Milo and Phyllus
Member Since 2016
Hi all, I'm new here and posted my initial question in the wrong place. That question resolved naturally, but since then other concerns have surfaced. This could be a lengthy post, so before I start let me thank the creators of FDMB as I have found it has invaluable information that has already helped me. Now let me begin.
My cat is 13 years old and is a FERAL cat that I nursed and raised after his mama cat abandoned him. I witnessed the cat abandon this kitten because he was not only very large as a kitten, but extremely aggressive when picked up by her to move. So she left him after dropping him a half dozen times. I waited 12 hours before rescuing him and since then, he has been my indoor pet but has remained aggressive if picked up and VERY aggressive when transported to the vet. He has to be sedated for simple annual exams, otherwise he is a danger to all in the room. So...moving forward to today.
He stopped jumping to his favorite sunny spot, walked with stiffness and started losing weight. I began watching the way he ate. He was on dry food and he would take a few pieces of kibble and hover over the water bowl while trying to eat the food. He ended up dropping the majority of those pieces in the water and then he would lap water. Out of concern for how much food he was getting down, I assumed a health problem, took a deep breath and got him to the vet where he was sedated enough to paralyze him for a complete thorough exam including urine testing and blood work. The urine test immediately showed sugar, but no glucose test was done that day. The vet immediately diagnosed him with diabetes and informed me that I must change him over to wet food exclusively and then I would have to bring him and leave him at the vet for a full day on another day to determine if he will need insulin. I left there a little shaken up.
It was easy enough to make the change to wet food, but the vet was only specific about the amount to feed (14 oz. per day) and did not specify any particular type. So he ended up on a Fancy Feast Medley (white meat chicken primavera with garden veggies and greens in a classic sauce.) I then began my research.
I first found natural herbal solutions to promote healthy glucose levels and to support better health in diabetic cats. My main fear from the start was his stress level when visiting vets and my concern that any readings done at the vet might not be accurate because of panic making his sugar level sky rocket. I have several family members who were diabetic and I witnessed the effects of stress on their levels. So my first decision was to go the natural route and I purchased Blood Sugar Gold Herbal Drops and started him on that. I also called the vet and asked if there was a way I can check his levels at home to determine the need for insulin but he said no.
I continued my research and discovered that I could actually do testing at home and that it might be better and more accurate and so I started ear pricking. Initially his level was spot on 500 early morning and by mid day would be down to around 410 - 425. Once I started the Blood Sugar Gold I saw a drop to 352 by mid day but he would have spikes to the 450 - 485 range consistently at 3 hours after meals. I tested for 3 days and this pattern did not waver. Once I started the herbal drops his drinking and urine output slowed drastically. He was no longer flooding the box and he was no longer hovering over the water bowl with food in his mouth. But after watching his numbers for 4 days I began to fear that the drops wouldn't work fast enough to prevent damage to his body and I called the vet with the numbers.
The vet immediately called an insulin RX into the pharmacy with instructions for me to pick up the meds and visit him to learn how to use it. I did all this and started my cat on the insulin that evening. The last herbal drops he had received was the prior evening and I thought it would be better to remove the herbal solution and just do the insulin, thinking it should only be one or the other.
NOW...here are my concerns. The vet told me not to test. He said that as long as he eats, then give him the shot. He is on 2 units of Novolin N. After reading the forums here, I am a bit concerned about not testing before the shot, but the vet insists that it is not necessary since the dose is so small. I inquired about low carb diets at the vet and he said that as long as I'm feeding a premium chicken or turkey diet and giving the amount he recommended that it would be sufficient to control the diabetes.
BUT here's the problem. Since starting the insulin and removing the herbal drops, my cat's urine output has increased to almost double what it was when he was on the herbal remedy. He is back to hovering over the water bowl, too, but he manages to eat ALL his food. He just finished 5 ounces of chicken cat food and a lot of water and he is 30 minutes past due for his insulin shot, because I am almost certain he had low sugar this morning before his feeding. He was a little stagger y and nauseous before his breakfast and was trying to vomit but only could get up a white frothy liquid. He turned to go back to his bed, but ended up heading into the wall instead. I offered food which he wouldn't eat and so I immediately fetched the karo syrup. Since he was fairly coherent he took the syrup off my finger and within a few minutes he was really hungry and ready to eat. He ate the whole 5 oz serving in one sitting.
My questions are:
1. Would you test even though the vet said it's not necessary?
2. Since the herbal remedy can be used in conjunction with insulin, would you put him back on the drops or wait to see if the insulin will do the trick?
3. Am I over reacting by being overly concerned about the effects his panic level could have on his health at his age in his condition during an all day visit to the vet? The vet stressed that he will eventually HAVE to come in for the day.
My cat is 13 years old and is a FERAL cat that I nursed and raised after his mama cat abandoned him. I witnessed the cat abandon this kitten because he was not only very large as a kitten, but extremely aggressive when picked up by her to move. So she left him after dropping him a half dozen times. I waited 12 hours before rescuing him and since then, he has been my indoor pet but has remained aggressive if picked up and VERY aggressive when transported to the vet. He has to be sedated for simple annual exams, otherwise he is a danger to all in the room. So...moving forward to today.
He stopped jumping to his favorite sunny spot, walked with stiffness and started losing weight. I began watching the way he ate. He was on dry food and he would take a few pieces of kibble and hover over the water bowl while trying to eat the food. He ended up dropping the majority of those pieces in the water and then he would lap water. Out of concern for how much food he was getting down, I assumed a health problem, took a deep breath and got him to the vet where he was sedated enough to paralyze him for a complete thorough exam including urine testing and blood work. The urine test immediately showed sugar, but no glucose test was done that day. The vet immediately diagnosed him with diabetes and informed me that I must change him over to wet food exclusively and then I would have to bring him and leave him at the vet for a full day on another day to determine if he will need insulin. I left there a little shaken up.
It was easy enough to make the change to wet food, but the vet was only specific about the amount to feed (14 oz. per day) and did not specify any particular type. So he ended up on a Fancy Feast Medley (white meat chicken primavera with garden veggies and greens in a classic sauce.) I then began my research.
I first found natural herbal solutions to promote healthy glucose levels and to support better health in diabetic cats. My main fear from the start was his stress level when visiting vets and my concern that any readings done at the vet might not be accurate because of panic making his sugar level sky rocket. I have several family members who were diabetic and I witnessed the effects of stress on their levels. So my first decision was to go the natural route and I purchased Blood Sugar Gold Herbal Drops and started him on that. I also called the vet and asked if there was a way I can check his levels at home to determine the need for insulin but he said no.
I continued my research and discovered that I could actually do testing at home and that it might be better and more accurate and so I started ear pricking. Initially his level was spot on 500 early morning and by mid day would be down to around 410 - 425. Once I started the Blood Sugar Gold I saw a drop to 352 by mid day but he would have spikes to the 450 - 485 range consistently at 3 hours after meals. I tested for 3 days and this pattern did not waver. Once I started the herbal drops his drinking and urine output slowed drastically. He was no longer flooding the box and he was no longer hovering over the water bowl with food in his mouth. But after watching his numbers for 4 days I began to fear that the drops wouldn't work fast enough to prevent damage to his body and I called the vet with the numbers.
The vet immediately called an insulin RX into the pharmacy with instructions for me to pick up the meds and visit him to learn how to use it. I did all this and started my cat on the insulin that evening. The last herbal drops he had received was the prior evening and I thought it would be better to remove the herbal solution and just do the insulin, thinking it should only be one or the other.
NOW...here are my concerns. The vet told me not to test. He said that as long as he eats, then give him the shot. He is on 2 units of Novolin N. After reading the forums here, I am a bit concerned about not testing before the shot, but the vet insists that it is not necessary since the dose is so small. I inquired about low carb diets at the vet and he said that as long as I'm feeding a premium chicken or turkey diet and giving the amount he recommended that it would be sufficient to control the diabetes.
BUT here's the problem. Since starting the insulin and removing the herbal drops, my cat's urine output has increased to almost double what it was when he was on the herbal remedy. He is back to hovering over the water bowl, too, but he manages to eat ALL his food. He just finished 5 ounces of chicken cat food and a lot of water and he is 30 minutes past due for his insulin shot, because I am almost certain he had low sugar this morning before his feeding. He was a little stagger y and nauseous before his breakfast and was trying to vomit but only could get up a white frothy liquid. He turned to go back to his bed, but ended up heading into the wall instead. I offered food which he wouldn't eat and so I immediately fetched the karo syrup. Since he was fairly coherent he took the syrup off my finger and within a few minutes he was really hungry and ready to eat. He ate the whole 5 oz serving in one sitting.
My questions are:
1. Would you test even though the vet said it's not necessary?
2. Since the herbal remedy can be used in conjunction with insulin, would you put him back on the drops or wait to see if the insulin will do the trick?
3. Am I over reacting by being overly concerned about the effects his panic level could have on his health at his age in his condition during an all day visit to the vet? The vet stressed that he will eventually HAVE to come in for the day.
