Hello FDMB. My cat was diagnosed with diabetes about a week and a half ago, and since then I had many questions. For starters, my cat is 13 years old (human years) and weighs 19 pounds, so that may play a factor in these questions. Right now, I am feeding him Hills Prescription Diet m/d, which was given to us by our vet. I am feeding him around one and a half, 5.5 oz cans per day, so these prices add up quick. Is there any other wet food my cat can eat that is less expensive, but won't have any negative side effects? Also, I'm giving my cat 3 units of ProZinc insulin every 12 hours. Is there a better insulin for my cat, and is this dosage too much? While I'm not fantastic with giving my cat insulin, I have seen good results from him taking it. Where is the best spot to give my cat insulin that will give him the most positive effect? I know to stay away from the neck area, due to poor blood supply, but that's about all I know. Finally, I wanted to know about my cat's long term situation. How likely is it for my cat to be insulin dependent/not insulin dependent? In other words, what are the odds of my cat's diabetes going into recommission? Sorry for all of these questions, but I'm brand new to these forums.
Many Questions About Diagnosed Cat
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Wendy&Tiggy(GA)
Member Since 2011
Hello and welcome to the board!
Tell us more about yourselves.. What's your and your kitty's names? And what country do you live in? That helps us know better how to advise.
In terms of food, many cats get sick of the m/d fast and it is expensive so many of us feed other brands of low carb canned foods that work for diabetics such as fancy feast classic pâtés, friskies pâtés or wellness grain free. They are good because those flavours and types are under 10% calories from carbs and reasonably priced.
Prozinc is a great insulin for cats but that's a high starting dose. I will see if I can ask someone with more prozinc knowledge to advise but I think they normally start at 1 unit and slowly build up to avoid a hypo and /or missing the correct dose.
Insulin can be given in all these areas .
Lastly, and this is important, 84%of cats go into remission in the first six months with a low carb canned food, a good insulin and home testing. Home testing is key to keep the cat safe and to be able to monitor and adjust dose as insulin needs change. Did your vet mention home testing to you? We can advise with this..
Wendy
Tell us more about yourselves.. What's your and your kitty's names? And what country do you live in? That helps us know better how to advise.
In terms of food, many cats get sick of the m/d fast and it is expensive so many of us feed other brands of low carb canned foods that work for diabetics such as fancy feast classic pâtés, friskies pâtés or wellness grain free. They are good because those flavours and types are under 10% calories from carbs and reasonably priced.
Prozinc is a great insulin for cats but that's a high starting dose. I will see if I can ask someone with more prozinc knowledge to advise but I think they normally start at 1 unit and slowly build up to avoid a hypo and /or missing the correct dose.
Insulin can be given in all these areas .
Lastly, and this is important, 84%of cats go into remission in the first six months with a low carb canned food, a good insulin and home testing. Home testing is key to keep the cat safe and to be able to monitor and adjust dose as insulin needs change. Did your vet mention home testing to you? We can advise with this..
Wendy
Deb & Wink
Member Since 2013
Hello and welcome to the FDMB, the best place in the whole universe to help your diabetic cat.
You say your cat weighs 19 pounds. Is that his ideal weight, underweight, or overweight? This Body condition Score chart may help you. Where does you cat fall on this chart?
Some insulins have better remission rates than others. Some causes of diabetes, such as steroid use, lead to a better chance of remission. Obesity is a contributing factor to diabetes. Getting a cat to their ideal weight can help control the BG (blood glucose) numbers. Male cats tend to be more insulin resistant than female cats. How you monitor and how much you feed your cat. How often you test and how often you can stay on schedule with the shot times. These are all some of the factors that contribute to a chance at remission. Even on the best insulins, Lantus and Levimir and Prozinc, not all cats can achieve remission. It's certainly a goal to strive for, but is not possible for all cats. There is no way to tell which cats will succeed, and which will not.
We've had cats take 2 years to achieve remission. Others, weeks or months. Some never do achieve remission. Some cats fall out of remission and need to go back on insulin. There is no way to predict what will happen with your cat. ECID. Every Cat is Different.
This presentation gives you some of the pros and cons of the different insulins. Insulin: A Review and What is New You might want to review it.
You say your cat weighs 19 pounds. Is that his ideal weight, underweight, or overweight? This Body condition Score chart may help you. Where does you cat fall on this chart?
Some insulins have better remission rates than others. Some causes of diabetes, such as steroid use, lead to a better chance of remission. Obesity is a contributing factor to diabetes. Getting a cat to their ideal weight can help control the BG (blood glucose) numbers. Male cats tend to be more insulin resistant than female cats. How you monitor and how much you feed your cat. How often you test and how often you can stay on schedule with the shot times. These are all some of the factors that contribute to a chance at remission. Even on the best insulins, Lantus and Levimir and Prozinc, not all cats can achieve remission. It's certainly a goal to strive for, but is not possible for all cats. There is no way to tell which cats will succeed, and which will not.
We've had cats take 2 years to achieve remission. Others, weeks or months. Some never do achieve remission. Some cats fall out of remission and need to go back on insulin. There is no way to predict what will happen with your cat. ECID. Every Cat is Different.
This presentation gives you some of the pros and cons of the different insulins. Insulin: A Review and What is New You might want to review it.
Thank you Wendy and Deb. Sorry for leaving some things out. My name is John, my cat's name is Niko, and I live in the United States; Ohio to be more precise.
Wendy, out of the three foods you recommended, which would be the best one to start with? And Niko is just starting to get sick of the Hills m/d, so it's good to know that there are other foods out there. My vet never mentioned home testing to me, however I have heard of it by looking at these forums. How exactly would I home test? What would I need to have? Hopefully your friend who knows about insulin can help me. Let me know through either this thread or a private message. Also, 84% is much better than I had originally planned. This is great news, and I hope Niko can live the best life possible.
Deb, according to the Body Condition Scoring PDF, Niko is a 7. His ribs can be felt, with difficulty; and he does not have heavy fat deposits over the lumbar area and base of tail, which are requirements for an 8. Also, Niko is a male (I have used the word "his" many times) so his chances of recommission are lower than that of a female cat, but hopefully by not much. The acronym ECID gives me a better understanding of how feline diabetes recommission truly works. Thank you for that, and I will keep it to heart.
Wendy, out of the three foods you recommended, which would be the best one to start with? And Niko is just starting to get sick of the Hills m/d, so it's good to know that there are other foods out there. My vet never mentioned home testing to me, however I have heard of it by looking at these forums. How exactly would I home test? What would I need to have? Hopefully your friend who knows about insulin can help me. Let me know through either this thread or a private message. Also, 84% is much better than I had originally planned. This is great news, and I hope Niko can live the best life possible.
Deb, according to the Body Condition Scoring PDF, Niko is a 7. His ribs can be felt, with difficulty; and he does not have heavy fat deposits over the lumbar area and base of tail, which are requirements for an 8. Also, Niko is a male (I have used the word "his" many times) so his chances of recommission are lower than that of a female cat, but hopefully by not much. The acronym ECID gives me a better understanding of how feline diabetes recommission truly works. Thank you for that, and I will keep it to heart.
Wendy&Tiggy(GA)
Member Since 2011
Personally I prefer the fancy feast classic pâtés, they are reasonably priced and lower carb than the friskies and wellness.
For testing, first you need to buy a kit.. Shopping list is below.
Once you get a kit we can give you tips etc for testing and tracking results,, and what the results mean.
Wendy
Getting started shopping list
1. Meter ie Walmart Relion Confirm or Micro.
2. Matching strips
3. Lancets - little sticks to poke the ear to get blood . new members usually start with a larger gauge lancet such as 28g or 29g until the ear learns to bleed. Optional - lancing tool.
4. Cotton balls to stem the blood
5. Neosporin or Polysporin ointment with pain relief to heal the wound
6. Mini flashlight (optional) - useful to help see the ear veins in dark cats, and to press against
7. Ketone urine test strips ie ketodiastix - Important to check ketones when blood is high
8. Sharps container - to dispose of waste syringes and lancets.
9. Treats for the cat - like freeze dried chicken
10. Karo syrup/corn syrup or honey if you dont have it at home - for hypo emergencies to bring blood sugar up fast
11. A couple of cans of fancy feast gravy lovers or other high carb gravy food- for hypo emergencies to bring blood sugar up fast
For testing, first you need to buy a kit.. Shopping list is below.
Once you get a kit we can give you tips etc for testing and tracking results,, and what the results mean.
Wendy
Getting started shopping list
1. Meter ie Walmart Relion Confirm or Micro.
2. Matching strips
3. Lancets - little sticks to poke the ear to get blood . new members usually start with a larger gauge lancet such as 28g or 29g until the ear learns to bleed. Optional - lancing tool.
4. Cotton balls to stem the blood
5. Neosporin or Polysporin ointment with pain relief to heal the wound
6. Mini flashlight (optional) - useful to help see the ear veins in dark cats, and to press against
7. Ketone urine test strips ie ketodiastix - Important to check ketones when blood is high
8. Sharps container - to dispose of waste syringes and lancets.
9. Treats for the cat - like freeze dried chicken
10. Karo syrup/corn syrup or honey if you dont have it at home - for hypo emergencies to bring blood sugar up fast
11. A couple of cans of fancy feast gravy lovers or other high carb gravy food- for hypo emergencies to bring blood sugar up fast
Deb & Wink
Member Since 2013
His chances of remission are still as good as a female cat. But he may need slightly higher insulin doses because he is male than a similar female cat would.
He may need slightly higher insulin doses because obesity is one of the causes of insulin resistance.
catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf
Check all of Dr. Lisa Pierson's site and her food list above. There are plenty of foods you can feed, just stick to the lowest in the carbs column.... under 10% is needed and if your cat likes ones that are even lower, that's great.
I would not pay much attention to this body stuff, and male or female; just feed your cat a good low carb wet food diet, home test before every shot and aim to get to whatever dose puts him in a non-diabetic range. If he needs to lose weight, he will; if his pancreas can become healthy enough to function on its own, he could go off insulin.
Giving insulin will help his pancreas to heal if it is possible. If the pancreas is permanently damaged or cannot health 100%, then your cat could need insulin all his life. Humans live just fine as diabetics with proper care, and so can cats.
Home testing is pretty important because how will you know if he needs less insulin or even none if you are not testing? It's not like he's going to wait till the next vet visit to make a change in his needs! So get your home testing stuff, and have your hypo kit handy, then you are all ready.
Gayle
Check all of Dr. Lisa Pierson's site and her food list above. There are plenty of foods you can feed, just stick to the lowest in the carbs column.... under 10% is needed and if your cat likes ones that are even lower, that's great.
I would not pay much attention to this body stuff, and male or female; just feed your cat a good low carb wet food diet, home test before every shot and aim to get to whatever dose puts him in a non-diabetic range. If he needs to lose weight, he will; if his pancreas can become healthy enough to function on its own, he could go off insulin.
Giving insulin will help his pancreas to heal if it is possible. If the pancreas is permanently damaged or cannot health 100%, then your cat could need insulin all his life. Humans live just fine as diabetics with proper care, and so can cats.
Home testing is pretty important because how will you know if he needs less insulin or even none if you are not testing? It's not like he's going to wait till the next vet visit to make a change in his needs! So get your home testing stuff, and have your hypo kit handy, then you are all ready.
Gayle
Deb & Wink
Member Since 2013
ECID really does apply. If it did not, we could all feed our diabetic cats exactly the same food, give them all exactly the same dose of insulin, and get them all into remission.
ECID. It's why we give advice based on each individual cat. It's why we try to suggest ideas or methods specific to your cat. It's the whole reason this message board exists in the first place. ECID.
Yes, there are some general rules and best practices that apply to almost all cats. Low carb diet, good long lasting insulin, and home monitoring. We try to be aware of the differences, and make suggestions based on those differences. ECID.
Here is a article from 2005 by top feline diabetes researchers Rand and Marshall on Understanding Feline Diabetes Mellitus: Pathogenesis and Management See page 6 for causes of insulin resistance.
ECID. It's why we give advice based on each individual cat. It's why we try to suggest ideas or methods specific to your cat. It's the whole reason this message board exists in the first place. ECID.
Yes, there are some general rules and best practices that apply to almost all cats. Low carb diet, good long lasting insulin, and home monitoring. We try to be aware of the differences, and make suggestions based on those differences. ECID.
Here is a article from 2005 by top feline diabetes researchers Rand and Marshall on Understanding Feline Diabetes Mellitus: Pathogenesis and Management See page 6 for causes of insulin resistance.
What about acromegaly, IAA, and cushings?
I see zero mention of those insulin resistance issues in the article linked.... just a bunch of talk about diabetes mellitus and could it be that cats with the above three mentioned resistance issues are NOT diabetic, or rather do not have diabetes mellitus?
The article is talking about insulin resistance and toxicity in cats with diabetes mellitus.
The other link called " Insulin: A Review and What is New " is from 2009 so it's not exactly "new".
Maybe you can explain what you want the OP to be reading and understanding in that link.
Gayle
I see zero mention of those insulin resistance issues in the article linked.... just a bunch of talk about diabetes mellitus and could it be that cats with the above three mentioned resistance issues are NOT diabetic, or rather do not have diabetes mellitus?
The article is talking about insulin resistance and toxicity in cats with diabetes mellitus.
The other link called " Insulin: A Review and What is New " is from 2009 so it's not exactly "new".
Maybe you can explain what you want the OP to be reading and understanding in that link.
Gayle
Deb & Wink
Member Since 2013
I referred John, the caregiver for Niko, to those various articles in response to several of his original and subsequent questions. I already indicated why I referred him to those articles, in previous posts.
If John has any additional questions or requires clarification, I'm sure he will ask.
If John has any additional questions or requires clarification, I'm sure he will ask.
TheBowHuntress
Member Since 2012
Hi John--I was wondering how everything is going?
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