Newly diagnosed diabetes

Status
Not open for further replies.
Thanks. I am at my wits end. My vet is away, her part time co-vet is in, however, she had no appointments until Tuesday. My cat started insulin on Tuesday morning. I gave him 1 unit instead of 2 out of fear because I feel lost and he did not eat much before. I didn't want to give full 2. He acted ok, so the second shot I gave 2 units. He was good. This morning's shot we gave the 2 units, and now he is back to hiding under bed after eating. He was doing that before he went on insulin, and the vet is not sure what is going on. GI issues, very mild pancreatitis, she doesn't know. We will be getting a sono sometime next week when the guy comes. He will not take his prescribed Tylan. He is eating when I put things in front of him, but then he goes under bed. Stomach issues? he was also very lethargic after the shot, and I feel he was breathing a bit heavier for a period. This is only the beginning and I am already lost, confused, frustrated and also angry at my vet for not being responsible and guiding us. If someone can please give us some advice. I do not want to give him another does, even if he perks up, which he usually does. Something is not right and my vet is not reassuring me. My husband is trying to get a glucose read on him. He was given his first dose at 8:00 this morning, and it is 2:12pm here now. It is his first time and if successful, we will post numbers.
Thank you.
 
a bad day. My husband got a monitor from cvs and it is garbage. Can someone please give the name/brand of a reliable glucose monitor. I live in the US. Thank you.
 
If you didn't have luck with Relion, you might have gotten a lemon. My father uses the Relion for his blood sugars and he has had good luck with it.. If you got an error on the meter, it is possible le you didn't get enough blood for the meter to register.

I know some members use Contour Next for a human meter. I have a family member who is diabetic and she has been using the Contour Next meter for years, its a little bit more pricier than the relion.

I use a pet meter, Alphatrak, but it has to be ordered thru Amazon or their website, I dont think stores sell them. Plus the testing strips are not cost friendly.
 
If you can't test, you could try giving kitty a low carb snack every few hours just so he doesn't drop low. Just till you can get the meter figured out.

I'm not a moderator for this page, just a member, but that is what I would do if I was in your situation. Also make sure you know the signs of low blood sugar: lethargic, twitching, drunk-like walking, seizures, my cat had showed signs of nausea (drooling), avoiding behavior, panting, check some of the links on here or Google signs of low blood sugar in cats on the internet. Just so you know what to look out for.
 
Hi - My cat tested negative in his urine gluose today. We finally got blood from his ear, but it came out an error message on the meter. He has been sleepy on and off all day, especially after eating (he has a GI issue or mild pancreatitis or something that the dr. is trying to figure out). I am worried. He started with 1 unit of Lantus on Tuesday morning, because I was scared and I feel very clueless. We then gave 2 units (which was vets direction initially) Tuesday night, Wednesday morning and night and this morning, so a total of five shots (1 shot 1 unit, and 4 shots 2 units). He has been tired from the beginning after the shots. He ate prior to his shot this morning, and he ate bits of chicken throughout the day. I just gave him some of his old kibble to get him to perk up. I texted and called my vet. I don't think he should get any shot tonight and I will take him to vet tomorrow. Can he go into severe hypo? I am so nervous. He is sleeping now, and he had a small handful of his old kibble about a 1/2 hour ago. I have honey to put on his gums. Should I do this too? I am afraid this will get worse and not better tonight, even without giving another shot. Please advise. thank you.
 
Keep trying to get the BGs tested with a meter. Most of us fail in the beginning so don’t stress about that! Testing is the only way we can really tell what is going on. and I’m going to ask @Bandit's Mom to help you set up a spreadsheet. And please get that signature set up. We need that information to be able to help you. We can’t keep scrolling back through your thread to get information about your kitty.
please don’t give 2 units to your kitty again. If you are getting negative glucose on the urine test strip, that is telling you the 2 units is too much.
You can’t just stop insulin in a diabetic cat or you might run into other issues. How much insulin did you give this morning? Try and get another BG test in about 5 or 6 hours after the dose so we can see what is happening. And give snacks of food every couple of hours.
Yes he could have a hypo if he’s getting too much insulin. The only way to know what is happening is to test the BGs. Maybe the vet can put on a freestyle libre on your kitty while you learn to test.
 
Last edited:
Thank you. He started the day ok. However, mid-afternoon he became very lethargic. I tried to feed him, he ate a little. He would take a few steps then he would lay down. He also hid under the bed and was sleeping. We actually had to move the bed to get him. I spoke with vet and explaned and she said to go down to one unit. I was not comfortable with that. When looking at him, he was just laying there, and he also would not eat prior to when we would have injected him. I put the Tiki tuna in front of him, which he loves, and he only took a few licks and then just let it sit in front of him while he was laying down. My husband texted the vet again and let her know that the cat would not eat, was wobbly and lethargic. She told us not to give insulin and to give him some honey and water in his mouth. That is what we did and we are waitng to see. This is beyond a nightmare and I so much appreciate you. I will get the spreadsheet sorted. I have an anxiety problem and can't get away from this for long enough to concentrate on anything else. Do you think the vet gave the right advice. Is there something else I should be looking for because we are skipping a dose?
 
Also, we gave him 2 units this morning. We are taking him to vet first thing tomorrow morning for him to be checked out.
 
Sorry I have not got back to you sooner.
You can rub honey on the gums. Put some in your finger and place it on the gums.
It does sound like your kitty was having a symptomatic hypo. I would not give insulin for the next dose and to test for ketones when you can, because you have skipped a dose and he’s not eating well.
I would also go down to 1/2 unit insulin when insulin is restarted at the following dose, and stay at that dose for a few days. He has been getting too much insulin.
Please ask the vet to fit a freestyle libre which will read the BGs automatically while you get used to learning to test. It is very very important that you learn to test so you know what is going on with the BGs, and you can prevent hypos.
Is he eating any better now? . It’s important that diabetic cats eat well so let him eat whatever he wants at the moment. We need him to eat.
 
Hi. Thank you. He is out of his really lethargic state now. More alert and responsive. He ate some of his old dry food, as well as some of his Tiki wet food and some steamed chicken. He is also drinking and he peed. I see the vet tomorrow. It won't be my vet, but it is her part-time vet that never really saw my cat before, as my vet is not in. So, maybe a new set of eyes will be better. He missed tonight's insulin, and because we give it to him at 7:30am, he will be missing tomorrow's morning dose too, as we have to be at the vet at 9:00 am. I hope that is ok. I would feel nervous giving his dose tomorrow morning without having a vet check him out. He defintiely has another issue, but today I think was mostly the insulin. He was negative for ketones at 4:00 today. I retested the urine after I gave him the honey and it was between the first and second green (I think 100-250). Odd that it went up so fast, as the negative test was very clearly negative. I will definitely ask about the freestyle libre. Is that invasive? He has something else going on that we can't figure out. He was himself two weeks ago. Once he went on the low carb diet to try to correct his BG, this cycle started. I am wondering if the drastic shift from his dry food that he had been eating for 6+ years and the sudden change to the low carb wet food triggered something? He has always been overweight and the last year his stomach looked swollen on the sides. I thought it was age and weight, but the doctor commented on his tight feeling last week, which made her think mild pancreatitis (inflamation).
Thank you so much again. I am praying he feels better. He is precious to me and is a special boy.
 
It’s best not to transition diets too fast to stop any upsets.
The freestyle libre has a small wire which slips under the skin and the rest sits on top of the skin. Get them to put it on a spot where he can’t reach.

Honey works very fast in bringing up the BG but it only lasts an hour or an hour and a half so be aware if that. The BGs can drop again if it is not followed up with food or if the insulin is still working strongly.

Don’t let the vet tell you 1/2 unit is too small a dose. It is not. I dont think you should go higher than 1/2 unit twice a day until you can see some BG data.
And test for ketones tomorrow morning if you are going to skip the dose.

****Just be aware that after very low numbers a cats BGs can bounce up really high for up to three days, so don’t be surprised if his BG is high when you go to the vet. That doesn’t mean he needs a higher dose of insulin.
 
I am hoping all he has is an upset from the too fast food transition. I am very concerned about his health now, apart from the diabetes. He wants food, but after eating you can see he is not feeling good.
He is definitely high BG again. Drinking/peeing, and eating more. He does appear more himself though. Off to vet this morning. I know they will say 1/2 is too small, but I will request it and ask lots of questions. I am skipping this morning, because I want him to see vet, and maybe they can dose him there? not sure if it will be "off" timing and we will have to wait to evening dose. I will test for ketones.
What are the consequences of stopping and starting. He seems all over the place. (1st does 1 unit, and 4 four doses after that 2 units, then skipping possibly two doses). Will this hurt any of his chances of going into remission?
Thank you again for your responses/expertise.
 
giotto said:
I know they will say 1/2 is too small, but I will request it and ask lots of questions
Click to expand...
He is your kitty, not the vets. If you are not comfortable with the dose the vet wants, then don’t give it.
You don’t want to be stopping and starting the insulin. It’s better to start off with a small dose and work your way up safely. First priority is always safety.
Once you get on the right track it won’t hurt his chances of remission. But first you need to get him regulated.
Please don’t let them give him more than1/2 unit.
 
Thank you, I will tell them that I am uncomfortable if they want to do more. He is at vet now. They are 40 minutes away and we were there when they opened. We had a wait until they let us in, but the other vet saw him, took his history and took him back for xrays, as she is also concerned about his stomach area. She will be testing his BG as well, and calling his primary vet over the phone to discuss, as she is not in office and is en-route somewhere. I am hoping for some sort of diagnosis. It is more than diabetes. I am just praying not cancer.
 
Hi again - they asked to have us leave our cat at vet this morning, as they wanted to do tests and we were a rush in appointment. We left and my husband just went back over, after they called. They are giving him 2 units of insulin because they said he was up around 600, which is shocking and they want to stabalize him. I could not be there. My husband knew about the bouncing and they also new he was hypo last night and everything that happened. He said that he would be there for a while as they are going to watch him and have him stablize. I really feel clueless and scared. At a point, you have to trust someone who has your pet. They sent his x-rays to a consultant to get a second opinion, as they think something else is going on. This is all so much and so quickly. Again, a little more than 2 weeks ago he was pretty much himself... I just thought he had a UTI. I am beside myself. I am in shock and can't believe my boy is going through this. I had a big loss with my dog last year and I am in a daze and am numb. I feel helpless. He was only 350 the last 3 times he was tested at vet. Maybe I shouldn't have gone on insulin and just kept up with the diet? It seemed to do more harm than good.
Thank you for hearing me.
 
The main vet called and said that he has to go to an ER over the weekend as he is not stable. She is calling to see where the Dr. she knows and trusts will be this weekend and we will take him there to be monitored. She is not happy with the xrays and is very concerned. Hazy over his lungs, intestine, gassy and it looks like an enlarged spleen. I am so scared it is lymphoma. I really an't believe this nightmare. He is the sweetest, smartest, most gorgeous, beautiful boy. A true gentle giant and we love him so so much. I am so heartbroken.
 
I am so sorry you are all going through this. You must be feeling very worried and stressed. Please let us know when you hear any results. We will keep your kitty in our prayers and hope for a good outcome. :bighug:
 
Hi - My boy is doing a little better. He is dealing with a lot. After many tests/sonogram, he has IBD, chronic pancreatitis, and stage 2 CKD. I am giving him probiotics (Fera, and fortiflora, and omega 3) and it seems to be helping a lot with the pancreatitis and IBD. If I can get that under control, and then focus on the diabetes/kidneys. From what I read, it looks like he will need a low carb/low phosphorus diet to balance the two. CKD used to be low protein, but I read that is old school, and also because he is fairly early stage, protein is not as much as an issue as the phosphorus levels. From what I see, there is a food Young Again ZERO Mature TruCarnivore 54/24 that might fit the bill. Is anyone familiar with this food/brand? I am so hesitant to try anything new, especially with his GI issues. Any feedback you can provide is so much appreciated. I just want to gather as much unbiased opinion that I can. Thank you all SO SO much.
 
@giotto
I just came across your post. The only thing I can help you with is the CKD
if you tap on this link and look at post #32 I listed some Weruva pates for another member that's low carb/ low phosphorus.
I would suggest setting up your signature and our spreadsheet
Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet inour signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help
Do you see Tyler's signature after my post in gray letters.
The link will also tell you how to set up our spreadsheet and how it works.
If you need help setting it up just ask and I can tag one of our members to contact you :cat:
 
Last edited:
giotto said:
Hi - My boy is doing a little better. He is dealing with a lot. After many tests/sonogram, he has IBD, chronic pancreatitis, and stage 2 CKD. I am giving him probiotics (Fera, and fortiflora, and omega 3) and it seems to be helping a lot with the pancreatitis and IBD. If I can get that under control, and then focus on the diabetes/kidneys. From what I read, it looks like he will need a low carb/low phosphorus diet to balance the two. CKD used to be low protein, but I read that is old school, and also because he is fairly early stage, protein is not as much as an issue as the phosphorus levels. From what I see, there is a food Young Again ZERO Mature TruCarnivore 54/24 that might fit the bill. Is anyone familiar with this food/brand? I am so hesitant to try anything new, especially with his GI issues. Any feedback you can provide is so much appreciated. I just want to gather as much unbiased opinion that I can. Thank you all SO SO much.
Click to expand...
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
 
I am very happy to hear your kitty is improved.
Can you tell me if your kitty is getting insulin and if so what type and the dose please.
If your kitty has early CRD, getting the diabetes under control will take the strain off the kidneys so I would not leave getting that started if it has not been done.
Also if you could get a spreadsheet and signature set up that would be very helpful.
Are you going to blood glucose?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top