Cat Diagnosed with Diabetes

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Skazel

Member Since 2013
Hello,

Yesterday I found out my cat was diagnosed with diabetes. I noticed about 4 weeks ago that he seemed to be drinking more water and urinating more. When I took him in for his comprehensive exam they noted that his levels were high, over 400.

I'm going today to pick up a vial of Lantus so I can give him injections as soon as possible. The least expensive I could find is at Costo for $180. I've read here and many other forums as well as the vet that even though the expiration period is 28 days, that as long as there are no symptoms of the diabetes that it is ok to continue using the current vial of Lantus.

Does anybody currently have experience with this? Any suggestions for finding it for less?

He's 10 years old and I plan on giving him proper injections for the remainder of his life, keep him happy and health as possible.

I know there is a small chance the diabetes will revert and was curious if anybody else has experienced this recently.

Thank you for your time.

Hugh (cat) and I will be very happy for any comments or feedback.
 
Welcome to FDMB.

You heard right - following a low carb, over the counter diet and a Tight Regulation protocol may get him off insulin.

The vial, if refrigerated on a stationary shelf, may last a good 6 months before waning in effectiveness. You still may wind up throwing some out. Getting the Rx for the pens and using them like mini vials is more cost effective as the potency only starts waning once opened.

CAUTION: many vets start with too high of an insulin dose! The formula to estimate that is the lower of current weight or ideal weight, in Kilograms (pounds / 2.2), mutiplied by 0.25, rounded down to the nearesy half unit. An 11 pound cat would get 1 unit to start.

Home glucose testing will keep your cat safe by ensuring you don't give insulin when the cat is too low.

Feeding a low carb, over the counter diet, such as Friskies pates, may drop the glucose level 100 mg/dL. More info is available at Cat Info, alng with an extensive, printable food chart.
 
Lantus is a good insulin. And yes, not always but often, cats go into remission. If you look at the threads on this page, you'll see several in the last two weeks.

The other two things that are vital to giving this sugar dance your best shot are diet and home testing. If you aren't feeding wet, a vet explains why wet low carb food is vital here: http://www.catinfo.org. But don't change the diet until you are testing. My cat went down 100 points overnight when we switched from dry to wet. If we'd given the usual dose, he would have hypoed.

We test our cats before each shot to make sure the amount we are planning to give is safe, and midcycle to see how low the insulin is taking the cat. If you are interested, we'd love to teach you how.
 
If your rx is for the Lantus pens, try this. http://www.lantus.com/sign-up/offers.aspx I'd printed it off and took it in, but my vet insisted on the vial rather than pens. However, the pharmacist did confirm that the coupon was legit - so might be worth it to those of you using Lantus pens.
 
Yep Lantus lasts up to 6 months if kept in the fridge, and you don't shake or roll it,

However has anyone discussed with you the fact that many cats can go into remission with a change to a low carb wet food instead of dry? Assuming the vet didn't mention ketones you might want to try a food change before starting insulin. You want a low carb wet under 10% calories from carbs. See this list although many of us here feed fancy feast classic pates, friskies pates or wellness grain free: http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

Wendy
 
Thank you all for the positive feedback and support. He's been started on 3 units of Lantus and I am mixing the current food with new diabetic food. He tends to have an upset stomach when we've tried switching food on him in the past so hopefully mixing half and half to start will help. It's only been a day, but I have not gotten any kitty surprise yet.

Glad to hear that the vial can last a while, at that cost I don't know that I would be able to buy it that often. There are less expensive alternatives, but the best chance of success was to start with the Lantus. I'll be keeping an eye on him and the vet office is just down the road if I need to bring him in. I'll be taking him back in next Tuesday to see if we need to change the unit.

The vet didn't know about the pens when I asked her about it, so I'll just stick the vial for now and as long as he's having a positive reaction to the insulin I will use it and take him to the vet for periodic check ins.

Again, thank you all for the support. I'm doing what I can to make sure he has a long, happy, and healthy life.
 
Are you home testing? I'm very new, but from what I've seen & read, that's a very high starting dose. I'd be sure to home test often to make sure you dont run into problems. My kitty needed dosing adjustments within the first week, with continued reductions after that. I'd have OD'd him quickly without home testing.
 
That dose may be too high!!!

You have started changing his diet to a lower carb food which may reduce his glucose level as much as 100 mg/dL. He is at a high risk of hypoglycemia.

The correct starting dose is estimated from the following:
How much does he weigh?
How much should he weigh?
Take the lower number (called "lean weight") and convert it to kilograms (pounds/2.2)
Multiply by 0.25
Round down to nearest quarter unit.

Ex
11 lbs = 5 kg
5 * 0.25 = 1.25 units starting dose
 
Currently he weighs about 19 lbs.
I am mixing the diabetic food with the current food (IAMS). Last time I tried to switch foods on him he got an upset stomach. So I'm mixing it together before I completely switch to the diabetic food. Hopefully that will help transition him to the new food. I am not testing at home, but will be taking him in on Tuesday to check his levels and change his dosage if needed.
 
What specifically is the diabetic food you're transitioning him to? It actually might not be a very good food for a diabetic, even if it's labeled "Diabetic." If that's the case, the 3u might not be too high a dose if he's still eating high carb food. If that's not the case, then I agree with everyone above that 3u is too high and you're courting danger starting with a dose that high while you're transitioning him to lower carb food.

Are you planning on eventually home-testing?
 
It's Royal Canine Diabetic formula. The veterinarian never mentioned anything about home testing. Just bring him in once a week for the first few weeks to do the blood work and determine if we are at the right dosage, if he needs more or if he needs less.
 
Unfortunately some vets aren't experienced enough to know that a food change can cause a drop in blood sugar and a reduction in insulin needs. Or that many cats go into remission with Lantus. We have seen many cats here have hypos as a result - with varying results.. some made it, some made it with brain damage, some passed away.

I would strongly recommend home testing. Shooting without testing is like driving with a bag over your head.

Wendy
 
Skazel said:
The veterinarian never mentioned anything about home testing. Just bring him in once a week for the first few weeks to do the blood work and determine if we are at the right dosage, if he needs more or if he needs less.
Click to expand...

I don't mean to scare you or to sound like I'm trying to pressure you, but for six months we took that approach with my Toby, and his numbers consistently showed he was doing really well. And yet, he still had three hypos serious enough to warrant a trip to the vet and an overnight stay, one of which also included a glucose drip, and the other an injection of glucose directly into the heart when the vet failed to get an IV in. We are so very lucky that he's still here, even luckier that he's no worse for wear.

I know hometesting can seem overwhelming at first, but you and your cat quickly get used to it and it helps so much. You have the support of everybody here, and - should you choose to - you can do it.

Best of luck with Hugh :smile:
 
Skazel said:
It's Royal Canine Diabetic formula. The veterinarian never mentioned anything about home testing. Just bring him in once a week for the first few weeks to do the blood work and determine if we are at the right dosage, if he needs more or if he needs less.
Click to expand...

That's still too high in carbs for a diabetic, HOWEVER, you don't want to switch to a lower carb food without home-testing because food change alone can drop BGs by 100 to 200 points or more. This increases the risk of a hypo if you're also not testing and decreasing his insulin in conjunction with the decrease in BGs from the food.

And, if you home test, you won't have to bring him into the vet every week or two to figure out the right dosage. Please let us teach you how. :-D
 
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