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lgunn23

lgunn23

Member Since 2016
Hi, so I'm realizing very quickly that my life is going to change pretty drastically caring for a diabetic cat. I found out from my vet today that my male cat is suffering from diabetes. I have to say I feel horrible about this news. I feel like a horrible pet owner, and that I may have caused this. I have read that a diet change, and home testing can sometimes reduce the need for insulin or completely get rid of the need for insulin. Any information on these subjects would be greatly appreciated. I go to the vet tomorrow to talk about treatment. Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
Hello and welcome to FDMB. Take a deep breathe and try to relax. Yes things are going to change but not nearly as much as you might think. There is a learning curve and but you'll be surprised how easy this can be. We've all been there and understand how guilty and overwhelmed you are feeling. For starters, you did NOT cause this and you are NOT a horrible pet owner. You are a GREAT pet owner because you took your kitty to the vet, got the diagnosis and are being proactive about learning how to treat and help your cat. Sad to say, that is not always the case so your kitty is very lucky to have you! Treating a diabetic cat takes a little practice and a little organization but it's not hard and in a short time, you and your cat will settle into a slightly different routine and wonder why you were so worried.

Diet can have a very dramatic effect on sugar levels and the best diet for your cat is canned food with less than 10% carbs. Not sure where you are located but in the US and Canada, Fancy Feast pates are a popular economical choice along with Friskies pates. The pates are lowest in carbs whereas anything with gravy is a bit higher so we only use the gravy foods when and if kitty needs a quick "carb" boost. Your vet may recommend some prescription food like Purina DM or Hills m/d. Both are expensive and while the canned foods are OK, they are not optimal and the dry foods are definitely too high in carbs. Unless your cat has other health issues for which diet is a critical issue, Rx foods are not necessary.

If your cat has been on a kibble diet, you may want to discuss trying a diet change before starting insulin. This may not be an option if there are other health concerns but you should definitely be home testing when changing the diet and giving insulin at the same time. Lower carb diets can mean a significant decrease in the need for insulin and sometime get a cat into remission. It's also important to note that most cats suffer from vet stress hyperglycemia and that can raise their sugar readings at the vet's by 100 points (5-6 mmol if you are not in the US) or more in some cases. So while the readings the vet has taken indicate diabetes, the readings may in fact be lower when taken at home when kitty is comfortable and chilling out. We strongly advocate home testing here to keep kitty safe.

Most people here use human glucometers to home test and there are lots of options available. Many US folks use one of the Relion meters from Walmart. If you let us know where you are located we can help you find an economical choice. Your vet may recommend a pet meter called the AlphaTrak2. It's a good meter but the strips are expensive (almost double the cost of human strips) and they are not readily available locally so would have to be ordered online or purchased from your vet or a pet pharmacy. If your vet uses a pet meter and you decide to use a human meter, make sure your vet knows and is aware than pet meters read higher than human meters. All the reference numbers in the documentation on this forum are based on use of a human meter unless specifically stated otherwise.

Let us know how your appt. goes tomorrow and how we can help you and we'll get you started learning the steps to this sugar dance. :)
 
Welcome.
Good insulin are the human Lantus and Levemir and the pet insulins ProZinc and BCP PZI. For those two human insulin it is best to get the 5 pack of 3 ml disposable pens via a 10 ml vial. Although per ml the vial is less expensive most cats will not use up a 10 ml vial before the insulin goes bad/becomes ineffective. The human insulin N/NPH is sometimes prescribed but only lasts 8-10 hours. Same for the pet insulin Vetsulin/Caninisulin.
Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
Here is a list of commercial low-carb canned

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
 
:bighug:Welcome to the FDMB, Igunn...what are your and your kitty's names? Don't feel bad or call yourself a bad cat owner...You are a good owner or you wouldn't be here looking for help.

It's the pet food industry who have created the problem. But, to be fair...in years past, none of them realized that feeding such a diet would hurt cats. They are learning now...but being stubborn. Trying to backpedal a bit by changing recipies. But it's not enough. It's not just that cats need a meat based diet..it's that a diet anything other than what cats are meant to eat, will do damage. It will take an informed public to effect real change.

People assume that if companies are allowed to sell it..it must be ok. Put that down to an agressive, consumer driven market...which came first, the chicken or the egg? It takes time for business and industry to catch up with science.

Unfortunately because of the way our societies' time schedules are structured, and because it's convenient, some will still feed it to their kitties. But we do that with ourselves, too...look at the unhealthy foods most humans eat now:(, and I'm as guilty as the rest when it comes to my own diet. I should know better..and my own health will suffer for it later... *stuffs a brownie into mouth* It's called Being Human.

Any way..Now you are on the right track. Welcome to the message board. Everyone here will help you out.
 
Welcome to FDMB.
While you get started with the food change and learning to home test, check out my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for some other helpful assessments to evaluate how your cat is doing, particularly dehydration checks, hunger and thirst, and urine ketones and glucose.
 
Welcome!

If someone had come along when Bandit was first diagnosed and told me exactly how easy treating Bandit's diabetes would be with a little time and experience, I wouldn't have believed them one bit. So, all I'll say is that once you get over the learning curve, things will get so much better for you!:)

It is true that many cats go into remission with the right treatment! Bandit's been diabetic for 7 years, but only needed insulin for less than 2 of those years. There are three key components to having a very good chance of remision: 1. the right diet, 2. the right insulin, and 3. dose adjustments via daily home testing.

For diet, you'll want to switch to a low carb, canned food. This can be any commerical food. There's a chart here that gives the nutritional breakdown of many foods, and all you need to do is switch to something less than 10% carbs (but preferably less than 8%) that your cat likes. You'll want to completely get rid of the dry food. You can add water or freeze canned food to use in an auto feeder if you need to feed your cat when you're not home. I would start the diet change right away, before you start insulin. Some cats can go into remission just from the diet change alone, before they even need insulin.

However, most cats will need a course of insulin for a little while, at least. Lantus and Levemir have the best remission rates in cats. Prozinc/PZI is also ok to use, with rates a bit lower but still good. Vetsulin and NPH/Humulin N do not have a good duration of action in cats and should not be used. Lantus is very pricy in the U.S., but you can get a script from your vet and order from an online Canadian pharmacy with much more reasonable prices.

Home testing is absolutely necessary for good control over your cat's blood sugar. You can use a human meter or a pet meter, but the human meters have less expensive strips. You'll need to test a few times a day, so you'll want to pick a meter where can afford the strips to do daily testing. Home testing seems hard a first, but there are ton of tips here that can help you learn it. Some cats may struggle at first, but if you relax while you're doing it and give them a diabetic safe treat after each test, even the most fractious of cats will come around. :)

With those three things combined, newly diagnosed cats have a very high remission rate (80+% with Lantus). So there's a very good chance for your kitty! Even if he is one of the few that doesn't get there, he can still live comfortably many more years with the right treatment.
 
Hello and welcome to you and your kitty.

I don't know where you're located, but just in case you might be based in the UK, current EU veterinary prescibing rules require that Caninsulin (aka Vetsulin) must be prescribed first. It may not be the best cat insulin but some cats do famously on it and may achieve remission. If Caninsulin can be proven ineffective in a cat (e.g. through home test BG data) vets in the UK can prescribe longer-acting insulins under drug cascade rules.


Mogs
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Wow, thank you all so much! I was so stressed out last night I forgot an actual introduction. My name is Lindsay, and my handsome cat Bear is the newly diabetic. We currently reside in Salt Lake City, Utah (United States). Bear is almost 8 years old, and his down fall is food. He has always been a big eater from the time he was a kitten. I bottle fed him and he would always finish twice as much as his brothers and sisters. I noticed a change in behavior, but shrugged it off as him just being lazy. It wasn't until he dropped from 16 pounds to 11 that I knew for sure we had a problem. I switched his food immediately after finding out the news to canned food, so hopefully that helps. We finished at the vet a few hours ago and she started him on 1 unit of Prozinc two times a day. She is going to have him back in about a week to do a glucose curve, and I'm hoping to see a difference with the low dose and diet change. The actual administering of insulin isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm just so worried now about giving him the right dose. I've got a lot to learn, but I appreciate the kind words more than you know. Thank you!
 
Hi Lindsay! Bear is one handsome fellow! Ok so I have a soft spot for black kitties :cat:but he's gorgeous!

ProZinc is a good insulin for kitties. It's a 40u insulin and your vet should have provided you with the correct syringes to use with it so you shouldn't have any problem making sure you give 1 unit. If you have any questions about drawing up the insulin let us know.

Did your vet discuss home testing with you at all? We strongly recommend home testing here especially when changing diet and giving insulin at the same time. The Relion meters available at Walmart are probably the most economical option available for you and we can help you learn how to test even if your vet didn't mention it. Not only does it help keep kitty safe, but it saves you from the expense of vet curves which often are inaccurate because our cats usually suffer from stress related hyperglycemia which can make the readings in the vet's office 100 points or more higher than they are at home.

I know right now this seems like a lot to learn but you will soon get into a routine and find this isn't nearly as hard as you're expecting it to be right now. Keep the questions coming and we will help you get up to speed very quickly.
 
Hi Lindsay. Welcome to you and the very handsome Bear. After bottle-feeding him as a kitten I imagine you must have a very close bond between you. :)

You've already had some great advice from other members. I'd just like to add 2 things:

1. It's great that you've got Bear onto wet food. Do you know if the carb % is OK? Check to see if the foods you're giving are on the shortcut shopping list (Larry posted a link for you above). If you're not sure after that, post details of the foods here and we'll help you work out if they're low enough in carbs.

2. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a severe complication of diabetes and often in the rush to get insulin treatment sorted prevention of DKA can get overlooked a little. You can prevent it by monitoring Bear's urine for ketones. When you're shopping for your glucometer and associated supplies, be sure to pick up some ketone test strips as well. We can tell you how to use them if you're not sure. (As a general guide, if ever you should get a 'trace' ketone result you should let your vet know as soon as possible. If you get anything higher than 'trace' you should contact your vet to book an emergency appointment so that they can give immediate treatment to flush the ketones out of the system. Not trying to alarm you here; I'm just a great believer in prevention being better than cure! :) )


Mogs
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MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Hi Lindsay! Bear is one handsome fellow! Ok so I have a soft spot for black kitties :cat:but he's gorgeous!

ProZinc is a good insulin for kitties. It's a 40u insulin and your vet should have provided you with the correct syringes to use with it so you shouldn't have any problem making sure you give 1 unit. If you have any questions about drawing up the insulin let us know.

Did your vet discuss home testing with you at all? We strongly recommend home testing here especially when changing diet and giving insulin at the same time. The Relion meters available at Walmart are probably the most economical option available for you and we can help you learn how to test even if your vet didn't mention it. Not only does it help keep kitty safe, but it saves you from the expense of vet curves which often are inaccurate because our cats usually suffer from stress related hyperglycemia which can make the readings in the vet's office 100 points or more higher than they are at home.

I know right now this seems like a lot to learn but you will soon get into a routine and find this isn't nearly as hard as you're expecting it to be right now. Keep the questions coming and we will help you get up to speed very quickly.
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Yes my vet went over everything and got me started. I absolutely love my vet! Wonderful lady that cares just as much about my four legged kids as I do. We talked a little bit about home testing, and I was going to ask some questions about it but is it best to ask on the main health board?
 
So glad to hear your vet went over everything. So many times we hear folks complaining their vet just handed them insulin and provided no further coaching. You can post any specific questions about home testing in the Health forum and you'll get lots of support. There is information re testing available HERE and then you can post for more specific help or clarification etc. in Health. The most important part of testing is a "can do" attitude. Kitties tend to pick up on our stress so if we are calm cool and collected when testing they tend to do likewise. I did dry runs before I started testing just to get a routine down pat so I could test quickly and efficiently and avoid causing Menace any extra stress. It's not hard to test and our kitty's ears don't feel much so have confidence in yourself and you'll be a pro in no time! :)
 
Critter Mom said:
Hi Lindsay. Welcome to you and the very handsome Bear. After bottle-feeding him as a kitten I imagine you must have a very close bond between you. :)

You've already had some great advice from other members. I'd just like to add 2 things:

1. It's great that you've got Bear onto wet food. Do you know if the carb % is OK? Check to see if the foods you're giving are on the shortcut shopping list (Larry posted a link for you above). If you're not sure after that, post details of the foods here and we'll help you work out if they're low enough in carbs.

2. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a severe complication of diabetes and often in the rush to get insulin treatment sorted prevention of DKA can get overlooked a little. You can prevent it by monitoring Bear's urine for ketones. When you're shopping for your glucometer and associated supplies, be sure to pick up some ketone test strips as well. We can tell you how to use them if you're not sure. (As a general guide, if ever you should get a 'trace' ketone result you should let your vet know as soon as possible. If you get anything higher than 'trace' you should contact your vet to book an emergency appointment so that they can give immediate treatment to flush the ketones out of the system. Not trying to alarm you here; I'm just a great believer in prevention being better than cure! :) )


Mogs
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Yes I'm very attached to him. He probably just associates me with food, that's why he loves me so much ;).

So I have fed Bear blue buffalo for years, but after this, and a previous run in with struvite crystals in my other cat, I'm starting to wonder if there is more behind the label than I thought. I switched him immediately to canned blue buffalo, and searched the site for info on it but didn't find much. I am going out today to look for a new food. Thank you for the link, it's extremely helpful.

As far as Diabetic ketoacidosis I believe that's what my vet was talking about when she suggested and antibiotic to help fight it? I could be wrong, she gave me so much information yesterday it was hard to keep it all straight. I will have to read up on it though, and I'm guessing just post questions on the main health board?
 
lgunn23 said:
He probably just associates me with food, that's why he loves me so much ;).
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Hmmm. I strongly suspect it's a bit more than food that has him so fond of you, Lindsay! :cat:

Re DKA, here's a forum sticky with an introduction to the topic plus some very useful links to further reading on the subject. As the sticky advises:

"The basic recipe for developing DKA = an insufficient supply of insulin + inappetance + infection OR other systemic stresses."

Therefore, depending on the nature of the third element in the DKA recipe, antibiotics frequently play a part in prevention (i.e. heading potential DKA off at the pass) or treatment.

When my Saoirse was diagnosed I was only told by the vet we were with at the time that diabetics had to be careful about infection but was not given any explanation as to why. I wasn't even advised to test for ketones. It's down to FDMB that I learned about the other things I needed to monitor to help keep my girl well. It's great that your vet is giving you lots of information. She sounds like a real keeper! :)


Mogs
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I think many vets find treating diabetic cats daunting, because so much really depends on the mindset of the owner. Perhaps some just don't like dealing with it. It certainly takes a high level of dedication to one's pet to take the time and make the effort to keep on top of things like a spreadsheet, feeding schedule, etc. My vet was one of those who gave a few hurried instructions and sent me out the door. It was sort of a Baptism By Fire...and if it weren't for the internet and the FDMB, my Dottie would have surely not been with me today. You are very lucky your vet was so helpful. Hang onto her, don't let her get away.
 
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