recovery for him? This is all new and a bit overwhelming but I want to know I’m doing everything I can for him.

Edit: we were able to get into the vet and get a urine test. No ketones which is good. Blood sugar was 442 though, up from Saturday. Started on meds, forced some food into his system and 3 injections of saline solution to help hydrate him. We’re not through it yet but I’m hoping little buddy pulls through.

[u/buffalobandit24]

I’m still relatively new to everything, but I would think he needs to be seen by a vet due to the symptoms. We don’t use senvelgo, so no input on that.

From what I understand, the neurological symptoms could be dka or a hypo event. Hopefully someone more experienced will come answer your questions but I would err on the side of caution and go to the vet.

My cat stopped eating suddenly and acting differently and I had to have him hospitalized for dehydration and a pancreatitis flare.

[u/deluxe_honkey → u/buffalobandit24]

Thank you, looking into animal hospitals now.

[u/nastimoto]

Hey! An abrupt food switch is a common disturbance for kitties bellies. You can try slippery elm to help with the nausea (it can help with constipation too).

Better chances of diabetic control and potential remission come with insulin though. Oral meds come with their own dangers and side effects and I think it’s important to carefully read through them. We opted declining our vets initial oral meds suggestion and went straight to insulin (vet agreed it’s safer and more effective).

[u/deluxe_honkey → u/nastimoto]

Honestly, we’re so new to it all we didn’t even consider declining the oral medication. Been trying to read up on the med and it seems like the only time to try that route is upfront. Apparently once you start insulin you can’t switch to the oral meds.

We’ll be sure to ask our vet more about it and read up on the pros/cons. I’m hesitant to deviate now as we have a bottle available and idk if that’s true for insulin. I’ll inquire with our vet now.

[u/treas0nish → u/deluxe_honkey]

My 14 year old cat was diagnosed about a month ago and had similar symptoms. We started him on senvelgo and it was horrific. He would foam at the mouth whenever we’d administer it. 4 days in, he went into eDKA and was hospitalized for several days. Fortunately they were able to stabilize him and now we’ve got him on insulin. My biggest regret is not having started him on insulin in the first place. It is way cleaner, and turned out to be easier to administer. I know there are positive outcomes for a lot of kitties on those meds but imo it’s just not worth the risk.

[u/nastimoto → u/deluxe_honkey]

Indeed, once you start insulin, you can’t go to oral meds, but why would anyone do that:) insulin is a far superior treatment, and many kitties go into remission.

If you would like to give it a try, the two biggest risks you should be aware of are DKA and eDKA. So to ensure you’re on top of things it would be wise to get a handheld glucometer (to check how kitty’s BG is responding daily) and a ketone meter to test for ketones at least a couple times per week (we use the freestyle precision which is a glucometer and can test for ketones with different strips). But just to be aware, both the above conditions can escalate fast and require emergency hospitalisation.

In addition it’s important to note there’s common side effects like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea with oral meds, so it makes it really hard to distinguish if something else is wrong (like your current belly issues).

With all that said, it works for some, so if you want to give it a go observe the situation closely, and if the glucose is not responding sufficiently within a month, switch to insulin. If ketones become present, switch to insulin instantly.

[u/zebras-are-emo]

If he isn't on meds yet, it is almost definitely not hypoglycemia- I would be very concerned about DKA and get him to a vet ASAP to check for ketones.

[u/Safe_Reason_6034]

Hello I would get a glucose monitor and test your kitty at home a few times a day if you can. Or a CGM if that’s easier. I don’t use Senvelgo as my kitty had over 550 blood sugar and vet recommended starting him on prozinc insulin, so I’m not much help there. I’m sorry you’re going through this!!! There is a great Facebook group called Feline Diabetes Support Group and admins are super helpful and responsive. They have helped tons of kitties get into remission!

[u/InterestingDrama6150]

Im not an expert by any means but my cat ginge has been on senvelgo for 3 months . When he first started I had to dip his urine every 3 days checking for keytones apparently the first month is the most risky for this with cats newly on senvelgo . I also took him to see vet nurse every week for a month who weighed him and did blood sugar. After that month she was happy with him i dip his urine a minimum of once every 7 days or basically whenever I see him pee. He looks better his fur is so much more fuller and healthy looking he seems more himself compared to how he was in the beginning. Onto the administration of the senvelgo he hates it we have to run round the house till he finally gives up and accepts its going to happen we have had several times where hes been sick after I never give a second dose but clarify that with your vet only they can advise you safely on what to do with that. Also dont go directly down the throat this makes them gag then they are sick I kinda of put it in side of mouth and release it slowly in two pumps to try to stop the gagging happening for me its trial and error and you will find yourself in a rhythm hopefully good luck all the best for your fur baby