Unresponsive to insulin

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catladyinfw

catladyinfw

Member Since 2017
Our kitty Samson (1 yr old) was diagnosed with DM at the end of Aug. The first vet tried Vetsulin injections then Glipizide tabs but nothing seemed to work. He switched the cat to Novolin N. He is now on 7 units 2x daily but glocose levels are still running 500+. He is eating Hills Rx W/D abt 1 oz wet and same dry food abt 1/3 C 2x per day after his shots. He is gaining his weight back ( went from 10.1 to 8.1 and now back to 10.5), he’s playful most of the time, his coat looks great, and his litter box seems better (not so much sticky urine). First vet suggested internal medicine vet (which we can’t afford). We switched vets and new one is quite perplexed by it all. Does anyone out there have any suggestions? We’re getting a bit desperate - especially since he is so young.
 
Welcome to you and adorable Samson! I’m glad he’s feeling good and his weight is back up. 7u is a very large dose, and while some cats do need higher doses, most do not. Are you home testing, or getting curves done by the vet? Home testing is best because Samson will be less stressed and you’ll get a truer picture of what’s going on. W/D food is high in carbs and even though it’s sold as a diabetic food, one look at the ingredients will tell you it’s not. We recommend a low carb, wet food such as Friskies Pate or Fancy Feast Classic, but please don’t change foods unless you are testing because the lower carbs could cause a much lower glucose level. Here’s some info on Novolin
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-novolin-humulin-nph.186097/
 
Sharon14 said:
Welcome to you and adorable Samson! I’m glad he’s feeling good and his weight is back up. 7u is a very large dose, and while some cats do need higher doses, most do not. Are you home testing, or getting curves done by the vet? Home testing is best because Samson will be less stressed and you’ll get a truer picture of what’s going on. W/D food is high in carbs and even though it’s sold as a diabetic food, one look at the ingredients will tell you it’s not. We recommend a low carb, wet food such as Friskies Pate or Fancy Feast Classic, but please don’t change foods unless you are testing because the lower carbs could cause a much lower glucose level. Here’s some info on Novolin
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-novolin-humulin-nph.186097/
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Thanks for the encouraging info. We are not home testing yet. Taking him on Thursday for a curve. I will discuss that with the vet. Everything I’ve read says go with wet food, which I will also discuss with the vet again. If not satisfied, I may do some of these things on my own. Thanks again!
 
Welcome! Those are not long-lasting insulins, so maybe you could discuss with your vet trying something else like Prozinc or Lantus. Home testing would be very helpful as it would give you the data you need to see what is going on. You cannot get a good picture when you just go to a vet periodically for a test.
 
Just chiming in to agree with the others. I'll bet if you started an all wet low carb diet the dose would be in half. Don't change diets until you start testing. I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC.


Sometimes too much insulin can look like not enough because of bouncing.


Testing at home would also eliminate the need for curves at the vet saving you money and stress.

If you would like a shopping list of what to buy let us know.
 
FurBabiesMama said:
Welcome! Those are not long-lasting insulins, so maybe you could discuss with your vet trying something else like Prozinc or Lantus. Home testing would be very helpful as it would give you the data you need to see what is going on. You cannot get a good picture when you just go to a vet periodically for a test.
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Thank you for responding. The vet has talked about PZI, so I will also talk to him about that. Sounds like you all agree home testing is a big plus, along with a wet food diet.
JanetNJ said:
Just chiming in to agree with the others. I'll bet if you started an all wet low carb diet the dose would be in half. Don't change diets until you start testing. I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC.


Sometimes too much insulin can look like not enough because of bouncing.


Testing at home would also eliminate the need for curves at the vet saving you money and stress.

If you would like a shopping list of what to buy let us know.
Click to expand...
Love your spread sheet. Will look at the video when I have a few more minutes. A shopping list would also be a great help. Thanks so much.
 
catladyinfw said:
Thank you for responding. The vet has talked about PZI, so I will also talk to him about that. Sounds like you all agree home testing is a big plus, along with a wet food diet.

Love your spread sheet. Will look at the video when I have a few more minutes. A shopping list would also be a great help. Thanks so much.
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If you have a Walmart nearby many here use a relion micro meter... If no Walmart choose a different one that takes a 0.3 sample.

1. Relion micro or confirm meter
2. Box of 100 extra test strips
3. Box of 28 gauge lancets
4. Cotton cosmetic rounds
5. Neosporin ointment with pain relief
 
One HUGE thing I don't want to be missed that Janet said above - please do NOT change to a low carb wet food until you are testing at home. At 7 units of insulin, that might be very bad.
 
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