Emily'smom
Member Since 2017
Good morning! My name is Mary, and I stumbled upon this site as our cat Emily was recently diagnosed with diabetes. Having no experience with diabetes in the human or animal form, this site seems like a great resource. Emily is a rescue cat and we have had her for about 4 years. We estimate her age to be 11 or 12 years old. She is a tiny little thing, averaging about 6.5 lbs, but has really "big" fur, so she seems much larger than she is! So, here is our situation...would appreciate any input. Emily was confirmed diabetic with a blood test - her numbers were in the 400's. The vet put her on Lantus, and suggested 1 unit, 2x per day. Of course the vet also suggested "prescription food", which I purchased. Emily is both a dry and wet food eater and can be quite picky. She is also a grazer...eats very little at a time, finishing her breakfast meal throughout the day and then she is fed again around dinner time. She absolutely would not eat the pate DM wet food, which was no surprise to me. I returned it. Mixed with her regular "over the counter" dry, she began to eat the DM dry. I did lots of research (mostly on this site) and tried all kinds of quality wet foods, that were high protein/low carb. I found Merrick Purrfect Bistro Thanksgiving Day Dinner, which seems to meet the carb criteria in both wet matter and dry, and she eats it! She also seems to enjoy Fancy Feast Classic seafood and fish varieties. After a few days of the insulin, my husband and I could tell it was way too much for her. She got very lethargic. So, on our own, we cut the dose down to .5 unit 2x per day. She seemed to be doing well. I could tell she gained a bit of weight back (just by petting her, she didn't seem as bony...the vet confirmed she had lost a few ounces), her appetite was good, (but not ravenous), and she was not peeing/drinking as much as she had been. We had an appointment to bring her back to the vet for the all day glucose test a few weeks after starting the insulin. I was really hopeful that with the new food, she would be able to go off of the insulin. The all day test showed that mid-afternoon, her glucose level dropped to 60, which the vet said was way too low. I was actually surprised at this, because although I do work full time, so I am not home every minute of the day, keeping an eye on Emily, I would think with a level that low, she would be almost comatose, and I never witnessed that. So her suggestion was to take her off the insulin (yay!) and keep feeding her as we had been. She wanted us to bring her back two weeks later for one mid-afternoon blood test, which we did about a week ago. Her level was back up in the mid 200's. UGH! Now, of course some of that level could be due to stress. But I do feel she is peeing a bit more, and in the last few days she seems to be eating faster than she normally does. My husband does not feel she is drinking an abnormal amount. Although i was not present at the vet appointment (my husband took her), I did not like the vet's response to the high glucose level. She said, "well, the insulin brings her level too low, and you can't give her any less than you were (.5 unit, 2x per day), so just keep her off, and bring her back in a month for another test". In the meantime, I have a 6 lb cat that really can't afford to lose any weight, and I am not certain what her true level is, as stress certainly could have played a factor in that mid-200's number. Any thoughts/suggestions on this situation would be greatly appreciated. I am almost ready to ask for Emily's records and just bring the records (not the cat) to another vet for a second opinion, but can't seem to find a vet here in Connecticut that might specialize in feline diabetes, so perhaps it will be money spent for nothing. Feeling frustrated!
Here is what I am currently using, which was upon the advise of the vet: BD Insulin Syringes with the BD Ultra-Fine needle for U-100 Insulin. 1/2 ML cc 12.7mm (1/2") long 30 Gauge She seemed to push the longer needles, not sure why. Our needles do NOT have the half markings, so based on what we are currently using, can you suggest a needle that would be similar? I have found some online with the half unit markings, but the Gauge is not the same, the needle is shorter and the capacity is 3/10 cc ... not sure how much any of this matters??? Please advise. Thank you!!
