Newly Diagnosed--Blood Sugar 435

[kse]

First, Thanks for allowing me to join the group. I have 4 indoor cats--two young babies and two 15 year old babies. I have been through CRF and FeLK previously with a cat ---and now my cat "Kitty" has been diagnosed with Diabetes.

I am seeking help and advice, so I would like to give a brief history of Kitty and welcome any suggestions.

Kitty started drinking more water and urinating large amounts last May. I took her to the Vet for bloodwork--BUT, nothing showed up. In November, I took her back to the Vet for a Complete Blood Panel and once again, nothing showed up-- the only value of any concern was a Creatine of 2.3 and BUN of 50. Her Glucose level at this time was 125. She weighed 10 pounds at the time and her weight was consistent with where it was in May. Over the last 3 months, she has continued to drink and urinate a lot-- and became extremely hungry. BUT, she also began to lose weight--now 8.5 lbs Convinced it was her kidneys-- I took her to the Vet last week only to find out she was diabetic. Her Kidney values were actally better than they were in November,but her Glucose level was 43.5.

The Vet sent me home with canned and dried MD--but, I haven't fed any dry as I can't imagine that would be a good choice. Kitty ate the Canned MD for two days--and then quit. I am now feeding her Fancy Feast tender Beef every meal. Prior to the diagnosis Kitty only ate Fancy Feast--but, I was not selective on varieties.

Kitty seems to drinking and urninating less this week. She is scheduled to go back to the Vet tomorrow to have her Glucose levels checked and insulin started.

Now that you have some history--hopefully you can help me.

FIrst--I'm scared! I have never given a shot of any type--but, I love Kitty and will get trough that.

I read Binkey's page and it appears the Fancy Feast Beef is a good choice---do you agree?

What should I expect tomorrow? Any specific questions I should ask the Vet? Do you think the Glucose level could drop in one week with low carbs?

Thanks to everyone for any advice and for sharing your knowledge with newbies like myself.

 

[kse]

Blood glucose level was 435 not 43.5!

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

Welcome! It is scary at first; will it help to know we all felt that way? The good thing is this is a very manageable disease and we have had very good luck getting our kitties healthy with a wet, lo carb diet and insulin with doses determined by hometesting.

Today I hope your vet will do a fructosamine test. It is the definite test for diabetes, measuring the blood glucose levels over the past few weeks. It may take a day or two to get the results back, but since there has been confusion over her diagnosis, this would be a good plan. If they prescribe insulin, I hope they choose one of the mild, long lasting insulins like PZI, Lantus or Levemir. We have had great success with those. Once you know what kind, come back on and ask for shopping advice. There are economical ways to buy some of them. And we would like to see you start with a low safe dose, like one unit twice daily. Insulin is not dosed by weight in cats, and the blood glucose levels at the vet may be much higher than you would get at home because cats are stressed at the vet. Doses based on those inflatd levels can be too high once the kitty gets home and relaxes.

The shots are easy. You can practice at the vet so you know where to poke. We always gave Oliver his shot while his face was deep into his breakfast or dinner.

The most valuable thing you can do for your kitty is to test his blood glucose levels at home, before each shot to make sure it is safe to give the amount you have planned, and midcycle to see how the insulin is working. We would do this for our diabetic children; we do it for our cats. As soon as you get the shots down, we can teach you how to test. Here is a video that shows how it is done: Video for hometesting

You can do this; we would love to help.

 

[squeem3]

I have I read Binkey's page and it appears the Fancy Feast Beef is a good choice---do you agree?

Many of the Fancy Feast varieties are good to feed, not just the beef one :smile: And there are lots of other brands you can feed. Just be sure that the food has 10% or less carbs. Use the food charts to find that out.

Here's the list of gluten free low carb Fancy Feast: http://www.felinediabetes.com/glutenfree.htm Other varieties of Fancy Feast are on the "old" food chart.

What should I expect tomorrow?

Your vet will likely go over how to measure the insulin dose and how to give the injection. He/She may also tell you what some symtpoms of low blood glucose level are (hypoglycemia) and how to treat. If your vet is fairly up to date on recent advances on managing diabetic cats, you may be shown how to test your cat's blood glucose levels.

Any specific questions I should ask the Vet?

Here's a list of suggested questions to ask:
http://gorbzilla.com/questions_for_your_vet_.htm

Do you think the Glucose level could drop in one week with low carbs?

It may :smile: If you want, you can try a low carb diet for a week or so and see if that is enough to lower your cat's blood glucose levels to a more healthy range (about 60 to 150 md/gl). You'll have to test your cat's blood glucose levels daily to see if the diet is working or not. Most cats will need insulin and diet before they can go into remission. Some cats need just a short time on insulin before they go into remission. It seems that the sooner your cat starts insulin treatment and a low carb diet, the greater the chances of remission are.

 

[hollyall]

Hello. I'm a newbie too. I felt very overwhelmed when my kitty Max was diagnosed in January. This forum has been amazing and really helped me get Max healthier. The wet low carb diet has made a world of difference. Also, I have to admit I'm kind of squeamish (close my eyes when anything icky is shown on TV or the movies), but I'm getting the shots and blood testing down, although I was definitely shaky at first. Just wanted to offer you hugs and encouragement.