8/20/2020 New Member - Meet Benjamin! Few Q's for y'all

Benjamin is 16 years old and has had quite an adventurous health history! My family has had him since he was a kitten, but as my family has moved around, he has switched between us and had fairly irregular treatment for his diabetes.

Diagnosed with diabetes: ~9 years ago
Insulin: Vetsulin
Current dosage: 1 unit 2x a day
Food: Mixture of wet and dry Royal Canin Glycobalance (refuses to eat just one type or the other, and still doesn't eat a full meal the majority of the time)

Other health/body issues:
-Had bacterial gum infection when I took on full ownership ~6 years ago and had all but 5 teeth removed
-Diagnosed with nasal lymphoma 2019 and was treated via radiation --> always a sneezy boi now but that's "normal" after this type of nasal tumor
-Fatty lump on his neck that has been tested and is benign
-Starting to form cataracts

Since Benjamin has had diabetes for so long, one might think that I knew what I was doing and had done all of the research, but I have mostly just been buying the vet recommended food and getting the insulin that he has had from the beginning of diagnoses.

He is an old cat, but has lost some of the zip that he used to have (doesn't even play with a laser anymore and that was his go to toy). I'm looking to change things up to hopefully help him feel better and be more energized!

Some questions I have for this forum I think will be answered just by poking around through different threads, but here are my goals/issues to address if anyone has any thoughts I'll glad take them!
1) At home testing -> I have the Alpha Trak 2 but am nervous about doing the actual needle pricking
2) Am I feeding him the right food? A lot of people on these forums don't seem to use prescription food and I'm not sure how to tell carb content besides just reading ingredients?
3) Is the insulin I'm using the best for him? Just from what I've seen in the last day, there are many more options that I was not aware of
4) Thoughts/guidelines for making food/raw diets
5) Good treats throughout the day
6) Is free feeding during the day possible without being harmful? --> he is a natural grazer so the 2x a day is very hard for him and me.
7) Also doing all of this with two other cats in the house that are on different diets.

Edit: Thank everyone for such helpful and welcoming responses!!

 

WELCOME TO FDMB So glad you decided to join! Lets see if we cant get Benjamin feeling better.
1. Alpha track is a good meter BUT the test strips are very pricy Most here just use a human meter. In fact this site was built around human meters!

2.All dry food is PACKED with carbs. Carbs feed diabetes. there are great choices on the market like Fancy Feast pates and Friskies pate that have under 10% carbs that work fine. We encourage wet food under 10% carbs. There a food list developed by a Vet Dr Lisa that I will link at the end.

3. Vetsulin is a good insulin Many here use it. Some prefer Lantus.

4. I will leave this for more experienced the are many here who feed a raw diet.

5. Purebites, Bonito flakes, actually any freeze dried meats (no additives) are perfect they contain 0 carbs.

6. Many here use a timed feeder. That seems to satisfy kitties. Most here try to feed 2 main meals around shot time (depending on insulin type)

7. A timed feeder helps but you need the pricey ones that open for a tag specific to each cat.

There are variations to each of these question I'm sure will be added or subtracted from by other members.
So hang on for more replies.
What you want to do is start a spread sheet. you can find that info here:
Suggestions, Tech Support & Testing Area
This will allow you to track Benjamin's bg numbers and show trends with how the insulin works for him. It will also help our member give the best advice,

I hate to be rude but I must leave and fix dinner for my crew.
@Diane Tyler's Mom
to help you set up a signature Thats so we can see at a glance all Bens particulars.Insulin type etc.

Again welcome to the best site on this planets to help you help Benjamin !

jeanne

 

Hello and welcome to you and Benjamin!

We've all been at the stage where you are, trying to psych ourselves up for home testing. It seems impossible (my cat will never let me do that!), but pretty quickly it becomes routine. Some tips:

-- start off with the larger size lancets to do the poking. Size 26 or 28 gauge are what you want at first (smaller number = larger size), later on when the ears grow more capillaries in response to the poking, you can move to 30 or 31.

-- reward him with a treat every time you attempt a test, whether or not it was successful.

-- have a designated "testing spot" and work up slowly to doing an actual test. First just bring him over there and pet him (maybe give a treat), let him go. Then do the same, but fuss with his ears a bit. Etc. etc. Get him used to being in that spot and having you do those things as a good thing (leads to treats!), soon he'll be running over there all on his own!

-- when you poke, aim for the 'sweet spot' at the edge of the ear, trying to avoid the vein if possible. Apply a little pressure to the poke spot after you have what you need, it stops the bleeding and helps prevent bruising



I agree with Jeanne about the AlphaTrak-- great meter, pretty pricey to operate though.

Where are you located (US, Canada, UK, Europe, etc.)? That will help us in making suggestions (eg, all testing strips are pricey in Canada, but insulin is cheap compared to the US, etc. etc.).

 

Welcome and what a face Benjamin has!!

I second some of what JT said already. Dry food is bad and if you can transition away from it, it will be best for him, but we recommend you don’t do that until you’re home testing as his bg can drop significantly off the dry food. Here’s the food chart we go by. It pretty much lists every type of cat food out there. The other way to figure it out is to look for the info in the manufacturer’s website or call them is it’s not listed anywhere. The only thing special about prescription food is the price tag

I don’t believe Vetsulin is the best insulin for cats. It’s also called caninsulin because it was made for canines and cats are a different species with higher metabolism.

Treats suggested above are great so is baked chicken or even cheese. I also like the VitalEssentials treats. It’s totally fine to feed throughout the day. It’s actually easier on their pancreas. Feeding only twice a day works for dogs but not cats who as you mentioned, are grazers. The only time you don’t feed is 2 hours before the morning preshot and the evening preshot - that’s when you test right before you shoot or inject the insulin because you want the BG number no to be influenced by food so you know it’s safe to give the insulin. Btw, with Vetsulin you need to feed 30 minutes before the shot as I’m sure you know

 

Oh, and one more suggestion if you are nervous about doing the needle pricking for the test: sing! Even (especially) a silly song. It relaxes you and the cat (cats pick up on the stressed vibe really easily!).

 

I second that too! I sing the same lullaby every time and now when Minnie hears it, she gets in test position and waits patiently until it’s over so she can get her treat!!

 

I must add that warming up the ear is key for me. Most of use use an old sock filled with rice that we nuke for about 20-30 seconds. Then apply to the ear for about 15-20 seconds until it’s warm to the touch. That makes all the difference between getting a decent size droplet or nothing at all!

 

What a handsome lad! I'm partial to longhaired tuxes with white whiskers.

 

I'm going to 2nd the opinion about Vetsulin not being a great choice for cats...although some do OK on it and we've even had some cats go into remission on it, if you have a choice, Lantus, Basaglar, Levemir and ProZinc are usually better choices for cats.

They're gentler and longer lasting than Vetsulin (usually)

 

If you could set up you signature that would be great

• On the left, under Settings, Click on Signature. This is where you will put information that helps us give you feedback.
  • There is a limit of two lines which may include two links; you may separate pieces with commas, dashes, | etc. This is where you paste the link for your spreadsheet, once it is set up.
  • Add any other text, such as
  • Caregiver & kitty's name (optional)
  • DX: Date
  • Name of Insulin
  • Name of your meter
  • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
  • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
  • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
  • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
  • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
  • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.

Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.




OK tap on your avatar where it says your name ,then hit profile page ,tap on that ,then go up to the very top, upper right hand side and tap on your name ,it will bring down a drop box, tap on signature, the signature will be under settings, tap on the signature then and you can start to add what I posted above, make sure you hit save ,
Welcome to the best place you could ever be and an awesome group of people

 

THANK YOU Ale,
These are IMPORTANT things I omitted. I APOLOGIZE to Amanda. Not an excuse but I had timers and buzzers and HUNGRY kitty climbing my leg. Hubby came through the door bellowing WHATS FOR DINNER...? LOL for a two person and one cat household this place gets to be like a circus!
jeanne

 

Thank you for you helpful response!

1. Bummer that the test strips are so expensive, I'll look into a human meter so I can test more freely without breaking the bank!

2. I am starting a transition to the Tiki Cat after dark and hopefully he likes it enough to get off the dry food completely, only time will tell! He has never been the biggest fan of prescription wet food, which is what I have tried to give him, so I mix in the dry food to make it a bit more enticing. I figure it's better that he's eating rather than not since he is a skinny boy.

3. I'll definitely be looking into other insulin brands just to see what options are out there.

4.

5. Just got some freeze dried meats and I'm pretty sure that they'll be a hit!

6./7. I think I'll just need to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm 100% sure that a timer without me watching would lead to cats eating food that they shouldn't (classic lol). Maybe one day I'll bit the bullet and get the microchip feeder, but today is not that day! haha

Thanks for such a warm and informative welcome! I'll make sure to update my signature!

 

Thank you! That image is incredibly helpful! I'm hoping to do my first practice test today

 

Thank you! I think he's pretty darn cute

Slowly trying to get away from the dry food, I'm hoping to switch away from the prescription food (which he never really likes) will help and hopefully I'll find some wet food that he actually enjoys.

I'm definitely amping myself up to get on the home testing train. I have the alphatrak 2 but was so nervous about testing I put it off and now my testing strips are expired haha. I'm looking in to getting a human monitor now just I am less afraid to mess up and waste $$$.

Yeah I'm realizing that there might be better options for him than vetsulin, I don't want to make too many changes at once, but that's definitely one that I'm looking into!

It seems like I'm always getting conflicting answers from vets on grazing. Most vets have always emphasized that he needs to have two meals a day, but it doesn't seem to be ideal for him. He never eats the full meal when I give it to him, but then seems super hungry throughout the day once I've packed up the meal (classic cat). And yes! I always make sure that he has eaten at least half of his food preshot (which normally takes him 20/30 minutes).

 

LOVE this. I'll definitely try it out

 

This is a new trick for me, I'll try anything to make the testing process easier haha

 

Updating now, thanks!

 

I think you’ll find those are the vets more used to treating dogs. It works for dogs but not so much for cats. It’s easier on a cat’s pancreas, which is already compromised with the diabetes, to have smaller meals spread out rather than 2 large ones

I’d look at Walmart ReliOn. It has the most affordable strips. You can get 100 for like $17 and its rated among the best every year too!

 

I also sing a lullaby to calm both of us during the process

 

You're a ROCK STAR Amanda! already have the spreadsheet ready!

I cant remember if its been mentioned but here goes:
Trouble was a kitty crack addict. He never had can food before he came to live with us. in fact a large part of his diet included dry DOG food Poor little kitty cat.
Fast forward to diabetes dx.
I came here and was encouraged to feed Fancy Feast pates. Most types are 10% or less in carbs! I mistakenly removed his dry and started with the FF . HE LOVED his FF BUT his numbers dropped 100 points! Lesson here is: Remove the dry slowly, a little bit less every day. Trouble never went dangerously low because that dry food kept him from it. Thats NOT to way to do it.
I think sprinkling it on top of Bennys (hope you dont mind the nick name. let me know if you do) script food is a perfect way to ween him off it.
You are doing a fabulous job. Keep up the good fight!
j.

 

Hi Amanda and handsome Benjamin,

That's due to a safety consideration when using Vetsulin. It drops blood glucose fairly hard and fast in the first few hours after the dose is administered, and it has typically worn off by about 8 hours after the injection was given. That all said, there is nothing preventing you giving Benji small snacks later in the cycle, although it may raise his BG a little more in the last 4 hours.

It's important for a Vetsulin cat to eat quite a substantial feed before the dose is given so that the food gets a chance to work its way into the system before the insulin dose kicks in. The longer-acting insulins that have more gradual onset and longer duration allow for more flexible feeding schedules.


Mogs
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Hi
I'm very new to having a diabetic cat too ( only in our first week of insulin) so I will leave it to others better qualified to answer the more technical questions.
I just wanted to recommend reading the post "dear mom" - put dear mom in the search box and Robert and Echo in the posted by box and it will pop up. Not only is it a bit of much needed light relief but I helped me realise how we were reacting and to calm down a little and know we were not the only ones feeling like that (poor Mac was getting tired of being followed around & woken up by his panicking parents !)
Good luck - you're not alone now.

 

Been there ... No shame in it either.


Mogs
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