hey ya'll - Since this is my first time, I'll give u a little background first - I have 7 cats ranging in age from 12 to 15 - about a week & 1/2 ago, 2 of them started having problems - One started developing crystals again & one of my little girls started drinking alot of water & using the litterbox alot, plus she was getting a little weak, so i called my vet & she came to my house on Sat. 7/19 (We have a mobile vet) - The boy was taken care of first & then little Barbie. At first the vet said Barbie looked real good, then she did a urine test & found out she had a UTI & her glucose was high - so she did a blood test and Barbie's sugar was 369 - Now Barbie hadn't eaten in 13 hours(per vet's order in case she had to do a blood test), she had a UTI & she was real stressed from going out to the vet clinic & seeing all that strange stuff. Now the vet did say that all this might have caused the high sugar count, but she wanted me to start Barbie on insulin right away - twice a day on 2 - She told me to get Humlin N - After she left I kinda freaked out for a minute, then fed everybody & then called my brother who has been dealing with a diabetic kitty for 7 years. He told about your website so I have been reading alot on here. The first thing I did on Sunday was buy a test meter from Walmart - The RElion Confirm, test strips etc. & I took all the cats off of dry food PERIOD - I then started feeding Barbie wet food only(Fancy Feast cod,sole,shrimp & chicken feast both classic) My kitties have been eating those for years, if I try to change up they start getting sick, so I keep them on the same thing. I'm now feeding Barbie & her brother & sister every six hours around the clock. Now to get to my question - I test Barbie every day at 5:45 PM exactly 1 hour after I feed her(I'm new at this so I'm doing it once a day until Barbie & I get use to it) On 7/21 her sugar was 340, on 7/22 her sugar was 323, on wed. 7/23 her sugar was 214 & today 7/24 her sugar was 175 - Now I have not been giving her any insulin yet, I don't think she needs it, but I don't know - She's not drinking water or using the litterbox like she was & she's gotten real frisky again - Am I on the right track with this or not? I could really use some help with this & with all the info I've seen on this site I'm hoping I can get some thought or ideas about this - Thank u so much - Sorry it was so long, but was trying to put out all the info I could think of - Bye
new diabetic mom - maybe?
- Thread starter Donnis
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Nancy & Huey
Member Since 2014
Hi Donnis! (er, I'm guessing your name is Donnis? do correct me if I'm wrong!) I'm pretty new to this, I'm sure more experienced folks will be by with more specific advice but I just wanted to say good for you for doing your research and trusting your instincts about your cat. If I'd gone along with my former vet's instructions (2u 2x/day, don't bother with the testing), Huey would've been bouncing and crashing all over the place. Infections and vet stress can both really screw with blood sugar. The food change makes a big difference too. Maybe you'll find that Barbie will still need some help from insulin but the people here can help you find something that'll work for her, instead of blindly flinging globs of insulin and hoping it's the right amount. This site is an amazing resource, I'm sure your brother is too if he's lived with this for seven years, and I think you've got a good start. Good luck!
KPassa
Member Since 2012
Welcome to you and Barbie and the rest of your crew!
You are doing really well already! In fact, we usually suggest a diet change and home-testing first before giving insulin because many cats can simply be diet-controlled. It usually takes up to a week or two to see the full impact of a diet change on BGs so it's a positive sign that you're already seeing lower numbers. That, plus the UTI is likely contributing to the elevated numbers and as the infection clears, so do the BGs.
If the numbers don't come down further after a week or so, then you might want to consider starting insulin, but you do not want humulin. There are only three insulins that work well in cats: Lantus, Levemir, or PZI/ProZinc. Most of the other insulins are better suited for dogs who have a much slower metabolism than a cat's.
One last thing, it's usually better to only feed fish once or twice a week so be careful with the amount of fishy foods you use. You might also want to add some extra water to their wet food as this is great for hydration and for urinary tract health. Check out www.catinfo.org for more information.
You are doing really well already! In fact, we usually suggest a diet change and home-testing first before giving insulin because many cats can simply be diet-controlled. It usually takes up to a week or two to see the full impact of a diet change on BGs so it's a positive sign that you're already seeing lower numbers. That, plus the UTI is likely contributing to the elevated numbers and as the infection clears, so do the BGs.
If the numbers don't come down further after a week or so, then you might want to consider starting insulin, but you do not want humulin. There are only three insulins that work well in cats: Lantus, Levemir, or PZI/ProZinc. Most of the other insulins are better suited for dogs who have a much slower metabolism than a cat's.
One last thing, it's usually better to only feed fish once or twice a week so be careful with the amount of fishy foods you use. You might also want to add some extra water to their wet food as this is great for hydration and for urinary tract health. Check out www.catinfo.org for more information.
BJM
Member Since 2010
1) Infection is notorious for raising glucose levels.
2) Changing from high carb to low carb may drop the glucose levels as much as 100 points in as few as 1-2 days.
3) Vet stress can elevate glucose from 100 to 180 mg/dL.
... so ... it may be transient diabetes that can be brought into diet-controlled status.
We advise new folk not to give insulin if the cat is below 200 mg/dL, until you have data to show it is safe.
We recommend you allways test befor you shoot.
Snagging a test at the likely lowest glucose between shots, aka the nadir will let you know how well the insulin is working (if given). For Humulin/Novolin, this is roughly +4 to +4 hours post-shot. This insulin usually lasts 6 to 8 hours in the cat.
2) Changing from high carb to low carb may drop the glucose levels as much as 100 points in as few as 1-2 days.
3) Vet stress can elevate glucose from 100 to 180 mg/dL.
... so ... it may be transient diabetes that can be brought into diet-controlled status.
We advise new folk not to give insulin if the cat is below 200 mg/dL, until you have data to show it is safe.
We recommend you allways test befor you shoot.
Snagging a test at the likely lowest glucose between shots, aka the nadir will let you know how well the insulin is working (if given). For Humulin/Novolin, this is roughly +4 to +4 hours post-shot. This insulin usually lasts 6 to 8 hours in the cat.
Lisa and Witn (GA)
Member Since 2009
Hi and welcome to FDMB.
You are doing a great job so far. You have already received some great advice, so I am not going to repeat. However, one thing though, you want to test before feeding, not afterwards. Food can significantly raise glucose levels. I do not see what your dose is, but we recommend going low and slow. This means starting with a low dose (1 unit) and waiting at least one week between dose changes before determining if an increase is needed. If you do need to increase it, then only increase by 1/2 unit and wait a least another week before deciding if that was enough.
You are doing a great job so far. You have already received some great advice, so I am not going to repeat. However, one thing though, you want to test before feeding, not afterwards. Food can significantly raise glucose levels. I do not see what your dose is, but we recommend going low and slow. This means starting with a low dose (1 unit) and waiting at least one week between dose changes before determining if an increase is needed. If you do need to increase it, then only increase by 1/2 unit and wait a least another week before deciding if that was enough.
Hi everybody - Thanks for the info & ideas u have given me - I'm so new at this - I have a question about Barbie & testing - Since I'm NOT giving her insulin yet When should I test her - Once a day or twice(I think she'll let me do twice now) - I feed her at 4:45 AM, 10:45AM, 4:45PM & 10:45PM - I've been testing at 5:45PM - Please help cause I don't really know exactly when to test to get a true reading - If she does need to go on insulin I need to give it to her, but since her numbers are going down everyday I haven't started insulin yet. - Thank you - Donnis & Barbie
housecats4
Member Since 2010
Hi just jumping in here when Trey was first Dx my DH was doing the testing and I was a basket case ....hate needles . He was always tell Trey how sorry he was he had to do this and was stressed himself..lucky for me and Trey he got called away for a few days. Well cried and pulled up my big girl panties ..took lots of deep breaths and never say you are sorry. They feel your mood...you are stressed and sorry then they feel it is wrong and they don`t want it done. You have to be very calm and surround yourself with beautiful white peaceful light. wrap kitty in a towel and say we are going to help you feel better will only be a smill pick...do it let her go treat done!!!!! 1st time I tried took 5-6 pokes most never touch the ear was so scared did the above and sap done Trey never felt a thing...shortly after that he became my cat. even today he got up on the table laid on his towel and waited for me...I just throw his towel over his shoulder a comfort thing I guess. Its all about your mood...if you can remain calm and then so will try it what do you have to lose....Hugs and peaceful white light and healing green light surround all you furry one and peeps. Hugss Kath
Always test before they eat and at least 2 hours after because food makes their bg go up.....Hugs and welcome to the best place ever and angels to help get your kitty healthy and a good chance remission!!!
Always test before they eat and at least 2 hours after because food makes their bg go up.....Hugs and welcome to the best place ever and angels to help get your kitty healthy and a good chance remission!!!
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