newbie and newly diagnosed

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OlliesMum

Member Since 2012
Hi all,

Well we found out for definite today that our 14 year old cat Ollie has type 2 diabetes. His readings were only 15/16 so hopefully we have got it quickly and he can get better sooner. We did his first jab this evening which was terrifying, but we got through it.

We have a slight problem with his diet as he is on Eukanuba Urinary Oxalate (dry) as he had bladder stones about 6 years ago, so worried that this will cause a problem. So we are trying to change his diet to fish based for the protein.

Glad I have found this forum as you make it feel much more bearable!

Thank you
 
Hi and Welcome. As they say...this is the best place you never wanted to be.

I'm not much for giving advice but hope to offer some encouragement and support. I've been here less than a month but it seems like forever. Fur Ball was dx'd Sept 5. I absorbed so much information about FD that my head was spinning. Just keep reading. Review posts by other people and get familiar with the site. Soon it will be more comfortable.

Some questions that will be helpful for others...You mentioned doing the first jab so I assume that means you started insulin? If so, what kind and how much. Are you home testing? Any other medical concerns?

I think diet change is crucial and definitely no more dry. Some of the research I've done indicates that fish based foods may not necessarily be the best either. Definitely review www.catinfo.org as she has done tremendous research on pet food. YOu can also go to http://binkyspage.tripod.com/foodfaq.html and get listings for wet and dry food. You want to go for low carb (under 10-12% preferably) high protein.

Glad you posted. Post any questions you have and people here will answer them. There are icons at the top you can use as well to alert people to your questions.

Karen
 
Welcome! Not much time to respond, but I wanted to say my kitty had crystals awhile back, too, so I be sure to add a little water to the wet food. Dr. Lisa says "dilution is the solution to polution!"
 
Hello Ollie's Mum and welcome to FDMB!

You will find a lot of help and support here. :smile:

Yes, dry food is bad and should ideally be removed but I'm afraid I must jump in straight away with a cautionary note: Absolutely DO NOT remove the dry food unless you are testing Ollie's blood glucose at home.

Dry food is almost certainly raising your cat's blood glucose levels and your removing the dry food will almost certainly reduce his blood glucose levels. This means Ollie could need less insulin. And the danger is that he could receive more insulin than he needs if the dose isn't reduced accordingly. That is why it is vital to be hometesting when removing dry food. Some cats need a lower dose of insulin and some lucky cats need no insulin at all as long as they remain on a low carb wet food diet.

Fortunately, hometesting isn't that hard to learn. Honestly! And we can help you... Basically, hometesting involves using a lancet to take the teensiest drop of blood from the outer edge of one of your cat's ears and testing that with a 'human' glucose meter. I test my cat's blood glucose while he's munching away on a couple of treats.

What insulin is Ollie on? And what dose?
 
Hello and welcome!! We are relative newbies also but have found this board an enormous help.

15/16 isn't terrifyingly high (by way of comparison, my cat Monty was 25 on diagnosis and regularly hit the 30's in the first couple of weeks post diagnosis). Doing the first few jabs is really scary - we found that doing his jab during the last few mouthfuls of his food was helpful (you need to make sure they're going to eat it all to get the right insulin dose) but just do what works for you. You really do get used to it.

It sounds like you've caught this really early which is excellent. It really is important though to home test and not to just rely on a blind dosage. Once on insulin a cat's BG levels can drop, sometimes relatively quickly, and if you can't monitor that you risk a hypo episode. We got a decent alphatrak monitor thro our vet for about £30 and its proved pretty reliable and very easy to use. Again, doing the first few is a bit scary (I had proper hand shakes which didn't help - because i was so nervous) but the cats get used to it and so do you. We are now c. 6 weeks in and Monty knows full well that there is no food before a test and presents himself willingly.

Ask as many questions as you want/can - there are people far more knowledgable than myself on this board - but from someone who has very recently been through this initial phase - i do know how worrying it is and will help in any way i can.
 
Hi all,

Thanks for all your replies, at the moment Ollie is on 1 unit of Caninsulin 40U/ml twice daily. We haven't home tested yet, we are going to the vets tomorrow morning to get tested again after his morning feed/shot to check levels, but will speak to the vet about getting the stuff to test at home.

With regard to his diet, it's very difficult to change his food to something other than fish as he won't eat it (he wouldn't eat wet food as a kitten and has been on dry since he was 8 weeks old, his brother is on wet and he won't eat dry!) and from the info I have found so far any protein is better than the urinary oxalate dried food that he is on previously, I have added about 5g of his dried food so that his carb levels don't plummet too quickly, although he doesn't eat it all.

So far he seems to be well, it is difficult though as we have changed his feeding times to coincide with his jabs, so now instead of being a grazer we are feeding him every 12 hours.

Many thanks for making it less daunting!

Paula
 
Hi Paula,

Re testing kit: You can also buy this from any pharmacy (or from Ebay!). Are you in the UK? Quite a few here use the 'One Touch Ultra' meters. And test strips for meters generally are often half the RRP on Ebay.

Do be aware that food will elevate Ollie's blood glucose (the BG can 'spike' after a main meal) so the BG number you get at the vets tomorrow morning (if tested within two hours of eating) might not be representative. It may well be the highest BG of the day...

Also, just wondering why you're feeding him only twice a day...? Unregulated cats tend to be hungry most of the time (mine was constantly ravenous) because their bodies can't process the food they're eating. Do you leave food down for Ollie when you go out...? Some of us here continue to free-feed our diabetic cats even though they're on insulin.
 
Elizabeth,

Yes I am in the UK, I am based in Surrey too :) With regard to his food, I am just going with what the vet said that he should be fed when he has his jab so that they work together and also he needs to lose a few lbs, the other problem is his brother Barley might eat his food as he loves fish, so we want to make sure Ollie is getting all the food that is put out for him.

The vet wants us to get tested within 3 hours of his breakfast meal so I jabbed him this am at 7 and his appt is at 9:20am.

I will check out Ebay for the test strips
 
Hi Paula and welcome to the board from another Surrey member (there aren't many of us!)

You seem to have a good grasp of this so far and we all understand how baffling it can seem, so all I would say for now is keep coming back here and asking questions - no question is too simple, we've all been where you are.

Could I suggest also that you add 'UK' to your thread headers, so that those of us in the UK can spot you immediately? This is an international board and the vast majority of members are American - everyone will give you the same or similar generalised advice, but those of us this side of the pond can give you more specific help with food, supplies, etc.

Best of luck!
Diana
 
Re: newbie and newly diagnosed (UK)

Well the check up this am went well, his BG was 10.7 2.5hrs after brekkie and jab, so vet was pleased that it had reduced since last week. Feeling little less frantic than I did over the weekend - big hugs to you all for being so welcoming and sending me great information and links

Diana - yes I will certainly add UK to the subject title from now on.

Have a good day, where ever you are based :)
 
That's not a bad number at all, Paula, well done and I'm glad you feel a bit less stressed now! FD is stressful to start with, we all know that :-D

Keep up the good work and ask anything at all that you need to.

Diana
 
Re: newbie and newly diagnosed (UK)

[quote="OlliesMum"...]Well the check up this am went well, his BG was 10.7 2.5hrs after brekkie and jab, so vet was pleased that it had reduced since last week. [/quote]


Hi Paula,

10.7 (192) is a really nice number at this stage of the game. But this was 2.5 hrs after Ollie's Caninsulin shot and I'm wondering: 'What was his BG prior to the shot?', and 'What will his BG be like five or six hours after the shot?' (when the insulin is at peak effect and the BG at nadir...). His nadir (lowest number of the cycle) might be quite low, but you won't know if you don't test his BG at home....

I strongly urge you to buy a blood testing kit (ie 'One Touch Ultra' or some other popular make) and learn how to use it. I know it seems difficult. We've all been there. But Ollie is having a good response to the insulin and testing him at home will help to keep him safe. Your vet isn't with you 24/7...

On another thread today a lady did her very first home test prior to giving her cat his insulin and found he was 2.2. That's a borderline 'low normal BG/hypo number' (depending on the cat...). Given that knowledge she was able to opt to not give the insulin. By testing him - and opting not to shoot - she may well have saved her cat's life... I really can't understate the importance of hometesting....

And until you are hometesting please DO leave food out for Ollie in case his BG drops low. He may need to snack to keep his levels up...
 
Hi Diana,

Yes I did speak to the vet about home testing and she is getting prices on a cat specific BG monitor rather than a human monitor as she said they are calibrated slightly different and can have different readings. I will check online to see if I can see about getting one sooner rather than later.

Luckily I can keep an eye on Ollie as I work from home, so any changes in his temperament/eating I can spot quickly.

Many thanks

Paula
 
Working from home is ideal when you're keeping an eye on a cat on insulin! :smile:

I would be a little wary about the vet's suggestion of a "cat-specific" monitor as although they may be slightly different, I doubt if it would be by much and you would probably have to pay a lot more for it. Vets do like selling you their own products, or products that they source themselves, as they make big profits on those things. Pretty well everyone on this board has found that a human monitor does the job very nicely, and the results - even if not 100% "cat-specific" - should tell you what you need to know.

Most of us buy monitors and strips from ebay which is by far the cheapest place. I had a spare meter and kit at one time that I would have sent you but I think I gave it to Elizabeth, who has been treating her cat Bertie for about five years now so gets through a lot of these things. She is more up to date on all this than I am and will give you excellent advice. I'm just cheering from the sidelines :RAHCAT

Keep up the good work,
Diana
 
Hi Paula (and Diana! ;-) ),

Yes I do have a spare One Touch kit (from Diana?) but sadly the meter doesn't work. I've tried new batteries in it this morning but I just keep getting an error message... HOWEVER... I DO have a spanking new Contour meter that I got yesterday from Diabetes.co.uk and am very happy to give you this! I could even drop it over to you this evening....

The vet is probably getting an Alphatrack meter for you. I understand that Alphatrack readings are slightly higher than other meters (those made for humans). If you're going to be using an Alphatrack ongoingly then do note that in your signature along with the insulin you're using so that people will be able to take that into account if you need advice about a dose or advice about a BG number that you have concerns about.

Most people here use meters made for humans. The Alphatrack is expensive to buy and the strips are expensive too: I don't think you'll find these ones half price on ebay! But there are some folks here who love their Alphatracks, and if you don't need to do a lot of tests then cost may not be such an issue for you.

I'll pop back soon and post a couple of links here to some home-test info and also hypo info that it is always wise to have to hand.
 
Hi again, Paula, here are links to - what I've found to be - some of the most helpful stuff there is to know about treating feline diabetes.

1st. Hypo info. How to recognise and treat very low blood glucose. This may never happen to your cat, but if it does you will really want to have read this through beforehand and also have it easily accessible so that you can refer to it quickly.
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15887

2nd. Reasons to test your cats blood glucose at home. If you know 'why' you're doing it you'll be better motivated to give it a go.
http://www.sugarpet.net/reasons.html

3rd. How to hometest. Everyone has their own way of hometesting and you'll get lots of tips on this forum. But I first learned to hometest from this beautifully clear and sympathetically written info:
http://www.sugarpet.net/bloodtst.html

4th. FDMB's FAQs on glucose monitoring. And especially see question 'Q4.4' about what to do if you test your cat's BG prior to shot and find a lower number than usual. But initially, for newcomers to insulin, the general advice here is not to give a shot if your cat's BG is 11(200) or below. And if you're using Alphatrack then that number may be a 12 (216) for you (someone please correct me if I'm wrong on that....?)
http://www.felinediabetes.com/fdmb-faq.htm#glucose

With regard to hometesting, you could get your cat somewhat prepared for this by getting him accustomed to having his ears touched now. You can stroke or hold his ears and then give him a little low carb treat; or groom him and incorporate a little ear-handling into that. Ollie will very quickly come to associate ear-touching with pleasant experiences!

I know this all seems like an awful lot to take in. It's such a steep learning curve it can leave your head spinning :dizcat
But feline diabetes is a 'home-managed' illness and one in which knowledge is power. :smile:
 
Hi Elizabeth,

Many thanks for sending the links I will bookmark them and go through them. Luckily I always rub Ollies ears already so he is not freaked out by ear touching :)

With regard to the BG monitor thank you very much, but I will purchase one directly with ebay as you never know when you need to have a back up.

Which monitor do you use?

Paula
 
OlliesMum said:
...Luckily I always rub Ollies ears already so he is not freaked out by ear touching :)

Which monitor do you use?

Paula
Click to expand...

Great news that Ollie likes his ears touched! :smile:

I use the 'One Touch Ultra 2' meter. It's considered to be pretty accurate especially at low numbers (where accuracy really counts). I'm guessing the One Touch meter would read slightly lower than your Alphatrack.

There are usually a few 'One Touch Ultra 2' meters on Ebay and you can often get them for around £15. Test strips for them are almost always available on Ebay too, and cost an average of £12-£15 for a box of 50 strips (usually less than half the cost of buying them at a pharmacy). The kit will come with some lancets and some test strips, and also a little vial of 'control solution' to enable you to test the accuracy of any strips that you buy.

You're doing a great job, Paula. I do remember how hard it was for us at first. I just felt sick most of the time! But it does get easier pretty quickly! Honestly!
 
Elizabeth, you're doing a fantastic job here helping Paula, well done! Just popping in here between work commitments and very glad to see this morning's posts. Def all going in the right direction!
Diana x
 
Thanks both of you for your reassurance, I have gone with the Accu-Chek aviva on Ebay similar prices to the One Touch ultra, so hopefully just as good! I was getting very confused which one is the best to get :?

I'm off now to Boots now to see if they do the lancets as it comes with a fastclix 30g, but by all accounts that's too fine a gauge to get the blood properly.

Paula
 
Had another vet appointment this am and his BG level was 8.8 2hours after his shot, so the vet was really pleased with that, he did however gain a little bit of weight this week, but she said that was normal when the insulin is regulated, but hopefully I can now start to shift some of his excess :smile:
 
OlliesMum said:
Had another vet appointment this am and his BG level was 8.8 2hours after his shot, so the vet was really pleased with that, he did however gain a little bit of weight this week, but she said that was normal when the insulin is regulated, but hopefully I can now start to shift some of his excess :smile:
Click to expand...

Wow, '8.8' is a really nice number, Paula. But it's not just 'what' the number is but 'where' it is in the over all cycle... If the 8.8 was only 2 hours after Ollie's shot then I wonder a)what his BG was prior to the shot (at 2 hours into the cycle the insulin may only just have started working); and b) what his number will be at insulin peak (maybe 5 hours after his shot when his BG is at it's nadir)? You've got me biting my fingernails here... nailbite_smile Please don't reduce his food yet in an attempt to get him to lose weight....

It may well be that Ollie needs a dose reduction. :?

Has your blood testing kit arrived yet....? (My fingernails are getting a little too chewed here.... ;-) )
 
Hi Elizabeth,

I have today received the BG monitor, so I am now going to start home testing starting tomorrow and on sunday (hopefully) I am going to do a BG curve once I have got the hang of BG testing. So that will give us a clear guide to what is happening.

His hunger does seem to have abated which is good too!.

I will keep you posted :smile:
 
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