12/22 Boo(new) PMPS 383

[Lindyloo]

Hello!

I am back after a year away. Must say it is bittersweet.

I originally joined because my cat Fluffy was diabetic. He went to the bridge 1/26/11.

Today I found out that my Boo is diabetic :-/. She has mild CRF and her water consumption has increased this past week. I took her to the vet tonight expecting to find that her kidneys had gotten worse but was shocked to learn she is now diabetic. :-(. The vet prescribed 2 units of Lantus once a day but I know better than that. Initially I was going to start her off with .5 units bid but ended up shooting 1 unit as her initial dose and intend to stay there for 5-7 days. What do you guys think?

A little about Boo....she is almost 16 and WILL NOT eat wet food. Sigh. She is on a grain-free dry food and I will continue to try to convince her to eat canned.

No keytones. Vet sent her urine to be cultured. Her bloodwork showed her bilirubin to be a little bit above normal.

If there is a spreadsheet attached to this, please disregard. It was Fluffy's. I will make one for Boo tomorrow.

Thanks for listening guys.

 

[BJM]

Welcome back & sorry your Boo is here.

Yes, I agree that being conservative with dosing at first is the way to go. It is so much safer than shooting and finding out the cat dropped into a hypo!

If you're stuck with dry for a while, check out Binky's Page and look for the lowest carb dry foods. Innova EVO Cat & Kitten is listed at 8% calories from carbohydrates and Wellness Core is listed at 11% calories from carbohydrates.

I know you'll keep working on the canned; remember that Cat Info has tips on making the transition.

Additional, supplemental monitoring tactics to blood testing include:

1) urine test strips (pharmacy, in diabetic supplies) for glucose - if its coming out of the urine, the diabetes is not controlled yet
2) urine test strips (pharmacy, in diabetic supplies) for ketones - high ketones may indicate developing ketoacidosis, a potentially fatal condition
3) measuring the amount of water drunk (measure what you put out, subtract what remains after a given time, and record the amount and number of hours)
4) the 5 Ps - peeing, poohing, purring, playing, preening (grooming)
5) any other regularly observed behavior that changed when he became diabetic
6) weight - when the diabetes is controlled, weight loss (if underweight) should stop, and healthy weight begin to return

Note that these are indirect indicators of diabetic status, and in the case of urine testing, reflect what was happening a few hours previously.