New to the world of feline diabetes - Vader and mom!

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elfstar30

elfstar30

Member Since 2014
Hi everyone,

I just wanted to say hello and introduce Vader, a 15 y/o neutered indoor one-eyed kitty who was officially diagnosed yesterday! Since then, I've been using the resources offered through FDMB and have to say THANK YOU for all the help in finding this information :D

Tomorrow, I will be going to the vet to get his insulin so I have no idea what he'll be on. I've been reading up on the at home BG monitoring and plan to do this with him since I'm comfortable with giving SQ injections though I'm new to the world of not using the scruff, so this should be fun for us :P Anywho, I was looking at getting the Bayer Contour Next and was wondering if anyone had any input on this monitor.

Thanks in advance for everything!

*edit: He lives with three other cats, none of which are diabetic but one who has hyperthyroidism and one who has IBS. They free feed on science diet mature dry food and get science diet canned in the morning and evening (since my hyperglycemic kitty gets her meds in the food, the others have to have their share or they'll go after hers).
 
Welcome!
Have you seen this website by a vet? She explains why wet low carb food is best for every cat. I am convinced that Science Diet caused my Oliver's diabetes. When we switched from it to wet, he went down 100 points overnight. He went off insulin within 6 months with a low carb diet and insulin. Not every cat does that, but many do.

I think the Bayer Contour is fine; you just want one that sips and takes a tiny sample. It is not the meter that is expensive; it is the strips. You can buy them on ebay (senior citizens sell their extras) but they are expensive off the shelf in drug stores. Most people here buy the ReliOn. It is the cheapest meter and has the cheapest strips.

Keep asking questions. Everyone who replies to your thread is paying it forward for help they received when they were new and scared.
 
Thank you Sue and Chris, for both the welcome and the information! I haven't seen that site but I will take a look at it now, especially if that can help any of my cats. :RAHCAT
 
There are only 3 insulins that work well on cats. Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc, so if your vet recommends something else, save your money if you can.

They're longer acting which cats need since they have faster metabolisms than dogs do, but lots of vets are only familiar with caninsulin and try to treat cats with it too.

It'll be important for you to find a low carb wet food for Vader. When my cat was diagnosed, all my cats got switched to low carb and they're healthier now than they ever were on dry. Those expensive "prescription" foods really have no special magic and usually there's no reason you can't switch everyone over

Let us know what we can do to help you and Vader!
 
I went and got a BG monitor kit (free, thanks to my local pharmacy!) and then went on a food shopping spree so we've got lots of variety, all with low carbs as presented via the sites recommended, and I've refused to refill their free-feeding station (which made for some not happy kitties until they got their canned dinner). I'm hoping it'll help in the long run so I'll keep my fingers crossed and monitor at hand :D

I spaced on asking the specific insulin she gave me so I'll have to call in tomorrow. Started off with a pre-first shot reading of 474 and he was in the 500+ range when he got his blood drawn last Friday. As soon as I get more info, I'll post it here and hopefully be able to help others in the same situation. Thanks for all the help, tips, and suggestions, I appreciate it more than I can express!
 
We'd love to know what to call you other than "Vader's caretaker"!

On the meters, the big problem is the cost of strips, not the meters. As you've seen, a lot of times those are free, but when you go to buy the replacement strips for it, they can cost over $1 EACH!

When you test 4-8 times a day (or more) you can see how this would rack up some pretty high bills fast!

Most of us use the Relion meters from WalMart. They cost about $15. The Confirm and Micro take the tiniest sample size (which is really helpful until the ears "learn to bleed") but the strips are a little more expensive (about $18 for 50) than the cheaper model, the Prime ($9 for 50). I started with the Confirm until China's ears were bleeding well, and then saved that meter for a backup and went to the Prime for our day to day testing. At $9 for 50, I really can't complain about the slightly larger sample size it takes!

If you haven't started the insulin, I'd suggest you wait. Vader's had diabetes for awhile and a little while longer usually isn't going to hurt. Use a few days to transition him to the low carb food (this is the safest time to do this...BEFORE the insulin!) and get used to home testing. Some cats can be diet controlled! But if he's not one of the lucky ones, when you're ready to start the insulin, you'll already be testing and that will enable you to keep him safe. High numbers take time to do their damage, but low numbers can kill quickly, so in the long run, you're better to take a few days, get him onto a low carb diet, and get that testing down
 
See my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for other assessments you may find helpful to make.

In particular, check out urine testing for ketones. Ketones form as a by-product of fat breakdown for calories. Too many ketones may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially fatal, expensive to treat complication of uncontrolled diabetes.

Also see Glucometer Notes, which has some info on glucometers results and what they may mean.
 
If you like your meter, take a look on ebay for the specific strips you need. Sometimes you can get a lot of strips for a great price. Just be sure they will work with your meter and that the expiration date will be okay for your needs. Also check out the reputation of the seller.

So did you get a test already? If so, welcome to the Vampire Club! If not, let us know how we can help.

We have this wonderful color coded spreadsheet to keep track of his numbers. Your vet can access it and so can we. The directions are here:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207. It's a little tricky so if you need help, just ask.
 
Hi Vader and mom bean! Welcome to this great place! You are in good hands.

I just wanted to give my 2 cents on the meter issue...you mentioned that you were looking at Bayer Contour...I used this until recently because our vet gave one to us (a free promo to them from Bayer, I guess) but switched because the test strips are VERY expensive...~$120-$136 for a box of 100...and when you test at least 4 times a day, 100 only lasts about 3 weeks! I liked the BC but couldn't handle the sustained cost (since I also have to feed all 7 of our indoor kitties canned food that Coleman can eat...it all adds up).

The Relion Confirm Micro, recommended by many here, is just as easy to use, requires less blood and is A LOT less expensive...~$35 for 100 strips!

Welcome again to you and your sweet sweet boy!
 
Hi everyone!

Thank you for all the fantastic information about the meters, strips (and cost), along with the low carb food info. Since the start of everything where he was at above 500 for his BG levels (I can't remember the exact number but it was in the high 500s, I think it was around 570?), I've switched all the kitties to low carb canned food (as previously mentioned) and have been testing his BG every few days, as suggested by my vet. Today, about four hours after his insulin shot of PZI, 2 units, he was at 64. Now, about 15 minutes before his 8 p.m. feeding, he's at 153. I called my vet and we're lowering him to 1 unit per 12 hours. He's slowed down on his frequency of water drinking and isn't "flooding" the litter box anymore. He's also not doing his "I'm starving" search for food and isn't begging for anything when I'm eating, so this is a very nice change of pace, I gotta say! The other cats are LOVING their canned food regime even if it did take a day or two for Odin to stop yelling at me about there not being any dry food.

Vader's dandruff issue is also slowly going away so I'm knocking on wood that things are getting better but am not expecting miracles. Again, thank you all for the information and support as I don't have any idea what I would have done if I hadn't found this amazing collection of people!!

Hugs to everyone and I hope you and your sugar-kitties are doing wonderfully,

Hannah and Vader
 
It sounds like he is doing well! We encourage new diabetics not to shoot under 200, but to wait 20 minutes without feeding and retest. If he is rising and closer to 200, then you could shoot. I think reducing him to one unit is a good idea. The low carb food can really lower the levels.

Is 153 his evening number? If so, I wouldn't shoot but would stall.
 
He seems to be getting better which, of course, makes me a very happy camper! 153 was his 11 hour, 45 minute number and he's on the 12/12 schedule. I didn't see your suggestion until after I'd already done the feeding and injection but will do as you suggested tomorrow before his a.m. meal :smile:
 
Vader update: 8/24, morning BG pre-food= 324. Gave one unit of insulin as per the vet. Then gave one unit per 12 hours and to test again in three days since he's been on the decline since the get-go (minus this one reading).
8/27, evening BG, pre-food=122. Retested 15 minutes later = 127. Called my vet (as per her request) and said no insulin and to check in the morning.
8/28, morning BG, pre-food=133. No insulin.
8/28, evening BG, pre-food=106 No insulin. Vet said to check every 24 hours.
8/29, evening BG, pre-food=80. No insulin.
8/30, evening BG, pre-food=92. No insulin.
8/31, evening BG, pre-food-=68. No insulin. Vet said check every 3-4 days and keep an eye out for hypo.
9/4, evening BG, pre-food=60. No insulin.
9/5, evening BG, post-food=56. No insulin. Thinking this is NOT normal! He's still eating, drinking, playing, sleeping, and using the litter box well. Should I be getting concerned about this low number?!?! Any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated!
 
Looks like he may be done with this dance!

As long as you're not giving any insulin, and he's staying in normal numbers, that's GREAT!

The switch to the low carb diet and a little help to get going his pancreas going again and he's doing fantastic!

Normal numbers are 50-120 but there are plenty of cats who routinely test in the high 30's and 40's...as long as you're not shooting, these are great numbers and totally safe.

You'll want to keep testing him occasionally for the rest of his life and if you start to see any signs of trouble, like increased peeing, drinking, loss of weight, etc....you'll want to get on top of it quickly and find out what's going on

He'll never NOT be diabetic, but he'll be a diet controlled one. He'll need to stay on the low carb diet the rest of his life
 
Thank you so much for responding so quickly and helping me not to panic!

My vet (and her fellow co-vet) are astounded since they've heard of this happening though have never witnessed it before so they weren't' really sure what to tell me aside from needing to monitor his numbers and not let him get too low and, of course, too low is so subjective *lol*

You just helped my brain calm down and Vader thanks you for that (as do I)!
 
We see this happen quite often - a few days or weeks of insulin combined with wet low carb foos (or sometimes just wet low carb) and they go into remission. Maybe your vet can use this information for future diabetic cats and incorporate diet and home testing into his diabetic protocol. In that case, you and Vader could save many diabetic kitties in the future!
 
Congrats on getting Vader to this point! :mrgreen:

9/5, evening BG, post-food=56. No insulin. Thinking this is NOT normal! He's still eating, drinking, playing, sleeping, and using the litter box well. Should I be getting concerned about this low number?!?!
Click to expand...

As the others said, this is a great number without insulin. And as Chris mentioned, lots of cats run in the 30s and 40s when they aren't on insulin. My Jersey is one of them. She's been in a remission since April, and her most recent tests have been in the 30s. I try to test her at least once a week. When I make any food changes (e.g., switching to a different variety of low-carb canned), I try to test her more frequently for a while just to make sure the food won't have a negative effect.

Congrats again!
Shelly
 
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