Pookie - part 2, what to tell potential forever owners?

[Fog123]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for helping out with Pookie earlier. The change in lancets has been amazing and we're able to draw blood so much easier now. We just have to train him that this is a good thing and it only takes one try vs the several that we were doing. Interestingly enough, now that he's getting better at the blood testing he's starting to flinch at the injection. Same needles and everything.

We're going to go slow and keep him on one unit 2x per day for the next week or so. We will send him off with a hypo kit, print out some of the information that's here, and give them reference to this site.

We're hoping to adopt him out soon and we have some questions on what to tell future owners of him. Feel free to point me to a post if the information is already covered. I also know that I'm asking about minimum costs and the prices could go much higher if something goes wrong.

1. Does anyone have a sense of cost of basic monthly/annual maintenance and start up costs of a diabetic cat in Canada?

Let's assume that whoever takes him will be willing to do their own bloodwork.​

2. For a newbie diabetic owner, how often should they take him to the vet for maintenance checkups?

3. Will any glucosameter do? I see a lot of people use human glucosameters.

4. Who should we screen out for adopters? I'm guessing the elderly and maybe busy families. He's OK with other

I'm sure I'll have more questions as we go on and I for sure will post updates on him.

Thanks again

 

[Fog123]

Here's another photo

 

[Nan & Amber (GA)]

Tagging a couple of Canadians, @Wendy&Neko and @Red & Rover (GA) for help on this (there are many more, I am just drawing a blank as usual, lol).

He sure does know how to pose for the camera!

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

My answers to #2&#3:

2. honestly, if they’re testing daily, I think once every 6 months, unless there are any abnormal behavioral or health symptoms of course. Once I started home testing and doing the curves at home, I didn’t have to bring Minnie back for checkups unless there was something else going on.

3. yes, human or pet meter is fine. Here members are more experienced with human numbers anyway. Also human meters are less costly as the strips are not as expensive as pet meter strips.

I’ll let the Canadians chime in on the rest. He’s sure a handsome fella! Are you giving treats after each test to build positive association? Maybe do that for the injections too. What length needle are the syringes? The longer ones can hurt as they go in deeper. And make sure you’re injecting parallel to the body not shooting in as that can also hurt. Lastly, what part of the body are you injecting on? Minnie seems to react less the further away I shoot from her neck area.

good luck and I hope you have tons of potential adopters to pick from!!!

 

[Red & Rover (GA)]

Waving from central Ontario.

Lantus is cheap in Canada. Strips are not. I used the FreeStyle Lite meter. Strips were roughly $80/100. I would save up my PC Optimum points and take advantage of Seniors Days at Shoppers.

Some Canadians use a strip subscription service. Tagging @Butters & Lyla

The other alternative is the Bravo meter. A downside is that it needs a very large drop of blood to read. The other downside is that you would need to have 300-400 strips on hand at any given time. Canada Post is not delivering as fast it was these days.
https://diabetesexpress.ca/products/bravo-meter

Syringes. I used to buy from the US. They are a bit cheaper but last time (years ago), I was hit with customs fees.

 

[Fog123]

@Nan & Amber (GA) - he does enjoy posing for the camera. You basically look at him and he rolls over onto his back. He's lost a bit of his devil may care attitude with the vet visit and the bath yesterday, as well as us mishandling him last week, but we're hoping that we can bring it back. I'm trying to give him treats for no apparent reason so that the jabs aren't the only thing associated with them.

@Aleluia Grugru & Minnie - that's good to know about the vet and the frequency of the visits. We are trying positive association and we've been injecting him while he's eating for the most part. He will eat as much as we want to give him so we know that he continues to eat after the injection. It's just been the last two needles, the other ones he's barely felt. I go in parallel towards his head in the scruff area. I'm looking forward to adopting him out. We regularly adopt out diabetic cats so fingers crossed.

@Red & Rover (GA) - Waving back at you from GTA, thanks for the link to Diabetes Express. It gives a good sense of starting costs which look to be about $300 Cdn (meter - $50, test strips - $100, syringes - $40, lancets - $10, insulin - $100 for a several month supply). I wonder if Costco also sells stuff. I'd also have him go to the vet for an assessment, so another $300-$600. Ouch, $1000 for a cat by the time you pay the adoption fees as well. But he's an awesome cat and very worth it.

As always, you folks are wonderful!

 

[Wendy&Neko]

1. Does anyone have a sense of cost of basic monthly/annual maintenance and start up costs of a diabetic cat in Canada?
Let's assume that whoever takes him will be willing to do their own bloodwork.

Lancets were about $10/box for 100 - depending on the kind. U-100 3/10cc syringes with half unit marking were about $35/box at Safeway pharmacy (BD Ultrafine II purple and yellow box). Shop around, you can pay up to $10 more per box of 100. Lantus (it's a been a while) was around $120 for a 5 pack of cartridges, or was that Levemir? Anyway, in the ball park from what I've seen people quote lately. Throw in a bottle of ketone test strips for around $10 and that should last you for may months. Assorted goodies to help with testing/loading syringe - a good magnifier, you can get head lamp/craft magnifiers that help with loading insulin the in syringe. Though I just used a cheap dollar store magnifier and good overhead light. Costco pharmacy also has good prices.

Kel gave you pricing for test strips, which is what you'll go through more frequently. I cross border shopped in the US, that thing you cannot do right now. And the vendor I bought from did not ship to Canada, though we did once have a member who found a reshipper. That could result in a lot of delays, so having a local source is a good idea. I had a back up meter with strips I could get locally.

One other item, many of us use a timed feeder for giving meals at times we aren't home or are asleep. This model is popular, it works for wet food too.

4. Who should we screen out for adopters? I'm guessing the elderly and maybe busy families. He's OK with other

Be careful how you define elderly, we've had members in their 70's and 80's who did just fine. But if he's a younger cat, you want someone who will be around longer for him, or who has family willing to take him. Ideally you'd find someone who is not away 12 hours a day.

 

[Red & Rover (GA)]

Waving back at you from GTA

Lyla is also in the 6ix.
@Butters & Lyla

 

[Butters & Lyla]

Hello from the 6ix.
I've shopped around BD II ultrafine syringes and lancets and find that Diabetes Express has been the least expensive. I have exclusively ordered from them for quite a while now and they are prompt about sending orders. Even with the postal delay, I receive them within four days.

I have not checked, Costco's prices, though. I have heard they are the least expensive option for the lantus pen cartridges.

Are you looking for info on what vet bills will likely be? I'd be happy to share everything that it cost me for butters. I can look back at the vet receipts I still have. I think it costs me around $350-$400 for bloodwork at the vet but i'd have to double check...that would be for full CBC, chem, senior panel.
After she was diagnosed, her next visit back to the vet was five months later because there was something else wrong. I have been managing butters' diabetes with the help of members here and my vet thinks I'm doing an awesome job (credit goes to FDMB). He has said I don't need to bring her in for appointments because of the diabetes, unless I felt I needed to (now her kidney issues are another story).

I'll send you some info on what I do for strips.

And here is a great thread with lots of info from December when another GTA person joined and was looking for less expensive supplies...they were using Prozinc but everything else applies: New Member in Canada

 

[Fog123]

@Butters & Lyla - thanks for the great information. I laughed out loud when I saw that @FarmKitty added quite a bit of reserve for messed up strips. That's been our experience to begin with, but our lancets were only 33 gauge. Hoping with the new lancets that we're better off. I'm sorry about your cat having kidney issues, we've lost two cats that way and became fosters after the most recent one.

@Wendy&Neko - the vet Pookie saw yesterday wouldn't recommend anyone in their 80s as a beginner diabetes cat so we'll go with that, but certainly 70s would work depending on the person. It sounds like Diabetes Express is a good source for an almost one stop shopping.

We have an old scrawny joint custody ex foster cat that we're sharing with an owner while the owner gets healthier. She's arthritic, skeletal, deaf, has cataracts, almost toothless, and we think very senile, but is really quite adorable and loves nothing more than to purr and sneeze in your face (she also has chronic upper respiratory issues). We took her in to the vet because of a bladder infection and decided to run a full panel. Our bill was just under $700 but that included antibiotics, urinalysis, and gabapentin. Bloodwork came back on her and everything is normal with her, she's got the bloodwork of a much younger cat. Pookie bows to her and acknowledges her majesty. Will post photo of the two of them in next post.

This is great information - I think I have enough to know what to say to people.

Cheers!

 

[Fog123]

Chinou and Pookie

 

[Critter Mom]

We have an old scrawny joint custody ex foster cat that we're sharing with an owner while the owner gets healthier. She's arthritic, skeletal, deaf, has cataracts, almost toothless, and we think very senile, but is really quite adorable and loves nothing more than to purr and sneeze in your face

As I read through the second sentence, I thought you were describing the owner. It was only when I got as far as "purr" that I realised my comprehension howler.

Sleep starvation does very odd things to a person.


Mogs
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