Tom & Snickers
Member Since 2020
Hello everyone. One of our two cats, Snickers, was diagnosed with diabetes just yesterday. It’s been very upsetting for me and I’m a bit worried about my situation going forward. It’s a lot to take in and I’ve been trying to read everything on this forum, so Snickers can be healthy again. Sorry if this post is a little lengthy, I'm just trying to get feedback on if these concerns are valid and what I should do moving forward. If you're willing to read all of this, thanks in advance. It is greatly appreciated.
For reference, Snickers is 12, almost 13 years old, and currently weighs 14.2 pounds. He used to be around 18 pounds. He's been overweight for a large portion of his life, which is likely why he developed diabetes - a fact that I currently feel very guilty about, but that's not really what I want to discuss today. A few weeks ago Snickers back legs stopped working as well, and we later found out that this was due to neuropathy from diabetes. The only reason we waited so long to see a vet was because that was the quickest we could get an appointment. Luckily, other than that he’s relatively fine and doesn't seem to be in pain, but I’m worried his condition could get worse, which is why I’m attempting to do more research.
Our vet was very brief on what to do to help Snickers, at least compared to the amount of helpful information found on this forum. Essentially he told us to give him insulin once a day, switch to a low-carb, high-protein diet, watch his food intake, and watch out for hypoglycemia. He said he will monitor his progress in a few weeks.
When I later questioned him if we should do at-home BC testing, he told me "cats glucose levels don't fluctuate like dogs, so there's no need to worry about testing at home". I know absolutely zero about veterinary, but after reading all about many people’s personal experiences on this site, this doesn’t seem right to me. I’m not saying I know more than my vet, but I just find his opinion a bit concerning, and I don’t know how to move forward with him if I’m questioning my trust for him. But who knows? Maybe he is right...I guess I just don’t know who to believe. For now, I'm going to err on the side of caution and start home testing him for the time being.
Another thing I’m concerned about is the type of insulin we’re using and the dosage. He prescribed us Vensulin and instructed us to give Snickers 2.0 units once per day. As for the dosage, from what I’m hearing, 2 units seems like a lot to start off with, but that might be because he instructed to only give 1 dosage a day instead of 2. He stated that Vensulin is slow-acting and works all throughout the day, so that might be why?
As for the insulin type, I’ve heard a lot of people on here saying that Vensulin isn’t good for cats? Why is that and how detrimental would giving Vensulin to Snickers be compared to other brands? Should I consider switching?
I just wanted a second opinion on what our vet told us. I really want to err on the side of caution here. This entire experience is very upsetting for me and I don’t want to risk Snickers's condition getting worse. I plan on questioning the vet further regarding this matter, but he hasn't responded to my calls yet.
Unfortunately, if the best scenario ends up being to change insulin, switch to a different vet, etc, it’s going to be a bit of an uphill battle for me because my family already thinks I’m being overly dramatic, cautious, and worried. They do not think that it’s a big deal that he has diabetes. That it was “inevitable” and “his fault for eating too much." I’m 20 and still in college, and while I do have a bit of money saved up, I’m still very much dependent on my family.
My mother won’t even entertain the thought of switching to another brand of insulin, so if it turns out the best option is to switch insulin brands it’s going to be out of my pocket. I can probably afford to pay for insulin for a few months. Worst case scenario I would have to get a part-time job during school. I don't know if I would be able to afford additional expenses, though. I have not done the calculations yet. In summary, nobody in the house takes my concerns very seriously, so I’m going to be on my own in terms of expenses and caring for Snickers outside of the treatment the vet has prescribed him. Even then, I don’t know if I can trust the rest of my family to take the tasks the vet has given us very seriously.
What really worries me is that once school starts again, I would only be able to visit Snickers on the weekends and I really don’t trust my family to be persistent with monitoring Snickers insulin levels. The only way they are going to listen to me is if the vet agrees with me, and even then, going off many past experiences, I doubt they would treat taking care of him that seriously. At least to the extent that I would like them to.
For reference, Snickers is 12, almost 13 years old, and currently weighs 14.2 pounds. He used to be around 18 pounds. He's been overweight for a large portion of his life, which is likely why he developed diabetes - a fact that I currently feel very guilty about, but that's not really what I want to discuss today. A few weeks ago Snickers back legs stopped working as well, and we later found out that this was due to neuropathy from diabetes. The only reason we waited so long to see a vet was because that was the quickest we could get an appointment. Luckily, other than that he’s relatively fine and doesn't seem to be in pain, but I’m worried his condition could get worse, which is why I’m attempting to do more research.
Our vet was very brief on what to do to help Snickers, at least compared to the amount of helpful information found on this forum. Essentially he told us to give him insulin once a day, switch to a low-carb, high-protein diet, watch his food intake, and watch out for hypoglycemia. He said he will monitor his progress in a few weeks.
When I later questioned him if we should do at-home BC testing, he told me "cats glucose levels don't fluctuate like dogs, so there's no need to worry about testing at home". I know absolutely zero about veterinary, but after reading all about many people’s personal experiences on this site, this doesn’t seem right to me. I’m not saying I know more than my vet, but I just find his opinion a bit concerning, and I don’t know how to move forward with him if I’m questioning my trust for him. But who knows? Maybe he is right...I guess I just don’t know who to believe. For now, I'm going to err on the side of caution and start home testing him for the time being.
Another thing I’m concerned about is the type of insulin we’re using and the dosage. He prescribed us Vensulin and instructed us to give Snickers 2.0 units once per day. As for the dosage, from what I’m hearing, 2 units seems like a lot to start off with, but that might be because he instructed to only give 1 dosage a day instead of 2. He stated that Vensulin is slow-acting and works all throughout the day, so that might be why?
As for the insulin type, I’ve heard a lot of people on here saying that Vensulin isn’t good for cats? Why is that and how detrimental would giving Vensulin to Snickers be compared to other brands? Should I consider switching?
I just wanted a second opinion on what our vet told us. I really want to err on the side of caution here. This entire experience is very upsetting for me and I don’t want to risk Snickers's condition getting worse. I plan on questioning the vet further regarding this matter, but he hasn't responded to my calls yet.
Unfortunately, if the best scenario ends up being to change insulin, switch to a different vet, etc, it’s going to be a bit of an uphill battle for me because my family already thinks I’m being overly dramatic, cautious, and worried. They do not think that it’s a big deal that he has diabetes. That it was “inevitable” and “his fault for eating too much." I’m 20 and still in college, and while I do have a bit of money saved up, I’m still very much dependent on my family.
My mother won’t even entertain the thought of switching to another brand of insulin, so if it turns out the best option is to switch insulin brands it’s going to be out of my pocket. I can probably afford to pay for insulin for a few months. Worst case scenario I would have to get a part-time job during school. I don't know if I would be able to afford additional expenses, though. I have not done the calculations yet. In summary, nobody in the house takes my concerns very seriously, so I’m going to be on my own in terms of expenses and caring for Snickers outside of the treatment the vet has prescribed him. Even then, I don’t know if I can trust the rest of my family to take the tasks the vet has given us very seriously.
What really worries me is that once school starts again, I would only be able to visit Snickers on the weekends and I really don’t trust my family to be persistent with monitoring Snickers insulin levels. The only way they are going to listen to me is if the vet agrees with me, and even then, going off many past experiences, I doubt they would treat taking care of him that seriously. At least to the extent that I would like them to.
Testing at home will ensure that you are safe to give that next shot and it is a great way to make sure that your insulin is working. 
