Newly diagnosed diabetes in my cat

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Patty & Champ

Patty & Champ

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I tried to get my cat to lose weight, but was never successful so I just gave up. He weighed 21 pounds, but is a very large cat so he had no problems with mobility or cleanliness issues. I noticed he started to lose weight, but was eating everything in site...and always wanted more. Plus, though he always drank a lot of water, he was going through 20 ounces of water a day and urinating a lot. I finally thought of weighing him and he had gone down to 16 pounds!!! In two and a half months. Because diabetes runs in the humans in my family, I was pretty sure I knew what was going on. I took him to the vet and, sure enough, his blood sugar was 428 (maybe not accurate since he was stressed with the car ride and vet visit?). The vet put him on 3 units of Lantus twice daily and told me to think about putting him on a high fiber diet. I did my own research and decided to put him on a high protein/low carb diet. He likes wet food so it hasn't been difficult at all to do this, though it costs wayyy more for the Wellness and Soulistic I'm now feeding him than the Friskies canned food. But he's worth it!! I feed him twice a day, 3 oz. of Wellness or Soulistic, right before giving him his insulin (12 hrs. apart) and he gets an afternoon snack. The vet wants me to do a glucose curve on him in three weeks. I have a glucose meter so I'm going to do it at home. She said to check his blood glucose before his insulin, four hours after, and then eight hours after. In my research, I've never seen anyone being told to wait three weeks after beginning insulin before doing a curve and then only three checks during the curve. Because I've changed his diet, I want to do his curve this weekend when I know I'll be available all day, and I want to check it every two hours. Can someone please advise me if I'm just going overboard or if I should follow my vet's advice. Also, what numbers am I looking for in the curve?
 
Hi Patty! You should do the curve this week-end when you are home and test him before every shot. now. You should also go over to the Lantus board and read the stickys and maybe post there also. The more you check his numbers the more information you have to make correct decisions. You sound as if you know a lot about diabetes, that helps. More will chime in with suggestions, good luck. Also, when you change the diet, the need for insulin can go down, I would be sure to check his numbers BEFORE each shot because 3u insulin 2x a day is a lot of insulin for newly Dx. cat, usually you start at 1u 2x day .... if the change in diet brings his numbers down and you give him 3u, he could hypo, just be sure to have some karo syrup and read the info. on hypos, they can be very dangerous, if that happens post on health and 911 and people will guide you.
Nancy and Payne
 
Thanks for replying!! I just checked Champ's glucose, because I'm getting ready to feed him his dinner, and it was 346. I don't know if this warrants 3 units or not. I'm just so uninformed as to knowing what to give in insulin based on glucose readings!
 
Info for you:
food - you can feed fancy feast or friskies or many other less expensive foods; they are just fine.
Look on Binky's list for foods with carbs under 10%. Get a couple of higher carb ones for any times your cat's numbers run too low.

Binky’s Food Lists
Feeding Your Cat: Know The Basics of Feline Nutrition

it is best to remove food for the 2 hours prior to shot times because food influences the BG numbers and readings would be falsely high from food.
Also, it's better to space out the meals through the day. I am sure you already know that even steady foods, snacks help for more level BG values.

For info on Lantus:

Tight Regulation Protocol
LANTUS & LEVEMIR – INSULIN DEPOT –AKA- STORAGE SHED
Lantus&Levemir – Data Ready to Shoot Low Numbers

That dose of 3units BID is pretty high, so once you start home testing you may find that dose is too high.
The dose should be based on nadir, or the lowest point in the cycles. You may well have a 346 just before a shot, but the number that matters is the lowest point.

How to do a Curve
Example of a typical curve:
+0 - PreShot number.
+1 – Usually higher than PreShot number because of the last shot wearing off. May see a food spike in this number.
+2 - Often similar to the PreShot number.
+3 - Lower than the PreShot number, onset has started.
+4 - Lower.
+5 - Lower.
+6 – Nadir/Peak (the lowest number of cycle).
+7 - Surf (hang around the nadir number).
+8 - Slight rise.
+9 - Slight rise.
+10 - Rising.
+11 - Rising (may dip around +10 or +11).
+12 - PreShot number.

there is no need at all to wait until the weekend or 3 weeks to do a curve; you can begin testing today.
There are a few tests that must be done: Before each shot, and a test just before you go to bed.
Many cats go low overnite, so it's best to know your cat's number before going to sleep.

You can post over in the |Lantus group so that the others using the same insulin can help you get all set up and organized.
 
Just wanted to say hello and welcome. I'm sure you're already figuring out that you've come to the best place for help with your diabetic cat. Sounds like you already know some about diabetes and are learning a lot. 3u twice a day seems high to start. As others have suggested, I would start home testing so you know how your cat is doing on the dose and can adjust if needed. Read all you can (FAQ's and insulin stickies) and keep asking questions.
 
Thanks for the welcome!! I have to admit, today was a tough day for me. I'm questioning myself about everything I've been doing, worrying that I'm going to hurt my cat because I have NO idea what I'm doing. I'm determined that tomorrow I'll quit obsessing about it all and relax, take a deep breath, and get on with it. I'm going to start routine BG testing tomorrow and do a curve on Sunday when I'll be home all day. When I do the curve, do I check every hour or every two hours? I hate to think how bad my cat will dislike me if I stick his ear every hour.
 
Yes, relax :) none of us knew what we were doing in the beginning but you have all of us to ask the million questions you'll have along your journey. The funny thing about our sugar cats, they seem to know what we are doing is to help them. Give a treat every time you prick him, whether you get blood or not and he'll catch on :lol: You also seem to build a bond with them .... we all have our stories, even my Payne (pain :) and I have grown super close. When you do a curve you take a reading every two hours from the AM shot to the PM shot. Find some treats that he likes and he will forget the prick :) The reason most of us said 3u was too high to start is his dose could be anywhere from just a tad to ? but if you start at 1u 2X a day, and you keep good numbers you can adjust up or down by small amounts .... according to the numbers, and the Lantus people are really good at that. And remember the only way you can hurt Champ is to give him insulin without knowing what his number is ..... you are doing great!
Nancy and Payne (dreaming of the next curve with treats and treats and ..... )
 
My cat was put on 2 units twice a day when he was diagnosed with i think a 561 BG level at the vet. He had lost down to 20 pounds - he was 27 at the previous annual vet visit. He is a large cat - two feet tall and two feet long (not counting length of tail). We eventually went up to 4 units twice a day. During this time, I also changed his diet from dry high carb to high protein, low carb. I think with the high dose and the change to high protein food which lowers his need for insulin, his "shed" filled up quickly, so that he had a seizure. I was not home testing at the time but after the seizure, I had to learn and would not give a shot unless I knew the level. If it was under 150, I did not shoot. Thanks to this board, i had read the information on hypos and had Karo syrup and high carb food ready when this happened. All that to say, in hindsight, I would have only started with a small dose like 1 unit twice a day and would have done home testing. Only small adjustments should be made in the dose. My vet moved us up by 1 unit at a time. He even wanted me to continue with the 4 units but only once a day AFTER the seizure. i did not do that. He also said that we should "expect" another seizure. We now have a new vet. My cat got off the juice after only about 6 weeks. Another factor that I believe helped him get off the juice quickly was that I used a timer feeder during the day when I was gone so that he could have 4 smaller meals during a 24 hour period instead of 2. This helped his pancreas to heal. Be sure to read about the shed and also read about hypos on this board. It really helped me with my cat.

We got a flashlight that you wear on your head called the headlight which allowed us to have our hands free to hold and test. It made it easier. We also had to have some great treats for the test. I found some freezedried chicken treats that he loves! I give tiny pieces before, during and after the test.
 
Thanks all of you for the advice. It's very much appreciated. I truly feel like Champ is one of my children. I work at home so he and I are together all day long, every day and he's been with me since I got him when he was a baby from a rescue group 10 years ago. He follows me around the house and has a bed up on a table right next to my desk so he can nap and keep me company at the same time. Thank goodness I'm here to keep an eye on him in case anything happens, but I can't concentrate on my work because I keep hovering over the dang cat! haha. I tested his BG this morning and I remained calm and got it with the first stick. Yay!! It was 329 and I did give him the 3 units. I'm going to check his BG again at the halfway mark today to give me an indication where he is at +6. I can't wait until Sunday when I'm not tied up with deadlines at work so I can do the curve and see what his numbers are throughout the day. I think tomorrow I'll start giving him 1 unit with each injection instead of the 3 units and see how he does. That way, when I do the curve on Sunday, he will already have been on 1 unit b.i.d. for a full 24 hours. I've got my Karo syrup ready and some of his old high carb food just in case. He's put on almost a pound of weight since starting the insulin so I'm going to have to cut his food intake. Even though he lost five pounds before being diagnosed, at 16 pounds right now, he could still stand to lose two or three pounds. I'm not going to try for weight loss right now until we get him all regulated, but i don't want him to gain either. I think instead of his favorite afternoon treat of those crunchy "Temptations" snacks, I'll start giving him raw chicken, which he loves. I'll keep ya'll posted about his numbers!!
 
Sounds like you have a great plan going, Patty. It is hard not to hover at first. Have you seen this post: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=33671 Should give you a giggle.

We have a great tool called a spreadsheet. It is color coded and you can keep track of doses given and numbers throughout the cycle. It is good for you to see trends and patterns and it really helps us when you need dose advice. Here are the instructions: Setting up a spreadsheet It has been very slow coming up and some people are having trouble with it loading. If you need help, just ask.
 
Hi Patty, Welcome!

3u is a very high starting dose. Please make sure that you're monitoring your cat very closely on that dose (I see you're hometesting, that's great! best thing you can do for your cat). I would get a few tests in throughout the cycle to make sure he doesn't go too low.

Having diabetics in your family already, I'm sure you do, but do you know the signs of a hypoglycemic episode and how to treat it?
 
Sue, thank you for the link to the spreadsheet. I'm going to set that up this afternoon!! Much better than the steno notepad I'm trying to use now.

Julia, I just tested Champ's BG again (+3) and it's 193. I'm going to test again at +6 and see how it is at the halfway mark. My vet told me about the Karo syrup and I've also read the info on this board. I'll confess and say it kind of made me have a breakdown yesterday. I hate to cry, but I did plenty of it yesterday!! It made me realize that this is very serious. Saying that it is very serious and hearing that it is very serious is one thing, but when it finally sinks in and you realize how dangerous this can be to your furry baby...well, I became a big crybaby. But I put my big girl pants on this morning and I'm going to get through this just like I got through single motherhood and watching my baby girl go off to college...it's going to be hard, but nothing I can't handle!!
 
It looks like I'll need help getting the spreadsheet up. Only a blank screen comes up. Anybody else experience this and know what to do?
 
Now the spreadsheet will come up, but when I click on "use this template" it disappears and there is only a blank page.
 
How long did you jut let the "blank" screen remain open? It can take awhile for the document to show. If you look at the browsers' status bar does it show that the page is completely loaded?
 
I am away from my home computer so can't get you another URL until tonight. But you might try this - sign on to Google, search Google docs for FDMB spreadsheet and see if it comes up. Maybe you can access it that way.
 
The task bar says "done" and I did let the "blank" page stay up for a while to see if anything would happen...it didn't. Hmmm. I'll try again later, but if anyone else has had this problem, let me know.
 
Wow, you guys say 3 u's are high? My vet has me giving Lucy 4!! :o Just got a meter today so I will start testing immediately after work to make sure she's ok. Haven't seen any abnormal signs at all thank goodness. I started giving can food about a week before she was diagnosed and no dry since the diagnosis. So, I'm guessing that may change her reads as well. Thanks from me too, for all the good info.
Patty P., there's a great list on here somewhere of various brand can foods that includes protein/fat/carb amounts. The vet advised Science Diet w/d or r/d which I've since learned is one of the highest in carbs!! I'm sticking with the 9 lives and Friskies can my kitties like anyway.
 
Until your kitty is regulated, he may be very hungry because he can't use the glucose in his blood; I'd hold off a bit on restricting the food until he is more stable.
 
Honda rider said:
... My vet has me giving Lucy 4!! ....
Click to expand...

Better keep food out at all times and have some karo and high carb food ready, because if the insulin dose is an overdose, the cat needs to eat to try to keep up with it.

Also, if the insulin dose IS too high, you may see even higher glucose numbers. This is because the liver is trying to compensate for the glucose levels dropping too much.
 
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