Anyone Help with these Question?

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Lana & Yoyo

Lana & Yoyo

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My cat Yoyo was diagnosed with diabetes in 2008. After three months on insulin, he recovered. I kept him on the low-carb diet... well, actually, when he was diabetic, I gave him nothing higher than 5% from Janet and Binky's list and after he recovered, I did begin to incorporate some 10% cans into his diet.

About six weeks ago, I took him to the vet because I thought he was sick and he is diabetic again. He will be 15 years old in July. Can anyone hazard a guess as to why this diabetes would recur considering his diet has been pretty low carb for the last two years?

He is ravenously hungry and I have fed him 4 to 6 cans of Fancy Feast a day because he was begging for food constantly -- the vet was aghast. So I dropped him back to no more than 4 cans which would still appall the vet for this 15 pound cat. It made him mad so he sprayed in my bedroom. Well, he certainly got my attention. He is now banned from the house (he is indoor-outdoor). I don't know what to do. I can't have him spraying in my house -- in 15 years he has NEVER done anything like this -- but I can't keep a close eye on him if he is outside all the time, either.

Blood sugar in cats is another unfathomable thing. One day, at 2 pm, it will be 170, the next day, it will be 400. Same food. Same amount of insulin. I don't think humans are like that. My vet has done one blood sugar curve but I don't think he really monitors my cat closely enough. What should my goal be for Yoyo's blood sugar? It geneally runs in the 200's to the low 300's most of the time. He is getting 1.5 units of Lantus twice/day.

Thanks,
Lana
 
Hi Lana! I am sorry to hear that your kitty is out of remission. It is common to have relapses sometimes because diabetes is never cured - it only goes into remission. I would stick with foods under 10% carbs from here on out. But the most important thing that everyone on here will suggest is that you start hometesting your kitty's blood sugar levels. You really do not have an accurate idea of how he is doing by getting curves done at the vet since stress can raise a bg number over 200 points sometimes.

My guess is two things are happening: the spraying could be due to a lot of sugar being spilled over into his urine. This often causes kitties to not pee in the litter box because of discomfort. Feed as much as he will eat right now because you are not feeding the cat, you are feeding the diabetes. Diabetics do not process food efficiently and will need more food in order to get the proper amount of energy to the cells. Second thing - 1.5u might be too much insulin, especially if the 170 and 400 reading was taken at the same time on different days. You could be over dosing and causing a rebound reaction - another reason to not rely on spot checks at the vet and to hometest every day.

I am glad you found our group, and I know others will chime in here soon! If you have any other questions - I have a lot of links and info on hometesting in the "basic FD info" link in my signature.
 
Kelly already gave you some great advice.

I have some questions. Have you checked his teeth, does he need a dental? Any bloodwork done to rule out any underlying infections? Also, how can you know that no one is feeding him any dry food or that he's not finding it outside if he goes outside?

Banishing a diabetic to the outdoors can be hazardous because if you can't watch for signs of hypoglycemia or ketones, how can you keep him safe?

I don't know what human diabetics go through as far as blood sugars, but they do monitor their blood sugar and know what the BG is before taking insulin, same thing we do for our cats. Stress, heat, illness, all of that can change our cat's blood sugar. Today my boy's BGs are great, 120 at shot time and 72 at 6 hours after shot, but yesterday we were nowhere near these numbers. The rain and thunder spiked his numbers.
 
Lana

I'm a bit confused about your question about blood glucose levels and how they vary...are you testing at home? Because while there are atypical days like Jennifer mentioned, most cats develop a fairly predictable response to consistent dosing and feeding. If you are just getting tests done at the clinic, they typically aren't very helpful...

Jen
 
Typical reasons for a cat to come out of "remission" include dental problems, infection or just pancreas is tired out.

Please let him have more food and start treating with insulin. He will stop spraying when he feels better
 
In addition to what everyone said, allowing him outdoors, you have NO IDEA what he may be eating. For example, I feed the feral cats and I don't necessarily feed them quality foods or low carb. If there is someone in his territory feeding cats or dogs or other animals, he may have found it and could be eating it and you haven't a clue what he's eating in addition to what you are feeding.

Again, another reason to keep him inside.
 
Thanks to all who responded. I am giving Yoyo 6 cans of Fancy Feast/day again since so many of you don't think it is a problem. I do test his blood sugar at home. At this point I don't always test every day, but, at the point where I start seeing readings drop below 120, I will start testing before each injection. That is the way I did it the last time he was diabetic and it worked well. I am also going to get his teeth checked and cleaned. it has been about two years since the last time so he could have developed some problems. He had $200+ of blood work when I took him to the vet in May. He was diagnosed with diabetes -- everything besides blood sugar was normal, including the cbc (complete blood count). The cost of feline dental cleaning is outrageous. I am getting quotes of $500 - $900. If any of you are in Houston and can recommend someone with reasonable fees, please let me know.

Lana
 
Lana, where are you located (part of town)?

I have an incredible vet but I'm not sure she would be any cheaper than the quote you have. She is in NW area.

You can send a private message to me if you want - just click on my name and one of the options should be send a private message.

Best,
Pam & Layla
 
Lana, if you trust your vet the best option might be to stay with him, but, if you are unhappy, then I would encourage you to look elsewhere.

The range on the dental is wide because they won't know how much work, besides cleaning, will be needed until they are in the operating room. Sometimes they just need the scrape and polish, but other times they might need extractions, so that is why the cost could go up from the minimum estimate.

I don't remember what I paid for mine last year, but the low-point on the estimate was a little less than yours, but with mine it turned into surgery due to fractured roots so I paid near the upper range of the estimate.

With that in mind you would want to evaluate if you want to start over with a new vet, based on price alone, or whether you trust your vet to do the procedure.
If not, I would call around to nearby vets, or call the SPCA or Humane Society to see if they have suggestions for lower-cost vets.

I adore my vet and would drive a fair distance to see her, but you might not want to drive across town in Houston traffic.

Another option you might consider is talking to someone at the A&M Small Animal Clinic. It would be a 2-hour drive, but, you could see if there is a lower-cost on dental procedures. It is probably 120 miles each way from your location. With higher bills they will let you pay over six months - but you would need to verify that with them and that is something the clerk could answer at the main desk. I've used A&M for critical care for Layla, and I cannot say enough good things about them, but I don't know if they will be cheaper than your vet for a dental procedure.
It might be worth a call. http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/vscs/services/d ... ndex.shtml


If you want me to ask my vet if there is someone she likes near the Heights I will be glad to see what she thinks.

Best,
Pam
 
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