Newly Diabetic, Rudy

Status
Not open for further replies.
Karen & Rudy

Karen & Rudy

Member Since 2014
Hi! My name is Karen and my 15 year old kitty, Rudy, was just diagnosed this week. My head is spinning. I am so happy that he has something treatable, but I am very overwhelmed at how maintenance this process is going to be. I am married with four kids and a full time job and just want to make sure that I am able to give him the level of care that he needs. Unfortunately he is used to dry food, so my first step is to get him on canned food. This is already proving difficult because he is so stubborn. Next, I have to get brave enough to give insulin. So far my husband has done it (started yesterday) and I will need to do it before this weekend is over. The next step I guess is to buy a glucometer and I have been trying to research those as well. So, I will try to start reading the posts here to catch up, but if anyone has any quick newbie advice on how to wrap my head around this or some sort of organization of it all I would appreciate it :-)
 

Attachments

  • Rudy2014.jpg
    Rudy2014.jpg
    17.9 KB · Views: 437
Welcome to the forum. I am new myself, so I don't have much information for you as I am still learning myself. The best thing I have done so far was to buy a glucometer and start testing her. I feel like it give me knowledge which is power in this situation to be able to make informative decisions for your kitty (especially if you are giving him insulin already). Unfortinately, they can't tell us when they don't feel good so we need to figure that out through b/g numbers.

I bought the ReliOn Confirm from Walmart for $15, 30 gauge lancets for under $4 for a box of 100, and the strips were $36 for 100 strips. I like how very little blood this meter needs to give you a reading and how it sucks up the blood. It is SO easy to use. I am fortunate that my cat does not fight me too much especially since I am still learning how/where to stick her with the lancet.

Good luck with Rudy's treatment!
 
Hey Karen! Our Snow got the big D dx just over 3 weeks ago, so I'm another newbie, and I can certainly empathize with how you feel. It sure feels like a lot to process, but the important thing is not to let yourself get overwhelmed. The biggest comfort I've found is that all that maintenance is actually pretty methodical: you need to adjust your routine to fit it in there, but once it is, and both you and Rudy adjust to it, things start to go much more smoothly. And you've certainly found the right place to come for help. The folks here have been fantastic about helping me try to get my legs under me.

For what it's worth, I concur with Jenny about the ReliOn meter. I use the micro myself (same strips, slightly different hardware): the tiny sample is a godsend when Snow wants to be all squirmy (which is most of the time I'm testing him: he seems to like 40-year-nurse Grandma better...). Just don't make the mistake I did when it comes to the lancets, since my meter only came with a handful: 33 gauge is way too small, in my experience. That's what I get for not paying attention when ordered them. :)

Don't lose heart. You can both do this.

Best of luck!
 
Hi Karen,

Welcome to FDMB, although I'm so sorry Rudy was diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes is definitely a manageable disease, and in some cases, remission is also possible. My cat, Jersey, was one of the lucky kitties who was able to go into remission. She was on insulin for just a few months and is now diet-controlled.

Okay, so three important things you need to know right now:

1. Food: It is better for diabetic cats to be on a low-carb diet. Unfortunately, it can be hard to figure out which foods are low-carb. You may have already seen Dr. Lisa Pierson's food chart: http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf. Ideally, you want to feed varieties that have less than 10% carbs. (Look at the third column in the chart to find % carbs.) Here's the catch - when a cat is switched from high-carb to low-carb food, the current insulin dose may need to be reduced. I've even seen a kitty here who was switched to low-carb food and almost immediately went into remission. With that in mind, it's really important to be home testing when you make the food switch. That will help you keep your kitty safe.

2. Insulin: What type of insulin did your vet prescribe? What was the starting dose? How much does Rudy weigh? Sorry to bombard you with questions, but the answers will help us help you. The three best insulins for cats are Lantus, Levemir, and Prozinc. (Humulin is not a good insulin for cats, although many vets still prescribe it.)

3. Testing: I know home testing sounds scary and awful, but it really isn't as bad as it sounds. It can be difficult at first to learn how to test, but we have all kinds of tips, tricks, and videos that can help. Most people here use the ReliOn brand meters from Wal-Mart. Here's a shopping list that someone gave me when I first joined FDMB:

  • - Glucose Meter – Most people use the Relion Confirm or Micro from Wal-Mart. Some people recommend avoiding meters with “True” or “Freestyle” in the name because they may not measure accurately. Whichever meter you buy, it’s best to find one that requires a small blood sample. I used the ReliOn Micro, which took a .3 sample.
    - Test Strips – Buy the test strips that match your meter.
    - Lancing Device – My meter came with a lancing device. If yours doesn’t, you may want to pick one up. (Some people don’t use a lancing device.)
    - Lancets – A lot of new members start with a bigger gauge lancet like a 28g or 29g. As the ear “learns” to bleed, they can then switch to a smaller gauge like a 33g. (The smaller the number, the bigger the “needle.”)
    - Neosporin with Pain Relief – I used the Equate brand. Make sure you get the ointment and not the cream. Dabbing some of this on the ear after testing can help keep the ear in good condition. (I actually used it prior to the poke to help the blood well up, too.)

Once we get you set up with testing, we'll help you set up a spreadsheet to record the readings on. That way, you can record your numbers and then post here if you need advice on the dose.

I'm sure you probably have a million questions; don't be afraid to ask them! We've all been in your shoes, and we know how very overwhelming this all is. We'll just take one step at a time.

Shelly
 
Hi Karen and Rudy,

Welcome.

I have only been here for 48 days. Gone from scared stiff to , I got this. All with the help of people here.

Shelly has you covered with the details of the next steps and what you need to buy.

I am here to tell you that I have 2 sugar babies. Jack and Samantha.

Jack was DX with a BG of 634 on 8/9/14, wobbly legs, excess urination and loss of weight.

He is now in his 13th day of no insulin and tomorrow, God willing, we will celebrate his remission.

Samantha, I started about 3 weeks later as I had my hands full with Jack. She was in the mid 300's and presented no symptoms other that excess urination.

Her BG is now under control in the low to mid 100's. After a week or so, she may be ready for a trial without insulin.

You certainly have your hands full based upon what you said about family life. But that also means that you have it in you to do this.

You are so not alone. We are all here to help you.

Take care,
Kevin
 
Hi Karen and Rudy!

Don't be afraid of the insulin! Or the testing. Or any of it, really. I've been at this now for about 5 weeks and it's amazing how quickly it becomes second nature for you AND Rudy.

I just want to second what Shelly said - be sure you're testing before you switch foods. Changing diet can make a big difference in Rudy's BG numbers. It's really important to be able to monitor when you make that change. But also, it's a really important change to make.
 
Thank you so much for the advice!
I am going to give his evening shot tonight with my husband supervising. I'm nervous about that, but I have seen Rudy be a trooper for my husband the last 3 days, so I think he will be ok :-)


I went to the store and bought a glucose monitor the Reliable from Walmart. I read all the directions but I am still pretty scared to use it. I don't see veins in his ears, maybe because he is a black kitty? When do you take a sample? Before he gets his shot? Any advice on trying to get this blood sample? I am so worried that I will hurt him!
 
Welcome!

KarenBlasky said:
I went to the store and bought a glucose monitor the Reliable from Walmart. I read all the directions but I am still pretty scared to use it. I don't see veins in his ears, maybe because he is a black kitty? When do you take a sample? Before he gets his shot? Any advice on trying to get this blood sample? I am so worried that I will hurt him!
Click to expand...

Try it on yourself (or your husband :lol: ) first to see how it works. Here is a link to a great page showing the basics of testing and another link with some ear testing tips, including pictures of the "sweet spot." One hint for black-eared kitties, it is usually easier to test on the inside of the ear than the outside. Cats also have fewer nerve endings in the tips of their ears than we have in the tips of our fingers so it literally hurts us more than in hurts them. :lol:
 
Thank you!!! The videos were great. We are going to check tomorrow before we give him his shot.

Another question. He is refusing to eat can food at all, since he only ever ate dry. My long term plan is to somehow get him to canned, but for now I just need him to eat. My vet switched him to Purina DM and told us to schedule his feedings just morning and night- before his shots (he was used to a bowl out all day). He isn't eating very much. He is 14.4 lbs (down 2 lbs from his weight three weeks ago, which is why we brought him to the vet). He ate 1/4 cup yesterday and only 1/8 of a cup today. I am VERY concerned that he isn't eating much. He peed twice today and is still drinking, but no BM (he's had one in the last 5 days). I just don't know if this is OK or what I should do? I have tried so hard to get him to eat more, but he eats a little and leaves. Any suggestions?
 
No, it isn't OK.

If he loses weight too fast, the fat will go to his liver and may cause hepatic lipidosis, a potentially fatal, expensive to treat, complication of diabetes.

Food changes tend to be best when done gradually. He may be having an upset stomach, constipation from the switch, or just not like it.
Try 1 or more of these alone or in combination.
- crumbling up some of the old food and sprinkling it on the new food
- sprinkling a bit of grated Parmesan on it
- warming up the canned food to baby bottle temp (test on your wrist - if it burns it is too hot)
- fresh or cooked poultry or meat (watch out for "natural broth injected" as it may contain sugar)
 
KarenBlasky said:
I am VERY concerned that he isn't eating much ... I have tried so hard to get him to eat more, but he eats a little and leaves.
Click to expand...

(Emphasis mine.)

Hi Karen,

Have a look at this page from Tanya's site. Scroll down the page to the Nausea Symptoms section to see if Rudy is showing any of the symptoms listed and let your vet know. Also let the vet know about the lack of poops.

http://www.felinecrf.org/nausea_vomiting_stomach_acid.htm

If it is nausea, your vet will be able to prescribe medications to help (e.g. famotidine for excess stomach acid, ondansetron or cerenia for nausea, cyproheptadine for appetite stimulation). Your vet may prescribe mirtazapine for both appetite stimulation and nausea, but be aware that mirtazapine can induce serontonin syndrome (a potentially life-threatening condition). Cyproheptadine is an antidote.
 
If you want to feed your cat dry food, try Wysong Epigen:
http://www.1800petmeds.com/Wysong+Epige ... 60402.html

It's zero carbs and if a cat with an initial blood sugar of 600 can get off insulin in less than 2 weeks, so can your cat. It's mail order only but widely available. Once you get over the fact that you have to prepare in advance for it, the rest is easy. I tried a low carb diet for more then 6 months and it did not work. Zero carb diet worked really good and fast.
 
I went out and bought a bag last night. He loved it!!!! my picky kitty actually ate a total of 1/2 cup yesterday :-) I hope that he is on his way to being healthy.

Thank you for the suggestion!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top