New cat with newly diagnosed diabetes

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Aceysta

Member Since 2019
We just rescued a cat on 9/7 (her original owner went into a nursing home with Alzheimer's), and on 9/10, we found out she has diabetes. We have 2 existing cats in the house. So we have a great learning curve on our hands right now.

I'm guessing with everything going on, poor Emily is a bit overwhelmed, new house, new cat siblings, new humans, etc. I do not know anything about her history, food she ate, liter she used. Right now she has a lack of appetite, and i'm guessing that is from stress and all the changes in her life over the last 1 1/2 weeks.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. I am trying different types of pate and low carb foods for her at the moment, and right now she is licking up any gravy/liquid that is with the food and eating some of it. She MIGHT be sneaking into the kitchen (feeding her separate for now as she mainly only ventures downstairs when we are home) and eating some of the others cats foods during the day.
 
might have the vet check her teeth -- if she only wants to lick at the food, she might have problems or a sore mouth -- that could affect her BG as well
 
From the Introduction forum: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/emily-1-1-2-weeks-with-new-family.219454/

Stacey, you can visit the Lantus forum and read about that insulin and how it works:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-basaglar-glargine-and-levemir-detemir.9/

I am concerned about the 3 Units twice a day, that's a rather high starting dose, but Emily may still be eating the higher carb food which won't contribute as much to lower blood sugar levels.

Here is a link to home testing: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
It's a process of practice and patience for sure.

Chris & China (GA) has written this about getting a kitty used to the process:

"Here's something I wrote up for others for testing...maybe it'll help you too!

It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you.

Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!

You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!

It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well

For new kitties, using a heavier gauge lancet is also really helpful. A 25-28 gauge lancet pokes a bigger "hole" than a 31-33 gauge lancet does, so look for "Alternate Site testing" lancets that are usually a lower number

Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!"
 
CandyH & Catcat said:
might have the vet check her teeth -- if she only wants to lick at the food, she might have problems or a sore mouth -- that could affect her BG as well
Click to expand...

This morning before I left I gave her one of the Nulo perfect puree treats (as I read the ingredients and know that they definitely seemed to be low carb), and she definitely did lap that up, so I feel better that she at least had that as it is a nutritious treat. We all think she is probably sneaking downstairs when we are not home/sleeping and eating the food we leave out for the other cats. I am looking into lower carb alternatives for them also, to make it fair, so if she does eat their food, it won't harm her. I have always free fed them dry food and gave them canned food 1-2x a day also. Waiting for some samples from Young again, as I know that is definitely a low carb food that will be good for her for free feeding when we are not home.
 
Yes, the Young Again is an alternative, there is Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein also. I have read that some kitties get GI upset and/or very stinky poo with the YA, but not all. I'm glad she's eating, that's a good sign.
She probably is moving around at night when it's quiet and she can recon the home, etc.

Many members feed Friskies pates, Fancy Feast classics (pates) and 9 Lives brand (certain varieties) because they are low carb and available at the grocery store. You can check out the Food Chart HERE, and see what brands and varieties are lower carb. Dr. Lisa Pierson who has the website www.catinfo.org on feline nutrition and who compiled the food chart recommends " start with protein minimum of 40, fat maximum of 50, carb max of 10, and for cats with kidney issues....phos less than 300." It's a place to start :)
 
be sure to watch sales and coupons too -- right now Purina Friskies is offering a coupon, $2 off if you buy 24 --- (now if I only had a printer that worked)

Tractor Supply's own brand "4Health" has several grain free varieties that are good, Walmart's own brand "Special Kitty" has a few varieties that are lower in carbs, though they're not on Dr Pierson's list -- would be alternatives for your civvie cats (we call the nondiabetic companion cats that)

Chewy dot com has daily specials on cat food; Amazon has occasional sales too
 
Hi Stacy, welcome! Since you're switching to a low carb diet and you’re not yet home testing, I would let Emily have some of the higher carb food. Like @Idjit's mom said, 3 units is a high starting dose and the switch to low carb food could lower her blood sugar significantly. Check out the testing link Lou posted and if you have any questions just ask.
 
Welcome. Another food that's appropriate is Sheba perfect portions. Also add a bit of water to the food that Emily eats and she might think it's gravy
 
Hi Stacey. Great you have your signature up...that is so helpful!
You are doing all the right things...swapping her over to a low carb diet, looking at testing the BG levels, looking for help on the forum.

I agree that 3 units is too much to start a newly diagnosed cat on. As she is not eating a lot, that is also a concern with that amount of insulin.
Do you know if the vet mentioned ketones to you when Emily was diagnosed?
Would you be able to get a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart or a pharmacy (only about $10 I think) and test her urine? The reason I mention it is because some newly diagnosed cats have ketones which can lead to the more serious DKA and a test can address this problem. And with suggesting reducing the dose back to 1 unit, we want to make sure Emily doesn't have ketones. Does that make sense?
It is a quite simple test.....the hardest bit is getting the specimen of urine from Emily. Then you just dip the test strip into the urine and compare the colour against the colour on the bottle. Anything above a trace needs vet attention.

I think another priority to keep Emily safe is to learn to test.
I would choose a spot where it is good for you to test each time and take her there and rub her ears then give her a treat. Do this a few times a day, then we will help you to test. My Sheba used to run to me to be tested when she heard me opening the test strips being opened as she associated it with food.......and I struggled in the beginning.

I would not swap over any more to low carb food until you are testing the BG levels and have reduced the dose back down to 1 unit because reducing the carb levels will reduce the BG levels and while this is great, ifyou dont know by how much, then it can be unsafe and drop Emily's G level too low.

Do you have some honey or Karo at home in case of a very low number (hypo) and some higher carb canned food as well for this purpose?

So if I were you this is what I'd do
  • Buy a bottle of Ketostix and test Emily's urine for ketones.
  • If the urine test is negative for ketones I would reduce the dose of insulin to 1 unit twice a day
  • Find a good testing spot and take Emily thee and rub her ears and give her s yummy treat each time.
  • Read up about home testing and ask lots of questions.
  • Make sure you have honey or Karo and some high carb food at home in case of a hypo.
  • Wait to do any more swapping over of food to low carb until you are testing the BG levels.
  • Add a bit of warm water to her food to make it soupy if she likes gravy
  • Give Emily a big welcome hug from us all
  • Give yourself a treat.
 
Aceysta said:
Her BG was at 660 when we were at the vet, which is how she was officially diagnosed.
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First of all I would question whether the vet did a fructosamine test to confirm the diagnosis. One BG test in the vet's office is not sufficient to reach a diagnosis. It looks to me like your vet prescribed 3u probably based on how high BG was rather than recommended dosing. If Emily has no history of ketones or DKA, then I think it would be prudent to reduce the insulin dose to 1u twice daily given you are not sure just what or how much she is eating and that you are not yet home testing BG. While her BG was very elevated at the vet, some cat's BG will rise by 100 or even 200 points due to vet stress and if Emily was still getting used to her new environment, siblings and people, her BG may have already been elevated to some degree even before the trip to the vet.

Did the vet check Emily for a bladder infection given she is missing the litter pan? Bladder infections are common in diabetics and that too could cause an elevation of BG.

Aceysta said:
My husband normally feeds her in the morning before he leaves for work, as he leaves at least 2 hours before I do, this way by the time I wake up, she has had something in her stomach and I can give her an insulin shot. I then normally feed her when I get home and give her some time and then we give her another shot after her "dinner"
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You do not need to wait after her meal to give her insulin. As long as you know she is eating and keeping food down, you can give her shot. A lot of us give the shot while our cats are eating.

You've got great advice about home testing, checking for ketones etc. Keep the questions coming and we'll help you get Emily on the path to better health. She's a beautiful and very lucky little girl to have you for her people. :)
 
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