Newly diagnosed....I'm freaked out

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LamontsMom

LamontsMom

Member Since 2015
I just started posting here a day or two ago. Was waiting for my cat Lamont's diagnosis.

He was diagnosed 20 minutes ago with diabetes Mellitis. His glucose was around 540, which is very high. I'm meeting with the vet on Saturday to go over everything.

I told her I had already switched him to low carb low phosphorus food (initially Blue Buffalo, today he's starting on Wellness). This is what she said:

She claims diet has absolutely no role in feline diabetes which I just don't believe. Aside from everything I've read online, it just doesn't make sense. My cat was eating Science Diet dry food for years, plus Greenies. Because I wasn't educated about feline nutrition, I thought I was giving him a healthy diet. Now that we're in crisis-mode, I realize how unhealthy that stuff is. I've read so many people's stories online about their cats who are in remission. I TOTALLY don't agree with her there and am hoping that with his new diet and insulin he can go into remission.

She felt that home testing is a good thing, but mentioned the urine sticks.

I told her I was concerned about hypcoglycemia and since I changed his diet (Sunday he was eating a mix of Science Diet dry and Blue Buffalo mature Healthy Aging dry plus 6 Greenies, by Monday he was on no Greenies, wet Buffalo with some dry Blue Buffalo mixed in; today he's on a mix of web Blue Buffalo Wilderness Mature and Wellness No Grain Chicken), I thought it would be smarter to have his diet totally adjusted, maybe for a month before starting insulin. She said she thought that was dangerous.

Instead, she's going to start him off at the lowest possible dosage of insulin and I guess he'll start on Sunday. She'll redo his blood in a week to test it and wants me to test his urine multiple times a day.

Is there anything (aside from diet) but just insulin/testing concerns I should ask/go in armed with when I speak with her Saturday? Any specific insulin that's preferred? I'm getting the initial kit from her but plan on buying the rest online. Any suggestions, tips, links, anything are greatly appreciated.
 
Welcome.
Good insulin are the human Lantus and Levemir and the pet insulins ProZinc and BCP PZI. For those two human insulin it is best to get the 5 pack of 3 ml disposable pens via a 10 ml vial. Although per ml the vial is less expensive most cats will not use up a 10 ml vial before the insulin goes bad/becomes ineffective. The human insulin N/NPH is sometimes prescribed but only lasts 8-10 hours. Same for the pet insulin Vetsulin/Caninisulin.
Most of us here test our cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
Testing urine multiple times a day is not really possible and urine testing only shows an average over time and you can't compare the numerical values of urine and blood tests. For urine yu always want some glucose testing since yu cant tell how low it will go.

A low-carb canned is best contrary to what you vet says. No reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb cannedhttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
 
Thank you so much, Larry. I'm not putting my cat on prescription food and do believe he'll go into remission (he actually looks pretty healthy, is no longer drinking a lot/peeing a lot and I can already see the effect of the canned low-carb food for him).

Thanks for all the links.

Question: my vet said I should only feed him twice a day and give him the insulin after he eats. Can I feed him 4 times a day (same amount of food, just broken into 4 timeslots). He's been a grazer all his life, mostly eats at around 2-3am and is doing that with the wet food. Any suggestions/links you can forward regarding that?

Again, many many thanks for all of this.
 
Diet definately makes a difference! My cat's BG dropped about 200 points after removing all dry from his diet (and that was DM dry). That drop was over three days. It went down another 30 points or so after that over the next few weeks. I think this may be more than usual but it does show that diet is important.

When Billy was diagnosed, I bought a human bg meter and tested before and during the diet change. That's how I knew he was headed in the right direction.
 
Hi there and welcome. The best place you never wanted to be. Glad you have been doing your homework and investigated all ready the importance of feline nutrition. Many of us feed our cats Fancy Feast Classics, 9-Lives Pates, and Wellness NO GRAIN. Any wet food under 10 % carbs. Here is a food chart for you to look at. Carbs are in the 3rd column from the left.
foodchart

Also, home testing very important. It is very important to understand how your kitty is reacting to the insulin and the dose. You will want to test before each shot and some additional test in between the 12 hour cycle. Another reason to home test is to keep your kitty safe. Find a place in your home where you will always perform the test and give lots of hugs before and after testing. There are many videos showing you how to test. Here is a picture of where you test on your kitty. http://s106.photobucket.com/user/chupie_2006/media/testingear/sweetspot.jpg.html

Here is another good link on Home Testing:http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-home-test.htm

Once you learn to test you can do your own curves on him at home to save money and to get more accurate numbers as their numbers are quite elevated at the vets due to stress.

There are many meters. There is a pet meter called the Alpha Trak2 and human meters. Some use the pet meter because it is what the vets use so the numbers will match up. The meter and strips are expensive though. Most use human meters that can be purchased at any pharmacy. It typically reads a little lower than the pet meter but we have ways of compensating it. Many use Walmart's brand, Relion Micro or Relion Prime, because it only needs a tiny drop of blood. The Prime testing strips are ½ the price of the Micro.

Lancets: These are used to poke the ear to get blood. There are many different sizes (gauges). It is recommended when you are first starting out to use a 26-28 gauge. Also, it would be a good idea to pick up Neosporin WITH pain reliever to apply on the edge of the ears and don't forget to alternate ears.

About the food and feeding. Many of us feed several smaller meal a day and some feed 2 times a day. Do what is best for your cat and especially since Lamont is a grazer you will probably want to do the 3-4 times a day feeding. Just make sure that once you start testing that you don't feed within 2 hours of the test. So time it so that the test won't be food influenced. It is great that you are starting the change of food to low carbs now. This can really help influence the Blood Glucose (BG) and help you keep him safe. As a new diabetic, you don't want to shoot anything under 20

This will get you started and if you have any questions please ask, that is how we all learn. Let us know once your vet starts the insulin and what kind it is so we can help with the dosing.
 
Thank you thank you thank you!!! For all this info and sharing. It's invaluable.
A few questions:

1) Typically how long after feeding should I give an insulin shot?
2) Do I need to monitor how much insulin is given? If so, what's that based on and how do I figure out how much to give?
3) Since it's best to test at least 2 hours before the test, would be it be safe to assume that I should test before feeding--since I'm planning on doing probably 3 times a day feedings?
4) If I feed 3-4 times a day, will it influence his insulin shot? Say, if I give him breakfast/insulin at 9am and 9pm and also give him lunch at 1pm with no insulin (all equal amounts of food--say 1/3 of a can of Wellness)?
5)If I buy the human meter, say the Relion Micro or Prime and I go to the vet, is there a conversion chart so she'll know what his numbers are?
6) Typically how many times a day do people test? Is twice enough? And he's symptomatic, more?
7) Does anyone on his forum test urine?
and finally 8) Is it important to always give him the exact amount of food? If I give him a can of Wellness a day, can I add a little Weruva on top (say a 1/2 an ounce for extra flavor) for one the meals?

Thank you so much for all this. This is a scary journey but feels a lot better knowing this world of support is there!
 
billysmom (GA) said:
Diet definately makes a difference! My cat's BG dropped about 200 points after removing all dry from his diet (and that was DM dry). That drop was over three days. It went down another 30 points or so after that over the next few weeks. I think this may be more than usual but it does show that diet is important.

When Billy was diagnosed, I bought a human bg meter and tested before and during the diet change. That's how I knew he was headed in the right direction.
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I suspect I might have a similar result with Lamont--he *seems* better--his affect, he's not drinking more/peeing more/more active since he stopped eating dry. And it's only been a few days. I'm hoping anyway.... :-)
 
I hope so! Even if his bg doesn't go down as much, a wet diet is better for cats, more moisture and more/better quality protein. Also cats tend to run higher at the vet due to stress. It all adds up.
 
LamontsMom said:
1) Typically how long after feeding should I give an insulin shot?
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Depends on the type of insulin...if it's one of the good ones for cats, like Lantus, Levemir, ProZinc or BCP PZI, usually what we do is Test/Feed/Shoot all within about 5-10 minutes. If it's one of the harsher insulins, like Caninsulin/Vetsulin, it's more important that there's food on board before shooting, so you'd test/feed...and wait about 30 minutes to shoot

LamontsMom said:
2) Do I need to monitor how much insulin is given? If so, what's that based on and how do I figure out how much to give?
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Your vet will probably give you a "starting dose" ....my recommendation is when you find out what insulin you're using, you ask here for what dose you should start with. Most vets start them out at too high a dose!

LamontsMom said:
3) Since it's best to test at least 2 hours before the test, would be it be safe to assume that I should test before feeding--since I'm planning on doing probably 3 times a day feedings?
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What we suggest is that you take all the food up 2 hours before shot times....so that when you do the "pre-shot" tests, there's no food influencing the numbers

LamontsMom said:
4) If I feed 3-4 times a day, will it influence his insulin shot? Say, if I give him breakfast/insulin at 9am and 9pm and also give him lunch at 1pm with no insulin (all equal amounts of food--say 1/3 of a can of Wellness)?
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Most cats do better with small meals instead of 2 big ones...but what we do suggest is that you try to get all the food in before nadir (the point where the blood glucose is the lowest) because after that, the insulin is wearing off and you don't want to add carbs as the insulin is wearing off too. However, every cat is different...some can be fed small meals all the way up to +10 (10 hours after the shot) but most do better if they get all their food before nadir (about +6). As you test and get more data on Lamont, you'll learn how he reacts to food and when it's going to be OK to feed

LamontsMom said:
5)If I buy the human meter, say the Relion Micro or Prime and I go to the vet, is there a conversion chart so she'll know what his numbers are?
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Not really but the protocols we use here on this message board are all based on human meters...and the pet meters are VERY expensive to use (the strips are about $1 EACH) so unless your vet is willing to provide you with free strips, we'd really suggest going with what you can afford! The best meter in the world is no good to you if you can't afford to test as much as you need to to keep your cat safe!

LamontsMom said:
6) Typically how many times a day do people test? Is twice enough? And he's symptomatic, more?
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We'd like to see at least 4 tests per day...but a lot of us test more often. ALWAYS test before shooting to make sure they're high enough to have any insulin...and then if at all possible, a "mid-cycle" test (around +5 to +7) on the AM cycle and a "before bed" test on the PM cycle...of course if he drops below 50 (on a human meter) you're going to need to test more often

LamontsMom said:
7) Does anyone on his forum test urine?
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Mostly we all test blood glucose...Urine strips can only tell you if there's glucose getting past the kidneys and into the urine, not what his current blood glucose is. There are urine ketone tests strips a lot of us use to test for urinary ketones (very dangerous and hard to treat if they have ketones)

LamontsMom said:
8) Is it important to always give him the exact amount of food? If I give him a can of Wellness a day, can I add a little Weruva on top (say a 1/2 an ounce for extra flavor) for one the meals?
Click to expand...

You want to try to be as consistent as possible, but if you want to add a little Weruva on top, just reduce the Wellness a little!
 
LamontsMom said:
Thank you thank you thank you!!! For all this info and sharing. It's invaluable.
A few questions:

1) Typically how long after feeding should I give an insulin shot?
2) Do I need to monitor how much insulin is given? If so, what's that based on and how do I figure out how much to give?
3) Since it's best to test at least 2 hours before the test, would be it be safe to assume that I should test before feeding--since I'm planning on doing probably 3 times a day feedings?
4) If I feed 3-4 times a day, will it influence his insulin shot? Say, if I give him breakfast/insulin at 9am and 9pm and also give him lunch at 1pm with no insulin (all equal amounts of food--say 1/3 of a can of Wellness)?
5)If I buy the human meter, say the Relion Micro or Prime and I go to the vet, is there a conversion chart so she'll know what his numbers are?
6) Typically how many times a day do people test? Is twice enough? And he's symptomatic, more?
7) Does anyone on his forum test urine?
and finally 8) Is it important to always give him the exact amount of food? If I give him a can of Wellness a day, can I add a little Weruva on top (say a 1/2 an ounce for extra flavor) for one the meals?

Thank you so much for all this. This is a scary journey but feels a lot better knowing this world of support is there!
Click to expand...
The answer to #1 will depend on what type of insulin he gets put on. If it is ProZinc, Lantus or Levemir, you will test, make sure it is safe to shoot feed and then immediately give the insulin. If it is Vetsulin / Caninsulin / Humulin N you will need to test, and the feed 30 -60 minutes before you shoot the insulin because food needs to be on board prior for those insulins. I am going to tag @Squalliesmom as she can tell you exactly the time frame for those insulins.
#2. Hopefully your vet won't start you on any more than .50 to 1 unit of insulin to start. You will hold that dose for at least one week unless you get a number too low ( anything under 200) then the insulin would need to be decreased. Once you know which insulin, post again and we will get you in the correct forum for guidance on dosing.
#3 Yes test before feeding you morning and evening meals that are spaced out 12 hours apart because those are the times that you are going to shoot insulin. As far as testing before the other meals, you don't have too but it could be the times you will get some more test in. We all gather our BG data on a spreadsheet and we can get you hooked up for that. I didn't mention it before because I gave you so much to take in I didn't want to overwhelm you. But here is the instructions for setting it up and if you have trouble yell and someone will help you. Look at mine in my signature and I will also give you an explanation of how it works so you can start looking it over. Don't get overwhelmed, it's pretty easy once you understand it. If you look you will see how many times I test which is often as I am trying to get him regulated and just started on a new insulin.
#5 Yes there is a difference is the vet animal meter and the human meter Take it with you to the vet and get a sample of blood using both meter on the same sample to see the difference. The important thing is that the human meter will keep your kitty safe from a hypo event. Low is low on both meters and high is high. The meter will help show you trends and keep Lamont safe.
#7 yes many of us test urine with drugstore ketone strips or you can invest in a meter, the strips are expensive but it is very accurate and will show ketones befoee the urine will.

HOW TO CREATE A SPREADSHEET
It helps us to identify the patterns we're looking for when making suggestions on dose increases. Here's some instructions on
How to create our spreadsheet

SPREAD SHEET EXPLANATION

On the spreadsheet... It's really not hard!

AMPS is the AM Pre-shot test (always test before shooting to make sure they're high enough to give insulin)...then the U column is for "Units" (how much you gave)

The +1, +2, +3, etc are for how many hours since shooting...so +2 is 2 hours after the AM shot, +9 is 9 hour after, etc.....Since we're all over the world here, saying "he was at 148 at 8pm" doesn't tell us anything...we need to know how long since his last shot

At the end of a 12 hour cycle, it's PMPS time! (PM Pre-shot) and the whole thing starts over
 
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Gee, thank you SO MUCH for all of this advice! And yes, I'm figuring I'm going to need a lot of hand-holding as this starts because I'm petrified of screwing up. A few more questions:

1) Based on what you said about feeding/nadir--If I say, test/feed/shoot at 9am, feed again at 2pm and test feed shoot at 9pm --at least at the beginning--til I gauge his reaction, I should be good?
2) What happens if I go out and am not home til 10pm one day. Is it harmful to start an hour later and if I do, should I still do the 9am test/shoot/feed?
3) What happens if I test and his number isn't high enough to get insulin? How will I know what that number is, especially if I'm using a human meter?


Thank you again for all of this! It's literally a life-saver.
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Cross post @Chris & China ;)
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Thank you so much for all of this! Yes, it *is* overwhelming.

Since he'll be starting all of this (probably) Sunday or Monday, should I take his food away tonight after nine? Or not feed him til 9pm? He normally eats a tiny amount at "dinnertime" --usually 7pm--and then munches out around 2-3am and finishes his food during the night. I don't want to give him too little food. How do I get him to eat everything at 9pm?

Thanks again everybody, for holding my hand through this. (will be reading the spreadsheet info later when I can absorb it all...)
 
LamontsMom said:
Yes, it *is* overwhelming
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We have all been there after our sugar cats got their DX. To answer you questions about feeding, when Chris said to keep the food prior to the nadir (the lowest point in the cycle usually about +6 hours after the insulin. There are two 12 hour cycles in a day, so there will be 2 nadirs. So there is plenty of times to keep his food our. You just want him to have not eaten any closer than 2 hours to the test time. So if you are going to give dinner at 7pm, no food after 5 pm so that the 7pm test is not influenced with food. It takes a little scheduling in the beginning. After you have you shoot times you can design the rest around that.

It will get easier and it will become second nature for you. :bighug:
 
Also, I'm currently buying the Relion Gauge from Walmarts and am buying an extra box of strips and some lancets (28 gauge). Does the brand of lancet matter? Any recommendations?

Thanks again everyone!
 
LamontsMom said:
I'm currently buying the Relion Gauge from Walmarts and am buying an extra box of strips and some lancets (28 gauge). Does the brand of lancet matter? Any recommendations?
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Get the Relion Confirm or Micro meter...they take the smallest sample size. The Prime meter has cheaper strips, but some people get a lot of error messages with the Prime and it takes a larger sample size.

Brand of lancets doesn't matter....Look for the Relion "Alternate Site test" lancets...they're usually 25-28 gauge....the lancets that come with the little "device" are usually 31-33 gauge....and are too tiny for "new" ears....the lower the number, the better for now.
 
LamontsMom said:
Gee, thank you SO MUCH for all of this advice! And yes, I'm figuring I'm going to need a lot of hand-holding as this starts because I'm petrified of screwing up. A few more questions:

1) Based on what you said about feeding/nadir--If I say, test/feed/shoot at 9am, feed again at 2pm and test feed shoot at 9pm --at least at the beginning--til I gauge his reaction, I should be good?
2) What happens if I go out and am not home til 10pm one day. Is it harmful to start an hour later and if I do, should I still do the 9am test/shoot/feed?
3) What happens if I test and his number isn't high enough to get insulin? How will I know what that number is, especially if I'm using a human meter?


Thank you again for all of this! It's literally a life-saver.
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It's always best to space your shots every 12 hours. Sometimes life does get in the way and shots get delayed, not ideal but it happens. If you are late with a shot, the next one will be delayed as well. There are ways to get back on schedule with insulin like ProZinc and we can tell you how should you need to adjust the shot times.

As a new diabetic, your no shot number will be 200 or below. That number is designed for a human meter as are our Spread Sheets.
 
Chris & China said:
Get the Relion Confirm or Micro meter...they take the smallest sample size. The Prime meter has cheaper strips, but some people get a lot of error messages with the Prime and it takes a larger sample size.

Brand of lancets doesn't matter....Look for the Relion "Alternate Site test" lancets...they're usually 25-28 gauge....the lancets that come with the little "device" are usually 31-33 gauge....and are too tiny for "new" ears....the lower the number, the better for now.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much!
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
It's always best to space your shots every 12 hours. Sometimes life does get in the way and shots get delayed, not ideal but it happens. If you are late with a shot, the next one will be delayed as well. There are ways to get back on schedule with insulin like ProZinc and we can tell you how should you need to adjust the shot times.

As a new diabetic, your no shot number will be 200 or below. That number is designed for a human meter as are our Spread Sheets.
Click to expand...


Thank you!!
 
LamontsMom said:
1) Based on what you said about feeding/nadir--If I say, test/feed/shoot at 9am, feed again at 2pm and test feed shoot at 9pm --at least at the beginning--til I gauge his reaction, I should be good?
Click to expand...

Yes....that's a good schedule to start with

LamontsMom said:
2) What happens if I go out and am not home til 10pm one day. Is it harmful to start an hour later and if I do, should I still do the 9am test/shoot/feed?
Click to expand...

It's best to always keep the shots 12 hours apart....if you KNOW you're going to have a night you're going to be home late, you can adjust the shot times 15 minutes per cycle for a few days before so when you get home at 10, you're still shooting as close to 12 hours apart as possible.

LamontsMom said:
3) What happens if I test and his number isn't high enough to get insulin? How will I know what that number is, especially if I'm using a human meter?
Click to expand...

To start with, if you get a number under 200, you should Stall, don't feed and post for help....the first few times someone shoots a lower number, we like to make sure someone with experience is watching over you...eventually that "no shot" number comes down
 
Woodsywife--that's exactly what I'm planning/hoping to do. Unfortunately, there isn't a Walmart near me so I'm hoping to buy one tonight online and hopefully it'll get shipped here before.
 
Another total newbie question: Do I use one strip per test? (trying to figure out if I should buy a few 50 ct boxes of the confirm/micro strips--they're out of the 100 ct)
 
LamontsMom said:
Another total newbie question: Do I use one strip per test? (trying to figure out if I should buy a few 50 ct boxes of the confirm/micro strips--they're out of the 100 ct)
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Yes only use a test strip once. Get the 100's you can easily use 4-6 /day. You never want to be out of them in the event of a hypo when you'd test much more.
 
woodsywife said:
I hope you get it also.
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I just ordered it and, unfortunately, delivery date is next Tuesday....I really hate to have to start insulin without it. Geez. My cat seems fine. Do you think it's going to make a huge difference if I start insulin a few days later? I want to make sure he's getting tested before I inject him.
 
You could get something other than a walmart meter. I think the Target up and up has been suggested here before. If you have a target near you it is inexpensive and might make a good backup in case you run out of strips for the one you just ordered. Or if you have another pharmacy near you you could see what they have. Try a search on here for meters to see what other meters people use.
 
It's impossible to know if he will be safe without testing. I would not be comfortable with shooting without testing. It's your call. Ask your vet if you could borrow a tester and some test strips. Or do you have a Target near by? There are those that use a meter from Target. Not sure of the name. There Billysmom gave you the name!
 
The freestyle lite is a good product, takes a very little blood. The strips are a lot more than the Relion strips though which is a consideration. If you can swing it, its nice to have a back up one. Then if you run out of Relion strips and they can't get sent to you fast enough you could use your Freestyle.
 
It's always good to have a back up meter anyway!! The darn things seem to know when it's most inconvenient and that's when their batteries die or they decide to stop working for some reason (or you drop it and it goes into 1000 pieces)
 
Hi , Lamont's Mom, and welcome to FDMB! (@Bubba and Bobbie, I'm late to the party, as usual, lol!) Yes, my kitty is on Vetsulin and I will be glad to help you if I can, if that's the insulin your vet gives you for Lamont, just sing out, anytime!
 
Thank you so much Squaliesmom! I'm meeting with the vet on Saturday so won't know til then. I'm currently worried about the food--waited til 9pm to feed him and he did his usual dinner-time thing: ate a tiny bit and left (back in the old days, i.e., last week--he used to just eat the Greenies on his dinner bowl, then eat the rest of it at around 2-3am). I'm trying to figure out how to get him to eat so he'll be eating when I give him the insulin. I know it will work itself out but... I feel like my world has been turned upside down with this! Really grateful you guys are out there with all this incredible support/advice. Thanks again!
 
If you end up on Lantus, Levemir or ProZinc, it's not as important that they eat right away, so if he's a grazer, it'll be fine!! We do like to see that they're eating fairly "normally" before shooting, but if you know Lamont well and know how he usually eats, he'll be fine!

With the harsher insulins like Vetsulin, it's a lot more important that they have food on board before it "hits" because it can hit hard and fast....the other insulins are gentler so it's not so important

Since you have a few days before starting insulin, now's the time to start getting him used to the idea of testing!

Here's something I wrote up for others for testing...maybe it'll help you too!

It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you. Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!

You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!

It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well

Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!
 
Thank you so much for this Chris & China! I'm definitely buying the B team meter tomorrow so I can start. I've already been playing with his ears, which, luckily, he loves. Tomorrow I'll buy some freeze-dried chicken as a snack and start experimenting with the actual testing tomorrow.
 
Thank you!! PS, I worked himself up into a frenzy last night thinking, ok, I'm gonna wait for a week or so to start the insulin to give his body time to get acclimated to the wet food and get adjusted to the home monitoring.

This morning, I saw he had gone back to drinking a lot so I said to myself, nope-I'm keeping my Saturday vet appointment and, probably starting the home monitoring today.

I've also decided to get the store brand home monitor for the "b team" monitor-it's less about the actual number and about me (and him) getting comfortable with the process til the Relion arrives in a few days. It's a lot cheaper than the Freestyle lite and comes with 10 strips and 10 lancelets.
Thanks again you guys for bring there!
 
LamontsMom said:
Thank you!! PS, I worked himself up into a frenzy last night thinking, ok, I'm gonna wait for a week or so to start the insulin to give his body time to get acclimated to the wet food and get adjusted to the home monitoring.

This morning, I saw he had gone back to drinking a lot so I said to myself, nope-I'm keeping my Saturday vet appointment and, probably starting the home monitoring today.

I've also decided to get the store brand home monitor for the "b team" monitor-it's less about the actual number and about me (and him) getting comfortable with the process til the Relion arrives in a few days. It's a lot cheaper than the Freestyle lite and comes with 10 strips and 10 lancelets.
Thanks again you guys for bring there!
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Good call to start ASAP. It's a learning curve and something that takes a while to get comfortable with. It will happen.
 
The lancets that usually come with human meters (31-33g) are thinner than what is recommended here for kitties. So if you have a problem getting blood you could try two pokes next to each other or get larger lancets (26-28g). I used the thin ones from the beginning and made them work so it may not be a problem for you. But if you have problems just wanted you to know not to get too frustrated. Lancets are cheap :). I liked freehanding it. Some people like using the lancing device.
 
billysmom (GA) said:
The lancets that usually come with human meters (31-33g) are thinner than what is recommended here for kitties. So if you have a problem getting blood you could try two pokes next to each other or get larger lancets (26-28g). I used the thin ones from the beginning and made them work so it may not be a problem for you. But if you have problems just wanted you to know not to get too frustrated. Lancets are cheap :). I liked freehanding it. Some people like using the lancing device.
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Actually, about to head out to get my "kit": monitoring device, Karo, extra wet food, freeze dried chicken for treats.
Will probably do my first home testing attempt later and will post.
Thanks again!
 
I hate the amount of bad info out there among the vets. It's crazy. I spoke with ,many different vets and got many different opinions on insulin, on feeding, on diet - you name it.
All of them EXCEPT ONE said that the prescription food is necessary. Not only is it not necessary, but for my cat it made her WORSE. She dropped about 150 points with the change to canned food alone from when I adopted her, but the vet insisted on Hills DM dry food. I tried it. Within 24 hours her glucose shot up over 100 points. I fed it to her for a couple days and within one day of stopping the Hills it went back down. I had absolute proof that it was NOT good for my cat. Cats are not designed for a high carb diet. Good luck. It'll all work out!
 
Thanks smiley747. I feel the prescription diets are probably terrible--and I have no experience with them. Just looking at the ingredients is enough. After everything I've read, I think prescription dry food for a diabetic cat is an insane move. Last night I even read a paper on Hills site and THEY said there's a much better result with wet food.

I ended up choosing Wellness as his main food--the no grain chicken, because it has 4 % carbs, relatively low (for this type of food protein--at 30% ) and low phosphorous, which is good for his kidneys. I suspect a lot of vets get incentives from big companies like Hills or Purina to sell their products (just like doctors do from big pharma).
 
LamontsMom said:
Thanks smiley747. I feel the prescription diets are probably terrible--and I have no experience with them. Just looking at the ingredients is enough. After everything I've read, I think prescription dry food for a diabetic cat is an insane move. Last night I even read a paper on Hills site and THEY said there's a much better result with wet food.

I ended up choosing Wellness as his main food--the no grain chicken, because it has 4 % carbs, relatively low (for this type of food protein--at 30% ) and low phosphorous, which is good for his kidneys. I suspect a lot of vets get incentives from big companies like Hills or Purina to sell their products (just like doctors do from big pharma).
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That's where the nutritional studies come from; the RX food companies come in and feed the vets their million dollar research which is BS.
 
@LamontsMom You've gotten a lot of great advice already, but I just wanted to second what everyone else is telling you. Diet, insulin choice, and home testing absolutely makes a huge difference in treatment! It usually means the difference between remission and a chronically ill cat that has poorly managed diabetes. If you need to bring your vet on board with your treatment, here's some stuff you can print out and bring in, and ask why her opinion is contrary to the currently recommended treatment for cats. It's possible that she hasn't seen the latest recommendations (despite them being out for 5 or more years). Or you find a new vet who is on board with your treatment choices and more up to date with treatment. I think what it usually comes down to is how receptive your vet is to new information. If she reads the guidelines and modifies her opinions on things, then you might want to stick with her. If she reads them and still insists on other treatment recommendations--well, the health of your cat isn't worth her ego, and it may be time to move on.

American Animal Hospital Assocation Diabetes Managment Guidelines: see pages 217-218 on diet. (bolded emphasis mine)

Diet therapy goals and management

  • Optimize body weight with appropriate protein and carbohydrate levels, fat restriction, and calorie control.
    • Weigh at least monthly and adjust intake to maintain optimal weight.
    • Management goal of weight loss in obese cats: 1% to 2% loss per week13 or a maximum of 4% to 8% per month (hepatic lipidosis risk is minimized with the recommended high-protein diet).
  • Minimize postprandial hyperglycemia by managing protein and carbohydrate intake.
  • Feed a high-protein diet (defined as >45% protein metabolizable energy [ME]) to maximize metabolic rate, improve satiety, and prevent lean muscle-mass loss.14-17
    • This is necessary to prevent protein malnutrition and loss of lean body mass.
    • Protein normalizes fat metabolism and provides a consistent energy source.
    • Arginine stimulates insulin secretion.
  • Limit carbohydrate intake.18-21
    • Dietary carbohydrate may contribute to hyperglycemia and glucose toxicity in cats.
    • Provide the lowest amount of carbohydrate levels in the diet that the cat will eat.
    • Carbohydrate levels can be loosely classified as ultralow (<5% ME), low (5% to 25% ME), moderate (26% to 50% ME), and high (>50% ME).22
  • Portion control by feeding meals.23,24
    • Allows monitoring of appetite and intake.
    • Essential to achieve weight loss in obese cats.
  • Canned foods are preferred over dry foods. Canned foods provide:
    • Lower carbohydrate levels.
    • Ease of portion control.
    • Lower caloric density; cat can eat a higher volume of canned food for the same caloric intake.
    • Additional water intake.25-28
  • Adjust diet recommendations based on concurrent disease (e.g., chronic kidney disease, pancreatitis, intestinal disease).
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And

  • Feeding meals four times daily is ideal to prevent clinical hypoglycemia for cats on insulin. Timed feeders are useful for cats that require multiple meals per day to manage weight and control calories. Use of insulin glargine may reduce the need for timed feedings, as long as home monitoring of BG is being done. (See Insulin therapy in the cat.)
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See also the attached file to share with your vet (outlines dosing and treatment more specifically).
 

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Thanks, Julia & Bandit! This is really helpful and I suspect she'll be on board with it. If she's not (re: the home monitoring, I will thank her for her help and find another vet. I already have another recommendation waiting in line.... :-) )
 
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