My baby has diabetes.

[Larissa&Pineapple]

My cat Pineapple got diagnosed yesterday and I'm heartbroken. The only signs he's shown of being sick are dandruff, increased thirst, and increased urination, but his blood glucose level was ~360. He eats mostly dry food and cat treats, so I'm hoping that putting him on a grain-free wet-food diet and getting his weight down (he's 21 pounds) will put him into remission. Meanwhile, he's been prescribed Lantus.

Our vet - who was very young and said that, while remission in cats is theoretically possible, she's never seen it happen - prescribed w/d. My cats don't like it, which is apparently just as well. I'm going to hit PetSmart for the grain-free Wellness Diet and a timed feeder, and god-forbid WalMart for a home testing kit.

After reading the FAQ I still have a couple of questions:

1. Pineapple loves his treats. In fact, he loves to eat, period. He eats carpet lint. What kind of treats can I buy him? Is there a kind of freeze-dried meat that's better than others?

2. If a cat's diabetes can be controlled by diet, how long does it usually take for that to become clear? I've seen posts from people whose cats went into remission within a month or two, and while I'm hoping for that outcome, I'm guessing it's rare.

3. I have another cat who has a tiny stomach and needs to graze all day. I don't want to lock one or the other of them up in the bedroom all day, but I don't know what else to do. Has anyone else resolved this satisfactorily? If my other cat has food and Pineapple has finished all of his or just thinks hers looks better, he has no compunctions about shoving her out of the way and eating her food too. I can't buy her food that she'll eat but he won't, because she is incredibly picky and there is, as I said, literally nothing Pineapple will not eat.

4. I understand that if your pre-shot reading is under 200 you shouldn't give them the shot. Is that value the same on all glucose meters? What if it leads to you only giving them a shot three or four times a week? Is that okay or should it be more consistent?

That was more than a couple of questions. I'm very distraught right now, and the guilt is killing me. Pineapple is the sweetest cat you could ever meet and I should have taken better care of his health.

 

[Squeaky and KT (GA)]

Hi Larissa and extra sweet Pineapple! Welcome!

First, DEEP BREATH....AND ANOTHER! You're in the best place you never wanted to be. We've all been in your shoes so understand your feelings right now. Diabetes is treatable and yes, we watch kitties go 'OTJ'-'Off The Juice' every month or two. One I can think of right now that just happened is kitty 'Wease'. I see that today's the third anniversary of Mocha (PeterDevonMocha) of her OTJ party.

Diet plays a large part in control of a diabetic - good job for already figuring that out.

You have a good insulin for cats. You aren't giving insulin yet, right?

Treats - freeze dried chicken, shrimp seem to be the most common. Most pet food stores carry them.

Dosing, let's help you get started testing and see if some of your other questions can be answered by those results.

BIG BREATH AGAIN! BIG HUGS TOO.....

Larissa, I have to give you a hard time....your mother spelled your name funny... ;-)

 

[Larissa&Pineapple]

LOL, I don't often meet other Larissas or Larissa-homophones. I think I like yours better.

I am not giving insulin yet. We have an appointment first thing in the morning so the vet can show me how, and then he's going to stay at the vet during the day so they can continue taking readings. I'm going to ask her to show me how to use the ReliOn I bought.

I'm so hoping he can achieve remission. If it weren't for the thirst and urine you'd never know anything was wrong with him - he's active and playful, no weakness in the back legs or anywhere else, not losing weight, still has a big appetite.

Speaking of which, one more question, which I don't think I've seen an answer to yet. I want to wean my cats off the kibble instead of going cold turkey, especially for my older cat, who doesn't care much for canned food and only weighs about six pounds as it is. (I have one who's kitten-sized and one who's built like a defensive tackle.) Is there a form of kibble that's less damaging than others? I don't want to continue feeding them the w/d high-carb stuff.

Thanks for the welcome. It's much appreciated. I don't have a whole lot of support where I am, so it all helps.

 

[Deb & Wink]

Hi Larissa and extra sweet sugardude Pineapple and welcome to the message board.

We understand your heartbreak and have all been there. We're here to help you in any way we can, so just keep those questions coming.

It took time for Pineapple to become diabetic, it will take time for him to get better. We'll help you all along the way.

You've got a good start going. Lantus is a very good insulin for cats. Along with a low carb diet and home testing of the BG (blood glucose), you have the 3 main support items needed to help Pineapple to get better.

Where do you live Larissa? You said there was not a lot of support in your area. Maybe we have a member that lives close to you and could help.

1. Pineapple loves his treats. In fact, he loves to eat, period. He eats carpet lint. What kind of treats can I buy him? Is there a kind of freeze-dried meat that's better than others?

Any kind of pure meat is fine as a treat, freeze dried or raw bits of meat or cooked meat would be ok as a treat. Most kitties love the freeze dried chicken treats but I've also feed fresh cooked shrimp, chicken, raw chicken bits, cooked ground turkey or ground beef, bits of pork, rotisserie chicken, ham (not much cause it's very salty), freeze dried shrimp and fish, freeze dried liver. If you buy the dog size treats, it's less expensive and goes a long way. Just break up the chunks into smaller bites.

2. If a cat's diabetes can be controlled by diet, how long does it usually take for that to become clear? I've seen posts from people whose cats went into remission within a month or two, and while I'm hoping for that outcome, I'm guessing it's rare.

ECID Every Cat Is Different. Some go into remission very quickly. Some take longer and some never achieve diet controlled status (aka remission). The first 6 months is usually the best opportunity for a cat to achieve remission, but we've seen kitties on insulin support that took a year or even 2 years. Also, there are cats here that have never been diet controlled.

Getting an overweight cat back to a more normal or ideal weight, can be a big factor in controlling the diabetes.

3. I have another cat who has a tiny stomach and needs to graze all day. I don't want to lock one or the other of them up in the bedroom all day, but I don't know what else to do. Has anyone else resolved this satisfactorily? If my other cat has food and Pineapple has finished all of his or just thinks hers looks better, he has no compunctions about shoving her out of the way and eating her food too. I can't buy her food that she'll eat but he won't, because she is incredibly picky and there is, as I said, literally nothing Pineapple will not eat.

The best thing is to find a food that both your cats will like to eat and is low carb to help Pineapple with his diabetes. Besides the Wellness grain free, Fancy Feast classic pates, Friskies pates, this food chart has many more ideas. Just look for the 3rd column of numbers that lists a carb % of <10%.

4. I understand that if your pre-shot reading is under 200 you shouldn't give them the shot. Is that value the same on all glucose meters? What if it leads to you only giving them a shot three or four times a week? Is that okay or should it be more consistent?

The 200 BG level is at the beginning, to help keep your kitty safe. Once you gain more experience, you lower that shoot/no shoot level as you get some home testing done to see how low a dose of insulin takes your Pineapple. The BG level of 200 is for human glucometers. If you are using a pet specific glucometer, that shoot/no shoot level would be 230 mg/dL.

We'll help you find a dose of insulin that you can give twice a day without taking Pineapple too low. The dose should be more consistent than only a couple of times a week.

 

[Deb & Wink]

Hi Larissa and extra sweet sugardude Pineapple and welcome to the message board.

We understand your heartbreak and have all been there. We're here to help you in any way we can, so just keep those questions coming.

It took time for Pineapple to become diabetic, it will take time for him to get better. We'll help you all along the way.

You've got a good start going. Lantus is a very good insulin for cats. Along with a low carb diet and home testing of the BG (blood glucose), you have the 3 main support items needed to help Pineapple to get better.

Where do you live Larissa? You said there was not a lot of support in your area. Maybe we have a member that lives close to you and could help.

1. Pineapple loves his treats. In fact, he loves to eat, period. He eats carpet lint. What kind of treats can I buy him? Is there a kind of freeze-dried meat that's better than others?

Any kind of pure meat is fine as a treat, freeze dried or raw bits of meat or cooked meat would be ok as a treat. Most kitties love the freeze dried chicken treats but I've also feed fresh cooked shrimp, chicken, raw chicken bits, cooked ground turkey or ground beef, bits of pork, rotisserie chicken, ham (not much cause it's very salty), freeze dried shrimp and fish, freeze dried liver. If you buy the dog size treats, it's less expensive and goes a long way. Just break up the chunks into smaller bites.

2. If a cat's diabetes can be controlled by diet, how long does it usually take for that to become clear? I've seen posts from people whose cats went into remission within a month or two, and while I'm hoping for that outcome, I'm guessing it's rare.

ECID Every Cat Is Different. Some go into remission very quickly. Some take longer and some never achieve diet controlled status (aka remission). The first 6 months is usually the best opportunity for a cat to achieve remission, but we've seen kitties on insulin support that took a year or even 2 years. Also, there are cats here that have never been diet controlled.

Getting an overweight cat back to a more normal or ideal weight, can be a big factor in controlling the diabetes.

3. I have another cat who has a tiny stomach and needs to graze all day. I don't want to lock one or the other of them up in the bedroom all day, but I don't know what else to do. Has anyone else resolved this satisfactorily? If my other cat has food and Pineapple has finished all of his or just thinks hers looks better, he has no compunctions about shoving her out of the way and eating her food too. I can't buy her food that she'll eat but he won't, because she is incredibly picky and there is, as I said, literally nothing Pineapple will not eat.

The best thing is to find a food that both your cats will like to eat and is low carb to help Pineapple with his diabetes. Besides the Wellness grain free, Fancy Feast classic pates, Friskies pates, this food chart has many more ideas. Just look for the 3rd column of numbers that lists a carb % of <10%.

4. I understand that if your pre-shot reading is under 200 you shouldn't give them the shot. Is that value the same on all glucose meters? What if it leads to you only giving them a shot three or four times a week? Is that okay or should it be more consistent?

The 200 BG level is at the beginning, to help keep your kitty safe. Once you gain more experience, you lower that shoot/no shoot level as you get some home testing done to see how low a dose of insulin takes your Pineapple. The BG level of 200 is for human glucometers. If you are using a pet specific glucometer, that shoot/no shoot level would be 230 mg/dL.

We'll help you find a dose of insulin that you can give twice a day without taking Pineapple too low. The dose should be more consistent than only a couple of times a week.

 

[Dusty Bones]

Hello,
My cat Dusty went into remission after just one week on Lantus and a low carb wet food (Fancy Feast) so it's very possible and actually happens pretty often. Low carb wet food like Fancy Feast or Friskies not Hills of any kind, home testing, and a good insulin will get Pineapple well on his way to a controlled glucose and maybe even remission!

 

[Rachel]

Hi Larissa and Pineapple! Welcome to the best place you never wanted to be.

I know it's easy to blame yourself but don't. Focus on how you saw something wrong and took steps to fix it. We can't stop our babies getting sick but we can take control of helping them get better. You're doing great already! Remission does happen...and even if it doesn't, once your cat is regulated, he can live for many many years. We can help you help him.

I've heard evo cat and kitten is lower carb...I think Young Again makes a zero carb kibble (5% carbs as we calculate it). It's good to wean cats slowly sometimes to avoid GI upset. Dr. Lisa Pierson has some great tips for transitioning to wet food here: http://www.catinfo.org/docs/TipsForTran ... -14-11.pdf

We are all here for you!

 

[BJM]

We suggest using an inexpensive human glucometer with pet-specific reference numbers. One many of us use is the WalMart Relion Confirm, or Confirm Micro, which is also sold at American Diabetes Wholesale as as the Arkray USA Glucocard 01 or 01 Mini (same manufacturer - Arkray USA). It uses a tiny blood droplet and the cost is significantly lower for test strips (like $0.36 each).

Comparing a human glucometer to a pet-specific glucometer is like reading temperature in Celsius vs Fahrenheit. Both are correct. You just need to know the reference ranges to interpret what the numbers mean.

[Glucose reference ranges are unsubstantiated and have been removed by Moderator]

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Examples of using the chart:

Ex. You are a new insulin user and you test your cat before giving insulin. The test is 300. It probably is safe to give insulin.

Ex. You are an established user of Lantus, following the Tight Regulation protocol. You've tested around +5 to +7 to spot the nadir. It is 200 mg/dL. You probably need to increase the dose, following the instructions for the protocol.

Ex. Your cat is acting funny. The eyes are a bit dilated. You are concerned and test the glucose. The number is 35 mg/dL. ACK! The cat may be in a hypoglycemic state. You quickly follow the HYPO protocol linked in the glucose reference values chart. (which we really, really, suggest you print out and post on your refrigerator.)