Just Diagnosed, questions before giving insulin

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FeeFee

Member Since 2014
Hello,
My kitty was just diagnosed. Her blood glucose level an hour ago was 246. The vet sent me home with insulin (1 unit 2x a day) and tried to get me to buy the expensive ($50 a bag) food, I declined the food. I should mention she also has a urinary tract infection, have antibiotics with instructions to give them later tonight well after food and insulin. I haven't fed our kitty or administered any insulin as of yet. I have a feeling she will have no problem going cold turkey to wet food. Where should I start, what should I do first. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
Hello There are welcome,

I am a relatively new member here but have 2 sugar kitties to care for so I have had to jump in with both feet.

When Jack was DX, I bought the Purina DM wet and a bag of the DM chows ($36) because both cats free fed and liked chows. Turns out the DM Chows are 18% carbs and the rule here is under 10%. Someone will come along and post the low carb commercially available ones. I know one is EVO and that is what I would buy if I had to give dry. I used them to give Jack as a treat because no matter how many flavors of freeze dried treats I tried, the chows were all he would eat and he deserved a treat. He now eats the freeze dried salmon so I haven't given him dry food in a week and will keep it that way permanently.

I only feed the Purina DM, although I did go out and buy some Fancy Feast classic pates for a variety. The DM is expensive but online is less than the $1.73 a can it was at the vet. There are other varieties, that are low carbs, and are sold in stores.
 
Was your cat diagnosed before the uti? That number is not in the normal range but is not THAT high. Infection and stress can raise bg. You may not even need to use insulin, diet change alone could be enough to drop that number to normal range.
 
That dose may be too much as she is barely above the no shoot number for new folks giving insulin. I wouldn't give her more than maybe 0.25 units and I would have a kit ready for treating hypoglycemia - Karo syrup, oral syringe, directions to nearest 24 hour vet - because it is very likely the UTI is elevating the glucose. See my signature link Glucometer Notes for info on what the numbers may mean.

If she is otherwise stable, you might test with a glucometer and switch to low carb canned (not dry) food such as Fancy Feast Classic pates or Friskie Pates (except Mixed Grill). There is an excellent web site Cat Info written by vet Dr Lisa Pierson, which discusses feline nutrition, plus provides several lists for download, include the protein, fat, carbohydrate list for numerous cat foods in the US. Anything with under 10% calories from carbohydrates is acceptable.
 
Welcome to FDMB, although I'm sorry your kitty was diagnosed with diabetes. Often, an infection can raise blood glucose values, so I'm wondering how big of a role the UTI is playing in your kitty's numbers. (What's her name, by the way?) Was the diabetes "caught" at a routine vet visit, or was she showing signs of illness? Often, diabetic cats will drink and urinate excessively when their blood sugar levels are high.

What type of insulin were you given? Jersey was first prescribed Humulin, which is a very harsh insulin that brings kitty's blood sugar levels down quickly. It's actually not recommended here for the treatment of diabetes. Lantus, Levemir, and Prozinc are the most widely recommended insulins.

Here, most people do recommend feeding low-carb canned food. Have you seen Dr. Pierson's food chart yet? Here's a link to it just in case: http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf Generally, cats do best on foods that are less than 10% carbs (third column in the cart). A lot of people here feed Fancy Feast classics or some of the low-carb Friskies varieties. (My vet convinced me to use Hill's w/d dry food in the beginning. I later found it that it was just as bad as the Meow Mix she had been eating. He was not happy when I refused to buy more of it when we went back for a checkup. :YMSIGH: )

Okay, let's talk about home testing for a second. Going to the vet can certainly raise blood sugar values (sometimes by 100 points or more), so testing at home gives us more accurate results. Would you be willing to learn to test at home? I know it sounds awful, scary, etc.....but it's truly not as bad as it sounds. And it's the best way to keep kitty safe.

I'm actually a bit torn on my advice to you. I feel like the UTI could be playing a huge role here, and I'm thinking it's resolution might bring down the blood sugar levels. I'm thinking a food switch might also bring down the numbers. The numbers at the vet's office could have been stress-induced, too. With all of these factors coming into play....and if you can't test at home, part of me is hesitant to recommend starting insulin tonight. (If we can help you get started testing at home, we'll be able to see what's going on a bit more clearly.) Please keep in mind that I am not one of the most experienced members here. I'm just throwing out some of my thoughts based on what I've learned with my own kitty. I hope other experienced users will be able to share their insights, too.

Shelly

EDIT: I cross-posted with BJ. Sorry for the repeat of some of the info in her post! ohmygod_smile
 
Thank you all for your input. I am so stressed and confused and worried...and kind of mad at the vet. I originally took Athena (our kitty who is only 5 and strictly indoors) to the vet because she disappeared somewhere inside the house for 24 hours, she is usually always nibbling at the food bowl and loving on us so we were very worried by her absence. I found her hiding in the attic and her hind legs were not working properly almost like a mild paralysis. She had no injury, or sign of injury. I figured dehydration, possible low blood sugar. She ate a little and drank a little but did not improve so off to the vet we went the next morning. The vet did a blood work up and told me her glucose was a bit high, then checked her urine and found glucose in the urine along with blood. So, they gave her some fluids there and sent me home with Vetsulin and Clavamox and these easy to follow instructions to get her to eat, then give insulin (1 unit 2x a day for probably 2 months), then later in the evening give antibiotics. $250.00 later....I came home and did research and I'm so upset.

I cannot get her to eat or drink, I went ahead and gave antibiotics first after finding out her infection could be throwing her levels off. I have not given insulin. I went back out and bought a home testing kit for humans (best I could do on short notice) 1st test read 82 mg/dl, I went ahead and gave some electrolytes to try and perk her up...she is lethargic, will not walk, hind legs still down and cold...but happy. Electrolytes again about an hour later and I tested her about 1/2 hour after electrolytes this time an 89 mg/dl. I'm really wanting to take her to the hospital but it is not in the budget after being fleeced at the vet earlier. Thoughts?
 
Hello and welcome to you and Athena. Normal blood glucose ranges for kitties are 50-120 on human glucometers, which is what most people here use. Thank goodness you got a meter and learned how to home test, as Athena is in normal range. No need for insulin tonight. My non diabetic cat once tested over 200 at the vet and the next day he was 53 at home. Stress can make a big difference, as can infection. If you haven't opened the Vetsulin, you should be able to return it and any syringes you bought and get your money back. BTW, we started with Caninsulin/Vetsulin - a great insulin for dogs.

How cold are her hind legs? One thing your vet should have checked for is a saddle thrombosis, which is a blood clot to the hind legs (stroke).

Don't worry for the moment about what type of food. It's important that she eat something, even if it's her old food.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Hello and welcome to you and Athena. Normal blood glucose ranges for kitties are 50-120 on human glucometers, which is what most people here use. Thank goodness you got a meter and learned how to home test, as Athena is in normal range. No need for insulin tonight. My non diabetic cat once tested over 200 at the vet and the next day he was 53 at home. Stress can make a big difference, as can infection. If you haven't opened the Vetsulin, you should be able to return it and any syringes you bought and get your money back. BTW, we started with Caninsulin/Vetsulin - a great insulin for dogs.

How cold are her hind legs? One thing your vet should have checked for is a saddle thrombosis, which is a blood clot to the hind legs (stroke).

Don't worry for the moment about what type of food. It's important that she eat something, even if it's her old food.
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Her legs are cool but not freezing and when I force her to move around and rub them they will warm up a bit. I had her snuggled in bed with me till she peed a little on her towel and wanted to get down...down to the box I took her and she peed a little more, hopefully a good sign for my sleepless night. I will be returning to the vet tomorrow to politely give them an earful, try to return the unopened Vetsulin and will ask about the possibility of stroke. She can move her legs and tail when she really wants to but I think is just to weak to do so right now. Thank you!
 
I'm so glad Wendy was able to stop by and give you some information last night/this morning. The readings you got were definitely in the normal range for a cat. Wonderful job testing before attempting to give insulin; you did the right thing!

Please let us know how Athena is doing today and what the vet says. :YMHUG:
Shelly
 
Shelly & Jersey said:
I'm so glad Wendy was able to stop by and give you some information last night/this morning. The readings you got were definitely in the normal range for a cat. Wonderful job testing before attempting to give insulin; you did the right thing!

Please let us know how Athena is doing today and what the vet says. :YMHUG:
Shelly
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Athena made it through the night and even moved around a bit on her own, hind legs still not working properly and she is weak but at least she moved. Just finished speaking with the vet (the experienced one who owns the practice, not the one I saw yesterday) he is 99.9% confident with the diagnosis of diabetes due to the glucose in her urine, her sugar numbers after having fasted for 24hrs, and her blood profile being normal other than the sugar. He agreed to not give her insulin and continue to treat the infection first. I absolutely need to get her to eat because we are now going on day 2 of no food. My day will be spent gently force feeding bits of Fancy Feast and some droppers of homemade electrolytes. If I can't get food in her the vet said to come by at the end of the day for a tube feeding.

Any suggestions for trying to get food in her (other than finger feeding bits of wet) or on a good electrolyte recipe? Preferences? Karo syrup, sugar, or honey? salt or no salt? Pedialyte verses homemade? I'm used to making it for kittens and puppies but never had a diabetic sick kitty before.
 
dirtybirdsoaps said:
Will she eat tuna or maybe even boiled chicken?
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I've tried tuna which is normally a favorite and the only 'people' food she would ever eat, there was no interest whatsoever. I was able to get her to take a couple bites of turkey deli meat yesterday but she won't eat any more of it. I will be boiling her some chicken in a little bit but I don't have high hopes. I think she is feeling way to crummy to want to eat anything so force feeding is the route I'll have to go, at least until the antibiotics really start kicking in.
 
Some things that may improve appetite:
Warming the food to fresh kill temp.
A sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Broth with no additives.
Plain meat/poultry/fish baby food.
Forti Flora - its in an animal digest base many cats find appealing.
A bit of play - it triggers hunt-catch-kill-eat behavior.
Picking up the dish, stirring it, and putting it back down. (Oh look! New food!)
Feeding from your finger.
Brushing, if the cat likes it. It stimulates some circulation and may be soothing.
 
One thing people swear by is KFC or Popeye's. Peel off the outside and offer just the meat. For some reason, it sometimes works on getting kitties willing to eat again.

There is also this Liver Shake that might also work.
 
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