Brand New to Diabetes

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Rosey Tracks

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This morning I took 12yo GrayC to the Dr. because he has been drinking a ton of water and acting a bit sluggish. He has down to 14lbs compared to 17lbs two years ago. His Dr. did a blood test which showed his BG level at 505mg/dL. She explained that he has diabetes and that he would need to stay with her for at least today, probably 24 hours, maybe 48 hours. She is going to get his BG level into a reasonable range and then prescribe an insulin regimen plus testing every couple of weeks.
For the last couple of hours since I left the vet, I have been researching everything I can on feline diabetes. I will be buying a BG monitor today, karo syrup, urine test strips, and a large gauge lancet to start and whatever else I can think of. The vet also wants him to eat Hills d/m. Since I have two other cats, she recommended that they all switch to the same diet. My plan is to test, test, test and start graphing curves so that I have data to disseminate. I value everything the vet has to offer but I also want to have control.
So when I go pick him up or even later today when the vet calls, what are the important things I should be asking right off? Should I be concerned with the type of insulin he goes on (regular, lente, ultralente)? Is there anything you can think of that was important to find out right away? Maybe something you wished that youl would have asked but did not realize it till later.

Thank you!
Crystal & GrayC
 
Crystal, I was EXACTLY where you were one month ago. In my HUMBLE opinion, home testing is the best thing in the world you can do for your sweet cat. I went too long NOT home testing and almost found myself and my cat in a really bad situation with a over dose of insulin. I don't know enough yet to advise you on anything other than that.

Home Testing is the way to go!!!!

You can do this, and you came to the right place. These people really know their stuff.

I'm sure I will see more of you, and best of luck!!
Carla (and Boo)
 
First off congrats on wanting to home test, it is so important.

As far as insulin goes the 3 that have the best track record here are Lantus, Levermir and PZI, of those 3 Lantus and Levermir are human insulins so are available through most pharmacies. Whereas PZI is a pet only and can be only purchased through your vet. If it is one of the two Ls ask for her to write the script for the pens not the vial. The pens will cost you about double the vial as an upfront cost but works out to be cheaper in the long run, as you will use all of it, than throwing out about half of the vial. Also the starting dose should be no more than .5-1u, and should be given twice a day, as cats have a high metabolism rate.

Syringes you want ones with 1/2 unit marks, it makes it easier to measure small doses.

I would highly recommend not using the Hills prescription food, there are plenty of commercial foods out there that have better quality ingredients. Here is a link to the charts most of use when buying food for our diabetics http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html You want to stay under 10% carbs. Personally I use Friskies Pate style for all 11 of my cats, only 1 is diabetic, who is now in remission, the Friskies runs about 5-7% carbs.

Other than that read tons and ask a bunch of questions we would love to help you help your GreyC

Mel, Maxwell and The Fur Gang
 
A few thoughts:
Was a frustosamine test done? What was the value? (This test shows the average amount of sugar in the blood over the pat few weeks.)
Does the cat have a urinary tract infection? (Common in unregulated diabetic cats, and requires antibiotics)
Does the cat need a dental? (This is not something that you necessarily need to tend to immediately, but one of the things that contributes to difficulty in regulating a diabetic)
What type of insulin and what dose? (The longer acting ones like Lantus or Levemir are preferred as they are easier to regulate with and have a more gentle action. Starting dose shouldn't be more than 1 unit unless there are extenuating circumstances. Ask for reason behind choice of insulin and dose.)
Does the vet support wet, lo carb diet? Does the vet support home testing? (There are 2 very important items if you want the best chance of having your cat well controlled or even into remission)
If Lantus or Levemir is prescribed, ask for the pens or cartridges, NOT the vial. It takes too long for most people to use it all up and then goes bad.

I'm sure that I've missed something. Others will help.

Good luck. Its not that hard - just a bit of a shock. There are lots of people here to help with any and all questions or just things that you are wondering about.
 
Hi Crystal, and, of course, you too, sweet GrayC,

Rosey Tracks said:
For the last couple of hours since I left the vet, I have been researching everything I can on feline diabetes. I will be buying a BG monitor today, karo syrup, urine test strips, and a large gauge lancet to start and whatever else I can think of. The vet also wants him to eat Hills d/m. Since I have two other cats, she recommended that they all switch to the same diet. My plan is to test, test, test and start graphing curves so that I have data to disseminate. I value everything the vet has to offer but I also want to have control.
Click to expand...
Wow! I have such a great feeling about you two (well, technically four...)! Someone wondrous here told me long ago that knowledge is power. It is.

Oh, and do add a box/bag of uncooked rice and a sock from your sock drawer to your amazing newbie list. You'll need it to warm his ear before you poke. It's like a 20-30 second nuke deal depending on the sock you choose...

As for the Hills M/D or Purina D/M? You don't need prescription food. Nope. All your three furries will do well on a wet, low carb, high protein diet (aside from any other medical issues preventing it). We tend to be fans of Fancy Feast, Wellness, Friskies -- basically canned food you can buy at your grocery store. Here are links to Janet and Binky's Famous Food Charts -- of which we're huge fans!
New:
http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html
Old:
http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodOld.html
And, yes, even dry food in case you need some transition time...
http://binkyspage.tripod.com/dryfood.html


Rosey Tracks said:
Should I be concerned with the type of insulin he goes on (regular, lente, ultralente)?
Click to expand...
Ask his vet for either Lantus, Levemir, or ProZinc/PZI. Personally? I'd ask for either of the first two first. They tend to work well with cats and are gentle.


Rosey Tracks said:
Is there anything you can think of that was important to find out right away? Maybe something you wished that you would have asked but did not realize it till later.
Click to expand...
Being reminded to breathe was really helpful. Do breathe. You can, Crystal. GrayC may be extra-sweet now; but, remember, he's still a cat. Your cat...

I was a complete train wreck when Giz diagnosed at age 14. Yet, somehow we danced for four more years... I probably asked way too many questions and became further confused (think train wreck upon train wreck) when I discovered her ER vet had opposing thoughts from what I was learning here. Please understand I am not a vet basher, Crystal. I've been blessed with two vets I both love and admire. I simply decided to follow my heart and believe people who were and are in the sugar trenches each and every day. And, in the process, humbly taught these two vets the power of home testing, diet, and being pro-active.

The only thing I can think of that I maybe wished I might have asked but did not realize it until later? Hmmm... I might have asked if I'd need my sugar toe shoes steel tipped... Okay, I also might have asked if I'd need a football helmet -- you know, to protect my head when I banged it against the wall or sometimes the floor... But, we're getting ahead of ourselves for now...

Welcome to the place you never wanted to be; but, will be blessed for having found.

Love and encouraging hugs for you both -- and the two furries watching from the sidelines,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, forever dancing in my heart...
 
As for the Hills M/D or Purina D/M? You don't need prescription food. Nope. All your three furries will do well on a wet, low carb, high protein diet (aside from any other medical issues preventing it). We tend to be fans of Fancy Feast, Wellness, Friskies -- basically canned food you can buy at your grocery store.
Click to expand...


I would 2nd, 3rd, or 4th that. Bob was prescribed Hills Prescription Diet initially, and as soon as I found this site, I went to the vet armed with Binky's List. Not only was it more expensive, but I could only get it from the vet. Bob ate it for 2 days (because he was pretty much starving to death) and then he wouldn't go near it. The main ingredient was liver, and I am guessing it tasted just about as good as it smelled. I had to hold my nose to spoon it out of the can. Now he's eating 9-lives, friskies and fancy feast, and he's gained back a pound of the 5 he lost. And his sugar is lower and he looks forward to meals.

Carl in SC
 
Hi Crystal and welcome to FDMB.

While a diagnosis of feline diabetes can be overwhelming and scary, let me assure you that is a very manageable disease. And you are off to a great start with your research and preparations.

I am glad to see that you want to begin hometesting immediately. You can use any brand of glucose meters, including store brands. Many of us use Walmart Relion brand meters and are very happy with them. Look for a meter that takes as little blood as possible, that will make it easier for you when you test.

One other thing to pick up is some low carb treats. The best type we can recommend are freeze dried meats such as Halo Treats or Kitty Kissers. You can also look in the aisle where dog treats are sold in your pet store and find freeze dried treats there. Usually they are packaged in larger bags and more economical when you find them as dog treats. Whenever you test, even if you are not successful, you want to reward your cat with a treat. Soon he will begin to associate getting tested means getting a treat and become very cooperative. He may start reminding you when it is time to test. :lol:
 
Thank you all so much!!!! I feel much more prepared to talk to the vet now.
I will be asking for either Lantus or Levermire in the pen or cartridge (not vial). I will expect a starting dosage to be 0.5-1.0u.
I will be asking if a frustosamine test has been done and what the value is. If not, I will ask for that to be done.
I will ask for UTI screening & if GrayC is in need of dental work.

All my cats love Friskies & FancyFeast wet food so I am glad to hear support for continued use of those foods. I lost my Silly Cat a few years back to kidney disease and the vet had me only feeding her Hills K/D diet for which I felt terrible doing because she was not a fan. It is good to know I can still feed them stuff they love. Any thoughts about the treats called "Temptations"? GrayC loves his Temptations. Currently he is used to getting 10-20 treats/day whenever he wants. I think now I will start using them as a reward after testing.

I just bought a FreeStyle Lite BG Monitoring System with 28ga lancets. I am going to try it on myself first so that at least I will know what it is like.
I can't wait to get him back home!

Thank you all!
Crystal & GrayC
 
Rosey Tracks said:
I just bought a FreeStyle Lite BG Monitoring System with 28ga lancets. I am going to try it on myself first so that at least I will know what it is like.
I can't wait to get him back home!
Click to expand...

I did the same thing, although unintentionally, the first week I began testing Bob. I think it was a 30g lancet and I was surprised it didn't really hurt much. Oh, and my blood sugar was 123!

What I learned - after having been told countless times on two different forums and by the vet techs - was to remember to breath deeply, and be as relaxed as can be when trying to test. And to stay that way even when the tests fail or the numbers are higher than you were hoping for. The most stressful 3 seconds is the time between the meter going "beep" when it tells you the blood sample is sufficient, and the next time it beeps and shows you the result.

I only posted here today for the first time, like you, but I can tell there are a whole bunch of nice and very helpful people here, and I've been made to feel quite welcome.

Carl in SC
 
Temptations are very high in carbs and no great for diabetics. However, boiled chicken breasts, sardines, boiled salad shrimp and water packed tuna are fine. Basically you want things that are pure meat. I do however keep Temptations in the house for those days of low blood sugar (hypo), or if someone isn't feeling well and not wanting to eat. You will also want to keep either HC wet food (Gravy Fancy Feast) or those Temptations around if you need to bring up his numbers. Karo syrup bring the numbers up quickly but won't last, Great for getting them up while waiting for the higher carb food to kick in. Hopefully you will never need your hypo kit, but better to have it and not need it, than need it and have to rummage through the house looking for something.

Mel, Maxwell and The Fur Gang.
 
Regarding Temptations treats - yes, they are high carb. He may not be able to have 10 to 20 at a time, but I confess to giving Tony 1 (yes,one) every so often. You can still give them to your other cats - everyone gets a treat for a blood test. And if he refuse all other suggested treats, better to give him a Temptations than something he considers an insult. As you gain more data, you will be able to tell if these treats affect his bg or not.
 
Hi Crystal,

Just dropping past to say hello and welcome. I'm only a month old myself and still coming to terms with everything.

The best advice I can give you at this stage is breathe :-D and try not to 'fix' everything at once. I did, and only made myself sick and both my cats anxious. You'll get excellent advice and all the support you need here, so hang in there.

Lesley, Cheeks and Old Man Bodie xo
 
hi there. just wanted to pop in and say welcome and to let you know i LOVE the Freestyle meters. Been using them since Mousie was diagnosed in 2006. My vet had me start out with the Freestyle Flash, which I think isn't even available or is hard to find anymore since they upgraded to the Freestyle Lite and Freestyle Freedom Lite.

i'll give you a few bits of info on them. they are easy easy to use mostly because of their size and because they require such a small drop of blood.

you have 60 seconds from meter activation to fulfilling it's needs for enough blood to get a reading before it errors out on you. sooooo, what i do is i put a strip just barely in the end of the meter, not enough to turn it on. i then prick Mousie's ear and reach down and insert the strip fully into the meter to turn on the meter. milk her ear to get blood flow if it's not flowing already and then grab the meter and stick the strip in the blood.

if by chance you push the strip all the way in to the meter and realize you aren't getting blood flow quick enough, as long as you remove the strip from the meter before that 60 seconds, that strip is still good. in other words, for example, let's say your doing your business and just about the time you go to grab the meter to put it in the blood, your cat gets fidgety and gets away from you, just pull the strip out of the meter, which will turn it off, and go get kitty and start over. that way you're not wasting test strips.

also, i tend to buy my test strips for them online, usually ebay, because i can typically get them for less than half what the local stores charge. anddddddddd, get this, the test strips last well beyond their expiration date printed on the box! :-)

also, the 28 gauge lancets might be a bit big but are probably good to start with while you learn to get blood. if kitty reacts too strongly to them, you can go to a different gauge later.

as far as the lancet device goes, i have discovered both with my kitty and others' who i've gone out and helped learn to do this that having the clear cap that comes in the kit, rather than the solid color one, makes a big difference with the freestyle lancet devices. i went to one lady's house late at night because she was scared to death that she couldn't get blood and didn't know what was going on with her kitty. when i got there and started working things out with her, covering the bases, i realized she had no clear cap. i asked her where it was and she hadn't realized what it was. she had thrown it away! she dug it out of the trash, still in it's plastic bag thankfully, and put it on the lancet device and she got blood immediately. panic was stopped and she was thrilled. you can pretty much see where you're aiming with the clear cap on so that you aren't missing the ear. although occasionally i still do. LOL!!

ummmmmm, what else can i tell you about the freestyle meter..... ...i think that's it for now. hope that helps
 
You sound like I did 2 months ago! Welcome!
In my case, I spent all my time trying to find out about the disease and what I could do to help my cat. I poured over the main site here, then started an intro thread on the MB.

Here are the treats that I give Cedric:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=18329
I have the heart shaped (they are super crunchy). I'm not sure why there are showing as "sold out" maybe they are out of stock on 2 of the 3 types.

i also have some treats made by Evo that are high protien grain free. I bought them at Pet Supermarket.

Good luck - sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders and are ready to help your pet!
 
Rosey Tracks said:
Thank you all so much!!!! I feel much more prepared to talk to the vet now.
I will be asking for either Lantus or Levermire in the pen or cartridge (not vial). I will expect a starting dosage to be 0.5-1.0u.
I will be asking if a frustosamine test has been done and what the value is. If not, I will ask for that to be done.
I will ask for UTI screening & if GrayC is in need of dental work.

Thank you all!
Crystal & GrayC
Click to expand...

Wow, how on-the-ball are you?! Love it, love it, love it!
Is GrayC, gray in color by chance? I love grey kitties, Gandalf is one :-D

I wanted to pop in with a welcome and prepare you for the possibility your vet may disappoint you, either regarding the insulin choice or especially the dosage. Is GrayC still there? The problem with the vet trying to lower GrayC's BGs is that cats often suffer from vet stress (like white-coat syndrome in people if you've heard of that) which causes their blood glucose to go higher than it would at home. This may effect what they think the dose needs to be.

It is another reason we advocate home testing so much.

Anyway, once you get GrayC home, let us know the particulars about which insulin and the recommended dose, if you need any help learning to test her BGs at home or anything else and we can help you with what you should do from that point, OK? The beginning is a steep learning curve, but it does get easier and we have many successful members who can attest to that!

Good for you for being so proactive about GrayC's care! Hang in there.
 
I heard from our vet today and went to visit GrayC. In a short 24 hours he has developed severe dandruff and is covered in flakes. I was shocked and have planned a nice tea tree oil bath as soon as he gets home. GrayC is solid gray & his name is short for Gray Cat. This is a name my husband gave him when he showed up as a stray almost 10 years ago. I tried to change his name to "Muffin" but it did not stick. The vet explained that he is on ProZinc twice a day and his BC was down to 305mg/dL at 9am this morning. They were upping his dose to 5units for the evening (upping from 4.5units from last night). I was shocked at the dosage amount because I was expecting 0.5 to 1 unit max. I grilled the vet about this and expressed concern but she seems confident in her choice and his numbers seem to reinforce her case. I hope they are correct but I am worried. With a 5:30pm injection time he would be peaking in the middle of the night and I wonder who is there to make sure he is OK. I admit that vets have a whole lot more experience than I do and training but I still feel concern. We live in a very small town and I have picked which seemed to be the smartest and most practical doctor. I seriously think I only have two choices here. The next town in 60 miles away. Of course, with such a small town, our costs are almost double what larger city vets charge. Its just that way here.
The vet has tonight & tomorrow off and the alternate vet explained that I would most likely get to take GrayC home tomorrow. I am really worried about giving him such a high dose of insulin at home. Guaranteed I will be taking lots of BG tests tomorrow. I also bought some salmon at the store today and tried it out on my other two cats as a test for possible "good" treats. They love it. Hopefully GrayC loves it too. Joy!
 
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