Just learned the diagnosis . . .

[Muffin and Marilyn]

Muffin is a 12 year-old male that was just diagnosed three days ago. He is on two units of Lantus twice-daily (the pens). I had no idea how expensive this whole process was going to be until I went to pick up the prescription. Boy what a shocker!! So I have several questions for my fellow caregivers.

First, I have three other cats who are all relatively healthy and I am really struggling with the eating schedule. I typically feed (can food) around 5:00 PM but the injection schedule I have Muffin on isn't until 7:00 PM. Do I try to feed him with the others then again at 7:00 or make him wait until later and feed the other three separate? He will not be happy. He is a talker and tells me several times a day how hungry he is.

I'm also wondering how long before you start to see improvements in the symptoms? He was overweight - about 28 lbs. but is down to about 22 lbs. now - probably much better weight for him. He is still drinking a lot of water.

I've read a lot of the conversations about testing but the vet hasn't given me any instructions about this yet. We go back next week for another check so maybe that will come then.

Any and all advise is appreciated.

 

[PAMELA ALLEN]

I'm new here too ! (3 weeks) so I'm still asking a lot of questions! But my cat Max is on Vetsulin and he has to eat about 30 minutes before his injection because of the way his insulin works. Then I pretty much leave some canned food out for him and my 3 others to graze on. I have taken them all dry food and they are not happy with me! Max is the only diabetic one though

 

[PAMELA ALLEN]

I'm new here too ! (3 weeks) so I'm still asking a lot of questions! But my cat Max is on Vetsulin and he has to eat about 30 minutes before his injection because of the way his insulin works. Then I pretty much leave some canned food out for him and my 3 others to graze on. I have taken them all dry food and they are not happy with me! Max is the only diabetic one though

I'm sure some of the ones with more experience will answer you soon, they have all been very helpful with me, plus just reading everything on here

 

[Muffin and Marilyn]

I'm new here too ! (3 weeks) so I'm still asking a lot of questions! But my cat Max is on Vetsulin and he has to eat about 30 minutes before his injection because of the way his insulin works. Then I pretty much leave some canned food out for him and my 3 others to graze on. I have taken them all dry food and they are not happy with me! Max is the only diabetic one though

I've been reading up about the disease on the internet. Some recommend only canned food yet my vet gave me Purina DM for Muffin. I'm getting mixed signals and not sure what to feed and when. Do I let him eat all day or only twice a day, canned food, dry food, both?? I called the vet already several times with questions - just about the insulin prescription while trying to get it filled. It's very frustrating but just hearing from others in the same situation is enlightening. One can't possibly think of all the questions that could come up when the cat is home when we are in the exam room. Thank you!

 

[Sharon14]

Hi and welcome to you and Muffin. He is a cutie! Most of us feed all low carb, canned food-Pate types only as the ones with gravy are usually high in carbs. Almost all dry foods are also way too high in carbs and so unless that is all your cat will eat, it's best to not feed any. With a multiple cat house, it's easier to feed everyone the same food at the same time. I encourage you to start home testing Muffins glucose, because that is the only way to be certain that he is safe and getting the right amount of insulin. You may want to post your feeding questions on the Lantus forum as they are familiar with the insulin you are using and can best tell you how it works in regards to feeding schedules.

 

[BJM]

Welcome to the message board, the best place you never wanted to be.

There are 4 things you'll need to manage your kitty's diabetes:
- You - without your commitment, the following won't work.
- Home blood glucose monitoring with an inexpensive human glucometer such as the WalMart Relion Confirm or Target Up and Up (the pet ones will break your budget!). This saves you the cost of going to the vet for curves and done regularly, removes the need for a fructosamine test. All of our insulin guidelines use human glucometer numbers for reference.
- Low carb over the counter canned or raw diet, such as many Friskies pates. See Cat Info for more info. If already on insulin, you must be home testing before changing the diet. Food changes should be gradual to avoid GI upsets - 20-25% different food each day until switched. There are 2 low carb, dry, over the counter foods in the US - Evo Cat and Kitten dry found at pet specialty stores and Young Again 0 Carb found online.
- A long-lasting insulin such as ProZinc, Lantus, BCP PZI, or Levemir. No insulin lasts 24 hours in the cat, so giving it every 12 hours is optimal for control.

 

[Bobbie And Bubba]

Hey there and welcome. To answer your feeding schedule question: since the Lantus is given at 7am and 7pm, it would be easier to coordinate your feeding with those times to make it easier on you. If that is not possible because of hungry cats circling you in the kitchen like sharks, you could give Muffin a portion of his food a little before 5 pm to help hold him over. That way, when you test at 7pm the number will not be influenced by food. Then you could give him the rest of his food and then shoot the insulin.

It is good that you are all ready feeding can food as dry is way to high in carbs. We recommend low carb wet food under 10%. I will link you a food chart to look at to see if your brand is there. Many of us feed Fancy Feast CLASSICS, Wellness NO GRAIN, and 9 Lives PATES. Notice the bold after each brand which is important because Fancy Feast Gravy LOvers is really high in carbs.
foodchart

It is important for the home testing to keep Muffin safe and to know how to tweak the doses. You will want to test before each shot and some additional test in between the 12 hour cycle. Find a place in your home where you will always perform the test and give lots of hugs before and after testing. There are many videos showing you how to test. Here is a picture of where you test on your kitty. http://s106.photobucket.com/user/chupie_2006/media/testingear/sweetspot.jpg.html

Here is another good link on Home Testing:http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-home-test.htm

After you learn to home test, you can do your own curves at home. It will save you money and the numbers won't be higher like they will be at the vets office due to stress. The stress can actually causee the numbers to be 100 points higher.

Meters: There are many meters. There is a pet meter called the Alpha Trak2 and human meters. Some use the pet meter because it is what the vets use so the numbers will match up. The meter and strips are expensive though. Most use human meters that can be purchased at any pharmacy. It typically reads a little lower than the pet meter but we have ways of compensating it. Many use Walmart's brand, Relion Micro or Relion Prime, because it only needs a tiny drop of blood. The Prime testing strips are ½ the price of the Micro.

Lancets: These are used to poke the ear to get blood. There are many different sizes (gauges). It is recommended when you are first starting out to use a 26-28 gauge. Also, it would be a good idea to pick up Neosporin WITH pain reliever to apply on the edge of the ears and don't forget to alternate ears.

Also, it would help you to start posting in Lantus if you haven't all ready. Those peeps there are the experts with Lantus. Hope this helps to get you started.