MUM - NEWLY DIAGNOSED.

[Zee]

MUM IS 14 AND WAS DIAGNOSED AROUND A MONTH AGO. IVE BEEN INJECTING WITH CANINSULIN TWICE A DAY. STARTED AT 2 UNITS NOW UP TO 3.5 - CURIOUSLY HER LEVELS WENT UP ON EVERY VISIT TO VET AND IM AT A LOSS AS TO WHY THIS SHOULD BE?
SHE’S ON HILLS DIABETIC DRY FOOD. SHE SEEMS OK FOR NOW BUT DRINKING LOADS.

ANY FEEDBACK WOULD BE OF GREAT VALUE. WE ARE LONDON BASED.

 

[Diana&Tom]

Hi, welcome to the board, you will get lots of help here. A few things...

The first thing I'd say is that a starting dose of 2u twice a day of Caninsulin, increasing now to 3.5u, might be a little on the high side. Cats would normally be started at 1u, monitored for how the insulin is acting, and the dose increased if necessary. Do you have any data from the vet about blood glucose levels at diagnosis?

Also - what was Mum eating before the vet prescribed the Hill's? Was it a canned/pouch wet food? If so, the dry food would be adding to blood glucose numbers. Dry food is not good for diabetics, it is too high in carbs, the very thing you want to avoid. You are better off feeding a low-carb wet food in jelly (tins or pouches) - we can advise on brands that are good. The excessive thirst is a sure sign of unregulated diabetes, ie high blood glucose. If you switch to a lower carb diet, which should lower bg, drinking should return to normal. However - don't make a food change until you can test your cat's bg at home to be sure you are not giving too much insulin, which can be dangerous.

Testing a cat's blood for glucose is not difficult once you know how. We can make suggestions for meters and where to get the best prices for ongoing supplies.

Tell us a little more and we can add more info to help you sort this out!

 

[Zee]

HI TOM AND DIANE.
Thank you so much for coming back to me.
Mum doesn’t or didn’t like ‘cat food’ she had some biscuits as well as a few prawns and some chicken with skin off.
She was quite overweight when she came to me a couple of years back. She weighs around 7 kg! When she stopped eating I took her to the PDSA ( I’m a pensioner and low on funds..) who suggested food and doses. Clearly not working! She was at 21 at time of diagnosis and 3 weeks later at 24!
I will take her to my other vet after next week if reading not down! Think it’s hard at this stage of her life to re-train to eat canned food? Happy to try..

 

[Julie and Honey]

No one had responded yet when I was typing this...looks you have some good advice..

Welcome. You are in the right place there is a lot to learn, but lots of support here.

I see you have your signature created, that is a great start and will help members know at a glance the particulars of your cat.

It is possible for a higher dose of insulin to create higher numbers, it is possible the dose needs to be lowered. I am tagging someone much more knowledgable with this type of insulin to give you some direction. @MrWorfMen's Mom

Are you home testing blood sugar with a meter? We have a spreadsheet we use to track test results. Once you can start testing, we can help you set that up to better monitor your kitty’s progress and keep Mum safe.

Even though the Hills dry is “diabetic” food, there are better options in wet, low carb food. It is best to use a food that is less than 10% carbs. Wet foods are also better for kidney health vs dry. Not sure what is available in UK, I am sure some other Londoners here that can suggest options.

There is a forum for Caninsulin and here is a link from that forum with more info.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-caninsulin-vetsulin.186099/

 

[Zee]

Hi Julie. Honey is a beauty. I also have an FIV boy cat called Eric. So far seems ok..
I’m not currently home testing - will also try Mum on wetfood - SHE NEVER HAD WET CAT FOOD... Used to give her chicken tho...

It’s all incredibly confusing as I’m new to this and so far followed Vets instructions... however - don’t think their method is working... she’s drinking vast amounts and her reading on last test (at vets) was higher than when first tested..

 

[Diana&Tom]

Hi Julie. Honey is a beauty. I also have an FIV boy cat called Eric. So far seems ok..
I’m not currently home testing - will also try Mum on wetfood - SHE NEVER HAD WET CAT FOOD... Used to give her chicken tho...

It’s all incredibly confusing as I’m new to this and so far followed Vets instructions... however - don’t think their method is working... she’s drinking vast amounts and her reading on last test (at vets) was higher than when first tested..

Zee, don't worry, it is confusing at first but you'll soon get your head round it.
It sounds to me as if Mum's diet is contributing to her diabetes to some extent or another - a previous diet of "biscuits" and now Hill's dry is just not great unfortunately. If you can get her to eat a good-quality wet food, I think it would help a lot - but remember, lower-carb food can lower blood glucose and reduce the need for as much insulin.

I'm going to tag our fellow UKer @Elizabeth and Bertie who has just been in a fairly similar experience (diabetic cat used to eating dry biscuits)... let's see what she has to add for you...

 

[Zee]

Zee, don't worry, it is confusing at first but you'll soon get your head round it.
It sounds to me as if Mum's diet is contributing to her diabetes to some extent or another - a previous diet of "biscuits" and now Hill's dry is just not great unfortunately. If you can get her to eat a good-quality wet food, I think it would help a lot - but remember, lower-carb food can lower blood glucose and reduce the need for as much insulin.

I'm going to tag our fellow UKer @Elizabeth and Bertie who has just been in a fairly similar experience (diabetic cat used to eating dry biscuits)... let's see what she has to add for you...

Thank you..

 

[Julie and Honey]

Hi Julie. Honey is a beauty. I also have an FIV boy cat called Eric. So far seems ok..
I’m not currently home testing - will also try Mum on wetfood - SHE NEVER HAD WET CAT FOOD... Used to give her chicken tho...

It’s all incredibly confusing as I’m new to this and so far followed Vets instructions... however - don’t think their method is working... she’s drinking vast amounts and her reading on last test (at vets) was higher than when first tested..

Thank you, she is my little doll.

You will get some good info on food from Elizabeth. Biscuits for cat food, haha, I love British sayings here a biscuit is more of what you’d call scones I think.

I think I misunderstood after re-reading. I thought dry food in UK was called biscuits. What do I know, I am American, lol.

Mum is a sweetie, cute pic.

 

[Zee]

Thank you, she is my little doll.

You will get some good info on food from Elizabeth. Biscuits for cat food, haha, I love British sayings here a biscuit is more of what you’d call scones I think.

I know..

 

[Zee]

I think she’s be happy with scones.. this cat loves king prawns, nice roast chicken.. cat food? Nah..

 

[Diana&Tom]

Thank you, she is my little doll.

You will get some good info on food from Elizabeth. Biscuits for cat food, haha, I love British sayings here a biscuit is more of what you’d call scones I think.

I think I misunderstood after re-reading. I thought dry food in UK was called biscuits. What do I know, I am American, lol.

Mum is a sweetie, cute pic.

@Julie and Honey - yes biscuits, dry food, the same thing really!

 

[Diana&Tom]

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-caninsulin-vetsulin.186099/


This is helpful!

 

[MrWorfMen's Mom]

Hi and welcome to FDMB.

I have to agree with Diana & Tom that the dose may be too high and that could be why you are seeing higher BG readings now than at diagnosis. Insulin is a hormone not a medicine so more is not always better. Too much insulin can sometimes look just like too little. There is however, also the possibility that it was just the timing of the tests (closer to a meal perhaps) or could the Hills dry food actually be higher in carbs than the biscuits Mum was eating before? These are the types of situations where one has to become a bit of a detective and home testing makes it so much easier to drill down, make small controllable changes and figure out what works best for your kitty.

Home testing can keep your costs and Mum's stress down (well your stress too no doubt) and you will get readings that are far more accurate because Mum will be in her familiar environment and not subject to vet stress which can elevate BG by 5mmol or sometimes even more. If you are interested in learning how to home test Mum, we can help you learn how.

In the meantime, have a peak at THIS document for some helpful information about transitioning a kibble addicted kitty to wet food. My girl was a very stubborn kibble addict I had been trying to transition from the ripe old age of 10 weeks. It took quite awhile, but she did finally switch.