Brand New and Super Confused

[Fanty's Mom]

Fanty was diagnosed (sort of) this afternoon. I have scanned through a lot of information on this website, and it's only making me even more confused. I'm hoping some of you can help me out.

My vet said that Fanty's blood work came back only a LITTLE high. She didn't think it was probably diabetes initially, but wanted to do a urinalysis. Once they were able to do that, she confirmed that it probably WAS diabetes. She is pretty certain, but couldn't say for SURE without doing another test.

We talked about what diabetes treatment would mean. She told me that it would be $1,500 - $2,000 initially to get him regulated. She also told me that I would have to give him 2 shots a day. First of all, that is a lot of money that I don't have. To make matters worse, I have a severe needle phobia. So severe, in fact, that the use of needles causes me to pass out and have seizures. I can't even watch people use them on fictional tv dramas.

After some discussion about my own issues, the vet suggested that I just switch Fanty to the prescription wet food, and see if he gets better. If it does not help, however, she made it VERY clear that I should just put him down.

I was upset for obvious reasons and horribly confused. I was already $300 in from the blood test and urinalysis, and the test to confirm wether it is diabetes was going to be another $120, so I decided to take him home, start feeding him the wet food, and do some research first before making any decisions or doing any more tests.

And that's pretty much where I am now. Based on the information I've read so far, it sounds like maybe I need to find a new vet for starters? Her costs seem high, and she doesn't seem to be offering a lot of suggestions or alternatives. She flat out told me that home testing was NOT an option, but it seems like almost everyone here is doing home testing. And she said his glucose levels were pretty low, but still seemed really quick to suggest euthanizing him.

I would really appreciate any thoughts you guys have on my situation.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Switching to a low carb canned food can make a world of difference!! And you don't need to go broke feeding it either!! A lot of us feed plain old Fancy Feast Classics, Friskies Pate's or 9-Lives pates!! Those prescription foods are usually too high in carbs for our sugarcats ....and way too expensive!!

Here's a short list of foods under 8% carbs http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

Your vet sounds like so many others we hear about here that for some reason don't think you should home test...well of course not!....that would effect his pocketbook, wouldn't it??

By learning to home test and using a human meter like the Relion Confirm or Micro (from WalMart) you can do everything at home and save a LOT of money.

 

[BJM]

Welcome to FDMB.
I strongly suggest you take a look at the Vet Interview Topics in my signature, because those costs are exorbitant.
You do not need prescription food, you need low carb, over the counter canned food, such as Friskies pates (are you in the US? If yes, these are readily available). Feeding low carb canned after feeding high carb anything may drop the glucose 100-200 mg/dL. And vet stress may raise the glucose 100-180 mg/dL. And cats don't get regulated at the vet; they can be regulated at home.
See my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools. While not as precise as blood glucose, it can give you enough clues to help manage the diabetes.
You can, and we believe should, home test your cat's glucose. How else can you know it is safe to give insulin? That the food change brought down the glucose (what was the number at the office?)? Or if the dose may need adjustment? All it takes is an inexpensive human glucometer, matching test strips, and 26-28 gauge lancets to make a small prick in the ear for a blood droplet.
If it turns out that a diet change doesn't do enough to reduce the glucose, you may need to use insulin. And here's a fact - a cat's pancreas may recover its function and stop needing insulin after you give a chance to rest a bit and recover. We call it going OTJ, or Off The Juice. The insulins we have found most useful are Lantus and Levemir pens, ProZinc, or BCP PZI. Order Lantus or Levemir from Canada in warmer months, otherwise check our Supply Closet section and your local Craigslist. And use a syringe to get the insulin out, not the pen needles. Some states require a prescription for syringes - get one and fill it someplace other than the over-priced vet, like www.adwdiabetes.com

 

[Julia & Bandit (GA)]

I absolutely agree with the others. I was fortunate that Bandit's vet strongly advocated home testing and a low carb, canned commerical diet from the start. He's been diabetic since 2009 and only needed insulin a fraction of that time, so insulin, home testing, and diet definitely make a HUGE difference in the success of managing a diabetic cat.

I would find a new vet. If your current vet is unwilling to follow the current treatment guidelines, then you should find one who is.

I sympathize with the needle phobia, but if it turns out Fanty does need insulin, would there be a way you might be able to work through your phobia? The syringes we use for our cats are really, really small (.3 cc, 8mm, 31 g needles, the smallest they make), and the injections are given subcutaneously, so maybe it won't be as bad as you think? I have a severe phobia of spiders (silly, I know, but my brain hasn't quite gotten that message). I was able to work through it a little bit where I can now deal with small ones in person, even though big ones still send me in a panicked fit across the room, and make me feel dizzy and faint when they show up in movies or tv shows. I know everyone is different, but I'm just wondering if maybe your mental picture of the process is a little worse than it actually is.

 

[Robin&BB]

Hi, Fanty's Mom! Welcome, and I'm so glad you landed here @ FDMB, because there are SO many of us who can confirm that what your vet just told you is ... a whole bunch of baloney! (Sorry if that sounds mean, but - good grief! - this vet just proved to you how little she knows about best practices in treating feline diabetes. So ...

Based on the information I've read so far, it sounds like maybe I need to find a new vet for starters?

Yep, you're right!

My vet said that Fanty's blood work came back only a LITTLE high. She didn't think it was probably diabetes initially, but wanted to do a urinalysis. Once they were able to do that, she confirmed that it probably WAS diabetes. She is pretty certain, but couldn't say for SURE without doing another test.

Many kitties don't at all like going to see the vet and, as a result, can spike higher blood glucose #s during a vet visit: It's called "stress hyperglycemia." (Some cats can even spike a BG# more than 100 points higher than usual!) For all we know, stress hyperglycemia may have been exactly what was happening to Fanty!

So before you take this vet's word for her rather "iffy" diagnosis of diabetes, relax and take heart --- because it may actually turn out that all your sweet kitty needs is to be on a good low-carb canned food (which is something ALL kitties should be on, diabetic or not, unless they have some type of medical problem that requires a special diet).

I have a question for you: How much does Fanty weigh (I'm assuming he was weighed during the vet visit.) Is he underweight? Overweight?

Here's a handy chart to help you assess him: body condition chart
Slender is better to help prevent and/or control diabetes. (Not bony, but slim.) So feeding the right amount of low-carb food daily for your cat's target weight is an important part of treatment.

You have plenty of company here @ FDMB as relates to a fear of needles - but I think with the support of the others here who have had to overcome that, you WILL able to do it to ... because you love your kitty, and (I truly believe this) that love that will give you the strength to learn to home-test Fanty. (It's really not very hard at all; if I can do it, anyone can!)

And wouldn't it give you such a marvelous feeling of satisfaction to be able to call up that vet one of these days to say, "Excuse me, but I've been testing Fanty's blood glucose here at home since I put him on a low-carb canned-food diet ... and as it turns out, Fanty's blood glucose #s are just fine now. It appears that what he was exhibiting in your office was stress hyperglycemia. So you just might want to look that up ... 'Bye now!"

(Really: I hope you find I new vet, pronto.) We're all in your corner! - Robin

P.S. And even if it were to turn out that Fanty needs to be on insulin, initial treatment does NOT have to cost anywhere near what the vet was quoting you.

 

[Critter Mom]

Hi Fanty's Mom

My heart went out to you when I read about how severe your needle phobia is. I suffer from multiple crippling anxiety disorders myself so I can both sympathise and empathise with your predicament.

There are a couple of points I'd like to contribute to this thread:

1. Since I've joined FDMB I have seen a number of needle phobics push past the fear. I just want you to know there have been success stories.

2. It is possible that fear of losing Fanty may be strong enough to help you push through the needle phobia.

3. In the event that you were not able to push past the needle phobia, please can you come back here and ask about oral medications for the treatment of hyperglycaemia before making any big decisions about what to do next. From what I've read here, oral diabetes treatments don't work that well for cats (certainly not long term) but if you did get to the situation where there was no other course of action open, it would be worth asking the experienced members here for input on whether the oral meds would be worth considering.

I agree with the posters above about your current vets.

Should it come to the point where Fanty might need insulin, it is my fervent wish that the universe will move to help you to help your fur baby.





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