New Member - Adam & Bubba

Status
Not open for further replies.
Adam Morgan

Adam Morgan

New Member
Just starting this journey with FD. Bubba was diagnosed on Jan 16th. I the moment he is not on any treatment other than I have removed his dry food. He and my other cat also eat Friskies Classic Pates (Seafood variety).

At the moment, I'm a bit overwhelmed and just trying to learn what I can. Haven't determined what glucometer, test strips (guage size), lancet pen, etc. to purchase and what other items I need. I meet with our Vet on Tuesday to pick up insulin.

I'm sure I'll be reaching out.

Thanks.
 
Hi Adam and Bubba and welcome to the forum.
Do you know if your vet checked Bubba for ketones at diagnosis? I'm hoping he did especially if he didn't start insulin straight away.
The best insulins are Lantus (or a biosimilar) or prozinc. Don't let your vet prescribe vetsulin or Novolin N. Neither of them are suitable for cats.
And the starting dose is 1/2 to 1 unit twice a day.
I would recommend using a human glucose meter. You can buy a ReliOn premier meter from Walmart along with lancets size 26 or 28 gauge and some cotton balls to hold behind the ear when testing. All very reasonably priced. A pet meter is much more expensive to run and is not needed. Our dosing methods are based on the human meter numbers.

I see you mentioned Bexacat and Senvelgo in your signature. These new ORAL drugs are not suitable for all cats and there are contraindications. Apart from these contraindications your vet must have tested for ketones. Any sign of ketones and these drugs must not be used. And there is a risk for all cats that ketones might develop and you will have to test every day for them for a while. '
Here is a link to information about these NEW ORAL DRUGS

Don't feed fish varieties all the time. It is not good for the cats. I would use the fish varieties only twice a week.
Looking forward to hearing how you get on at the vet on Tuesday.
Keep asking questions
 
Hi Bron and Sheba,

I have a few questions for the Vet. I spoke to his Jr. who didn't provide much info other than Bubba having FD and that insulin would be available on Tuesday.

I planned to go to Walmart for the Lancets, Glucometer, cotton balls, and test strips. I've watched a few of the videos. I've been playing with his ears to get him used to me touching them. I also plan to click the lancet near him for a few days

I will also pick up some of the Fancy Feast cans to switch up the diet. My cats are very picky, but changes are required.

I will ask the yet tomorrow, which insulin he has ordered. Do I have to purchase through the Vet? I see that there are online sellers such as Chewy and Petco, and the their prices are significantly cheaper.

The Jr. Vet did mention Bexacat, but based on my reading this weekend, I think I will rule that out.

Also, I've noticed some links in the Q/A do not work for me (e.g., symptoms of hypoglycemia). Are these just outdated?

Thank you!
 
Last edited:
Welcome to FDMB!

Depending on the insulin, your vet may or may other keep it in stock. Typically, vets only stock insulin that is appropriate for their clientele (i.e., pets!). For cats, that would be Prozinc. As you noted, Prozinc is also available from Chewy. The other insulin that is a good choice for cats is glargine -- that's the name of the generic/biosimilar form. It is a human insulin and was first on the market as Lantus. Because it is a human insulin, it is only available at a human pharmacy. Basaglar and Semglee are the other branded names that are now on the market as biosimilars. These are much less expensive than Lantus although, with GoodRx, you can purchase Lantus at a steeply discounted price which I believe is comparable to the price for the generic/biosimilar.

It looks like you found the helping us to help you post. There are links related to hypoglycemia in that post. I'm not sure where you were looking for the Q/A link. If you can let me know where you found it, we can fix it or delete it. (Thanks for the heads up!) There's a ton of information in the Feline Health & FAQs if you want to be completely overwhelmed with resources!!

If your cats are currently eating Friskies pate, the variety your feeding is 5% carbs which is perfect. We consider low carb as under 10% although most members feed their cats somewhere in the 5% range. If you've not already seen it, this is a chart containing most of the canned food options available in the US along with nutritional information including the carbohydrates. You have lots of choices for low carb foods.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Welcome to FDMB!

... I'm not sure where you were looking for the Q/A link. If you can let me know where you found it, we can fix it or delete it. (Thanks for the heads up!) ...
Click to expand...

One link in issue is on the "Frequently Asked Questions List for the Feline Diabetes Message Board (FDMB)" page (https://binkyspage.tripod.com/faq.html#insulin), Question 4.8., which shows this link "symptoms of hypoglycemia":"(http://www.indulgedfurries.com/petdiabetes/hypoglycemia.htm). When I select the link, I get a "service unavailable" response.
 
Hi Adam and Bubba
I’m fairly new but one thing you can consider is using the lancet freehand (not in the lancing device)—but if you do use the device it’s a great idea to get him used to the noise as you are doing.
It’s difficult for me to line up the device where I want it on Methos’ ear so I just use the lancets. If you have the same trouble you can try that.
Colleen
 
SmallestSparrow said:
Hi Adam and Bubba
I’m fairly new but one thing you can consider is using the lancet freehand (not in the lancing device)—but if you do use the device it’s a great idea to get him used to the noise as you are doing.
It’s difficult for me to line up the device where I want it on Methos’ ear so I just use the lancets. If you have the same trouble you can try that.
Colleen
Click to expand...

Thank you. I have read about this method and that you should use a 45 degree angle. Currently, reviewing which glucometer to get as it looks like a meter that reads ketones is also recommended. Small blood sample (0.3 uL) is recommended, but the Relion meters look to use 0.5 uL. Granted that's a very small difference.
 
Adam Morgan said:
Thank you. I have read about this method and that you should use a 45 degree angle. Currently, reviewing which glucometer to get as it looks like a meter that reads ketones is also recommended. Small blood sample (0.3 uL) is recommended, but the Relion meters look to use 0.5 uL. Granted that's a very small difference.
Click to expand...
It is a tiny difference and with repeated sticks his ears bleed more. I get more than enough for glucose and ketones with a stick now (not in the beginning ymmv)

i use an AT 3 for reasons that dont apply to many regular cats. When Methos was on Bexacat I used a precision xtra (human meter) because they didn’t yet have a pet ketone meter and it was ketones I was regularly checking. It uses a small amount to check glucose for human meters but still more than a pet one and I managed after a few weeks to have more than enough to run ketones and glucose from one stick. One ear flick and your home too can look like a scene from Dexter

I wouldn’t go with the precision xtra necessarily for glucose bc the strips are more expensive than many human meters. I’d look for a less expensive ketone meter also as the xtra was $5 per ketone strip

I currently use the centrivet ketone meter. Still pricey but less so than xtra. I’m sure there are less expensive ketone meters out there and the ketone meters all seem to require the same amount of blood. Moreover unlike glucose meters, where difference between species means they read the blood differently, I think ketones are the same no matter the species but I can’t say that for a fact is true
 
Last edited:
Also unless he is on an SGLT2 like Bexacat or senvelgo you may only need to check ketones rarely. So if one meter for glucose is a great price and another is great for ketones it may be wise to have separate ones. It also makes testing glucose and ketones easier with a single stick because you can have both ready to go
 
SmallestSparrow said:
Also unless he is on an SGLT2 like Bexacat or senvelgo you may only need to check ketones rarely. So if one meter for glucose is a great price and another is great for ketones it may be wise to have separate ones. It also makes testing glucose and ketones easier with a single stick because you can have both ready to go
Click to expand...

Thanks, I was under the impression I needed to check Ketones regularly. However, I have been reading quite a bit and its starting to blur. Think, I'll take a break and review more tonight. Thanks for the input.
 
In the beginning, whether insulin or other drugs, it is good to test for ketones. And after that, any time your cat is in higher numbers. Here are two of the more commonly used ketone meters: the Nova Max Plus or Precision Xtra Blood & Ketone meters Nova Max Plus or Precision Xtra Blood & Ketone meters. You can also use urine test strips such as Ketostix if kitty isn't too shy. Tips to catch and test a urine sample

Try this post for symptoms of hypoglycemia:
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top