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missmel12

missmel12

Member Since 2013
Hello to you all !!

My name is Mel, i'm 19 and my little girl's name is Nelly. This summer I decided to take in a cat who was dumped by her owners. At first I was quite shocked why someone would dump such a well behaved cat. The first few weeks she was eating and drinking like a savage, but i thought maybe she had been very hungry from being outside. Fast forward my cat tarted peeing on the floor and carpet, I was suspicious that something was not right. I thought maybe her past parents kicked her out because she has litter box problems. After going to the vet I found out that she is diabetic with very high numbers, not sure what that mean. The vet prescribed lantus and for a vial its $200. for the pens it would be $400. For now, i put her on a wet food diet & will also be giving her raw meat, he really like chicken tenders and chicken breast. I am a little overwhelmed by all the changes including testing her blood glucose. I'm not sure where to start, any help will be appreciated.

thanks
 
Hello and welcome to the board!
What country do you live in? It will help us make recommendations

First thing that's key is diet. You want a low carb wet food that's under 10% calories from carbs. We have a a list of suitable foods but What food are you feeding currently?

Insulin is important and lantus Is a good one. Vials last up to six months if you keep them in the fridge and pens even longer because you only open one at a time. Plus pens are more durable. Sometimes you can get a pharmacy to just sell you one pen.

Home testing is important to keep your cat safe, get accurate blood results and save on vet bills. You will get more control and be able better to judge how an insulin dose is working. I have a shopping list below. Once you get the kit, we can advise on how to test.

Many cats go into remission with the above three things in place... Good food, good insulin and testing

Wendy

Getting started shopping list
1. Meter ie Walmart Relion Confirm or Micro.
2. Matching strips
3. Lancets - little sticks to poke the ear to get blood . new members usually start with a larger gauge lancet such as 28g or 29g until the ear learns to bleed. Optional - lancing tool.
4. Cotton balls to stem the blood
5. Neosporin or Polysporin ointment with pain relief to heal the wound
6. Mini flashlight (optional) - useful to help see the ear veins in dark cats, and to press against
7. Ketone urine test strips ie ketodiastix - Important to check ketones when blood is high
8. Sharps container - to dispose of waste syringes and lancets.
9. Treats for the cat - like freeze dried chicken
10. Karo syrup/corn syrup or honey if you dont have it at home - for hypo emergencies to bring blood sugar up fast
11. A couple of cans of fancy feast gravy lovers or other high carb gravy food- for hypo emergencies to bring blood sugar up fast
 
Thank you for the info Wendy. I live Pennsylvania. So far she likes to eat fancy feast, meow mix & friskies. I'm trying to find a food that she will like and stay consistent with it. She's very very picky so Its quite difficult to get her to stay on one food. With the insulin, i read somewhere that it only lasts about two months after being refrigerated do you know if that's true? I will go to walmart and buy all those things. Thanks for the help.

Mel
 
What kind of fancy feast and friskies? Not all flavours are low carb, check this list and see if your food is on it. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=94685Meow mix is too high carb.. You don't want that if you want good control or remission!

No, Lantus will last up to six months if you keep it in the fridge not the door. I can attest to four months until my pet sitter dropped the vial. Now I get the pens instead.

Wendy
 
Hi Mel! How are things going with you and Nelly? How incredible of you to take in a stray and give her loving! You're doing a great job starting with the diet change. Have you started learning how to home test yet? Here are some ear-testing tips to get you started and please let us know whatever else we might be able to help you with.
 
Thank you everyone both for your help. Nelly is doing really well since the diet change. She is not yet on insulin sigh.... I called her vet and asked to change the prescription to the pens & she refused stating that she does not know anything about them. My next option is to look for another vet which costs money that i don't really have much of. I work nights, so I will have to add a pet sitter to Nelly's expenses. Is there any way I can get the pens without a prescription ? I live in PA. I bought everything on the list Wendy, just waiting on the insulin situation to be figured out.

Mel
 
Mel, I would go ahead and get the testing started even if you can't do insulin yet. It will give you an idea of what range her numbers are without insulin, and will mean you both will be comfortable with testing once you start insulin. Watch the video, warm her ears and let us know how it goes (don't worry if you have a little trouble, few people get it on the first try)
 
I called her vet and asked to change the prescription to the pens & she refused stating that she does not know anything about them.
Click to expand...
Silly vet! So she is claiming her lack of knowledge for her reason for refusing to write the prescription for the insulin pen? Here is some information to help you to help educate your vet.

1. Well, just tell your vet that the insulin pen is simply a miniature vial, only 3 mL instead of the 10 mL large vial.

2. The insulin pen has a little rubber stopper, just like the large vial does, where an insulin syringe can be inserted. You do not need to use the dial a dose feature of the pens, which dose in whole units only. Use of an insulin syringe, inserted in the rubber stopper tip of the pen allows you to draw up a smaller dose into the syringe.

3. Maybe have her watch this video, to see how to draw from an insulin pen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4KtK_skpmQ

4. Pen is much less expensive.

5. Pen can be used to the last drop before the insulin becomes less effective. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21628141

6. More info about the insulin pen https://www.bd.com/us/diabetes/page.aspx?cat=7001&id=7250

No, the Lantus Solostar pens require a prescription.
 
I agree with Sue. I would start testing now because her blood sugar could already be coming down and she might not even need the insulin if the food is low carb enough.
 
hello everyone.

Sorry I have been busy with work didn't have much time to get on here. I did the first test on Nelly just now and the number on the meter was 286. If anyone can help me understand what it means and the number we should be aiming for? I would really appreciate it. She is on strictly friskies diet and eats about 3 cans 3 times a day, not sure if that is too much. I tried only two cans, but she start crying and biting for food. With only being on wet food she has been acting like a normal cat. My work schedule changes on New Years day, so I will be able to take her to a new vet and figure out the insulin. Your help is very much appreciated.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to you all !!
 
That's not a bad number, but we would consider her in a diabetic range. When was that number - how long after having been fed?

A cat, off insulin, should range from 40 - 120. We consider a cat on insulin regulated if they range from the mid 200s at preshot and under 100 at midcycle, but not under 40-50, which would be hypo range for a cat on insulin. We do suggest that new diabetics not shoot preshots under 200, so she is near that number.

You might collect some more numbers, feed her small frequent meals to help her pancreas heal and see if her levels drop?
 
The number was about 2 hrs after she was fed. I will try the frequent meals and see if the number drops like you recommended. I'm a little scared to poke her again, she got very upset and bit me.
 
The trick is to give her a treat she really likes, each time you poke. You want her to associate the poke with something she likes. We also have ways to help with reluctant cats, if you continue to have trouble.
 
While you work on home testing, see my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools that you can use to assess you cat's health.

Below are some glucose reference ranges with some examples following at the bottom of how to use them.

Here are some glucose reference ranges used for decision making using glucometers. Human glucometer numbers are given first. Numbers in parentheses are for non-US meters. Numbers in curly braces are estimates for an AlphaTrak.

[Glucose reference ranges are unsubstantiated and have been removed by Moderator]



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *​

How to use the glucose reference values chart:

When you get a test, look for the number on the chart that either equals, or contains, the test value you have. Read the information. As needed, make a decision and act.

Ex. You are a new insulin user and you test your cat before giving insulin. The test is 300. It probably is safe to give insulin.

Ex. You are an established user of Lantus, following the Tight Regulation protocol. You've tested around +5 to +7 to spot the nadir. It is 200 mg/dL. You probably need to increase the dose, following the instructions for the protocol.

Ex. Your cat is acting funny. The eyes are a bit dilated. You are concerned and test the glucose. The number is 35 mg/dL. ACK! The cat may be in a hypoglycemic state. You quickly follow the HYPO protocol linked in the glucose reference values chart. (which we really, really, suggest you print out and post on your refrigerator.)
 
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