Diagnosed Yesterday

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Faith and Charmin

Faith and Charmin

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So glad I found you all! Thanks already for the encouragement and support. Charmin was diagnosed yesterday. His BG level was 480 when tested at 10am by our vet and, after 2 units of insulin, had dropped to 190 at 4pm. My vet thought that was good and sent him home with me....and a syringe. That first one was tough!! But, it went well and I managed again this morning. Charmin seems to be a bit more like himself today...not as restless. Quite honestly, the whole prospect of dealing with this is overwhelming and terrifying. But, my boy has been with me for 13 years and he is truly my boy. I'll do whatever it takes!

Thanks again! .......... Faith (& Charmin)
 
Welcome Faith (and Charmin) of course. Is he a charming boy?

I would suggest doing a lot of reading and then ask lots of questions. We were all frightened of the initial diagnosis bur soon found there was a protocol that works for diabetic kitties. We feed wet lo carb food (www.catinfo.org) and home test to make sure it is safe to give in the amount we planned, and during the cycle to see how it is working. We poke their ears and use a human glucometer. We have taught hundreds of people how to do it over the Internet.

We would love to help you help your Charmin. Just let us know how we can help.
 
Hi Faith,

Welcome to you and Charmin. Did your vet discuss home testing? changing diet? What type of insulin are you using and do you have more than one syringe?

Ok enough questions, here is some information:

There are three key factors to managing diabetes: food/nutrition, home testing and insulin

1) Feline Nutrition: Now, as far as diet - definitely dump the dry food (if you are feeding any) and if the vet recommends purchasing prescription food like DM just say "no thank you". ALL cats, and especially those with diabetes, do best on a species appropriate diet that is high in protein and low in carbs. Dry food DOES NOT fit that bill and DM food, even canned, just really isn't that great as far as quality. Most here on FDMB feed low carb/high protein canned, raw bought from a pet store or they make there own.

Here great links, one is to a food chart put together by one of our board members that breaks down the carb % and protein % of most of the commercial brand foods. You want to keep the carb % below 10% and around 7% is great. The other link is to a site by a vet "Dr. Lisa DVM" ... who also posts on this board from time to time ... there is in-depth info. there about many things, including nutrition and how to make raw food.

Nutrition/food info

The good thing with feeding your diabetic cat this way, is that it is ALSO good for any non-diabetic cat too. All your cats can safely eat the same food without worry and it may save you some costs and headaches of having to do separate feedings and keeping track of what they are eating.


2. Home testing: It is impossible to convey the value of testing your cat's BG (blood glucose) level at home. Some vets will "suggest" this, but most won't even mention it. They will send you home with insulin and an amount to shoot and maybe some instructions about hypoglycemia (blood sugar dropping to a dangerously low level).

Well, the thing is, human diabetics don't EVER give themselves insulin without checking there BG to make sure it is safe to do so, so why shouldn't it be the same for our kitties. Here on FDMB it is. You will notice that the vast majority of people here test their cat's BG at least 2x/day (before giving each shot to make sure the level is safe enough) and periodically at other times to see how the cat is responding to the current dose. We use a human glucometer, test strips and lancets - which are all very readily available and easy to use.

Our kitties get lots of love and treats for "putting up" with this and most of them actually come out to be tested on their own 'cause they want those treats . Here is a collection of great links that "Carolyn and Spot" pulled together about hometesting. See what you think ... it truly is the best way to not only keep Your cat safe but also really get a handle on this disease and help him to live a healthy life with FD (feline diabetes).

Home testing Links

3. Insulin: There are several types of insulin available. Many people, myself included use Lantus or Levimer both of which are great insulins. They are gentle insulin and given twice (BID) per day in 12 hour increments. Or you could also choose PZI or the new version called Prozinc.

Please read up on the insulins available, here is a link to the Insulin Support Groups:

Insulin Support Groups

However, one caveat and again this shows how these three things are inter-related:

If you are feeding dry food or even a high carb food, BEFORE removing these foods, please make sure of your insulin dose as it will most likely need to be reduced, so as to avoid a possible hypoglycemic situation due to the removal of the dry/high carb foods that will lower the BG’s and reduce the amount of insulin required. Again, another reason why home testing is important.

I know this all seems like a lot, and that's because it is ... there is a learning curve here. But as long as you are determined and keep at it, you will have it down before you know it and you'll be seeing the results in Your cat' overall health and happiness. Ask all the questions you can think of - that's why we are here!
 
What do you mean, vet sent you home with a syringe.

Should have sent you home with a container of insulin (vial, most likely) and a bunch of
syringes.

Should have taught you how to draw up the insulin, measure it correctly in th
syringe, etc.

What insulin are you using. What do your syringe(s) say on them. Are they
INSULIN syringes ?
 
Thanks for all the information! I've been reading and realize that I need to talk to my vet on Monday and do the absolute best I can. I LOVE my vet and he's been wonderful to us...even taking Charmin home for a weekend to care for him recently when he had a different issue. I'll definitely be working closely with him as I'm sure I'll be reading much more than he will about this over the next few weeks.

I had to go to a pharmacy to get the insulin, but my vet gave me one syringe with insulin just in case I didn't get to the pharmacy last night. The insulin is Humulin, which I now see is not the best. My vet thought about giving me the better one (Lantus?), but said Charmin responded well to this one and he was trying to save me money. Now I realize that I should just get the better one. I was taught how to draw up the insulin and adminsiter it under the skin. It was just a scary thing! The syringes are insulin syringes...box of 100...itty, bitty, tiny ones! However, my vet didn't think I needed to test at home yet. I'll need to talk to him about that, although this whole chart thing is a bit confusing.

Charmin has always eaten dry food, so my vet gave me the Purina DM. I just read that I should do better than that. I'm considering one of the frozen raw foods. What do you think about that?

BTW, although Charmin is indeed Charming....he is more accurately white and squeezably soft....like the toilet paper. :smile:
 
Squeezably soft - love it!

You would do better with Lantus. It is a mild, long lasting insulin. The Humulin hits fast and hard and is much harder to regulate with.

Vets often don't suggest hometesting at first - perhaps because they don't want to overwhelm their patients. But we treat our 4 legged kids just like we do our 2 legged ones. We wouldn't get insulin from the doctor and just go home and shoot blindly. We test to make sure it is safe.

If you are changing from dry to wet food, hometesting is doubly important. With Oliver, when we changed from dry to wet, he went down 100 points overnight. If we hadn't been testing, we would have overdosed him that next morning.
 
Hi Faith,
Yes, you need the Lantus insulin to give Charmin a better chance of getting off insulin! But please do not give him 2U of Lantus when you start, especially if you'll be switching to canned food, which sounds like you will! You've been doing your homework!

The standard starting dose is 1U. Here are the guidelines regarding diabetic care as outlined by the American Animal Hospital Association. They include the recommendation for home testing and using either Prozinc or Lantus (glargine) insulin. http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocuments/AAHADiabetesGuidelines.pdf

Have the vet write you a prescription for the Lantus Solostar Pens in pack of 5. Be prepared for substantial cost - probably well over $100, but call around to different pharmacies and ask them how much they are first. If you have a Costco or Sam's nearby with a pharmacy, they may be the cheapest. Here is more info about Lantus availability and use form the Lantus Insulin Support Group http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=151
And on Supply Closet there may be a coupon. http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=15 If you are a AAA member, you can use your prescription card to get a discount at most pharmacies too.
 
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