Just found out

[ajsandbe]

I just returned from the vet and was told that my male seven year old domestic cat has diabetes. He said that I have to give my georgie two insulin shots a day (never held a needle in my life) and put him on special food. Are there any other recommendations for a person new on this subject? I'm really sad. Words of encouragement?

 

[terri1962]

Hello and welcome,

No you do not have to put him on special food, the vets like to sell you their prescription food. Most people here feed their diabetic cats canned cat foods, no dry. They feed them Friskies pate style foods or Fancy Feast pate Classics. They are low carb which is recommended for diabetic cats.
Also if you don`t have one, I would pop over to Walmart and pick up a cheap human glucometer such as the Relion Micro or Confirm, the testing strips are very cheap.

Terri

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

Hi your name and kitty's name :mrgreen:

It is very scary at first. We all felt that way; that's why we spend time answering and reassuring new posters, just the way we were helped at first.

We have a very successful protocol for feline diabetes:

1. A slow, long lasting insulin. Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc are popular as they have a slow onset; they are not harsh and they are easiest to use for regulation. Humulin and Canninsulin are less popular because, in most cats, they have a rapid onset and don’t last as long. We like new diabetics to start low and go slow. That is, start at a low dose of .5 or one unit twice daily every 12 hours. And increase slowly, by .25 or .5 units as the numbers indicate. The shots are much easier than you are dreading. Most of us shoot while our cat's face is deep into their breakfast or dinner.

2. A low carb, wet diet. We like to feed under 8-10% carbs. There are several food charts you can use: Dr. Lisa’s food chart
Hobo’s Food Chart Rhiannon’s 8% and under list

Whatever food you can afford that your cat will eat in that lower range. BUT do not change over to wet until you are hometesting. With our Oliver, the switch meant an overnight change of 100 points downward. If we hadn’t been testing and had given our usual amount., he could have hypoed.

2. And most importantly, hometesting. We think cats tend to be stressed at the vet
and we know stress raises blood glucose levels. So we test our cats at home. You want to know what the number is before you give the shot to be sure the amount you are planning to give is safe. And testing midcycle will show you how the insulin is working. We use human glucometers and test on their ears or paws. Here is a video that shows you how it is done: Video for hometesting

Do some reading. Ask questions. Knowledge is power. You can do this; we'd like to help.

 

[ebuckley]

Hi there. I am new here too, so can't give you much advice; but if it helps, I totally commiserate. And I can tell you that the information and helpful folks on this message board have totally saved the day for Napa and me. It is definitely overwhelming at first, but, one step at a time, these recommendations (from folks here and generally supported by my vet) have made a huge difference for us:
1. We started home testing. This was very difficult at first; but, just like everyone said it would, it's much, much easier now.
2. Then we started home testing more systematically and used the spreadsheet template here. I resisted this because I don't like Google docs but am glad the generous folks here encouraged me to do so, because it makes tracking, sharing, and making sense of those all important blood glucose numbers so much easier.
3. We took away all dry food and treats....even the relatively low carb dry food. Low carb canned food only. (Be sure to do this gradually and carefully as it can upset stomachs and interact with insulin doses).

Folks here can give you a ton more information about all of these things if you'd like. There are lots of great resources about how to give the injections and how to test. You'll probably get a bit overwhelmed, I sure did. I could not get it all absorbed in one sitting, but over time, step-by-step, I now feel like I am doing so much more for Napa then I could have without the information and help found here. Take some deep breaths, keep poking around and reading the stuff on this message board, and keep asking questions.

 

[Deb & Wink]

Hello and welcome to the message board.

If you haven't started the insulin yet, it would be ok to make that diet change to low carb food first. It's only if you have already started the insulin that you want to be cautious about a diet change if you are not home testing first. That is because a diet change can drop the BG (blood glucose) levels 100 points mg/dL.

Does Georgie like canned food?

Please read this post - A message from your cat. It may help you to understand that Georgie will be ok.

 

[ajsandbe]

Thank you all for such kind responses and helpful advice. I was really overwhelmed today but you all helped center me. This is my first cat and love him dearly and want to do all that I can for him. So happy this site and forum exists.

 

[ajsandbe]

Georgie loves the canned food. I have started his diet change and it seems like he just cant get enough of the food. I suppose I over fed him in the past. I'm still not sure what the ideal glucose level is. Should I get a meter before I start the insulin to make sure he is at the correct level?

 

[BJM]

...Should I get a meter before I start the insulin to make sure he is at the correct level?

Absolutely. A WalMart ReliOn Confirm or Confirm Micro or Prime will be inexpensive, the test strips will be inexpensive, and any will work just fine. If you're not a fan of WalMart, pop over to American Diabetes Wholesale and get the Arkray USA Glucocard 01 or 01 Mini as it is the same as the Confirm, just not branded.

Comparing a human glucometer to a pet-specific glucometer is like reading temperature in Celsius vs Fahrenheit. Both are correct. You just need to know the reference ranges to interpret what the numbers mean.

[Glucose reference ranges are unsubstantiated and have been removed by Moderator]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *​

How to use the glucose reference values chart:

When you get a test, look for the number on the chart that either equals, or contains, the test value you have. Read the information. As needed, make a decision and act.

Ex. You are a new insulin user and you test your cat before giving insulin. The test is 300. It probably is safe to give insulin.

Ex. You are an established user of Lantus, following the Tight Regulation protocol. You've tested around +5 to +7 to spot the nadir. It is 200 mg/dL. You probably need to increase the dose, following the instructions for the protocol.

Ex. Your cat is acting funny. The eyes are a bit dilated. You are concerned and test the glucose. The number is 35 mg/dL. ACK! The cat may be in a hypoglycemic state. You quickly follow the HYPO protocol linked in the glucose reference values chart. (which we really, really, suggest you print out and post on your refrigerator.)