Just learned my cat is diabetic

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Lucy and Julian

Lucy and Julian

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I just got the news that my cat- Julian- is diabetic on Friday.
I noticed Thursday night he wasn't eating as much as he normally does, and I was already worried about his significant weight loss. (altho up till Thursday, he was eating normally) Friday morning, he barely ate anything, and Friday afternoon when I got home from work and saw how sick he was acting I brought him to a cat hospital close to my house. The vet did a blood glucose test, and told me he was high. He was sick from an infection probably related to diabetes, and had a fever. He's been at the hospital all weekend, and I miss him so much! But he has been improving so much every day, and I hopefully get to take him home today!

Julian was given to me in September (9 months ago) by my old roommate. I've known him (Julian) for going on 3 years, and I am so lucky for his presence in my life! He has always been a warm, mild tempered, expressive and intelligent cat. His previous owner could not take care of him any longer, and because Julian and I became inseparable in the time we lived together, sleeping together and cuddling all the time I guess I was the only person he wanted to leave him with. From what I know about his background he was a street cat who adopted my old roommate when he was approx. 6 months old. No cancer, FIV neg, neutered. He is now about 6 years.

I am a little overwhelmed. I love this little man, and I am completely committed to taking care of him, and making sure he is happy and healthy. I know that I can do this, I'm just so nervous! There is a lot to learn, and a lot of information out there. I've stumbled across this forum and website in my diabetic cat care information internet travels, and it seems like a great community with great people taking care of great cats.

I guess there are a few things I need help with- confused_cat
-For one, the hospital bill is huge. I understand it and can pay it, but that alone is a little scary. I know that the starting costs are also going to be a little high, but from what I've read it isn't too bad once things even out. I'm looking for tips on how to stretch the money I do have and make sure he is still getting the best possible care!
-What is a good reliable and affordable glucometer? I've been reading a lot about a lot of different meters, animal and human, and from what I read the Freestyle Flash is pretty good? Are there better ideas?
-What is a good kind of insulin? Human, beef, or pork? What are the price differences? All the vet has told me so far is that he is giving him 2 units of insulin 2 times a day.
The vet is going to show me how to give Julian insulin today when I go in, and I'm sure that I'll get the hang of it with a little practice. I'm so lucky he is a mild tempered cat!

I'm waiting for the call from my vet with the latest blood work results, and for the conformation that I can bring him home today.

I've been so worried about him, and on my last visit I left my sweater for him to smell and curl up on, so he will hopefully know I love him and am thinking about him and can't wait to see him!
 
Hi and welcome.

You had me hooked when you said he is your little man :)

What kind of food is Julian eating currently? Sometimes a simple change in diet will go a long way in treatment. Two of my recently adopted FDs are diet controlled, another I adopted in December is probably going to be life long insulin dependent, depends on the kitty, but very often, changing from dry food to a nice high protein, low carb canned or raw diet does the trick. We use Fancy Feast canned pate varieties.

The Freestyle is a wonderful meter, for costs, if you have a Walmart nearby, the Relion is just as good and more affordable.
 
Welcome! I hope it will help to know that we are were terrified when we first learned our kitty had diabetes and that this site has been a lifesaver for us. There is lots of information here so I would suggest reading and rereading and copying off things to read again. It is a steep learning curve at first, but diabetes is a very treatable disease.

It does not have to be expensive. It is basically treated at home. We hometest our cats to be sure it is safe to give insulin in the amount we are considering and we test during the cycle to see how the insulin is working. Here is how it is done: Video for hometesting You can get a free newbie testing kit from us, but it will take a couple days to reach you. viewtopic.php?f=28&t=19541 Until you get it, you might check the local drug store to see if you can find a deal. You want a glucometer that sips, takes a tiny sample and is on sale or perhaps free. It is not the meters that are expensive, but the strips. We found a PrecisionXtra free at the drug store and then bought strips on ebay. The lowest price meter is the ReliOn from Walmart; its strips are also the lowest priced locally.

We would suggest learning how to test right away. Our suggestion is to start low and go slow - usually one unit twice daily. Especially if you are planning a food change, which can really lower the insulin needs. When we switched from wet to dry, Oliver went down 100 points overnight. If we had been giving our normal amount of insulin, we would have overdosed him. This site gives great tips for transitioning: www.catinfo.org and here is our food chart: Janet and Binky’s chart We feed between 8-10% carbs - whatever you can afford and what your cat will eat.

The most popular insulins here are Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc. All are mild, long lasting insulins that should work fine.

Keep reading and asking questions. We would love to help you help your Julian!
 
I just wanted to say welcome. The resources here will help you immensely and the support is fabulous.
I'm fairly new, so I'll leave the advice for today to the more experience people. Huge hugs to both of you!
 
Thank you all for getting back to me!
I had him on Purina Healthful Living dry food, and before I knew he was diabetic, I was adding Fancy Feast Tuscan Medley wet food to try and get his weight up. Right now the vet has him on Purina DM wet and dry, and apparently he is eating well. But that food is so expensive! If its going to help him become healthy, I'm all for it. If there is something that will help him and cost me less, I'm all for that, too!

Sue- I am interested in the free kit, I can contact you with my address in a private message. Thank you so much! Until then, I can see what CVS or Walmart has to offer. Thank you!
And thank you for your support, PebsNMunchsReagan! I hope we can help each other!
 
Lucy and Julian said:
I
I'm looking for tips on how to stretch the money I do have and make sure he is still getting the best possible care!
-What is a good reliable and affordable glucometer? I've been reading a lot about a lot of different meters, animal and human, and from what I read the Freestyle Flash is pretty good? Are there better ideas?
-What is a good kind of insulin? Human, beef, or pork? What are the price differences? All the vet has told me so far is that he is giving him 2 units of insulin 2 times a day.
Click to expand...

Hil Lucy & Julian and welcome to FDMB. While a diagnosis of feline diabetes is scary and overwhelming, let me assure you that it is a very managable disease. It also will not take long before caring for Julian becomes routine.

I am glad to see you want to learn to hometest. This will help a lot with keeping your expenses down and also greatly reduce the chance of an emergency visit due to hypoglycemia. You can use any brand meter for hometesting including store brand meters. Store brand meters are made by the same manufacturers as the national brand, they just cost less to use. Many of us use the Walmart Relion meters. The Relion Comfort or Micro use less blood than the Ultima and easier for newbies to use. The meter is about $9 and strips about $39 for a box of 100.

For insulin, we suggest either Lantus, Levemir or PZI. If your vet prescribes Lantus or Levemir, ask for the prescription for the pens instead of the vial. The initial cost is about twice the cost of a vial, but you get 5 pens. Also with a vial, you end up throwing a lot of it away because it becomes ineffective long before you finish the vial. With the pens, you will have enough insulin to last almost a year since you will be able to use almost every drop in each pen. When your vet starts your insulin, you want to start at a low dose - 1 unit twice a day. And when you need to increase it, only increase it by 1/2 unit.

For Julian's diet, you want to change his diet to canned food - get rid of the dry food. It is high in carbs. You do not need to feed a prescription diet either, even if your vet tries to tell you otherwise. Many of us feed our cats either Fancy Feast or Friskies canned foods. There is a list of foods that under the Health links that tells how many carbs are in different foods. Look for foods under 10% carbs. A good rule is if it has "gravy" in the name, avoid it. :mrgreen:

There is a lot of info on this site. I suggest you start on the info about diet, insulin and hometesting first. Ask us any question you may have. We have all been where you are now and we are here to help.
 
Dearest Lucy,
For your Julian I have a beautiful newbie kit that will get you started immediatly on testing and even has a present for your little man.
Please just hit the newbie kit link below on this post and go to the 'web store'
Lori
 
Welcome Lucy and Julian.

Boy did you find the best spot on the web to help your little man. As far as insulin goes, everyone has there favorites mine happens to be Lantus, although Levermr or PZI are also good for cats although Humilin N is too harsh with steep drops and not much duration. Humilin andLantus are the only two that I have experience with, my first girl was on N and didn't do well on it, but we never knew if it was the inslin or all her other problems, but she passed away shortly after we discovered she was diabetic.
However, last October I adopted Maxwell as a diabetic and he was on Lantus. and he did so well on it and a diet change he is now in remission.

Now I'm getting ready to welcome into the family yet another diabetic cat, Musette, as soon as she is well enough to travel. So this is a very doable disease to manage. Trust me if it wasn't I wouldn't be adopting another one. If you look at my sig you can tell I have plenty of critters...lol. Yes, they are all mine. My new girl will also be on Lantus so of course I throw my vote for that insulin for Julian. Now as others have said Diet plays a huge fact, but with my furry gang I'm not opening that many cans of Fancy Feast..lol. So everyone here eats what Maxwell eats, just good old fashioned Friskies pate style canned food.

One of thebest ways to reduce costs as well as making sure that Julian gets the best possible care is to learn to test him at home, and sounds like you are planning on doing just that...BRAVO!!!! Because I test at home, Maxwell has only seen the vet once since I adopted him and then he wasn't a patient he was in giving a demo on how home testing works. Everything else concerning his diabetic care has been either through this board or by me calling in his numbers to my vet. Get a newbie kit from Lori and Tom that will have everything in it for getting you off to a running start to test Julian at home as well as a special gift just for Julian. The other cheap route or for a back up meter would be the Relion micro from Walmart. The biggest thing to consider when looking for a meter is the cost of the strips. Any hman meter that takes a small sample of blood and sips well will work and the relion is cheap like $9 and 50 strips for it is around $20.

Depending on what insulin your vet puts you on will depend on how cheap we can help you get it. If it is either levermir or lantus ask your vet to write the script for the pens rather than the vials. The pens will be a little more upfront, but you will be able to use it all where as the vials will lose their punch before you use them up.

Again Welcome to the Sugarcat family! Looking forward to getting to know you and Lord Julian.

Mel, Maxwell and The Fur Gang
 
Welcome Lucy and Julian.

I've used a Walmart Relion since day 1. Twice I've compared it to the vet's "CAT" meter during a visit and it was within 5% both times. The cost of testing is in the strips and Walmart's Relion has the least expensive. (a lot a manufacturers will *give* you a meter so you'll buy their strips). Your vet may NOT be happy that you don't buy the vet feline meter from them. Relion's are about $20 for 50 (that's a 25 day supply at best. You will often use 4 and, early on, even more per day. My Bud's been using the Relion since Dec 1,2010 - no problem.

Please, please, please start testing asap. I've seen folks come here with a 2.0u starting dose from the vet and all of a sudden, kitty's got a low blood glucose - we were one of them. Had we not been home testing it could have been bad. Your vet may not be happy that you're home testing.

Please read the canned food chart and start Julian on low carb (LC) wet ASAP. No more dry as it's very high in carbs. A lot of the script foods are high in carbs. Your vet may not be happy you're not using the script food. http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html We use cans that are <= 4 carbs.

Take a deep breath. There's a steep learning curve but it gets a whole lot easier relatively quickly. And you've found the best folks in the world here that will hold your hand and lead you through it all.
 
Welcome Lucy and Julian,

eeraby said:
Please, please, please start testing asap. I've seen folks come here with a 2.0u starting dose from the vet and all of a sudden, kitty's got a low blood glucose - we were one of them. Had we not been home testing it could have been bad. Your vet may not be happy that you're home testing.
Click to expand...

There is not much I can add that hasn't already been said, but I do want to reiterate that keeping the 2U dose, with a change to a low carb wet food of your choice, once you get home can be dangerous. My vet also started us on 2U BID and my very first home test, 8 hours after his last 2U shot, was at 36. This was very scary for us. Do change his diet, and drop the dose to 1U BID to start, but the best thing you can do is home test to keep your beautiful little man safe.

Welcome and big hugs!

Debbi and Saatz
 
Hi Lucy & Julian: I just want to say welcome aboard. My Simba was diagnosesd on April 25, just a little over a month. He's now on 2 units ProZinc twice daily. I'm still trying to deal with his diabetes. I have learned so much about Feline Diabetes through this site. This site is simply amazing with so many good people trying to help you.

I'm still scared as hell about his disease. Still to this day I have not done home testing. I have to admit Simba is looking so much better. I changed his dry food from Purina Healthful Life to Purina DM dry & recently changed again from the Purina DM dry to Wellness Core dry. I now feed him as much as I can on canned wet food, Fancy Feast Classic. My problem is, Simba is such a picky eater and it's so hard trying to get him a dry or wet food that he likes.

I found someone who lives 40 minutes away from me who is willing to come to my house to teach me hometesting. This person found me through this amazing site. I still have not taken the opportunity of having this nice person come to my house to teach me hometesting because I'm still so nervous about the testing. I just don't want to prick my Simba anymore than I have too. I get so upset with myself when I think I missed a shot. Simba is getting smart for me. He knows as soon as I pinch the back of his neck he gets the injection; therefore he jumps back/moves away from me when I start feeling that area. I'm hoping this does get easier but for now I'm still trying to deal with it. I don't want to discourage you, but this is the way I feel. I still cry everyday since Simba was diagnosed, this is just who I'am, and I don't think I will ever get over it. You are in good hands here with so many good people who know what they are doing. All I can say is: Educate yourself as much as you can on Feline Diabetes.

Love Winni & Simba
 
Dear Winni,

I hope you will have the member come to show you hometesting. It is so much easier to have someone help you get started. And it will give you a real sense of control to know what your cat's numbers are.

Two units is a higher dose than we would suggest starting with, especially if you are changing foods. Hometesting can let you know whether the dose should be lowered or not.

We always gave Oliver his shot when his face was deep into his breakfast or dinner and he scarcely noticed. You might try that.
 
Winni,

Please get the person to come over and show you how to test. It's so very scary for most to learn to do it tourselves but it always, for everyone, eventually gets easier. AND it definitely IS the best way to care for your kitty.

Some kind person here told me when I got started, "would you give your child a shot of insulin without knowning what the child's BG was?"
 
Reading all of this makes me feel so much better. I'm so scared about all of this!
I brought Julian home last night, and boy did he seem to be relieved. He's still recovering from the infection, and I can tell his spirits are a little low.

The vet has me on 3 units of insulin twice a day. From what all of you are saying, this is way to much? Right now he is on Purina DM wet and dry, going to switch to Friskies Pate Collection when it runs out. The vet told me he thinks Julian has had diabetes since I got him in September. That is really scary to me. He has a little nerve damage, he has trouble climbing stairs and jumping, but the vet said that will go away with a few months of treatment. The vet has told me his blood sugar has been around 300 over the weekend, and last night (I had to go out and get lancets) I tested him at 10:20pm his sugar was at 205. I know meters aren't always accurate? What should I +/- to that number? I had given him his insulin at 6:15. I'll post his new numbers when I test this am.
 
You tested Julian??

WOW!!!!!!! That's really super!!! Most newbies don't come in and say, "I tested him last night and he was... " You're doing fantastic! You've overcome one of the hardest parts.

Where are you located?

What insulin in Julian on? I'm assuming you've got the bottle and are giving him his injections. It's best to start posting on the board that is for his insulin. On the main FDMB board index, the eighth one down is INSULIN SUPPORT GROUPS (ISG). Click on the name of Julian's insulin and put your posts there. Different insulins have different ways of 'acting' through out a cycle so the folks that particular INSULIN SUPPORT GROUPS (ISG) forum are either using the same and/or have had experience with Julian's insulin. It's best to start a new topic every day with a header like "JULIAN 6/7 AMPS 255" (where AMPS is his morning pre shot BG# - PMPS for evening)

Lucy and Julian said:
What should I +/- to that number? I had given him his insulin at 6:15. I'll post his new numbers when I test this am.
Click to expand...
You don't +/-. You will just use the numbers on that meter as they are. What meter did you decide on?

OK.. You need to get Julian a spreadsheet (SS) so that you can keep track of his numbers. With data, you'lll be able to see patterens over time. This will help when he'll need a dose reduction or increase. The SS will also help those that are offering guidance see what's going on. Here's how you start one viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207 . If you need help setting it up, just ask in here. Someone (smarter than me) will come along and help you.

It's very important that you print out the instructions for How to treat HYPOS http://www.felinediabetes.com/hypo-emergency.htm . Read and understand it. Put in on the fridge. Get the supplies listed in the document. It is not uncommon for a newly diagnosed kitty to go low at some point early on.

Remember: Treating FD is a marathon, not a sprint and you are off to a really fantastic start with getting the testing done. I've no doubt that Julian is in very good hands. You've got all the wonderful folks here to help you two along with anything and everything you'll need.

~Beth
 
Lucy and Julian said:
Reading all of this makes me feel so much better. I'm so scared about all of this!
I brought Julian home last night, and boy did he seem to be relieved. He's still recovering from the infection, and I can tell his spirits are a little low.

The vet has me on 3 units of insulin twice a day. From what all of you are saying, this is way to much? Right now he is on Purina DM wet and dry, going to switch to Friskies Pate Collection when it runs out. The vet told me he thinks Julian has had diabetes since I got him in September. That is really scary to me. He has a little nerve damage, he has trouble climbing stairs and jumping, but the vet said that will go away with a few months of treatment. The vet has told me his blood sugar has been around 300 over the weekend, and last night (I had to go out and get lancets) I tested him at 10:20pm his sugar was at 205. I know meters aren't always accurate? What should I +/- to that number? I had given him his insulin at 6:15. I'll post his new numbers when I test this am.
Click to expand...


Three units is a high starting dose. Most of the cats here are on only 1-2 units twice a day. You also mentioned he has an infection. That will also affect his BG levels and make them higher.

I am glad you are hometesting. However, you should consider lowering the dose. If you change his diet and remove the dry and also as the infection heals, his BG levels will drop significantly. With 3 units, that may also cause hypoglycemia and that can be very dangerous.

When you post your readings the format we use is AMPS (A.M. preshot) PMPS (P.M. preshot) and +# (how many hours since the last shot, i.e. +3 +6). Since we have members all over the world, this helps make it easier to determine when you gave insulin. The method we recommend is test, feed then shoot. With insulin you want to wait at least 15 - 30 minutes after you cat eats to give it to make sure that he eats and does not get sick. You do not want to give insulin without food in the body.
 
Finding this MB was a godsend to me when Cedric was diagnosed nearly 2 months ago. My vet has 2 diabetic pets at home (one dog one cat) so he's pretty knowledgeable but open to new ideas. They can't believe that Cedric is in remission.

We were on Lantus. I still have it in the fridge, but plan on giving it to my co-worker whose cat is diabetic in another week or so, so it doesn't go to waste. her cat gets 2.5 units xs per day, so she can sure use it.

I immediately changed his diet to blue buffalo wilderness can & dry, and also wellness (I also now buy Evo) canned. I finally took the dry away (he was eating 1/8 cup 2x per day) on the 19th and his numbers dropped right away (see the spreadsheet link below). Within 2 days he was down to normal numbers. Note I still keep my bottle of Karo in the pantry. ;-) He is also still tested once per day, sometimes in the am, somtimes in the pm.

I totally get the cost thing. I finally bought a home (after living in apartments on my own since 1992) in March and we moved into our townhouse a week before his diagnosis. Needless to say, that first visit was $300, then two weeks later, I spent $541, as I was going to my sister's college graduation in CO and Cedric had to stay at the vet's Wed night to Monday morning. While he was there, he had his teeth cleaned, which was part of the bill. I then had him stay at Best Friends at WDW, as I had planned on vacationing with friends at my p/t job (I work part time at Walt Disney World). They allowed me to give Cedric the injections since they would not, but I got suckered into giving him a bath, so that bill was $36 for the boarding (2 days) and $41 for the bath & nail trim (he likes water and does get a bath every year at least).
The insulin and syringes was $134, I have a Relion micro, which was like $9 and am on my 2nd box of 50 strips, which cost $19.95. The lancets are a few $ per box; I use 28 gauge.

So I have spent at least $1000 on him, not including the food change. I used to feed him Fancy Feast, 1 3oz can per day plus the dry food. He no longer has dry, so I give him a 5.5oz can of either Wellness or Evo, which runs about $1.50 or so a can. I am spending a little more on the food per day, but I don't want to chance switching back to FF.

i have trouble with the testing sometimes. I do heat Cedric's ear up with a heating pad, which works sometimes, sometimes not. He purrs, probably b/c he knows he'll get a treat (EVO high protein), but he doesn't like getting tested. :roll:

Good luck and welcome. You'll get a lot of good advice here. They put up with me the first 2 weeks of being frustrated (I had a hard time with the spreadsheet) and pulling out my hair. I am greatful for their help and good advice. it MADE a difference in Cedric's life.

Chow!
 
Lucy,

Take a look here at the posts others have left for you when you get a chance. Very good and important info.
 
Lucy and Julian said:
Reading all of this makes me feel so much better. I'm so scared about all of this!
I brought Julian home last night, and boy did he seem to be relieved. He's still recovering from the infection, and I can tell his spirits are a little low.

The vet has me on 3 units of insulin twice a day. From what all of you are saying, this is way to much? Right now he is on Purina DM wet and dry, going to switch to Friskies Pate Collection when it runs out. The vet told me he thinks Julian has had diabetes since I got him in September. That is really scary to me. He has a little nerve damage, he has trouble climbing stairs and jumping, but the vet said that will go away with a few months of treatment. The vet has told me his blood sugar has been around 300 over the weekend, and last night (I had to go out and get lancets) I tested him at 10:20pm his sugar was at 205. I know meters aren't always accurate? What should I +/- to that number? I had given him his insulin at 6:15. I'll post his new numbers when I test this am.
Click to expand...

Just a couple of notes:
Many cats will test higher at the vet due to stress. Your tests at home will be more likely to reflect his glucose.

Any FDA approved glucometer in the US may read 20% higher or lower than the "true" value. This won't change what you do most of the time. If it makes you nervous, you can take 2 measurements, one right after the other and narrow the range for the estimated "true value", by using the top value - 20% and the bottom value +20% as the boundaries around it.

If you change his food, do it gradually to avoid upset stomach. And monitor to see how that affects his glucose. Going from dry plus canned to low carb canned only reduced Spitzer from 3 units to about 1.5 units.

Hang in there.
 
Thank you everyone!
This is a lot of information to digest, and I'm going to go over it again in the morning!

I appreciate everyone's time, it's really making this whole thing easier to manage and making me feel better, and I know Julian is so glad for everyone's support and advice too!
 
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