Hello

[Maisie]

Hi everyone, one of my two house cats, Maisie, was diagnosed last week with diabetes hence why I am here.
We were given canninsulin and advised to give her 2 units twice a day and not make any diet changes until her follow up appointment which is tomorrow.
My hubby is currently trying to work out how many carbs her wet food is which is purina one using the calculator on my welcome link.
I have done my reading on the links and have many questions and requests to ask the vet nurse that we are seeing tomorrow.
Maisie is not too happy with her injections but she is letting me do them without too much stress to either of us. I’m very nervous about home testing which I feel from reading on here I need to start doing. I’m thinking I’ll get a human one as it seems popular on here and I really need all the help I can get. I’d absolutely love to try to get her to put a bit of weight back on and aim to get her into possible remission.
I’m not very savvy so it will take me a bit to get used to using this site.
Hope all your gorgeous fur babies are having a good day

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Hi and I love her name! I might have to steal it for a future cat some day

first off, 2 units is too high a starting dose for a cat especially on Vetsulin. You may have already read it here but Vetsulin is also called caninsulin because it was made for dogs who have a much lower metabolism than cats. It’s harsh and it hits fast and it also doesn’t last the full 12 hours so your cat is unprotected once it wears off. With Vetsulin you need to feed at least 30 minutes before the shot because of how fast it hits. I would strongly recommend that you a) reduce the dose to 1 unit until you start home testing to see how she’s reacting to it and b) do not make any diet changes until you are home testing since it can drop her bg by as much as 100 points and again with Vetsulin, she could go too low too fast.

FOOD CHART have a look on this chart and see if you can find the foods you’re feeding now. You want foods that are under 10% but again, no changes till you’re home testing to make sure you can keep her safe. You will also need some higher carb foods for your hypo box..information in the help us help you link.

diabetes can seem very overwhelming at first but as you learn how to treat it, it becomes like second nature and just part of your daily routine for both you and her. It’s also a marathon not a sprint, which means you have to have patience to get her regulated and on the right dose. We want to see all babies get well fast but making sure they’re safe in the process is more important I believe.

With a diabetic cat you need

• A low carb wet diet that is 10% carbs or under. Most of us use around 4-7% carbs
• A suitable insulin such as Lantus or Prozinc which are long acting, more gentle insulins than the old insulins.
• We recommend hometesting the blood glucose with a human meter…it is not necessary to use a pet meter which is expensive to run and is no better. It will keep your kitty safe and you will know how the dose is working for your kitty. Only testing every so often will not tell you what is happening in between those times and an awful lot can happen in even a day.
• HELP US HELP YOU has information about the spreadsheet, signature and hypo box which you will need to be able to look after your beloved kitty properly

We are happy to help you with setting up the spreadsheet, sorting out what food to buy, how to transition safely to a low carb diet, how to learn to home test and much more.

This is an excellent site for diabetic cats…it has been around for more than 25 years and has very experienced people to help you.

Keep asking lots of questions.

Here are the guidelines from the American Animal Hospital Assn for the treatment of diabetes in both dogs and cats. the AAHA no longer recommends Caninsulin/Vetsulin for treating feline diabetes.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

I don’t see Purina One. Another thing you can do is look it up on chewy and comb through the questions because a lot of times someone has asked what the carb content on a dry matter is and the answer is posted. For example, according to chewy the Purina one chicken has 6.2% of carbs on a dry matter. It was one of the questions posted and answered.

 

[Maisie]

Hi, first of all thanks so much for taking the time to send me so much information. We have just checked their wet food and it’s obviously not good at 10.69% carbs. How do I wean them off whilst on insulin safely?
I’ve got so much to learn and I’m very worried about the high dosage she’s prescribed for her. I’m going to sort this out tomorrow.
By the way your cats are gorgeous in the photo.
Denise x

 

[Red & Rover (GA)]

Welcome, Denise. Waving from Canada.

In the UK, there is a specific insulin protocol. Vets must first try vetsulin. If good results are not seen (this is where home testing comes in), then the vet is allowed to switch to Prozinc (a much better insulin for cats).

Tagging @Elizabeth and Bertie who knows all things UK.

• UK Diabetic Cat Food Info (includes some supplies) and UK Cat Food List

How do I wean them off whilst on insulin safely?

Any food change must be done gradually and you must be home testing. Switching to a lower carb food can lower glucose readings dramatically.

10.69% isn't bad but there are better options in the above food list.

 

[Maisie]

Hi there in Canada.
That makes sense thanks. I hope the vet is prepared to change it for me to the longer lasting one.
Fingers crossed

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB!

A couple of clarifications. Caninsulin and Vetsulin are the same insulin. The original name was Caninsulin (as it was developed for dogs) and when it was marketed in the US, it was named Vetsulin. It is a faster acting insulin that tends to be harsh -- it can drop numbers quickly and does not last the full 12-hour cycle. This is why the AAHA has recommended either Lantus (glargine is the biosimilar/generic) or Prozinc for cats. The AAHA guidelines are in the paper that Ale linked. I would bring a copy of the guideline with you just in case your vet gives you a hard time. It's difficult for them to argue with the recommendations of one of their professional organizations.

I believe the guidelines in the UK have changed. Elizabeth will know for sure but I think the vets are now able to prescribe either Caninsulin OR Prozinc as a first line choice. In Canada, you don't need a prescription so you can stroll into a pharmacy and get Lantus since it's a human insulin.

If you're in the US, vets will often prescribe Vetsulin because they have it in stock. It's an animal insulin so they have it in the office (and to my cynical mind, it means they make money every time they charge you for it). Aside from my cynicism, it also means that if you damage the insulin and it's a holiday, you have no recourse but to wait until you can get more from your vet. You can't go to a pharmacy to get the insulin. Hence my preference for Lantus. That said, have your vet write the Rx for glargine. The biosimilars are much less expensive. You may need to call around for pricing. There are also coupons floating around the internet. Just don't say its for your cat!

Please let us know how we can help! Being overwhelmed goes with the territory at the beginning. The members here are very knowledgable and very willing to answer your questions.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

I didn’t realize you’re in the UK. Wait I guess Canada? As Sienne said you can buy Lantus or the generic version called glargine way easier and cheaper. In fact, I order my Lantus from Canada for that very reason.

I still suggest lowering her to 1 unit while you sort all of this out.

 

[Maisie]

I didn’t realize you’re in the UK. Wait I guess Canada? As Sienne said you can buy Lantus or the generic version called glargine way easier and cheaper. In fact, I order my Lantus from Canada for that very reason.

I still suggest lowering her to 1 unit while you sort all of this out.

I’m in the uk. I’ll order a testing kit and lower her dose as long as it won’t harm her.
Thank you i

 

[Maisie]

Welcome to FDMB!

A couple of clarifications. Caninsulin and Vetsulin are the same insulin. The original name was Caninsulin (as it was developed for dogs) and when it was marketed in the US, it was names Vetsulin. It is a faster acting insulin that tends to be harsh -- it can drop numbers quickly and does not last the full 12-hour cycle. This is why the AAHA has recommended either Lantus (glargine is the biosimilar/generic) or Prozinc for cats. The AAHA guidelines are in the paper that Ale linked. I would bring a copy of the guideline with you just in case your vet gives you a hard time. It's difficult for them to argue with the recommendations of one of their professional organizations.

I believe the guidelines in the UK have changed. Elizabeth will know for sure but I think the vets are now able to prescribe either Caninsulin OR Prozinc as a first line choice. In Canada, you don't need a prescription so you can stroll into a pharmacy and get Lantus since it's a human insulin.

If you're in the US, vets will often prescribe Vetsulin because they have it in stock. It's an animal insulin so they have it in the office (and to my cynical mind, it means they make money every time they charge you for it). Aside from my cynicism, it also means that if you damage the insulin and it's a holiday, you have no recourse but to wait until you can get more from your vet. You can't go to a pharmacy to get the insulin. Hence my preference for Lantus. That said, have your vet write the Rx for glargine. The biosimilars are much less expensive. You may need to call around for pricing. There are also coupons floating around the internet. Just don't say its for your cat!

Please let us know how we can help! Being overwhelmed goes with the territory at the beginning. The members here are very knowledgable and very willing to answer your questions.

Thank you that’s very helpful of you.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

I’m sure you’ll hear from other UK members soon!

 

[Larry and Kitties]

I believe the guidelines in the UK have changed.

The UK cascade has not changed. It still requires the pet approved drugs be tried first before alternates like human drugs. Before Prozinc was approved in the UK the only pet approved insulin was Vetsulin/Caninsulin. WIth Prozinc now being approved a UK vet has to prescribe either Vetsulin/Caninsulin or Prozinc.