I am in tears, 13-year old cat diagnosed with diabetes ~3 months ago. Not much progress...

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Ryn & Grayson

Ryn & Grayson

Member Since 2015
Hi all. I wish I knew that this forum existed three months ago. I apologise for the long-winded post...

At the end of April this year, I returned home from a trip abroad that lasted approximately 12 months. Before I left, my cat Grayson was as happy, plump, and healthy as a cat could be. However, when I returned home I was horrified at what I saw. I had to go searching around the house for my poor feline friend, who had turned into nothing but skin and bones. He would hide out in the basement, right beside his litter box and short distance away from the water bowl. I immediately started crying from the shock it gave me. I asked my mother what had happened which she quickly concluded was stress (she had been fostering stray kittens and adopting them out), and that Grayson was put off his food from that, but since the kittens were gone that he should be improving. I didn't believe he was eating, but he sure was drinking a lot. He has always had a fascination with the bathroom faucet, but it escalated into an obsession.

What ended up a major conflict with my mom and me not believing her story, I took Grayson to the vet a few days later. I didn't care what excuses anybody had to say for not taking him sooner, I was lucky to get home when I did. The vet advised me that Grayson was severely diabetic and that he wouldn't make it to the end of next month if action wasn't taken, he would have starved to death. The blood work came back with a 27. I called my mom from the vet office and she hung up on me, and I broke down in the vet office completely lost about what to do. I am not in a financial situation where I can afford a diabetic cat, and neither is my mom. I don't live at home anymore and I'm terrified to leave when I do fearing that it might be the last time I see my cat alive.

I couldn't afford insulin, but I left the vet office with a prescription for Glyburide oral pills and a trip to the pet store to buy canned Fancy Feast. I stayed home for a little while to make sure Grayson was getting his pills every 24 hours and eating, and managed to convince my mom to follow the routine that I set up. Grayson's attitude perked up and he started acting normal again. Fast forward to now, I have returned home for a couple days and although Grayson isn't hiding out, he still hasn't put on much weight. I'm not sure how well these pills are working, if at all, he is eating and drinking plenty but just isn't putting on the weight. I suppose it is worth noting that he lives in the house with a senior dog (they have been best friends since puppy/kittenhood) and two other cats (1 male & 1 female, younger ~ 1 yr old). He has been being put into a separate room for feeding time (+2 times a day) so his food isn't being pirated by the others and gobbles it down happily. Sometimes he doesn't always finish.

I'm still worried about his condition and I believe he needs insulin injections, but money is a really big issue. How long does it take for a skeleton cat to start putting weight on again? I thought 3 months would be enough, but not much has changed except for a happier attitude and clearer eyes. Please help me, I'm at a loss. I've never had experience with diabetes, either human or animal. It breaks my heart seeing him like this, I'm still not used to it. He follows me around everywhere when I come home, I think he knows that I understand. I love him so much and I wish I could get him the help he needs.
 
Oh Ryn, I am so sorry to hear about your dear sweet Grayson. I am so glad that you have found this place and am so glad that you took Grayson to the vet. Take a big, deep breath and you are about to learn so much about diabetes. You will be able to help make Grayson feel better very soon.

1) I have heard from folks in this forum of vets giving their patients the oral diabetic pill. Everything that I have read, says that this pill does not work. You need insulin in where you will give shots every 12 hours. That is the only way for Grayson to get back on the road to feeling better. There are a lot of people here that are from Canada and they can help you determine what insulin you can buy. Most folks here use Lantus, Levemir or ProZinc. There are other insulins out there too.
2) You will need to begin home-testing. If you buy the pet meter and strips from the vet's office, it is very expensive. Most folks here use a human meter that costs around $15 and the strips are much cheaper than the pet meter.
3) Testing will be needed before each shot and periodic tests in the middle of the 12 hours cycles. This way, you will know how well the insulin is working and it will also keep Grayson safe.
4) Next, is to log your blood glucose numbers into a spreadsheet here. There are folks here that can help you set up the spreadsheet. You will be able to view all our spreadsheets. Our spreadsheets are in our signatures. Our spreadsheet instructions are here.
5) You probably will need to change Grayson's diet. What is he eating now? We feed low carb, wet food here and eliminate all dry food.

I was gone from home for six months and when I got home, I was shocked of how Merlin looked. As soon as I found this forum which was three months after he was diagnosed, Merlin started to improve. He gained weight and began walking better. I couldn't imagine that Merlin was ever going to get back to himself...but he did.

There is so much information here and you will probably feel overwhelmed but hang in there. You will be in an expert before you know it.
 
You should contact Diabetic Cats in Need...they may be able to help you with insulin and testing supplies

The "good news" is since you live in Canada, you can get insulin over the counter. Lantus and Levemir are both good insulins for cats and are available at human pharmacies.

It will be important for you to learn to home test, so a meter and strips will be your biggest expense. I understand that although you can get insulin cheaper there, the strips for glucose meters are higher since you don't have access to a WalMart to get the Relion brand. If you have family that live in the states, you might see if they'd be willing to send you a meter and strips when you need them.

If Grayson is eating dry food, switching to low carb (less than 10% carbs) canned food will help bring those numbers down too. Fancy Feast Pate's and Friskies pate's are both available in Canada and low carb (and I think you can get 9-Lives pate's too)

Wishing you and Grayson the best!
 
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Thank you so much for the responses. I will check out Diabetic Cats In Need.

My mother is an extremely headstrong person, and I asked her if she would inject insulin if she had to and she outright told me "no" and that she can't commit to it. It threw me for a loop, because I don't live at home anymore (3+ hours away) and I'm only here so often. I wish I could take Grayson with me, but I can't bear to separate him from my aging dog, who is his best friend. I'm thinking that if I was able to get the insulin & syringes and be able to teach her what to do and how to do it, she might be more reasonable. It was the same thing with the pills - at first she refused, but now its routine. I was hoping the pills would be the solution, they're easy to give and affordable ($10/month).

Grayson is being fed Fancy Feast wet food, however dry food is still offered 24/7 for the other cats so its still out there. I've tried to convince her to switch everything, but it didn't work so I'm grateful she is at least giving him the wet canned food. He eats two cans per day.

I am leaving again today, but I'll be returning in September so I'm hoping he can hold out for a bit longer. I'll probably take him to the vet again then and get some advice from them as well. I just wish this was easy because its straining my relationship with my mom... I got my love of animals from her, which is why it hurt me so much to find out she didn't want to help me at first.
 
I just talked to her again and she exploded at me, she will not ever inject insulin for him because "he doesn't need it, he's fine". His attitude and demeanor did improve, but he's still extremely thin. She's not comfortable injecting insulin and she's seen it with her sister's past diabetic dog and she doesn't want to go through that. I don't know what to do.
 
When there isn't enough insulin, the food being eaten cannot be used. This results in the body breaking down its own fat and muscle in order to survive as long as possible. With an underweight cat, this isn't very long.

The cat will adjust to not being around the dog; it is better than risking he starves to death. Take him with you. We'll coach you through it.

Where, roughly, do you live?
 
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It sounds like your mother is in denial about the diabetes, and unfortunately, that is currently a dangerous home for him to be in at the moment. Giving insulin is actually easier than giving pills, but there are other things like blood sugar testing that go along with this. It might be worth taking him for a while to get him healthier and maybe your mother will be more receptive when she sees the change.
 
Ryn said:
Hi all. I wish I knew that this forum existed three months ago. I apologise for the long-winded post...

At the end of April this year, I returned home from a trip abroad that lasted approximately 12 months. Before I left, my cat Grayson was as happy, plump, and healthy as a cat could be. However, when I returned home I was horrified at what I saw. I had to go searching around the house for my poor feline friend, who had turned into nothing but skin and bones. He would hide out in the basement, right beside his litter box and short distance away from the water bowl. I immediately started crying from the shock it gave me. I asked my mother what had happened which she quickly concluded was stress (she had been fostering stray kittens and adopting them out), and that Grayson was put off his food from that, but since the kittens were gone that he should be improving. I didn't believe he was eating, but he sure was drinking a lot. He has always had a fascination with the bathroom faucet, but it escalated into an obsession.

What ended up a major conflict with my mom and me not believing her story, I took Grayson to the vet a few days later. I didn't care what excuses anybody had to say for not taking him sooner, I was lucky to get home when I did. The vet advised me that Grayson was severely diabetic and that he wouldn't make it to the end of next month if action wasn't taken, he would have starved to death. The blood work came back with a 27. I called my mom from the vet office and she hung up on me, and I broke down in the vet office completely lost about what to do. I am not in a financial situation where I can afford a diabetic cat, and neither is my mom. I don't live at home anymore and I'm terrified to leave when I do fearing that it might be the last time I see my cat alive.

I couldn't afford insulin, but I left the vet office with a prescription for Glyburide oral pills and a trip to the pet store to buy canned Fancy Feast. I stayed home for a little while to make sure Grayson was getting his pills every 24 hours and eating, and managed to convince my mom to follow the routine that I set up. Grayson's attitude perked up and he started acting normal again. Fast forward to now, I have returned home for a couple days and although Grayson isn't hiding out, he still hasn't put on much weight. I'm not sure how well these pills are working, if at all, he is eating and drinking plenty but just isn't putting on the weight. I suppose it is worth noting that he lives in the house with a senior dog (they have been best friends since puppy/kittenhood) and two other cats (1 male & 1 female, younger ~ 1 yr old). He has been being put into a separate room for feeding time (+2 times a day) so his food isn't being pirated by the others and gobbles it down happily. Sometimes he doesn't always finish.

I'm still worried about his condition and I believe he needs insulin injections, but money is a really big issue. How long does it take for a skeleton cat to start putting weight on again? I thought 3 months would be enough, but not much has changed except for a happier attitude and clearer eyes. Please help me, I'm at a loss. I've never had experience with diabetes, either human or animal. It breaks my heart seeing him like this, I'm still not used to it. He follows me around everywhere when I come home, I think he knows that I understand. I love him so much and I wish I could get him the help he needs.
Click to expand...

A fellow Canadian! :) Hi there. :)

First of all, let me say that you do have a lot on your plate and I'm SO sorry that your relationship with your mom is so strained with her stubbornness and refusal to inject or test.

May I say that right now, you will likely be very overwhelmed with all that is being put in front of you and not knowing what to do or even HOW to do it all...especially, expense wise. I think that there is financial help available that you may qualify to get and help you get Grayson onto injections.

I know what you are saying about the idea of taking him away from his "best friend" but...in all reality...without those injections and testing, he's in grave danger as the pills might help somewhat but, they won't take care of the diabetes. Insulin injections for cats are really, the only thing that will save their lives.

As someone else has said in this thread....if Grayson were mine...I'd likely be taking him with me too. I don't think I'd be as worried about his attachment to your dog as I would about saving his life. Grayson WILL form an attachment to you and be ok. It sounds as though he's being over-run with other pets and fearing not getting his share of even food at times. I'm thinking that perhaps, his life there, isn't as "peachy" as you may think it is??? Honestly, I think he *might* do MUCH better if he is with you and being treated properly for his diabetes???

Of course, none of us can answer that for you totally as it's YOUR cat and YOUR life but, just being honest in thinking that perhaps, you taking Grayson with you, might be the best course of action, given your mom's stance on all of this. And, yes...it IS a commitment. No doubt. And, it does require a lot of patience and willingness to follow the regime necessary but, totally DOABLE as evidenced by tons of members in here already. :) It's not that hard to do once you get used to it but, given that your mom is so resistant to it...she might not follow through with things even were she willing and Grayson could end up dead from going hypo if not watched properly.

To begin...I would check into the financial help first. See if you can swing the insulin. Honestly, here in Canada...the cost is NOT that great. With Lantus pens...it works out to something like $25/month as you can keep going on 5 pens for about 6 or more months when refrigerated. :) The syringes are about $34.00/box of 100 and will last you nearly 2 months. The ONLY thing that gets a little expensive is the strips for the meter. The meter comes FREE when you buy the strips (Walmart carries them more cheaply than any pharmacy) and there's so many good meters that are cheaper on the strip costs that if you get a bit of financial help...are totally doable. Some range at $40 for 100 strips or less and there are places to order online if you need to for less than that. So, I think that for possibly about $50-$75/month....you can treat this yourself. :) Foods are also cheap for diabetes. NO need to go prescription foods. Fancy Feast, 9 Lives, Friskies, Special Kitty (Walmart), Purina Pro Plan...all are about $0.68 per can and less when you catch them on sale at any supermarket/grocery store.

It's totally doable! :)

But, maybe...you won't want to wait until September to take him with you??? I'm thinking that perhaps, once you've gotten things in order to take him...a trip back to pick him up and take him with you might be wise. I think others are thinking the same thing.

Again though....this isn't a "guilt trip". This is purely a realistic look at how to deal with things from people who are going through it too.

HUGS :bighug: :bighug: :bighug:
 
Thank you all so, so much for your advice.

I had to leave my mom's house today and I wasn't able to take him with me. There isn't much I can do right now - my current job contract ends at the end of August and I will be moving again, the next few months are going to be hectic for me. Before I left, I asked my mom to feed him as much as possible, he ate 3 cans today with me - I'm hoping this will be okay for him until I am back in the area. I do believe she's in denial, she blames it a lot on "old age" but he's only 13. We've had cats in the past that were in their 20s!

I'm assuming that there are different types of insulin to give, I suppose it would be worth a try calling the vet and asking what he was thinking of going with instead of the pills? I think I can afford $50/month. I'll have to do a bit of research.
 
BCP PZI is the cheapest good insulin. Your vet can get a free sample but it usually takes a couple weeks. It is a compounded insulin that acts similar to ProZinc. If you buy it outright, you need the vet to call and give them a prescription but you can get it in a few days. It should be about $50.
 
Is there any friend near your mom who could help out? Bring him to you, maybe?
The reality is that in 5 weeks of untreated diabetes, he could be dead of starvation. It would be more humane to euthanize him than let him suffer like that.
 
I would echo BJM's idea...any friends that you still have around your mother's house who *might* be willing to help you out in the short term? By that, I mean...anyone who you would be able to say, "please do me this favour and go give Grayson his shots twice a day and test him until I can get back in a month? I'll owe you a big favour!" Or, bring him to you???

Would your mom be willing to allow someone else to come into her home to do it twice a day? Or, would you be able to find a "foster parent" for Grayson who might be willing to take him in and take care of him until you can get back? Or, someone to drive him out to you?

I know that we're throwing a lot at you and you need to take a couple of days to figure out how to work all of this and look into things but, if you can, the sooner you can do this, the better the possible outcome for Grayson. I'm sure it all feels like we're "pushing" you but, we're really not. We're simply trying to offer up suggestions that might save his life.

I am so sorry that you're in this difficult position. It's not an easy scenario but, I guess it will all depend on how far you are willing to go with this to save Grayson's life.

And, if you absolutely can't swing looking after Grayson for whatever your reasons and your mom won't do it (as evidenced) then, perhaps, you can check into re-homing Grayson to someone who is willing to care for him and love him and take his best interests at heart. I think that might be easier on him and you rather than the ultimate of watching him suffer or having him euthanized, right?

Take a couple of days, think it all over, make some calls, think about people who may help you or who may take Grayson in or even adopt him if you can't do this. :bighug:Let us know what you decide but, something has to be changed or done for his sake. There really isn't much of a choice here.
 
I'm so sorry to hear what you're going through. I remember when Gypsy was diagnosed, I sobbed right there in the vet's office. But in the end, her diabetes was very treatable. I found it took maybe an extra 30 minutes at most out of my normal day. And that was spread out throughout the day! She came running for her tests (and the treats!) and her shots never seemed to even bother her.

Trust us all when we say this is treatable. Grayson could live a good, long life. However, right now, he needs to get away from there. You could probably get a cheaper insulin like Sue suggested (cheap not meaning bad...just cost effective!). However, left untreated, he could have very bad medical side effects, and could die. I don't want to guilt trip you here either. However, if you can't take him with you NOW, please rehome him. It's kinder than allowing him to slowly starve for the next 5 weeks. Even if he lives, he'll be miserable. Please, please, find a foster home for him or a home willing to adopt him outright if you can't take him.
 
If you could manage to get Grayson to stay with you - or with a foster caregiver - for even a few weeks, his health could improve so much with insulin treatment in that time. If your mother then sees him healthier maybe she may come around?

Whatever you decide, you really need to do something to help Grayson now. A few weeks away from his doggy friend won't do any harm. Grayson really needs insulin. I hope you can both find a way through this. I don't envy your situation.

((Ryn and Grayson))
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@Ryn, I'm so sorry to hear what a terrible dilemma you're in with Grayson! You might try contacting Diabetic Cats in Need https://www.facebook.com/DiabeticCatsInNeed or http://fdmb-cin.blogspot.com/ to see if they can help. Where is Grayson located? There might also be other FDMB members nearby who could either help your mom or foster Grayson.
Keeping you and Grayson in my thoughts and praying for a good outcome!

Joan
 
Many good suggestions in the posts above, so I won't chime in ... except to say that I feel for you being stuck in such a difficult situation, so am sending my sympathy & good thoughts in the hope that you will find a workable solution that will save Grayson from further ravages of diabetes.
:bighug:
 
Hi Ryn and Grayson,.....from a fellow Canadian.

Ryn, Where in Ontario are you?

I believe the Toronto Cat Rescue group has an assistance program too. I don't have any specifics about it but it certainly would be worth looking into to get some assistance. There is also the Farley Foundation.org.

I can only echo everyone else's comments. It's so obvious you love Grayson and want to do the best for him but it is equally obvious that Grayson needs appropriate treatment ASAP. You are in a horrible situation and my heart goes out to you and Grayson. We've all been through that initial shock of finding out our kitties have diabetes but we all know now it is treatable and doesn't need to shorten a cat's life. We also know it takes a commitment to treat a diabetic cat albeit a small one, so if you can't do it yourself, convince your Mom to do it or find a friend to do it, please consider re-homing him. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug: to you and Grayson!
 
Chris & China said:
You should contact Diabetic Cats in Need...they may be able to help you with insulin and testing supplies

The "good news" is since you live in Canada, you can get insulin over the counter. Lantus and Levemir are both good insulins for cats and are available at human pharmacies.

It will be important for you to learn to home test, so a meter and strips will be your biggest expense. I understand that although you can get insulin cheaper there, the strips for glucose meters are higher since you don't have access to a WalMart to get the Relion brand. If you have family that live in the states, you might see if they'd be willing to send you a meter and strips when you need them.

If Grayson is eating dry food, switching to low carb (less than 10% carbs) canned food will help bring those numbers down too. Fancy Feast Pate's and Friskies pate's are both available in Canada and low carb (and I think you can get 9-Lives pate's too)

Wishing you and Grayson the best!
Click to expand...

Stupid question incoming:

Does amazon ship to Canada? I use Bayer contour next meter & strips and they are 100 strips for $25 on amazon. great deal, but I'm in US.
 
@pevsfreedom - Amazon may ship them here but by the time customs and the government get their take plus shipping, I doubt there are any savings to be had and it might even be more expensive than buying here. Your Bayer Contour strips run around $76.00 /100 here on the website below. They are more if bought retail.

The cheapest strips available here are for the Bravo meter at this website. Bravo meter comes free with the purchase of strips. While the US price for insulin is high compared to Canada, you get far better pricing on strips.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
@pevsfreedom - Amazon may ship them here but by the time customs and the government get their take plus shipping, I doubt there are any savings to be had and it might even be more expensive than buying here. Your Bayer Contour strips run around $76.00 /100 here on the website below. They are more if bought retail.

The cheapest strips available here are for the Bravo meter at this website. Bravo meter comes free with the purchase of strips. While the US price for insulin is high compared to Canada, you get far better pricing on strips.
Click to expand...

Time to start an international strip and insulin trading mafia.
 
@pevsfreedom ....it looks like you live in LA....there should be no problem with Amazon shipping to you.

Another option would be for you to switch to the Relion brand Confirm or Micro from WalMart...Not sure if you'd always be able to get that deal on Amazon (that IS a great price though)
 
Chris & China said:
@pevsfreedom ....it looks like you live in LA....there should be no problem with Amazon shipping to you.

Another option would be for you to switch to the Relion brand Confirm or Micro from WalMart...Not sure if you'd always be able to get that deal on Amazon (that IS a great price though)
Click to expand...

Oh no I was making a joke about getting the insulin from Canada, and I send them strips! :) Insulin here is $330 a vial but luckily thanks to your recommendation I ordered some online (from Canada) for about $165. Last time I bought strips was 300 (6 boxes) for $68, which is a fantastic deal. I'd be out of luck without the deals I find on amazon/ebay for diabetic purposes.
 
Hi all, sorry I've been away the last couple of days.

I am interested in the Lantus, but I'm a bit apprehensive about what to do. Do I need to take him to the vet first? I'm still a bit nervous about the application of it, and if something goes wrong. I'd like the veterinarian to show me what to do, but I'm unable to pay them $200 for a visit and another $100+ for the materials...

Right now I'm in Windsor, Grayson is in the Hamilton region.
 
Sorry for the triple post, but since I'm in Windsor I am literally around the corner from the US/Canada border. I could make a day trip to Detroit and visit a WalMart to get some materials I will need before I move. If anyone from Canada can chime in, what is worth buying in the US compared to here?

And also... is it legal for me to "import" said things back into Canada?
 
The treatment approach is pretty similar. Both require insulin and do better on a low carb diet.
The adult onset may be reversible with low carb diet and a period of insulin.

If you can hit a WalMart in the US, the Relion Confirm or Confirm Micro and test strips are inexpensive and for personal use, so you should be able to bring them back to Canada.
 
Ryn
From my recent experience I must tell you that if you want to do it right your cat must be with someone who will do the job
I did it ,and it was not easy.In my case it didn't work,but each case is diffrent.
The Shots are very easy,but the vet and
Other things are expensive.please let me know if you can do it and I gladly send you the insulin
 
You do need to have Grayson registered with a vet. You do need some veterinary supervision when treating a cat with insulin and also have veterinary cover should an emergency arise (e.g. DKA, severe hypo episode). However to keep vet costs down:

1. Feed an inexpensive low carb food like Fancy Feast patés.

2. Get supplies for a hypo kit - some Gravy Lovers variety food, honey or karo, some high carb treats.

3. Get some Ketodiastix to monitor for ketones (dip into Grayson's urine every few days).

4. Set up an FDMB spreadsheet to record Grayson's BG test results.

5. Do your own daily home blood glucose monitoring and glucose curves using a reasonably priced meter like the Relions recommended by BJ above. (Home curves give better data for dosing decisions than vet office ones since they reduce the chance of vet / travel stress falsely elevating Grayson's BG.)

6. Follow an evidence-based dosing protocol (Tight Regulation or Start Low/Go Slow) and - assuming you're using Lantus - post on the Lantus and Levemir Insulin Support Group board so that experienced Lantus users will be able to support you and answer any questions you might have on a day-to-day basis.


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BJM is correct that you can take diabetic supplies for personal use across the border however there are a couple of caveats to that idea.

First you will not have insulin with you so if you happen to get searched, you'd be hard pressed to say the supplies are for personal use. Also, you'd be suspect with a large supply of strips if you only make a day trip.

Secondly, buying a meter not available here would mean getting strips on an ongoing basis will require more trips to the US again hoping not to get caught. If you move away from a border town later on, how convenient is that going to be ?

If you buy a meter available here and want to take advantage of cheaper strips in the US that might work but I wouldn't suggest buying a meter such as the Relion because then you have no option but to cross the border for strips.
 
Does someone from Canada know of any brands that I can get here? I'm trying to get a list together of everything I need.

I need strips and a metre
Lantus + syringes(?), which also raises the question: what is a Lantus pen and are they reuseable?
Keto Diastix, will these be something that is used every day or occasionally?
And of course the wet food.

I don't feel too comfortable getting right into it without the advice of a vet. Is home treatment something they frown upon when I don't buy their supplies? The last thing I want to do is accidentally give him a higher dose than necessary.
 
@Liliana Treeman - I just noticed you are in the US. Ryn is in Canada. I think you need special documentation to get drugs across the border so I don't think Ryn can take advantage of your offer. Perhaps you should put a note on the Supply forum board. I'm sure there are folks in the US who could benefit from your generosity.

@Ryn It would be best for you to contact Diabetic Cats in Need if you can sort out who will provide the ongoing care Grayson needs (yourself or a friend). Are you now considering taking Grayson to Windsor with you? If so someone from DCIN in that area may be able to demonstrate testing and shots?

I think you need to figure out the ongoing care first. Once that is sorted, DCIN will provide testing equipment and insulin but I presume they would need a vets approval.
 
I am on the phone with the veterinary office right now to discuss other options than the Glyburide. They want him to come in for another exam so they can get the dosage and (of course) they recommend "buying the insulin here, its not the same as human insulin"?

I'm going to try my hardest to take Grayson with me so that I can look after him from September and through the winter. Hopefully he will start looking and feeling better and my mom might change her mind.
 
Okay so... they want him to come in for a $45 exam. The bottle of insulin costs $45 and is called "Caninsulin". Then they'll want him to stay overnight at some point to do a glucose curve where they do 4-5 blood glucose checks and that costs $75 but I'm guessing I can do that at home.

Has anyone heard of Caninsulin before?
 
Did they say what kind of insulin (Caninsulin or ProZinc)? Both of those are less expensive than Lantus but the monitoring and feeding schedules with those insulins are a little less flexible. On the other hand, the shot times with Lantus are less flexible.

The main thing right now is to get Grayson on an appropriate treatment plan and any of these insulins are a step in the right direction. :)
 
Yep. We can help with Caninsulin, too. (My Saoirse was treated with both.)

Maybe explain that finances are tight (whose aren't these days). They may want to run the first curve themselves as a safety measure (and possibly for legal reasons), but going forward there is no reason why you can't do curves at home. Indeed, the reduced likelihood of vet stress influencing BG tends to make home curves a better evidence base for making dosing decisions.

As Linda suggests, try DCIN to see if they can help with the fees for the first curve, insulin Rx, etc.
 
Sorry for the cross post. Caninsulin is used by some vets and there are users on this board so you will be able to get support here with that choice.

Yes you can do the glucose curve at home and you will get a more accurate curve doing so as stress at the vet will elevate most cat's readings.
 
@Critter Mom - I am not sure. I'm aware of one cat benefiting and know they supply meters, strips and insulin. I would assume vet costs would be included but could be wrong. There is another organization called the FarleyFoundation who might assist with vet costs too but again I just know they exist but not exactly what costs they will cover.
 
OK. I'm trying to come up with a game plan. Thank you all so very much for your responses.

I am traveling to Toronto on the 3rd. I can possibly make room in my schedule to get him to a vet on the 5th, if they're able to fit me in. My mom is going to be furious but oh well. It might be possible for me to bring him back to Windsor after the appointment, but I have some concerns. I live in a very small bachelor apartment currently, and my vehicle isn't exactly the most comfortable for transporting animals (very bumpy/windy/noisy, no air conditioning for 3.5+ hours), and Grayson has never been anywhere else other than the home he is currently living in. I'm worried this will be too much for him in such a small time-frame. And then I will be moving again at the end of August. I'm trying to outweigh the costs/benefits of all this but I definitely know that he needs the Caninsulin.
 
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