Dawn and Lump needs help!!

[Dawn Wyatt]

Lump is a 3yo male I rescued when he was a kitten. He seemed in good health but started to drastically loose weight the last month thus an emergency vet visit yesterday when he could barely stand and wouldn't eat or drink. I thought at first I had made him ill from some boiled white chicken I gave him the previous day. That had evidently given him a blockage according to the X-Ray. Blood glucose was 364 so was started on insulin. IV fluids etc. Brought him home today glucose 138. Diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Supposed to start him on Purina DM which the vet ordered for me. I'm not very confident with this clinic but the next closest one is 40 miles. I'm on social security and unfortunately can't afford such an expensive diet. My objective is to manage his DM and to have him gain weight as economically as possible. I love my fur baby and honestly don't know what to do.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi and welcome to the forum Dawn and Lump
Can you tell me if the vet said Lump had ketones at diagnosis?
Can you tell me what insulin Lump was put on and the dose please?
There is no need to feed the expensive prescription foods from the vet. Any canned food from the supermarket or pet store that is 10% carbs or under is suitable.
FOOD CHART

I would also recommend you think about doing hometesting of the blood glucose (BG). It is the only way to really keep Lump safe and he is a young cat with many years ahead of him. You can buy a ReliOn Premier mete at Walmart for under $20 and you will also need a box of 100 test strips and a box of lancets size 26 or 28 to prick the ear for testing. And some cotton balls to hole behind the ear when testing.
Lump will very soon get used to the testing I can promise you that.
HOMETESTING HINTS AND LINKS

And here is a link for new members about our spreadsheet and signature to enter the BG data which we will need to be able to help you.
HELP US HELP YOU

 

[squeem3]

Lump is 3 years old? Juvenile diabetes is kind of rare in cats. Was the 364 from a quick blood test or from a fructosamine test? If you're sure, ask the vet. A quick blood test, like a Human diabetic pricking a finger to get a drop of blood to put onto a test strip, tells what the blood glucose level is at that very moment. A fructosamine is similar to a Human diabetic AC1 test. It gives the average blood glucose level over the past few weeks. Most cats are super stressed out at the vet's office so their blood glucose level will be super high. A quick blood test is never used to make a diagnosis of diabetes.

I'm not sure how some boiled chicken could cause a blockage. What kind of blockage was it? Urinary? Constipation?

What was Lump eating before he got sick? Dry food is a no-no for diabetics. Fancy Feast and many other commercially available brands of canned food are good for diabetic cats but only the low carb ones. There's a link to the food charts in the post above. Whatever food has 10% or less carbs is best. Gravy and sauce based foods are generally too high in carbs but keep a few cans on hand just in case you need it for very low blood glucose levels. Tell the vet you changed your mind about the (junk) DM food. Some vets push prescription junk for one reason or another. There is nothing in prescription food that helps a diabetic cat.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Here is the link for the meter and test strips so you don't have to search for them. Most of us use human meters
Relion Premier Classic Meter at Walmart for 9 dollars
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-CLASSIC-Blood-Glucose-Monitoring-System/552134103

The tests strips are 17.88 for 100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-100-Count/575088197
At least if you need more test strips you can run into Walmart and pick them up or if you're running low you can just order them from Walmart


Testing, the only way to keep Lump safe
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capillaries it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 10 or 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets any brand
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with

Try putting a thin layer of Vaseline on the ear so the blood will bead up


Here is a video one of our members made, just ignore when she has to code it, that's because she is using a pet meter ,with a human meter like the Relion no coding is needed
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar


I assume the food the vet ordered for you is the wet
There is nothing special about the Purina DM wet cat food except the high price

Most feed Fancy Feast Classic Pates or Friskies .
I see Bron gave you the food chart above
Most feed 6% carbs or under