New diagnosis...right down the block!

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123joan

123joan

Member Since 2011
My daughter's cat was newly diagnosed with diabetes this morning, she thinks the BG level is 190, and has to take her cat back in this afternoon for treatment discussion. This was the result of blood tests this morning, her cat has had increased drinking the past few weeks. I'm going to go in with her for moral support, she is falling apart at work, she learned the blood test results while at work in front of all her co-workers.

Her cat eats only dry food. I know it's really complicated to switch diet and add insulin, what do you think about just switching to FF for a week or so before adding the insulin?

I'll ask the vet this afternoon, the vet must think I'm a pain in the you know what.

Of course this is overly simplistic and pollyanna-ish.

Our Lucy has been treated for diabetes since July this year.
 
at 190 on a blood test at the vet's I would be trying a diet change first as well as seeing if any tests were run for infections...190 isn't really that high when you throw in vet stress...in fact I have one civie (non-diabetic) that is a semi-feral and she always runs in the 200s at the vets but bring her home, let her relax and she is right back down into the 50s again.

My own vet won't even hint at diabetes in a cat unless the reading is closer to 300 and then not from a single blood test.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
1) tell her to breathe! This is NOT a death sentence!

2) 190 is not very high - was that blood glucose or fructosamine? Vet stress will raise blood glucose 100 points (or more), so even if it was 290, subtract 100 and you get 190 which is only slightly elevated. (From a 190, subtract 100 and you get a 90, which is normal numbers!)

3) starting with a low carb canned, over the counter food is a good way to start if you monitor for ketones - see my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for how to do that. An inexpensive choice is Friskies Turkey and Giblet pate (no shreds, gravy, bits, etc) Do NOT buy into a veterinary diet - they are expensive and have no better nutrition than the food lists we have here.

4) pick up a human glcometer and test strips - The WalMart ReliOn brands work pretty well - I used Confirm, some use Micro, etc. - strips are inexpensive and available 24/7.
 
I'd take it slow. Why was her cat at the vets? Were there diabetic symptoms? 190 is not really that high, especially at the vets.

To be sure of the diagnosis, I'd ask for a fructosamine before considering any treatment. Of course, monitoring at home will also help confirm if she is really diabetic and transitioning to wet food could help solve the problem.
 
She took her to the vet because of increased water/peeing, also coincided with annual checkup.
 
Also, the vet may be out of date with regard to feline diabetes - we see that a lot.

You want a vet who:

1) supports home testing of blood glucose and is OK about using a human glucometer

2) supports feeding a low carbohydrate over the counter cat food, or raw low carb food

3) is either up to date, or willing to do the homework to become up to date on feline diabetes and common comorbidities.

4) if up to date, is familiar with the use of ProZinc, PZI, Lantus, and/or Levemir IN CATS; ask how they determine initial dosing and how often the dose is given (should either be based on body weight or starting low at 0.5 units and dosing should be twice a day)

5) has pricing you can live with - check office visit fee, vaccine fee, CBC and chemistry fee, etc. Ask how often they have you bring the diabetic cat in and for what reasons (if you are home testing, you can do curves and averages at home, and the cat doesn't get 'regulated' at the vet office where stress makes the numbers unreliable)

6) if currently treating diabetic cats, ask how long they usually survive (should be several years)
 
My cat is diabetic. We go to same vet. She is great to work with. All on board with home testing.
 
MommaOfMuse said:
at 190 on a blood test at the vet's I would be trying a diet change first as well as seeing if any tests were run for infections...190 isn't really that high when you throw in vet stress...in fact I have one civie (non-diabetic) that is a semi-feral and she always runs in the 200s at the vets but bring her home, let her relax and she is right back down into the 50s again.

My own vet won't even hint at diabetes in a cat unless the reading is closer to 300 and then not from a single blood test.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
Click to expand...

That number is not bad at all, considering the dry food in the picture.
I would definitely switch to the ff wet food and wait a good week or so, but I would suggest she get a BG meter and check the cat's numbers at home during the food transition. ... once you see a bit of a high number, you may have a cat that is just a diet controlled diabetic, so home testing will be more economical and much more reassuring than stress skewed numbers at the vet office.

The cat could have many reasons for a bit of a high BG.... even my own cat when feeling ill from his megacolon has jumped to a 261 but then when feeling better, he's right back down to his 80s again.

Illness and stress can and do contribute to raised BG numbers, as well as a dry food diet.
I hope you have good numbers just by switching to the low carb wet food and if her tests at home still show numbers that need insulin, it will be a lesser amount than if there had been no food change.
 
123joan said:
My cat is diabetic. We go to same vet. She is great to work with. All on board with home testing.
Click to expand...
I'm sure your daughter's cat will get the best appropriate treatment with your experience and advice, plus a vet who knows about diabetes!
 
I'd still do the switch to Fancy Feast to help control the diabetes. I've had Chester moved onto Friskies since he was diagnosed and it's definitely helping his mood, and it does seem to help his BG.
 
Bought her a case of FF Classic, and treated her to her first bottle of ProZinc. Early Christmas Present.
 
Hi Joan,

Bright side? You already know the dance steps. Does your daughter literally live "right down the block?" If so, she's seen you deal with Lucy, right? You'll be using the same insulin. Heck, you can buy each other test strips for birthday presents!

I'd try the diet change before giving the shots, at least a couple days, to see if it helps with the BGs. Then you'll be able to help her with a logical starting dose. And get her to set up an account here, spreadsheet, the whole shebang.

Looking forward to hearing more,
Carl
 
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