Newly diagnosed - Overwhelmed - vetsulin ?

[Michele and Coco Chanel]

OMG, my cat was diagnosed with diabetes a couple weeks ago. Her BG was 390. The vet told me to give insulin 1x a day (Vetsulin) one hour before my cat eats. I had never heard of insulin on an empty stomach. I asked what I would do if I gave the insulin and my cat didn't eat. Basically I was told to just look for symptoms of hypoglycemia and bring her in immediately if necessary. I said, I can't live my life like that. That's too scary. They gave my Glycobalance canned and dry and sent me on my way.

So I did a lot of research, and I couldn't find anywhere that it said to give insulin on an empty stomach. Then I found Dr. Pierson. Thank God. I took my cat to my previous vet who is 35 miles away for better help. I have a long-haired and he shaved a spot below her neck and also her ears to help me see the vein better. He said most of his patients don't test their cats BG. I have seen a few videos here that are helpful.

But I just read on here Vetsulin isn't good. What should I do? How do people afford $300 a month? My first vet said to roll vial in palm, but the 2nd vet said it needs to be shaken vigorously.

I've taken away all dry. I've always fed canned but have left dry out as well. I have another cat, and she is not liking any of the new wet food. Actually, my diabetic cat isn't fond of the new foods either. They're used to the gravy. :-( I've tried warming the food. I've tried sprinkling the Purina FortiFlora on the food. It helps sometimes with the diabetic cat. My other cat wants nothing to do with it.

I have the food list. I tried Tiki Cat and Weruva because I know they're good foods, but then I've noticed Weruva seems to have added gravy to everything, and I'm pretty sure that's not included in the carb count on the food list. Regardless, neither cat was fond of it.

I've tried Merrick. I've tried Fancy Feast. My cats lick off the little juice that's there and then just pick at it. I want my cat to go into remission if there's any way possible, and I want to keep her carbs down, but I need to make sure she's eating enough too. Same for my other cat.

I haven't gotten the courage to test my cat yet. The first lancet I tried was 30 gauge, and I could barely get a drop of my own blood. I have 28 gauge now, and I have to say, the lancet actually feels painful to me. I got Medline Push Button Safety Lancets, and that seems the least painful and I got a good drop of blood from my finger. It's not a huge noise, but I'm going to give that a try with my cat.

Oh, after the initial diagnosis, I had given my cat insulin for 3 days and on the 4th day, I noticed in the afternoon she was really lethargic. She wouldn't eat anything either. I was really scared. It was 4th of July weekend. ER wait times are 4 hours on a normal day in my area. I decided if she didn't eat the next morning, I'd take her to the ER.

The next morning she was meowing up a storm and was hungry. I know I probably shouldn't have done this, but I decided not to give her any more insulin until I could go to my previous vet. I couldn't get into him for a week. So that delayed treatment.

At the vet appointment a week later, her blood glucose had dropped to about 295, almost 100 points. So the diet seems to be helping, but my cat is starting to get picky with the FF.

I'm just so overwhelmed.

Should I call my vet and ask for a different insulin? Can I switch if I've started on Vestulin?

What should I do about the food? I've tried a couple times mixing a little of the gravy food with the FF as an enticement, and that doesn't seem to be working either. I'm sure my cats don't appreciate trying all these different foods. They've always been very picky.

I've read that the sooner the diagnosis and treatment, the greater the odds for remission. So I don't want to waste any valuable time screwing things up.

Thank you so much for all the help.

 

[Ann & Sister]

Welcome. Help is coming any minute.
I'm a newbie so I won't give any advice you might immediately act upon. I will leave that to the "expurrts".
What I do know is you will learn plenty here, and it will be the correct stuff and contradict the vet sometimes.
You can switch to another insulin. Vets like Vetsulin because I believe they sell it and reap the profits.
My cat gets Lantus and since it is premixed there is never a need to roll or shake. I handle it gently.
BTW, I got her 10ml Lantus vial from CVS in Target for $99. They looked for a coupon and applied it.
That $99 stretched over the life of that vial is pretty affordable. Refrigerated, it should last 5 months.
The higher the gauge on a needle, 30 versus 28, the more comfortable it is. My lancets are 30 and my syringes are 31.
I totally understand your stress and being scared. Your vet scares me, too.
I have Sister on Young Again Zero dry and Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein dry (both low carbs) with assorted pates. She mostly ignores the pate but I won't give up.
Hugs,

 

[JanetNJ]

. I had never heard of insulin on an empty stomach. I asked what I would do if I gave the insulin and my cat didn't eat.

welcome!

. They gave my Glycobalance canned and dry and sent me on my way.

The correct protocol is to test,then feed, then shoot. I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home. You don't want to aim for the vein in the ear... Instead just next to it on the edge. Hitting the vein is more painful. No need for prescription food. Most people are feeding fancy feast classic or Friskies pate foods.

But I just read on here Vetsulin isn't good. What should I do? How do people afford $300 a month?

Vetsulin isn't inherently bad. Some people find it doesn't last long enough. Since you already have it got might as well give it a try. All insulins last 5-6 months once opened of kept in the fridge. Lantus is affordable through Canada. About $189 for a years supply.

I have the food list. I tried Tiki Cat and Weruva because I know they're good foods, but then I've noticed Weruva seems to have added gravy to everything, and I'm pretty sure that's not included in the carb count on the food list. Regardless, neither cat was fond of it.

There are many weruva foods that are within 10 percent carb that are great choices. I feed it to my cat for a long time because they are also low phosphorus which was good for her kidneys. Weruva is very transparent with the nutrition information on the weruva website. You would look at the ME chart on there.

Oh, after the initial diagnosis, I had given my cat insulin for 3 days and on the 4th day, I noticed in the afternoon she was really lethargic. She wouldn't eat anything either. I was really scared. It was 4th of July weekend. ER wait times are 4 hours on a normal day in my area. I decided if she didn't eat the next morning, I'd take her to the ER.

If they don't like fancy feast pate, maybe they would like the chunky or flaked textures.

I haven't gotten the courage to test my cat yet. The first lancet I tried was 30 gauge, and I could barely get a drop of my own blood. I have 28 gauge now, and I have to say, the lancet actually feels painful to me. I

I always used 28 gauge. Cats don't have a lot of nerve endings on the edge of the ear. My cat CC couldn't care less about testing.

Oh, after the initial diagnosis, I had given my cat insulin for 3 days and on the 4th day, I noticed in the afternoon she was really lethargic. She wouldn't eat anything either. I was really scared. It was 4th of July weekend. ER wait times are 4 hours on a normal day in my area. I decided if she didn't eat the next morning, I'd take her to the ER.

If you think it is possible she went too low you could lower the dose to 0.5 units until you get the hang of testing.

Can I switch if I've started on Vestulin?

Sure, you can switch off you want to. The recommended insulins are ProZinc and lantus. My cat got ProZinc which I got through chewy.com.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

How do people afford $300 a month?

Most of us buy our Lantus, Basaglar and Levemir from a pharmacy in Canada where it's 1/3 to 1/2 the price. A 5 pack of Lantus pens is $190 (including shipping) and that's 1500 units which is enough to last most cats at least 1 year and some up to 2 years. The ONLY reason you're hearing it has to be thrown away after 28 days is because when it was submitted for testing, the company only asked them to test it for 28 days, so legally, that's what they have to tell you. Also, humans use much bigger doses and tend to carry the pens around with them instead of keeping them in the refrigerator like we do. Here's Information on buying insulin from Canada

My first vet said to roll vial in palm, but the 2nd vet said it needs to be shaken vigorously.

Should I call my vet and ask for a different insulin? Can I switch if I've started on Vestulin?

It used to be "rolled" but the newer directions say to shake until it's a consistent milky color. Yes, you can start on Vetsulin and switch at any time. I can't advise you on whether you should call your vet but if it were my cat and I knew it could be a better insulin for her and that I could afford to use it, I'd go with the better insulin.

I have to say, the lancet actually feels painful to me.

Humans have a lot of pain receptors in their fingertips. The edges of a cat's ear have very few. Most cats will object to having their ears fooled with but with conditioning and the right reward, they can quickly get over that!

What should I do about the food?

Try foods with different textures. Fancy Feast Chunky Chicken is low carb and has been a big favorite here. Weruva also has a wide variety of flavors and textures and they put their nutritional information on their website. Texture can sometimes be more important than flavor when it comes to what a cat will accept. Otherwise, you just have to be patient and continue to work on it. If you've seen Dr. Lisa's website on Feline Nutrition, there are some Tips on Transitioning (if you haven't already read them).

If all else fails, there are now a few kibble's that are low enough in carbs for a diabetic but we still recommend they eat canned or raw because of the extra water they get from eating canned. A mouse is the perfect food for a cat and it's about 78% water....just like most canned food! The more water you get into your cat the better. It helps keep the kidney's in better health. The kibbles you could try if you have to are Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein Chicken (on Chewy and Amazon), Young Again Zero (only on their website) and Wysong Epigen 90 (various places). Dr. Elsey's and YAZ will both send samples if you contact and ask them.

Hang in there. It's a big change and it's going to take a little time. We all want them cured yesterday!

 

[Pattylynne and Tigger]

I just found a new trick with my cat's food that he let sit out. Had read to remoisten with a little warm water, that helps but this really got him. I use freeze dried chicken for treats, today I crumbled a piece into his wet food and mixed a bit so he could pick it out, all was gone right away. Good luck. Mine switched from Vetsulin to Lantus with minimal problem.

 

[Michele and Coco Chanel]

I've tried the water. I've tried sprinkling Life Essential's freeze dried treats that they really like. I even crumbled a few pieces of their kibble on top. Not much is helping. I'll just keep at it. I know there's an adjustment curve here.

I did contact my vet, and I'm going to switch from Vetsulin to Lantus. I also contacted Mark's Marine Pharmacy in Canada recommended here re: their insulin. Since I'm not sure how long it takes for shipping from Canada, I'll go ahead and get the initial vial of Lantus from my local vet. What an amazing resource!! I appreciate this forum so much.

Tomorrow is the day I begin blood glucose testing. Wish me luck!

Thank you again for the support.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Since I'm not sure how long it takes for shipping from Canada,

The first order, plan on 7-10 days....refills are usually 4-5 days.

 

[Michele and Coco Chanel]

Oh, somebody asked my cat's name. It's Coco Chanel. I got her and her sister about 12 years ago when my 87-year-old neighbor called to tell me she had a small kitten on her porch and could I come get it. As it turned out, there were 4 small kittens, nasty little feral things initially. Only about 6 weeks old, very sick, parasites, mange. No mama in sight. Took my husband and me a week and a half to catch all of them in my neighbor's backyard. I couldn't believe little kitties could be so hard to catch, but my neighbor had a somewhat jungle-like backyard, and they were very adept at hiding.

I was able to adopt out two of them thru PetSmart adoptions, but I wanted Coco and her sister to be adopted together, and that wasn't in the cards. So we kept both of them. I originally just called Coco "calico kitty," and when we decided to keep her, I wanted to pick a name close to calico kitty, so I came up with Coco Chanel. Yeah, not so close, but it fits her perfectly!!

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

What a great story! Sounds like mom either got hit or figured they were old enough to take care of themselves and went looking for another man.

Here's a good piece for you to read that will Help us to help you. If you need any help with the spreadsheet or signature, just ask!

 

[Librarianista]

You don’t have to get a full vial of Lantus. You can ask your vet to prescribe a 3ml pen. You can treat the pen like a vial and pull out what you need with a syringe. Some pharmacies will only sell the 5 packs, but Walgreens sells single pens until you can order from Marks Marine. Just snap a photo of your scrip first because Walgreens keeps the hard copy.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Walgreens sells single pens

Not all of them. It's best to call around to the pharmacies around you. I was the person who originally found Marks because the price of Lantus had gotten so high I was going to have to switch China to something cheaper if I couldn't find it at a better price. I called every pharmacy within 150 miles and not one would sell me just 1 pen.

Just snap a photo of your scrip first

Great advice!!

 

[Michele and Coco Chanel]

Thank you so much for the Marks Pharmacy recommendation. My vet wrote a new script and I spoke with Marks as well. They are very nice there. What a difference in price!!