Diagnosed 1 month ago...30 days of hell. Feeling quite hopeless.

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Elizabeth and Bertie said:
Hi Alex, and welcome to FDMB.

High dose conditions aside, sometimes it does take a while for a cat's body to respond to insulin. That was the case with my cat initially. It could be that 'glucose toxicity' is the cause. This happens when a cat has had high glucose levels for a while. It can make it difficult for cells to take up glucose even when insulin is present. But you may find that your cat's body just suddenly 'gets it', and the numbers begin to drop.

I think most - if not all - of us were really stressed at first when our cats were initally diagnosed. But you will find a way that works for you and your cat. Honestly!
And, if you're lucky, your cat may even go into remission. But even if she remains on insulin it is still possible to 'have a life'.

6 years old is young to become diabetic. Has your cat had any steroid treatment recently...? (Please forgive me if someone else has already asked this and I missed that...)

Eliz
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Thanks for your insight, Eliz. Over the past 24 hours, I have seen a reduction...which feels like a bloody miracle! At her lowest, she's been around 320, which is such a huge improvement from 440-460s. Sounds like I still have a ways to go in adjusting her food, too. And to answer your question, she has not had steroid treatment or really anything. If I had to guess, I just think she's one of those cats that has "issues." Everyone was amazed she had such horrible dental disease at age 3...so she's always been a bit of an anomaly. I sure hope this is a hurdle we can clear...I do feel more compelled to give her an extra fair shot at this because she is so young. She also has a sister (non-litter mate), same age, who would be quite sad without her.
 
KPassa said:
Welcome Alex and Fay!

Both of my cats are grazers so one thing I do when I'm gone all day at work is I add water to their food so it doesn't dry out or go bad. I'll leave the food out for up to 12 hours at a time.



I didn't see if anyone answered this for you, but the canned Hill's m/d is 14% calories from carbs, which is still over the 8-10% we recommend for diabetics. Some cats need even lower carbs than that. My Michelangelo, for example, does best on anything less than ~5%. If I feed him something with 8%, his numbers jump up significantly.

And, you can feed all your cats the same low carb food; it's better for them all around and you might just be preventing future health issues, too. ;)


Any chance you've gotten a recent x-ray of her mouth since the teeth removal to make sure there aren't any remnants or splinters left in there that might be causing problems? Dental issues often make it much more difficult to regulate, either because of infection and/or pain.
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PS - Which of your cats is pictured? Just adorable!
 
That's Mikey in my profile picture. He was diagnosed at 6 months old as probably diabetic since birth (extremely rare in cats).

I feed both of my boys the Friskies Special Diet Turkey & Giblets because it's low carb, low phosphorus, and higher protein than most of the other less expensive options. I also substitute with Weruva Chicken Frick 'a Zee and Tiki Cat Chicken and Egg so they get some variety in protein and texture (they're just too expensive for me to feed every meal). Mikey is allergic to red meats, so it really limits the food choices.:banghead:

I add about a half can of water to every full can of food, as much as they'll allow. Sometimes I put too much water in and have to sprinkle it with crushed treats or parmesan to get them to eat it. ;) I only feed them about 3 times a day (before each shot and before bed) but I leave it out for them to eat whenever they want it.

I would suggest getting an x-Ray done of her mouth just to be sure. There was a kitty on here who had teeth extracted a few years before diagnosis and they eventually discovered through x-Ray that a splinter was causing most of the problems. Even if there isn't anything residual from 3 years ago, there might be something new that's happening. Mouth problems are notorious for spiking BGs.
 
BJM said:
Welcome to FDMB, the best place you never wanted to be.
Diabetes can be managed, though it is a process, not an event.
4 things are needed:
You!
A decent low carb over the counter canned diet (see Cat info for why and the food list) anything less than 10% calories from carbohydrates works. Changing to that may drop the glucose 100-200 mg/dL and can drop the insulin dose 1-2 units.
A good long acting insulin for cats; you've got that. We typically raise doses in small increments of 0.25 (eyeballed) or 0.5 units.
Home testing at pre-shots and some mid-cycle tests with an inexpensive human glucometer such as the Wal.Mart ReliOn Confirm to help keep your cat safe. See my signature links Glucometer Notes and Secondary Monitoring Tools for some more details.
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KPassa said:
That's Mikey in my profile picture. He was diagnosed at 6 months old as probably diabetic since birth (extremely rare in cats).

I feed both of my boys the Friskes Special Diet Turkey & Giblets because it's low carb, low phosphorus, and higher protein than most of the other less expensive options. I also substitute with Weruva Chicken Frick 'a Zee and Tiki Cat Chicken and Egg so they get some variety in protein and texture (they're just too expensive for me to feed every meal). Mikey is allergic to red meats, so it really limits the food choices.:banghead:

I add about a half can of water to every full can of food and it lasts them most of the day. I only feed them about 3 times a day (before each shot and before bed) but I leave it out for them to eat whenever they want it.

I would suggest getting an x-Ray done of her mouth just to be sure. There was a kitty on here who had teeth extracted a few years before diagnosis and they eventually discovered through x-Ray that a splinter was causing most of the problems. Even if there isn't anything residual from 3 years ago, there might be something new that's happening. Mouth problems are notorious for spiking BGs.
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Again, thank you!!! This really is an amazing community. Sounds like Friskies is a good option...and here everybody in the world was giving me hell about giving it to my cats in the past (before I went to dry food -- my biggest mistake!! Ugh)
 
Just remember that all the Friskies varieties are not low carb. You're fairly safe with most of the pate styles, but personally I avoid the Mixed Grill flavor as it's 11% carbs. It wouldn't hurt to have a couple of cans of high carb gravy lovers, or grilled or something higher carb around in case your cat's BG levels go low and you can use higher carb food to bring those numbers back up.
 
A very warm THANK YOU to all you sage souls who have been so kind to me - @BJM @Deb & Wink @KPassa @Critter Mom @Elizabeth and Bertie @Squeaky and KT @mirnta @Wendy&Neko

We are now on Friskies Mariners' Catch at a cool 5% carbs.
Work has prevented me from a full curve, but we've gone from mid-400s a week ago down to 260 at +3 tonight. Yesterday PMPS she was 337. Won't be able to grab a true nadir tonight/tomorrow but soon. THANK YOU EVERYONE!! <3 I am heartened. We are on 4.5U BID.
 
Hi Alex,

I'm so glad that you're feeling a bit better now, and so pleased to hear that Fay's numbers are improving. This diabetes stuff really is scary in the beginning. Glad I could do some wee thing to help. :)
 
Alex, I'm so glad you're heartened by all the help you've received & that Faye's showing some improvement.
 
Alex&Fayaway said:
We are now on Friskies Mariners' Catch at a cool 5% carbs.
Work has prevented me from a full curve, but we've gone from mid-400s a week ago down to 260 at +3 tonight. Yesterday PMPS she was 337. Won't be able to grab a true nadir tonight/tomorrow but soon. THANK YOU EVERYONE!! <3 I am heartened. We are on 4.5U BID.
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Those improving BG levels are fantastic news!

We sure would love to be able to follow along with the BG levels. Hope you will set up a spreadsheet (SS)and link it into your signature. Directions for doing that are here.
Ask for help if you need it to get that SS set up.
 
Ok, I got the SS up and running. I'm a little embarrassed I haven't been able to get more complete readings. I'm not sure if there is still a risk that she has missed her optimal dose (skipped over it). I think that now that diet has changed for a few days, we will go up to 5U tomorrow and if still no difference, then maybe we'll head back down. @Deb & Wink
 
It'll help us give you feedback if you add a few things to your signature.

Editing your Signature

In the upper right corner of the screen, within the dark blue bar, you will see ID, Inbox, and Alerts

Click on your ID.

On the left, under Settings, Click on Signature.
This is where you will put information that helps us give you feedback.
This is where you paste the link for your spreadsheet, once it is set up.
Add any other text, such as
your name,
cat's name,
date of Dx (diagnosis)
insulin
meter
any other pertinent issues like if there are any food issues, history of DKA, hepatic lipidosis, pancreatitis, allergies, IBD, etc.
Click the Save Changes button at the bottom.

Always click the Save Changes button at the bottom when you have changed anything.
 
So far, so good.
As you collect more tests - always at pre-shot to help ensure it is safe to give insulin - you'll get a better sense of how Lantus is working for her.
For new folk, we suggest you not shoot below 200 mg/dL. Instead, wait 30 minutes without feeding and re-test. If rising and above 200, you're probably good to go, otherwise post for suggestions.
You want any numbers at the lowest to remain above 50 mg/dL on a human glucometer and 68 mg/dL on a Pet meter, for safety.
 
thanks @BJM . she is so squirmy in the morning; we have to get into a better routine for AMPSs. Appreciate all your info. So does that mean pet glucometers run higher on average than human ones? PS tried to fit more info in my signature, but it wouldn't let me. Will add more to SS. Thanks again, grateful for your help.
 
There is a line limit of 3 hard returns. Try using a few spaces and a symbol to set off different pieces, as I did in my signature.
My signature link Glucometer Notes explains meters and the feline reference ranges for different systems.
 
Good job on getting your SS up and running and linked into your signature. Darn, I miss that cheering smiley we had on the old board. Thank you so much for letting us follow along with Fayaway's BG levels. It takes time to develop a routine that works for you and your kitty. ECID.

Now that you have given us an introduction, would you please post any questions over on Feline Health, the main forum. There are simply more people over there to help you out. We look forward to seeing you on the Feline Health forum Alex.

Remember, baby steps, baby steps. It took time for your kitty Fayaway to become diabetic, it will take time for you to learn to manage the diabetes. Our sugar kitties can live long and healthy lives. My kitty Wink is a success story and your kitty Fayaway will be one too.

What is a success story? A cat owner that cares deeply about their cat and wants to try their best to help their kitty. You are that deeply caring person already. We'll try to help you all you can to help Fayaway get better. It doesn't happen over night. It took time for your kitty to become diabetic, it will take time for her to get better.

Deep breath, hold, release, deep breath, hold, release.......................................
 
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Have you checked into a product called the Smart cat box? We have one on the way! It uses non-absorbent safflower seed, and the urine flows through into a reservoir at the bottom for disposal in the toilet! Also great for urine testing!
 
Hello Alex (and Fay) -

I am Angela and I am in Boulder, CO. I have just received a diabetes diagnosis for my fur baby, Thursday. Although I am not terribly frightened about learning to care for my diabetic cat, I am horrified by my current situation. Thursday is currently in critical care at an emergency clinic experiencing DKA and possible kidney infection or pancreatitis. I am hopeful that he will recover, but very scared.

I guess I am writing simply to let you know that you are not alone...I am just north of you.
 
TreeloverAng said:
Hello Alex (and Fay) -

I am Angela and I am in Boulder, CO. I have just received a diabetes diagnosis for my fur baby, Thursday. Although I am not terribly frightened about learning to care for my diabetic cat, I am horrified by my current situation. Thursday is currently in critical care at an emergency clinic experiencing DKA and possible kidney infection or pancreatitis. I am hopeful that he will recover, but very scared.

I guess I am writing simply to let you know that you are not alone...I am just north of you.
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Hi Angela,

How is your kitty doing? Let me know how it all shakes out...I may have some Lantus for you if this is what Thursday ends up taking...

sending good thoughts your way.
 
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