New here, please help!

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Cat_Girl

Member Since 2012
Hello I'm new here and my beloved cat Eiri was diagnosed with Diabetes a few months ago. After the initial shock, my family and I are now managing with a good schedule. But recently Eiri was urinating a lot again like before we found out he was diabetic. After a visit with the vet she upped his insulin from 1.5 to 2.00 after that his urine went down to normal amounts again.

Now before we took Eiri in with the vet, I noticed he meowed a lot more often for his moist food and this worried me as he stopped doing it when he got out of kittyhood and into adulthood. According to my mom, Eiri will jump on their bed and will nudge my parents with his nose and meow constantly, if they ignore him he will meow and gnaw on her nails until she gets up and feeds him! Is this normal? Is it just that he has taken a liking to the moist food? He is at a healthy and stable weight, but I'm worried that he is eating too much and too early, (his insulin is given to him @ 9:30AM/PM) Is there cause for me to worry or rush him to the vet again?? nailbite_smile confused_cat
 
Re: Eating Habits

Hello.
Tell us his eating schedule and what are you feeding him?

A cat with diabetes is basically starving. Their bodies aren't getting the nutrition it needs.
so they are hungry all the time.
It's okay to give them a little more in the early phases because they need the calories, especially if their weight is sliding downward. It takes time to figure out the right dosage of insulin.
What insulin are you using?

My cat nudges me for food, she used to come sit on me approximately 5 am and take her paw and stick it under the blanket
to poke me.... " hey, when ya gonna feed me?" .

It sounds as if your cat has figured out how to ask for food, especially if someone does gets up and gets him some. The behaviour was reinforced so he will keep trying now.

Have you read this yet?
www.catinfo.org

This is an excellent article about the dietary needs of cats.
 
Re: Eating Habits

Well the food bowl is always kept with some dry food m/d Prescription Diet food and when it's time to give him his insulin I just add a few spoonfulls of the moist food by the same name on top of the dry to entice him to eat. That's usually the routine and he was fine with it at the beginning, it was only until recently (about a week or so) that he started demanding food at seemingly all hours of the day.
 
Re: Eating Habits

Is that hills' m/d or purina m/d?
Here is a great couple of food charts with nutritional values. The hills md and purina md are both on this chart.
for dry food - http://binkyspage.tripod.com/dryfood.html
for wet food - http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html and http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodOld.html

Most of us here try to feed our cats 10% carbs or less. Many of us look for even lower like 5%.
The article I sent you explains why carbs are unnecessary for cats www.catinfo.org
Yet they are in our cat food, especially the dry food.
The high carbs over time contribute to our kitties getting diabetes.
It's the same thing as you eating a diet of potato chips.
Diabetes has greatly increased in our lifetimes because of our poor diets and it's the same for our pets.

I would guess that Eiri was put on this food by the vet.
There are many vets out there who give out prescription diets for diabetes who aren't up on the lastest research.

Does Eiri have any other conditions besides Diabetes?

If not, would you be willing to change the food?
If you look around at other posts, you will find that most of us have switched to canned only.

Now I don't want you to go switch right away until you've done some reading. If you are on hill's m/d canned, that
one ( looking at the newcanned food chart) is 14% carbs.
You can see where that one is higher than our targeted amount.

IF you decide to change the diet to one that is more beneficial to Eiri, that change alone could drop Eiri's glucose level
a lot. ( I saw a large drop right away)
I will need to get some more eyes to help advise you because you could suddenly find that the dosage of insulin you are on
might be too high.
I think you aren't getting other responses because of the title of your post. If you really want input, you say something
like , "new here, Please help?" and you will get lots of input.

It could be that Eiri is just hungrier because his body isn't working, which is why he is needing more insulin.
He isn't getting regulated. When he gets to regulation , he won't be starving and his appetite will go back to normal.


If you would like to get started, how about we change the title of your post?

We like to help as a group in case one of us misses something. I might not tell it as well as someone else.
So read the www.catinfo.org article and change your posting title - go to the bottom of this post , to your original question,
hit edit , and change the title in the box.

We will also want to see some numbers of glucose readings.
 
Yes the vet gave us both foods straight from her office she said that was specifically for his diabities so we got it right then and there. And on our last visit the vet said Eiri was high again, around the 300's :( but I can't remember on what, I think it was his glucose levels. I'll make sure to check tho.Oh and diabetes is his only health issue right now, thank God :cry:
 
I'm glad you want to do more.
I am about to walk out the door for the afternoon but I'll be back later this evening to check on you.
You should get responses now , you might even feel overloaded.

Try to read that article because it will help clarify the advise you will be getting.
Welcome to best community.
We want all the kitties to get better.
 
I feel so incredibly confused and out of sorts am I doing what's right for Eiri? Does this mean I've only been making him feel worse this whole time?! @-) nailbite_smile
Oh and what was done was a Fructosamine
 
You didn't mention what insulin he is on. Would you share that with us.

Also are you home testing? Did the vet discuss this with you? It's not surprising if the vet didn't, as many are not supportive of home testing. However, it is vital in the management of the diabetes and the only safe way to know if you are injecting the right amount of insulin.

Are you open to learning how to home test? We can easily teach you. Here is a link that will give you all the basic instructions: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

Feeding dry food of any kind is not ideal for a cat. It is better to feed wet food - canned, raw, etc. If you want to leave food out for your cat, you can leave canned food out - there are several ways to do this.

1) add water to the canned food (I always add 1 full can of water), but 1/2 - 1/3 is fine. This can be left out all day/night.

2) you can take this mixture and freeze it. Once frozen, serve it in one dish and fresh mixture in another dish. It will take a couple hours for the frozen mixture to thaw and once it does, it will be ready for eating and the fresh dish most likely already consumed.

3) timed feeders - you can follow both suggestions and put the food into a timed feeder


Here is a link about transitioning from dry to wet : viewtopic.php?f=14&t=956

And this link will give you information about why wet diets are best and the food charts so you know what to buy: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=115
 
Cat_Girl said:
I feel so incredibly confused and out of sorts am I doing what's right for Eiri? Does this mean I've only been making him feel worse this whole time?! @-) nailbite_smile
Oh and what was done was a Fructosamine
Click to expand...

Don't get upset, we will help you figure it out.

When a diabetic cat is meowing for food and waking you up, it is important to feed him. So, if you look at my suggestions in the previous message, this will help to ensure there is plenty of food available at all times.

The fructosamine test - analyzes the average BG (blood glucose) levels over a 2-3 week period in the past. This is a good test to diagnose diabetes. But not one to use for daily administration of insulin and determining correct dose.

The only way to do that correctly and SAFELY is by home testing. In my previous post, I provided links to how to home test. If you tell us where you live, there may be a member close by who could help you in person.

Not all vets support home testing, which is why many don't mention it. But the fact is, if we were talking about a human needing insulin - the human be it adult or child tests their BG several times a day and especially before giving any insulin, - to not test is dangerous and could lead to serious problems including hypoglycemia and possibly death.

I'm not trying to scare you, but if home testing is so important and humans do it on themselves, why would it be any different because the patient is a cat or dog and not human? It's not different, just a different way to test - ear instead of finger, as cats don't have fingers. But testing nonetheless is what is important.
 
Welcome to the Board!

ETA: At first your cat will be hungry because they can't get all the needed nutrients out of their food yet and the dry food is basically a candy air pop- all sugar. As we know for humans, all candy, all day long, is not good. And most of us feed our kitties several times during the day/night. I usually get up around 3am and give Sneakers a snack and that will get her to her shot time at 5:30 with two hours of 'fasting' level for a more accurate test before her shot. Before you change her food you need to do home testing so you know if it is safe to give insulin. And getting a mid-day test is needed so you know how low Eiri goes on that dose.


A few things are needed to combat FD:
The correct and better insulins are Levemir (get the pens), Lantus (get the pens), and ProZinc- they cost more but they are worth it and have excellent track records. Not so good (and vet favs) are Humulin and Canisilun (made for DOGS) so if the vet prescribes ask for the first three instead and refuse to pay for the other two.

The correct FOOD-
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... hYXc#gid=0 (called Hobo's List)
http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html (called binky's list)

You want to look for canned food that is low carb. The two lists above are ones that we use- look for the %kcal/carbs- under 10 (5 is better) in both lists. Feed the best you can afford. Most do Fancy Feast, Friskies, 9-lives. This will also help with the UTI- dry food is, well, dry. Canned food has more moisture and when you add water to it the water content is increased- all the better to pee a lot. You do NOT need vet prescription food- it is overpriced, high carbs, and contains high quantities of liver- which most cats won't eat day in and day out. If you bought some just take it back and say your kitty stopped eating it. They should refund even if it is opened. You also should consider feeding several small meals throughout the day. Not only is a diabetic cat losing weight- the reason is because they are literally starving, unable to get the nutrients out of the food they are eating. Give more food in small meals and your cat will slow down once they start getting the nutrients out.

Home testing-
You need to get a glucometer to test your cat- a human one is fine and reliable to use. It reads different than the pet ones but all you really need is the consistency of the levels day in and day out. You might be able to get a free one- there is a spot just at the top of every page that says home testing kits. Here is a link to what's inside:
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopi ... 28&t=60261

If you purchase one here is a list from Consumer Reports:
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopi ... 28&t=70140

You need to look at the ones that have the cheapest strips- not the cheapest meter. The meter you will buy once, the strips you will continue to purchase over and over again. A lot of people on the board use the Relion micro/confirm meters from Wal-mart because the strips are the cheapest around- $.36 each and usually easy to get (and you can get the strips even cheaper online through the ADW site). Bayer is another popular one. Stay away from the generic kinds that have the word TRUE in the name- those are inaccurate at higher #'s or don't go above 299- and another bad one is the Freestyle Light with the butterfly on the strips- both of these have led many pet owners to believe their cats were okay when they were really in trouble. And you can do your own curves at home when you hometest- that is cheaper than doing it at the vet.

To keep up with the BG #'s there is a spread sheet (SS) that we link to our signature line. Here is the link to set up:
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopi ... =6&t=18207

Incidentals-
- I would suggest getting ketosticks (found in the diabetic supply aisle) to test your kitty for ketones that lead to DKA- this is a very serious and deadly (and EXPENSIVE) illness. For $7 you get 50 strips- the best insurance against ketones possible. If you catch it early the easier it is to treat.
- Lancets- for your first box go for the lowest gauge you can find- 26 or 28. His ears won't bleed that much at the start. There are so many u-tube videos out there that can show you how to test the ear. You can either use the lancet pen or free-hand. I free-hand as I feel like I have more control over the pointy end. After the first box is used up you can switch to 31 gauge.
- TREATS! In the videos you see the cats eager to be tested. That is because they are shamelessly bribed into sitting still because of a yummy treat that is given after testing. Freeze-dried chicken, beef, shrimp are no carb treats and there are others out there that get used as well. Give this treat ONLY a poke time- tests or shots. Your cat might not care for treats, mine never did. She just knows it comes before her food

Good luck on the sugar dance!

Heather
 
Cat_Girl said:
I feel so incredibly confused and out of sorts am I doing what's right for Eiri? Does this mean I've only been making him feel worse this whole time?! @-) nailbite_smile
Oh and what was done was a Fructosamine
Click to expand...

Hello. I'm back home now. Don't waste time feeling guilty. You were following the instructions your vet gave you.
He just didn't equip you with information that would truly improve Eiri's condition. He may not even know it if he's old school.
A lot of drs/vets don't continue educating themselves after they get that degree. After all it's a lot of work.
As you are seeing now.
We've all been doing just that and this board is a great place to learn more, to ask questions, to get advice and find out
what others have done when they encounter an obstacle.

1)Everyone would like to know what state/town you are in because we may very well have someone nearby who can help. They may be able to tell you the name of a vet nearby who would support home testing IF your current vet isn't interested.
( too many of them don't want you to questions their method, just follow their instructions)

2) what insulin are you on because we have different groups who will be able to specifically address your needs on your particular
insulin. The insulins don't act the same, some are fast acting, some are slow and drawn out.
And there is one that isn't really meant for our kitty cats, it's meant for dogs but some of the vets are used to it and that is what they give out.
3) Are you home testing?

You found this website. Everything we have mentioned is right there on www.felinediabetes.com and you can click tabs on the right and see each topic. It is a lot of information all at once
so you can look at it as you can and keep telling us how you are doing and when you are ready to take the steps and make changes .... all for the good of Eiri....
Eiri will be feeling better than he is now and you will see the positive changes.
Everyone has their own pace .
I , myself, plowed full head on. You can do this.
If you are seeing $ signs flashing and that scares you, there is help here for some of that too. I don't know how much.
ask and someone will point the way.
 
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