Newly diagnosed

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kimandmidnight

kimandmidnight

Member Since 2017
Hi there,
My DSH 15yr old male, Midnight, was diagnosed this past Friday. I'm hopeful we've caught it in time for remission.
We've successfully changed his diet from dry kibble to canned within a 24hr period. His diagnosis BG reading was 400. He's been prescribed prozinc, 2.5 units every 12 hours. I've only given him one dose which was right after his first meal after diagnosis. I then read about Hypo and freaked out. Went and bought a meter but haven't successfully drawn blood yet. Vet also thinks he has a UTI. They couldn't get urine on Friday so I have a home collection kit to use first thing in the morning. I'm overwhelmed but optimistic we'll get this figured out.

Kim
 
Hi Kim,
Welcome to the forum. This is a great resource while you and Midnight go through the diabetes journey together.

I'm only a month into our diagnosis, but because of this group, my learning curve and treatment of Fabby expanded so I could give her better care. I'm glad you got a meter and plan to do home testing. The best thing that helped me was reviewing the links on the main page on the info regarding the food, and the testing. The videos especially! Have you seen them?

Since Midnight may have a UTI he may become difficult to eat and drink appropriately if his pain rises. His glucose may actually only be high because of the urinary problems. (I had a cat do that once and we managed to avoid diabetes all together once we got the UTI and crystals under control).
Switching to wet food is a good start. If there's urinary issues go ahead and see if you can choose one low in phosphorous, and with the diabetes risk, one low in carbs. If you haven't checked out Lisa's list on the wet foods I'll grab it for you. Perwonally, I would also add additional water to the wet food until you can get the potential UTI flushed out. Boy cats that get urinary issues can turn serious in a moment. Things to watch out for with that are excessive grooming of genitals and any weird behavior having to do with his hind end. My cat Juan looked like he hunched in a ball almost scooting his butt across the floor like the cartoon dog. We took him to the ER vet right away and caught it just in time.

I'm glad you found this resource, welcome!
 
Welcome Kim and Midnight :bighug:
You have a lot going on right now! ;) First things that catch my attention is that you've completely switched him to a wet food diet and he's on 2.5U of insulin. Diet change can have a big effect on BG (lowering it) and 2.5U is a high starting dose. The usual recommendation is 1.0U twice a day, every 12 hours. I'll post some videos of members home testing at the end here. Additionally, if he does have UTI that can cause higher BG so if he's on antibiotics, as it clears up that can also lower his BG. Glad you have the home testing supplies, hopefully we can help you get started immediately :cat:.
Let's get your Signature setup with some information about Midnight: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/editing-your-signature-profile-and-preferences.130340/
For when you start home testing, this is the Spreadsheet template we use to share BG numbers: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
Should you need help setting one up, just ask! Here's some information to understand how the SS works: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/
Lastly, I will leave you with this (you've probably already read it :smuggrin:) to print out: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/
With home testing, it can help you catch him before he goes Hypo. Home testing has saved many a kitty's life here.

I am not trying to make you less optimistic, just trying to help by giving you some tools and info :). In addition to videos, make sure you have 28g lancets, 31/33g can be too thin when first starting.
Sieden & Peanut:

Janet & CC:
 
Thank you both! Yes I have Lisa's list and yes I've watched the videos. My lancets are 30 gauge which might be part of my problem. I'm also struggling with the best way to get the blood drop on the test strip. Yeah, now that I've read a lot and I'm better educated about dosing and hypo, I don't agree at all with my vets initial dosage. I'll be talking to her about it tomorrow when I bring over the urine sample.
 
kimandmidnight said:
Thank you both! Yes I have Lisa's list and yes I've watched the videos. My lancets are 30 gauge which might be part of my problem. I'm also struggling with the best way to get the blood drop on the test strip. Yeah, now that I've read a lot and I'm better educated about dosing and hypo, I don't agree at all with my vets initial dosage. I'll be talking to her about it tomorrow when I bring over the urine sample.
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I'm glad you are going to home test! One thing you can do once you get the drop is to flick it onto the back of your fingernail and test from there if the cat is squirmy. I definitely would start at 1 u because as the infection clears and the carbs are lowered the bg numbers are most likely going to drop quite a bit. Tell your vet you are more comfortable starting with a lower dose and will raise it slowly if it proves to not be enough. (when you raise the dose we always raise by no more than .5 units at a time. )
 
AlphaCat said:
Hi Kim,
Welcome to the forum. This is a great resource while you and Midnight go through the diabetes journey together.

I'm only a month into our diagnosis, but because of this group, my learning curve and treatment of Fabby expanded so I could give her better care. I'm glad you got a meter and plan to do home testing. The best thing that helped me was reviewing the links on the main page on the info regarding the food, and the testing. The videos especially! Have you seen them?

Since Midnight may have a UTI he may become difficult to eat and drink appropriately if his pain rises. His glucose may actually only be high because of the urinary problems. (I had a cat do that once and we managed to avoid diabetes all together once we got the UTI and crystals under control).
Switching to wet food is a good start. If there's urinary issues go ahead and see if you can choose one low in phosphorous, and with the diabetes risk, one low in carbs. If you haven't checked out Lisa's list on the wet foods I'll grab it for you. Perwonally, I would also add additional water to the wet food until you can get the potential UTI flushed out. Boy cats that get urinary issues can turn serious in a moment. Things to watch out for with that are excessive grooming of genitals and any weird behavior having to do with his hind end. My cat Juan looked like he hunched in a ball almost scooting his butt across the floor like the cartoon dog. We took him to the ER vet right away and caught it just in time.

I'm glad you found this resource, welcome!
Click to expand...

Adding more water to wet food is working. He's eating, drinking and will probably urinate more. Thank you for the suggestion
 
kimandmidnight said:
Adding more water to wet food is working. He's eating, drinking and will probably urinate more. Thank you for the suggestion
Click to expand...
My kitty is prone to bouts of cystitis (usually sterile cystitis) but hasn't had a single issue since I began adding warm water to all his wet food meals after the FD diagnosis.
 
Dosing update: this morning I had a hard time getting a fresh urine sample so I called the vets office. They said he could spend the day at their office until he urinates. When I dropped him off I talked to my vet in more detail about his insulin dosage. She was very nice but very adamant about the 2.5 units, twice a day 12hrs apart because he weighs 19.5lbs. She said that is a very low dose for his current size. She was very helpful and reassuring and talked about how many diabetic cats they treat in their practice. I'm a lot more calm now. We also talked quite a bit about home testing. Anyways, I'm confident I have a great vet and they have a sound practice.
 
The ISFM Guidelines recommend the following for initial dosing.
Starting dose: 0.25–0.5 U/kg q12h < The dose is rounded down to the nearest unit, and is generally ⩽2 U/cat q12h
The higher dose of 0.5 U/kg may be appropriate if BG is >20 mmol/l (360 mg/dl)
Obese and underweight cats should be dosed according to their estimated ideal weight, and not their current weight

Using this guideline, based on Midnight's weight (if 19.5lbs is his ideal weight) and the BG taken at the vet's office, the recommended starting dose would be 2u to 4u so the 2.5u doesn't seem that excessive except that the guidelines also state that generally the start dose is not more than 2u. When you take into account that the BG taken at the vet's office was likely elevated due to vet stress and the vet thinks Midnight might have a UTI which can also raise BG, it would seem reasonable to assume that Midnight's BG at home will not be as high as it was at the vet visit and if there is a UTI, his BG will fall even further with treatment of the infection. You have also made a diet change to low carb food which can have considerable lowering effect on BG.

I have to agree with Janet that starting with a lower dose would be prudent. It's better to have Midnight run a little high until you can home test, ensure you have seen the full influence of the diet change and cleared up any existing infection. Diet change alone has put some cats into remission so when possible, we suggest folks do the diet change before starting insulin so that you are dealing with a minimum number of changes/variables/unknowns when trying to find the right dose for your cat.
 
We just got back from the vet and he tested negative for any type of infection. Vet says we're dealing with straight diabetes.
 
kimandmidnight said:
Me too...best news I've had since he's been diagnosed

:bighug::bighug::bighug:;):cat:
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Yes! Urine problems can be a nightmare. Diabetes = manageable even if there are ups and downs! Lol. Yay Midnight!

Let us know how your home testing goes.
Also, some members (with tech savy - or at least tech knowledgeable vets) just get their spreadsheet and signature link set up and then email the link right to the vet also. Then the vet has an up to date tracker for every appointment, or problem should you need to call for advice! Best thing I the world! (I love paperless, I lose things. I have too much to keep track of in general. Heck, I've got a diabetic cat to keep up with, lol.)

More yays for a good vet visit!
 
Hi there. I'm also new here. My baby (12-13 years old) was diagnosed 2 weeks ago. I switched her to only wet food. I'm unfortunately not in a position right now to provide insulin injections. The vet says it's not ideal -- but not impossible to maintain her with dietary changes... I need some encouragement to be honest. I feel physically sick over the whole situation. She's not very fond of the wet food he sold me - Purina DM. I've been reading some of your suggestions, and am heading out to get some. Maybe I can mix it with the stuff from the vet? We were back at the vet yesterday because she's constipated and barfed. He said this is probably a bladder infection and gave her a shot of antibiotics, and she'll probably feel better in a couple of days. Sorry, but I couldn't figure out how to post an introduction so I posted on "reply to a thread". Any advice anyone can offer will be received so very gratefully.
 
Clare, I'm not sure anyone will see your message here. To post a new thread, go back to the Forum "Welcome to the Group" and right below the search bar at the top right you will see a button called "Post New Thread". I think you can just copy and paste your introduction there. Don't stress, you are in the right place for help. There are welcoming, very experienced people here to help you! (I'm just not one of the more experienced ones, so I want to be sure you get good information.)
 
Clare Gajdo said:
Hi there. I'm also new here. My baby (12-13 years old) was diagnosed 2 weeks ago. I switched her to only wet food. I'm unfortunately not in a position right now to provide insulin injections. The vet says it's not ideal -- but not impossible to maintain her with dietary changes... I need some encouragement to be honest. I feel physically sick over the whole situation. She's not very fond of the wet food he sold me - Purina DM. I've been reading some of your suggestions, and am heading out to get some. Maybe I can mix it with the stuff from the vet? We were back at the vet yesterday because she's constipated and barfed. He said this is probably a bladder infection and gave her a shot of antibiotics, and she'll probably feel better in a couple of days. Sorry, but I couldn't figure out how to post an introduction so I posted on "reply to a thread". Any advice anyone can offer will be received so very gratefully.
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I would return the food to the vet for a refund. There's nothing in the dm food that is better then store foods. Most of us feed fancy feast classic or Friskies pate.

Are you not starting insulin because of cost? There are affordable insulin such as vetsulin which is about $50. Or you can order lantus from Marks marine pharmacy in Canada... $150 for 5 pens... About a years supply.

You can get inexpensive home testing supplies at Walmart. Let us know if you want a shopping list. Home testing is the best way to keep your cat safe and know how they are responding to treatment.
 
Clare Gajdo said:
Hi there. I'm also new here. My baby (12-13 years old) was diagnosed 2 weeks ago. I switched her to only wet food. I'm unfortunately not in a position right now to provide insulin injections. The vet says it's not ideal -- but not impossible to maintain her with dietary changes... I need some encouragement to be honest. I feel physically sick over the whole situation. She's not very fond of the wet food he sold me - Purina DM. I've been reading some of your suggestions, and am heading out to get some. Maybe I can mix it with the stuff from the vet? We were back at the vet yesterday because she's constipated and barfed. He said this is probably a bladder infection and gave her a shot of antibiotics, and she'll probably feel better in a couple of days. Sorry, but I couldn't figure out how to post an introduction so I posted on "reply to a thread". Any advice anyone can offer will be received so very gratefully.
Click to expand...
To start a new thread you can go to the main health forum and click on start new thread.
 
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