A little confused/concerned and out of my element

[trancea]

So I am still pretty new here and only a week into the diagnosis of diabetes on my baby lil kitty. Lil Kitty is 12lbs - i am told this is his ideal weight but he looks emaciated to me. He is usually around 18lbs. Lil Kitty is pulling his hair out and has been for the last month. He has bumps inside his ears and the vet found them on his belly as well. Through the blood testing my vet came back with a diagnosis of diabetes and he stated there were several other blood abnormalities. He is still unsure what the skin issues are that we are experiencing but the fecal sample came back negative so our next step is to test for heart worm. Here is where my concern comes in...as i am educating myself on diabetes in animals I am finding that all of you test your babies. My vet gave me Vetsulin which my kitty gets 2x a day and he is on a purina DM prescription wet food diet 3 quarters of a can at each feeding. My vet does not have me doing any testing on my kitty. I literally feed him and give him his shot during the feeding. I have noticed a drastic improvement in this week to my kitty. However, he is hungry all the time. Some of the stuff i read explained away the hunger to me but after being on this site and reading posts I am concerned that my cat is not getting enough food. I use to have a well balanced house, now feeding time is a chaotic because my other 2 cats have to be on the same feeding schedule lil kitty is. Lil Kitty is inhaling his food and then trying to eat their food so i literally stand guard, In addition I am starting to notice that my lil kitty is attacking my fat boy and my other cat munch joins in with lil kitty. It doesnt happen excessivel but i can say that i have probably seen it at least 1 a day for the last 3 days. I have never had these issues with my boys. I am really looking for some guidance with this. I don't want to do anything that will harm him so i am afraid to feed him more, but i don't want him starving and not getting enough nutrients either. And i am worried that the change in their food is causing them to act out towards one another. I also am concerned that my vet does not have me testing.....

 

[Sharon14]

Hi and welcome to you and Lil Kitty. I recommend you consider home testing
Lil Kitty, it is really the only way to keep him safe and tell you how well the insulin is working. It's very easy to do. You'll need a human meter that can be bought at any pharmacy, many of us use the Relion brand from Walmart. You will also need lancets for the poke and plenty of test strips! There are lots of videos on YouTube showing technique, and we will be happy to help you along too.

The DM wet food you are feeding is good, but expensive. Most of us feed grocery store brands like Fancy Feast Classics and Friskies Pates. Make sure not to get the gravy types. You can feed more than twice a day. I feed my cats 4 times, giving a larger meal at his shot time and a smaller meal for lunch and just before bed. Once Lil Kitty gets regulated he won't be as hungry and things will get a bit easier.

What are the other blood abnormalities you mentioned?

 

[Critter Mom]

If the fur pulling and skin bumps started when you switched to DM your cat may have an allergy to one of the ingredients. (I think it may contain soy, a common allergen; check the ingredient list.)

The excessive hunger (polyphagia) is a typical symptom of unregulated diabetes but it can be a symptom of other issues, too.


Mogs
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[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

If the fur pulling and skin bumps started when you switched to DM your cat may have an allergy to one of the ingredients. (I think it may contain soy, a common allergen; check the ingredient list.)

The excessive hunger (polyphagia) is a typical symptom of unregulated diabetes but it can be a symptom of other issues, too.


Mogs
.

I agree, that does sound like a food allergy. If you decide not to feed either the Fancy Feast or Friskies, you may want to try switching to a single protein canned food to see if that helps with the bumps.

You may also want to ask your vet about switching to a longer acting insulin. Vetsulin is a short acting insulin and a lot of cats do not do well on it. Good long acting insulins are Lantus, Levemir, PZI and ProZinc. Lantus and Levemir are human insulins that you can get at your pharmacy. If your vet prescribes either of these, ask for a prescription for the pens instead of a vial. A vial will start to become ineffective long before you can use it all and you end up throwing a lot of it away. With the pens, you will be able to use almost every drop. PZI and ProZinc are pet insulins that your vet can order for you.

I know that you said your vet does not recommend hometesting, but you do not need to have his permission to test. Hometesting gives you a more accurate guide on how well the insulin is working. It will also prevent you from giving insulin if Rover's glucose levels are too low - this can cause hypoglycemia which can be dangerous or even deadly. Plus it will save you money by reducing the number of vet visits just to be tested. You can use any human glucose meter for testing. If you live in the US, the Walmart Relion brand meters are good and also inexpensive to use. We can help you learn to test if your vet will not show you how.

 

[trancea]

Unfortunately my vet did not explain the other blood abnormalities. He said is unsure of everything going on with lil kitty. The bumps and skin issues all started at the same time as the hair pulling and weight loss. Because of this I don't believe it's an allergy. I hadn't changed any food or products in my house till after we saw the vet.
Where would I test lil kitty from? I know on a person it's a finger tip but not on a cat lol

 

[scoobydoox]

This is where you test on a cat. Did your vet do a thyroid test?

 

[trancea]

This is where you test on a cat. Did your vet do a thyroid test?

Thank you!!!!! He did do a thyroid test, as well as fiv and a few others. He seems to be leaning more towards an autoimmune disorder but I'm not sure yet.