Hello from a Newbie

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all4stvoyager

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Hi All,
My name is Sara, and I have two cats: Louie (9yrs) and Sadie (8 yrs). Over the last few months, my male cat Louie has lost considerable weight (25% of total body wt). After totally assuming and worrying for the worst, I took him to the vet yesterday. They took blood and urine...and I found out this morning that his bg was 475! So he has been diagnosed with diabetes. To be honest, I am relieved...concerned, but still relieved. After fearing the worst...I can handle this...not terminal...can be regulated, etc. Now comes the researching!

I have an appt to go back to the vet with him tmw morning for education and beginning of treatment. I am writing down all the questions that I can come up with. A couple months ago when the weight loss started, I switched him over to canned food...purina/friskies patte's. I have never looked at the amt of carbs:protien...but I will. Diet is part of what I will be talking to my vet about tmw. I have a lot of concerns...but at this point it is because I am uneducated and haven't begun a routine.

Everything in my life revolves around my pets...types/colors of furniture, clothes, etc...I'm sure you guys understand. I look forward to learning and contributing my experince to this forum!

All feedback is appreciated!
 
Good for you! Educating yourself is really the key to this sugar dance. The more you know, the more confident you feel.

Our protocol has helped thousands of cats into regulation and often, remission. We advocate the wet lo carb diet, which you are already working on. Here is our food list:
Janet and Binky’s chart We stay under 10% carbs. Insulin is the next tool. We like long lasting, mild insulins like Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc. We hope your vet will prescribe one of those. The other ones may be less expensive (Humulin and Canninsulin) but they are faster acting and more harsh and much harder to work with. The final, and most important tool, is home testing. We feel if we rely on tests from the vet where the cat is stressed (stress raises bg levels) it will be easy to overdose the cat, prescribing for higher numbers at the office than we would get at home. Here is how we do it: Video for hometesting We've taught hundreds of people how to do it over the internet; we would love to help you.

Keep reading and asking questions. We are all paying it forward for help we received when we were newbies.
 
Ask for Lantus - well, that's my vote. My cat was diagnosed in April at age 5 1/2, was on Lantus for a month before going into remission. He is now diet controlled with Wellness grain free. He gets 4 small meals per day of this stuff.

Walmart sells a great meter that I use called Reli-on Micro. it was $9 and the strips are $20 for 50. I still test him (geez, he needs a test badly) about once a week (didn't get to last week tho, stray cat I rescued gets me sidetracked sometimes!) and he's usually in the 60s now. I have his spreadsheet in my signature. Note he got canned and dry prior to dx, and I switched him to a grain free, high protien low carb dry, but it was still giving him high numbers (in 200s). I dropped the amount of dry and when the gang here convinced me to take the dry away, he dropped about 100 points and 2 days later was normal.

Where do you live - city & state? If you update your user profile, it can be shown under your name --->
Just a suggestion in case you need someone to come and help. Sue & Oliver were great help to me when I had a problem with the spreadsheet set up - I think you need a gmail acocunt, which I already had, I just am so used to excel...

One more question - are you a Star Trek fan? I am getting that from your screen name, but I coul dbe wrong. I have been a ST fan since the early 1970s.... :mrgreen:

When you see your vet, tell him you would like to home test. It's not too hard - I use 28 gague lancets that I buy at Target and still have a problem, but Cedric tollerates me!

Welcome and good luck tomorrow - you have found a great site and message board!
 
Is it normal for him to have lost so much weight?

He definitely hasn't been drinking more water...however, like I said, I have switched him to canned food, so maybe that is supplimenting the liquid intake?

Another thing that I've noticed was that his urine/amonia smell has seemed stronger for awhile...I didn't really think anythong of it. Could this be related?
 
Question- did the vet do a fructosamine (blood test sent out) to diagnose or just the blood glucose level in the office? The only definitive way to diagnose diabetes is the fructosamine test. It takes a couple days.

The symptoms are different in every cat, but generally you see increased urination, hunger, weight loss, dull flaky hair, increased thirst.
 
I know they did senior cat blood tests. Also t4 and urinalysis taken directly from bladder. I got results next day, but they don't do the results at the clinic.
 
So for the vet:

You'd like a mild slow acting insulin like Lantus, Levemir or ProZinc.
You'd like to start at a low dose like .5 or one unit twice daily, 12 hours apart
You'd like to test his blood sugar at home

Sound okay?
 
It happens. Will it help to know we all felt that way at first?

I would read something I wanted to remember and print it out so I could read and reread. Stick with the basics first - home testing, food and insulin.

Don't wonder or go hunting. When you have a question, just ask.
 
Hi, and welcome!! You are in the right place to get good information about feline diabetes. While there are a few things that you'll find that we are very enthusiastic about on this site (namely, proper diet and hometesting, which most of us find to be the cornerstone of successful treatment and pet safety), I have personally found that the approaches taken here are relatively flexible in terms of fitting FD treatment into normal everyday life, and I find that the folks here are more than happy to help you figure out how to make FD treatment work for you and your cat.... rather than trying to dictate how your life has to fit into a narrow box of treating FD.

While I personally use Lantus for my cat Willie (because that is what the diagnosing vet gave us) and we've had great success, I know that others have had tremendous success with PZI (hard to find), Prozinc and Levemir. If your vet prescribes any one of those, you will be able to find support here and you'll become equipped with the tools to successfully treat Louie's FD on a day to day basis.

There is a tremendous amount of information on this site... we've all been at that place where we felt completely overwhelmed. Take a deep breath, and start with the basics...

1. Make sure that your food choices are under 10% carbs (many of us even go with carb #s under 5%... do some experimenting and see how carbs affect Louie).
2. Strongly consider hometesting. It is important for two reasons... first, it lets you make sure you keep your cat safe. I think many people, including vets, are under the impression that a cat will react the same way to the same dose of insulin on a regular basis... but this isn't the case. Cats can and do dip into dangerous numbers from time to time. Hometesting allows us to learn how our cats react to insulin and predict those situations so that we can use carbohydrates (whether through higher carb foods or sugar syrups like karo) to bring numbers up into safer ranges. Second, hometesting allows you the information to be an informed partner in decisions regarding his insulin dosages. Many of us here manage that aspect of our cat's FD solely on our own, only seeking input from our supportive vets when we need it. This cuts down on costly trips to vet for testing that is mostly likely inaccurate anyway. (vet stress can have a huge impact on numbers). With hometesting, you'll need a meter, strips and some low carb treats to use as a reward for all the ear pokes. Makes most cats most willing participants!

Start there. Once your vet has recommended an insulin, you can learn more about that. Please ask questions as you have them!
 
Helllo to you and Louie~! glad to see you here.

This is the best place to be... I live in euless...which doc are you using? Please pm me if you want. My Sugar Bean was dx in 4/2011 and is in remission now - last shot 5/24ish.....

You will get a handle on this... it is doable and the BEST thing you could do for sweet Louie is to learn how to home test...... and of course visit here often... ask questions, cry, scream ~ whatever you want

Ms. Bean went from almost 13 lbs to 8! and this was done very quickly....She is now about 9 1/4..... mommy got a baby scale - lol

Unforunately, I did not have pet health insurance, do you?

Welcome and breath a little and know that Louie will THANK YOU for your help!
 
I go to MidCities family pet clinic in NRH. Dr Ashenberg is who we see. She's great. She takes a lot of time to answer relative and random questions :)
 
Just for fun, here's Louie:
me-1.jpg

Louie-3.jpg


and here's my other cat Sadie:
Sadie-1.jpg
 
Oh...another question somewhat related...whenever I take Louie to the vet, when I get home with him, my other cat Sadie, who is usually his best bud, hisses and smacks him around for a couple days. I know it is because he smells different...in the past I have tried: putting vanilla on both their necks, rubbing towel on him then on her, chamomile tea for her. None of this works...and since he is going to be going to the vet much more frequently I don't want him to have to go through the trauma of the vet and then get home and smacked around by his best bud! Not fair! It usually lasts for close to 48 hrs. Poor guy...

Anyone else have this experince?
 
If you test at home, you can really limit the vet visits. Just do the tests, keep the spreadsheet and fax it to the vet. Then you won't have to worry about Sadie?
 
Good idea. I fully intend to test at home. I can't get the spreadsheet though. I set up a google acct but I get pcbd msg...I'll have to try it on a different computer
 
all4stvoyager said:
Oh...another question somewhat related...whenever I take Louie to the vet, when I get home with him, my other cat Sadie, who is usually his best bud, hisses and smacks him around for a couple days. I know it is because he smells different...in the past I have tried: putting vanilla on both their necks, rubbing towel on him then on her, chamomile tea for her. None of this works...and since he is going to be going to the vet much more frequently I don't want him to have to go through the trauma of the vet and then get home and smacked around by his best bud! Not fair! It usually lasts for close to 48 hrs. Poor guy...

Anyone else have this experince?
Click to expand...

This happens any time I bring one cat or the other to the vet. One thing that I started doing when Bob has to go...
I leave the carrier in the house after I let him out of it. I don't know why that has worked, but it has.
I have 2 kitties, Bob (the diabetic currently in remission) and Mullet (civvie is the term we use to denote "non-diabetic"). Mullet only goes to the vet for yearly checkups. Bob has been a dozen times since May probably. So when I bring Bob home, I open the carrier, he comes out, and I leave the carrier in a corner with the door open. I don't know if it's the "vet smell" being not only on Bob but elsewhere in the house, or what, but since I started doing that, Mullet doesn't fuss near as much at Bob. He'll still hiss, but rather than smack Bob, he'll hiss and walk away. The 2 day fights are over.
I've seen Mullet sniff the carrier, sit on top of it, and most times just ignore it. Bob uses it as a perch, and I frequently find him sleeping in it. Not only has this calmed the post-vet tussles, but it also has gotten Bob over the "carrier fear". It used to be that as soon as they saw the carrier, it was all cats under the furniture or in a closet. Now on vet visit day, I toss a treat in the carrier, Bob runs to get it, I close the door, and we're off. Sooner or later he'll figure out the "trap", but he hasn't so far!

Carl
 
Questions to ask the vet after diagnosis



all4stvoyager said:
Does anyone use pet health insurance with any success?
Click to expand...

Some people here do have pet insurance. See this poll: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=36560

Some pet insurances consider diabetes as a "pre existing condition" and will not provide insuraces to pets who have it or develop it.

Sue and Oliver (GA) said:
Some servers work better than others. Here is another way to get the template: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=50130
Click to expand...

That is the only way to get a spreadsheet template. I have asked if a mod or Rebecca could edit the instruciton sticy to reflect this change. Cynthia is busy with a recent move and grad school and no longer comes to FDMB.
 
Hello Sara,
you babies are so cute! 3 girls here, Civvies - Slappy, Lil Sista and Sugar Bean... There is a gallary to post pix, pretty fun to do albums of the babies, if you have not found it by now....
I know when one of the 3 go to the vet, the others do hiss and do not want to be around the one that was seeing the doc. I try really hard to limit the visits but sometimes you just have to. Sugar Bean has not been back since 1 week after the dx. After I found this site, there was no need to go...
Do you have your testing supplies yet? Perhaps I could let you borrow mine for a few days as Bean is in remission. I also have some ketone sticks that I could pass on to you as well.

Have a great furry day!
 
Hello Sara,
Just checking in with you and Louie... How is he doing?
Wanted to let you know that I sent you a pm (private message). But, I think I am having problems with them sending???? Sure it is user error. I have a newbie kit that I intended to send to Lori that I would love to share with you for Louie.... Just drop me a line and let me know if you are interested.... I was not for sure if you have already purchased one or not.
Have a happy furry day!
 
Hi There!

My cat Ozzie was diagnosed on 9/24. I noticed that my other cat was being really agressive towards him as well!! The vet said it should stop when you get his BG levels down with insulin, which it did for me. You could try giving some calming treats to the aggressive cat which is what my vet suggested,

You said you were overwhelmed, and trust me I just went through all this too so I know the feeling. Ozzie has been doing great 7 days now without insulin, on our way to being OTJ!!!

Def get started on home testing and start a spreadsheet. Also trust your own gut with regards to shooting.

Depending on the insulin you get prescribed, you should post in the group for the insulin you are using. People in the forums will help you throughout the regulating and testing so you make sure you aren't O'ding your cat.

You'll get the hang of everything soon!!
 
OMG, you look just like my cousin's wife and guess what? She's Sara without an H too!
I am a big St fan also, but I have to say voyager was my least favorite series. I do have all 4 seasons of Enterprise on DVD, even though I would love to have all 7 seasons of DS9. Or maybe just a collection of all of the "Mirror Universe" episodes....

I hope things are going well for you and Louie!
 
Thank you all for your concern and comments!

I went to the vet Sat to get Louie set up on insulin. We are going with NPH because I couldn't afford the others right now. I have 3 sheets of lab work results, and I forgot to bring them with me today :roll: From what I can remember: blood sugar 485. no ketones :mrgreen: very high phosphates. low sodium. bun/creatinine were normal (so no kidney prb). no uti. glucose in urine 3+. mmm, that's all I can remember.

I got all the relion supplies from walmart. I am glad that I had watched the vid on giving a test...but I found it hard to get enough blood that the meter would accept. We started insulin Sat nite. Sund mid afternoon his bg was 358, and then Mon night it was 398. Both less than original :) So we're moving in the right direction. I understand the value of consisten test times, but I was just working on get the test to work. This Sat I will be doing a curve. My vet was so impressed with me because of my knowledge and educated questions, she going to let me do everything myself :) Thanks guys for that! :mrgreen:

I am having a hard time getting Louie to eat when I want him to in order to give the insulin. I have spent about $50 getting diff flavors of ff classic/friskies/authority...he'll eat one once and then not next. This morning I had 3 diff cans open and he wouldn't eat hardly any! the turd :twisted: Also I found a brand called Wellness that says "no grains" on it, so I figured it'd be low on carbs to try as well. Have any of you tried that brand?

Ok...that's all I can think of right now :)
Again, all suggestions appreciated!
 
Yes, Wellness has several low carb flavors: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html You can also put parmesan cheese or tuna juice on top. Oliver loved Bonito flakes which we sprinkled on top. Some kitties like it warmed in microwave until nice and stinky.

Are you sure heating the ear? That was vital for us at first. You can use the rice sack or fill a prescription bottle with hot water. Also, often you need a larger lancet to make a big enough hole at first. 26-27 gauge usually works better than 30-31
 
Hi Sara,

I know that the cost of Lantus seems way more than the NPH right now, but I think you should try and manage with the Lantus instead if you are any way able to do so. Some hospital pharmacies and some CostCos will sell single Lantus pens, which will not be as huge of a startup cost (maybe around $50 or less for a pen?). If you get the Lantus pens, you're buying a years worth of insulin if you handle it properly, so that $200 initial cost (there's a $25 off coupon here: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=36964) is really only about $16 a month. Some people also order the pens from Canada where it is quite a bit cheaper (see this thread: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=49608). Or if that is just not doable at the moment try writing Diabetic Cats in Need and see if they will be willing to donate a pen to you to get you started so that you have a couple months to save up to buy some pens yourself.

The NPH is going to be incredibly frustrating for you because it just doesn't work very well in cats, and it is not recommended for use in cats.The longer you wait to get him on an insulin where he can be well regulated, the less likely are his chances of reaching remission. Having a well-regulated or diet controlled cat is far less expensive than one whose diabetes is not controlled well. It is very unlikely you will able to control Louie's diabetes with the NPH.
 
I don't know that my vet will go for Lantus. She prefers PZI since it is made for cats. I am on nph because I cannot afford pzi...I will be out of my financial hole nov 10, and I told my vet so, but she doesn't want to switch around insulins once we get regulated. I'll talk to her again around the 10th...
 
Sara,
Bean has extra PZI BCP insulin that she is no longer using, would you like to use it? if so, just give me a ring and we will discuss all the ins and outs. And of course get advice from here :-D . If this would be better for him, I am more than willing to share!
 
I just wanted to let you know that I use the grain free Wellness for both Cedric (see photo at left, my FD in remission) and Dallas (currently no photo, I rescued this neighborhood stray cat on 9/1). Cedric doesn't care for the plain chicken, so i alternate with Turkey, Turkey & Salmon, and Chicken & Herring flavors. The other flavors they have don't have the "grain free" marked on the can, so I don't buy them. I also by the purple label Evo for cats & kittens (Cedric won't eat the other Evo grain free varities-Dallas will eat anything). I ordered 3 cases of the 12.5 oz Wellness cans from PetFoodDirect.com (thank you, MommaOfMuse) and with a 15% of discount, it came to about $90 with the shipping. I expect the food to last 5 weeks (that's a guess, I got it the first week of the month and still have 3 cans in the cupboard and 2 cases in the pantry). There is a Pet Supermarket and Pet Smart near by and a local owned pet food store that sell it, but it was cheaper to get them shipped than to keep buying the cans individually. Pet supermarket sells the 5.5 oz cans in cases (Pet Co carries it, but I don't shop there, as it is not close by like Pet Supermarket or pet Smart). It's better for me to use the 12.5 oz cans since I have the 2 cats, as Dallas gets about 9oz and cedric gets about 6 oz.
 
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