Another new (and overwhelmed) member

[Chris & China (GA)]

Just found out today that my 12yr old cat, China, is diabetic (blood sugar 447) and I'm sure I'm going to be spending a lot of time here over the next several months (at least). The immediate problems are these. While I'll go without pretty much anything for my animals, living on less than $700/month is going to make this diagnosis challenging to say the least (But I'll do my best to give her a good quality of life in whatever time she has left to give me) I have read that prescription diets are not necessarily the best (or only) choice, but here's the next problem. The vet is keeping her tonight to get a urine on her and tomorrow is not only a half day at the vets office, it's also a "shot clinic" day for anyone who brings in their animals. I'm supposed to pick her up tomorrow, but doubt if I'm going to get much time to discuss all the obvious things I'm going to need to learn to do, and how best to spend the money I can afford to spend. I do have a WalMart handy, so can get a ReliOn tester and test strips, but where do I start on food? She's always eaten a premium dry (Life's Abundance) but most I've read suggests wet foods may be better. Also, how do I deal with a multi-cat household, when one cat is diabetic? So many questions, and I just don't know where to start..especially to be bringing her home tomorrow before noon.

Any suggestions? I really can't afford my first choice, which would probably be to leave her there until Monday when we can have more time to discuss this new chapter in our lives.

Chris in Mid-Missouri

 

[Wendy&Tiggy(GA)]

Hello and welcome to the board

Diabetic cats can live long and happy lives like normal cats - we just had one turn 20 which isnt unheard of. It has been diabetic for 10 years.

First - how was China diagnosed? Did your vet mention "fructosamine" from a lab blood test? Or as it an on -the- spot check? You should confirm with your vet. If it was on the spot, home testing will confirm the diagnosis - an expensive fructosamine test or "at the vet curve" isnt needed. Relion is a good cheap meter choice.

You dont need prescription diet - low carb canned food is good - many of us here use Fancy feast classic pates, friskies pates or Wellness grain free. Friskies is cheapest cos of the bigger cans. The wet will also help bring her blood sugar down. I would transition all cats to wet - its better food for them all - helps prevent diabetes and kidney problems down the line... then you dont need to worry about her getting into the kibble.

Bring her home tomorrow and start her on wet food - you can discuss any questions with us, or your vet on Monday. Get a few tests his weekend and we will see where it goes. The wet alone may bring her blood down enough that you might not need insulin. .. This is of course assuming no ketones.. Did the vet mention ketones?

The vet may try and give you an insulin prescription tomorrow - ask for Lantus, Levemir or Prozinc. These are the best for cats and price works out ok since they last 6 months in the fridge. There are other insulins he may try and push that seem initially cheaper - but they arent worth it. We can discuss why later if he mentions that.

let us know when she is home!

Wendy

 

[KPassa]

First, take a deep breath and know that you've found the right place. We're here to hold your hand through this entire process and answer any questions or problems you might have. :YMHUG:

I'm on my iPhone right now and I can't easily post any helpful links, so I apologize but I know there are plenty of others who will be coming along with those links for you.

It seems like you've already read quite a bit. A great link for your food questions is catinfo.org. It is written by a vet and has some great articles about felines and feline nutrition. She also has a food list containing all the nutritional information of wet cat foods. On that list, you can see the prescription food is oftentimes worse than some of the cheapest foods available. A lot of people around here (myself included) use the Fancy Feast Classics or the Friskies Pâtés. You want foods less than 10% carbs (the lower the better). There is no "special" food and is just fine for your other cats to eat and just as healthy for them, too!

You've already got the meter and someone will be around with some links to ear testing pages for you, so you've already got a good start on that. And once you learn how to test (we can teach you!), you won't have to leave your cat at the vet's for expensive "curves."

As to insulin, there are only 3 insulins recommended for use in felines: Lantus/glargine, Levemir/detemir, and PZI/ProZinc. Since a cat's metabolism is much faster than a human's or a dog's, other insulins are too harsh for cats and cause steep drops and last for too short a time.

Check out the link in the bottom of my signature for 3 steps to managing feline diabetes and a lot of this information should be linked there.


ETA: cross-post with Wendy. :lol:

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Thank you Wendy...at least that gives me someplace to start. There wasn't a frutosamine test done..I had noticed an increase in water intake, her coat looking unkept (for an all white cat, easy to notice) and a distinct weight loss, so was thinking thyroid or diabetes when I took her in, so when the blood panel came back, wasn't exactly surprised (but have a lot more experience with thyroid issues).

The vet couldn't get a urine on her, which is why she's there tonight, and although I understand it's important to monitor ketones, really lost at how to do that in a multi-cat household (3 cats total).

Both my mother and my son are diabetic, so the meters and blood sugar strips are quite familiar, although getting a blood sample from a cat is going to be challenging until we both get used to the idea.

I appreciate the idea of switching everyone over to wet, and have spent some time reading the recommendations.

I am thinking that it may be best for me to bring her home tomorrow and maybe resist starting her on insulin immediately without more information...at least wait until Monday when I can spend more time with the Vet asking questions, but I'll see what he has to say tomorrow.

I'll also jot down the insulin's you suggest and if he feels it's best to go ahead and start her, ask his opinions on those types

 

[akashasmom]

Hi!!! I am also the human of 3 kitties;-) I am not overly experienced with diabetes, had a short stint with it from Feb until yesterday. My kitty, Akasha was Dx in March, but was only on Lantus for about 2, 2 1/2 weeks before she went into remission. Yesterday I called it official for remission because it has been almost a month since her last dose of insulin. I can tell you that the ppl on this board are INCREDIBLE and the night she had her last dose, she went into hypo. If it were not for these ppl on this board, I honestly do not think that I could have saved her by myself. When Akasha was first Dx, my vet had me switch her dry food to Wellness Core Original Formula to see if diet would regulate her BG. It is grain free, low carb, and protein focused. After 2 weeks on the Wellness, there was a slight change, but her BG was still high and her fructosamine test came back as she was consistent with diabetes so, Lantus was started. I can also tell you that Akasha's BG was always probably way higher at the vet than at home, I adopted her from Slidell LA from Hurricane Katrina, she was a kitten and sent to Indianapolis where I adopted her and this has caused her to have stress and anxiety issues her whole life. ANYTHING out of the ordinary makes Kasha flip her lid and the vet is a major one. If you test at home a few hours after returning from the vet, you may very well find that the BG will be a lot lower. Anyway, since switching Akasha's diet was a must and the Wellness was healthier, I switched ALL 3 to it. There was a noticeable change in their coats very quickly. Healthier, shinier, and thicker. (Akasha loses hair from stress too) After starting Lantus and being worried about giving a dry diet, I slowly switched to Wellness Core canned. They liked it, but all 3 liked a different flavor and it is almost $2 a can. My vet had prescription food, but is highly opposed to giving it to kitties with diabetes- she said it does not help the majority of them and it is too expensive. When this issue of cost and 3 cats came into play, I slowly switched over to Friskies pate and they LOVE it. They would prefer the gravy kind, but that is a big no no with diabetes. (BUT keep a few cans of the gravy kind or gravy lovers in case of a hypo issue- I didn't have any on that night when Akasha went hypo on me) My best advice to you is test at home- just to be safe- at home the cat will be more comfortable in its normal environment. Make sure that the ear is warm- will produce better blood drop. I didn't have to use a rice sock on Akasha, I would just rub her ears to get them warm and I got it the 1st time;-) Since Akasha is skittish and we live life on her terms (she doesn't like to be picked up- she will get in your lap, but only if it is her idea) I would put her next to me on the couch or bed and pet her for a few, rub her ears to warm them up, then test. It worked everytime. It is simple and easy- just watch your own finger lol, I poked my own a few times because their skin is so thin on the ear. There are great links on here to show you videos that help a ton. I will see if I can locate the one that helped me the most. You have to switch their food over slowly from dry to wet because it can cause their BG to drop to fast in some kittys.
My vet is amazingly awesome- she answers all of my questions and she is very much meant to do the job she does. She cares for my pets like they are hers- we lost our Great Pyr in Jan of this year and she cried with me. I can tell you that Lantus is expensive!!! I suggest going to Sams club pharmacy if one is near you. You do not have to be a member and it is cheapest there and so are the syringes. Meter from walmart. (Please tell me you don't live by Ft. Leonardwood, when I lived there, there was no Sams- just a walmart) If you can use or get the Lantus pen coupon and get the script for it, you will save a ton. My vet would not budge and insisted on the vial (said it is a waste to use the pen on such a tiny dose- my cat only need 1unit every 12 hours). I am now kinda stuck with an almost full bottle of insulin, full box of syringes, ketone strips- BUT there is no guarentee that Akasha will stay in remission, so better to have it than not. I do still test her and make sure all is well. Now, I think I can slow down the testing and do it randomly.
At any rate, listen to these wonderful ppl on this board- they will guide you and give you endless support. They are great!!! My stint was short (keeping my fingers crossed it is for good), but these ppl are very knowledgeable and have the best advice. If you start insulin, make sure you get a hypo kit ready and keep it on hand at all times!!! I learned my lesson quick on that one. I had everything except the canned gravy lovers and had to give Akasha Karo, other canned food, more Karo, she stole some jelly off of my hubby's pb&j, and now I know better than to be caught short handed, I could have lost her that night. As far as your other kitties, if you switch her food, maybe it would be best to switch them all. I have one Russian Blue mix (my Blue Catfish) and he was obese- way over weight. He has since lost 5 pounds after the food switch. Dry food scares me because of kidney issues, diabetes, dehydration, mold spores from sitting in warehouse storage- too many reasons to name. And I am happy I have switched. Friskies pate seems to have no effect on Akasha's BG. Stays at about 70-80 now.
Sorry I rambled on, but listen to these folks and maybe a little bit of what I have said may help... Here is the link to the video I watched that helped me learn how to test:
http://youtu.be/_zE12-4fVn8

 

[Deb & Wink]

Welcome to the best place you never expected to be.

Also, how do I deal with a multi-cat household, when one cat is diabetic?

You treat them all with love, the way you always have.

Yes, your diabetic cat will need some extra attention for the first few weeks to a month, testing before each insulin injection and learning how to give the shot. After a while it will simply be part of your daily routine and only takes a few minutes to test and shoot.

It is easiest if you can have all your cats on the same low-carb diet that your diabetic kitty needs. Here is the link to the food chart that has been mentioned. http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf You are looking for a food that has <10% carbs, calorie percent wise, which is the third column of numbers. To do this on a budget, the Friskies 13oz cans are more budget friendly.

Two ear testing links for you, the first is a how to guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/...lefdmb/feline-diabetes/ear-testing-psychology

Here is a link to sign up for a lantus savings card. First 6 prescriptions of the Lantus Solostar pen will cost you $25. http://www.lantus.com/considering/save-on-lantus/default.aspx Yes, you can use this for a pet. You will need insulin syringes to draw the insulin out of the pen for dosing consistency and accuracy.
Here is the new member shopping list:

New Member Shopping List

1) Glucometer. Walmart’s ReliOn meters are a popular choice on FDMB. The ReliOn Prime’s test strips are only $9 for a bottle of 50.

2) Test Strips to go with your new Glucometer. Make sure you have plenty of extra strips at all times. You do not want to run out when your cat suddenly decides to take a swan dive to the 40’s.

3) Lancets. Make sure you get plenty of lancets. Get a thicker gauge (28 g) at first so that it is easier to get a blood drop to form.

4) Cotton Balls /Tissues/Cosmetic Pads to hold against the ear when testing and to staunch blood after poke. I use a wadded up tissue, but other members use cotton balls or cosmetic pads. You can use any of the above, just make sure it’s hygienic .

5) Antibacterial Ointment. Neosporin with pain relief or any ointment like it. Make sure you get an ointment, not a cream.

6) Ketone Test Strips such as Ketostix. These are urine strips to test for Ketones and can be found at most pharmacies or Walmart. Some glucometers will also accept ketone blood test strips. This is a good alternative for those with a multi-cat household or who have a hard time catching a sample.

7) Low Carbohydrate Wet Food. See Dr. Pierson’s list for commercial cat foods. It is recommended that diabetics eat less that 10% carbs. http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf Some popular brands fed by members include Fancy Feast Classic Pates, Friskies Pates, Wellness, Evo, and Merrick's Before Grain. Find a food that is nutritionally sound and affordable. There's no need to break the bank or buy Rx food.

8) High Carbohydrate Wet Food. Keep a couple of cans on hand for emergencies in case your cat drops too low. Look for a wet food with gravy. See Dr. Lisa’s chart above for a food over 10% carbs.

9) Corn Syrup or Honey. Corn syrup (such as Karo) or honey can be used in place of the HC wet food by mixing a drop or two into LC wet food. It’s a good idea to have some in addition to HC food in the case of emergency. If your cat refuses to eat or goes into a hypo coma, you can rub karo directly onto their gums.

10) Diabetic Appropriate Treats. Freeze dried chicken and turkey are popular with most kitties. Make sure you give kitty a treat after testing to reward him or her!

11) Sharps Container to hold used syringes and lancets. I use an old laundry detergent bottle. Make sure you check local regulations on disposal.

12) Chocolate/candy/wine/your favorite treat. For you!
13) Rice to make a rice sock. (optional.) Fill a clean sock with rice and tie it off. The rice sock can be heated in the microwave and then pressed against kitty's ear to encourage bleeding. Some members use a warm washcloth or paper towel as alternatives.

Please, let us know what you need help with most. We have all been in your situation and have many resources to help you to learn to manage this sugardance.