new to message board - need advice. please!

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jjjanieam

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Hi,

I am new to this message board and also new to this whole feline diabetes problem. My cat, Pasquale, was diagnosed with diabetes in mid December; however, I believe he has been diabetic for at least a year or two (he was being taking care of by a family member whom didn't realize he was diabetic and therefore, he was never treated). I only recently got his blood sugar levels under control. He receives insulin twice a day and is now on a diet consisting strictly of only Fancy Food Classic can food. In addition to his diabetes, he had an ultrasound done which showed some kidney problems which was treated with antibiotics. I am very happy to see him moving better and putting on some weight. He used to be overweight but he lost a lot of weight and at one point was only a little over 6 pounds. I remember coming home one day to find him drowning his face in the water dish and he was unable to stand up or even move. I immediately rushed him to the vet, where they kept him there for a week, but we weren't sure if he was going to make it -- luckily, he did!! He is only 12 so I hope he he has a lot more time to live a healthy and happy life. I struggled a lot at first with giving him his injections and keeping him healthy but he seems to be doing a lot better.

Although his blood sugar is at a good number, he continues to vomit a lot. He is on a medication called metoclopramide. The vet says he may have a case of IBS and that medication prevents him from vomiting. My only concern is, is it OK for him to be on this medication forever? Could the vomiting be related to something else instead of IBS? The minute I take him off the medication, he goes right back to vomiting. If anyone else has experienced this, please let me know!

Also, he is constantly starving! He meows constantly and is always trying to eat my food, go through the garbage, etc. Is this normal even though his sugar is ok? I feed him morning and night before his insulin and then also I give him a little bit of food mid day and in the middle of the night. I try not to give him much in between his insulin because I know the food raises his blood sugar.

If anyone has any advice, help or tips, please let me know! I could use all the advice I could get! Thank you :)
 
Hello and Welcome.
You and your sweet kitty are in the right place.
First things first. Great that you got your kitty on the right diet. Let him eat all he wants right now ok, everything. and some pepcid may help his tummy and stop his vomiting.
Next and really most importantly are you testing your kitty's blood sugar or is the vet? you mentioned it was alright.
I have 'newbie kits' that contains all you need to hometest your kitty which is kind of imperitive in diabetes. or let me know if you just want to run off to a local store, even walmart and buy the equipment

and exactly which insulin are you using?

looking forward to getting to know you and your kitty! :-D

lori
and tomtom too!
 
Thank you for the fast response! He eats about 4 cans total per day (maybe a little less) Should I feed him more? He eats a can in like 3 minutes! The vet tests his sugar but a newbie kit sounds great! I need to learn how to do home testing - the vet never even told me about that! He is on Humulin N. Thanks again for the fast response :) I feel so relieved to be able to talk to people who are dealing with the same problems!
 
Just a bit more info will be helpful for people to response and give you some good advice and tips.
1. what insulin are you using?
2. What dose are you giving?
3. Are you home testing his BG and what are the numbers?

For foods, refer to this link and look for foods that are under 10% carbs:
Binky’s Food Lists
Feeding Your Cat: Know The Basics of Feline Nutrition

How much are you feeding now? Before becoming regulated, many cats eat alot; the nutrients in the foods are not getting absorbed, so they are always hungry. One of my cats was eating around 30oz per day, but is down to maybe 12-15oz a day now.

I have no knowledge on the IBS or meds you are giving but I am sure others will have info for you.
 
What size cans of food are you feeding? One of mine was eating around 30oz/day before he was regulated, but he is now eating maybe 12oz/day now that he is regulated. It is preferable to feed more frequently because you want the blood sugar to level off, not spike with foods.
Here are some food links. Please look through the Binky's listings for foods that are under 10% carbs.
Binky’s Food Lists
Feeding Your Cat: Know The Basics of Feline Nutrition

The insulin you are giving is quite harsh; you may want to think about using a more gentle insulin like Lantus or Levemir as you will have a better chance of regulating your cat or even getting him off insulin.

Some info on the insulin you are giving:
Humulin Primer Info

What dose of this insulin are you giving?

You may want to give the pepcid before the insulin so that it's ready to work.
Give only 1/4 tab of Pepcid AC 10mg twice a day. The max per day is 5mg. Hopefully the pepcid will help with the harshness of this insulin.

Please ask any questions you have; someone will be able to help.
 
Oops didn't realize I had posted this twice! Thanks for the response!

I am using Humilin N. He receives 3 units twice a day and I do not home test him. I take him to the vet frequently for testing. He eats about 12 ounces a day only because the vet told me not to feed him much in between insulin injections
 
Humulin is a rather harsh insulin. In most cats, it tends to hit fast (within 3 hours or so), go low and then heads right back up. Some cats do okay with it and get a longer surf. You will know how it is working when you start testing. Here is some info on Humulin: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=303 Three units twice daily is a pretty big dose; I will be really happy when you are hometesting and know what your numbers are.
 
Hi jjjanieam, and, of course, you too, sweet Pasquale,

jjjanieam said:
I am using Humilin N. He receives 3 units twice a day and I do not home test him. I take him to the vet frequently for testing. He eats about 12 ounces a day only because the vet told me not to feed him much in between insulin injections
Click to expand...

Would you consider home testing Pasquale? The reason I'm asking is that by doing so, you'll get truer BG (blood glucose) readings at home than at the vet's. You know how some people get nervous going to the doctor's (white coat syndrome)? Well, many animals get nervous going to the vet's. It's called vet stress. Let's hypothetically take that vet stress one step further, okay?

Let's say Pasquale suffers from vet stress. His BG readings there could be 100+ points higher than at home. His vet is basing his insulin dose on those higher readings. Therefore, Pasquale could be in jeopardy of getting too much insulin. Make sense?

And, speaking of insulin (how's that for a segue?), would you consider changing Pasquale's insulin? Why? Because Humulin N is made for humans. Cats metabolize insulin about twice as fast as humans. With the exception of very few cats here, N is not a good insulin for cats because it is simply too fast acting and does not last long enough to provide coverage for 12 hours. Lantus, Levemir, and/or PZI (ProZinc) are much more cat-friendly insulins as they are much gentler, have a slower onset, and last longer.

I wish I could help you with the IBS, dear jjjanieam; but, like Gayle, I have no experience with that, although some others here do.

If you post your general location (no specifics necessary), perhaps one of us lives near you and could teach you how to home test your precious Pasquale. I humbly hope you'll consider doing so. You won't regret it. I also humbly hope you'll consider changing his insulin, too.


Welcome to the place you never wanted to be; but, will be blessed for having found.

Love and encouraging hugs for you both,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, forever dancing in my heart...
 
Thank you for all the support and advice. I am relieved to talk to people who understand what me and Pasquale are going through. I will definitely talk to the vet about home testing and changing his insulin. I want the best for him. I just moved from Bergen County, New Jersey to Rockland County, New York. If anyone is around that area who could help with home testing, please let me know! It took me a while to become comfortable with the needles used for his insulin. Needles, blood, etc have always made me squeamish and given me some anxiety! :/
 
Start a new topic with the subject line - vet needed in Rockland County NY. Maybe we have someone who lives near you and can help with a vet and testing help. I will post for you on the community forum too.
 
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