Question about Possible Diabetic Cat?

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Kaitoujeanne

Kaitoujeanne

Member Since 2019
Hello everyone.

I have a cat who's almost 11 years old and had gone to the Vet almost 1 year ago as check up and he said he felt arthritis in her back legs. They tested her Glucose and it read around 240, they tested with a strip but unsure what kind of meter and said this was a lil high. They said she will probably need some medication due to her arthritis soon. I took away her hard food for 2 weeks and only had her on wet food which she kind of didn't like the removal since she'd alternate eating wet/hard and to have her retested. The Vet was not in but a Tech did it and was told it did go down and I'd get a call back when the Vet was in. They never gave me a number at that time and never heard back from the Vet even after I called to ask again so I figured it was fine and nothing further was needed..

Recently I've noticed with her walking she tends to have a shake in her back legs sometimes and needs to sit down more so I worry she's having pain. I keep trying to get Cosequin in her diet but its a battle of her refusing the food it's in but I rather her eat then try to force it everyday. She's mostly a outdoor cat, I much rather keep her indoor but hard to keep her in. She came to us as a stray 10 years ago pregnant, we had her fixed when we could but she still wanted to be outside for the most part, she comes in to eat, lay around and will meow at door when shes ready, she's defo a hunter.

I've decided it's time to get this checked out and when I thought about her previous appt. I took out a Relion Meter I have to see what it's running and I tested it mid day and it was 200 which now that worries me. I know human meters measure lower so its probably lil higher then this with a feline machine. It took awhile to get the test on her ear so she may have stressed a bit. I have some experience with a meter when I had to test my previous Cat on prednisone to watch her levels.

I have appt. on Friday with a new Vet here in town that my sister recommended. The previous Vet is located out of town and looking back I'm kinda of upset I never got a call back and unsure if it was really ok she went without more testing for almost a year now. They want to do a full blood panel and examine when I told them what's going on. I just worry having this reading at home and it's possible she could be Diabetic. We did find some hard food by Merrick's that was 70% protein since she still wants that sometimes but now I feel I should remove this again giving her number.

At this point if it were to run high like this again, would this be something that could get diet controlled first or could she possibly need insulin? I don't worry about having to do the Injections since my previous Cat I had to give SubQ fluids twice a week due to Kidney Failure at age 25, I just worry shes more outside and it will be harder to control and stress her. This lady at my work had a Diabetic Cat and I only heard nightmares about it and hers died due to a diabetic coma which I know every Cat is different but still puts fear into me.

Could anyone give any advise if possible on a 200 reading on Relion? Thanks in advance.
 
Hi and welcome to you and Peanut to FDMB.

A BG of 200 is high but not horribly so. Yes it would be higher on a pet meter but the difference would be relative. On a human meter 50 to 120 is considered normal and on a pet meter 68 to 150.

It is possible to control BG levels in some cats with diet change alone and I would urge you to switch Peanut to an all wet diet of food that is 10% or less carbs. We have a food lists some compiled by a veterinarian HERE. Whether you can get Peanut diet controlled or not is unknown till you try with the proper diet. Insulin may still be needed.

If Peanut is absolutely set on having her kibble then I would suggest you look into Young Again and Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein both of which are less than 10% carbs. Even though the Merrick says it's 70% protein, I am not aware of any of Merrick's kibble being suitable for diabetic cats. Many of the brands with high protein content still run in the 15% carb range.

Your concern about diabetic coma is valid but diabetes is totally treatable, won't shorten life span if properly treated and home testing BG as you have been doing, allows you to ensure Peanut will stay safe. :)
 
Thank you for your response :) I will check out that food guide and see what changes I can make to try and help bring those numbers down and talk to Vet on Friday after her blood work.
 
A couple more things to keep in mind....
BG checked in the vet's office is often if not usually elevated above normal due to vet stress. Some kitty's BG will go up by 100 points and the odd one as much as 200. We all know how much our kitties love car rides and the vet. :rolleyes: Make sure the vet is aware of the readings you have done at home and when you did them i.e. before or after food.

Your vet may recommend some prescription foods. None of the prescription diets are meant for diabetics specifically and most are over priced inappropriate foods the food manufacturers have managed to convince vets to sell. Readily available retail wet food is just as good if not better in many cases than anything the vet has to offer and all prescription dry food is definitely too high in carbs.
 
Oh yes she doesn't like going to Vet lol, she sees pet carrier and knows what's going on and I hear about it all the way to the Vet. I will bring up what I have tested at home.
I looked over the lists as she primarily likes fancy feast and some of them are pretty high in carbs that she eats. At least some that she does like are also low in carbs so she may not get her gravy varieties much anymore! I've tried so many foods in the past of higher quality, it's a big hit and miss.
I remember the Vet trying to push foods on my cat with Kidney failure and she wanted nothing to do with it so I did my own research on that and got retail so with those lists you provided its a great guide to finding something that she will like and available at retail.

Thanks again for your response and info!
 
Just did a reading tonite after she ate about 1.5-2 hours ago and currently at 217. I fed her Friskies Pate. I know this is low in Carbs and haven't gave her anymore Dry food or Treats since last posting. I wanted to see how it ranged after eating and was able to have her in house for awhile so I could test. I know it probably varies but trying to get an idea. Is this considered high for a low carb meal or can it still increase glucose a fair amount?
 
A BG of 217 1.5 to 2 hours post eating is still high but not horribly so and it may still be food influenced. Check again around 3 to 4 hours post meal to see if it has come down at all.
 
Sorry for late response, I could never get her inside to test again that nite but I'm home all weekend and plan to do more tests. Vet visit was all good but glucose high again, this time 254 but she was also stressed so Vet recommends more home tests and said Relion is fine to use.
They putting her on adequan injections and continuing dasuquin for arthritis and I am switching to low carb food for a month, will do home tests and will retest with the fructosamine test with diet change so no stress influence to see if this helps since it's not severely high yet and Vet said diet may help.
She mentioned prescription diet if I wanted but going to stick with local stuff for now due to all the info online with low carbs. Also got the Dr elsey clean protein just for a few hard treats basically so she has her crunch, she went crazy over it.

Thanks for following up and sorry again for late response.
 
I have left over grilled and gravy lovers that I kept on hand as a just in case. :bighug:
Yeah this Vet my sisters been going to with her 4 Cats has been great, very knowledgeable and she has a wiliness to listen and be open minded. When I told her the home results and I was using a Human Meter she said its fine, she uses both in the office and has compared many times to human vs animal and she finds them similar and trusts both so that is reassuring to hear as well from a Vet. :cat:
 
I hope you will continue to post here and let us know how things are going. We care very much about every little sugar cat and will support and help wherever we can.

Would you please create a signature and set up the spreadsheet for Peanut? That way we can see her information and the BG testing results you are getting whenever you post.

1. Setting up your signature (light grey text under a post). Here's how:
click on your name in the upper right corner of this page
click on "signature" in the menu that drops down
type the following in the box that opens: kitty's name/age/date of diabetes diagnosis/insulin you're using and dosage amount /glucose meter you're using/what she eats/any other meds or health issues she has. You can add your name, and a geographic location (sometimes the country/time zone matters) Be sure to SAVE when you are finished.
2. Another thing that will help us help you now that you are BG testing at home is to set up a spreadsheet like the one we use here. You will see how the trends and patterns emerge, and members can review her progress before offering suggestions or advice:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

If you have any problems setting up the spreadsheet, let us know. There are members here who can set up for you and all you will need to do is plug in the info.
 
Kaitoujeanne said:
Sorry for late response, I could never get her inside to test again that nite but I'm home all weekend and plan to do more tests. Vet visit was all good but glucose high again, this time 254 but she was also stressed so Vet recommends more home tests and said Relion is fine to use.
They putting her on adequan injections and continuing dasuquin for arthritis and I am switching to low carb food for a month, will do home tests and will retest with the fructosamine test with diet change so no stress influence to see if this helps since it's not severely high yet and Vet said diet may help.
She mentioned prescription diet if I wanted but going to stick with local stuff for now due to all the info online with low carbs. Also got the Dr elsey clean protein just for a few hard treats basically so she has her crunch, she went crazy over it.

Thanks for following up and sorry again for late response.
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Adequan is awesome for arthritis. My cats been getting it f for a couple years. Without it she can barely walk.
 
JanetNJ said:
Adequan is awesome for arthritis. My cats been getting it f for a couple years. Without it she can barely walk.
Click to expand...

That's great to hear, we're starting off 2x a week for a month, then once weekly another month and she said as needed after. How often do you inject since you've used for a long period?
 
Kaitoujeanne said:
That's great to hear, we're starting off 2x a week for a month, then once weekly another month and she said as needed after. How often do you inject since you've used for a long period?
Click to expand...
At first we did the loading dose then 1 a month. After a while we did every three weeks. Now at 16 she needs it about every other week and in the winter sometimes once a week.
 
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