New&Need Help

Status
Not open for further replies.
N

NYCHousewife

Member
Hi,

I am new-and I hope it is ok to post some questions, and that I in the right area of the forums.

Pleased to meet everybody.

My kitty was diagnosed yesterday with diabetes.
She was given Lantus , I think it is called, insulin...and Purina DM food to take home...and some other supplies

I do not know if the injection worked properly and actually went through the cat's skin.

Her sugar has been high all morning: 250 , then 286 a short while ago.
She has not gone pee pee...and I am thus unable to do a Keto Diagnostic stick.

Please help me:

-Do I feed my kitty twice per day? She is thin
-Are there any "over the counter" foods that I can buy at the pet shop for diabetes?
-Should I give her more insulin?

-Her dosage is 1 unit twice per day.

My vet won't call me back, and I guess the vet is very busy :(

I do not want my cat to go downhill, so any help would be great.

She is very light, skinny...cute cat.

I do not know how much or how often to feed her.

She is lying around a lot...and seems lethargic. She seemed better after the vet last night.

Thanks so much!
 
Welcome, you have come to the right place to get some great help.

It sounds like you may be home testing already? If so you are ahead of many of us when we got here. Home testing is the key (in my opinion) to getting you kitty regulated and possibly into remission.If you just switched from dry to canned food, you really want to watch those BGs because you could get a pretty steep drop by adding insulin and removing high carb food.

First, check out the Lantus support group (called Lantus Land around here). There are a bunch of sticky threads at the top that give tons of great information for Lantus users. In there you can read about "building the shed" on Lantus and it will explain why you will hold the 1u dose for a while. You will also find some really great people that can help with your dosing adjustments.

Second, YES feed your cat more than twice a day. Many of us found that by feeding every 4-6 hours, the BGs stayed down and more level. It also easier on the body to process smaller meals, so less food more frequently will allow her to heal. Newly diagnosed cats are often still in the stage where their body is not able to process and use the food they eat efficiently that is why they start dropping weight so drastically. Let the kitty eat as much as she wants in a day until you start getting her BGs regulated.

When you read the Lantus stickies you should find reference to Janet & Binky's Food Charts. These will give you lots of options for over the counter foods to feed your kitty. The best is canned food with less than 10% from carbs. Many people feed Fancy Feast pattes and other popular foods are Friskies, Merrick, and Wellness. I also like Purina Pro-plan for my girls. We were started on DM also, but my girls got to hate it and they love the variety they get now.
 
Melanie and Smokey said:
Welcome, you have come to the right place to get some great help.

It sounds like you may be home testing already? If so you are ahead of many of us when we got here. Home testing is the key (in my opinion) to getting you kitty regulated and possibly into remission.If you just switched from dry to canned food, you really want to watch those BGs because you could get a pretty steep drop by adding insulin and removing high carb food.

First, check out the Lantus support group (called Lantus Land around here). There are a bunch of sticky threads at the top that give tons of great information for Lantus users. In there you can read about "building the shed" on Lantus and it will explain why you will hold the 1u dose for a while. You will also find some really great people that can help with your dosing adjustments.

Second, YES feed your cat more than twice a day. Many of us found that by feeding every 4-6 hours, the BGs stayed down and more level. It also easier on the body to process smaller meals, so less food more frequently will allow her to heal. Newly diagnosed cats are often still in the stage where their body is not able to process and use the food they eat efficiently that is why they start dropping weight so drastically. Let the kitty eat as much as she wants in a day until you start getting her BGs regulated.

When you read the Lantus stickies you should find reference to Janet & Binky's Food Charts. These will give you lots of options for over the counter foods to feed your kitty. The best is canned food with less than 10% from carbs. Many people feed Fancy Feast pattes and other popular foods are Friskies, Merrick, and Wellness. I also like Purina Pro-plan for my girls. We were started on DM also, but my girls got to hate it and they love the variety they get now.
Click to expand...


Yes I am testing her BG already. The numbers I mentioned....250 and 286 are what her sugar has been so far today.
The Purina DM is dry food. I was wondering if I could keep her on dry food? Is canned food the best? If so, how many cans per day? Are 2 enough?
There is a Lantus area on these boards? I will search.

I am just a bit "frantic and nervous" sooooo don't mind me... :)
 
Welcome aboard!

Lantus is good insulin, Purina DM is not good food. It has low carbs but it has junky ingredients, and you can buy low carb high protein foods that are not prescription. Many here use Wellness canned, Evo canned, Fancy Feast low carb, Friskies.

http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html This link is for Janet and Binkys food charts..an amazing work compiling many foods and comparing them to each other. Generally speaking, you want foods with less than 10% calories from carbs. Of course ECID (every cat is different)

Some cats have food spikes from eating after getting insulin. You never want to shoot insulin again if you do a "fur shot" ie, miss. because you will not know how much insulin actually did get in.

As for feeding, diabetic cats can not utilize their food without insulin and are basically starving. The body needs more food until it stabilizes. I dont think you want to go overboard but if your cat is hungry you can feed some more. The relationship of food to insulin is a complex one so its best to develop a feeding routine. Some folks have timed feeders for overnight or when they are at work, so the cat gets a snack midday.

Lastly, theres lots and lots of info here, and on the main felinediabetes.com site. Do not forget to breathe! And check out the FAQ at your own pace.
We have folks in NYC if thats where you are, so dont be shy about asking for help.

Sending cyber hugs!
 
Lisa and Merlyn (GA) said:
Welcome aboard!

Lantus is good insulin, Purina DM is not good food. It has low carbs but it has junky ingredients, and you can buy low carb high protein foods that are not prescription. Many here use Wellness canned, Evo canned, Fancy Feast low carb, Friskies.

http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html This link is for Janet and Binkys food charts..an amazing work compiling many foods and comparing them to each other. Generally speaking, you want foods with less than 10% calories from carbs. Of course ECID (every cat is different)

Some cats have food spikes from eating after getting insulin. You never want to shoot insulin again if you do a "fur shot" ie, miss. because you will not know how much insulin actually did get in.

As for feeding, diabetic cats can not utilize their food without insulin and are basically starving. The body needs more food until it stabilizes. I dont think you want to go overboard but if your cat is hungry you can feed some more. The relationship of food to insulin is a complex one so its best to develop a feeding routine. Some folks have timed feeders for overnight or when they are at work, so the cat gets a snack midday.

Lastly, theres lots and lots of info here, and on the main felinediabetes.com site. Do not forget to breathe! And check out the FAQ at your own pace.
We have folks in NYC if thats where you are, so dont be shy about asking for help.

Sending cyber hugs!
Click to expand...


Thanks so so much!
So I can feed it Friskies Turkey and Giblets according to the chart! Turkey and Giblets Dinner 33 60 7 0.2 260 187 12/05 are the figures

I cannot afford the Purina DM ....honestly...

If I make friends in NYC that is always cool. I am in NYC...

I need support. I am so scared in many ways.

Maybe I just need to adjust to this new way of life....

Now I am thinking: 2 cans per day for little kitty....split into feeding times. She is not at all fat. She has always been thin no matter how much she eats, that is why I wondered why she got diabetes. I also own a 23 pound cat.

She has not meowed in hunger...but I gave her a little bit of dry food snack...for noon.

I appreciate all of the help so far and the warm welcome.
 
first i want to say those numbers reeeeeeeally aren't too bad for being just diagnosed. most are diagnosed with numbers over 400. i want to make sure the vet did a fructosamine test to get the diagnosis?

next, don't give anymore insulin right now. there's a chance some got in to the cat and there's no way to know exactly how much so if you shoot more before the 12 hours is up, you could OD the cat.

and because work keeps pulling me away, here's the link to the lantus forum. at the top of it you will find some good info on lantus itself. i wouldn't worry so much about posting there just yet if you don't want, but the info at the top will help you understand the insulin you are working with
viewforum.php?f=9

eta: btw, yes Friskies Turkey & Giblets is fine. it's one of Mousie's favorites actually :)
 
Cindy + Mousie said:
first i want to say those numbers reeeeeeeally aren't too bad for being just diagnosed. most are diagnosed with numbers over 400. i want to make sure the vet did a fructosamine test to get the diagnosis?

next, don't give anymore insulin right now. there's a chance some got in to the cat and there's no way to know exactly how much so if you shoot more before the 12 hours is up, you could OD the cat.

and because work keeps pulling me away, here's the link to the lantus forum. at the top of it you will find some good info on lantus itself. i wouldn't worry so much about posting there just yet if you don't want, but the info at the top will help you understand the insulin you are working with
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=9

eta: btw, yes Friskies Turkey & Giblets is fine. it's one of Mousie's favorites actually :)
Click to expand...


Cindy And Mousie,

Yes the vet did a fructosamine test. It was in the thousands...They mentioned thousand or thousands...very high numbers/

Thanks for the link to Lantus Forums.

I took kitty to a very expensive vet...I cannot believe how much it was...but it was an emergency. I want to make sure she is ok.
Also, the remission rates? My husband seems to think that in 6 months it will be cured. Any tips on increasing the chance of it being cured/reversed?

Thanks again, sorry to bother!
 
NYCHousewife said:
I do not know if the injection worked properly and actually went through the cat's skin.

Her sugar has been high all morning: 250 , then 286 a short while ago.
Click to expand...

Don't worry about the failed injection. It happens to every newbie and the occasional old timer :smile: Do not ever give another injection after a "fur shot" because you risk ODing your cat.


Great that you're testing at home :thumbup Keep a log of the blood glucose numbers and when they were taken in relation to the insulin injection (2 hours, 3.5 hours, etc) The data will be very useful for you and your vet. Many people use a spreadsheet to keep track of the numbers. There's a template over in Tech: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=16


NYCHousewife said:
She has not gone pee pee...and I am thus unable to do a Keto Diagnostic stick.
Click to expand...

Your cat eventually has to use the litter box :smile: Some people just stalk the cat until the cat uses the litter box. You can temporarily replace the litter with fish tank gravel or something non-absorbant and just dip the urine test strip into the puddle of pee.


NYCHousewife said:
-Do I feed my kitty twice per day? She is thin
Click to expand...

Feed your cat as much as she wants but without gaining too much weight. Unregulated diabetics are always hungry.

Small frequent meals are best for many diabetic cats. You can use a timed feeder to allow your cat to have meals throughout the day.

NYCHousewife said:
-Are there any "over the counter" foods that I can buy at the pet shop for diabetes?
Click to expand...

Yes. Fancy Feast, Friskies, Wellness, and many other canned foods are good for your cat. Be sure to check out the canned food charts: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html Not all canned foods are low enough in carbs for a diabetic cat. You want to feed foods that have a number 10 or less in the carb column of the food charts.

NYCHousewife said:
--Should I give her more insulin?-Her dosage is 1 unit twice per day.
Click to expand...

No. 1 unit twice a day is plenty for your cat right now. Lantus needs time to "settle" in your cat's body before it really starts working.

The Lantus board is here: viewforum.php?f=9

Read through the stickies at the top of the board to understand how Lantus works for cats.
 
Welcome (and what is your name and your cat's name so we know what to call you?)

Just to clarify about testing... Are you using a glucometer to test or the Ketodiastix? In other words, are you testing blood or urine? If you are not getting a blood glucose (BG) test, I'd strongly encourage you to learn how to test. Urine glucose tests are terribly unreliable. They don't give readings for low numbers and what you are seeing on the dipstick is actually an hours old glucose level. Blood glucose tests give you the level at the actual point in time.

If your cat likes canned food, stick with the canned foods. Even the dry, low carb stuff has an effect on BG. Many cats' BG levels drop considerably once the dry food is out of their diet. It is just not a species appropriate diet.

Lantus has a wonderful track record for helping cats into remission. However, the rate is not 100%. In the Lantus forum, we follow a dosing protocol that is based on current research and that protocol has been very successful with respect to remission.
 
Sienne and Gabby said:
Welcome (and what is your name and your cat's name so we know what to call you?)

Just to clarify about testing... Are you using a glucometer to test or the Ketodiastix? In other words, are you testing blood or urine? If you are not getting a blood glucose (BG) test, I'd strongly encourage you to learn how to test. Urine glucose tests are terribly unreliable. They don't give readings for low numbers and what you are seeing on the dipstick is actually an hours old glucose level. Blood glucose tests give you the level at the actual point in time.

If your cat likes canned food, stick with the canned foods. Even the dry, low carb stuff has an effect on BG. Many cats' BG levels drop considerably once the dry food is out of their diet. It is just not a species appropriate diet.

Lantus has a wonderful track record for helping cats into remission. However, the rate is not 100%. In the Lantus forum, we follow a dosing protocol that is based on current research and that protocol has been very successful with respect to remission.
Click to expand...

My cat's name is Scooter, the other cat I have his name is Thurman! My name is Jo :)
I was testing urine when the cat was going outside the box. It was sky high, the highest reading on the Keto Diastalix.
I also tested her blood tonight and it was 346...the other day it was 286....

I was giving it one can per day, half in the AM and the other in PM before she got her insulin...but I am thinking that I am not feeding her enough perhaps, so I leave some food out for her to nosh on...

Sorry for the delay in my response...

My cat has been somewhat lethargic,, lying on my desk.

I tried using the paper pellet litter with hopes that I would be able to easily obtain urine for dipsticks, but she won't go in any other litter except the clumping litter. She has not gone #2 all day today.

I added a small layer on top of the paper pellet litter with hopes that she will go...but I may have to just accept that my cat is extremely finicky and won't use any other litter. She has gone #1 outside the box all day.

I even tried luring her with sweet talk, treats and such...petting.

In the past, when she got new litterboxes, I trained her with treats to the box. This is not as simple.

So....I hope my cat gets better. She has no sign of ketones in the stick.
 
Hi Jo,

I live in NJ, but work in NYC - a couple blocks from Penn Station actually. Not sure where in NY you are, but if you need someone to speak with, I'll PM you my phone. Sometimes having someone close by is helpful and easier to talk than write too.

Also, if you need help learning how to home test the bg, I could stop by after work sometime and help you. Let me know. I just helped someone else in NY the other day.

I am concerned that you say your cat is lethargic. How long has she been this way? How long since she pooped?

Until you are home testing the blood - DO NOT INCREASE the insulin. AND PLEASE NOTE that once you remove the dry and the DM (as it's higher carb), the insulin dose MAY be too high and will need to be reduced.

As diet plays a huge part in this.

As far as the food, you can return the dm for a refund. And yes, use the commercial canned foods instead.

And yes, you probably need to feed her more than 2 cans per day. Unregulated cats are starving and don't process food properly and therefore, do need more than the normal amount of food.

For example, when Maui learned to eat canned food, she could eat 2 cans of Fancy Feast in one sitting. I would also give her small meals throughout the day and she would eat that too, plus 1-2 cans at dinner.

Once the insulin kicked in and she got regulated this changed and she started eating normally again, with the occasional major hungry demand.

I have used:

Fancy Feast - classic varieties - such as turkey/giblets feast, chicken feast, beef feast, etc.

Friskies Special Diet - turkey & giblets, beef & chicken

EVO 95%

Nature's Logic canned only

Commercial raw foods include Nature's Variety and Feline's Pride (mail order only).

I am also making homemade raw now too.

So, yes, you have lots of low carb, affordable options that you can feed BOTH cats. After all, what's good for the diabetic is good for the non-diabetic too.
 
Please see my replies in CAPS :)


Hillary & Maui said:
Hi Jo,

I live in NJ, but work in NYC - a couple blocks from Penn Station actually. Not sure where in NY you are, but if you need someone to speak with, I'll PM you my phone. Sometimes having someone close by is helpful and easier to talk than write too.

Also, if you need help learning how to home test the bg, I could stop by after work sometime and help you. Let me know. I just helped someone else in NY the other day.
I HAVE BEEN HAVING SUCCESS WITH THE GLUCOMETER AND TESTING THE BLOOD FROM HER EAR...ONLY THING, STRIPS ARE SO PRICEY THAT I DO NOT TEST OFTEN.

I am concerned that you say your cat is lethargic. How long has she been this way? How long since she pooped?
SHE IS POOPING REGULARLY...
SHE IS LYING AROUND A LOT SINCE SHE BEGAN EXHIBITING THE FIRST SIGNS OF DIABETES

Until you are home testing the blood - DO NOT INCREASE the insulin. AND PLEASE NOTE that once you remove the dry and the DM (as it's higher carb), the insulin dose MAY be too high and will need to be reduced.

I GAVE THE CAT A FUR SHOT-I TESTED HER BLOOD AND IT WAS 285 SO I GAVE HER JUST 1/2 UNIT OF INSULIN TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE TONIGHT.

As diet plays a huge part in this.

As far as the food, you can return the dm for a refund. And yes, use the commercial canned foods instead.
SO FRISKIES TURKEY AND GIBELET CANS ARE BETTER THAN PURINA DM? WOW...I GUESS THE VETS LIKE TO PUSH THEIR FOOD PRECRIPTIONS???!

And yes, you probably need to feed her more than 2 cans per day. Unregulated cats are starving and don't process food properly and therefore, do need more than the normal amount of food.
I AM GIVING HER ONE CAN PER DAY PLUS SOME DRY FOOD TO NOSH ON...IF SHE IS HUNGRY SHE WILL EAT THE DRY FOOD I AM PRETTY SURE ??! :)

For example, when Maui learned to eat canned food, she could eat 2 cans of Fancy Feast in one sitting. I would also give her small meals throughout the day and she would eat that too, plus 1-2 cans at dinner.

Once the insulin kicked in and she got regulated this changed and she started eating normally again, with the occasional major hungry demand.

I have used:

Fancy Feast - classic varieties - such as turkey/giblets feast, chicken feast, beef feast, etc.

Friskies Special Diet - turkey & giblets, beef & chicken
THANKS FOR THE INFO ON THE FOODS!

EVO 95%

Nature's Logic canned only

Commercial raw foods include Nature's Variety and Feline's Pride (mail order only).

I am also making homemade raw now too.

So, yes, you have lots of low carb, affordable options that you can feed BOTH cats. After all, what's good for the diabetic is good for the non-diabetic too.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the help.

Today, I had a medical procedure...so am not up to par, and tomorrow looks like a rest day for me!

It may be helpful if I end up making a friend that could share with me injection tips with my cat...I watched the online videos and read tutorials...I just do not know. I think I am getting it most times, but she is not getting better....It has been a week tomorrow since I brought her to the vet.
 
Welcome Jo - you're in the right place here.
There are lots of smart, caring poeple to help you, or just listen if you need to talk. It's overwhelming at first and we understand.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top