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RyanUSA

RyanUSA

Member Since 2016
Hi. I am brand-new to this forum. My cat started showing signs of illness about two or three weeks ago as soon as I noticed some of the symptoms I took him to his regular vet he was diagnosed with diabetes. The vet specializes in taking care of cats, supposedly. I paid a very high amount of money for care but the vet only did some testing and me and the cat were at the office for approximately an hour or two. I then was told by the vet that the cat has diabetes and to essentially change his diet. I did exactly as the vet had instructed and I figured it would take a few days for the symptoms to begin to get better. Unfortunately the symptoms became worse and worse as each day progressed I then decided along with my family to take the cat to new vet for a second opinion. It should be noted that the initial symptoms my cat was having was extreme thirst and frequent urination he also was kind of lethargic kind of weak and would just lie down on the floor in any spot. I then took him to another vet who looked at the blood work and other testing that had been done at the first vets office. The second vet said yes your cat seems to have diabetes, and he himself performed some sort of blood test that looks at certain things. He stated that the cat would need to be hospitalized for a few days and that the cat needed insulin and they would regulate his blood sugar hydrate him etc. Yesterday they called and told me to come in and take the cat home . prior to leaving the vet clinic I was shown how to administer the insulin shots twice per day I took the cat home thinking that he was essentially better and that with the insulin they told me that his previous symptoms would be much better due to the fact he was now getting insulin. Last night he was extremely lethargic and I noticed a new problem aside from the thirst and urination. It seems the cat has severe constipation. He tries and tries to defecate but is completely unable to. His abdomen is getting somewhat swollen . I had noticed this prior to bringing him to the second vet and I mentioned it to them, but apparently they did not do any sort of testing or exam that would focus on any abdominal or intestinal problems. Today, what is extremely worrying is the cats symptoms. He is extremely lethargic and and many times does not have the strength to make it to his litter box, so he urinates literally in the spot where he is lying on the ground and his fur gets soaked with urine he has done this numerous times throughout the day. So he is having extreme tiredness , urinating on himself has a sort of swollen abdomen, is not able to defecate. He just seems extremely weak. And as mentioned he is essentially urinating pretty much wherever he is lying down and the urine of course gets all over his fur. When he does try to get up and walk it seems his hind legs are dragging.

I contacted the vets office of course when I saw that he was not getting better but instead getting worse as today progressed. Their office is closed for the weekend but there apparently is a technician that stays there to take care of the animals that are currently in the hospital . Instead of telling me to bring him back and they will admit him back into the hospital and see what's going on, she the tech, told me to take him to some sort of animal emergency hospital. Either that or she said to just wait it out and bring him into their clinic on Monday morning at 9 AM. I have spent in the last week or so about $2000 for my cat to get vet care, and nothing that they have done has helped my gorgeous Manx cat. He has been with me his entire life, he is 15 years old. I am at this time struggling with what to do. I do not know if his situation is just old age. But I do know that there are some specific medical issues going on and I am thinking that if he was just given the correct care he would be back to his self in no time. On the other hand I do not know if his condition is so serious such that he should be euthanized. So I am extremely stressed and very worried about my cat but what is the worst part is I have bought him to two vets in the past week or so spent over two Thousand dollars trying to get the cat the best care possible, and it seems that he is just getting worse. I want to take him to an animal hospital, but that will cost me literally another $2000 for them to tell me a we can help with the animal and keep him alive and healthy for several more years which would be worth it for me, or they're going to take another $2000 and tell me that the cat needs to be put to sleep. I am just hoping that someone on this forum may be familiar with some of the symptoms my cat is exhibiting and maybe able to advise me as to how to best help my cat in this situation. It is just very frustrating that I have spent a pretty large amount of money on an elderly cat and even with the care and such and the insulin, my cat seems to be still extremely ill. Perhaps the vets that I bought cat to did not do right by my cat or myself. The vets are all highly regarded in this area. It's just very frustrating that they can mistreat or misdiagnose a beloved pet and there is no recourse. I suppose I am going to have to take him to a hospital and spend yet thousands of dollars more with no guarantee whatsoever that they will get him feeling better and get his symptoms under control. Has anyone ever had a cat with these type of symptoms and do you guys think it may be possible that with the correct care from a vet my cat could be helped and made to feel better with the proper care? I apologize for such a long post but I am just beside myself trying to figure out the best course of action. I love my cat tremendously.
 
I'm not sure what exactly is going on with your cat, but it sounds like you need to get him to the ER vet. If all that's wrong with him is Diabetes and constipation, they will be able to help him easily and if there's more going on, the sooner you get help the better his chances. Please keep us posted with whatever you decide.
 
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It sounds as though he does need to go to the ER vet, diabetes is a very treatable condition but there are some complications and other illnesses which can affect the diabetes and make the kitty very unwell, there are such cats on this board who have recovered with the correct treatment so please don't lose hope and get him the help he needs as soon as you can.
 
I'm so sorry your kitty is so ill. I know very well the stress of high vet bills. I've spent about 5 k in the past year on various vet issues (not just my diabetic cat). I would certainly consider taking her to the ER vet. As far as constipation, if she's eating, add extra water and plain pumpkin to her food, or your vet may tell you to give her some Miralax (I don't know the proper cat dosage for that). Wet food only... and carbs under 10% (Fancy Feast classics is what a lot of us here feed our cats). The weakness may be neuropathy caused by the diabetes (Vitamin B and getting the blood glucose regulated will help if that's the reason), but I'm not a vet so I don't know if your cat's weakness is neuropathy or something else.
 
Hi, I have just checked on the board to see if there had been any responses in regard to my post. I am truly extremely thankful for those that have posted, and hope that others may post as well. This has been an exhausting two weeks, what with trying to take care of my cat at home and running around to the various docs trying to have them save his life. It is very distressing that I have done everything I could have such as taking him to the vet's etc., paying huge vet bills, and now here I am one day after taking him home from the vet and he is about 10 times more ill than when I had bought him to the vet just a few days ago . I contacted the most recent doc that he had seen, in who's clinic he had been for about three or four days. He was released for me to take him home yesterday and since last night his symptoms have just gotten worse and worse. The only thing they could offer me was to tell me to take him to an emergency hospital. Right now the cat still attempts to use his litter box and the past few times he has kind of stopped urinating on himself and recently the last few times he has successfully urinated in his litter box. But he still does go into the litter box and it seems he will stand there or try to stand there sometimes for about 10 or 15 minutes trying to defecate and he is completely unable to. And even though the urinating on himself has kind of gotten better and he has now been mostly using the litter box, your comments above, I am in complete agreement with - I will be taking him to an emergency clinic ASAP. I have called one and discussed the situation with them and I told them that one of his problems is that he gets very very stressed when he is bought to any vet and that the best treatment is when doc sort of let him breathe some tranquilizer type med which kind of makes him kind of go to sleep or puts him out of it for an amount of time depending on how much of the Anesthesia he has received. This really helps keep him from getting stressed out and then the vet can examine him properly. I did discuss this with the animal hospital and they said that they definitely would give him either the gas that he breathes in or perhaps some sort of a shot that would make him sort of calmer, like some sort of tranquilizer med. after that the vet will be able to fully examine him without the cat getting completely stressed out. I then told him that the cat is used to a very very quiet environment and if it is necessary to keep him in the hospital that he please be kept in a quiet area and they promised me that they would absolutely proceed in that manner. From there on they said that they would recheck to see if he really really does have diabetes and how minor or severe his case is. Next they said they would check to see if there's anything going on with his kidneys and they mentioned that perhaps previous vet was just leaving him lying in a cage at the previous hospital stay that May have have developed some sort of urinary tract infection and I feel this is true as during one of the days that I visited him in the hospital I did notice that his tail was wet as if he had urinated on himself. So now after speaking with the emergency vet hospital center they did say that it's possible he Has developed some sort of urinary tract infection. Second they say he may have a very serious problems with his kidneys but they will not be sure until they do a proper exam and test also, it is quite possible that he has some sort of blockage or something to do with the anal glands. Over the 15 years that I have had my awesome cat , the only other medical problems up until now were occasional say every three or four years yes anal glands would become swollen etc. and had to be expressed when this situation would happen that cat would exhibit many of the symptoms that he is now such as not being able to defecate straining etc. It is very distressing that with the past couple of that I have taken shoot him to in the past two or three weeks I have explained this situation to them and not one of them has looked into whether or not my Manx has this issue going on now but the vet emergency hospital has said that they definitely will check that, and they said guess what all if not most of his problems may be related to just a very simple issue of the anal glands needing to be expressed and the cat would become very sick as he has been if that has not been being taken care of . So it is just very frustrating that this may all have started out as a very simple problem with an easy fix, and has developed into very very serious medical issues. So as mentioned I did speak and talk with the emergency animal hospital, and we made arrangements for me to bring him in tonight if he gets any worse at all or definitely sometime tomorrow morning when more doctors and especially two or three of their cat expert doctors will be in in the morning. I am hoping that they will be able to help him. It is just so frustrating, that I have put out so much money, and he has up until this point received completely inappropriate and in effective care from the vets he has been to.and now, to take him to this emergency hospital for treatment they literally have quoted me that it will probably end up costing me $3000 dollars to do the exams testing and treatment and hospitalization. So this is a very perplexing problem as if I do absolutely go ahead with getting him treatment it is going to cost that amount of money, and I am just wanting my cat to go back to being his completely fine healthy self. I perhaps made a mistake when he got it ill by taking him to his regular vet, who I have been taking him to for about the last eight or nine years. But now when I needed him the most he was completely ineffective and unhelpful. And then of course I took him to a second vet who is supposed to be very good and he immediately placed him in the hospital and they felt that the main issue was diabetes they sent me home with insulin etc. and then the cat started exhibiting many symptoms which he absolutely did not have prior to being hospitalized. So now, if I want the cat to become well, I will be taking him to the emergency vet center either tonight or tomorrow morning. Just so frustrating that the problems that the animal had could have been appropriately addressed and he would have been completely fine. Instead missed diagnosis and miss treatment have led to these relatively common medical issues to turn into very serious medical issues. Again I am so thankful for this forum and message board with such great people and all of the excellent information available via this website and being able to directly communicate with other cat owners who have dealt with many of the same issues that are confronting me and my cat at this time. Thank you all for replying to my post I am forever grateful as is my beloved cat. The cat has in the past hour or so had a meal of wet cat food and I then gave him his insulin shot as scheduled. It is strange but it seems that after receiving the insulin that is when the cat becomes most lethargic and such. I am wondering if he perhaps may not even have diabetes or perhaps just a mild case oh well I am just venting I am just extremely stressed due to all of this I mean, who would expect that you do the right thing take the animal to a vet and not one but two send him home and at home and seems that the cat has instead of getting better due to the vets intervention rather the cat has exponentially gotten worse just extremely frustrating. Again thank you all for your replies and I will keep you updated as to how things turn out. I will be remaining as a member of this website if indeed it is confirmed that my cat does indeed have diabetes along with some other medical issues, as I may need the excellent information and guidance available on the site as to how to care for a cat who has diabetes. sincerely, Ryan
 
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Ryan, he's beautiful! Out of all the things above, I'm the most concerned that he can't poop. If he has a blockage, his colon can burst if the blockage isn't removed. Vet may be able to do it via enema but may require surgery, xrays will be needed to know that. Many of those things could be results of bowel obstruction. If it's a blockage, it indeed can't wait until Monday.

Keep us posted!
 
We'd like to be able to help. It would be easier to respond to your concerns if you could summarize them as briefly as possible. I'll ask you a few questions to get started. You might have mentioned some of this in your two posts but they're long and a bit difficult to read.
1. What is the name of the insulin your second vet prescribed?
2. How much insulin were you told to give with each shot?
3. How many days has your cat been on insulin so far, including during the time the second vet kept him in hospital?
4. Were you taught to test blood glucose levels at home using a glucose meter and a tiny blood drop from your cat's ear?
5. What food does your cat eat? I see above that the first vet wanted you to change his diet.

There are many things that can be happening with your cat, not all of them diabetes-related. You've mentioned weakness and lethargy, most recently soon after getting insulin. This can happen if an insulin dose is too high and blood glucose drops too low putting the cat into a hypoglycemic state. Some types of insulin drop blood glucose very quickly and need to be given a while after the cat has been fed. I have no idea if this is what is happening to your cat but if you can give us some more info by answering the questions I've asked we might be able to help.
 
RyanUSA said:
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He is a beautiful cat. If your cat does get as stressed as you say his bg numbers could spike temporarily as a response to stress. Bg can also spike from pain or infection. A test called a fructosamine test can tell the average bg over a two week time and be more accurate. If you have any doubt about the diagnosis I would not give any more insulin but wait until you see the other vet for another opinion. Hypoglycemic events can happen and be deadly if his blood glucose levels go too low. One of the symptoms of that are weakness and loss of bladder control. What insulin did you give?
Talk to the new vet about the best diet for a cat with a history of small gland problems. My cat would have trouble with that when he would become constipated. When we switched him to an all wet diet, started adding extra water to his food, and pumpkin to his food at the first sign of straining it helped. No issues with anal glands at all, and has not had constipation issues in a few years now that we know what to look for. That particular cat also had early stage kidney disease so extra fluids are vital (as well as sub q's a few times a week).


Please update your post if anything changes or you see a different vet.

Find out from the other vet what his bg was that lead him to the diabetic diagnosis. What insulin and what amount was prescribed?
 
Thank you all for your responses. I am so exhausted I really haven't had a chance to read all of them but I did notice that some of the post bring up very good points. In the middle of last night I finally was so worried about my cats condition that I took him to an emergency animal hospital. The vet there was awesome and she spent a lot of time examining my cat is they somehow or able to get some of the records from his PBS that were the vet that was on call. She also performed an x-ray and an overall physical exam. One of the previous post noted a special test called fructose amine this test was done and I was told that yes the cat does have diabetes but this form has been tremendously helpful. You see I began to give my cat the recommended insulin shots, I believe it is three ml every 12 hours. But, my cat began to have an entirely new problem once the insulin was started he began to lose control of his bladder and would kind of just urinate on himself wherever he was and he began to have increased weakness. One of the post above mentions this problem and I from the start of all of these recent problems questioned whether or not the cat really does have diabetes the first vet said yes he absolutely does but he recommended only a change in diet I did that for almost a week and the cat was not getting any better. That is what led me to bring him to the second vet who looked at his bloodwork and they actually hospitalized for three or four days and gave him a insulin checked his blood glucose and from the invoice I received he was getting insulin shots and at some points was getting glucose up some form. When I took him home it was with instructions on the amount of insulin to give him etc. but as mentioned before once we began to do this The following day or so my cat began to exhibit problems such as urinating on himself and loss of bladder control. So now I am wondering if perhaps he just has diabetes that may or should be controlled with diet only as at the second vets office or clinic the cat was extremely stressed out it was a very hectic environment and I'm wondering if the cats him blood glucose or sugar readings were elevated due to the stress. As mentioned we took him home began to give him the recommended doses of insulin and then we noticed that the cat just kind of began urinating just wherever he would be lying down and he developed even more weakness and he had which leads me to think as mentioned that perhaps his diabetes is not so severe as to require insulin, or that the insulin that has been prescribed to him may perhaps be too high of a dose in any event we took him to this animal a emergency clinic and were seen by the on-call doctor there and they told me to call them back anytime and they actually scheduled a Nother appointment for my cat to be bought back in in case I wish to transfer all of his care to their regular non-emergency type office which I think I am going to do but they said that I should call tomorrow during regular business hours with any questions and I definitely am going to be calling and mentioning as I did today that he was having a problem with bladder control the vet today was unsure as to whether or not that was related to the fact that he was just severely week from the BART diabetes and was not able to get to his litter box on time but as was mentioned here perhaps the loss of bladder control is due to the insulin? I apologize once again for such a long note I am just totally exhausted I am spent a small fortune trying to help the animal and things are still not 100% am clear as to what is best. But I was just told today by the emergency vet that I should continue to give the insulin As prescribed. We did give him his shot tonight and he seems OK. And that before I give him his shot in the morning I definitely am going to contact the new vet and ask if perhaps the bladder urination issues are related to possibly too high of a dose of insulin that was prescribed by the second vet. I apologize for any and all grammar and spelling mistakes in this note and I apologize for such a long note it's just that I am just overwhelmed with this problem just running around trying to get the animal the help that he requires and kind of not really getting a an appropriate diagnosis and treatment plan despite bringing him to supposedly some of the best vets in the area but tomorrow is Monday and this has been the weekend and perhaps things will get straightened out tomorrow once and for all. Again thank you all for the ainformation supplied in your responses this forum is extremely helpful and I am extremely grateful for the info . I will be contacting and/or going to take my cat again tomorrow to the new vets office and I will post a more direct and so synced reply as I feel that tomorrow after the vet appointment everything will be settled and a correct diagnosis and treatment plan will be forthcoming. Once again sorry for such a long note just wanted to try and explain what had been going on, and that I did in fact take the cat to an emergency animal hospital and they said he is not in any danger of say a ruptured colon etc. and they did take x-rays which showed That his kidneys and intestines and liver and all of that looks completely fine and devout felt that he is weakness was perhaps from the diabetes but now I am beginning to wonder if in fact the weakness maybe as a result of perhaps too much insulin that may have been given while he was hospitalized and such. But everything hopefully will be better tomorrow right now the cat has been eating and resting a lot and he has been drinking his water he does still have a problem with defecation and seems to be constipated but the vet that I saw at the emergency animal center said that the x-ray showed there are contents with in his colon and that there is no impaction and that his bowel habits should come back to normal within a day or so. Again sorry for rambling. Will post again tomorrow a much more brief and clear synopsis of the situation but the responses here helped me make the decision to bring my cat to the emergency vet hospital where he was giving great care and wear a follow up has been made and I am sure they will get things straightened out as they seemed extremely helpful and knowledgeable. It has just been very frustrating and exhausting trying to get the animal the correct care during the past week or so and then with his condition last night and having to take him to an emergency center in is just been very stressed so for myself and the cat. But the information and the people and the replies on this forum have helped I and especially my cat tremendously. Thank you all again.please excuse any and all spelling and grammar mistakes I dictated this message via voice texting and sometimes it does not come out correct.
 
RyanUSA said:
Thank you all for your responses. I am so exhausted I really haven't had a chance to read all of them but I did notice that some of the post bring up very good points. In the middle of last night I finally was so worried about my cats condition that I took him to an emergency animal hospital. The vet there was awesome and she spent a lot of time examining my cat is they somehow or able to get some of the records from his PBS that were the vet that was on call. She also performed an x-ray and an overall physical exam. One of the previous post noted a special test called fructose amine this test was done and I was told that yes the cat does have diabetes but this form has been tremendously helpful. You see I began to give my cat the recommended insulin shots, I believe it is three ml every 12 hours. But, my cat began to have an entirely new problem once the insulin was started he began to lose control of his bladder and would kind of just urinate on himself wherever he was and he began to have increased weakness. One of the post above mentions this problem and I from the start of all of these recent problems questioned whether or not the cat really does have diabetes the first vet said yes he absolutely does but he recommended only a change in diet I did that for almost a week and the cat was not getting any better. That is what led me to bring him to the second vet who looked at his bloodwork and they actually hospitalized for three or four days and gave him a insulin checked his blood glucose and from the invoice I received he was getting insulin shots and at some points was getting glucose up some form. When I took him home it was with instructions on the amount of insulin to give him etc. but as mentioned before once we began to do this The following day or so my cat began to exhibit problems such as urinating on himself and loss of bladder control. So now I am wondering if perhaps he just has diabetes that may or should be controlled with diet only as at the second vets office or clinic the cat was extremely stressed out it was a very hectic environment and I'm wondering if the cats him blood glucose or sugar readings were elevated due to the stress. As mentioned we took him home began to give him the recommended doses of insulin and then we noticed that the cat just kind of began urinating just wherever he would be lying down and he developed even more weakness and he had which leads me to think as mentioned that perhaps his diabetes is not so severe as to require insulin, or that the insulin that has been prescribed to him may perhaps be too high of a dose in any event we took him to this animal a emergency clinic and were seen by the on-call doctor there and they told me to call them back anytime and they actually scheduled a Nother appointment for my cat to be bought back in in case I wish to transfer all of his care to their regular non-emergency type office which I think I am going to do but they said that I should call tomorrow during regular business hours with any questions and I definitely am going to be calling and mentioning as I did today that he was having a problem with bladder control the vet today was unsure as to whether or not that was related to the fact that he was just severely week from the BART diabetes and was not able to get to his litter box on time but as was mentioned here perhaps the loss of bladder control is due to the insulin? I apologize once again for such a long note I am just totally exhausted I am spent a small fortune trying to help the animal and things are still not 100% am clear as to what is best. But I was just told today by the emergency vet that I should continue to give the insulin As prescribed. We did give him his shot tonight and he seems OK. And that before I give him his shot in the morning I definitely am going to contact the new vet and ask if perhaps the bladder urination issues are related to possibly too high of a dose of insulin that was prescribed by the second vet. I apologize for any and all grammar and spelling mistakes in this note and I apologize for such a long note it's just that I am just overwhelmed with this problem just running around trying to get the animal the help that he requires and kind of not really getting a an appropriate diagnosis and treatment plan despite bringing him to supposedly some of the best vets in the area but tomorrow is Monday and this has been the weekend and perhaps things will get straightened out tomorrow once and for all. Again thank you all for the ainformation supplied in your responses this forum is extremely helpful and I am extremely grateful for the info . I will be contacting and/or going to take my cat again tomorrow to the new vets office and I will post a more direct and so synced reply as I feel that tomorrow after the vet appointment everything will be settled and a correct diagnosis and treatment plan will be forthcoming. Once again sorry for such a long note just wanted to try and explain what had been going on, and that I did in fact take the cat to an emergency animal hospital and they said he is not in any danger of say a ruptured colon etc. and they did take x-rays which showed That his kidneys and intestines and liver and all of that looks completely fine and devout felt that he is weakness was perhaps from the diabetes but now I am beginning to wonder if in fact the weakness maybe as a result of perhaps too much insulin that may have been given while he was hospitalized and such. But everything hopefully will be better tomorrow right now the cat has been eating and resting a lot and he has been drinking his water he does still have a problem with defecation and seems to be constipated but the vet that I saw at the emergency animal center said that the x-ray showed there are contents with in his colon and that there is no impaction and that his bowel habits should come back to normal within a day or so. Again sorry for rambling. Will post again tomorrow a much more brief and clear synopsis of the situation but the responses here helped me make the decision to bring my cat to the emergency vet hospital where he was giving great care and wear a follow up has been made and I am sure they will get things straightened out as they seemed extremely helpful and knowledgeable. It has just been very frustrating and exhausting trying to get the animal the correct care during the past week or so and then with his condition last night and having to take him to an emergency center in is just been very stressed so for myself and the cat. But the information and the people and the replies on this forum have helped I and especially my cat tremendously. Thank you all again.please excuse any and all spelling and grammar mistakes I dictated this message via voice texting and sometimes it does not come out correct.
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Don't have time to properly respond but I do want to say that 3 units is a VERY high dose. Most cats start at a dose of 1 u. I think the symptoms you are seeing is hypoglycemic episode. They can be deadly.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
We'd like to be able to help. It would be easier to respond to your concerns if you could summarize them as briefly as possible. I'll ask you a few questions to get started. You might have mentioned some of this in your two posts but they're long and a bit difficult to read.
1. What is the name of the insulin your second vet prescribed?
2. How much insulin were you told to give with each shot?
3. How many days has your cat been on insulin so far, including during the time the second vet kept him in hospital?
4. Were you taught to test blood glucose levels at home using a glucose meter and a tiny blood drop from your cat's ear?
5. What food does your cat eat? I see above that the first vet wanted you to change his diet.

There are many things that can be happening with your cat, not all of them diabetes-related. You've mentioned weakness and lethargy, most recently soon after getting insulin. This can happen if an insulin dose is too high and blood glucose drops too low putting the cat into a hypoglycemic state. Some types of insulin drop blood glucose very quickly and need to be given a while after the cat has been fed. I have no idea if this is what is happening to your cat but if you can give us some more info by answering the questions I've asked we might be able to help.
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To answer your questions very specific and briefly the name of the insulin that the vet prescribed is called vetsulin . the amount is three units every 12 hours. 3 ml every 12 hours. I took the cat to the second vet on Wednesday morning and he was given insulin Wednesday Thursday Friday he has been home with us yesterday and today so it is been a total of five days on which he has received insulin. We requested we should purchase a blood glucose testing monitor so that we could test his glucose at home and the second vet said oh no just bring him back here and we will do his testing. I personally feel that if he does have insulin dependent diabetes that we should get in insulin or glucose home monitor in which we can do home testing so as not to have to Bring the animal back to the vet. This way with a home testing monitor we would be able to test his blood glucose as needed and see what is going on with his insulin were glucose levels. But the vet said oh no you'll have to bring him back to our office to do that. I feel as mentioned that we probably should purchase our own BG monitor were testing unit and that would be much more appropriate then taking the animal to the vet each time he needed a BG reading. As to what types of food he had been on he was on a mixture of a wet food three times a day and we would leave out very high Quality grain free dry food for him and also of course fresh water balls in two or three different locations throughout the house and we would change the water perhaps every six or eight hours. We have done our own research and have found several wet foods that are high in protein and low in carbohydrates a brand called where Aruba and also many of the types of fancy feast wet food are highly recommended. So that is primarily what we have been giving the animal since he has been diagnosed. We also sometimes give him some treats just a very small amount and also some of the dry food which is grain free and which has as its main ingredient of pure natural a meat chicken or fish. Thank you for the questions and I hope that the The answers may be of some help if you wish to offer any suggestions. What is concerning me the most now is that as one of the other posters mentioned perhaps he does not need the amount of insulin that the second that has given him as we noticed that once he has been on the insulin he has been having bladder control problems which he did not have prior to being placed on insulin, and also after receiving or having been on the insulin these past five days he is even more lethargic than he had been. But the second that was very adamant that he absolutely, based on the blood work, had to be on insulin and that he had to be hospitalized in order for them to do many test to determine the dose of insulin that he should be on but as mentioned by one of the other forum members and I am in agreement with, his BG levels may not be accurate as I am sure that my cat was extremely stressed, as a matter of fact terrified and traumatized in the environment in which he was in in the second bets hospital. It's just that after taking him to the first fat and having been told that he has diabetes and to just change his diet which is what we did, and we saw no improvement whatsoever after several days we took him to the second vet who did some of his own blood work and also got copies of the blood work and testing that had been taken by the first of that. It was at that point that he very sternly recommended that the cat be hospitalized and that the cat absolutely has to be on insulin. It was just very confusing to me as here are a set of pretty much the same type blood test with pretty much similar results and one vet says oh just change his diet and a second vet says he must be on insulin. Thank you again. I appreciate all of your help and advice.
 
JanetNJ said:
What is the name of the insulin?
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Vetsulin. I am grateful for the help and advice given. It seems that perhaps the second vet prescribed perhaps a two high of a dose of insulin. I definitely will be talking to the new vet tomorrow morning and will not be giving the cat any more insulin until that time . This entire situation has just been exasperating. But monitoring my cats response to the insulin injections in addition to much of the information and advice on this forum I am now going to be able to get this straightened out once and for all. It is just a huge discrepancy with the first vet saying just change his diet and the second that giving him three units of insulin twice a day. My commonsense was telling me something is not right and now seeing the cats response to the insulin injections and with the experience and advice of others on this bulletin board, you guys have literally possibly saved my cats life.
 
Some info:
Insulin is dosed in units. Vetsulin has 40 units in 1 milliliter (mL, aka cc or cubic centimeter). This is why it is called a U-40 insulin and is typically prescribed with matching U-40 syringes.
If you were giving 3 mL, that would mean you were giving 120 units.
I think you mean you are giving 3 units - which still can be a lot for some cats.

Until you are home testing the blood glucose (meter, blood drop on test strip), maybe back off to 1 unit and check the Secondary Monitoring Tools in my signature link to help you evaluate your cat.
See also How to Handle a Hypo and be sure to have some Karo syrup and/or high carb gravied cat food available so you can intervene if you see signs of hypoglycemia.
 
3 units is a big start dose for vetsulin, and I agree that the dose should be reduced and you start home glucose monitoring to see how he responds to the insulin, it is easier to increase the dose slowly than to deal with a hypo and cats are able to tolerate higher blood sugars very well. It can take time to get the dose right and bringing the sugar levels down gradually stops the cat feeling unwell. It sounds as though he has been going too low. You don't need the vets permission to do home testing and it helps to keep your cat safe.

When you have got your breath back can you give us an update and we'll help you get back on track.
 
Vetsulin can hit hard and fast. 3 units is a large dose. My cat was on vetsulin. It starts at 1 unit for sure. My cat did eventually go up to 3 units for a short time, but soon after it was lowered. It's dose should be raised no more than.5 at a time. Please this morning before going to the vet don't give 3.... Only 1.
 
Hi Ryan,
You've been given really good info from the other posters. I agree that the starting dose of insulin that was prescribed is very high. I'm glad to read that you want to do home testing of blood glucose and you certainly don't need permission from your vet for that. Let us know how it goes at the vet today.
 
Update. Took the cat to a emergency vet hospital, he was examined by an awesome vett. They took x-rays, some other diagnostic test. Have an appointment scheduled in a few days for follow up. It seems that the three units twice per day was much too high a dose. Current vet says to give him one unit twice per day one unit every 12 hours. In specific, the cat seems still very lethargic to me, his appetite has decreased, and the vet noticed as do I that his hind legs are very weak. At the time the vet examined him she did not know if this was from the diabetes or if it was a side effect of too much insulin in any event I am feeding him a high-protein low carbohydrate diet, that is when he does decide to try and eat. I try to make sure he has the appropriate food as often as he wants it and of course as much water as he wants. Again I am giving him the one unit of vetsulin every 12 hours. Cats appetite seems to have decreased I am worried about that. He seems kind of very lethargic, and his rear legs are very weak. Will be taking him to the vet again in a few days, sooner if his symptoms get any worse than they are now. I am very thankful for this message board a lot of excellent information. I am trying to do my best to save my cat, very disappointed in certain members of the veterinary profession just absolutely horrible people. It took three or four tries to find a good vet with reasonable fees that sincerely loves animals and tries to help our beloved pets. Thanks again for all of the info and advice I appreciate it.
 
I am do glad to hear the new vet recognized that 3u was way too much of a dose.

If their is hind leg weakness try giving the cat vitamin b12 . You can get 500 mcg caplets of vitamin b12 Methlcobalamin, open them up and sprinkle on the food. The neuropathy subsides once the bg is under control for several weeks/months.
 
When the insulin dose matches up with the incoming food, so the cat can actually use the calories, but without needing to eat ravenously, you will see the appetite reduce a bit.
 
If you can get some ketodiastix or similar can you test the urine, it reads for glucose and ketones and is another way of monitoring while you figure out how to home test.
 
Hi, just an update. And a big thank you for the advice information and support... this is / has been a very trying time for my cat and myself. Up until recently he had never been ill for about the entire 15 or so years that I have had him. And now this diabetes kind of started slow and then all of a sudden hit hard and fast. So it has been very stressful seeing my cat become ill and it has been very stressful as I have been trying and trying to get him the proper care and treatment that will help him the best.

Took the cat to a new primary care vet that was recommended by the emergency hospital doctor. They did a complete exam of the cat and they also put him to sleep with some sort of anesthetic gas, prior to doing The exam and they also took blood work and took a urine sample. Blood work results came in today, Dr. called me and said everything is within normal limits except the blood sugar is about 535. They recommended and prescribed a different type of insulin, the previous one was vetsulin, New one is called I believe Lantus. They said to give cat one unit twice per day, only if the cat has eaten prior to the injection time. They also prescribed a so-called prescription diet, called Purina DM. I did just a bit of research, and some people say that that food is great and others say that it is not a very good wet food to feed the cat. That there are over-the-counter brand that may be better for a diabetic cat, with high protein and low carbohydrate. I can absolutely say that at my cat has always refused to eat pate style wet cat food, but will often eat slices or pieces of wet cat food that has gravy. So right now my biggest concern is trying to find the best wet cat food to be giving to my diabetic cat. Not sure if the Purina DM savory Selects would be appropriate, or if there are other types or better types of wet cat food that are made in the style that my cat likes. He is a very picky eater. So any advice as to the best brand or type of wet cat food that is often selected by picky cats would be very welcome. I think I have read some posts on this website that mention food etc. but the information is kind of mixed. So perhaps an overall consensus of the best brand and type of wet cat food would be very helpful. The vet did say that with a combination of low carbohydrate high-protein food in addition to the insulin, The cats blood sugar and diabetes should become controlled. I am hoping that with the proper wet cat food, he at some point in time has a chance to not need insulin. But that is several months from now. Also, are there any dry cat food kibbles that would be suitable for cats with diabetes? Right now the cat has been eating his most favorite food, plain cooked pink shrimp which we purchase in the fish market. He also likes plain boiled cooked scallops. He also will eat flounder which just has been boiled in water and then made cool in the refrigerator. Aside from that he had previously been for the past several years having the above mentioned foods in addition to various dry cat food. But now it seems that we will be having to change his diet, I forgot to ask the vet if it is safe to give him his favorite foods, the cooked shrimp scallops and or flounder?. It is a long story, but when he was young, we had given him some seafood as a treat, and following that he essentially began to refuse any type of canned cat food. So over the years we have just continued to give him the fresh seafood which is usually boiled and then chilled in the refrigerator . He does eat certain types of fancy feast canned foods occasionally. So sorry for such a long message, but basically the question is what would be A type of wet cat food which my particular cat may eat.??. His main problem right now is he seems very lethargic which the vet explained to me that he can be if he has high blood sugar or too low of a blood sugar that he will be lethargic. Also, he has developed pretty bad weakness in his hind legs. The vet said that she is not sure if this will improve or not but improvements will not happen for 2 to 3 months. Even though the cat is 15 years old, his only major health issue is the diabetes and of course all of the side effects of that illness. I am hoping that once we get his diet squared away and get him on a regular dose of insulin that his condition improves. Thank you all again, this forum and the people and all of the information provided is greatly appreciated.
 
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Thanks for the update! Sounding more positive. The food issue would be worth a post on the main health board. If you pop over to the Lantus board and read the protocol 'start low go slow' you will find that helpful. Are you home testing blood glucose? If not we can help you get started. Have a read of the stickys on the various boards and come over to the main health board with any questions.
 
You need to get Zobaline to fix the neuropathy (the weakness in his hind legs) and you really need to start home testing to keep him safe and get him properly regulated and then maybe even into remission. You don't need to buy a meter from the vet, most people around use human meters.

Check out the stickies in the lantus/levemir forum to learn many things you need to know about lantus.
 
When next you're getting bloods done ask your vets to check potassium levels and also B12/folate levels. While neuropathy is the most common reason behind pee accidents (and sometimes constipation due to diabetic gastroparesis) another cause of leg weakness can be due to potassium imbalance. B12 supplementation can be done at home (e.g. Zobaline) but any potassium treatment needs to be done under strict and close veterinary supervision: when supplements are prescribed the vet needs to run regular blood tests to ensure that potassium level remains in safe range (very dangerous if they go outside normal range).

I also recommend daily urine ketone monitoring.


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