Newbie here, so glad to find ya'll!!!!

[hhalliday]

I can't believe after battling my cat Chloe's diabetes for 7 months now I just found this website. It is wonderful! I still haven't figured the whole thing out, so I thought I would start with a post.

Here's some back story. About 4 years ago Chloe became pretty overweight. No real reason, other than maybe because we moved homes. After seeing the vet for routine visits they never seemed overly concerned or said to change her diet. She weighed about 18 lbs. This last February she started peeing everywhere. After seeing the vet they diagnosed her with a UTI and bladder stones (that could only be removed via thousand dollar surgery) Despite my husbands frustration with the cost with went through with it anyways. In April the peeing all over the place started again, so I took her in. They diagnosed a UTI again and NOW said she had diabetes. They started us off with Novolin and was told to put her strictly on wet food. We tried all sorts of foods. Let me tell you, this cat is PICKY, she hates wet food (yes strange). She also wont eat a bite of human food. She LOVES grazing on dry. So after weekly insulin checks (curves) and varies changes in food we still had no progress, or we would for a brief period and then the diabetes would be back in full force. She also had a UTI about once a month. I think a lot of the reason her numbers were fluctuating so much was because every once in awhile I could get her to eat canned, but she would go in phases. So then, per the vet's suggestion, I decided to try to just feed her Hills M/D only and be constant. She literally starved herself and had rapid weight loss. It was scary, so about a month ago, I called it quits with this certain Vet and decided to see another. He has switched us to ProZinc and told me to just give her what she likes, plain old meow mix. I also told the vet I wanted to buy a home monitoring system as I was unable to bring her in to the vet constantly for tests. We started at 1 unit and after doing a curve at home (numbers around 500) are now up to 3 units twice a day, but I still don't think it's regulating her. She's drinking and peeing a ton.

I am BEYOND frustrated. I feel like we keep starting from square one and have literally made no improvement since first being diagnosed. Some other random information, we have another cat, Chrisptopher who is healthy as can be, and I also have a 2 yr old and 6 month old baby, so our house is busy!! I am lucky to be a stay at home mom which helps with Chloe (testing, giving insulin at same time every day, etc.) but this is exhausting! I can't take finding Chloe peeing on the baby's blanket on the floor anymore, Gross!

So any help/insight you all have would be wonderful. Specifically, I was wondering if you had any suggestions for a better dry low cal food I can get petsmart? Though the vet doesn't think so, I think the meow mix is making her diabetes out of control!

Also, I already have the Alpha Trak testing system, but what's the best place to get the testing trips and lancets?

One other question, once upping the insulin, how soon should her numbers come down? The vet said wait a week to do a curve again.

Lastly, I am in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. I look forward to getting some feedback and exploring this site. I already feel I can take control of this with these resources. I don't understand how a Vet could not be this knowledgeable?

Thanks!
Heather

 

[Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)]

Hi Heather!

I'll try to take it a bit at a time...
Glad to see you got switched from N to Prozinc. Much better choice for kitties. That vet had one out of two right. Telling you to just go back to the meow mix wasn't really great advice, but she has to eat something right? I can understand the opposition on her part to m/d. Have you ever smelled the stuff? I can't imagine putting my nose in it to eat it! Beyond that, it really isn't a good food for her either. Prescription, yes, so you'd figure "good for her!" Not so much. Too many carbs. That's the biggest problem with the dry she's eating (all sorts of other problems with any cat eating dry, but let's save that for later). We're going to have to find some way to convince Chloe that canned food is good stuff.

The key to diet with diabetics is low-carbs. If you click the links under my name, there are two food lists showing all the nutritional values of dozens of canned varieties. Look at the "carbs" column primarily. Look for numbers of 7% or less. If we can get her to eat those, and ditch the dry, her numbers will improve dramatically. With her, this will need to be a gradual process, not an overnight thing. Because it will push her numbers down, the insulin dose will probably have to go down at the same time so that it doesn't become too much.

I'll be back with more, but sure others will drop in soon (if they haven't already as I've been typing this)
Carl

 

[ohbell]

omg!
I am in the dfw area tooo and would love to chat it up about our babies (seems that is all I do - lol)
Welcome aboard and you will never ever be alone again.

Since you are new to this site, I dont know if you know how to pm (private message) yet, but if you want to do that with more of your information to me, feel free...top left part of the screen under user control panel.......Now, lets get started on your baby....

Come back here often, ck in as lots will be around to offer advice, support and furry hugs to ya.

I have a civvie (not diabetic) that would ONLY eat dry and of course the problem with that is that if you give Bean (diabetic) a 1/2 chance, she is eating what she does..........BAD GIRL.

You have a meter as I understand that you can only get strips from the vet??? not for sure about that but I purchased the Relion from w. mart and strips as they are very very low priced. Also, I would love to share my ketone strips if you do not have any. You will have to watch the peeee box, catch her in the action and find out if she has ketones (very important). You dont have to do this every time she goes, but I would do often until the bg numbers are more normal.

How long have you been testing and when? Does Chloe eat before testing? If so, you will need to at least hold off 1 1/2 perferrably 2 hours from eating before testing... Then she gets to eat and she gets her shot....She will need a test about +5 to +6 hours after her shot to see what the insulin is doing for her...

Boy I could go on and on - hehehe ;-)

If you take up the dry, or the dm, she will drop alot.

I have to step out for a luncheon, but will be back..... Look forward to hearing from you!! What vet do you use and what part of dfw are you in????

Will ck back when I return....and again welcome dancing_cat

 

[BJM]

Welcome!.

A heads up - getting her on a low carb diet may drop her glucose levels 100 points. If she is on an insufficient insulin dose, that won't matter, but if you have her on an effective dose, she could go too low on you.

Also, blood glucose tests at the vet may be 100 points higher than home values.

Your best bet for Alpha Trak supplies will be online - E-bay, Amazon, etc..

Many of us use the Walmart ReliOn or the generic version of it, the Glucocard 01, as the meter is inexpensive, and the test strips won't cost an arm and a leg if you do much testing.

 

[Kathy and Kitty]

Welcome to FDMB! I'm glad you found this site, too. You will get a ton of excellent knowledge and support here to get your kitty on the road to health.

There are many good human meters to choose from. I know many people like the ReliOn, as BJ said. We used the AccuChek Aviva - available at Walgreens and elsewhere. Strips a little more expensive. We liked the meter and the lancet tool.

I see that BJ pointed out the difference between human and vet meters:

Also, blood glucose tests at the vet may be 100 points higher than home values.

I think the difference is generally more in the 30 point range (human meters lower than vet), but BJ may have more recent experience. In any case, be sure your vet knows you've switched meters, so that the change in numbers is understood.

 

[BJM]

The 100 points is for stress elevations in glucose, not the difference between a human glucometer and clinical lab equipment or a pet-specific glucometer.

Many cats are stressed during vet visits and their glucose rises with that.

 

[Kathy and Kitty]

The 100 points is for stress elevations in glucose, not the difference between a human glucometer and clinical lab equipment or a pet-specific glucometer.

Many cats are stressed during vet visits and their glucose rises with that.

Thanks for clarifying that. Does stress ever LOWER BG in some cats?

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think so Kathy. For humans and animals alike...stress will raise blood glucose.
Lori

 

[Kathy and Kitty]

I only asked because our first vet (the bad experience) explained Kitty's bouncing BGs during in-office tests (both lows and highs) as office test stress. In retrospect, the BGs were just wildly unregulated. :roll:

 

[carolynandlatte]

Thanks for clarifying that. Does stress ever LOWER BG in some cats?

Latte's BG ALWAYS dropped from vet visits.
I tested before we left and when we got home.
If the vet visit was longer (ie/specialist, more testing, etc), I tested while she was there and watched it keep dropping.
Packing a hypo kit along with her, the carrier, and anything else we may have needed became standard.

I know a number of other people who also had similar experiences with their cats.
ECID!

 

[hhalliday]

So wait, am I reading the the Alpha Trak meter I got from the vet isn't accurate enough, and I need to buy a human one? I'm confused.

So, there are no dry foods anyone would even recommend? I completely understand the wet food methodology. It's just a lot more challenging right now (with a 2 yr old and 6 month old) and her not wanting it (if she doesn't eat it, my 2nd cat gobbles it up and over eats then throws up).

No one seemed to answer my question on how quickly the glucose level should go down after increasing the insulin? Anyone know?

Thanks!
HH

 

[BJM]

So wait, am I reading the the Alpha Trak meter I got from the vet isn't accurate enough, and I need to buy a human one? ...

Alpha Trak is accurate ... and pricey, plus the strips are expensive and not available in local retailers, so if you run out during a situation, you're stuck. Many of us use the ReliOn because it is inexpensive, the strips are inexpensive, and Walmart is open 24 hours most days. All home glucometers are allowed to read with 20% of the 'true' value, per the FDA. Any time you get a weird reading, test again.

So, there are no dry foods anyone would even recommend? ... It's just a lot more challenging right now (with a 2 yr old and 6 month old) and her not wanting it (if she doesn't eat it, my 2nd cat gobbles it up and over eats then throws up).

If you put a mug upside down in the center of the plate, it can slow the eating and reduce scarf 'n' barf syndrome.

Dry food is not recommended for any cats; it is a water-depleted diet. See Cat Info for more details.

No one seemed to answer my question on how quickly the glucose level should go down after increasing the insulin?...

The average glucose levels will change more slowly with the depot insulins of Lantus and Levemir; more quickly with ProZinc, PZI, and Humulin N. Much as we would like it, the overall changes are not instantaneous AND may vary day to day.

 

[Julia & Bandit (GA)]

A lot of time transitioning to canned takes some patience. If you need to use a dry food while you are transitioning, EVO dry is lower in carbs and will have a less significant effect on BG. However, I would urge you to only use this food temporarily while you try to transition both cats to canned food, especially since Chloe is prone to UT issues. Dry food is the main cause of UT problems--cats are chronically dehydrated eating solely a dry diet. And even lower carb dry food like EVO can still keep blood sugar levels high--Bandit's blood sugar will shoot way up on EVO, but he can eat canned food that has a higher carb content and his blood sugar will be fine.

Here is a very useful article to help you: http://catinfo.org/#Transitioning_Dry_Food_Addicts_to_Canned_Food_

The first and most important step is establishing meal times, even with the dry. Hunger is the most essential component to transitioning.

Feeding smaller, more frequent portions of food will help with the dual cat problem. Bandit is a gobbler, and my Gabby was a nibbler. I figured out how much my nibbler would eat in one sitting, and then stood in the kitchen between the two cats to make sure they both finished their food. If Gabby didn't finish all her food, I'd pick it up and give it to her again an hour or two later (you just mix in a little water to keep it from drying out). If you need to do late night feedings while you're sleeping or if you're not home, you can freeze portions of canned food and use an auto feeder. I had one feeder for each cat set to go off at the same time at opposite ends of the kitchen (they ate all their meals at opposite ends of the kitchen so that it was easier for me to keep them getting into each others food) and again, I would only release the amount of food I knew the nibbler would eat up in one sitting to keep my gobbler from eating her food.

Whatever problems you have transitioning, you can always post here for advice! We all went through the transitioning process, so there are tons and tons of tricks you can employ to make things work for you.