My 18yr old just diagnosed and no help from vet???

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Grebo1968

Member Since 2013
Hello,
My 18yr old cat was diagnosed diabetic just over a week ago. Our vet does not seem to be 'up' on diabetes and I am feeling unconfident and worried that they are not experienced enough in the world of Feline Diabetes.
Bobo was so ill around 6 was ago, lost so much weight, lethargic and his back legs were all over the place. I took him to our vet immediately, he said it might be a tumour or something to do with his nerves but wasn't comfortable doing tests because of my cats age.
We were sent home with some I/D sachets.
Bobo did out weight on and his back legs improved slightly but I wasn't confident in the vets diagnosis. I sat down and googled wobbly hind legs and in moments I knew that Bobo could very well have diabetes. At this point Bobo was drinking and peeing like crazy all the signs were there.
I called our vet and politely requested a a test for diabetes, they gave me some sand and a pipette and requested I take a urine sample in. I did and I was told Bobo had DIabetes.
Next day I took Bobo in he was weighed, I was told he needed 1 unit if insulin (Caninsulin) and to feed him twice a day 2 hours after each insulin shot.
That was it.
I didn't do the feed 2 hours after as I read it was better to feed before, I also fed when Bobo was hungry.
Bobo stopped eating the I/D he was only licking the jelly. His weight dropped and he seemed 'depressed'.
I read that it was ok to give Diabetic cats non prescription food as long as it was wet and low in carbs, I went off and bought Kelly's KItchen, he devoured it. Unfortunately I didn't introduce him to it slowly and as the food is very rich poor Bobo vomited (bile) and his legs were super wobbly again.
Off to the vets we went, the vet said the food was way too rich and I should only be feeding Bobo prescription food. They tested for Ketoacidosis and thankfully it wasn't present.
Bob stayed in overnight and they fed him I/D but the pâté style.
They have now increased his insulin to 2 units twice a day.
I asked about blood tests and doing a blood curve and was told they would be done in a few weeks.
Am I being neurotic in thinking this is not good enough?
Bobo is really not into the I/D even in the pâté form. He is not showing signs of hunger, he's not really drinking and not really peeing.
Any help appreciated, out of my depth and desperate to do the right thing for my Bo.
M confused_cat
 
No, you are not neurotic :mrgreen: and your gut is right on. There is more you can do for Bob.

Go buy a human meter that sips and requires a tiny mount of blood. You can test Bob before every shot to make sure it is safe to give insulin in the amount you are planning, and midcycle to see how it is working. Here is lots of info on how we do it.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

I am assuming you are in Europe as you are using Canninsulin? We do have a list of good low carb European foods. I'll try to find it for you. There is no need to feed expensive prescription. Maybe because he is sensitive, go slowly with the switch.

Few people here use Canninsulin but we understand in Europe that you have to use it first. If you hometest and do the dose adjustments based on those numbers, you may be successful. Relying on infrequent curves at the vet (where he is likely stressed and his levels are elevelated accordingly) is not a safe or effective way to treat feline diabetes.

Do a lot of reading on this site and ask questions. We'd love to help!
 
WELCOME, this forum is a great place to gain knowledge and really learn how to manage feline diabetes. By doing just a few things each day (that really won't take up much of your time at all), you won't need to worry about losing your precious cat, not where feline diabetes is concerned.

There are three key factors to managing diabetes: food/nutrition, home testing and insulin

1) Feline Nutrition: Now, as far as diet - definitely dump the dry food (if you are feeding any) and if the vet recommends purchasing prescription food like DM just say "no thank you". ALL cats, and especially those with diabetes, do best on a species appropriate diet that is high in protein and low in carbs. Dry food DOES NOT fit that bill and DM food, even canned, just really isn't that great as far as quality. Most here on FDMB feed low carb/high protein canned, raw bought from a pet store or they make there own.

Here is a link to a site by a vet "Dr. Lisa DVM" ... who also posts on this board from time to time ... http://www.catinfo.org

If you look on the right side of her site, she has a food comparison chart to help you figure out what food you want to get based on the carb %.

You want to keep the carb % below 10% and around 7% is great. (Personally, I stay between 0-6% carbs.)

While on her site, you can read about in-depth info. on nutrition and how to make raw food, etc.

Here is another link that will give more information about food/nutrition

Nutrition/food info

The good thing with feeding your diabetic cat this way, is that it is ALSO good for any non-diabetic cat too. All your cats can safely eat the same food without worry and it may save you some costs and headaches of having to do separate feedings and keeping track of what they are eating.


2. Home testing: It is impossible to convey the value of testing your cat's BG (blood glucose) level at home. Some vets will "suggest" this, but most won't even mention it. They will send you home with insulin and an amount to shoot and maybe some instructions about hypoglycemia (blood sugar dropping to a dangerously low level).

Well, the thing is, human diabetics don't EVER give themselves insulin without checking there BG to make sure it is safe to do so, so why shouldn't it be the same for our kitties. Here on FDMB it is. You will notice that the vast majority of people here test their cat's BG at least 2x/day (before giving each shot to make sure the level is safe enough) and periodically at other times to see how the cat is responding to the current dose. We use a human glucometer, test strips and lancets - which are all very readily available and easy to use.

Our kitties get lots of love and treats for "putting up" with this and most of them actually come out to be tested on their own 'cause they want those treats . Here is a collection of great links that "Carolyn and Spot" pulled together about home testing. See what you think ... it truly is the best way to not only keep Your cat safe but also really get a handle on this disease and help him to live a healthy life with FD (feline diabetes).

Home testing Links

3. Insulin: There are several types of insulin available. The top three we recommend are Lantus, Levimer or Prozinc all are great insulins. They are gentle insulin and given twice (BID) per day in 12 hour increments.

Please read up on the insulins available, here is a link to the Insulin Support Groups:

Insulin Support Groups

However, one caveat and again this shows how these three things are inter-related:

If you are feeding dry food or even a high carb food, BEFORE removing these foods, please make sure of your insulin dose as it will most likely need to be reduced, so as to avoid a possible hypoglycemic situation due to the removal of the dry/high carb foods that will lower the BG’s and reduce the amount of insulin required. Again, another reason why home testing is important.

I know this all seems like a lot, and that's because it is ... there is a learning curve here. But as long as you are determined and keep at it, you will have it down before you know it and you'll be seeing the results in Your cat's overall health and happiness. Ask all the questions you can think of - that's why we are here!

Also, if you haven't done it yet, take the time and fill out your profile. It will help when others come on and read this. Also, let us know where you live - city/state or city//province/country as there are probably people in your area who can provide on the ground support and help you to learn home testing, etc.

Now, you can do this on a budget. Here is a shopping to get started:

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. Neosporin or Polysporin ointment with pain relief to heal the wound (can use generic brand)
5. 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. Treats for the cat - like freeze dried chicken, even rotisserie chicken, deli chicken, canned tuna will work
9. Karo syrup/table syrup, honey or any sugar product like jam, jelly, etc. if you dont have it at home - for hypo emergencies to bring blood sugar up fast -
10. A couple of cans of fancy feast gravy lovers or other high carb gravy food- for hypo emergencies to bring blood sugar up fast


* We suggest the Relion meter and matching strips from Walmart, as they are the most economically priced meter and strips. That is assuming you have a Walmart nearby. If not, then you can purchase any human glucometer.
 
Hello and welcome to the board!

If you can let us know what country you are in , we can better advise on food etc. For example the walmart meters Hilary mentioned arent available outside the US but we can recommend meters which are.

let us know!

Wendy
 
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