New and confused

[CosmoCat]

Hi All,
There seems to be a lot of knowledgeable people here and I am reading conflicting info than the vet supplied. My cat, Cosmo, is approximately 17 years old. He had some issues with vomiting about 8 months ago. I took him to a different vet then I had in the past. He had healthy blood panel and we switched his food to a hypoallergenic diet(dry and wet). Cosmo's vomiting tapered off for a while, but around May this year returned and he was vomiting multiple times a day. We went back to the same vet. Blood tests looked good again and now given prednisone for vomiting. He seemed to get better until about two weeks ago. He became ravenously hungry and thirsty. He was urinating a lot. He was also missing his litter box. Back to the vet. The vet called with blood results. He has pancreatitis and is diabetic. Cosmo needed an antibiotic,pain killers, nausea meds, iv fluids and insulin. The doctor said to continue with prednisone, but a small dose. I know a lot of people recommend testing blood glucose before administering insulin, but the vet said to test after 3 weeks. I have given Cosmo only the antibiotic and a dose of fluids. His amount of urine has decreased(seems normal) and his appetite has diminished. He is still thirsty, but also much less than a couple of days ago. I am afraid of giving him insulin if he doesn't need it and afraid of not giving it to him. I bought a home glucose meter, but haven't used it yet. How many tests do I need to do before making an informed decision or should I follow vets instructions and just give insulin? I am very confused. A friend with lots of animal handling experience said that the vet sold me a bunch of meds my Kitty doesn't need and shouldn't have. Do I need a new vet?

 

[Lisa and Smoky]

I would be hesitant to give insulin without testing your kitty first and having an idea what his blood glucose is. I forgot to test my cat this morning and I have a little bit of previous data to work with. I was nervous about giving him his insulin before work, gave him a low dose, came home at lunchtime to test him and make sure he was OK. I am a newbie too but I know there will be others chiming in soon to help you out.

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

Welcome! We were all terrified with this diagnosis, but soon found out how reassuring knowledge about this disease is, and that it could be successfully treated.

I don't know about the vomiting and am sure others will have ideas for you. Figuring out the diabetics is fairly simple. You have the meter. What size lancets did you get? (25-27 gauge may work better at first.). Two of the most important parts of the process are 1) warming the ear. (A thin sock filled with raw rice, knotted and heated in the microwave until very warm). It helps fatten up the capillaries so you can get a sample 2) a favorite treat you use only for testing, given whether successful or not.

Here is a thread full of tips and videos:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

Once you have a number, you'll know whether he is diabetic or not, and how high or low his levels are.

 

[Becky Smith]

I would not give insulin without testing. Our vet did the same thing, telling us to give 3 units blindly....well, I'm so glad I know better....the 2nd day, he dropped below 100....3 units could have easily killed him...given him seizures.....there's several videos on youtube that show you where and how to test.....it's easy.....I thought I'd never be able to do it.....I haven't had any issues......the vets, unfortunately, are not heavily schooled in this disease, and a lot of times, the do not give good advice....good luck, and don't hesitate to post on this forum, ever! They will answer all your questions

 

[CosmoCat]

Thanks for the info. His bg level was over 300 at the vet, but I read prednisone, pancreatic issues and stress can raise the level. Do you test after meal or before? How much before or after? The vet said to give insulin after meals.

 

[Becky Smith]

You test first, because you want to give insulin based on his level, before food.....so you test, feed, and then give insulin......we wait until after Ruckus has finished eating....it's usually about 15-20 minutes.....you want to have food in their belly when you give the insulin We don't shoot when he's under 125, but that # is based on our experience with our cat...everyone is different, and this is definitely the place to go for advice.....it's a roller coaster ride for some....for others, it's a walk in the park It's really not that hard.......If.....when you test , if your not sure how much to give, post on the forum......there is a room for each type of insulin....that's where you should go to post You got this!

 

[katiesmom]

Thanks for the info. His bg level was over 300 at the vet, but I read prednisone, pancreatic issues and stress can raise the level. Do you test after meal or before? How much before or after? The vet said to give insulin after meals.

Yes, all those factors can raise their BG. I had a cat years ago that was a transient diabetic, her BG was sky high for a week after a presnidone shot and then went back to normal and never had another problem.
You test on a empty stomach, no food in last 2 hours, food can raise the BG.
Since your cat seems better now, you definitely want to test, maybe it was the presnidone/illness/stress raising his numbers. Try and get a test done and post the numbers here and go from there. Believe me, if I can test my Katie, anybody can do it.

 

[Olive & Paula]

Hello CosmoCat.

Sorry to hear how sick you are at this time. In your case, vomiting is probably because of the pancreatitis. Having anti nausea and anti vomiting drugs are key tools as well as pain medication. And they can be on it for quite sometime so don't be to quick to stop them. Once the pancreatitis calms down the prednisone might not be needed. Wouldn't that be wonderful.

Feeding smaller meals more often will help. You don't want him/her overstuffed or create empty stomach syndrome as it's called.

Home testing at a minimum is before each shot of insulin is given. Of course more often is highly recommended.

Smokey had pancreatitis in March. He was already diabetic. Prednisone was never given to him. He is now maintained on small doses of pain and anti nausea meds which will be for life. However, it took 4 months to get to maintenance dose. At least once a month I try to stop these meds, we barely get past 36 hrs without before you can see he still needs them.

Good luck keep us posted.