Cat was diagnosed a little over a week ago with glucose level at 630 initially. Did one week so vesulin 2 ml twice daily with Hills prescription metabolic dry cat food from vet. After reading several things on this site I returned to the vet 1 week later. Glucose down to 550. Vesulin increased to 3 ml twice daily. I mentioned what I learned about wet food vs dry. She said that was not what she was taught and she would look into it. She called me back later that day and said their was no big difference in the Hills prescription dry and wet but I could by wet if I wanted but she recommended Hills prescription. I also mentioned possibility of remission. She said most cats get diabetes secondary to obesity. My Callie was never obese and is only 4 years old. She thought remission would not happen with my cat. I'm just feeling very confused between what I read here and instructions from my vet. I'm a single mom with a stray cat that we have adopted and had almost three years. Not sure I can afford this but want to do the right thing. Feeling stressed. Another stress is my cat tested with a weak positive? For heart worms. Vet said she could give a shot to kill micro something for $93. Have not done this yet. I have already spent close to $300. Sorry for the whining. Overwhelmed.
New to FD
- Thread starter Hope Keys
- Start date
- Status
jayla-n-Drevon
Member Since 2015
Welcome and take a breath!
Most vets get about 30 minutes of learning about diabetes in vet school-(and that was usually many years ago much has changed)
No cat is designed to eat dry food and especially not a diabetic cat. The prescription food is too high in carbs as well. We aim for under 10% carbs.
Fancy feast classic varieties are most popular here and there is a food chart along with tons of other info.
Some cats who have been on steroids or have bad teeth tend to be predisposed to diabetes.
As far as remission... @Gill & George or @Tara & Ivana or @Mandarin'sMom or @Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey or @Marje and Gracie
These are very few of the people who have experienced remission but having good control is what is most important --remission is a bonus
The most important things are to learn to home test- we usually increase by .25 as you may skip right over the right dose--
diet is very important and many use a auto feeder-
I am sure others will stop by so I will just say relax and take the information in as best you can and remember this is a process and your in good hands here.
Most vets get about 30 minutes of learning about diabetes in vet school-(and that was usually many years ago much has changed)
No cat is designed to eat dry food and especially not a diabetic cat. The prescription food is too high in carbs as well. We aim for under 10% carbs.
Fancy feast classic varieties are most popular here and there is a food chart along with tons of other info.
Some cats who have been on steroids or have bad teeth tend to be predisposed to diabetes.
As far as remission... @Gill & George or @Tara & Ivana or @Mandarin'sMom or @Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey or @Marje and Gracie
These are very few of the people who have experienced remission but having good control is what is most important --remission is a bonus
The most important things are to learn to home test- we usually increase by .25 as you may skip right over the right dose--
diet is very important and many use a auto feeder-
I am sure others will stop by so I will just say relax and take the information in as best you can and remember this is a process and your in good hands here.
Welcome to FDMB. Jayla is correct that dry food is not the best for any cat much less diabetic cats and the prescription diets are such poor quality (and many are very high carb). As she also said, many here who need to also watch the $$ feed Fancy Feast Classic pates with great success. There are many reasons why cats might get diabetes and obesity is just one (and usually obesity is because they were fed a dry, high carb diet).
Vetsulin is not the best choice for diabetic cats as an insulin. It is a very harsh insulin that can drop them very quickly and then numbers head back up because it has a fairly short duration. While some cats have gone into remission with it, the chances of remission are much, much better with other insulins such as ProZinc, Lantus, or Levemir. Prozinc is a medium duration insulin designed for cats and Lantus and Levemir are long duration human insulins which work excellent in cats. The latter two are fairly expensive although many, many members get their insulin from Marks Marine Pharmacy in Canada at just a fraction of the price.
No one can really predict which cats will go into remission and which will not (BTW, my sweet Gracie did not go into remission but was very well regulated). However, I usually encourage members to first concentrate on getting regulation before they worry about remission.
Vetsulin is not the best choice for diabetic cats as an insulin. It is a very harsh insulin that can drop them very quickly and then numbers head back up because it has a fairly short duration. While some cats have gone into remission with it, the chances of remission are much, much better with other insulins such as ProZinc, Lantus, or Levemir. Prozinc is a medium duration insulin designed for cats and Lantus and Levemir are long duration human insulins which work excellent in cats. The latter two are fairly expensive although many, many members get their insulin from Marks Marine Pharmacy in Canada at just a fraction of the price.
No one can really predict which cats will go into remission and which will not (BTW, my sweet Gracie did not go into remission but was very well regulated). However, I usually encourage members to first concentrate on getting regulation before they worry about remission.
Thanks. This vet is young. I may need to seek a new oneWelcome and take a breath!
Most vets get about 30 minutes of learning about diabetes in vet school-(and that was usually many years ago much has changed)
No cat is designed to eat dry food and especially not a diabetic cat. The prescription food is too high in carbs as well. We aim for under 10% carbs.
Fancy feast classic varieties are most popular here and there is a food chart along with tons of other info.
Some cats who have been on steroids or have bad teeth tend to be predisposed to diabetes.
As far as remission... @Gill & George or @Tara & Ivana or @Mandarin'sMom or @Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey or @Marje and Gracie
These are very few of the people who have experienced remission but having good control is what is most important --remission is a bonus
The most important things are to learn to home test- we usually increase by .25 as you may skip right over the right dose--
diet is very important and many use a auto feeder-
I am sure others will stop by so I will just say relax and take the information in as best you can and remember this is a process and your in good hands here.
Thanks
You would think that perhaps the young ones right out of vet school might be a little more knowledgeable but they aren’t. As with everything, we must be our own and our cats’ advocates but you have taken a big first step in coming here.
We are not vets, but we have a lot of experience.
We are not vets, but we have a lot of experience.
BJM
Member Since 2010
If you go vet hunting, you might find these Vet Interview Topics helpful. While you work on blood glucose testing, you may find some of the Secondary Monitoring Tools in my signature helpful in evaluating your cat. Many of them are the questions asked at a veterinary appointment.
Chris & China (GA)
Member Since 2013
Here's some more good information on heartworm testing in cats....the type of testing done makes a difference in what the results mean
Tara & Ivana (GA)
Member Since 2015
Hi @Hope Keys and welcome to the forum! Sorry you have to be here, but it's the best place for the best information.
As @jayla-n-Drevon mentioned when she tagged me, my Ivana went into remission in mid-April - this was after 7.5 months on Lantus, most of that time pretty turbulent (as far as I'm concerned, anyway!). Her remission was quite sudden and unexpected and she started this journey obese (she's since lost a bit of weight), so don't believe your vet if they say remission is not an option for Callie. It really depends on the cat, so don't bank on it but never say never either
Agree with the others re wet food being better than dry, not sure where you are located but there will no doubt be an affordable option for you, probably from a supermarket or pet warehouse-type of place - diabetes doesn't have to cost the earth to manage. Good luck!
As @jayla-n-Drevon mentioned when she tagged me, my Ivana went into remission in mid-April - this was after 7.5 months on Lantus, most of that time pretty turbulent (as far as I'm concerned, anyway!). Her remission was quite sudden and unexpected and she started this journey obese (she's since lost a bit of weight), so don't believe your vet if they say remission is not an option for Callie. It really depends on the cat, so don't bank on it but never say never either
Agree with the others re wet food being better than dry, not sure where you are located but there will no doubt be an affordable option for you, probably from a supermarket or pet warehouse-type of place - diabetes doesn't have to cost the earth to manage. Good luck!
Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey
Member Since 2011
Hi Hope.
Welcome to FDMB. You will find a lot of good info here, and a ton of very compassionate, experienced people that want to help. We were all new and scared and overwhelmed once, so we understand how you feel right now. Most of us had less than optimal experiences with our vets, too. Jayla was exaggerating a little about their training, but she was close. My cats have been treated at the #1 veterinary teaching hospital in the US, UC Davis, and I was told by a third year student there that they get 5 hours of training in diabetes, and that includes both cats and dogs. Most vets have very little experience with treating diabetes in cats, because, sadly, a lot of owners choose euthanization rather than going through the time and expense needed to properly treat.
As Marje mentioned, we are not vets here, but many of us have had years of experience dealing with FD 24/7, some of us with more than one cat at a time (we have one lady here with 4 or 5 right now - I've lost track). My Cinco was near death when diagnosed, but we chose to treat, despite our vet advising to let him go. We found this site and followed the guidance here, and in less than three months he was in remission. This is not typical, but I'm just telling you this to let you know there is hope.
My best advice to you is to read as much of the information here as you can, and ask a LOT of questions. The only dumb question is the one you don't ask. Talk to your vet about switching to one of the insulins that Marje mentioned, and get a meter and learn to test at home (it's cheaper than having the vet do it, and more accurate as stress can cause the numbers to be higher). We can help you learn to do that. Do not let the vet talk you into getting a veterinary meter. The strips are ridiculously expensive. We can recommend some good human meters - just ask.
As mentioned above, Fancy Feast classic pates are a reasonably priced, diabetic friendly food. If you would like other options, look at Dr. Lisa's Food Chart (that's a hot link to the site). You want something that is less than 10% carbs. If your cat is accustomed to eating dry food and doesn't seem interested in switching to moist, HERE are some tips to help you transition.
We're glad you found us!
Welcome to FDMB. You will find a lot of good info here, and a ton of very compassionate, experienced people that want to help. We were all new and scared and overwhelmed once, so we understand how you feel right now. Most of us had less than optimal experiences with our vets, too. Jayla was exaggerating a little about their training, but she was close. My cats have been treated at the #1 veterinary teaching hospital in the US, UC Davis, and I was told by a third year student there that they get 5 hours of training in diabetes, and that includes both cats and dogs. Most vets have very little experience with treating diabetes in cats, because, sadly, a lot of owners choose euthanization rather than going through the time and expense needed to properly treat.
As Marje mentioned, we are not vets here, but many of us have had years of experience dealing with FD 24/7, some of us with more than one cat at a time (we have one lady here with 4 or 5 right now - I've lost track). My Cinco was near death when diagnosed, but we chose to treat, despite our vet advising to let him go. We found this site and followed the guidance here, and in less than three months he was in remission. This is not typical, but I'm just telling you this to let you know there is hope.
My best advice to you is to read as much of the information here as you can, and ask a LOT of questions. The only dumb question is the one you don't ask. Talk to your vet about switching to one of the insulins that Marje mentioned, and get a meter and learn to test at home (it's cheaper than having the vet do it, and more accurate as stress can cause the numbers to be higher). We can help you learn to do that. Do not let the vet talk you into getting a veterinary meter. The strips are ridiculously expensive. We can recommend some good human meters - just ask.
As mentioned above, Fancy Feast classic pates are a reasonably priced, diabetic friendly food. If you would like other options, look at Dr. Lisa's Food Chart (that's a hot link to the site). You want something that is less than 10% carbs. If your cat is accustomed to eating dry food and doesn't seem interested in switching to moist, HERE are some tips to help you transition.
We're glad you found us!
Lisa and Witn (GA)
Member Since 2009
One important thing is that if you are changing to a low carb diet you also need to decrease your insulin dose. If you don't you have a high risk of your cat becoming hypoglycemic. This could be dangerous or deadly. Three units of any insulin is a high dose for any cat that was recently diagnosed.
We recommend that you learn how to home test so you can determine how diet and dose change are working and to prevent giving insulin when it is not needed.
Where are you located? We may have a member near you that can recommend a good vet.
We recommend that you learn how to home test so you can determine how diet and dose change are working and to prevent giving insulin when it is not needed.
Where are you located? We may have a member near you that can recommend a good vet.
I'm located in south west KY
BJM
Member Since 2010
More specifically, reports here from folks who were testing and changed to low carb indicate that the glucose may drop 100-200 mg/dL and the insulin dose may (not will) drop by 1-2 units.
Also, vet stress frequently raises the glucose by 100-180 mg/dL, according to an article someone reported a while ago.
This is why we so strongly encourage home monitoring. I stayed up all night at the beginning because Spitzer was so sensitive to carbs in food and I didn't realize how much his glucose would drop with the change!
Also, vet stress frequently raises the glucose by 100-180 mg/dL, according to an article someone reported a while ago.
This is why we so strongly encourage home monitoring. I stayed up all night at the beginning because Spitzer was so sensitive to carbs in food and I didn't realize how much his glucose would drop with the change!
- Status