First day on Lantus with UTI/ Constipation history

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jucova30

Member Since 2014
Hi, our boy Bobby Brown (AKA Bobby B) has just been diagnosed with diabetes on 7/23/14. He was acting very lethargy, sleeping all the time and waking up only to eat and go to potty.
Last week we took to the vet and they did a full blood test, and results came back with a BG of 480, according with the Vet everything else looks OK. At the time of the diagnoses, Bobby was on a prescription dry/food ( Urinary SO) for almost 8 years.
After many tries we finally were able to get him to eat wet food ( It was really hard to make him eat wet food), right now he is in Wellness kitten formula 80% of the time and dry food from Blue Buffalo at night, I am feeding him every 2 hours on the clock during the day. We have started to see some difference now and he is more aware when he is awake; he is playing, jumping and acting mischievous, like normal cats.
Now the scary part comes, Bobby will start his insulin treatment (Lantus 1u x2 a day) this Monday at the vet office, next day will continue at home, vet also wants me to test and monitor him at home and try to avoid bringing him to the office, so his BG does not get to elevated. To be honest I am so terrified of needles and having to do this to my baby, it is so terrifying but I know I have to do this and be strong for him.
Questions:
Since Bobby has a history of UTI and constipation is there any good wet food and supplements that I can get for Him to prevent reoccurring UTI and constipation issues?

Home monitoring: which one of the testers in the market are the most accurate and require the less amount of blood for testing?

We are getting ready to go to Walmart and buy everything syringes, tester, etc. that we need; Is there a list of things that I need in order to be prepared and start the blood testing this weekend at home?

We really appreciated any advice or recommendation.
Thanks
Judy (Mom)
Carl (Daddy)
Bobby B ( 9 years old Kitty)
@ the whole gang ( Boots, Misha, Princes, Momma, Blackie, Kiky and Precious)
 
Re: Newly diagnosed cat with UTI/ Constipation history

jucova30 said:
Hi, our boy Bobby Brown (AKA Bobby B) has just been diagnosed with diabetes on 7/23/14. He was acting very lethargy, sleeping all the time and waking up only to eat and go to potty.
Last week we took to the vet and they did a full blood test, and results came back with a BG of 480, according with the Vet everything else looks OK. At the time of the diagnoses, Bobby was on a prescription dry/food ( Urinary SO) for almost 8 years.
After many tries we finally were able to get him to eat wet food ( It was really hard to make him eat wet food), right now he is in Wellness kitten formula 80% of the time and dry food from Blue Buffalo at night, I am feeding him every 2 hours on the clock during the day. We have started to see some difference now and he is more aware when he is awake; he is playing, jumping and acting mischievous, like normal cats.
Now the scary part comes, Bobby will start his insulin treatment (Lantus 1u x2 a day) this Monday at the vet office, next day will continue at home, vet also wants me to test and monitor him at home and try to avoid bringing him to the office, so his BG does not get to elevated. To be honest I am so terrified of needles and having to do this to my baby, it is so terrifying but I know I have to do this and be strong for him.
Questions:
Since Bobby has a history of UTI and constipation is there any good wet food and supplements that I can get for Him to prevent reoccurring UTI and constipation issues?

Home monitoring: which one of the testers in the market are the most accurate and require the less amount of blood for testing?

We are getting ready to go to Walmart and buy everything syringes, tester, etc. that we need; Is there a list of things that I need in order to be prepared and start the blood testing this weekend at home?

We really appreciated any advice or recommendation.
Thanks
Judy (Mom)
Carl (Daddy)
Bobby B ( 9 years old Kitty)
@ the whole gang ( Boots, Misha, Princes, Momma, Blackie, Kiky and Precious)
Click to expand...

Well, since you have not started insulin yet, it's a perfect time to make a diet change and home test before you start.

Diet: that dry food is horrible for cats, contributes to high numbers, and dry food for urinary issues is contradictory.
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth

Foods most often fed are fancy Feast or Friskies, pate types. No dry foods or treats are good, so just switch to some of the canned pates.

I am glad your vet encourages home testing, and it's true that cats will have higher numbers at the vet office.
The Relion meters are the most economical, so pick up the meter, test strips for the meter you get, lancets for the lancet device, and also get a container of KETOSTIX from the pharmacy so you can check urine for ketones.

The needle terror will fade. Just practicing home testing will help you get used to poking, and then if you do need to start on insulin, you can get your vet to help you learn to give shots by using syringes with water, to get the feel and method. And you will be just fine. The shock will pass, and the two of you will bond and become much closer.

Gayle
 
Re: Newly diagnosed cat with UTI/ Constipation history

Hi Judy, Carl & Bobby and welcome to FDMB.

You are off to a great start so far. You do want to continue weaning Bobby off of the dry since any amount is high in carbs. The sooner you can get him off of dry food, the easier it will be to get his diabetes under control. From the changes you have described, it looks like you are on your way. I am so glad to see that your vet is recommending hometesting. I know everything sounds scary and overwhelming right now, but I promise you that it does get easier.

Bobby probably will not notice the injections, most cat's don't. Hometesting is not difficult either once you find the technique that works best for you. Just remember to give Bobby a low carb treat (freeze dried chicken is a good choice) every time you test, even if you are not successful. Soon he will associate testing with being rewarded. You want to test before every shot to make sure it is safe to give insulin. You can use a human glucose meter for testing. There are pet glucose meters available too, but they are expensive to buy and the strips are expensive and limited as to where you can buy them. Most of us use human glucose meters. A good one is the Walmart Relion Confirm or Micro meters. They are good meters but inexpensive to use. When you test, remember that you will test, feed then shoot.

Lantus is a good insulin. Ask your vet for the prescription for the pens instead of vial. With a vial, it will become ineffective long before you will finish it and you will end up throwing away a lot of it. With the pens, you should be able to use almost every drop. Plus on the Lantus website, there is a discount card you can get that will save you a lot of money on the pens.

For the constipation, Miralax or pumpkin works well. If you give pumpkin, make sure it is not pumpkin pie filling. Also adding extra water to Bobby's food will help too.

I understand everything is overwhelming right now and we can help you get through the process. Ask any questions you may have. We have all been where you are now and are here to help you.
 
Re: Newly diagnosed cat with UTI/ Constipation history

Welcome to FDMB.

More than you ever wanted to know about feline constipation and the feline GI tract here:
http://www.FelineConstipation.Org

The Friskies Special Diet Pates are both low carb and intended for cats that have had renal issues.

Practice testing on an apple and on your arm to get the feel of it and become more confident. The resistance of the apple skin is a bit like the resistance you'll feel when testing or injecting.
 
Re: Newly diagnosed cat with UTI/ Constipation history

The plain pumpkin was totally ineffective for my cat Wink, but a daily dose of 1/8 teaspoon Miralax (generic) and 1/8 teaspoon plain psyllium powder mixed into his food keeps him regular. My vet told me I could go up to a teaspoon a day with the Miralax. ECID so perhaps the pumpkin will work for your kitty.

Also, adding a tablespoon of water into the wet food seems to help out. Think applesauce consistency.

Wink was also prone to UTI's. Once he was switched totally off of dry food, he hasn't had another UTI in the past year and a half. Just sharing our experience.
 
Re: Newly diagnosed cat with UTI/ Constipation history

Thank you for all the great advice! to everyone in this wonderful group, we got so much information that is getting harder to digest.
This is where we are now. Since yesterday Bobby is in a 100% wet diet ( wellness kitten formula), before he was for 10 days in a 90% wet diet (kibbles at night).
Today 8/6/14 is his first day in the Lantus 1 unit x 2times. When he was diagnosed with Diabetes on 7/23/14 his BG was 460, On 7/25 I changed his diet to mostly wet, then I did a BG test on 8/4/14 and BG was 282. Today 8/6 (24 hours of complete wet diet) BG was 232 at 6:40 am. (at home Relion Confirm)
7:10 vet office BG 243 (alphatrak ) they gave him 1 unit of Lantus. (I am scared )
11:20 vet office BG 253 (alphatrak)
Questions?
Since his BG dropped so much in 2 weeks duet to change of diet and he keeps dropping now that he is in a 100% wet diet. Should I started him with .50 unit and from there if he needed increase to 1 unit ?
I think I will ask the Vet. if we should give him .50 for his next shot, I am so nervous right now. what should I be looking for so his numbers don't get to low?
I hope this make sense, any advice will be greatly appreciated!
 
It'll help us give you feedback if you store your data in an online Google document.

Instructions for our standard template are here.

Understanding the spreadsheet/grid:

The colored headings at the top are the ranges of glucose values. They are color-coded to clue you in as to meaning.

Each day is 1 row. Each column stores different data for the day.

From left to right, you enter
the Date in the first column
the AMPS (morning pre-shot test) in the 2nd column
the Units given (turquoise column)

Then, there are 11 columns labeled +1 through +11
If you test at +5 (5 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +5 column
If you test at +7 (7 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +7 column
and so on.

Halfway across the page is the column for PMPS (evening pre-shot)
To the right is another turquoise column for Units given at the evening shot.

There is second set of columns labeled +1 through +11
If you snag a before bed test at +3, you enter the test number in the +3 column.

We separate day and night numbers like that because many cats go lower at night.

It is merely a grid for storing the info; no math required.
 
Thanks BJM, I think I'' do this tonight while I keep checking in Bobby, this is so far what I have
AMPS 243 (Alphatrack at the vet) 1 unit
+ 4 253 ( Alphatrack at the vet)
+ 8 283 ( Alphatrack at the vet)
PMPS 217 (Alphatrack at the vet) .50 unit
+ 5 112 (Relion testing at home)

When is not safe to inject the insulin? I hope I can get better in this.
 
We suggest that new members do not give insulin if the BG levels are <200 mg/dL unless there are extenuating circumstances like past DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) episode or ketone presence. As you gather information on how your cat will react, you can gradually lower that shoot/no shoot threshold. In fact, over in the Lantus Tight Regulation group, that threshold is 150 mg/dL.

That 112 you got at +5 was a nice number. Good thing you dropped the dose from 1U to 0.5U. Lantus has a cumulative effect, and the full effect of the dose may not be seen for 5-7 days.

Keep on monitoring and get those mid-cycle tests in when you can.
 
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