New Diagnosis- Plse help

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Tara & Joey

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Joey, my 7 year old male was acting funny... You guys know the signs, constantly drinking, eating, pee that stuck to the litterbox, went from 12 to 9 pounds in a month. I took him to a vet last Wednesday. His BG was over 500. The vet sent me home with Purina DM Dry and Canned. He told me it was okay to free feed. He prescribed Lantus Insulin. Told me to take him back the next day 5 hours after I gave him his first shot. The next day Joey's BG level was 350. The vet said give him 1 unit twice daily 12 hours apart and come back in two weeks.

Ive been reading and researching. I bought a glucometer and am able to get his blood from his ear. But not easily, my poor baby has bruises on both ears because i cant seem to get enough blood even though i rub his ears to warm them. I get nervous during the BG tests and then he gets nervous. I give him treats during tests, its the only way he'll stay. Does this get easier?

Also, for the past few days the One Touch Glucometer was giving me readings in the 300's before his shot, and today he was at 417 :?

I read it was no good to free feed him dry food and because he wont eat the canned DM, i have been giving him a can of fancy feast before his shots. When I'm at work, I leave a little of the DM dry food out for him. I'm really afraid of this hypo thing, but then again his BG has been so high I'm worried about the hyper part too.

Even when I give him the shots, I question myself as to if I actually got it under his skin.

He hasnt been playing, he just sleeps alot. He's not himself, he usually plays and gets into everyhthing. He is the kind of cat that doesnt even let you sit down before he jumps in your lap. he doesnt even sleep in my bed anymore... I am constantly checking to see if he's breathing...this diabetes is scaring me. :cry:

I guess I'm just looking for some advice from people who have been there. Any tips would be appreciated.... Thank you for reading this.

Tara
 
well Tara,

you've come to the right place. First off lantus is an excellent insulin and 1 unit is a good starting dose. I do suggest that you visit the lantus forum so you can learn more about the insulin.

Of course, it's important to home test before each shot and if you are able during the course of the day/night. We will ask you to put a spreadsheet together. We have a google template you can follow and will teach you what it all means. For now, just keep a log and test when you can.


Definitely dump the dry food and the prescription food, ALL cats, and especially those with diabetes, do best on a species appropriate diet that is high in protein and low in carbs. Dry food DOES NOT fit that bill and DM food, even canned, just really isn't that great as far as quality. Most here on FDMB feed low carb/high protein canned, raw bought from a pet store or they make there own.

Here great links, one is to a food chart put together by one of our board members that breaks down the carb % and protein % of most of the commercial brand foods. You want to keep the carb % below 10% and around 7% is great.

Personally, I stayed in the 2-5% range.

The other link is to a site by a vet "Dr. Lisa DVM" ... who also posts on this board from time to time ... there is in-depth info. there about many things, including nutrition and how to make raw food.
Nutrition/food info

The good thing with feeding your diabetic cat this way, is that it is ALSO good for any non-diabetic cat too. All your cats can safely eat the same food without worry and it may save you some costs and headaches of having to do separate feedings and keeping track of what they are eating.


As long as you are home testing and don't change the dose too frequently or by too much an amount, you should be able to prevent a hypo episode. However, do read up on the signs and have an action plan prepared just in case. and not all cats exhibit the signs of hypo, so it's important to home test.

More will be along shortly with more advice and suggestions.

PS - I see you are in NY. I work in Midtown (near Penn Station) so if I can ever be of assistance, please let me know.
 
Thank you so much for the advice! This whole thing is scary and confusing! I want to do whatever I can to get Joey back on track. I

was wondering if there's a specific size lancet I should be using? Its hard to get blood without poking the poor thing so many times. He hates the click of the lancing device, so I am doing it free hand.

Also, while I'm at work what should I leave him to eat? Is it ok to leave a canned food out for 8 hours?I dont want to leave his food bowl empty in case he gets a hypo episode...

And what treats should I give him? He's addicted to Friskies treats, I give him 1-3 for his BG tests.

Oh, one more thing. I read its not the best idea to give the shot at the scruff of his neck? So I try to give it on his side, but again...I question on if I got any insulin in him at all sometimes....

Thank you so much. :smile:

Hugs from Tara & Joey
 
Hi Tara and Joey-

Welcome! We're still pretty new at this, too, with Trixie being diagnosed at the end of January. It DOES get easier...I promise. I wouldn't have believed it myself a couple months ago, but it does.

Visiting the Lantus forum is a great idea...so much info and support over there. And, aside from reading all the stickies, also check on the condos (threads) about all the other kitties; we all have spreadsheets with links in our signatures, and there is much to be learned just by seeing what others are up to. Spreadsheets are a great way to keep track of trends, and they really help the dosing advisors see how your cat responds.

For treats, we use PureBites, which are straight up freeze dried meat - nothing else, so very diabetic-friendly. And quite popular!

Check out Binky's list for diabetic friendly foods. In our house, we usually feed Trixie no later than +2 (2 hours after her shot), or +4 max. But, I do understand your fears about hypo incidents. The more you test, the more you'll see how Joey responds to insulin, and that will really help you feel safer about how he's doing when you're not home.

As for lancets...personally, we use 28 gauge. Initially, it did take muliple pokes with Trixie, and even now it still take several attempts (tonight's +2 took 3 pokes). Their ears do "learn" to bleed over time, though, so the testing get easier, too. To help reduce bruising, put a little pressure on Joey's ears for a few seconds immediately after the poke.

Remember, we've all been where you are right now, and we're happy to help you along the way. Keep asking questions, and we hope to see you over in the Lantus forum!

Amy
 
Welcome Tara and Joey

Yep it gets easier and pretty soon it will be like brushing your teeth. What size lancet are you using? In the beginning some find it easier to use a 29 gauge, I know it doesn't make sense but the smaller the gauge number the bigger the lancet, so a bigger lancet might help you out if you are using a fine or ultra fine. Believe it or not but their ears do learn to bleed.

In fact it gets so easy several of us have adopted our cats as diabetics. The guy you see over in my avatar is one such cat. I adopted him this last october from this very board as a diabetic, after my first diabetic passed away from cancer. Now if this wasn't a very easy disease to treat I wouldn't have done that as I already had 10 other cats. And don't feel bad out of 11 cats every single one of mine turned up their noses at the prescription DM. Even my one that has the nickname the garbage scow. Lots of folks here feed Fancy Feast, Friskies, 9-lives etc, but I think you got the link to the charts we use.

And Bravo for home testing that is the biggest hurdle we usually face with newbies. If you would like some hands on help perhaps you and Hillary could hook up and she could give you some pointers...she is fantastic.

Yes you can leave canned food out all day, some of us just soup it up with a little water to keep it moist longer, others will freeze it and then put it out frozen so kitty can nibble on it as it thaws, and others use timed feeders. Even though I'm home all day with my kids it has recently gotten really hot here so I have been freezing some of mine and letting them have it frozen as a nice cool treat.

Mel, Maxwell & The Fur Gang
 
I cant tell you all how much I appreciate all of your advice. I have been on pins and needles all week with Joey...literally!!!
I have been at work talking my co-workers ear off about him, I think she's going to change her seat soon...lol.

You guys are the best. Thank you for answering my questions and giving me comfort...I needed it!!!! I will keep you all updated!

Hugs to you and your kitties from Tara and Joey :YMHUG:
 
Hi, Tara-
This group is amazing and if someone lives in your area, they WILL come over to assist you with the BG poking. I was new in March and have been overwhelmed by the support in this group. So welcome! And some days it took me 30 pokes...well, it seemed like it--- to get Nigel to bleed. I did not do well rubbing his ear to warm the blood. I used a sock half filled with raw rice and warmed it in the microwave for 20 seconds. Then I would just pet Nigel's head and ear with it until it got nice and warm. Doesn't take long for that. And don't worry, you will be a pro in no time! You need to absolutely trust these new friends.
 
As Mel stated you can use a larger size lancet. Remember the lower the number, the bigger the needle. I used 30 gauge with Maui and sometimes I had to poke a few times to draw the blood.

Maui also has black ears so that made it even more challenging, as I couldn't see the blood easily when it did come out. So, I used a flashlight (held by my teeth) to train on the ear and see it.

I also discovered that Maui has one ear that bleeds better than the other. You may find that too with Joey. Also, some tricks to try - take a sock, fill it with 1/4 cup of rice, dry beans or oatmeal (I preferred the oatmeal), knot the top of the sock, so the stuff doesn't fall out, microwave for 15-30 seconds until warm, then place behind the ear to warm the ear. I also held it behind the ear when I poked, so in case I pierced the ear, I didn't poke my finger.

Once you poke, milk (or mush the area together to generate blood flow) and these two "tricks" should help to get it working.

As for treats - the friskies treats are just as bad as any dry food. So no temptations, pounce or friskies treats.

Instead use anything that is 100% protein - you can purchase freeze dried treats - kingswholesale.com has good prices on the purebites (buy the dog version as it's more economical). You can also use deli cheese and meats, cooked chicken - I buy the rotisserie chicken and share with my girls - they love it. Just think natural and pure protein and you'll find something that he likes I'm sure.

After you finish poking and testing, give him a treat, so he can associate this with something positive. For Maui, her favorite treat is getting brushed. So, I didn't have to bribe her with food, I only had to brush her. And if I forgot, she'd sit in her testing position waiting until I remembered.

And yes you can leave canned food out all day, I do that. Now I do go a bit overboard and add almost one full can of water to the food. You don't have to add that much I'd say anywhere from 1/3 - 1/2 can is good to start. See how he likes that and you can always add or decrease the amount.

Adding the water does two things - 1) ensures he is getting enough water in his system, 2) keeps the food moist longer so it doesn't dry out and get icky

Freezing food is easy too. Just take the above mixture - 1 can/ 1/3 cup water, mix and freeze. I found using baggies (ziplocs, etc) works best as you can shape it to fit in your freezer and bowl you will use, and once frozen can turn it inside out to get it out. Others have used ice cube trays and that works on the same concept.

If you decide to freeze the food, always put out fresh so he has something to eat now along with the frozen, which will thaw over several hours and he will have something to eat later on.

About where to give insulin - ideally the flank is best. However, I cat sat for someone last summer who it turns out the scruff worked better for him. He seemed to process the insulin better there, also he was a bit fiesty and trying to touch his flank, let alone tent it to get it right, just wasn't happening.

So, I say shoot in the area that works best for you and Joey. Just remember when shooting, you want to tent the skin and shoot in that "hollow" area.

And honestly, this does get easier and will become routine. It's also very possible with a little insulin and diet change, Joey could go into remission (OTJ).

And seriously, if I can be of help (in person/phone) let me know. As I said, I work in Midtown.
 
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