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[Jake and Althea]

Hi all, my name is Jake and one of my cats was diagnosed with Diabetes about 2 weeks ago. Her name is Althea and her 2nd appointment with the vet is tomorrow. She is already on insulin (2 units twice daily). I am testing her blood glucose daily and she is unfortunately running in the 500s currently. I am researching to find good economical food for her and seeing where I can save money on supplies. My wife and I are retired and have limited income. It is a bit overwhelming, to say the least. I also am Diabetic, so that is a help in understanding the disease. I never thought that it could be helpful to be Diabetic, but here I am. I was going to include a picture of her, but I can't figure out how to attach the image to this post.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Welcome Jake and Althea!

Are you using a human meter?

If you’re in the US, you can use Walmart’s ReliOn meter. It’s what most of us here use because it’s reliable and has the most economical test strips. That’s really where most of your money goes. The meter is$9 and you can get 100 strips for about $18.
If she doesn’t have any other issues like CKD, Fancy Feast or even Friskies pates are totally fine. You just want to make sure you’re feeding her low carb foods and treats. No need for expensive prescription foods what are actually mainly too high carb. What food is she currently eating?

It’s great you’re already home testing and being diabetic yourself, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how important that is! Especially since cats can’t just yell hey, I need sugar, going too low over here!

With a diabetic cat you need:

• A low carb wet diet that is 10% carbs or under. Most of us use around 4-7% carbs
• A suitable insulin such as Lantus or Prozinc which are long acting, more gentle insulins than the old insulins.
• We recommend hometesting the blood glucose with a human meter…it is not necessary to use a pet meter which is expensive to run and is no better. It will keep your kitty safe and you will know how the dose is working for your kitty. Only testing every so often will not tell you what is happening in between those times and an awful lot can happen in even a day.
• HELP US HELP YOU has information about the spreadsheet, signature and hypo box which you will need to be able to look after your beloved kitty properly. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help.

Can you tell us what insulin Althea has been prescribed?

A word of warning though…don’t change the food you are feeding at the moment over to the low carb food until you are testing the blood glucose because a change over can drop the BGs by up to 100 points and we don’t want you to have a hypo on your hands.

If you can set up the spreadsheet and plug in all the numbers you’ve gotten so far, that would be great. It’s not uncommon to get high numbers at first. Feline diabetes is a marathon not a sprint so don’t despair. We’ve all been there, but trust me, you’re way ahead of the game just by home testing and being here!

We are happy to help you with setting up the spreadsheet, sorting out what food to buy, how to transition safely to a low carb diet!

 

[Jake and Althea]

Welcome Jake and Althea!

Are you using a human meter?

I purchased a ReliOn Platinum meter at Walmart yesterday for $19, it came with 50 strips. I had already purchased a pet meter from Chewy but quickly figured out that I am further ahead to eat the cost of the meter and switch to a cheaper test strip. Lesson learned. I am having difficulties getting the ReliOn meter to work, it seems to need a larger sample of blood, which isn't always easy to do.

If you’re in the US, you can use Walmart’s ReliOn meter. It’s what most of us here use because it’s reliable and has the most economical test strips. That’s really where most of your money goes. The meter is$9 and you can get 100 strips for about $18.
If she doesn’t have any other issues like CKD, Fancy Feast or even Friskies pates are totally fine. You just want to make sure you’re feeding her low carb foods and treats. No need for expensive prescription foods what are actually mainly too high carb. What food is she currently eating?

We had originally put her on a Purina low-carb dry food, but again lesson learned. I have ordered a couple of different canned foods. Both are under 7% carbs. I expect the cost of food to be a major player in this journey.

It’s great you’re already home testing and being diabetic yourself, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how important that is! Especially since cats can’t just yell hey, I need sugar, going too low over here!

With a diabetic cat you need:

• A low carb wet diet that is 10% carbs or under. Most of us use around 4-7% carbs
• A suitable insulin such as Lantus or Prozinc which are long acting, more gentle insulins than the old insulins.
• We recommend hometesting the blood glucose with a human meter…it is not necessary to use a pet meter which is expensive to run and is no better. It will keep your kitty safe and you will know how the dose is working for your kitty. Only testing every so often will not tell you what is happening in between those times and an awful lot can happen in even a day.
• HELP US HELP YOU has information about the spreadsheet, signature and hypo box which you will need to be able to look after your beloved kitty properly. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help.

Can you tell us what insulin Althea has been prescribed?

She is currently on ProZinc U40 insulin. I am going to talk to the vet tomorrow about Vetsulin U40. It is about half the price of the ProZinc, so I'm hoping I will be able to do that.

A word of warning though…don’t change the food you are feeding at the moment over to the low carb food until you are testing the blood glucose because a change over can drop the BGs by up to 100 points and we don’t want you to have a hypo on your hands.

When I do change over her food to a lower-carb one I will be very diligent about testing and just watching her.

If you can set up the spreadsheet and plug in all the numbers you’ve gotten so far, that would be great. It’s not uncommon to get high numbers at first. Feline diabetes is a marathon not a sprint so don’t despair. We’ve all been there, but trust me, you’re way ahead of the game just by home testing and being here!

When I was first diagnosed with Diabetes I set up my own spreadsheet to track things, but that was many years ago. I would appreciate any help you can provide on that.

We are happy to help you with setting up the spreadsheet, sorting out what food to buy, how to transition safely to a low carb diet!

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

I would not recommend switching to Vetsulin. It’s cheaper than prozinc, however it’s also called caninsulin because it was created for canines who have a much slower metabolism than cats. It’s a short harsh fast acting insulin and as a result cats are not covered the entire 12 hours between shots. I’d look into the Lantus generic if price is a concern since it is more affordable. Even Lantus can be as a lot of folks here get it at a very discounted price from Costco pharmacy. There are also a lot of online coupons like goldrx for regular human pharmacies you can use since Lantus is a human insulin. I used to order mine from Canada and only paid $35 per pen. You can also browse our supply closet forum as a lot of members sell their leftover insulin supplies at a cheaper price there. I did when Minnie passed. I would not switch from a good insulin to Vetsulin. In addition, please see the guidelines from the American Animal Hospital Assn for the treatment of diabetes in both dogs and cats. the AAHA no longer recommends Caninsulin/Vetsulin for treating feline diabetes.

will she not eat Friskies?

im not sure how much the platinum strips are, the ones I was quoting were for ReliOn Premier. Chewy is great with returns and refunds. Have you called them and asked? I’d definitely would.

the link I shared above will get you to where the spreadsheet directions are. If you can’t make heads or tails if it, let us know and we can get someone to help you!

we recommend that you test a minimum of 4 times a day. Definitely before each shot and then twice more once per 12-hour cycle. When it comes to testing a few tips. Always warm up the ear first. I use an old sick filled with rice that I nuke for about 20-30 seconds and hold against the ear till it’s warm to the touch. You also want to start with a larger size lancet like 26 or 28. Make sure the lancet bevel is up when it goes in and always aim for the sweet spot:

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB.

You are correct. Much of what you know about human diabetes will translate to feline diabetes. The big difference is that cats can go into remission.

There are two inexpensive insulins -- Vetsulin and Humulin N. Neither are recommended for the treatment of feline diabetes. They are not appropriate due to a cat's high metabolism and as a result, do not last throughout a 12-hour cycle. I'd suggest price shopping and compare Prozinc with the generic/biosimilar for Lantus (glargine). The biosimilar is far less expensive than Lantus. You may need to call around and see what the price is. Typically, people purchase a box of pens (5 are in a box). As Ale noted, Lantus (glargine) and Prozinc are the two insulins that are recommended for the treatment of feline diabetes.

If you purchased the Purina dietetic food, the manufacturer will guarantee returns. Just tell wherever you purchased the food that Althea wouldn't eat it.

The link that Ale provided to helping us to help you contains information on setting up a spreadsheet. I've linked it, as well. I'm also tagging one of our members, Bhooma, who's great at spreadsheet help. @Bandit's Mom

Please let us know what questions you have. We're here to help.

 

[Jake and Althea]

I would not recommend switching to Vetsulin. It’s cheaper than prozinc, however it’s also called caninsulin because it was created for canines who have a much slower metabolism than cats. It’s a short harsh fast acting insulin and as a result cats are not covered the entire 12 hours between shots. I’d look into the Lantus generic if price is a concern since it is more affordable. Even Lantus can be as a lot of folks here get it at a very discounted price from Costco pharmacy. There are also a lot of online coupons like goldrx for regular human pharmacies you can use since Lantus is a human insulin. I used to order mine from Canada and only paid $35 per pen. You can also browse our supply closet forum as a lot of members sell their leftover insulin supplies at a cheaper price there. I did when Minnie passed. I would not switch from a good insulin to Vetsulin. In addition, please see the guidelines from the American Animal Hospital Assn for the treatment of diabetes in both dogs and cats. the AAHA no longer recommends Caninsulin/Vetsulin for treating feline diabetes.

This is good to know, that's why I joined here. Thank you! I will be looking into the Lantus insulin for sure. Of course, I need to talk to her vet tomorrow. I'm not very familiar with this vet as we have unfortunately had to change from her old vet recently. I guess I have a lot more research to do on that.

will she not eat Friskies?

Is that an option? Dry or canned Friskies? Friskies were not mentioned in my research for low-carb foods. Prior to her diagnosis, she was fed Blue Buffalo (both kibble and canned), which I also never found mentioned in my research either. I used this guide because it was the only place I could find actual carb values. https://simplycatcare.com/low-carb-cat-food-list/. Every other place I looked was very confusing and was more about making a sale than informing.

im not sure how much the platinum strips are, the ones I was quoting were for ReliOn Premier. Chewy is great with returns and refunds. Have you called them and asked? I’d definitely would.

ReliOn Platinum strips are also $18 for 100 at Walmart.

the link I shared above will get you to where the spreadsheet directions are. If you can’t make heads or tails if it, let us know and we can get someone to help you!

Thanks, I should be able to figure it out.

we recommend that you test a minimum of 4 times a day. Definitely before each shot and then twice more once per 12-hour cycle. When it comes to testing a few tips. Always warm up the ear first. I use an old sick filled with rice that I nuke for about 20-30 seconds and hold against the ear till it’s warm to the touch. You also want to start with a larger size lancet like 26 or 28. Make sure the lancet bevel is up when it goes in and always aim for the sweet spot:
View attachment 67211

I can understand testing often. I wear a CGM now, but before when I used a meter I tested 4 or 5 times a day. I have not had any trouble getting a drop of blood to test with the lancets that I use. I did get the ReliOn meter to give me a reading finally. I'm not sure what I was doing wrong before. What I did find though was that the human meter reads low compared to the pet meter. I did find this thread here about how to convert the readings to be accurate. https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...ert-between-human-and-pet-glucometers.125256/

Thanks again for all of your kind help.

 

[Jake and Althea]

Welcome to FDMB.

You are correct. Much of what you know about human diabetes will translate to feline diabetes. The big difference is that cats can go into remission.

There are two inexpensive insulins -- Vetsulin and Humulin N. Neither are recommended for the treatment of feline diabetes. They are not appropriate due to a cat's high metabolism and as a result, do not last throughout a 12-hour cycle. I'd suggest price shopping and compare Prozinc with the generic/biosimilar for Lantus (glargine). The biosimilar is far less expensive than Lantus. You may need to call around and see what the price is. Typically, people purchase a box of pens (5 are in a box). As Ale noted, Lantus (glargine) and Prozinc are the two insulins that are recommended for the treatment of feline diabetes.

If you purchased the Purina dietetic food, the manufacturer will guarantee returns. Just tell wherever you purchased the food that Althea wouldn't eat it.

The link that Ale provided to helping us to help you contains information on setting up a spreadsheet. I've linked it, as well. I'm also tagging one of our members, Bhooma, who's great at spreadsheet help. @Bandit's Mom

Please let us know what questions you have. We're here to help.

I sure am glad I found this site! I'm sure it will be a huge help. I have been finding that some things are the same with humans and cats being diabetic, but also some differences. This has opened my eyes to I have to do a lot of research and not just fall back on what I know about my own diabetes. Thank you!

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

If you use a human meter, you won’t have to convert anything since that’s what most of us use

 

[Jake and Althea]

If you use a human meter, you won’t have to convert anything since that’s what most of us use

I was thinking more of when I report her BG readings to her vet. It also will give me a better idea of where she is at than just using skewed numbers. My understanding is that a healthy cat's BG would be in the 70-125 range, and that is easy to relate to for me as I normally run between 70-125 myself. I'm also assuming that they probably wouldn't even recommend using a human meter. I'm going to find out tomorrow how receptive this new vet will be to my approach to this. They seem to have what I consider a casual approach to treating this disease. Never even suggested that I get a meter and just said to bring her back in a week to check her BG. I plan on being very active and hands-on when it comes to her treatment. But I also have to keep in mind that I need them so I can get insulin or it won't matter what my approach is going to be.

I am also still interested in if Friskies is a good option for low-carb food as I find it difficult to find carb information about cat food.

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

That’s great that you want to be hands on. I wish most people did, but sadly most vets have that approach so folks think it’s okay to shoot insulin blindly not monitoring their cats bgs. Here’s the thing, all vets used human meter before pet meters were invented which is not that long ago. Also vets have no problem with cat owners using the Libre to monitor cats daily which is a human meter. That would be my argument and also let them know it’s a price issue for you. You’re the one paying the bills, so they need to be a little accommodating when it comes to that.

normal range is actually 70-120 so you were close

yes, Friskies pates and FF pates are mainly low carb. FOOD CHART have a look on this chart and choose foods that are under 10%.

You will also need some higher carb foods for that hypo box..information in the help us help you link.

This is an excellent site for diabetic cats…it has been around for more than 25 years and has very experienced people to help you.

Keep asking lots of questions!