Advice for a New Diabetic Cat Mom

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SmokiesMommy

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I just returned a few hours ago from the vet with my almost 8 year old male cat, Smokie. Over the past month or so I have noticed he has lost a lot of weight, but was still eating and such. Anyway, after switching foods didn't seem to bring his weight up, I took him in to the doctor this afternoon. They did a bunch of blood work and it came back he has diabetes. He's really skinny and lacking energy, but still gets up to eat and drink. I'm completely overwhelmed.... especially after reading all this info out on the web.

I have my vile of insulin, syringes, Purina DM wet food.... all ready to start the twice daily injections tomorrow.

Now I'm nervous after reading this that by putting him on this new food AND giving him the injections, I may cause him to go hyperglycemic. :shock:

Any advice or tips? I've got 3 cats (including Smokie). I've pulled all dry food and put it into containers and we'll have controlled feeding times from now on... especially being Smokie can't have the dry food. I must say I was happy to read I don't HAVE to buy the wet food from the vet and there are options out there at the grocery store. Phew!

I'm just nervous about a seizure or potentially hurting him by giving him the insulin. They told me to give him 1 unit of insulin two times a day with food. What if he isn't eating the food I offer? Right now he is stressed and worn out from the vet visit, I've tried offering the food but he isn't very interested. **ETA: I've once again offered him food... he vomited a bit of water up just after I was offering. What if he doesn't eat? Do I still give the insulin?

I'm really nervous about all this, if you couldn't tell. nailbite_smile

Also, the vet didn't mention anything about home testing. We do go back in two weeks for a follow-up though.

I'm full of questions and any help / support you can offer would be great.

Thanks,
Alissa
 
What sort of insulin have you got?

Did your vet tell you what Smokies BG level was?

Home testing is essential if you want to be sure that Smokies safe so I highly recommend that you get yourself a meter and start doing that ASAP. Most vets don't seem to have many (if any) clients home testing so I'm not surprised your vet didn't mention it to you. I think one of the tests of a good vet is their reaction when you take in your home tested results. If the vet tries to discorouge you that is a big black mark against them. I knew I had found the right replacement vet for Vyktor when he said that it was a vets dream to have someone come in with a weeks worth of BG curves!

Tests done at home will save you money on vet curves and will also be more accurate because there won't be a vet stress reaction involved. Although making your cat bleed can seem a bit scary at first most cats don't really seem to mind. Vyktor was purring through his tests within a week in expectation of the low carb treat that was to come (and this is a cat I cannot pill!)

Most cats don't like the DM for long even if they do eat it at first. Luckily, as you have discovered, there are many cheaper and better alternatives out there for you.

Welcome aboard and well done finding the forum so quickly you will find it an invaluable source of information and support. A diabetes dx is overwhelming at first but there will always be someone here to help you and things do get much easier as it all becomes familiar to you.
 
We have Lantus.

No, the vet didn't tell me what his BG level was. I will call first thing in the morning to find out. I assume I can pick up a meter at any store with a pharmacy? I actually think my vets office would be impressed if I came in with the numbers. So do I wait to give him the first shot of insulin until after I find out his # from today and get a meter? It's also looking like I will probably have to get different food.... he's pretty much snubbing this stuff. It's obvious he isn't feeling well. Beyond the water vomit, I think he got into the dry food before I got it all removed and vomited that up before 8 p.m. tonight.

Our vet didn't tell me much, I wasn't even sure where to give the shot

So here is my question recap....

* Meters are available at stores with pharmacies, correct?
* Do I wait to give him his first insulin shot until I get a meter AND find out his BG from today?
* What if I can't get him to eat? I'm assuming I can't give the shot if he doesn't eat?

Thank you .... :)

UGH.... I'm sorry.... I'm just a little stressed by all of this today. It was the last thing I expected to be told at the vet. I thought it would be something like an overactive thyroid.
 
Hey, we've all been there - the beginning is stressful and nerve wracking, it's a lot to take in!

To answer your questions:

Yes, meters can be found at your local pharmacy - Walmart is a great option. Many people here use their brand of meter, syringes and lancets (relion) because they're inexpensive. My cat's backup meter is a Relion and it cost me around $9. The strips need to match the meter brand, but most lancets are pretty generic and fit most any meter.

Hometesting takes a bit of practice for many people - I would pick up your meter and work on your inner vampire ;-) while you transition to wet food and hold off on the insulin for the moment. Remember that a big food change can upset tummies so you'll want to do it gradually over the course of a week. Changing from dry to wet food can make a significant difference in the amount of insulin needed.

Here is a link to several foods that are good for a diabetic cat....You will want to stay with things under 8, my cat's food is around 6%. You might check out the Fancy Feast Classic flavors when you pick up your meter at Walmart. They're all acceptable options regarding carb content. http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html

Yes, Smokey needs to eat before having insulin. I start the process about 20 minutes before shot time because Kazi is such a fussy/slow eater. That gives me plenty of time to check her blood sugar and make sure she's eaten most of her meal before having to give insulin.
 
You can buy a meter from any pharmacy but many here use a ReliOn meter from Walmart. You will need to purchase the test strips and lancets along with a meter. I would also suggest buying either Ketostix (ketones) or KetoDiastix (glucose and ketones).... they are urine test strips that we use to test for ketones.

If you can get a meter tomorrow and start testing, then I would wait to start the insulin. Also, if you are going to try a different canned food, that may also be lower in carbs than the DM.

You are correct in that he needs to be eating before giving any insulin and right now it does not sound like he is.

Tomorrow will be here soon enough so I would hold off on the insulin and get a meter and hopefully he will feel better and eat well for you. It is best to always test first, then feed and then shoot.

It would help if you would post your city and state also. You would be amazed how many times we have found board members close enough to go a newbie's home and help them hometest.

I am posting a link from the Lantus board with lots of info.........more to read :mrgreen:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=18139

I'm sure others will be on here tomorrow to help. I have never used Lantus so I cannot give advice on that other than it is a great insulin to start a kitty on.
 
Alissa,
Welcome to the last place you want to be but the best place for you now. You will learn from all of us how to keep your diabetic kitty healthy.

There is much to learn but just asking the questions, is half the job. It is scary in the beginning and you will question most of what you do ..... but as you learn, it will become second nature and you will be able to then help others.

Nancy and Payne .....
 
Lantus is a bit different from the short acting insulins so it's not as important to eat at shot time, however you do want to know he's feeling well enough that he's going to eat later if his BG gets low. Agree with the others that it's probably best not to shoot tonight. Especially if you haven't been told how to!

Do you know why he is vomiting? Is it just food vomit from 'scarf and barf' from getting into the dry food or something different? You might want to mix some of the dry with wet to get him used to wet food if he's turning his nose up. You can make the change to no dry over a few days to a week to help him and his tummy adjust. If his BG wasn't too high you may want to wait until the change over is complete before you start shooting. This will also give you time to practice being a good vampire and getting your own tests! I would recommend you start rubbing his ears in the meantime too - so he gets used to you playing around with his ears in preparation for testing.

Let us know what his BG level was at the vet as soon as you can.
 
Poopy and I welcome you and Smokie to the best place you could have found! cat_pet_icon The folks here are super friendly and have tons of hands on, day in and day out experience they freely share!

For what it is worth, if Smokie has been used to eating wet food occasionally, it may be an easier transition to all wet and could take less time for a total transition, especially if he likes what you are offering. Poopy and civvie Mia would eat wet as a treat so switching to all wet happened for us almost immediately. ECID (Each cat is different). ohmygod_smile

Keep us posted and keep up the great work you're already doing! :smile:
 
Good morning!

I forgot to set up my location... I'm in Stayton, Oregon, which is about 20 minutes east of Salem.

Well, I'm feeding the other two cats their dry food right now. He hasn't come out yet for feeding, he's under our bed. The vets office opens at 8:30 a.m. today and I will call right away to find out his number.

I'm just really worried because he is SO skinny, and it's been awhile since he's eaten. The vet said you could see he was muscle wasting. :(

Our nearest Wal-Mart is in Salem, so I won't make it there first thing. I will see what Safeway has and look at their Fancy Feast food choices. I know some cat treats he LOVES, maybe if I pick some of those up and mix them in?
 
Just how long has it been since he has eaten? I would be concerned if he is not eating and possibly throwing up. Can you buy some Ketostix or KetoDiastix when you are out to test his urine for ketones? Any chance of a quickie vet visit?
 
Yah, I am gonna run to the store and buy some different food and start there. If he doesn't take that, I'm calling the vet and getting him in there this morning. :sad:
 
Oh, good to know because the vet can at least get some urine and check for ketones, his blood glucose, his temp, etc. as to why he is not eating. Hoping some new food perks him up.
 
Thanks... at Safeway now and picked up a few flavors of Fancy Feast Classic. Not seeing any meters... guessing they are in the pharmacy, which is still closed.
 
down here in socal our safeway's are called vons and yep, they keep the meters in the pharmacy

will he eat his old dry food by chance? something is better than nothing and if it has to be the dry, then let him have it. then, in the coming days, you can work on transitioning him to the good stuff. dr. lisa has tips on transitioning on her website http://www.catinfo.org
 
Yay! I lured him out from under the bed with his favorite cat treats ... I knew he couldn't turn those down, and then come Ocean and Whitefish Fancy Feast Classic. I left him to eat for now in peace. As you can probably guess, my other two cats are quite miffed that there is no Fancy Feast for them! LOL My oldest cat gets diarrhea from it, but boy she sniffing for that good stuff right now!

I ended up seeing the testing meters in the locked pharmacy... there was a travel one for $9... that looked like the cheapest. Should I pick that one up?

Lastly, do I just let him eat and digest this new food and skip insulin this morning or should I try the insulin while he's eating or after?

THANK YOU so much for your help! If I hadn't decided to do a little research last night, I can't imagine what a mess I'd be right now. BLAH! I love all my cats, but Smokie is my special kitty out of the three... so anytime he is hurting, it just kills me. My DH isn't so understanding... lol... but that's ok.... we've got 3 cats and 2 little girls 4 and under. Life can be stressful at times!
 
Hi amd welcome to the boards- you will get the best advice here!

I now have two diabetic cats(they are siblings) and thanks to all the info and support I got here, they are diet controlled- no shots!

When I took Bobbie to the vet it was for weight loss and poor appetite. She had pancreatitis and diabetis. It took several months for her to recover-we came close to losing her. then she spent a couple months on insulin till I found this place and learned to home test and put her on canned friskies Pates and took her off the Purina RX food that she wouldn't eat anyway. Once we got her to eating again and began her 2 week glucose curve she was able to come off the insulin within 2 days! she has been OTJ since July. It took another couple months for her to get back to her old self again, but she is back!

At first she was like your kitty poor appetite and hiding under the bed. Has you vet checked for pancreatitis? It can go right along with the diabetis.
I have the Relion meter. It is a good little inexpensive meter and works fine for us. Also important is to have a vet that is supportive of you home testing. We are very fortunate that ours does. He didn't suggest it, but after I told him i was home testing Bobbie and had her off insulin and what her numbers are, he was impressed and is very supportive, so that when Judah was diagnosed he told us,"you know what to do". Home testing is much better for both of you and they will test much higher at the vet most of the time due to stress.
 
Welcome to the best site on the internet for cats with diabetes and other things.

All I can say is read as many threads as you can and ask, ask, ask, as many questions as you want.

Home testing is really, really important.

Heed the advice that is given to you here.

Know that you are NOT alone and there are people out there who genuinely care about you and your cat. People here held my hand when I was overwhelmed and thought I was either going to kill my cat with all this new medical stuff and they also calmed me down when I thought I was going to have a meltdown because of all this new medical stuff.

I am, and always shall be, indebted to the outstanding, caring, and knowledgeable people on this site.
 
Well he mostly ate the gravy from the food, but I gave him a few more of his cat treats and we gave him an injection. It's been almost 2 hours and all is fine so far. We have him locked out of rooms he can hide under a bed in, so we can keep an eye on him. I will get a tester when we are in Salem later today or tomorrow and definitely start testing. I am also going to look for the Friskies Pate food you mentioned. I think he isn't much for the chunks of meat... of course he also doesn't feel well right now anyway! Just trying to keep an eye on him. Thank you for the support, I really appreciate it! I will definitely keep you updated and will keep reading threads on here.
 
Holy moly! Got off the phone with the vets office and found out Smokie's BG was 393 yesterday. I am SURE he wass a little elevated due to stress but I doubt it caused it to skyrocket. Feeling better about giving him the insulin this morning. He's just resting right now and I guess I need to start a spreadsheet to track his numbers.
 
Just wanted to update... he is eating now... it's been about 7 hours since his insulin shot. He originally ate just the gravy out of his wet food this morning, but I held on to the chunks and served them up in a plastic dish. I lured him out from under the bed again with the treats and he is eating away on the chunks. He has always had a hard picking food up off the floor and such, so this dish seems to be helping. I'm just happy to see him eating and knowing it's helping him and not hurting him. <3
 
Glad Smokies decided to eat for you, it's very concerning when they won't eat. Next step - join the vampire club!
 
hi alissa - i'm in corvallis! wahoo for another oregonian - someone joined last week from the portland area. if you get in a pinch, send me a message and i could come and help you. we have another member that's just moving to salem from albany and i'm sure she'd give you a hand as well.

your insulin supplies will be about 1/2-2/3 the cost buying online. for now, just get something (avoid TRUE in the name of the meter because they don't rate as well on Consumer Reports for accuracy) and then you'll be able to order more online.

lantus takes about 5-7 days to accumulate up to full speed. there's a ton to learn and it's a steep learning curve at the beginning, but then it's very easy to take care of your kitty. we've all been in your shoes and that's why everyone is more than willing to answer a zillion questions and hold your hand through it.

ask away. also - you can click to edit your first post of this thread and change the subject line to reflect your current question - a lot of times that will get more eyes on your question. every reply will also bump your post to the top of the pile to get more eyes as well.

welcome to the sugar dance! it's not so bad - and it's a wonderful community of people here who do feline diabetes 24/7 every day of the year. you've hit the jackpot! :-D
 
Oh good, some other Oregonians! We're on our third insulin injection, he's already seeming to perk up. He's eating away and hopefully it keeps getting better, and he gains some weight back over the next couple weeks.

Thanks for tip of online meds... I wondered about that, will make it all easier to tell the husband if we have to continue with the insulin. The syringes were cheap for the most part, it's the insulin. Wowza!

Alright, feeling better as the days are going on.... so far, I think the hardest part (besides the initial overwhelming feelings) is keeping my cats all separated during feeding time. It's definitely taking some creative thinking as each now has their own food and all want a some of Smokie's food. Right now, each gets locked in a separate room with their food. Smokie is definitely getting the best of it being he gets to be where I can see him and in the biggest room. :)
 
we put one in the laundry room behind a closed door, and punkin eats on the dining room side of the door. i guess we'd have a problem if we had more than 2 cats! :lol: but they do eat the same food - punkin always cleans up anya's plate after she's done.

the usual places people order supplies from include http://www.hocks.com, http://www.americandiabeteswholesale and ebay. if you order from ebay make sure to use a seller with a good history, and make certain the strips aren't expired. if you register first at http://www.mrrebates.com you can get 4% back from the ADW site. that's what i do - and it adds up - i recently got a check for $25 back from them. if you want to do that, make sure you go to mrrebates first and then click within that site to go to ADW - that's how they record your purchase to get the rebate.
 
Hi Smokies Mom - welcome to the board - I'm not over here on Health too often and see that you've already received all the good advice - sounds like you're doing fine and well on your way to taking care of Smokie. Glad he's beginning to eat.

Another Oregonian here - from North Bend (Coos Bay) area over on the coast - and there is another board member over in Tigard - so there are quite a few of us. Glad there's someone closer to you that could help you in person should you need testing or shooting help.

Good luck - hopeully Smokie's blood glucose #'s will start to drop with the insulin - Dude was much higher than that 393 when he was first diagnosed - so sounds like you've caught this in good time.

Will be watching for your updates.

Emmy & Dude (& Mittsi too)
 
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