New Member - Denver & Magic

[Denver & Magic (GA)]

Over the last couple of weeks Magic (who just turned 15 in March) hasn't been himself. He'd taken on a 'ratty' appearance, slept a lot more than normal and had some issues walking and with his litterbox. I got him into our vet and last Wednesday (7/28) he was diagnosed with diabetes. Based on the lab work, apparently he has been way sicker for way longer than I had ever realized - he hid it very well. His blood glucose was 800+. He also has neuropathy in his hind legs to where they slide of my kitchen flooring.

I feel absolutely horrible for not realizing that something was off. He's been on Science Diet or Blue Buffalo kibble since he was a kitten and had regular vet visits until COVID-crazy disrupted things last summer.

The vet started him on Vetsulin (3u/2x daily) and recommended I switch him to only wet food ASAP. I did some research and fortunately landed here. He's now 100% on Friskies Shreds (Chicken). He wasn't fond of the pate texture of Fancy Feast and has always been a very finicky eater, so I'm just happy I found something he 100% likes.

He goes back Thursday (8/12) for a progress check and dosage adjustment. Given how high his blood glucose was the vet said it was better to drop it slowly, rather than aggressively so he wanted to step it downover a few weeks.

I've ordered Magic a bottle of Zobaline after reading here and am hoping that along with what the vet does will get my baby back to normal. I want him to be happy and have a good life.

To say I'm overwhelmed and heartbroken is an understatement....

My mother had essentially uncontrollable diabetes most of her life that progressed to almost total blindness and kidney failure. This brings back so many horrible memories and I'm so worried for my fur baby. He's pretty much my world.

 

[Ann & Sister]

Let me first send hugs to you and Magic. It is a difficult diagnosis. We have all been where you are, and you have come to the right place.
It is appropriate to feel overwhelmed and heartbroken.
But don't beat yourself up. You CARE about your cat, and they are very capable of hiding illnesses. (My own cat was diagnosed LATER than she should have been for a few reasons including COVID.)
When we know better, we DO better. In cat rescue, I see families decide that diabetes is a reason to euthanize or surrender to the shelter.
You are not doing that. You are HERE.
Someone will assist you shortly, someone with more expertise and wisdom than I can offer at this point.

Glad you have started Low Cal food and some type of insulin (although a couple of others have better success with remission).
Double hugs on the Zobaline. Sister gets that and it is helping. You can get another brand for less at VitaCost.
And you did your SS! Hooray.

Ann & Sister

 

[Denver & Magic (GA)]

Let me first send hugs to you and Magic. It is a difficult diagnosis. We have all been where you are, and you have come to the right place.
It is appropriate to feel overwhelmed and heartbroken.
But don't beat yourself up. You CARE about your cat, and they are very capable of hiding illnesses. (My own cat was diagnosed LATER than she should have been for a few reasons including COVID.)
When we know better, we DO better. In cat rescue, I see families decide that diabetes is a reason to euthanize or surrender to the shelter.
You are not doing that. You are HERE.
Someone will assist you shortly, someone with more expertise and wisdom than I can offer at this point.

Glad you have started Low Cal food and some type of insulin (although a couple of others have better success with remission).
Double hugs on the Zobaline. Sister gets that and it is helping. You can get another brand for less at VitaCost.
And you did your SS! Hooray.

Ann & Sister

Thank you...

My coping mechanism is to research, research and research some more... lol
It got me through handling my mother's dialysis so I'm hoping it'll work here too.
I just hope it's not too late to help him.

I've seen some improvements in him over the last week but he's still drinking and peeing about 70% more than what I would consider 'normal'. I'm hoping once he goes back Thursday we can make further adjustments and start monitoring. Part of me wants to go ahead and order testing supplies in preparation and another part of me says don't jump the gun on the vet and let him do his thing.

I'm a control freak by nature and I hate things being out of my control.

 

[Ann & Sister]

Part of me wants to go ahead and order testing supplies in preparation and another part of me says don't jump the gun on the vet and let him do his thing.

I'm a control freak by nature and I hate things being out of my control.

I think you should GO with that part of you that is saying, "Get testing supplies."
If you get a Relion and test strips from WalMart, it is super affordable. I just picked up more strips this morning ($18 for 100).
Should you want your vet to feel like he/she is in control, don't mention you are testing at home. Just do it. It will keep Magic safe.
You would not be jumping the gun. You would be taking charge.
Magic's peeing and eating will get better with regulation via insulin.
More hugs,

 

[Denver & Magic (GA)]

I think you should GO with that part of you that is saying, "Get testing supplies."
If you get a Relion and test strips from WalMart, it is super affordable. I just picked up more strips this morning ($18 for 100).
Should you want your vet to feel like he/she is in control, don't mention you are testing at home. Just do it. It will keep Magic safe.
You would not be jumping the gun. You would be taking charge.
Magic's peeing and eating will get better with regulation via insulin.
More hugs,

I just ordered an AlphaTrak2 from ADW along with a supply of test strips. It looks to be the same meter they used on him at the vet. That way I’ll be apples-to-apples with them and should hopefully avoid any issues or potential concerns on their end. It should be here Tuesday.

Thankfully Magic has totally accepted the shots and actually sits there watching me make it. Hopefully testing will go as smoothly.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

Hi and welcome to FDMB. I am glad you will be home testing. That is the best way to be able to get Magic's glucose under control. I am concerned that your vet started you on too high of a dose of Vetsulin. A good starting dose is 1/2 to 1 unit twice per day. Most cats do not need more than 2 units per dose. Right now, don't change his food to pate. The Friskies Shreds is higher in carbs and if you change to something lower, there is a risk he may become hypoglycemic. We normally recommend feeding foods that are less than 10% carbs, but until you begin home testing and possibly reduce his dose, don't switch foods yet to anything lower in carbs. Here is a list of foods that you can use for finding lower carbs food. Links to FOOD CHARTS | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Another handy link is to have is information about hypoglycemia. This is very dangerous for cats. We hope you will never need this information, but print out to keep it handy. Sticky - How to treat HYPOS - THEY CAN KILL! Print this Out!! | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

There is a lot of information on this site. It can seem very overwhelming. The purpose of this board is to help everyone to give the best care they can for their diabetic cats. If you have any questions, please reach out and ask them. You have a lot of very experience members on this board and we are here to help you

 

[Denver & Magic (GA)]

Hi and welcome to FDMB. I am glad you will be home testing. That is the best way to be able to get Magic's glucose under control. I am concerned that your vet started you on too high of a dose of Vetsulin. A good starting dose is 1/2 to 1 unit twice per day. Most cats do not need more than 2 units per dose. Right now, don't change his food to pate. The Friskies Shreds is higher in carbs and if you change to something lower, there is a risk he may become hypoglycemic. We normally recommend feeding foods that are less than 10% carbs, but until you begin home testing and possibly reduce his dose, don't switch foods yet to anything lower in carbs. Here is a list of foods that you can use for finding lower carbs food. Links to FOOD CHARTS | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Another handy link is to have is information about hypoglycemia. This is very dangerous for cats. We hope you will never need this information, but print out to keep it handy. Sticky - How to treat HYPOS - THEY CAN KILL! Print this Out!! | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

There is a lot of information on this site. It can seem very overwhelming. The purpose of this board is to help everyone to give the best care they can for their diabetic cats. If you have any questions, please reach out and ask them. You have a lot of very experience members on this board and we are here to help you

Thank you…

My vet actually had him on 4u while under his care and lowered it to 3u when he released him back to me with a follow up for this coming Thursday to see where we need to go from here. Apparently his full lab work up was pretty much off the charts. Once he was diagnosed we switched him to wet food immediately.

We tried the Science Diet m/d and Fancy Feast and he just doesn’t like the texture at all and will not touch either. He has a pension for chicken and even that was a no-go. We landed on the Friskies mainly because he will eat it and it’s much much better than the Science Diet kibble he was on pretty much all his life. While not ideal, it at least gets us to a better place than we were. I’ll take any ‘win’ I can get at this point.

I’ve been watching him like a hawk for signs of low blood sugar and so far, so good. As I said my mother was a severe diabetic before she passed away so I know how quickly and unexpectedly things can change if you’re not careful. I have a bottle of Karo syrup, a jar of his old high-carb kibble and a partial jar of his old favorite cat treats for emergencies in a drawer by his bed.

I’ll feel way better when the meter I ordered gets here Tuesday and he has his appointment Thursday afternoon.

 

[Ann & Sister]

We tried the Science Diet m/d and Fancy Feast and he just doesn’t like the texture at all and will not touch either. He has a pension for chicken and even that was a no-go. We landed on the Friskies mainly because he will eat it and it’s much much better than the Science Diet kibble he was on pretty much all his life. While not ideal, it at least gets us to a better place than we were. I’ll take any ‘win’ I can get at this point.

I don't personally know any cats who like Science Diet. My cat isn't big on pate either so I dust the top with Fortiflora (a tip I learned here) and she at least eats it half way down.
Because Sister has been a kibble junky, I ordered Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein kibble from Chewy.com and before that Young Again Zero dry. Both claim to have zero carbs, but folks here say it is closer to about 5%. Reality is somewhere in between.
But I will take that until Sister fully embraces the wet food life.
Glad your Alphatrak is on the way! As far as comparing human meters to pet meters, they both tell you the BG is high or low.
I just need to know if she is within normal range or not. My home readings do not need to correspond with the vet's (cuz I am no longer doing curves there).

Hugs,

 

[Ann & Sister]

I’ll feel way better when the meter I ordered gets here Tuesday and he has his appointment Thursday afternoon.[/QUOTE

And since Magic is on Vetsulin, please study the Sticky on that topic. The insulin has different properties than say, Lantus, and is not as gentle.

Some vets don't bother to tell you how to handle this specific insulin, and it is important that you know.

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-caninsulin-vetsulin.231587/

 

[Katherine&Ruby]

Hi Denver, I found out my kitty was diabetic when she stopped eating for two days, which was very unlike her. Took her to the vet and after some bloodwork they told me that I need to bring her to an ER because she had ketoacidosis. I blamed myself for a good while for feeding her "holistic" dry food, not noticing the weight gain and water drinking and lethargy. She spent three days in the hospital and I was beside myself. Thankfully the internists at the hospital gave my kitty Lantus and within a few months and after discovering FDMB, I got her tightly regulated and she started feeling SO much better. She was playing and being more of a kitty than I had ever seen her. Magic WILL get better. Once you start testing and experimenting with different foods that he will eat that are lower carb, he will start to feel better. You might want to talk to your vet about switching insulins after you get a little more acclimated as Vetsulin works quickly but doesn't stay in the body long. Lantus is a long acting insulin, mostly used with humans actually, and is much gentler and easier to control with food to avoid dropping glucose levels too low.

This is a community of very kind and generous people. I'm glad you found us.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB!

Would you consider stopping by a Walmart and picking up a Relion meter and strips? With Magic being on such a large dose of Vetsulin I'm a little worried that your kitty's numbers might drop without his showing signs of hypoglycemia. You can always use the Relion meter as a back up. FWIW, the majority of people here use a human meter for their cats. The strips for pet meters are expensive (usually around $1.00 per strip) which is far more than what you would pay even for strips for a pricey human meter. In addition, if you're running low on strips, you can't get AlphaTrack strips anywhere except online. If for that reason alone, a back-up meter is helpful.

Just so you're aware, Vetsulin is not a recommended insulin for cats. It doesn't give adequate duration given a cat's fast metabolism. The American Animal Hospital Assn recommends either Prozinc or Lantus. This is a link to information on Vetsulin if you've not already found the insulin forum on the topic.

 

[Denver & Magic (GA)]

Would you consider stopping by a Walmart and picking up a Relion meter and strips? With Magic being on such a large dose of Vetsulin I'm a little worried that your kitty's numbers might drop without his showing signs of hypoglycemia.

Just got back from Walmart with some stuff to hold me over until his meter arrives Tuesday.
At +4 his glucose is at 305 mg/dl on a human calibrated meter. At +6 he’s at 265 mg/dl. And at +10 we’re 492 mg/dl.