One of our office cats (we have 2) was diagnosed with diabetes about 3 months ago. Stinky is a large, 14.5 year old short haired tabby. Our office moved a year ago, June 2012, and Stinky was not happy about the move and hid for the first few months. When she finally came out of hiding I noticed that she was drinking & urinating a lot. I have Type 1 diabetes so I tested her with my meter and her BG was in the low 70s. I tested her a couple more times over the next few days and her BG was always in the 70s. Went to the vet and he decided she had a UTI and prescribed antibiotics for 14 days. Nothing changed, he insisted she needed a longer course of antibiotics, 6 weeks this time. Nothing changed. He then decided it was her kidneys even though when her labs came back he said only one number was very slightly elevated.
For the next 6 months she continued to drink & pee like crazy. She stopped showing interest in many things, such as playing with toys and grooming herself. In March 2013, a little bump/cyst on her side exploded and we went back to the vet. She has a number of these bumps on her back/sides and the previous vet said they were nothing to worry about but the new vet by our new office removed a couple to have them tested (and they came back benign). Stinky was in an e-collar while her stitched areas healed. When we went back to have them removed the vet said her labs showed that her glucose was very high. He said it could have been from the stress and that it should be rechecked soon. I told him that I could test her BG for a few days to monitor her. The first test was 409, I think. I checked with a different meter because I didn't believe it and that was 398. By this time Stinky did nothing but sleep, drink, pee & eat. Some days she barely ate and even passed up treats. Her coat was filthy and greasy and she was covered in dander.
She was started on U-40 PZI insulin, 1.5 units twice a day. After a couple of weeks there was no change in her numbers, usually high to mid 300s and sometimes dipping to the high 200s in the late afternoon. Her insulin was increased to 2 units, no change. Then 2.5 units, no change. Then 3 units twice daily and it finally started to come down a little, she was usually in the 200s instead of 300s in the morning. One morning I decided to give her 3.5 units and it might have been a coincidence, but her BG came way down in the evening. I went back to 3 units and every day her BG was lower. I kept decreasing her insulin until she was back at 1.5 units which is where she is now. Her BGs are usually in the 80s to low 100s.
Stinky started grooming herself again, she started digging in the litterbox and covering her waste instead of just getting in and out. She's chased string. Her coat feels and looks so much better and her eyes are nice & bright. She still drinks & urinates more than she did a year ago but not nearly as much as she was just a couple of months ago. The vet said that's because of her kidneys.
She has had two low readings in the 40s. I tried giving her honey the first time and she fought like crazy so I gave her a bunch of Temptations treats (she really loved those things, and had been denied them for months). The vet had recommended Karo syrup, I think. Is that thinner than honey? I had filled the other cats liquid medication syringe (Lactulose) with honey for Stinky but even using that it was hard getting any into her. I told my co-worker not to give Stinky her evening insulin shot. She was 142 the next morning.
I'm wondering if I should drop Stinky's insulin down again to 1 unit and let her BG run a little higher. I am the only one who tests her BG but a number of my co-workers are willing to give her insulin. When I'm not there I do worry about her getting her insulin without knowing what her number is first. I also know that she feels much, much better at the normal BG levels than she did when she was in even the upper 100s.
Thanks for reading.
Liz
For the next 6 months she continued to drink & pee like crazy. She stopped showing interest in many things, such as playing with toys and grooming herself. In March 2013, a little bump/cyst on her side exploded and we went back to the vet. She has a number of these bumps on her back/sides and the previous vet said they were nothing to worry about but the new vet by our new office removed a couple to have them tested (and they came back benign). Stinky was in an e-collar while her stitched areas healed. When we went back to have them removed the vet said her labs showed that her glucose was very high. He said it could have been from the stress and that it should be rechecked soon. I told him that I could test her BG for a few days to monitor her. The first test was 409, I think. I checked with a different meter because I didn't believe it and that was 398. By this time Stinky did nothing but sleep, drink, pee & eat. Some days she barely ate and even passed up treats. Her coat was filthy and greasy and she was covered in dander.
She was started on U-40 PZI insulin, 1.5 units twice a day. After a couple of weeks there was no change in her numbers, usually high to mid 300s and sometimes dipping to the high 200s in the late afternoon. Her insulin was increased to 2 units, no change. Then 2.5 units, no change. Then 3 units twice daily and it finally started to come down a little, she was usually in the 200s instead of 300s in the morning. One morning I decided to give her 3.5 units and it might have been a coincidence, but her BG came way down in the evening. I went back to 3 units and every day her BG was lower. I kept decreasing her insulin until she was back at 1.5 units which is where she is now. Her BGs are usually in the 80s to low 100s.
Stinky started grooming herself again, she started digging in the litterbox and covering her waste instead of just getting in and out. She's chased string. Her coat feels and looks so much better and her eyes are nice & bright. She still drinks & urinates more than she did a year ago but not nearly as much as she was just a couple of months ago. The vet said that's because of her kidneys.
She has had two low readings in the 40s. I tried giving her honey the first time and she fought like crazy so I gave her a bunch of Temptations treats (she really loved those things, and had been denied them for months). The vet had recommended Karo syrup, I think. Is that thinner than honey? I had filled the other cats liquid medication syringe (Lactulose) with honey for Stinky but even using that it was hard getting any into her. I told my co-worker not to give Stinky her evening insulin shot. She was 142 the next morning.
I'm wondering if I should drop Stinky's insulin down again to 1 unit and let her BG run a little higher. I am the only one who tests her BG but a number of my co-workers are willing to give her insulin. When I'm not there I do worry about her getting her insulin without knowing what her number is first. I also know that she feels much, much better at the normal BG levels than she did when she was in even the upper 100s.
Thanks for reading.
Liz
