Newly Diagnosed Cat with Diabetes

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clayandsimba

Member Since 2013
Hi Everyone,

I just registered today because I am getting absolutely no information from my Vet on how to deal with managing my cat Simba's diabetes. When I took Simba to the Vet on the 12th of this month, his glucose level was 557 - a diabetic for sure. I started his insulin injections of 1 unit twice a day on the 15th of this month. The vet prescribed Novolin which I got at Walmart. He also gave me a bag of Purina Diatetic Maintenance dry and wet food to feed him instead of what I was feeding him before. I was sent on my way with no instructions and no follow up appointments for further blood work or monitoring to see if the insulin dosage was working or not.

Well, that is why I am here. I am at my wits end because Simba does not seem to be getting any better. He used to be so energetic and playful and now he just wants to eat and drink all the time and then go hide under the bed to sleep. I want the old Simba back!

I found out on line that I should be checking his blood sugar level myself so I immediately went to Walmart and got all of the supplies that I needed and tested his blood and his glucose level was still a whopping 391. The testing was much easier than I thought it would be and he really didn't seem to mind it at all.

Since I cannot get any information from my Vet, I am turning to you nice people on here. Should I take the initiative and slowly increase Simba's insulin dosage my self to see if I can get his number down or try to find another Vet and work with him on it? I was thinking of just increasing the insulin one unit at a time, test him and see if it is working. Good idea or not? I give him his shot of 1 unit at 5:30 every morning and 1 unit at 5:30 every evening.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Glad you found us and hope you can find a good and helpful new vet. N insulin is rarely used for cats anymore.....it is fast acting with a short duration. As for that special food the vet sold you, take it back and get your money back. Most of us feed Fancy Feast classics, no gravy ones, and Friskies,........canned only. If he has not been formally eating canned food, you need to slowly switch him over and monitor him (so glad your are hometesting, lifesaver) Getting rid of the dry will remove a lot of carbs and will lower his numbers down. Others will come on and give you opinions on best insulins to use but for now.

1. test him first before feeding

2. feed him food at least a 1/2 hr. before shooting N insulin (food needs to be on board with this insulin)

3. give him his insulin but only give it if his preshot test was over 200. amps ( a.m. preshot) pmps (pmpreshot)

4. do not increase that dose yet.......especially if removing dry food.

Lantus, Levemir and Prozinc are the insulins used. N might work well in dogs but not in cats.
 
Thank you so much for the information. He has been eating wet food in the past and seems to enjoy it so transitioning him to only wet will not be a big problem. I would take the food back but it's half gone by now because it's been two weeks that he has been eating it. I will just toss it and go buy the brands that you mentioned.

I will be trying to find another Vet on Monday. Again, thanks very much!
 
Just make sure to test him, get the number, then feed canned and wait a 1/2 hr. before shooting. If removing all dry food his numbers go down, which they should, then test him, feed him, wait a 1/2 hr. and then test him again before even giving 1 unit. Food usually spikes them up and even though 1 unit looks so tiny, that 1 unit of any insulin in a cat that doesn't need that amount can hypo them.

Until he is on a better insulin he is going to be hungry. Also, when you are out pick up some Ketostix or KetoDiastix....first one tests just for ketones......second one tests for glucose and ketones in the urine. Hopefully others will post with how to catch urine for testing. I just use a huge salad ladle and pour it into a disposable plastic cup and then I have urine to test.

Remember to also apply a little pressure on his ear after testing.....stops bleeding and minimizes bruising.
 
Welcome! You've found the best place out there to help you with managing Simba's diabetes. And it's fantastic that you're already testing!

A few things:
  • Novolin is an outdated insulin to use on cats. It causes steep drops and wears off too quickly. The preferred (and veterinary recommended) insulins are PZI/ProZinc, Lantus (aka glargine), or Levemir (aka detemir). I would suggest asking your vet for a prescription for one of these better, longer-lasting, and softer-acting insulins first. Better yet, find a new vet willing to work with you (after all, isn't that what we're paying them for?).
  • The prescription food is at best overpriced; at worst, still waaay too high in carbs for most cats, much less diabetic cats. I'd return the prescription foods and check out Dr. Lisa's website and the commercial cat food list she maintains. You want any foods less than 10% carbs (the lower the better).
  • Since you're already testing, get rid of the dry food. You will want to monitor Simba's numbers while you're doing this since dry food can artificially elevate BGs by over 100 points. Most all cats require a dose decrease once dry, high carb food has been removed from their diet.

Please let us know if you have any other questions or need any help or tips with anything (including testing).
 
Welcome!

Sorry your vet is not up to date. If you think the vet would do some continuing education, you might print out the AAHA Guidelines and give them to the vet. Vets may find it hard to stay current on all diseases for all the animals they handle. Giving these to the vet saves the vet some time searching for it.

Recommended insulins are Lantus, Levemir, Prozinc and PZI.

N insulin lasts about 6-8 hours in the cat. Unless you pick up the food around 3-4 hours after giving N, the glucose generally skyrockets as the insulin wears off. An option is to test and shoot roughly every 8 hours. That can be a difficult schedule for many to handle. The insulin hits pretty hard and wears off fairly steeply; the cat is on a steep glucose yo yo.

If you decide to go vet hunting, see my signature link Vet Interview Topics.
 
Hi there and welcome :cool:

You have come to the right place for information and support.

In order to help the folks here best help you, please record any BG data you may have already collected on a spreadsheet.

A profile is also very helpful as it allows someone trying to assist to get up to speed on your kitties history quickly.

I'll echo what Hope advised - get some Ketostix and check for the presence of ketones.
The transition from one insulin to another is a time to pay very close attention to this.

I hope you find a vet with better knowledge of FD and who is willing to work with you. Keep us posted :cool:
 
Clay and Simba!

Welcome to the board! I definately agree that getting rid of the dry will help immensely - you may see a drop in blood glucose over a few days so keep testing! It would also be a good idea as suggested to do a spreadsheet so you can track trends. You will want to test before every shot and then a few spot checks during the day. You are looking to see how low he drops since its that number you base dose changes on.

Really would like to see you on a better insulin too.

Wendy
 
Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to say that I really appreciate all of the advice and tips on treating my cat Simba. I am happy to report that he is now only on wet food and the change in him is as different as night and day. He doesn't drink as much water now, therefore not urinating like he used to and has so much more energy now. The testing has gotten a lot harder because he is so "tuned in" on just getting fed that he won't be still for even two minutes. Any advice on how to remedy this? Another problem is that now he always wants to eat because he was so used to having his dry food around all day long and could eat whenever he wanted. Is this normal? If so, what can I do to keep him satisfied throughout the day? Those are my only issue now with him. I am still searching for another vet who is better educated on feline diabetes. Thanks again everyone!
 
He should need less insulin now that he's gone "low carb".

You want his two main biggest meals to be before you give him any insulin, so you don't want to feed him within 3-4 hours before that since you need him to be hungry enough to eat especially if you're still giving the Novolin. But you can feed him some mini meals throughout the day, or wait 2-3 hours after shot time and put down more food. Just pick it up by 3-4 hours before shot time.

I like the AMPS and PMPS to be uninfluenced by food...so I basically try not to feed in the 4 hours prior to get more of a "fasting glucose" and shoot based on that. After you feed him, the BS is going to go up so that is your margin of safety with the Novolin because it really kicks in between 2-1/2-4 hours and that's when his food glucose will be peaking too.

I'm really glad to hear hes doing better and getting back to his old self.

(I have a Simba too! But just as often he's Sim Sim or Simbalicious.)
 
There is also a small margin of time before the food spike is reflected in his numbers (I believe it's around 15 minutes or so, but ECID!). Michelangelo is great with testing...except for his AMPS. I've learned that if I let him eat his breakfast first, then test him immediately afterward (sometimes even when he's still in the middle of eating), he's much more cooperative and the numbers are still accurate.
 
I can't seem to get his numbers anywhere near the 200 mark. It always reads in the high 300's. I am sure that it is the Novolin Insulin not working, but I have yet to find another vet who will change it to something else. It's very frustrating but at least Simba is not as tired and run down like he was before when eating the dry food. That is something to be grateful for. I will push forward. Thanks everyone!
 
If you want, you could start a new thread and ask if any member lives near you and could suggest a good FD vet. It's good to hear that Simba has reacted well to the wet food, but yes, it is likely that he would be easier to regulate on another insulin. On Humulin, many cats just continue on a roller coaster. It works for a few hours after the preshot to lower their bg, but before their next shot, they are back in a high range again. It tends not to last 12 hours. And raising the dose just increases the curve on the roller coaster without helping the duration.
 
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