Hello new here!!

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Smrbrz01

Member Since 2023
Hello I’m new here. I just took my cat to her first ever vet visit!! We were both nervous. She was showing signs of what could be diabetes.. (thanks to Dr.Google) so I took her in and we’re waiting for her complete panel results to come back!! Doc said probably Tuesday! Hoping for the best!!
 
In the meantime, if you've not done so already, how about making sure your cat is on a low carbohydrate diet? Even if your cat doesn't have diabetes, cats are obligate carnivores and can't process carbs. This is a link to information on feline nutrition. It will be helpful reading. There is also a food chart on the site that lists most of the canned cat foods available in the US and their carb counts. We consider low carb as under 10%. Most of the members here feed their cat a diet that's around 5% carb.
 
I hope it turns out by okay. Please let us know. If your cat has diabetes this forum can be an immense help.
Hello! Doc confirmed diabetes today.
She says my cat is able to take Senvelgo or Bexacat. im thinking of going with bexacat because it’s been on the market longer than the other! We should start treatment soon. Other labs looked good
 
Before making a final decision, please see our post on the newer diabetes treatments -- including Bexacat. To use this product safely, your cat is going to need a range of tests that will likely need to be repeated to ensure your cat is healthy (e.g., no signs of ketones, no indication of kidney issues). All of our usual caveats apply -- a low carbohydrate diet is important and you will want to be home testing.

Also, how did your vet determine that your cat is diabetic? Hopefully, a fructosamine test was done. Blood glucose levels can be temporarily high if your cat is stressed by the trip to the vet's office as well as being at the vet's office.
 
Before making a final decision, please see our post on the newer diabetes treatments -- including Bexacat. To use this product safely, your cat is going to need a range of tests that will likely need to be repeated to ensure your cat is healthy (e.g., no signs of ketones, no indication of kidney issues). All of our usual caveats apply -- a low carbohydrate diet is important and you will want to be home testing.

Also, how did your vet determine that your cat is diabetic? Hopefully, a fructosamine test was done. Blood glucose levels can be temporarily high if your cat is stressed by the trip to the vet's office as well as being at the vet's office.


She has diabetic neuropathy in her back legs which was the first indication also yes a series of tests were done. The vet wanted to do the fructosomine test but I wasn’t able to afford it at the time, as I was already paying $415 for the exam and the complete panel. And the fructosomine test was another $130. She said we can do that on her next visit
 
Like Sienne said, just make sure you understand the possible dangers associated with Bexacat. It can work well for some, but there might be a better and safer alternative.
 
What would be a better safer alternative?
I was thinking of Lantus, its generic Glargine, or Prozinc. They are more traditional injectable insulins, but have been around much longer than Bexacat. Lantus (glargine) and Prozinc have high success rates, and cats can go into remission while using them. My Snickers went into remission for 3.5 years after using Lantus, so I'm a big believer in it.

Also, since money is a concern (as it is for most of us :) ), I also thought something like glargine might be less expensive over the long term. Just to draw attention to what Sienne said, "To use this product [Bexacat] safely, your cat is going to need a range of tests that will likely need to be repeated to ensure your cat is healthy (e.g., no signs of ketones, no indication of kidney issues)."

That's the thing with Bexacat. If your kitty has or develops ketones, then Bexacat can be really, really dangerous. But I don't want to overstate things, either. If your cat doesn't have ketones then Bexacat can work safely. I guess I just don't trust it because of some people's cats who had negative reactions to it. But there are other members here using it safely and effectively.

If you're in the US, you can get glargine for a fairly inexpensive price. Some people use those Good Rx coupons for glargine and get it for a real steal. I'll see if I can find someone's post about it and link it. I'm not sure how much your vet might charge for Bexacat but I think it's a monthly drug, right? So glargine might be more cost effective as the insulin pens will last for months or even a year. Anyway, that's just my opinion. Like I said, there are people using Bexacat safely. I just wanted to make sure you understand everything before making a final decision. :)
 
Here's a link to a discussion about the goodrx coupons, but there are others if you search the forum. Keep in mind that when it says $35 for one month or something like that, it's referring to human usage. Five pens for a cat lasts way longer than just a month because cats use a smaller dose compared to humans. Anyway, this is just in case you're interested. If not, no worries.

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...ntus-glargine-good-rx-35.284603/#post-3132811
 
I was leaning more towards the bexacat over the injections because I have really shaky hands and I’m not good with needles, also I don’t know anything about diabetes (human or cat) The vet said bexacat is $80 a bottle which I think is reasonable.
 
I was leaning more towards the bexacat over the injections because I have really shaky hands and I’m not good with needles, also I don’t know anything about diabetes (human or cat) The vet said bexacat is $80 a bottle which I think is reasonable.
You should do whatever is right for you then. :)
 
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