newly diagnosed and freaking out

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whetstone

Member Since 2014
Hello everyone,

I took a friend's cat for "two months" (that was 2 1/2 years ago, she is long gone/living in another country) and he was recently diagnosed with diabetes AND hyperthyroidism. I have a prescription for methimazole to control the hyperthyroid, and from the little reading I've done it sounds like the thyroid problems might have caused the diabetes. The vet prescribed Purina DM but the hyperthyroid means he needs to eat a lot and I am having panicky moments thinking about how much all of this is going to cost. I don't have any room in my budget and never meant to have a cat! But I love him and want him to be healthy so I really hope I can somehow make it work.

Cat stats:

Name: Bou (sounds like "boo")
Age: Not sure, the friend who left him with me had basically the same thing happen to her; guessing about 10?
Weight: 14 pounds 2 ounces
Diagnosis: Hyperthyroidism, diabetes
Prescriptions: Lantus, suggested dosage not set yet/not yet dosing; Methimazole, 2.5mg 2x daily; Purina DM (vet was insistent that it should be specifically this food but that was pre-thyroid diagnosis)

Has anyone dealt with this combination of diseases? Any advice for how much I should be feeding (ounces/lb body weight)? Do I really HAVE to use this expensive food? Suggestions on feeding schedule? I have roommates who might be able to give him a mid-day snack in addition to his morning and night feeding.

Thank you all so much. I'm happy to at least see that some cats make it through this and remain healthy and happy for years.
 
Treating diabetes can be fairly inexpensive, though overwhelming at first. The insulin is usually the most expensive; Lantus is a good insulin and will last a long time if cared for. A wet low carb diet is best; see this website by a vet (www.catinfo.org). Many of us feed Friskies pates which are the least expensive. And you can test inexpensively at home, taking away the vet visits to monitor his blood glucose levels. We have taught hundreds of people how to test; we'd be happy to teach you.

Keep reading, ask questions and let us know how we can help.
 
Thank you so much! Is there a best place or thread for learning home testing, before I ask any questions about that?

And is it crucial to start him on insulin right away? I am wondering if dietary change alone ever helps, or if it's important to start injections ASAP to keep the disease from progressing.
 
It depends on how high he is. If he is running in the 500s+, it might be wise to start insulin pretty soon. If he is lower and you can switch over to a wet low carb diet, sometimes that is enough.

Here is a thread all about home testing. The video is especially helpful.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

Here is a shopping list:

A human glucometer. Any one that sips and takes a tiny sample is fine. Some members stay away from any meter with True in the name and the Freestyle meters. Some people think they are unreliable and read lower than other meters. The meters are often free at drug stores; it’s the strips that are expensive. You can, however, buy them on ebay at less than half the price of stores. Lots of people here also like the ReliOn from Walmart. It is an inexpensive meter and its strips are the cheapest around. Try the meter out on yourself or someone else before you try it on your cat. You want to be familiar with it before you poke the cat.

Lancets and a lancet device. Usually, until the ears “learn” to bleed, a 26-28 gauge is good. Any brand will work as long as the lancets match your device.

Ketone strips. (Ketostix) Just like human diabetics use. You will sometimes need to test urine if the numbers are high.

Rice sack. Make this out of thinnish sock, filled with raw rice or oatmeal and then knotted. You heat this in the microwave until very warm but not hot. Then heat the ears before poking. You can also use a prescription bottle filled with very warm water. It provides a good surface to poke against.

Also nice to have. Flashlight: so you can look at the ears and find the little capillaries that come off the vein running down the ear. Vaseline: Put a tiny smear where you want to poke. It will help the blood bead up.

And some lo carb treats to give your kitty, successful test or not Lo carb treats

And how you can get him ready for home testing:
First pick a place where you want to test. Some people use the kitchen counter, a blanket on the floor, between your legs while sitting – whatever works for you. Take the kitty there and give him/her lots of praise while you play with his/her ears. Give a treat and release. Next time, add the rice sack (thin sock filled with raw rice, heated in the microwave until very warm but not hot) or a prescription pill bottle filled with very warm water. Lots of praise, treat and release. Finally add the lancet so he/she will get used to the noise. The hope is that when you finally poke, they will be used to the process and know a treat is coming!


Good luck! We all have things that helped us at first. Just ask!
 
As Sue mentioned, most people feed their cats Friskies pate because it's a low-carb option that's both ideal for diabetic cats and very easy on the wallet. I think the vast majority of us were told we needed to use one of the prescription foods by the vet, but the hundreds of cats who have ended up diet-controlled on here eating normal wet food (just making sure it's low-carb) would disagree that prescription food is a must!

My cat was able to get regulated after just a few weeks on Lantus after we made the switch to low-carb wet food from Hill's W/D.

BUT, make sure that you do a food change before you start the insulin if you plan to do that. Changing to low-carb food can have an immediate and drastic effect on their blood sugar levels, which can be dangerous when they're on insulin if you can't test them constantly (many times a day for many days straight) while making the transition.
 
I was freaked out too especially about the injections but once you get some practice and see how simple it is your confidence will build. It really helped me to have a lesson with our vet. He had us practice with some saline first.

The Cat Food Chart is a godsend. I take it with me whenever I go pet food shopping. Fancy Feast pates are also a good low cost option but not as inexpensive as Friskies.

I also watched some helpful videos on YouTube about how to do the blood glucose testing and the shots.

The people here are great - you will get lots of help and support here.

Best to you.
 
If you are already giving insulin, you MUST be home-testing before you change the food. Glucose levels may drop 100 mg/dL and insulin doses may drop 1-2 units by changing to low carb food.

For feline nutrition info, including a food chart, please see Cat Info, written by Dr Lisa Pierson, veterinarian.
 
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