Hi newbie with questions

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Brandy613

Brandy613

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Nutz is 7 1/2 years old, he was diagnosed 3/16/12, 421bg. Everything else is normal his thyroid, liver, kidneys. What would a good store bought food be and what would be the cheapest insulin? I am being laid off next week nailbite_smile so price is an issue right now.

Thank you
Brandy
 
Want to say welcome!
Have you seen the free (pay shipping) test kits that are available??
Not for sure about insulin. My sugar Bean was (she is in remission now) on PZI. I think it was around 125.00 but I know there is help thru dcin. Have you visited or heard about them?
I have a few bags of syringes if you need them. They are u100. Would be glad to share.
If you would let me know where you are, I could share some of those and some lancets for the testing supplies as I have 2 full boxes of 2 different sizes.
I will say, this is the BEST place you will find to be to help your sugar baby.
What kind of insulin has the vet suggested?
Food, I feed low carb petsmart brand that is about .32 per 5 oz can and I also feed raw food that I do myself. But for storebought, it is petsmart with a bit of fancy feast added.
Good luck Brandy...keep posting, asking and taking in all the info possible....everyone here is here to help, scream and offer hugs.
Nutz will be in goood hands! :smile:
 
Yes I have a test kit on the way. Not sure what insulin the vet has in mind just the price $55-$60 a month. I will check out dcin, I have gotten a few cans of fancy feast it is .95 per 3oz can at out little store. He had no problems eating it. Also how much should I be feeding him with and without insulin. He is 12 pounds. He might be a little over weight but has lost a little.
 
Hello there Brandy & Nutz,

When Bean was first dx., I let her eat as much as she wanted until the diabetes was more under control as she seemed starved. Then, as this became more under control, so did her eating and it slowed down. I open up a can, add water to make soupy, leave it down while I am at work. When I return, if there is any left over, I pick it up and put new down.

When I was having to test before shot, I would pick up when I got home from work about 2 hours before test and shot time. We would do a quick test with frz dried treats, put a bit (bout 1/2 ) the food down. I would make sure she kept it down (bout 10 min or so), then feed the rest during shot time. I was picking up the food in the pm before bed. And following the same in the am before work. You just want to make sure you have about 2 hours of no food before test so that you are not testing and getting a higher number from food reaction.

The fancy feast is not that much here....where are you? I do know it has increased about .10 per can since we started this about 1 yr ago. You might want to order online if you know for sure what he likes.

So glad you have a kit on the way. The insulin you get will depend on what happens to Nutz. Lots of folks love Lantus, I used the PZI. Both are great.

Please glance at Beans spreadsheet. Sooo scared I was that first night, thinking there was no way she could ever be low enough to worry..... per my vet. But, I was wrong. With the help from everyone here, she pulled thru and I did make a promise to never ever give her a shot without that test! She weighted about 12ish pounds and when I took her to the vet, she was 8 at dx! I thought she was depressed from our recent moves (2 in 6 months). But I had never heard of a cat having diabeties. Big shock to me. But now, it just seems like a normal thing. Poured myself into this forum and still do long after she has been in remission (may will be 1 yr). Wanting to give back what others gave to me. ;-)

I listened to everyone here, took their advice and now, not only is she still with me, but in remission. That does happen alot around here(this forum). I will keep my paws crossed for Nutz.

Did not mean to make this so long,
keep us posted! you are doing great.....and he will too :razz:
 
HI Brandy, I don't know expense of other insulins but Lantus is definitely not cheap. I use Costco and its $118.00 using their discount prescription program. It is possible to get Lantus through canadian pharmacies mail order so that would definitely be an option to look into. Lantus, Levemir, & Pzi are 12 hour insulins so its best to stay on a 12 hour schedule with them whenever possible. Lots of people here feed fancy feast or sophisticat from Petsmart. Home testing can save you a lot of money in vet bills since you will always know what your cats blood sugar level is. Also many vets do a curve - that is where you test before the shot, feed, then at 3 hour intervals take blood sugar measurment until you hit +12 and time for the next shot. My vet lets me do the curve then send her the results for followup - saving me $127.00 a pop. On this website there is an article called Frugal Diabetes Management with lots of great info for saving money. Jan
 
The three big expenses for a diabetic cat are food, insulin, and test strips. For food, as others have suggested you can feed any grocery store brand under 10% carbs. Friskies, Walmart's Special Kitty, and PetSmart's Sophistacat all have low carb options that you can get in big 13oz cans to save yourself money. Here's a link to the cat food nutrition charts that tell you the carb content: http://felinediabetes.com/diabetic-cat-diets.htm

With Insulin, you don't want to look for the cheapest one, because the insulins that work best in cats aren't the least expensive ones. It pays off for both you and your cat in expenses in the long run to use one of these insulins, because they have a very high remission rate in cats (84%) if the cat is newly diagnosed and has no secondary conditions. However, there are ways to use these insulins and keep costs down.

If you get a prescription for Lantus or Levemir, there are coupons for the pens here if you decide to get them from your local pharmacy: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=36964. The pens are a bit more expensive up front, but they save you lots in a the long run--because you're getting 5 3ml mini-vials instead of 1 10ml vial. This means that if handled correctly, you can most likely make those 5 pens last a year or more. A vial is only guaranteed to last 28 days, and with good handling some people can get them to last for months beyond that, but more often then not they go bad before you even come remotely close to using all of the insulin. With the pens, you use almost every drop.

I know that a pack of Lantus pens at the Walmart pharmacy is $219 after tax with the coupon. But like I said, they'll likely last you a year or more, which works out to be about $18 a month. I'm not sure how much the Levemir pens are--I hope someone else can chime in on that.

You can also order from a Canadian pharmacy, where it's nearly half the price. Here's a link for where you can buy insulin online from Canada: https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1FCnrPxpYD02Gp5hWtEIbhLXm0VOyaZlAT_qeCjlx-Js&pli=1

Now, for test strips. Home monitoring is going to save you the most money out of anything. If you're testing your cat at home with a human glucose meter, you do not have to pay for ANY vet curves or fructosamine tests. And, it's also the best way to determine dose adjustments and make sure that it's safe to shoot insulin into your cat. The test strips are the big expense with meters, and you want to budget for at least 30 strips a week.

This is an inexpensive, but good quality meter from American Diabetes Wholesale: http://www.americandiabeteswholesal...nitoring-kit-black_4034.htm?source=SiteSearch

You're getting the meter for free, +200 strips for $45.00, which is about 22 cents a strip. The Arkray GlucoCard is the generic version of the Relion Confirm that you get at walmart.

After that, if you order your strips from American Diabetes Wholesale they are 250 for $46--about 18 cents a strip: http://www.americandiabeteswholesal...-vital-test-strips_4027.htm?source=SiteSearch

If you're super drained because of the insulin expense and you need some time to save up the money to get the better price on the bigger lot of strips, you can also buy them individually on Amazon.

Here's the meter +50 strips for $23 (free shipping): http://www.amazon.com/Arkray-GlucoC...ef=sr_1_3?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1327078831&sr=1-3

And here's the strips alone, 50 for $16 (32 cents a strip including shipping): http://www.amazon.com/Arkray-GlucoC...ef=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1327078831&sr=1-1
 
The cheapest insulin would be Humulin N but it doesn't work for most cats. It drops blood glucose levels fairly fast and doesn't last more than a few hours. It's better to pay more for a good long lasting insulin, IMO. Ask your vet about ProZinc, Lantus, and Levemir.

Here are tips on how to save money on your cat's diabetes costs: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/frugal.html

Fancy Feast is inexpensive and is available nearly everywhere. Not all of the varieties are good to feed a diabetic, though. Look at this chart: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html Any food that has under 10% carbs is good for a diabetic. There are many brands you can feed. Some people save money by buying a brand that comes in larger 5 and 13 ounce cans. The little 3 oz can really add up in cost since diabetic cats should ideally be fed mini meals throughout the day.
 
Thank you all for the info! It has really helped. Nutz is being put on pzi and it should be here Friday or Monday. All of this is very overwhelming. I did not know how much was involved with taking care of a kitty with diabetes. But I am confident that we can do it. I am so glad that I found this board.
 
Welcome to the sugar dance!

My boy Grayson has been on Prozinc since Jan 13th. We're still finding our path, but I have the Relion Ultima meter (WalMart) and the strips there are $36/100. The Arkay strips mentioned in this thread are the ones Libby & Doug use on Hershey - he has the Relion Confirm meter. I'm definitely gonna have to check out the other strips, as I go through a LOT!

Be sure to post over on the PZI board now, as you'll find many people with lots of experience able to help, advise, and share.

For me, the most difficult part of this dance has been the poking. Grayson's ears don't bleed well. I would get extremely frustrated and I know he felt it! I encourage you to find a comfortable place to do your testing - and you can start BEFORE you start the insulin - this will give you a baseline of where he is. Keep track of the times, and teh numbers, and the timing and quantity of food eaten. This can then transfer to a spreadsheet very easily, without inundating you with everything all at once. However, the spreadsheet is the tool that enables others to look at how your kitty is doing, see patterns, and advise regarding the dose or other factors that may be influencing. Take a look at some of our spreadsheets w/ the live link on the bottom of our posts.

I get Fancy Feast - either at the grocery store, PetSmart, WalMart or the little grocery one block away. It typically runs about .54/ can. You can also buy the cases [be sure you get the "Classics"] of Chicken, Turkey & Beef, or the individual varieties. I buy Chicken, and Turkey w/ Giblets single flavor cases. I think the 12 pack at WalMart is about $6.12 or so. 24 pack usually about $12. Even the Piggly Wiggly carries the individual cases, although they're right downtown and have a higher markup - about $8/12 pk. But they're close and convenient... and it saves juggling 30 cans in your grocery cart! FWIW - Grayson and most of my other cats don't do well w/ the beef flavored, so I split that in several little servings and share w/ the non-diabetic cats as a treat. Knowing that now, I wouldn't buy too many of any kind until you're sure your kitty will digest it okay.

Grayson was a big boy (21.6 pounds last June). He's holding about 13.4 now, but still has a healthy appetite. This morning he polished off 1.5 cans w/ his preshot. Then I gave him another .5 while he got fluids at +6. Smaller cats may actually leave some for later. I picked up a 3-pak of ~4" Pyrex bowls w/ red lids at WalMart or Target. This way, if they get thrown off the counter by another one of my cats, they don't break, you can put the lid on and keep the food fresh for later, pop in refridgerator or microwave... and they aren't tying up all my dishes and using up the Saran Wrap.

Libby & Doug use Wellness from Petsmart. That comes in a bigger can which they split into 4-6-or 8 servings (not sure, she had them pre-measured when he came to visit). That might be a good (and especially economic) alternative to the FF.

Feel free to ask questions of us - we've probably all been through everything you're experiencing. And most people don't get quite as wordy as I've been!

Good luck!

Lu-Ann
 
Brandy613 said:
Thank you all for the info! It has really helped. Nutz is being put on pzi and it should be here Friday or Monday. All of this is very overwhelming. I did not know how much was involved with taking care of a kitty with diabetes. But I am confident that we can do it. I am so glad that I found this board.
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I know how you feel. I was sooo worried that I was not going to do things right. This board telling me to do things differently than the vet was probably the worst at first. Until I took Bean in for her first curve 1 wk later and ask about home testing and of course some other questions because of reading from here. I quickly told 'not to be reading things on the internet and not to believe everything that I did read' and 'no, home testing is not neccessary, just bring her in once a week for a while, they will regulate her'....well, I kinda listened to him as he increased her dose from 1 unit to 2...I did not because everyone here said not to especially cuz my home testing skills were not producing a test yet (I tried about 5 times w/out getting that number). When I finally got the first test with a number, she was only 27! And this was only 2 hours after her shot....we had a very very long night (of course after the vet was closed). This board and all the ppl here helped me help her! And she made it. As i mentioned before, but I just cant express in writing how scared that was.

It helped us to find a special spot that we tested in. A special treat only for testing time....pokie poke! It did not take her long to know - momma has treats! I recieved my test kit via mail so I had some time to practice with her. Getting in our spot, offering that treat, extra lovin on those wonderful ears. Then after I recieved the kit, I used the lancet pen up to her ear without the lancet in it for her to get used to the noise, something next to her ear. We would warm the ear with the rice sock, pretty much everything....probably more for me than her - lol. :shock:

After I got more comfortable, so did she~like magic pretty much.

Sending paw hugs to you and Nutz today :smile:
 
Hi, I'm new to the board, too. You will get a lot of help here. For me, I put educating myself and learning to test my cat's blood above trying to find a vet I could trust. On Monday, I discovered that finding such a vet, would have taken time I did not have.

I might have killed my cat on Monday if I had not been testing. If I had been also blindly following my vet's advice to give him 3u of insulin at the same time, he probably would have had an emergency visit or worse. I was giving him 2u, due to the advice on this board not to raise the dose by 50%. His BG went to 51 only four hours after the dose. Because I was testing, I was able to avoid a hypoglycemic incident.

I'm not experienced enough to give you any advice other than this: with your cat having a BG of 421, ketones might be an issue. Having a high BG for too long can result in the cat getting ketoacidosis. This is anotheer life threatening condition that requires emergency care. Depending on the insulin you are using, it can take a while to get the BG numbers down. I test for ketones anytime my cat's BG is 400 plus, which is a lot right now! Urine testing with ketone strips on fresh urine is the answer. They are very cheap, over the counter, at any pharmacy.

How to get fresh urine? I have found using a soup ladle to catch some of my cat's urine to be the easiest way to get a fresh sample. You can put a baby monitor next to the litter box so that you will know when he's ready to use it. (The really cheap monitors pick up a lot of interference. This can make them impossible to use. So, get a good one that is used on Craigslist or at a baby thrift store.)

If the ladle doesn't work for you, for about 12 to 15 bucks you can get a container of 500 to 1000 3mm BB gun pellets at Wal-Mart (use non-biodegradable only). Use them as litter, if your cat will cooperate. To rinse them off, pour water in the litter box. You can pour a little white vinegar in with the water. Then strain the pellets through a medium sized mesh sieve, pour them out on a towel, and pat them a bit. Then rinse out the litter box, dry it, and put the pellets back.

If you see the urine is positive for ketones, you have to take the cat to the vet asap.

Good luck.
 
Ok the vet called and the insulin is in today. My meter should be in today or tomorrow. I am afraid of starting the insulin before I get the meter. I have to work tomorrow so I can't take him in then. They said to use U40 29 gauge .5cc syringes. I have found some $10.49 for 100. Also I am getting the keytone stripes. And I am looking for Rei-on Ultima test stripes. Yikes this is very stressful. :sad:
 
Brandie,
YOU are doing great! Hang in there. IMO - if the kit is coming the next day, I would wait on the kit, spend the day rubbing those ears, etc. Learn to test and then the next day, start insulin. You are getting the pee pee strips so you can start testing ketones tonight. I would wait til Bean went to the box, hang out in the room until she finishes squating, then put the strip in the puddle, or if she would let me, just stick right under her rump into the stream....most of the time, that did not happen as she is kinda private when she goes.

Never thought of a baby monitor! great idea. I have 3 using the same 2 litter boxes so, I have to keep an eye on the hallway to watch for her to start that way then I go in behind her, get out my strip - pretend to be looking out the window and bam~she dont get the chance to cover, but I get the test.

Hug yourself for your efforts! and dont forget to give kisses to that boy!
 
Brandy613 said:
Yes I have a test kit on the way. Not sure what insulin the vet has in mind just the price $55-$60 a month. I will check out dcin, I have gotten a few cans of fancy feast it is .95 per 3oz can at out little store. He had no problems eating it. Also how much should I be feeding him with and without insulin. He is 12 pounds. He might be a little over weight but has lost a little.
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Hi Brandy!

Nutz looks just like my Blondie except Blondie had a little orange spot in the middle of his forhead.

The Fancy Beast at your little store is quite high indeed! What I did to save money was to get on the email list for Petfooddirect.com http://www.petfooddirect.com/Product/45 ... d-Cat-Food and when they have the free shipping offer, I buy a load of the Classic Chicken Feast which is low carb with a pate' like texture. I add about two to three tablespoons of filtered water to it and mash it up with a fork to give it a nice bean dip density so it's easier to eat.

Petco is having a sale online right now for 24/3 oz. cans of Fancy Feast for $13.70 which comes out to .57 a can And they're having a promo right with free shipping on $49. No promocode needed and I read the exclusions and nowhere did it say it excluded cat or dog food. Sometimes Petsmart does exclude it online. Anyway, here's the linkie-poo http://www.petco.com/product/10205/Fanc ... +FOOD+(XML)-_-13-Fancy+Feast+Chicken+Feast+Gourmet+(63142)-_-fancy+feast+chicken+feast#header

Just scroll down past the Add to Cart button for the list of flavors. You don't have to buy the three flavor box it shows on the page.

But definitely check sources online for the Fancy Beast and some have very low or no shipping costs, no sales tax and great sales.

Also, I order alot online because I live in western Wa. on the western slope of the Cascade range so I hate driving to town. I signed up for http://mrrebates.com/merchants/all_merchants_tabbed.asp a few years ago and if I go through they're link to buy from Petco, I get an 8% rebate back on my account with them and it cost's nothing to join. The rebates add up and then they put the money in my Paypal account which I use to buy more cat food and stuff. Really neat rebate site and way better than what Ebates.com has to offer. I joined up with both but use Mr.Rebates almost exclusively now. Check it out because if you order from Petco via Mr.Rebates, you'll get an 8% rebate. Oh and they give you promocodes also to use too which most the time you won't find on retailmenot.com Cool! V
 
Hi Vesla, I am in the southern cascades in Wa. The kit did come in today! We tested at the vet and he did great! Fancy feast at petco was $15.00 a case. Still not sure how much food to give him :?: I just want to be sure I'm giving him enough. The cans are only 3oz. We will be at work tomorrow so no one will be him for about 6 hours.
 
Hi Brandy, welcome to FDMB! You are off to a great start. My condolences on being laid off. :sad:

For now, I would feed Nutz as much as he wants to eat. An unregulated diabetic can be very hungry, because they don't have the insulin to get glucose (food) into the body's cells. My kitty eats 2 of the 3 oz Fancy Feast cans per day, some kitties eat more. If you put down some food and he cleans his plate, I would just give him more. Once his diabetes is under better control you can worry about how much he should be eating.

I use Lantus so I'm not sure how long a vial of PZI lasts - there is probably more information about that on the PZI board. With Lantus, if you care for it properly, it can last several months (not the 28 days that the package insert says). This will help you save money, if you learn how to care for your insulin and how long you can expect it to last.

Keep asking questions, and we will help you with anything we can. Also do check out DCIN - they have helped a lot of struggling people afford to keep their diabetic kitties. Here is a link to their financial assistance program. http://fdmb-cin.blogspot.com/p/education.html
 
Brandy!

I just got an email offer from Petfooddirect for Free Shipping and here's the link with the coupon code. http://pets.petfooddirect.com/servlet/w ... htJHlmDgLm

The only time I buy from them is with these Free Shipping offers because not only do I not have to pay the high shipping costs but there's no sales tax and no burning extra gas to go out to the store!

The coupon code for free shipping is FREENOW and it's good til April 1, 2012.

The Fancy Feast low carb Classic Chicken Feast is $14.79 for 24/ 3oz. cans.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with you and the rest of the members. V
 
Thanks for the website and code Vesla. We have had a VERY hard time testing Nutz, so out of nervousness we have not been giving insulin. We did get a reading this morning it was 258, gave him .5 units. Tested at +6 and was 243. He had nothing to eat 1 hour before testing. If it is still that high at +12 should I give him 1 unit or more??????
 
Well, I'm not a vet but I've been in that situation with Blondie and I did give him a smidge below the 1 unit mark so eyeballing it, it was like giving a .75 unit of the juice. And then I tested him at +6 and it was just right amount to up his dose. And I stayed at that dose for a week and a half because a dose change needs time to kick in. My vet knew what I was doing and was fine with that.

If you lived in the North Bend, Wa. area or even down toward Auburn, I would be happy to help you test Nutz and any pointers I might have. V
 
Thanks for the info and thanks for the offer to help test. We are in about 25 miles from Oregon, on Satus Pass. He is getting used to the poke and treats :-D (freeze dried chicken) His one ear is chewed up because of fights, but I found a good spot, so we can alternate ears.
 
Brandy613 said:
Ok the vet called and the insulin is in today. My meter should be in today or tomorrow. I am afraid of starting the insulin before I get the meter. I have to work tomorrow so I can't take him in then. They said to use U40 29 gauge .5cc syringes.
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Brandy613 said:
We did get a reading this morning it was 258, gave him .5 units. Tested at +6 and was 243. He had nothing to eat 1 hour before testing. If it is still that high at +12 should I give him 1 unit or more??????
Click to expand...

Are you using Prozinc? Generally you do not jump around to different doses based on the pre-insulin bg level. You stick with a dose for at least a couple of days, regardless of what the pre-insulin bg level is. There might be info on the PZI board of how Prozinc works for cats: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=24
 
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