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jennw

jennw

Member Since 2014
hello! I'm Jenn, and just last week one of my cats, Malachi (who we all affectionately call The Big Orange Guy) was diagnosed with diabetes. He hasn't exhibited any of the normal warning signs for diabetes (drinking or urinating more) but suddenly one day he just seemed to lose function in his back legs. We weren't sure if it was a stroke or constipation or some kind of injury. We made a vet appointment and also consulted quickly with Dr. Google. The vet confirmed diabetes, and Mal is on 2 units twice a day for now. He started just last Friday night, and this Friday goes to the vet for the day for a glucose curve.

So far, he already seems to be feeling a little better and lets me give him his shots without ANY issue. I have to feed him in the bathroom so the other cats don't get his food, and he's up laying in front of the bathroom door at 5 am, just so I don't forget!

Glad to meet all of you and I'm sure I'll have questions as we go along.
 
Welcome Jenn and extra sweet Malachi - another big orinch boy!

A few questions to help us help you:
What kind of insulin are you giving him?
Are you home testing?
What were his numbers at diagnosis?

The hind leg issues is diabetic nueoropathy (which I can't spell..). Zobaline will help that improve. Others will be stopping by that know more about that but I wanted to say HI and Welcome!

BIG HUGS TOO!
 
yep, we figured out the diabetic neuropathy thing at home after googling, and presented it to the vet, who agreed.

TBOG is on the Lantus pens, 2 units twice a day. I'm not home testing yet, but soon. I am on the hunt for a home meter.

He was at just under 38 when we first tested. (Which, I think for you Americans, is around 650 or so? But that seems REALLY high. Maybe it IS really high, this is all new to me!!)

I'll ask my vet about Zobaline, if it's available up here. He's already showing minor improvement, and managed to get up onto his favourite chair last night for the first time in weeks.
 
WOOHOO! You're already using a great insulin!

I'm not great at the international->US number conversion but we have several members in other countries. That means the Walmart meters are out (what lots of us use), my memory stinks this morning so can't remember the others that are recommended for other countries. Never fear - there are others that know that will stop by today!

BIG HUGS!
 
The lantus pens are SO EASY. And really, not horribly expensive. I mean hey, if the cat needs meds twice a day, he picked a relatively budget friendly med to be stuck with!

The meter our vet recommended is the Alpha Track - http://www.alphatrakmeter.ca
I just thought I'd try to source out a used one, since they run about $200. However, I'll still buy one if I have to buy it new, because that's much less than one day at the vet for him to get a curve done there!
 
No need to buy that expensive meter - most of us use human meters. Human meters read about 30 points lower than the pet calibrated meters but are a LOT cheaper. That part isn't hard - this is why we use a normal range of '50-120' but use '80-150' if someone is using an Alphatrak. The Alphatrak strips are expensive and usually only available from the vet's office or mail order. If you have a human meter, you can run to the store and buy more when you need them.
 
Welcome Jenn and TBOG!

No need to buy an expensive AlphaTrak. Are you in Canada? If so, I think many of our Canadian members like the Bayer Contour.

It's good you got the Lantus pen. That's the most economical route and as long as you keep it refrigerated and don't shake or roll it, it should be good up to the last drop. You will also want to make sure you get 3/10cc insulin syringes to use with the pen (as if the pen were a vial) since the pen tips only do full units and many times our cats need quarters of a unit (my Mikey is currently on 1.75u).
 
My vet recommended the AlphaTrak because she said it needs less blood to read - is the Bayer Contour the same? Because it would be nice to have a less expensive option, and I'm sure my vet would love to know about it too.

I'll look into the other syringes, also, when/if his dose changes.

Thanks for all the tips. We are actually very seasoned cat owners with lots of cats, and a foster home for a large non-profit (and usually have a LOT of foster cats), and have dealt with OH SO MANY issues, diseases, injuries, etc. over the years, but this is the first time one of our cats has had diabetes, so I'm grateful for all the help from everyone :) So much to learn!
 
Hello from a Canadian

- get a box of BD ultra fine ii 3/10CC insulin syringes (white box with purple on it) to extract insulin from the pen. The pen tips that are designed for these pens are not accurate enough for cats that need smaller doses.

-Bayer contour does need more blood than the alphatrak. But if your cat is a good bleeder or when you are more experienced with testing then its worth it. You could get a free one to try here http://www.bayerdiabetes.ca/BDoffer use code BDS 10-13 and see what you think. Takes 4- 6 weeks to arrive. Strips are much cheaper and even more so if you get them on ebay from the US i.e. $45 for 100 including shipping.
Otherwise if you are close to the border I would pop into the US Walmart and get a relion confirm or micro. Cheaper again for strips and need same amount of blood as the alphatrak. They don't sell them in Canadian walmart.

What are you feeding? Did your vet tell you about low carb foods and remission?

Wendy
 
Heya, another Canuck! :)

Ok, BD ultra fine, going on the shopping list :)

I tried that code, Wendy, it says it's expired, but thank you! I looked at the Bayer website, and I can get a free one from my pharmacy if I buy a box of strips, which I just might do since then I can get it right away. Then I can purchase strips from ebay once these run out. Plus, I'd like to be able to test him at home successfully before our vet appointment on Friday, so I can assure them I've done it. They'd rather me test at home too.

Right now we are feeding Purina DM wet (http://www.purinaveterinarydiets.com/Pr ... tFood.aspx), which, I have to say, is NOT something I want him on for long. I'd like to switch him to raw, but I compromised with my vet to wait a couple weeks until he is stable and we know where his levels are at, and when I can test at home, and then she's fine with it. She admits that she doesn't know quite enough about raw to factor in how it will affect him, but understands that I want him off Purina as soon as feasible.

The vet talked briefly about the food, yes, but she knows I want to switch and that I will be talking to other people for that (my friend owns a pet store, and she's extremely well-versed in animal nutrition and care. I get all my supplements and stuff for her for our other cats and our fosters. She'll help me get food for Mal.)

Re: remission - yes, she told me sometimes they can go into remission. She said that at her clinic, the combination of Lantus and DM food has shown a good rate of remission. She has hopes for Mal, too, because he never showed any other signs of diabetes except for the neuropathy, and she thinks we caught it early. So, my fingers are crossed :) (My friend also had a diabetic foster cat who went into remission, so I was aware it could happen. )
 
Fellow Canadian here:

I use a Bayer Contour Next. So far i believe it to be a good meter. I have never had a strip fail (except if not enough blood) and have not had any reason to suspect unusual or bad readings. The blood sample does need to be bigger in the bayer compared to the reliOn or alphatrak but it is still a small sample. I had some spoiled strips due to lack of blood before i learned how to get the blood flowing in his ear with a warm cloth. His blood drops were REALLY small at first and i bet of the aprox 10 wastes strips 5 of those wouldn't have worked even on the reliPn or alphatrak. I would also try to get the contour next, as it apparently is more accurate than the contour.

You are correct about being able to get one free at a pharmacy. I got mine at walmart pharmacy and the total bill for 100 strips, 100 lances and the meter was 80 something dollars including tax.
 
I stopped tonight on the way home and got the Contour Next and 100 test strips. $85. Plus she threw in a pile of lancets.

I didn't get a chance to test him though. I'm dealing with him, plus a cat with heart failure, another cat with pancreatitis, a senior who is off her food, and a foster cat who is ill. Never mind just feeding and taking care of the rest of our cats and the fosters and the dogs. And me! Yeesh.
I'm hoping to work on getting blood from his ear tomorrow. Then he goes in for his curve on Friday.

I need to hire an assistant just for my pets, I think.

Again, thanks for everyone's input. The advice (and friendliness!) here is invaluable, and very much appreciated. :)
 
I saw the document for testing tips and will watch the videos. For food, he's on Tiki Ahi Tuna.

Friday he was at the vet all day for a curve, and his numbers have come down. I have to remember to get them to fax me all his results. He's certainly feeling better, though. Even just 10 days in. His back legs are working better, and he's certainly feeling better. The vet is very happy with his progress, and so am I!

I have to do another curve in two weeks. I'll watch the testing videos and get used to checking his blood at home and hopefully will be able to do it successfully!
 
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