Confused newbie -- HELP -- what are options?

[NashvilleKitty]

Hi - I have a 16-year-old tortie girl who had been losing weight and vocalizing alllll the time. They did two blood tests, and I think she's around 360 at moment. I've started her on 100% Purina DM wet food, which she responds very well to, tho she wants it constantly throughout the day, and keeps waking me up with piteous meowing just before dawn (lack of sleep has really taken a toll on my mental well-being). Is that due to blood sugar changes? I can buy a timed feeder if i have to.
Her fur is already getting softer again, and I think she's actually gained almost half a pound in slightly over a week of feeding (I got on my own scale while holding her)

One note: my girl is that she's quite difficult. She loves me almost obsessively, hates everyone else. Freaks out about leaving the house. And she's notoriously paranoid and hard to medicate. I have NO idea how I'll get anybody other than myself to inject her if she goes on insulin and i have to be away from home for any reason. She's getting increasingly antisocial and odd in her old age.

My central question is this: I feel like I've been getting SO much conflicting information that I want to give up. One vet told me that we might be able to manage her condition with diet and urine tests... the next vet that called me back with her urinalysis said absolutely no, that she needs to go on insulin. I'm waiting until Monday so i can talk to the third, main vet at the hospital. And I"ll bring her another urine sample to see if anything has changed since the week of feeding. I just want to feel like I know at least a little about the situation so I can speak intelligently with them. Is it at all possible to manage this situation with food and testing urine for glucose levels? Or is that a pipe dream?

 

[rhiannon and shadow (GA)]

Hello.
How long has it been that you started the new food? That purina d/m is 3 % carbs.
I hear many cats eat it at first but quickly tire of it.

First of all, that bg ( blood glucose ) test is a vet tested number, correct? That number is probably inflated due to stress
from being at the vets, held down, etc.
The trick is you don't know how much.
So the first thing you want to do is get a human glucose monitor and learn to test kitty yourself. You will be doing this anyway
IF you have to start insulin because you want to monitor progress and you want to know her bg's before each shot ( more tests/
more info)

Your vet that thinks its manageable isn't likely to be trying for remission. He just wants to manage it/regulate it.
A lot of vets only try for that and doubt you could make it to remission.
You want a vet who believes in home monitoring and is supportive rather than he'll dictate what is best.

so 1) home monitoring with a meter
2) diet change -- which you have already started ( i just don't know how long you've been at it and has your kitty had
her blood tested before or after the diet change. )

These two factors are key in whether or not your numbers are dropping and you need to know that to proceed.
If you need to start insulin, it might only be a short course. But you need to find out what the numbers are to see where you
are right now.

So if you could go buy a meter and testing strips . You will want a lancing device or lancets. device is a little pen that pokes
for you, lancets you can use freehand.
You want a lower number gauge ( bigger hole to get blood droplet) like 26 gauge or 28. don't by a 31 gauge , it's too fine
and your kitty's ears have to learn to bleed. You will wind up trying numerous times with the fine gauges. ( better for humans)
Do not buy a meter with the name tru or freestyle.
I hear the walmart relion has cheap test strips and lots of folks use that one. the relion micro .

Your cat's personality sounds a lot like my cat. So don't let that stop you from helping her. It can be done.

the other thing you want to go buy are some no carb treats. Freeze dried are no carb, pure protein.
PureBites is showing up in most stores. There are shrimp, turkey, chicken, liver.
You will want to reward kitty for participating and letting you test. If she associates the treat, she will be more willing
to cooperate.
You can also boil chicken if your cat likes that for a treat. Just stay away from greenies, and pounce and and friskies party mix.
All those treats are high carb.


Let's see how your cat is doing in bg numbers , safe at home without vet stress and with the diet change.
Those are the factors that help you decide to start insulin.
If you need insulin, the sooner you start the better chance for your girl.

I would like to know which insulin . I'm on lantus. I hear levimir is also good. You don't want canninsulin /vetsulin
unless it's absolutely your only choice. ( depends on what country you live in)

I'll need to get the right person to come advise you on starting dose if you need to start.
There are many vets who start the dose too high because they base it on that number they got in the office instead of your
current bg numbers.

I'll check back on your reply.

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

We are going to urge you to start glucose testing at home - just like you would with your 2 legged children. That will give you true numbers as most cats' numbers at the vet reflect their stress there.

Once you have some true numbers at home, you'll be able to make better decisions about insulin needs. Purina wet is okay, but more expensive than other non prescription foods that has better quality ingredients. It is liver based and most cats quickly tire of the taste.

We have taught hundreds of people how to test over the Internet; we'd be happy to teach you.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

Hi and welcome to FDMB.

We all understand how you are feeling right now. Finding out that your cat has diabetes is scary and overwhelming at first. But I can promise you that it does get easier.

While, both vets are correct (I know, this confuses you even more), the vet that said that you will need to give insulin is probably more accurate. Most cats need insulin to jump start to get the glucose levels under control. However, diabetes is managed using a low carb/high protein diet, hometesting and often insulin.

You do not need to give your cat a prescription food. Most are not very good for diabetic cats and a lot of times cats quit eating them anyway. Many of us feed our cats Friskies, Fancy Feast or Special Kitty canned foods. The important thing is to remove dry food from the diet. Almost all dry foods are high in carbs and that causes the high glucose levels.

Hometesting means testing your cats glucose levels at home before every shot. You will use a human glucose meter to test. You do not need to buy the "pet" glucose meters. They are expensive and will be hard to get test strips for in an emergency. The human meters work just as well and you can get them at any pharmacy. Also store brand meters work as well at name brand. Many of us use Walmart's Relion brand meters. You test before every shot to determine how well the insulin is working and also if it is safe to give insulin. Don't worry, we can teach you how.

There are many types of insulins available. We have found that the long acting insulins such as Lantus, Levemir, PZI & Prozinc work better in cats than the short lasting insulins - Humulin & Caninsulin (aka Vetsulin). Lantus & Levemir are human insulins and if prescribed, ask for the prescriptions for the pens instead of the vials. The initial cost is more, but overall it costs less. You will probably not use all of the insulin in a vial before it becomes ineffective. With the pens, because it is a smaller amount in each container, you can use almost every drop. There are 5 pens in a prescription, so that could be enough insulin to last almost a year. PZI & Prozinc are pet insulins and only available in vials.

Start reading the info on this site and ask any questions you may have. We have all been where you are now and will be glad to help you to learn to care for your cat. Caring for a diabetic cat is not difficult once you understand everything. It will not take long before you find a routine that works best for you.