Just Diagnosed

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Beth_10

Member Since 2013
Hello everyone!

My cat, Oliver, has just been diagnosed with Diabetes at the age of 14. I got his blood work results back yesterday revealing his blood sugar count was about 450. I am taking Oliver to the vet tomorrow to learn how to give insulin shots. I have no idea what to expect in the days to come with getting Oliver's treatment started. I'm sure my vet will tell me more details once I see him, but I am wondering what kind of questions I need to ask. All I have been told so far is that I can buy the insulin over the counter and Wal-Mart has the cheapest prices. Are there other things that I need to be doing to help Oliver beside giving him insulin?

Beth
 
Welcome.
You want an insulin like Lantus or Levimir, N (NPH) only works well in few cats.
Are you feed canned food? That is desirable. A prescription food is not required.
You esting the cat's blood sugar at home is very desirable. Most here do it at least before each insulin shot.
 
Welcome to the board!

The shots are really easy! The cats really don't feel anything.
I would give mine her food and the give the shot as she ate - she wouldn't even flinch :-D

Make sure you dont' start on too high a dose - a lot of vets seem to determine dose based on how high the bg is, but it should be initially based on weight (lantus or levemir).
Usually 1u is good to start, unless Oliver is very under-weight and then it would be a .5 U.
You can get syringes with half unit markings - Walmart's relion brand for instance.

The canned food - Friskies or Fancy Feast pates or anything under 10% carbs on this list: http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf
If he's on dry now, move him to canned food before you start insulin - it could drop his bg way down.
This site has lots of great info on nutrition: catinfo.org

Home testing is the way to go - tricky at first but then its gets easier.
It will keep Oliver safe and with the low-carb food and a good insulin he will become regulated and possibly go into remission.
It won't make your cat scared of you and it doesn't hurt them so don't be put off by those claims.

Read all the info you can - especially the sticky notes at the top of the index page.
And post often with any questions or concerns.
 
What country are you in?

You can add some tidbits of information to your user control panel, profile tab, edit signature. Things like your name, your pet's name, what insulin you are using, what meter you are using, what type food you are feeding , etc. Type that information into the text box, click on submit, click on yes on the next page. Those little tidbits will then show up at the bottom of every post and help those of us on the board to help you better.

While you are there, in the user control panel, profile, edit profile and you can update the location - add the country you are in, maybe the state/province if you feel comfortable giving us that information. It will help us to give you country specific advice on some matters like food, insulin availablity and meters. We may even have someone that lives close to you and is willing to show you how to home test.

We'd really appreciate this info. Thanks.
 
Asides from probably the dry food, I would ask if there is any infection that could have caused the high blood sugar, so have the vet check his ears and teeth.

We do recommend a change in food to a low carb canned as the others have mentioned as soon as possible as it will start to lower the blood sugar.

Then start a good insulin like lantus or levemir. Depending on the cats weight, we usually start on 1 unit of lantus and work slowly up to an ideal dose.

A key thing is home testing.the vet may try and sell you an alphatrak which is specifically for cats but its expensive for the meter and strips. We find human meters are just as reliable and cheaper so I would decline if he wants to do that.

Also he may want to keep your cat for a day and do a "curve" where they messure and shoot the cat with insulin to see how he does and decide what dose to give. The problem with those is the cat is so stressed at the vet so their blood sugar is high and the vet will prescribe too high an insulin dose. As soon as you get the cat home and they calm down, their blood glucose drops a bit and when you give the high dose of insulin you end up with a hypo. So decline the expensive and unreliable vet curve and do it at home yourself. You can give the vet your results too.

We can provide a shopping list when you are ready :)


Wendy
 
Thanks for the replies!

I took Oliver to the vet on Friday 4/26 after noticing weight loss and excess urination. During the physical examination, my vet said that Oliver was completely healthy. We found out about the diabetes after getting the blood test results. Everything besides the glucose level and liver enzymes were normal. The vet said that elevated liver enzymes can be caused by the diabetes and should level out once we get Oliver settled with his treatment. I will be getting a glucose monitor soon to start checking his levels regularly.

When weighed on Friday, Oliver was 11lbs. Normally he would be around 12 or 13lbs.

Oliver has always been a dry-food kind of cat. After reading up on feline diabetes, I will be switching him to canned wet food. I am planning on going to the store today to get new food and other supplies for him.
 
That sounds encouraging. What kind of insulin will you be using?

Here is a shopping list for hometesting:


A human glucometer. Any one that sips and takes a tiny sample is fine. Some members stay away from any meter with True in the name and the Freestyle meters. Some people think they are unreliable and read lower than other meters. 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 26-28 gauge is good. Any brand will work as long as the lancets match your device.

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. You can also use a prescription bottle filled with very warm water. It provides a good surface to poke against.

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

And ideas on how to get the cat ready for home testing

First pick a place where you want to test. Some people use the kitchen counter, a blanket on the floor, between your legs while sitting – whatever works for you. Take the kitty there and give him/her lots of praise while you play with his/her ears. Give a treat and release. Next time, add the rice sack (thin sock filled with raw rice, heated in the microwave until very warm but not hot) or a prescription pill bottle filled with very warm water. Lots of praise, treat and release. Finally add the lancet so he/she will get used to the noise. The hope is that when you finally poke, they will be used to the process and know a treat is coming
 
YOu might want to change to canned and monitor his blood sugar before starting insulin. The food change may negate the need for insulin.
If yu do start the insulin, be aware that the insulin needs will likely decrease.
 
Okay, so after reading other posts and other articles about FD I have decided to talk to my vet about holding off on the insulin for about a week and monitoring Oliver's glucose levels at home. I started feeding him LC canned food tonight. I will be getting the glucose monitor on Wednesday and will start measuring his levels then and see where they are at after about a week of being of the dry food. That seems like the best way to go as to not make Oliver's condition worse by giving him insulin and changing his diet at the same time. Thank you all for helping me out with this. I feel much more confidant in my ability to help Oliver get healthier! I will keep you updated and let you know if I have any other questions.
 
Good plan. Let us know how else we can help.

Thank you so much for adding those tidbits to your user signature. It does help us. When you get your meter, add that to the signature link too.
 
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