New to FDMB: David and Smudge, 12, newly diagnosed

[Smudge's Human Dave]

Hi everyone,

I'm Dave, dad to Smudge, a 12-year-old tux who adopted us when he was a few months old.
Literally, he snuck into our house. We didn't even notice him at first, as he was very covert:
We already had two cats, one of them was also a tuxedo. We figured something was up when we found kibble scattered around the house, and then finding little kitten poops. Well, it took some time, but we caught him and, meowing and clawing, took him to the vet: he was a mess. It took a long time for him to warm up to us, but now he's demanding attention frequently. Like other feral cats I've had, he's very loyal but a bit wary of strange people. He sleeps outside our bedrooms at night, guarding us.

Last week, he was diagnosed with diabetes--probably from gorging himself on Friskey's dry food for years.
His Fructosamine was 393, just a bit over the line (350). He'd been drinking too much water and not grooming himself properly for a couple of weeks, so I took him in for testing. This is the first cat I've had with diabetes (that I know of)--I've had about 12 cats so far.

I cut off the dry food (Friskies), and switched him to pate (also Friskies).
Picked up a bottle of Senvelgo ($400!), and just started him on that yesterday.
We will take him back to the vet after 2 days on the meds, then 1 week after that, etc.

Questions for everyone here:
1. Any comments on Senvelgo? Figured I'd try that first, before insulin.
2. Any suggestions on testing at home? How often do I need to test with Senvalgo? As mentioned, Smudge was a feral cat, and does not take easily to being handled. Also, we have another cat, so I'm not sure how to get urine from him.
3. What other questions should I be asking?

Thanks in advance, glad to find this group!
-Dave (and Smudge).

PS. I tried to upload a photo of Smudge, but when I click the "upload a file" button, it says, "You do not have permission". Any suggestions?

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB!

We have info on Senvelgo. It's hidden in the New Treatments for Feline Diabetes post at the top of this board. We haven't had a great number of members using Senvelgo but there are a few! The only question mark for me is whether a cat can go into remission with Senvelgo. I don't think there's data that suggests you can stop the medication once your cat's numbers are regulated.

With cats on insulin, we suggest testing 4 times each day -- before each shot and once during the AM and PM cycles. Obviously, this is different with a once a day medication. I would probably want to test twice a day until you have a feel for what Smudge's numbers are doing. Again, we don't have a great deal of feedback on how members assess their cat's progress on Senvelgo.

For urine, it may be a matter of stalking Smudge to the litter box. If you can put a spoon, ladle, or container or even a test strip into his uring stream, you could test for ketones. We recommend an ear prick for the purpose of home testing for blood glucose.

The upload feature has been nonfunctional for some time. You can copy and paste a photo into the text box. There's also a means to add Smudge's photo as your avatar from the profile page.

 

[JL and Chip]

How long before starting Senvelgo did you remove the dry food and switch to canned only?

Was any additional blood glucose testing done after the food switch?

I ask because you mentioned that Smudge’s fructosamine was just a little over the line into diabetic territory and switching to a low-carb diet can lower BG significantly. For some cats, a diet switch is all that's needed (my Chip was one of those cases). I’m not sure what Senvelgo would do in a cat whose BG is already in normal or near normal range, but I’d certainly try very hard do some at-home BG testing to be safe.

I’m currently treating a diabetic (former) feral too. She’s come to tolerate testing and shots remarkably well but I fully understand how hard it can be.

Please let us know how Smudge is doing.

 

[Smudge's Human Dave]

Hi All, thanks for the comments and suggestions.
I just started Smudge on the Senvelgo two days ago, and made the switch to wet food four days ago, so not really any data yet.
I'll take him to the vet today for BG and Keytone testing. He seems better, though, more energetic; so, I think all is good so far.
I presume that with cats, like people, it's easy to tell when their BG is too low. As for keytones, probably I can tell from smell?
Any thoughts on that? Hi BG can smell sweet in people. I figure smell and behavior are pretty good indicators.

I'm leaving for 2 weeks next week, so I wanted to get him stabilized before I go. My son, 27, will be taking care of him.
He doesn't have much experience dealing with sick cats, so hopefully we'll get this sorted out before I leave.

Here's a pic of me and Smudge. ;-)

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

The only thing you should be on the look out for is if your cat's breath smells like acetone (i.e., like nail polish remover). That's a danger signal that ketones are present.

Don't presume it's always easy to tell if your cat's blood glucose is too low. If you're seeing symptoms of hypoglycemia, that's truly a problem and you need to break out some form of syrup (e.g., corn syrup, maple syrup) or honey or anything that is high in carbs. Not all cats give you fair warning that their numbers are dropping. My cat would sit and stare at me.

 

[Smudge's Human Dave]

Hi Sienne, Thank you for the suggestion (acetone breath). I'm taking him back to the Vet on Friday (2 days) for a glucose curve.
He seems fine, except for some problems with his mouth--which I'll put in a separate post. Thanks again, Dave (and Smudge).

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Do you think your son would test the urine for ketones while you are away?
It’s a matter of collecting a urine sample and then dipping a test strip into it…..very easy

 

[Smudge's Human Dave]

Thanks for the suggestion, Bron. I'm not sure how to collect the urine sample.
How do you do it?

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

COLLECTING A URINE SAMPLE
You will need a bottle of ketostix which you can get from Walmart or a pharmacy. And you read the result of the test on the colours on the side of the bottle exactly 15 seconds after dipping the strip into the urine.
Smudge is a beautiful boy by the way!