Downward Spiral

[nicoletock]

My cat was diagnosed with diabetes last march. Last week she was taken to the vet with the same symptoms as before. They gave her an iv treatment for 3 days and in the process trying to cure a bladder infection. They did increase her insulin intake by double. She seemed fine for a couple of days and was even great on a moving process and in a car for 14 hours with a break in between but now her mobility is awful. She cannot hardly stand up and always loses her balance. I am truthfully wondering with all the downward spirals she has endured, and nothing seems to be working, is it time for her to go? Is there any advice that anyone has for me or perhaps have gone through the the same things i have. Please help, I don't want her to suffer, and I don't want to be selfish, but is there something else out there. All other avenues have been exhausted out. Feel like there is nothing left.

 

[Jen & Squeak]

I am so sorry you guys are going thru this and wish you had found us earlier because it doesn't have to be thius tough! I am betting that you aren't testing her blood glucose levels at home like huiman diabetics do... It takes the guesswork out and makes things so much more manageable!

A bit further up this message list is the fdmb faq; please take a few minutes to read thru. Then come back and tell uis what insulin, what dose, what food you are feeding, other medical issues and your geeral location...we WILL help you!

Jen

 

[nicoletock]

She is on novolin. The dosage was increased to 4 units twice a day. Her food is just wet food. She is a very finicking eater. So which ever one she will eat, she gets. Dry food is iams digestive care, because of the other cat. She eats like her body is starving herself. She once weighed 11, when diagnosed she weighed 6.5 and slowly started to gain weight again, and now she is down to 5.5 lbs. So I have been feeding her like crazy to gain weight back. She is acting normal, as far as her talkative self. I am wondering if she is weak because of her weight. She almost bit my finger trying to get a treat, because she is that hungry. I recently relocated to the boston area.

 

[Jen & Squeak]

Boston People - need some help!

Well Novolin is just like Humulin N and it really isn't the best for cats. Nor is increasing the dose based on clinical symptoms (weightloss, hunger, etc) and not on testing at home like human diabetics.

Please, read the faq and let us know if you are willing to learn to hometest...

Jen

 

[tuckers mom]

Like Jen said, hometesting is the only way that you'll be able to help your girl right now. It's really pretty simple once you get the hang of it. There was a time when I had three FDs at once and would hometest and do shots and it took under 5 minutes for all of them. Now with Tucker, it's really only a minute of my time when he needs his test.

 

[Laurie and Mr Tinkles]

We can help you! As others have said, home testing is the best way to know exactly what is going on with your kitty. Please consider learning to home test. Once you know how the insulin is working with your cat, you can make adjustments to correct her BG levels and help her get better. It is doable, and much easier (and cheaper!) if you learn to home test. Diabetes is very manageable in cats, all you need is the right tools and knowledge, and we can help you with that.

You will need a human glucometer and test strips for it, I use a Relion Confirm (Walmart's brand). It works great, and the test strips are very inexpensive. There are many choices, the most important thing to consider when buying a meter is the cost of the test strips because that will be your biggest hometesting expense. Try to get a meter that requires a small amount of blood (0.3 microliters is the smallest) because that makes it easier to get tests done without wasting strips. You will also need lancets (to poke her ear to get the blood), you can either use them freehand or use a lancet pen. There are videos that show how to do the testing, it isn't that hard to do once you get the hang of it. You will want to use treats to reward your cat after testing, even if the test is unsuccessful. You will be surprised how quickly it becomes part of your routine!

When you go to get the meter, you should also pick up some ketostix. They are used to test the urine for the presence of ketones. It is important to do that, ketones can make a cat very sick, and it is much easier and cheaper to treat if you catch it early. They should be available at any pharmacy.

If you need someone to help you learn how to home test, there may be someone in your area that can come and teach you. Let us know if you want help, and we will try to locate a member who can help you.

She is hungry and losing weight because she is not regulated. Because the insulin is not working for her, she is unable to use the food to fuel her body, so she is trying to eat more to compensate. It's fine to feed her as much as she will eat. There is a lot of information about what sort of diet to feed diabetic cats here, you should read about it but don't change her diet just yet. You should learn to home test first so you can adjust her insulin if necessary.

 

[Melanie and Smokey]

The current symptoms sound like she could be getting too much insulin. How often is the vet testing BG? What are the numbers? Hometesting is the best way to understand how the insulin is affecting BGs and adjusting the dose to the correct one for your kitty to be happy and healthy, but at a minimum, the vet should be doing regular testing until she is regulated. Home testing is easier, cheaper, and gathers better information so testing more frequently at the vet should be the last option for monitoring.

Diabetes is very treatable in cats so don't give up hope. Read, read, read about the disease and you will be able to get a handle on it and help your kitty.