12 Year old Purrcee just diagnosed - overwhelmed

Status
Not open for further replies.
Julie + Muffin

Julie + Muffin

Member Since 2013
This is a journey I never wanted any of my cats to take. I just started testing a few days ago. First changed diet to low carb (no dry food whatsoever). I have 7 other cats of varying ages so feeding time takes double time. I also run a nonprofit for cats with my sister so am consumed with cats!
Looks like Purrcee will probably need insulin by this Monday or Tuesday. I have discussed his case with Dr. Pierson and we are trying the low carb food route first. I have never given shots and don't look forward to it. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Welcome to our journey. You are in good hands (paws) here.

Start reading the various stickys & links. Tons of great info. AND lots of WONDERFUL people to give you advice and calm your nerves. :smile:

I have 6 other cats (civies) so I know how feeding time can be. I put my sugarcat (Rumpelteazer) in the powder room to eat until the 'savor-the-flavor-slow-poke' civies eat their food.

Great that you are home-testing. As for giving shots....It is soooo much easier than doing the pokey-poke ear testing.

Keep us posted after your vet visit. It especially helps us to know what type of insulin you will be using. There are members here that are knowledgeable on the specific types.

Feel free to browse Rumpelteazer's daily posts. You will see how I have been helped through the good....the bad....the ugly. I could not have done it without their help.

Glad to have you join our FDMB "Family". :smile:
 
Welcome to the best place you never expected to be. Hugs for you. This is an emotionally, physically, and spiritually draining journey you have embarked upon. The first couple of weeks are the most difficult as you learn to give the shot, to home test, to feed a different food and learn as much as you can about diabetes.

Changing to a low carb food is one of our top recommendations. Dr Lisa Pierson is the vet that maintains a wonderful food chart that we refer to all the time. I am glad you have found her.

A good insulin to get for your cat is Lantus, Levimir or PZI/Prozinc. The other insulins have too short of a duration to work well in a cat.

An appropriate dosing of that long lasting insulin is important.

Finally, we are strong advocates of home testing. Do you need any tips or tricks for home testing?

We have some wonderful resources, just ask.

Please, remember to take some time for yourself, to recharge and renew yourself so you can take care of all your cats.

Finally, breathe, deep breathe, to help you relax in this very stressful time in your life.
 
Yes welcome! You are in good hands! o:-) With these wonderful people helping you you can do anything!!
 
Welcome to the board...

Did I read right that you are home testing? What foods exactly are you feeding?

Giving the shot is very easy.. testing is harder. You get nice short needles, 5/16mm, and the cat doesnt even feel it. You can practice with water and a peach or potato or something first till you are comfortable. Plus have your vet show you.

Wendy
 
Thank you all for your kind words and expertise. I bought the needles today but had no idea how expensive insulin is. I will be using Lantus to begin with which was the recommendation of Dr. Pierson. Although my vet has not had good results with it and recommends Prozinc...kind of a dilemma.3. I meet with my vet Monday for instructions.

I am home testing but I'm still not clear on when to test and when to administer insulin.

Currently I'm feeding Fancy Feast, Wellness, or anything he wants to eat that is lower in carbs on the food list by Dr. Pierson. It goes against everything I have previously been told about cat food to feed the cheap brands and I'm having difficulty with that. I have a 17 year old with early kidney issues so have to be careful with her and not give her the high protein stuff. If I isolate her or Purrcee to eat they don't eat because it's a change in their routine.

I am under the impression that you must test before you administer the insulin so I'm confused on that.

Question about this site...I received multiple replies to my post so when I reply does everyone get the reply?

Thanks so much for all the support and info.

Julie
 
When you reply, everyone can read your reply.

You might want to seek out low carb foods that are also lower in phosphorus. That is what a number of members here do for their cats with CRF/FKD. The foods with fish as the main ingredient tend to be much higher in phosphorus, so stay away from those.

Member Rhiannon and Shadow has put together this shortcut list with the low carb foods, and then the phosphorus content is at the end.
rhiannon and shadow said:
all values are from Dr. Pierson's updated list

carbs in % . . last number is phosphorus ( FKD cats need under 250 phosphorus)
4% - fancy feast CLASSICS chicken feast- 546 - beware of those that are not classics ...
4%- fancy feast chopped grilled feast pate -569
2%- fancy feast cod, sole & shrimp feast pate – 787
4%- fancy feast Ocean Whitefish and tuna pate 823
1% -fancy feast Savory Salmon feast pate – 369
5% -fancy feast Tender beef feast pate -637
5% -fancy feast Tender beef and chicken feast pate -502
5% - fancy feast Tender beef and liver feast pate – 525
4% -fancy feast Tender liver and chicken feast pate -598
3% - fancy feast Turkey & giblets feast pate – 355
5% -fancy feast salmon and shrimp feast -550
4% -fancy feast kitten tender turkey feast -474
5% - fancy feast kitten tender ocean whitefish feast - 689
5% -fancy feast chunky chicken feast -637
7% - fancy feast chunky turkey feast -624
7% -fancy feast chunky chopped grill feast - 454
8% - fancy feast Flaked chicken and tuna feast - 434
0% - fancy feast Flaked fish and shrimp feast - 701
8% - fancy feast Flaked Salmon and whitefish feast - 458
7% - fancy feast Flaked Trout feast-395

8% - Friskies flaked with tuna and egg 415
9% - Friskies Poultry platter – 438
5% - Friskies Special diet Beef and Liver entree 241
5% - Friskies Special diet Turkey and Giblets dinner pate 189
5% - Friskies Special diet Beef and Chicken Entree pate 242
4% - Friskies Special Diet Whitefish dinner 351
7% - Friskies Special Diet with Salmon 228
7% - Friskies Salmon dinner classic pate 499
8% - Friskies Turkey and Giblets dinner 338
8% - Friskies Supreme Supper 416
6% - Friskies Mariner's Catch 393

3% Weruva Paw Lickin' chicken 196
9% Weruva Green Eggs & chicken 230
4% Weruva On the Cat Wok 163
5% Weruva Steak Frites 118
7% Weruva MidEast Feast 202
3% Weruva Meow Luau 253
1% Weruva Marbella Paella 253
1% Weruva Outback Grill 562
1% Weruva Asian Fusion 295
6% Weruva Polynesian BBQ 390
0% Weruva Mack and Jack 337

Weruva Cats in the Kitchen canned food
5% Tu Two Tango 343
3% La Isla Bonita 166
4% Goldie Lox 252
5% Kittiy Gone Wild 412
8% Funk in the Trunk 250
4% Fowl Ball 180
4% Splash Dance 292
8% Lamb Burger-ini 236
2% Chicken Frick 'A Zee 174
8% The Double Dip 248

5% Go! Chicken, Turkey, Duck 309

5% - Merrick Cowboy cookout 202
8% - Merrick Grammy's pot pie 237
3% - Merrick Surf n Turf 229
4% -Merrick Southern delight -328 this one has crawfish in it.
8% -Merrick Ocean Breeze 420
9% -Merrick Turducken 219

1% - Merrick Before Grain cat 96% beef – 163
2% - Merrick Before Grain cat 96% chicken – 341
2% - Merrick Before Grain cat 96% turkey – 178
2% -Merrick Before Grain cat 96% quail and chicken – 506
2% - Merrick Before Grain cat 96% salmon 439
2% Merrick Before Grain cat 96% tuna 450

5% - Wellness Kitten 216
4% - Wellness chicken 219
4% - Wellness turkey 201
5% - Wellness turkey and salmon 299
4% - Wellness Beef and chicken 226
6% - Wellness chicken & herring 303
6% - Wellness beef & salmon 207

6% - Wellness Core Kitten 255
8% - Wellness Core chicken/turkey/chicken liver 215
5% - Wellness Core Turkey & Duck 265
5% - Wellness Core Beef , Venison & Lamb 171

0% - TikiCat Koolina Luau 421 ( chicken with egg)
0% - TikiCat Puka Puka Luau 303 (chicken)

all the rest are seafood combos
1% - TikiCat Hookena Luau 337
0% - TikiCat Napili Luau 419
0% - TikiCat Hawaiian grill 300
2% - TikiCat Lanai Luau 348
0% - TikiCat Manana Grill 283
2% - TikiCat Bora Bora Luau 642
0% - TikiCat Hanalei Luau 354
1% - TikiCat Hana Luau 276
0% - TikiCat Papeeko Luau 392
0% - TikiCat Tahitian Grill 443
1% - TikiCat Makaha Luau 723

3% - Nature's variety Instinct Grain free Chicken – 302
3% - Nature's Variety Instinct Grain free Beef – 248
2% - Nature's Variety Instinct Grain free Lamb 262
1% - Nature's Variety Instinct Grain free Duck 191
0% - Nature's Variety Instinct Grain free Venison 330
? - Nature's Variety Instinct Grain free Rabbit ?

2% - Natura Evo 95% chicken and turkey 155
5% - Natura Evo 95% duck 251
6% - Natura Evo 95% venison – 416
4% - Natura Evo 95% beef – 234
3% - Natura Evo Turkey/chicken for Cats/kittens 266

8% Innova Cat & kitten 279

2% Hounds & Gatos chicken 241
9% Hounds & Gatos Beef 250
2% Hounds & Gatos Pork 403
5% Hounds & Gatos Rabbit & Duck Liver 402
3% Hounds & Gatos Lamb/chicken/salmon 225
4% Hounds & Gatos Trout & Duck Liver 366
3% Hounds & Gatos Lamb & Duck Liver 244
2% Hounds & Gatos Salmon 373


8% -Holistic Select chicken & lamb 222
8% -Holistic Select Salmon & shrimp 264

6% Nutro Natural Choice Mature Health Chicken & Turkey Formula chunks in gravy 204 this selection is being replaced but some stores have a little stock left.
new varieties replacing the old ones are supposedly all 1 or 2% carbs but waiting for confirmation....
Nutro Natural Choice Senior Soft Loaf Cod
Nutro Natural Choice Senior Soft Loaf Chicken
Nutro Natural Choice Senior Minced Cod and Tuna
Nutro Natural Choice Senior Minced Chicken and Salmon

8% Soulistic Shrimply Divine 270
4% Soulistic Double Happiness 262
3% Soulistic Polynesian Picnic 239
4% Soulistic Celestial Feast 250
7% Soulistic Upstream Dream 234
9% Soulistic Surf n Earth 255
8% Soulistic Nautical Nirvana 228

2% Purina One chicken pate 438
3% Purina One Turkey pate 469
5% Purina One Beef pate 530
2% Purina One Whitefish pate 734

9% ProPlan Turkey and Giblets 382
4% ProPlan Chicken & Liver entree 509
5% ProPlan Chunky Chicken Entree 639
2% ProPlan Whitefish & Salmon 662
2% ProPlan Kitten Chicken and Liver 436
6% ProPlan Kitten Whitefish & Tuna 522
3% ProPlan Kitten Salmon & OceanFish 462

9% Max Cat Chicken Supreme 173
8% Max Cat with savory duck 197
8% Max Cat with Savory Venison 214

8% Avoderm Chicken Chunks/gravy 234
0% Avoderm Salmon in consumme 469
1% Avoderm Swordfish in consumme 271
0% Avoderm Tuna & Prawns 278
2% Avoderm Tuna % chicken w/ veggies 241

6% Artemis Chicken 320
4% Artemis Turkey & giblets 409
8% Artemis Seafood 351

5% Halo Spot's Pate Whitefish 466 my cat does not like Halo.
4% Halo spot's Pate Chicken 303
9% Halo Succulent Salmon 227

1% Eukanuba kitten entree with gourmet chicken 253
1% Eukanuba adult Entree with gourmet chicken 239
8% Eukanuba adult Entree with Lamb and Rice 230
3% Eukanuba adult Entree with Pacific Salmon 241

7% Evolve -chicken 214
6% Evolve turkey 244
6% Evolve seafood 265

4% Natural Balance Catatouille (stew) 274
0% Natural Balance O'Fischally Scampi 244
2% Natural Balance Sea Brulee 297

5% Pinnacle Chicken and Ocean fish 175
5% Pinnacle Chicken and Tuna 221
4% Pinnacle Ocean Fish 231

3% Authority Chicken 238
5% Authority Sliced Chicken in sauce 284
7% Authority Turkey & Giblets 222
8% Authority Beef 249
7% Authority Whitefish 254
7% Authority Catfish 254
6% Authority Chicken & Liver Kitten 262

BFF (Best Feline Friends ) also made by Weruva
BFF 2% Tuna and Chicken 234
BFF 2% Tuna and Salmon soulmates 236
BFF 2% Tuna and Shrimp Sweethearts 236
BFF 2% Tuna and Bonito Be Mine 240
BFF 2% Tuna & Tilapia Twosome 240
BFF 5% Tuna & Pumpkin Valentine 243
BFF 2% Tuna & Chicken Chuckles 234

8% Dr Fosters and Smiths Chicken 204

2% ZiwiPeak Lamb 224
2% ZiwiPeak Venison 338
0% ZiwiPeak Venison & Fish 260
1% ZiwiPeak Lamb & Rabbit 280
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Testing. You want to test before every shot of insulin you give. This is to make sure the number is high enough for you to shoot the insulin.

We advise new members to not shoot unless the BG (blood glucose) number is above 200. You need to gather test data to see how your cat reacts to the insulin before you can shoot lower and be confident the dose will not take your cat too low.

AMPS - morning pre-shot test
+5 to +7 - mid day test to see how low the insulin drops your cat (dose changes with lantus are based on this low or nadir)
PMPS - evening pre-shot test
before bed test. - one last test right before you go to bed.

With these 4 numbers, it will be easier to see a pattern on how the insulin is working in your cat.

The Lantus may be expensive up front, but a 10ml vial can last 4-6 months with proper care and storage. Keep in the frig, not in the door to minimize disturbance, on a lesser used spot in the frig, protected in it's original box and wrapped up to protect it. You don't want to drop a vial on the floor and have it shatter. I wrap my insulin in a paper towel, put it back in it's original box, put the box in a coffee mug. I have dropped and broken too many dishes by dropping them on the tile floor in my kitchen.

No need to shake or roll or warm the insulin.

When to administer the insulin. You want to find a dose that you can give twice a day, roughly 12 hours apart. Pick two times that will work with your busy life. You'll want to give yourself some extra time in your mornings, until you have a routine going for the test, feed, shoot cycle. I got it down to 5 minutes, but when I first started out, it took me 30 minutes to get organized.
 
Deb
Thank you for the food info. I printed out a similar list and color coded it with one color for what might be good for Purrcee and another color that might work for Mango my kidney girl. There are a few that both may like and will work with their health issues.

I copied the info you sent re: testing/shooting and will read it a million times. Tomorrow I go to the vet for instruction which I may have already mentioned. My brain is a bit fried right now. I had no idea you could keep Lantus in the frig and it would last that long. Your idea about the way to store it is great!

Purrcee is sick of being tested already and I ran out of test strips a minute ago which is so dumb but I thought I had plenty. I will be getting to Walmart early am tomorrow so I can test him. He seems to stay in the 200-300 range but has gone up to 450 after eating.

I don't understand the lingo about the curve and the +5, +7 etc. I am using the chart from the website.

Do the plus numbers mean the number of hours tested from the last test. For example, I test him at 7 am. and then again at noon. I would put the test results in the +5 column since it had been 5 hours that have passed between testing periods?

If you know a good reference I could read that would be great.

Thanks for all your time. I sincerely appreciate it.

Julie
 
First welcome Julie and Purcee. Lots of wonderful people here to help you! The +5 is 5 hours from your insulin shot, not when you last tested. So, if the kitty had insulin at 7 then the +5 would be at noon. Hope that helps and best of luck to you!
 
AMPS = morning pre-shot
+1 hours since shot
+2 hours since shot
...
+11 hours since shot
PMPS = evening pre-shot

A curve is testing every 2 hours from AMPS to PMPS.
A min-curve is testing every 3 hours from AMPS to PMPS.

Nadir = lowest point between 2 shots
- approximately +5 to +6 hours after ProZinc or PZI
- approximately +5 to +7 hours after Lantus

Glossary
 
I just wanted to say welcome! My cat was diagnosed back in March and I am still feeling very overwhelmed and somewhat confused lol.
 
It's great that you are working with Dr. Lisa!

Regarding insulin - you give the insulin every 12 hours, it's best to figure out what works for your schedule. If you use Lantus, there is about a 15-30 minute window to give insulin, in order to stay on the 12 hour schedule. So, keep that in mind as you decide what time you want to shoot.

Prozinc does allow a little more leeway in shooting than Lantus, but it's best to stay on a 12 hour schedule as much as possible. If you find that challenging, you may want to consider using prozinc instead. Talk with the vet and with Dr. Lisa to see what they suggest will work best for your schedule. And you can always change insulins if you need to.

If you go with Lantus, there is a coupon to get the lantus solostar pens at a discount. You will use the pens the same as you would a vial and use a syringe for it. Do not use the needles that are sold with the pens.


Let us know if you need the coupon.
 
Welcome, I'm new, too, & freaking out, too, also with 7 rescue (tame)feral rescue cats, working, with a hectic schedule.

I'm starting prozinc today, mostly because my vet uses it & not Lantus. She considered Lantus for me, but decided on the Prozinc because of the greater latitude around scheduling, since my schedule varies.

Regarding your canned food diet, I would also recommend that you check Lotus grain-free canned foods for cats for your kidney cat. It has a lower protein 8%, and is about 6% carb. Plus no carageenan or any of the other gums. They use Agar-Agar. Its thick, so you can even add some water to. I don't know that you'd want to put your diabetic on it just yet, tho'. I don't know what phosphorous content you need, but they include it on their website, see below: (lotuspetfoods.com)

http://www.lotuspetfoods.com/pate-cat-turkey.php

doggiefood.com carries it with a 17% discount, so its only a few dollars more than Wellness pate.

Best of luck to you - I understand how scary it all is - it is for me, too!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top