Just Diagnosed and Im lost...

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elizhope

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Hi! My 11 year old (spayed female) cat was just diagnosed yesterday with diabetes. After noticing she dropped alot of weight very quickly and seemed very hungry/thirsty the last couple months, I took her for a blood draw. Diabetes. Now I have no idea what to do.

She has always been on a dry kibble diet with "treats" of canned food once or twice a week. Through my (all night long) reading last night, I now know I need to go get wet food only. (Im off to the store soon)

My biggest concern is cost. I have 2 kids under 2 and our family is on 1 income (im a stay at home mom). Is this something that is going to break the bank? I love my cat more than anything and I want to fight for her. I need some support and for someone to tell me shes going to get better. The doctor seemed to be pushing me to just give up :( (kept saying its basically an expensive, losing battle)

Im starting today with the new diet (how many cans a day should I give her?). We havent gone back to the vet and gotten the all day screening thing yet. Could there be improvement with just changing the diet or is insulin needed asap? Can anyone give me some advice? Shes always been healthy until now. My fat, spunky kitty has just lost alot of weight. Im hoping since thats all ive noticed that she may be one of the ones who could overcome this...
 
If you are lost, I'm glad you found us! We can help.

Your vet is wrong. Lots of cats here are in remission (no longer on insulin) or completely regulated. Our Oliver was 16 when diagnosed; we started him on insulin and changed his diet and he was in remission in 6 months. Every cat is different but we have hundreds of success stories.

It will take work on your part. You have already considered the diet change which is excellent. Lots of people who need to watch their expenses feed Friskies. Just stay under 8% carbs. Check out your choices here: Janet and Binky’s chart

We test our cat's blood glucose levels at home. They get stressed at the vet and stress raises the levels. The other bonus is that it eliminates the day long visit to the vet and that expense. You can get a free meter, strips and lancets here: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=19541 Here is how we do it: Video for hometesting

Keep reading and asking questions. We would love to help you help your kitty.
 
I'm fortunate that my kitty is one of the lucky ones that doesn't need any treatment beyond diet and an occasional blood glucose test (at home). But my impression from what I read here is that diabetes is not very expensive after the beginning, and it definitely is NOT a losing battle. If the kitty is treated correctly and the problem is truly "just" diabetes, the kitty can live a full lifespan, with excellent quality of life.

People here who are actively treating diabetic kitties can help you best with the most cost-effective ways of treating the disorder.

Yes, wet food (low-carb, which not all wet foods are) is the best way to go. Have you seen Janet & Binky's food charts? They are linked from somewhere on this site. Most of us use them to find low-carb canned foods (as a guide, under 10% in the Carbs column).
 
Hi, I am pretty new here too, and I think that both of us have found the right place. The people here are so helpful. I was crushed when I found out that my Rusty had diabetes, because he really is like my baby. He is improving daily, so there is hope for your cat.
We are also on a limited income, so I feel your pain there, but nothing we have spent so far has been too unreasonable. We are all here for you!
 
Hi there!

Welcome to the board you never wanted to need! But, it is the best board in the world for diabetic cats!

Diabetes is totally manageable, even on a very tight budget. Low carb food like Friskies pate, home testing and some tricks to manage insulin costs will help you.

It is a marathon, not a sprint. It will take time to regulate your kitty. But, it is best done at home, and all the people on this board will help you! Binky's List helps with food choices (under 10% carbs), and videos will help you learn to home test.

Several of my diabetic fosters have gone into remission (off insulin) and stayed off. Others are regulated on insulin. They lead happy, healthy lives.

Good luck with your journey with your diabetic kitty.

Claudia
 
Thank you all so much for the quick responses! I am already starting to feel some hope. I just got back from the store, I got a box of Fancy Feast Classic Poultry and Beef to start of with. (the small cans) How much a day should she eat? 2 cans or 3?.... or just 1? Shes always been free fed dry food. I called the vet to ask what her glucose level was on Monday when they tested her and it was 562...wow.... that sounds high. Can someone give me a list of what I need to go buy to monitor at home? Would it be bad if I held off on starting insulin, or should I make the appointment to get that all day screen test thing? Again, Thanks soooo much for all the positive words. I couldnt believe my vet was basically saying I should just put her down. Last night before starting my research I thought that was my only option. Im glad I found this board :)
 
562 is a high number, but kitties are stressed at the vet and stress raises bg levels. Some kitties are over 100 points less once they get home. That's one of the many reasons we test at home.

Here is a list of what you need to hometest:


A human glucometer. Any one that sips and takes a tiny sample is fine. The meters are often free at drug stores; it’s the strips that are expensive. You can, however, buy them on ebay at less than half the price of stores. Lots of people here also like the ReliOn from Walmart. It is an inexpensive meter and its strips are the cheapest around. Try the meter out on yourself or someone else before you try it on your cat. You want to be familiar with it before you poke the cat.

Lancets and a lancet device. Usually, until the ears “learn” to bleed, a 25-26 gauge is good. Any brand will work.

Ketone strips. (Ketostix) Just like human diabetics use. You will sometimes need to test urine if the numbers are high.

Rice sack. Make this out of thinnish sock, filled with raw rice or oatmeal and then knotted. You heat this in the microwave until very warm but not hot. Then heat the ears before poking.

Also nice to have. Flashlight: so you can look at the ears and find the little capillaries that come off the vein running down the ear. Vaseline: Put a tiny smear where you want to poke. It will help the blood bead up.

And some lo carb treats to give your kitty, successful test or not Lo carb treats

We all have little tricks that helped us get blood. If you have trouble, just ask and we will bombard you with ideas!

I would not make an appointment for all day screening. They will be doing a curve - taking blood glucose levels every 2 hours. You can do that at home, for a whole lot less and it will be more accurate. Then you can send the results to your vet.

As far as holding off on the insulin, get some tests in and see where she really is. Sometimes the diet works; sometimes they need insulin. You don't want to postpone the insulin more than a week or so if you are getting fairly high numbers. The pancreas has a limited time to heal.
 
Hi There,

Oh this is so not a losing battle. Shame on your vet for acting that way. My guy is named Max, I adopted him as a diabetic from this very board after my first sugarkitty Muse (thus the screenname) passed away (not from diabetes). When he was dxed he was 485, that was October 8th 2010. After about 2 weeks of insulin he was in remission with just a diet change. Now we have 11 cats, and one 75lb dog, we are also a one income household, as I'm in college to become a vet tech.

We feed everyone what my diabetic eats. Friskies pate flavors. Now your girl will be really hungry right now so she is going to need to eat a lot more than she will normally. Once you start getting her blood sugar under control that will slow down. When I first got my Max he was eating 3 (5.5 oz) cans of friskies a day, now that he is in remission he eats between 1 to 1 1/2 cans. And he is a big, tall, & long boy. When I got him he weighed 10.5 lbs and was a walking rack of bones, today he is 14.5 lbs and just about perfect in his weight. Part of the reason your girl is so hungry right now is that her body can't use her food right, so let her eat if she is hungry, but you will want to give her lots of little meals through out the day.

Things you will need and if you have a Wal-mart near-by this is easy and cheap. Your are going to need a human glucometer just like human diabetics use. I personally use the Relion Mirco and love it. That is about $9-$12, the test strips to go with it, about $20 or 50 strips. A lancet pen and matching lancets think that was about $20 too, and Ketostixs for testing her urine, all stuff human diabetics use and really cheap at Wal-mart...easily under $100. You will also need a small sock and since you have little ones in the house this should be easy because baby socks work great. Just need a thinnish cotton sock, fill it part of the way up with plain white rice, not instant, and knot. we use that to warm up their ears when we go to test. Just stick it in the microwave and zap for a few seconds until very warm but not hot. Sort of like warming up a bottle for a baby. Warm ears make it much easier to get them to bleed.

I would go ahead and get her started on insulin, most kitties need it for a little bit to help their pancreas heal, make sure your vet starts you on a nice gentle one. Lantus, Levermir or PZI are the best ones. And you want your starting dose to be around .5u to 1u twice a day. Some vets just don't get feline diabetes, and start folks out on way to high of a dose. If you get a script for either Lantus or Levermir as for the cartridges instead of the vials. Little more expensive to begin with but you can use it all up before the insulin goes bad as kitties use very small doses. You might even find someone here that would have extra they could help you out with, but for legal reasons they would need you to have a prescription. Also since levermir and Lantus are human insulins sometimes hospital pharmacies with sell you single cartridges instead of the normal 5 pack. Which can help with costs as well.

Welcome to the Sugardance! Just keep asking questions and we wil help you every step of the way.

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang.
 
I am about to celebrate EIGHT YEARS of Squeak being insulin free. Your vet should talk with Squeak before telling you that it is hopeless :evil:
 
Hi, there.
My cat was diagnosed end of last week. We started him on insulin Monday. We are using ProZinc and it was $85.00 from the vet. I also bought a box of syringes that were 100 for $21. I already had a meter and I'll use my strips (I am diabetic), but check Wal-Mart. I was in there the other day and 50 strips for their Reli-On metter are $20. The box of 20 was $9. Pretty cheap as compared to most of the others. Our vet did tell us it is the initial "start up" that costs...buying the equipment or what have you...after that he estimated maybe $30 a month for supplies, etc. I am no expert on feline diabetes, but I can tell you, the people on this website are unbelievable in the information they have gathered through experience. Best wishes to you and your kitty.
 
If your vet gives you a prescription for either Lantus or Levemir insulins, ask for the prescription for either the pens or cartridges. The initial cost is between 1 1/2 to 2 times higher than a single vial, but both of these insulins have a limited shelf live of about 2-3 months and you end up throwing away a lot of insulin because it is no longer effective. With the pens or cartridges, you get 5 of them for the prescription and because they are smaller containers, you should be able to use almost every drop of each one. One prescription of pens or cartridges should be enough insulin to last almost a year.

If the prescription is for Lantus pens, there is also a $25 coupon in the Supply Closet for your first prescription.
 
Im about to go to walmart to get the stuff you guys said to. How do I get a prescription for the insulin without taking her in for the all day screen thing? Do I just call and ask for the kind I want?
 
Your vet can be difficult about this if he or she wants to. If you had a fructosamine test done, that is the definitive test for diabetes and he/she should be willing to prescribe insulin based on that. You can tell them you want to start on a nice low dose regardless of his initial numbers because you know that she is stressed at the vet and stress raises bg levels and they might be willing to forego their day long tests.

What they may be probably planning to do is keep him at the office and test him every couple of hours to see what her bg levels are. This is called a curve. We argue that those numbers are not very useful as he will be stressed with all the strange noises, people and smells and the levels will be higher than they would be at home. Unfortunately, it is also often quite expensive. Sometimes vets want to give insulin first at their office. That is fine - one dose - just to make sure she doesn't have a bad reaction. After that, you can argue you are going to keep track of the numbers at home.

It will probably depend on whether your vet supports hometesting. If he/she does, she will accept that you are testing at home and start at a nice safe dose. You can offer to fax her her numbers as often as they want them.

The kind will depend on what kind your vet is used to. We recommend Lantus, Levemir or PZI. We do not recommend Humuln or Vetsulin.

If you run into all sorts of problems, post again with your city and state. We may have a member living near you who knows a knowledgable FD vet.

Edited to add: I forgot your vet was the one who recommended PTS. I wonder how open they will be?
 
Is this all correct?

I just called my vet and left a message. when he calls back Im going to ask for:

1. a precription to either Lantus or Levemir ---- ask for pens or cartridges
----- do I ask for the .5 dose or the 1u dose??
2. If I can do hometesting and not do the curve screen thing

Buy at Walmart:

1. Human Glucometer
2. Test strips
3. Lancet pen with Lancets
4. Ketostix

Feed:

1.Canned food low carb
2.------I saw someone mentioning treats?? Is this important?


....am I missing anything?

Thanks again for all the help :)
 
Still waiting to hear from the doctor... Still not sure exactly what Im supposed to say to him? Since all we have done so far is the initial blood draw to get the diagnosis, Im assuming I will have to take her back in to get the prescription, right? at least for him to show me how to give the shots and stuff?? But how can I do that adn still not have to do the entire all day screen?? I guess I just dont know exactly what the next step is and what I should ask/tell my doctor.

Is the PZ insulin the best? I have no problem asking the vet for the best one.
 
Any of the 3 insulins I suggested are fine.

Yes, they should show you how to give the shot. But you can tell them you don't want to leave your kitty all day and you will be monitoring at home.

I think you will have to wait to hear what they want to do, and then tell them what you are willing to do. Don't forget, you are the customer!
 
Just tested out the meter and checked her blood sugar (and mine :smile: ) It was 286 the first time and 292 about 20 minutes later. Even though its still super high, I feel better thats its lower than on monday. Why is it so different than the 562 I got at the vet? I did change her diet yesterday. So shes been on the canned fancy feast for about 24 hours now....

When you test the ears, what do you put behind the lancet and ear for support for the prick?

and the instructions mention a control test with some liquid?? it wasnt in the box (i got the reli one). Does everyone do that?
 
Hi, sorry you are dealing with this, but very glad you found the website and message board, as we can save you a lot of money and help you understand diabetes treatments for your kitty.

I used PZI, a newer version called Prozinc is what's available now, for Gandalf for 2 1/2 years. He was never well regulated on it, mostly because of my schedule, so 3 1/2 years ago we switched to Levemir. Not only has it worked much better for him, but I was pleasantly surprised how cost effective it is!

Since you are concerned about cost, Prozinc is not the best insulin for your cat.
Couple cost with the fact that more cats have gone in to remission on either Lantus or Levemir than Prozinc (yes, I know it's too new to definitively say that), the choice for a beginner with feline diabetes is either one of them over Prozinc.

The next step is going to depend on your vet. You can go through the motions of being shown how to give shots, although it's not very difficult, you can probably find videos online just like with home testing. They may insist on the curve, but if you tell them you will be hometesting and can share the results with them, they should accept that. You do not really need the vet to tell you how much insulin to give. .5U to 1U are usually safe starting doses for most cats.

Maybe find out what the cost of the curve is going to be and tell them you can't afford that, you can afford to home test and that's that. Are you willing/financially able to see another vet if this one refuses to prescribe insulin? Your cat will need insulin to help its pancreas heal and have a chance at remission.

Also, if you noted in my first paragraph - Gandalf has been diabetic for over 6 years! I had a vet tell me that he would have to be put down if I could not regulate him, yet they did not help me do that - I found this board and that's how I learned how to treat his diabetes and save his life!
 
When I test, I use for support behind the ear whatever I'm going to use to staunch the blood. Sometimes it has been a folded piece of paper towel, sometimes a piece of a cosmetic pad (maybe about a dollar or $1.50 for a tube of round ones; I cut them into thirds, which is about the right size for kitty ears; one tube lasts a lloooonnnnggg time this way).
 
elizhope said:
Just tested out the meter and checked her blood sugar (and mine :smile: ) It was 286 the first time and 292 about 20 minutes later. Even though its still super high, I feel better thats its lower than on monday. Why is it so different than the 562 I got at the vet? I did change her diet yesterday. So shes been on the canned fancy feast for about 24 hours now....

When you test the ears, what do you put behind the lancet and ear for support for the prick?

and the instructions mention a control test with some liquid?? it wasnt in the box (i got the reli one). Does everyone do that?
Click to expand...


286 and 292 are basically the same, especially when you allow for the acceptable +/- 20% variation. Why is it different than what the vet got? Could be vet stress, could be the diet...either way, it is a MUCH better number.

FOr support, I keep the rice sock in Squeak's ear.
 
elizhope, i've just been here for less than 2 weeks and can say that everyone here will help you get through this. earlier this week my cat's numbers dropped to 34 and people here checked in with me every few minutes to tell me what i needed to do next.

just tell the vet you're on a budget and will be testing at home.

i spent too much at the beginning and was thinking the cost was going to be unbearable, but just like the rest of your kitties, he's my baby! anyway, through reading TONS here i've figured out some cheaper blood testing strips and now i know to get our lantus insulin in pens instead of the bigger vial . . . i'm learning and you will too.
 
I just talked with the vet and he said hes willing to help where ever I need (whew) So instead of the $500 all day screen, Im going to take her in for a $42 office visit and hes gonna show me how to do the shots, answer any questions I have, give a prescription, ect...

Since I just did a 180 degree turnaround on the food ive been feeding her (100% dry to now 100% wet) should I wait a week or so until starting the insulin ? I think I read on here somewhere that her levels will change when the food changes so the insulin dose will have to be changed too?
 
julie1220 said:
elizhope, i've just been here for less than 2 weeks and can say that everyone here will help you get through this. earlier this week my cat's numbers dropped to 34 and people here checked in with me every few minutes to tell me what i needed to do next.

just tell the vet you're on a budget and will be testing at home.

i spent too much at the beginning and was thinking the cost was going to be unbearable, but just like the rest of your kitties, he's my baby! anyway, through reading TONS here i've figured out some cheaper blood testing strips and now i know to get our lantus insulin in pens instead of the bigger vial . . . i'm learning and you will too.
Click to expand...

Im so thankful I have found this site. I feel like there is hope for my kitty now. Everyone is soooo nice. I couldnt ask for more :)
 
Kudos to your vet for showing comming sense and trust in you :)

I wouldn't wait as long as you are testing. The diet change PLUS insulin gives the pancreas the best fighting chance. Just make sure the starting dose is LOW and that you are testing.

Jen
 
Jen & Squeak said:
Kudos to your vet for showing comming sense and trust in you :)

I wouldn't wait as long as you are testing. The diet change PLUS insulin gives the pancreas the best fighting chance. Just make sure the starting dose is LOW and that you are testing.

Jen
Click to expand...
thx :)

What is considered "low"?

how often do i give insulin starting out?

how often to I do a blood check?

So if I go in tomorrow for the appt, i should start the insulin right then?

sorry I have so many questions :)
 
I'd suggest no more than 1 unit twice day, perhaps go with 0.5 if your vet is willing :)

Its up to you and your vet as to how soon you start. You can monitor for a few more days and see if things get better with diet but I doubt they'll go to non-diabetic numbers. Or you can request that you start right away.

Testing is done prior to injection and spot checks inbetween. At injection or 'preshot' time, you want numbers to be at least 200 for now so that there is room for the insulin to work without taking your cat into hypoglycemia territory (under 40ish). You also test inbetween when you can, to see how low he's going on the insulin, when it starts to wear off, etc. You can plot these numbers in a spreadsheet so that you can get a really good idea of how the insulin is working.
 
Hi Elizhope!
I'm new here too - as of last Wednesday when we found out Shadow, our 14 year old kitty has diabetes. We had blood tests done at the vet's because he was starving all the time, crying non-stop, and drinking tons of water and peeing in his box all the time... I'm sooo grateful I found this site as I read a ton and changed his diet from dry to all canned, high protein, low carb grain free food and he's gone from the vet's results for blood glucose of 366 to my results last night of 158. This afternoon I tested him before dinner and his bg was 69 !! It's super exciting that this disease can sometimes be treated with a diet overhaul. We may need to do insulin but the change in his numbers blows me away. I hope your guy does well and glad you found this site too. :)
 
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