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Hudson's Mom

Member Since 2013
Hello everyone,

I'm Mary Anne, in Canton Ohio. My 6 yr old cat Hudson was diagnosed with diabetes on top of being diagnosed with fibrosarcoma in April :/ This on top of losing two of my older cats who'd been chronically ill, one for a year and one for a year and a half. So it's been a rough year! Anyway, after two surgeries, Hudson appears now to be cancer free. With the stress of the surgeries and uncontrolled diabetes, he has lost about three pounds :/ He gets staples removed tomorrow, and I'm going to have a lesson on giving insulin shots, but Hudson is so very thin and this makes me terrified of hurting him. I have given sub-cutaneous fluids myself before, to one of my cats who passed away last spring, so that's something. He has been prescribed the Lantus insulin, 1.5 units, 2x / per day, with the hope that once I can transition him completely to wet food, this will help him go into a remission. The vet is pretty adamant about the Purina DM food, and Hudson really does like the savory select variety. He'll eat the other DM canned if I mix it with some Fancy Feast. Hudson has always been a big dry food eater, and my cats have always had dry food available to them. I haven't taken it away completely yet while he is recovering, but I did switch to Wellness Core variety, after reading Dr. Pierson's food chart. I see it has much higher quality proteins in it. I keep Hudson drinking lots of water with adding some tuna water to his dish. One of my cats who died was a CRF kitty (Millie) and tuna water was all she would drink toward the end. Hudson was always trying to drink it, too! At the vet today, Hudson's blood glucose today was 421. She ran a test for fructosamine and a urine culture. She is a very thorough vet. I've been doing the urine glucose testing/ketone testing, and the vet is going to teach me to how to blood glucose testing myself @ home so I don't have to take Hudson in so much. All of his vets terrify Hudson like the idea of giving him a shot terrifies me!

There is so much knowledge here on this board! Thank you all for sharing! I'm trying to read the other "newbie" posts for advice. One thing I wondered in looking at your spreadsheets in your signatures, have you all created your own, or is there a template in google docs linked somewhere that any member can download and use? I would like to start keeping track of Hudson's shots, etc.

Many thanks,
Mary Anne
 
Welcome to FDMB!

If you've done sub-Q fluids, giving insulin is very similar, except you don't have to leave the needle in there and the needle is much thinner. You'll be OK with that.

You vet can be as adament as he or she wants, but if the cat won't eat it unadulterated, you can return the unused portion and feed low carb over the counter foods as you saw on Cat Info. Yes, your vet might miss out on a sale, but its what your budget and your cat can accommodate. Cat don't need dry food either - it doesn't do anything for the teeth and if makes the kidneys work much harder, possibly leading to renal disease.

Testing with a human glucometer (much less expensive than a pet-specific glucometer! Don't agree to an AlphaTrak - we have reference numbers for human glucometers.) requires a decent glucometer, ample test strips, and lancets. The Arkray USA Glucocard 01 is available from our shopping partner ADW (link above) or you may purchase it locally as the WalMart ReliOn Confirm (also a shopping partner if you order at the link above). Figure on testing before shots, for safety, about halfway between the shots when you can, and snag a before bed test so you can be sure he'll be OK overnight.
 
Hi Mary Anne and sugardude Hudson and welcome to the FDMB. As you have discovered for yourself by reading other posts, there is a lot of information here to help you manage the day-to-day care for your newly diagnosed extra sweet Hudson.

The 3 keys to treating feline diabetes are food, insulin and home testing.

The Purina DM Savory Selects canned are 10% carbs so an ok food for a diabetic cat. The Purina DM canned is 3% carbs so good also, but cats often get tired of the taste after a while. I'm not surprised that you need to mix in some Fancy Feast to get Hudson to eat the DM. Wellness Core is a good dry food until you can completely transition Hudson to wet food.

Does your cat have another medical condition that makes your vet adamant about feeding the Purina DM foods?

Ear testing tips in case you have not already seen them.

Ear Testing Psychology is also very good, explaining how to make your cat more comfortable with the process. Written by member Kpassa.


How much does Hudson weigh now? Is he underweight, overweight or ideal weight? I ask because most cats only need 1U of Lantus to start. It's easier and safer to start at a lower dose and work up in the dose, then to go down the dosing scale.

My sympathies are with you on the loss of your two other cats and the tough time Hudson has been having with the cancer. Sending tons of {{{{{Hugs}}}}} to you.
 
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