New Foster Mom For Diabetic Kitten

[V'sFosterMom]

Hello everyone! I am the new foster mom for a 10 month old kitten diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. He is going in for a blood glucose curve today, this will be the first curve he's gotten while under my care. I plan on talking with the veterinarian on duty at the shelter to get more of a detailed background on his history regarding his health but I also wanted to post here and hopefully get some information to bring with me for that meeting.

Currently he is being fed two 5 oz cans of DM wet food per day and is getting 1.5 units of Lantus insulin twice daily. To increase his adoptability I am hoping to talk to the vet about switching him from this prescription food to a cheaper over the counter food. I have been doing a lot of reading and it looks like Fancy Feast Classics are a good option, and I know that that food is super cheap (there fore very appealing to potential adopters). Does anyone have any opinions on this, as well as tips on how to change him from this rx diet to another diet?

Thanks in advance!!

Sara

 

[MrWorfMen's Mom]

Hello and welcome to FDMB. Thank you so much for taking this little sugar under your wing! You are indeed a caring person for fostering but even more so for taking on an especially sweet little furkid!

I am not sure what the carb % is in the DM wet vs. the Fancy Feast Classics. Different flavours of Fancy Feast Classics have slightly different carb loads. I don't think there is a big difference between the carbs in those foods and therefore switching shouldn't have a huge effect on insulin requirements. The biggest issues with diabetics occur when high carb foods (dry foods) are being replaced with low carb wet which can have a dramatic lowering effect on BG levels requiring some serious monitoring while making the transition because insulin needs can drop quite suddenly. You can check the carb % in the various foods using this calculator for a rough estimate. That said, I would still make the transition slowly to prevent any tummy upset and monitor BG levels to ensure the insulin dosage doesn't need any adjustment because some cats are more carb sensitive than others.

Please feel free to browse around and join us on the Health forum HERE if you have any further questions as that forum gets far more traffic and you're more likely to get a timely response.

 

[scoobydoox]

Hello and welcome. Ten months old and diabetic? wow check out this to read
The cost of lantus and the meter supplies may be a turn off for adopters not famaliar with everything involved in caring for a diabetic cat. Will you be home testing his blood glucose? Really should before you give any injections. Lantus info & forum

 

[Critter Mom]

Currently he is being fed two 5 oz cans of DM wet food per day and is getting 1.5 units of Lantus insulin twice daily. To increase his adoptability I am hoping to talk to the vet about switching him from this prescription food to a cheaper over the counter food. I have been doing a lot of reading and it looks like Fancy Feast Classics are a good option, and I know that that food is super cheap (there fore very appealing to potential adopters).

I'd like to add my thanks to you for helping little V, Sara. Great picture of the little fella, BTW!

In addition to food costs potential owners will need to know In addition to keeping food costs down it'll be a help to potential adopters to know that they can get insulin and testing supplies at reasonable prices, too. I'm assuming that you're US-based, so the first thing that came to mind was the sticker shock that most people experience when they discover how much is charged for Lantus in the States. The good news is that you can get Lantus much cheaper in Canada. Many, many of our members order their Lantus from Marks Marine Pharmacy. They are reputable and reliable. It is best to order the pens because typically cat doses are so small that the insulin in a 10ml vial will lose its potency before all of it is used up. On meters, Walmart's Relion meters are reliable and are popular with many members here. Relion Confirm and Micro meters both have very reasonably-priced strips and only need a tiny blood sample. The Relion Prime has even cheaper strips but it does need a slightly larger blood sample (should not be an issue in a cat whose ears are used to being tested).

Can other members please post suggestions on where to get good prices on 0.3ml U100 syringes with half-unit markings, please?

Sending the very best wishes for little V to find a warm and loving furever home.

I hope that you'll keep us up to date with developments.


Mogs
.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

I always used the Relion brand syringes also. It has been several years since I have needed them, but they were less than $15.00 for a box of 100 at the time.

 

[Critter Mom]

BTW on transitioning from one food to another so as to reduce the chance of triggering a digestive upset, mix a small amount of the new food with the current food on day 1 of the transition (say, 10%:90% mix). Each day alter the ratio of new to current food by 10-20% until the transition is complete. If any GI upset occurs then backtrack and try a slower transition.


Mogs
.

 

[scoobydoox]

I'd like to add my thanks to you for helping little V, Sara. Great picture of the little fella, BTW!

In addition to food costs potential owners will need to know In addition to keeping food costs down it'll be a help to potential adopters to know that they can get insulin and testing supplies at reasonable prices, too. I'm assuming that you're US-based, so the first thing that came to mind was the sticker shock that most people experience when they discover how much is charged for Lantus in the States. The good news is that you can get Lantus much cheaper in Canada. Many, many of our members order their Lantus from Marks Marine Pharmacy. They are reputable and reliable. It is best to order the pens because typically cat doses are so small that the insulin in a 10ml vial will lose its potency before all of it is used up. On meters, Walmart's Relion meters are reliable and are popular with many members here. Relion Confirm and Micro meters both have very reasonably-priced strips and only need a tiny blood sample. The Relion Prime has even cheaper strips but it does need a slightly larger blood sample (should not be an issue in a cat whose ears are used to being tested).

Can other members please post suggestions on where to get good prices on 0.3ml U100 syringes with half-unit markings, please?

Sending the very best wishes for little V to find a warm and loving furever home.

I hope that you'll keep us up to date with developments.


Mogs
.

wamlart pharmacy 13.48 for 100 i think it is. or adwdiabetes.com/product/ultiguard-ulticare-pet-insulin-syringes_2278_114.htm