Newly diagnosed diabetes

[Nancyco*]

Hi there, my cat was diagnosed October 29 they put him on Lantis two units. He’s 20 pounds. I was told if that’s too much by the diabetes group on Facebook. So I cut him down to one unit today also, I’m changing his food to Dr. Elseys s dry because he will not eat wet food. I’ve tried everything. his numbers are high this morning he was 17.5 before insulin. I tested him 6 1/2 hours later and he was 19.2. I’m freaking out this is so confusing. He’s still drinking a lot. forgot to mention last night. I did a fur shot so we didn’t get any insulin.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Hi Nancy! I know you're freaking out due to the high numbers but it really is very common for a newly diagnosed cat to run that high, and the most important thing to remind yourself of is that Lantus takes 5-7 days before you'll see how well the 1U dose is working.

The one concern with running in those higher numbers is the possibility of ketones. Ketones are produced when the body can't get the glucose it needs out of the food (due to not enough insulin) so it starts to burn fat and when we burn fat, ketones are produced. If you've ever heard of somebody doing a "keto diet", they are limiting calories to force their body into ketosis to burn the fat they want off. With your cat, due to the fact you're just starting insulin, his body could start to burn fat and ketosis can jump to ketoacidosis very quickly. That's why we suggest testing for ketones either with urine ketone strips or getting a meter that will measure ketones in the blood (works the same as your blood glucose meter just takes a different strip)

Think of insulin like it's a key and on every cell in the body there's a lock. No matter how much the cat eats, without the "keys", the glucose in the bloodstream can't get into the cells to feed them so the body starts to burn fat instead (and you get high blood glucose numbers).

Please don't let that freak you out or worry more. If the cat is eating well and acting normally, they're probably not close to being in DKA but if they start to act sick, refuse food, hide from you, then it's important to make sure they're not in DKA.

Here's an easy to understand explanation of DKA

He's also still eating the high carb kibble. That will take a little time to work its way out of his body.

Unfortunately, diabetes is a lesson in patience. Nothing happens fast enough and we all wish they were cured yesterday.

Don't want to add even more on top of what you've already learned in the group but I do want to say how happy we all are to see you posting here!

Here's a post on "How you can help us to help you" that will explain some of the things you can do to get set up and ready to post more often.

Last but not least....YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

 

[Nancyco*]

Hi Nancy! I know you're freaking out due to the high numbers but it really is very common for a newly diagnosed cat to run that high, and the most important thing to remind yourself of is that Lantus takes 5-7 days before you'll see how well the 1U dose is working.

The one concern with running in those higher numbers is the possibility of ketones. Ketones are produced when the body can't get the glucose it needs out of the food (due to not enough insulin) so it starts to burn fat and when we burn fat, ketones are produced. If you've ever heard of somebody doing a "keto diet", they are limiting calories to force their body into ketosis to burn the fat they want off. With your cat, due to the fact you're just starting insulin, his body could start to burn fat and ketosis can jump to ketoacidosis very quickly. That's why we suggest testing for ketones either with urine ketone strips or getting a meter that will measure ketones in the blood (works the same as your blood glucose meter just takes a different strip)

Think of insulin like it's a key and on every cell in the body there's a lock. No matter how much the cat eats, without the "keys", the glucose in the bloodstream can't get into the cells to feed them so the body starts to burn fat instead (and you get high blood glucose numbers).

Please don't let that freak you out or worry more. If the cat is eating well and acting normally, they're probably not close to being in DKA but if they start to act sick, refuse food, hide from you, then it's important to make sure they're not in DKA.

Here's an easy to understand explanation of DKA

He's also still eating the high carb kibble. That will take a little time to work its way out of his body.

Unfortunately, diabetes is a lesson in patience. Nothing happens fast enough and we all wish they were cured yesterday.

Don't want to add even more on top of what you've already learned in the group but I do want to say how happy we all are to see you posting here!

Here's a post on "How you can help us to help you" that will explain some of the things you can do to get set up and ready to post more often.

Last but not least....YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

Thank you so much . I really appreciate it . I tested this morning and he is 19.7 he is on 1 unit I did a fur shot on the evening of the 31st . I’m very scared about DKA

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

I’m very scared about DKA

That is always something to be concerned about but not to the point where you're freaking yourself out all the time. As long as he's eating well and acting normally, you're probably good (but if you get the urine ketone test strips you can test for them anytime you're concerned. You just need a drop of fresh urine. Here are some Urine Testing Tips

Please get your signature set up ASAP. It will help because we won't have to keep asking the same questions over and over again. The instructions on setting up your Signature is towards the bottom of the "how you can help us help you" post. (anything in blue is a link that will take you to wherever we suggest you go).

There are also explanations about how to set up our spreadsheet, but if spreadsheets make your head spin, let us know. There are several of us that can help set one up for you. @Bandit's Mom is usually on this time of day so you could send her a private message by clicking on her name and choosing "start a conversation". I can help too but I'm already past my bedtime but I'd be happy to set one up for you tomorrow. Just send me a message by clicking on my name and choosing "Start a conversation"

 

[Nancyco*]

Thank you so much.