Hi! New here with a couple questions

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valkyriestorm

Member Since 2012
I have an 11 year old male cat who was diagnosed a year ago with diabetes. I noticed something was wrong when he started peeing and drinking a lot so I took him in to get tested and sure enough he had diabetes. He was strated out on Humulin N, I think 2 units, then 3 and now 4. Shots are given twice a day every twelve hours. Now the problem I am still having with with him since he was newly diagnosed is he is still constantly drinking and peeing a lot. The peeing is still so bad that I have to scoop the litter box three times a day and buy new litter 3 times a week. And he constantly drinks water like crazy. He even lays near his water all the time. I thought that when the diabeties was under control this would all stop. Also his back feet are really bad. He is totally flat footed. So I have taken him to the vets 3 times since he was diagnosed and I tell them he is still having these problems so they test him and add another unit. I can't afford the litter anymore and spending 100 bucks to get him tested all the time. I feel like they are just taking my money and not helping my cat. Does anyone have any ideas and if there is anything I can do to help my cats situation?
 
We can help! Number one, go to the top of this page and get a free home testing kit. We test our cats at home. It is cheaper and more reliable than numbers from the vet. Stress raises glucose levels and cats are stressed at the vet. We can teach you how over the internet.

Number two, you need a better insulin. I know Humulin is cheap, but it is also harsh and short lasting. We like Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc. They are all mild and long lasting. If you want to let us know your city and state, we might have someone who lives near you and can help with a vet who is up on FD.

Number three, what are you feeding? We feed wet low carb (see this website to find out why: www.catinfo.org) It can really lower glucose readings. But don't change food until you are testing at home. Our Oliver went down 100 points overnight when we switched from dry to wet. If we hadn't adjusted the dose downward, he would have overdosed.

This seems so complicated at first, but it is a home treated disease that is fairly easy to treat. And not expensive. We will be glad to help you figure it out. Start reading on the Board Index page - all the informational links - and ask questions. We would love to help you help your kitty.
 
I feed all my cats Earthborn Holistic grain free kibble and just random soft foods a few time s a week. I know soft food is they way to go but again feeding wet food to 3 cats everyday would be expensive I think? I am in central jersey. I just moved back here a few weeks ago and still have not picked out a vet to use around here yet. Also I know the insulin I am using is not the best. I have been reading about it on here. How much do the other ones go for?
 
Testing at home is a little hard at first, until you do it a few times. Just a tiny ear poke with a lancet device, a tiny drop of blood. My vet showed me how, and it wasn't really hard. The hardest part is believing (and it is true) that it doesn't really hurt the cat. What they seem to not like is that it's just something different. They're thinking "why are you holding me? Why are you messing with my ears?". There's a ton of videos on Youtube that show you how it's done.
Just search there for "feline diabetes testing".
The secret to success is "reward". Whenever you test them, you give them a treat. They learn to associate the test with the reward, and also with feeling better as time goes on. Many cats, mine included, get to the point where they are reminding you when it's test time. Most people probably don't believe that when we tell it to them, but they believe it when they see it themselves.

Carl
 
valkyriestorm said:
I know soft food is they way to go but again feeding wet food to 3 cats everyday would be expensive I think?
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No not at all, if you use coupons and shop for deals it can actually be cheaper. I stocked up on cans of a generic Fancy Feast equivalent food for .35 cents each. One of my cats gets 3 a day and the other gets 2, that's $1.75 a day to feed 2 cats. Pretty affordable if you ask me! And also, by reducing carbs you can almost certainly reduce the insulin dose, saving you money there too. And if that helps get his symptoms controlled it is money saved on litter too!


valkyriestorm said:
Also is testing at home hard and does it hurt the cat?
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No, it really doesn't. It's not the pain they don't like initially - it's usually a combination of the owner being extremely nervous/scared/frustrated and the cat being fussed over and restrained. Once your nerves calm and your cat adjusts it's easy peasy.
 
valkyriestorm said:
I I know soft food is they way to go but again feeding wet food to 3 cats everyday would be expensive I think?
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Not necessarily. There are many people here with mutliple cats and they feed one thing: low carb canned food. You can feed brands that come in 5 oz and bigger sizes. Wellness for example is avaible in those teeny 3 oz cans as well as 5 oz and 12.5 oz. The 12.5 oz cans can be split into multiple meals for a several cats and the can can last a day or two or even a bit more. At some pet stores you can even buy an entire case of food which saves money.

The Nature's Variety Instinct 13.2 oz cans for dogs can be fed to cats. It's the exact same formula as the cat ones. The larger size is more economical to feed multiple cats.

valkyriestorm said:
Also I know the insulin I am using is not the best. I have been reading about it on here. How much do the other ones go for?
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Dpends.

Lantus and Levemir are Human insulins so you buy them at the Human pharmacy with a prescription. The 10 ml bottle is around $110 while the box of pens (Lantus SoloStar or Levemir Flexpens) cost around $225 or so. Few people here use the 10 ml bottle because it tends to lose effectivness after a month or so and you're basically throwing away a barely used bottle. The pens are much more economical. They are 3 ml each and come in a box of five which is basically at least a 5 month supply you will have on hand to use. There is a coupon for $25 off a box of SoloStar or Flexpens over in the Supply Closet. Some people buy their Lantus or Levemir from online Canadian pharmacies for well less than what a US pharmacy charges. There is a thread over in the Supply Closet board with more info.

You can use a free prescription drug card to save some money on Lantus and Levemir at the pharmacy. Here is one card: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=53397 Use this web site to check out the approximate price of Lantus and Levemir at your local pharmacies: http://www.goodrx.com/

If the vet tries to sell you Lantus or Levemir for cheap, don't buy it. Repackaged Lantus and Levemir has questionable potency and may potentially be contaminted while being transferred from the original sterile container to the secondary (and who knows if sterile or not) container. Plus, you don't know 100% for sure if what is inside the container is even insulin. Insist on a written prescription so you can buy the insulin from a pharmacy.

ProZinc costs about $115. You can buy this online from web sites like DrsFosterandSmith.com and 1800PetMeds.com Your vet sells it as well, though the price may be marked up quite a bit.

BCP PZI is an option. Your vet can request a free 5ml bottle for you: http://www.bcpvetpharm.com/news_bovineinsulin.html I'm not sure how much BCP PZI costs.
 
I bought compounded VPA PZI and I think BCP PZI is about the same price. It was less than $55 including overnight shipping. Your vet would need to call in the prescription to BCP.
Once they have the 'scrip from your vet, you call them and order it over the phone.

Carl
 
For the flatfootedness, it's called neuropathy. The diabetes causes it. It takes a few weeks to start working
but we all have great improvements because of this.


http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Neuropathy


If you hunt for it elsewhere, make sure it ismethylcobalmin. Not all b12's
are the same.
You can get it at most pharmacies. It comes in many forms and mg/mcg so pay attention that you get the right one.
Here's an example.
http://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-vitamin-b-12-methylcobalamin-5000-mcg-60-capsules
beware the cherry flavor, can't don't care.

A commonly given dose here is 3 mg -5 mg.
B vitamins are water soluble and any excess is excreted in the urine.


the bottle above is 5000mcg which is the same as 5 mg. You can empty the whole capsule and mix in with the canned food or use part of it if you prefer the 3 mg dose
 
Thanks a lot guys. I will def try the Methyl B12. I just hope it can be fixed. But my main question is if I get a better insulin and better food will my cat not pee and drink water as much? Because right now that is the problem I am still dealing with for the past year now and its driving me crazy.
 
Yes, the peeing should go back to normal; he should drink less water; stop flooding the litter box; get smoother fur and less dandruff; be less interested in food - all patterns we see when cats are better regulated. It does take a while, but the better his numbers, the better he will be.
 
Yes, a better insulin and better food would give you a better chance of getting the BG numbers under control. Once they start to improve, you see an improvement in the symptoms like drinking and peeing a lot.

What type of litter are you using? My life got a lot easier when I got rid of the clay clumping litter and switched to ones that are made of something other than clay. They clumped better, and I didn't need to change the litter completely, just scooped. Also, they stuck less often to Bob's paws. I used "World's Best Cat Litter" and Feline Pine. I recently switched to Tidy Cat's Pure Nature, which is made from ceder, pine and corn. It's good at clumping and control's odor very well too.

Carl
 
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