Introduction to Dusty and me

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Joan S.

Member Since 2021
Joan and Dusty here.
Thanks for the add.
The past month with my cat Dusty, AKA Snottypants, has been challenging.
He had been losing some weight. Drinking more. Seemed a little painful. Just acting puny.
15.5 years old.
Figured it might be kidney disease since I've had two cats diagnosed with that horrible disease.
Or diabetes.
We see the vet regularly. Yearly and additional appointments as needed to keep track of dental issues.
Already dealing with a number of health issues. Asthma, allergies, cataracts, tooth resorption, constipation.
When we went in, I was told diabetes or….pancreatic cancer.
Yikes. Wait. What? What?
Those are the two options?
Turned out it is diabetes.
Whew!!!!
Who knew I’d be absolutely thrilled to find out my cat has diabetes!
Probably developed as a result of the steroids he’s been on for years to treat his asthma.

Insulin
Update: The insulin I am using is ProZinc.
His blood glucose was mid 200's when diagnosed.
Insulin is at 6am and 6pm since I work.
Started at 2 units.
We’ve had blood glucose checked twice so far and my vet has reduced the insulin each time.
First check he was at 82. Too low. So vet reduced insulin to 1.5.
Second check he was at 98. Better. Vet reduced another half unit. We’re at 1 unit now.
Return for another recheck in two weeks.
He has stopped losing weight and actually gained several ounces.
All crossables crossed for a good stable result then.

Injections are a piece of cake. I used to vaccinate my house cats and barn cats. Also have done sub Q fluids for my two cats that had kidney failure.

No… the challenge is to get him to eat when I need him to eat and what I need him to eat.

Mealtime. My cat is like…ummmm. Thanks. No. Not right now. Check back with me later. And maybe offer me something else. That I probably won’t want to eat either.
Eating is a total crap shoot. I know canned food is what he should eat.
And will. Semi-reluctantly. He really does love dry food.
Update: I feed a number of different 3 ounce sized canned foods but primarily FancyFeast. Had been feeding Fancy Feast for years but was surprised to find while doing research right after diagnosis that it is a very good choice for diabetic cats. I avoid the gravy ones with gluten in them now. Even though it is his favorite.
I found information on a couple of veterinary websites on how to calculate carbs in both wet and dry catfood. That has been useful.

He eventually eats everything while I'm gone during the day so there’s that. But it’s not usually very close to injection time. And I have to get to work so I can’t monitor closely.

I have some questions about timing of injections and mealtimes. How closely do they relate? My understanding so far is that it is more important to get the injection done at consistent times than it is for him to eat right at the time of injection.

I also have some questions about diabetic neuropathy. Not sure if that is something that is discussed here or not. I suspect he is experiencing diabetic neuropathy. I've read about gabapentin to treat. And also a supplement called Methylcobalamin. Does anyone have input regarding this issue?

Joan S.
 
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Welcome Joan and Dusty (Snottypants) I love it :p
You couldn't have found a better group to join, We have many experienced and knowledgeable members here
Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help.
Once you do this with all Dusty's info we can help you better and answer some of the other questions you have
 
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I see you work and can't test during the day. Its the only way to keep Dusty safe and see if his BG is a safe number to shoot. Glad you vet reduced his dose
Can you test after you get home from work and during the night cycle (PMPS) PM Pre Shot, and on weekends AMPS AM Pre shot? You need to see how the insulin is working for him and how low he is dropping so you can adjust his dose
I gave you the link Help Us Help You so you can set up your signature and spreadsheet. If you need help with setting up anything please let us know , we have someone who will be happy to do that for you
Please list all his other health issues in your signature

You can pick up a human meter at Walmart, that's what our numbers are based on
The Relion Premier Classic 9 dollars
17.88 for 100 test strips
26 or 28 gauge lancets any brand
Cotton rounds
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
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6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming

Here is a video one of our members did
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar
 
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Joan S. said:
Mealtime. My cat is like…ummmm. Thanks. No. Not right now. Check back with me later. And maybe offer me something else. That I probably won’t want to eat either.
Eating is a total crap shoot. I know canned food is what he should eat.
And will. Semi-reluctantly. He really does love dry food.
Click to expand...
I can give you the food chart we use to look over , we like to stay under 10% carbs
Since you are not home testing yet I wouldn't take away the dry food , that can drop their BG by 100 points
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-chart.174147/
 
Joan S. said:
Insulin
His blood glucose was mid 200's when diagnosed.
Insulin is at 6am and 6pm since I work.
Started at 2 units.
We’ve had blood glucose checked twice so far and my vet has reduced the insulin each time.
First check he was at 82. Too low. So vet reduced insulin to 1.5.
Second check he was at 98. Better. Vet reduced another half unit. We’re at 1 unit now.
Return for another recheck in two weeks.
Click to expand...
I think your vet started his dose too high, the numbers you have now look great
We adjust doses by 0.25 units at a time
 
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Joan S. said:
I also have some questions about diabetic neuropathy. Not sure if that is something that is discussed here or not. I suspect he is experiencing diabetic neuropathy. I've read about gabapentin to treat. And also a supplement called Methylcobalamin. Does anyone have input regarding this issue?
Click to expand...
I myself have not heard about gabapentin to treat neuropathy
We all use Methyl B-12 , I will give you a link on where to buy it
Is Dusty walking like a rabbit ,his back legs , flat footed?

A lot of us use the Vitacost brand
14.49 for 100 capsules , give 1 a day, just open the capsule and mix it in with the wet food and add water, you can start it now, and its tasteless
https://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-vitamin-b-12-methylcobalamin-5000-mcg-100-capsules-6
I have given it to Tyler when he had neuropathy, once his numbers started to improve I started to see a big difference in about a month and a half, but each week I would notice he was walking better . The neuropathy is totally gone. He's back to running and jumping .
He's been in remission since 1-24-2021
I still give it to him every now and then
 
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Thanks for all the information. I confess I am feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment. Processing right now.

No, he is not walking like a rabbit.
He limps some when he first gets up and seems tender.
I've also noticed that he will eat and drink standing up sometimes where previously he always ate in what I call his "feeding crouch".
Makes me think that position is uncomfortable.




Diane Tyler's Mom said:
I myself have not heard about gabapentin to treat neuropathy
We all use Methyl B-12 , I will give you a link on where to buy it
Is Dusty walking like a rabbit ,his back legs , flat footed?

A lot of us use the Vitacost brand
14.49 for 100 capsules , give 1 a day, just open the capsule and mix it in with the wet food and add water, you can start it now, and its tasteless
https://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-vitamin-b-12-methylcobalamin-5000-mcg-100-capsules-6
I have given it to Tyler when he had neuropathy, once his numbers started to improve I started to see a big difference in about a month and a half, but each week I would notice he was walking better . The neuropathy is totally gone. He's back to running and jumping .
He's been in remission since 1-24-2021
I still give it to him every now and then
Click to expand...
 
I'm sorry Diane bombarded you with so many posts. It can be more than a little overwhelming.

I would take a look at the post that Bron linked on Helping Us to Help You in her post (#2 in this thread).

It would help to know what insulin you're using. While canned food is preferable, not all canned food is created equally. Can you let us know what you're feeding Dusty?

We are also very numbers driven and want to empower members to manage their cat's diabetes. The next step, once you're over the initial shock of having a diabetic cat is to learn how to home test.

Please let us know what questions you have and how we can help.
 
I did update my intro.

I am using ProZinc insulin.

I feed a number of different brands of 3 ounce sized canned foods but primarily FancyFeast. Had been feeding Fancy Feast for years but was pleasantly surprised to find while doing research right after diagnosis that it is a very good choice for diabetic cats. I avoid the gravy varieties with gluten in them now. Even though it is his favorite.
I found information on a couple of veterinary websites on how to calculate carbs in both wet and dry catfood. That has been useful.
I run the numbers on any food I am considering.
I did find that as far as dry catfood goes, Tiki Cat scored well for a dry food. About 16% carbs. Versus 30% or more for many others.


Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
I'm sorry Diane bombarded you with so many posts. It can be more than a little overwhelming.

I would take a look at the post that Bron linked on Helping Us to Help You in her post (#2 in this thread).

It would help to know what insulin you're using. While canned food is preferable, not all canned food is created equally. Can you let us know what you're feeding Dusty?

We are also very numbers driven and want to empower members to manage their cat's diabetes. The next step, once you're over the initial shock of having a diabetic cat is to learn how to home test.

Please let us know what questions you have and how we can help.
Click to expand...
 
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