Newbie on Behaviour Changes and Caninsulin

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Einstein's Mom

Einstein's Mom

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Hello out there
I am so relieved that there is a place where I can send out my concerns, in the hope that someone has some advice for me.
Einstein (12 years old) was diagnosed nearly 2 weeks ago with diabetes. The vet put him on to Caninsulin: 2 units in the morning and 2 in the eve.
It seems to me that his drinking has reduced a bit, but here's the problem: he insists on urinating and drinking outside. Einstein's parents were both feral; he was born in a stable, and has always been quite 'wild': independent/a real loner. Years ago, he developed a severe hair growth problem and the vet put him on "Ovarid", which is a hormonal treatment for bald patches. The vet said it would also make Einstein less "wild" and more "domesticated". On doing research, I have found that Ovarid is one of the main causes of feline diabetes. So, not only is he also NOW on wet food diet (which he enjoys), but he's been off Ovarid for nearly 2 weeks. He used to spend a lot of the time around the house, but now he goes out for hours on end, and I see him lying out in the garden. He used to sleep with us at night, but now he disappears and is restless. Is this normal behaviour? I'm so confused. I feel like I'm losing my baby: body and soul. I must also mention: I live in South Africa, so we don't always have access to the wonderful drugs and products that you guys in US or Europe do.
Please help.. :cry:
 
Hmmm - this is a tough one. Since you have removed one hormone and added another (insulin) the factors are difficult to separate. If you think that the Ovarid was important in keeping him calmer and less feral, then maybe its worth keeping him on a (lower?) dose and adjusting the insulin.

I'm wondering if he is also reacting to the steep drop that Caninsulin causes in the blood glucose. I know that there are a few other members from South Africa - perhaps they can help by letting us know if other longer acting insulins are available.
 
Thanks for the reply
I will check with my vet and apply what she says. Maybe as you said: a bit of Ovarid too..
Another quick question while I'm at it. I am keen to get a glucometer so that I can do home testing on my cat (which will reduce his vet visits and thereby his stress), but have heard its really difficult to get even a drop of blood from a cat's ear. Is it worth going this route if its that hard to do?
 
Hi

Personally, I have no problems getting the blood from my cat's ear and I'm basically a beginner wtih all of this, she was diagnosed in December. I totally did not want to do all this injecting and definitely not drawing blood, but here I am doing it and with ease now.
 
Welcome,

I'm going to be fairly brief this morning as we had rather a rough night on the board last night.

I can't answer your questions about the behavior problems, but I can answer your question about home testing. I will be pretty brutally honest, in the beginning, yes, it can be kind of tough to get those first few blood droplets, but in a few weeks, you will figure out what works best for you and your cat, and we have lots of tips and tricks to help you get there. That said, home testing is really your very best tool to keep you cat safe while on insulin and could possible save your cat's life. I look at it this way, if it was my human child or myself that was diabetic, I wouldn't feel comfortable shooting insulin without testing before each and every shot, so I'm not comfortable doing it to my furry babies.

And I know in my heart of hearts that home testing is why my Maxwell is still with me today. You see I adopted Maxwell from this board as a diabetic, so since we had no history together, and I only knew how he acted when sick, without testing at home I would not have caught early personality shift in him that would signalled that he was going into hypo. Maxwell was one of those very lucky cats that went into remission andoff insulin very quickly, 2 weeks to be exact and that first week he was in foster care waiting to be transported to me. I'm very sure that if I wasn't testing and just blindly shooting the 1u twice a day that he was started on, at the very least he would have hypoed, and I would still be paying off an ememrgency vet bill, if I wouldn't have lost him.

I'm sorry to be fairly brief. But I really need to get more coffee in the system. = ) But others will be along shortly I'm sure to help answer your questions in more depth.

Mel, Maxwell and the Fur Gang
 
Einstein's Mom said:
Thanks for the reply
I will check with my vet and apply what she says. Maybe as you said: a bit of Ovarid too..
Another quick question while I'm at it. I am keen to get a glucometer so that I can do home testing on my cat (which will reduce his vet visits and thereby his stress), but have heard its really difficult to get even a drop of blood from a cat's ear. Is it worth going this route if its that hard to do?
Click to expand...

First thing is the home testing - for sure it's worth testing, and one thing I did not see mentioned is that his ears will 'learn' to bleed. Once you get the hang of it, and it is not difficult, the tests will be as natural as breathing and I bet you will find the Einstein comes to remind you for testing! The hardest part is for BOTH of you to get used to it, to let the nerves calm. I know that many say to aim for a vein, but honestly, I can't see the veins in my two cat's ears and I just aim for the edge by the tip. I get a big enough drop all the time.
So look around you and see which meters are available at the pharmacy and most important what strips are readily available. There is no point in getting a meter if the strips are tough to find or way too pricey. I don't know which meters are available in your area, but many use Relion as the strips are much cheaper, but others use OneTouch, AccuCheck, Bayer, or any of the others used by humans.
Testing is quite simple to learn but please don't be frustrated if there initial struggles with you and with Einstein; post if you are having troubles and I am positive there will be others here who can give you tips that eliminate the trouble you are having.

Is Caninsulin the only insulin available to you? Maybe you can talk to your vet about Lantus and Levemir as they are very good choices. If not possible for you, then we will just have to work with what you have, so it's not a big concern.

About the meds that you were giving before then stopped - I would agree that if it was helping the cat, then find out about how it interacts with diabetic cats. I have found that there are notes that it should not be used in diabetic animals, so it may be an idea to ask your vet for some other med.
How are his hair issues now that he's off Ovarid? Could it be that he does not need this med now, but maybe some other alternative can help with the changes in his behavior? Maybe this med helped his hair issues and also made a diff in his behavior, but if the hair is not a problem now, there could be other ways to help his behavior.

Home testing will help you know how well the insulin is working and if the dose is good or if it needs to be increased. It can also help you gather data to show your vet and maybe help to convince the need for an insulin change.

Please post any questions you have about meters and testing or any other concerns; someone will be able to reply and help you.
 
Gayle and Shadoe said:
Is Caninsulin the only insulin available to you? Maybe you can talk to your vet about Lantus and Levemir as they are very good choices. If not possible for you, then we will just have to work with what you have, so it's not a big concern.
Click to expand...

We did have a member in Cape Town who used Lantus, so that would likely be an option if you wished to change your insulin tyoe.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions and encouragement!!
As a result of your positive comments, I have bought a Bayer Contour TS Blood Glucose tester, which works really well. It needs only a tiny amount of blood and so far I am getting a reading on the 2nd or third test (poor cat is a pin-cushion today). Having plotted a graph now, I am able to see that he definitely needs a higher dose, as his 1st test this morning (before food) was 26. It then came down to 20, and remained so for the 6-hour test. I am expecting it to rise steadily until the time for his next shot. Which means he needs a stronger insulin dose. I will chat with my vet to confirm, once I'm finished doing the curve.
But I do see now the importance of regular testing (at home), when he is comfortable and happy. I do hope he gets used to it, as it sounds like the tests will continue for the rest of his life.
Thank you SO much to everyone for the incredibly supportive comments!!! I can honestly say that without the internet and all the info, I wouldn't have known WHERE to begin or what to do. The vet is awesome and very kind, but TRAUMATIC for my kitty and also EXPENSIVE! And we've already spent thousands just diagnosing.
I am sure that once his blood sugar levels come down to a more comfortable level, Einstein's behaviour will also improve.
Thanks again! :))
 
Great news that the testing is getting successful for you; you are aiming ultimately to have numbers under around 14.0 (252). The 26 (468) is horribly high, so I am sure he must be feeling lousy. Coming down to that 20 (360) is nice, but he does need more insulin, going by those numbers.

Don`t worry about the testing... my two pretty much sleep through the ear pokes, and one of mine actually comes out from sleeping or somewhere when it's time to be tested.... it's almost like she has an internal clock and comes out to tell me it's time!

If possible, see if you could talk to your vet about using Lantus as it's going to give you very much improved results, and Einstein will perk up like a freshly watered flower.

Best of luck to improved lower BG numbers on the dose increase.
 
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