My cat Lexi has just been diagnosed...

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DiSwan

Member Since 2015
My 5 year-old, female cat, Lexi, was diagnosed about 4-5 weeks ago with diabetes after I noticed she was losing weight. She had been what the vet had called "portly", so at first I thought the weight loss was a good thing, beings she was eating Science Diet Light Hairball Control. Then she lost another 1 lb over the next month, so I knew something else was up. She also had the other symptoms (appetite, excessive thirst and peeing).
My vet put Lexi on a prescription dry food from Royal Canin, but after about a week or so, Lexi started getting lethargic and her eyes just looked "empty." I got on the internet to research what I could about feline diabetes and read all of the comments about switching to a high-protein, low carb canned food. I went out and bought Fancy Feast classic canned food, and Lexi seemed to love it. After a few days, she seemed to perk up, her eyes brightened up, and she started to play a little and jump up on my lap and purr. Then my vet called and asked how she was doing on the prescription food. I confessed that I had switched her food to a canned food, and he responded that if switching to Fancy Feast would help treat diabetes, that they would all be doing it. He basically guilted me into switching back to the prescription dry food. But, after about a week, Lexi again started acting like she wasn't feeling well. Last Tuesday night, she actually refused to eat both the prescription dry and canned food, so I switched her back to Fancy Feast so she would actually eat something. I felt like I was losing her! By Friday, she seemed to be perking up again.
I've been doing a lot of reading about blood glucose numbers, trying to educate myself the best I can before I follow up with my vet. I bought a Reli-On Ultima glucometer so I could home test Lexi. I have no idea what her numbers may have been before now, but here are the readings that I have taken so far:
8/21 8:30pm - 287
8/22 11:50am - 266
8/23 10:00am - 360
7:00pm - 376
These are the numbers on the meters and have not been converted. I don't know when is the best time to test her, should it be before or after she eats, etc...? She hasn't started any insulin yet, but I think I probably need to get that figured out soon. How long should I let the diet change work?
I am also thinking about getting a second opinion from another vet, because I just don't think that my current vet is going to be very open with me regarding her diet.
Sorry this is so long-winded, but am looking forward to any advice that I can get.
Thanks!
 
Welcome to the FDMB!! (What's your name?)

As you've figured out, your current vet is wrong about the diet. Low carb is the only way to go and the Fancy Feast Classics are one that a lot of us use!

Since you're not giving insulin yet, now is the best time to get her onto just the low carb foods too. We want them eating less than 10% carbs. Here's a food chart that has most foods on it and their carb percentage (Column C is carb %)

If Lexi's numbers don't come down within a week, you're going to need to start insulin. There are 3 insulins that work well in cats, Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc. A normal, non-diabetic cat's blood glucose runs between 50-120 so if Lexi is in the high 200's-300's, she's too high

Since right now you're not giving insulin, it's not as important when you test, but you might as well get into the routine...We Test/Feed/Shoot, all within about 5-10 minutes. You test to make sure they're high enough to give insulin, then feed to make sure they're eating "normally" and then shoot.

When on insulin, we always get a test before shooting, and it's best if you can get at least 1 test somewhere mid-cycle on the AM cycle (like 5-7 hours after the shot) and at least a "before bed" test on the PM cycle

If you want to find a new vet (we're on vet #5 so don't feel bad if you do!) you can learn a lot over the phone! Call and ask for the vet to return your call and discuss how they treat their diabetic cats. Most vets will be happy to call you when they have time (usually after hours) and if they aren't willing to return your call, you probably don't want them as a vet anyway

Here are some Vet interview topics that one of our members has put together too.

Here's a website that belongs to the American Association of Feline Practitioners ....it's a good place to start when looking for a new vet
 
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Thank you for the info on when to test. This is all so new to me and I want o give Lexi the best chance that she has to control this.

Diane
 
I just called a couple different veterinarians in my area and got 2 completely different responses.

The first one likes their cats to be on the prescription foods when treating for diabetes since it controls how the sugar is broken down.
The other vet told me that if the Fancy Feast is working for Lexi, and she is eating it, she could stay on that. He then basically told me that would give me a bottle of insulin, show me how to give the injections, then I could start slow to determine how much would be necessary. That worries me a bit, as my current vet said he would keep her for a day or so so they could check her sugar regularly to determine the proper dosage to get her regulated.

Should I have any concerns?

Thanks.
 
Sounds like the 2nd one is the better fit!!

Did you ask him which insulin he uses? Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc are the only ones that work best in cats, and Lantus is the only one that has a proven, published protocol to follow.

The people here have more experience with diabetic cats than most vets do, and we'd tell you to start at a low dose, learn to home test and then depending on what kind of numbers he had, would recommend increasing/decreasing.

Depending on the insulin and what you're feeding, we usually tell people to start at .5 to 1 unit and then see how they do, so it sounds like vet #2 is the most promising.

A lot of us don't even see our vets anymore for the diabetes because the people here have so much more real life experience with diabetic cats. I only see my vet for other problems, routine visits and bloodwork and to get my prescription for Lantus refilled.
 
I like the sound of vet #2 as well.

One of the things about treating feline diabetes is that slow and steady tends to win the race. It takes the body a little time to get used to receiving insulin injections initially and then it needs to 'relearn' how to be in normal numbers again. It's not a case of "blood glucose level = x therefore insulin needs to be y and then kitty will be regulated" as vet #1 seems to be inferring. Starting at a low dose, assessing the response and then making small incremental adjustments allows the body to gradually 're-learn' how to work within a healthy blood glucose range again. Vet #2's recommendation to go slow with insulin is a good one. It sounds to me like vet #2 understands the gradual, steady approach typically needed to optimize regulation. We often say here that achieving diabetic regulation is a marathon, not a sprint. :)


Mogs
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DiSwan said:
That worries me a bit, as my current vet said he would keep her for a day or so so they could check her sugar regularly to determine the proper dosage to get her regulated.
Click to expand...

I wanted to add some advice on this concern.....Diabetes isn't going to get "regulated" in a day or a week...it takes time. Also, when kitties are at the vet, their blood glucose can be artificially high due to the fact they're stressed out, and then they go home, relax and the BG comes down

The best thing you can do for your kitty is to learn to test at home, keep her on a low carb diet, and get a good insulin for her. We can help you with managing this at home for a lot less money than the vet (and more successfully too)
 
Vet #2 sounds exactly what you're looking for!
Like everyone says, you'll get all the experienced dosage advice and support right here!
 
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