Newly Diagnosed in Canada. ( NB)

Status
Not open for further replies.
EddiesMom

EddiesMom

Member
Hello, I'm Eddie's Mom! From Saint John NB.
Eddie is a 10 year old male Tabby just diagnosed August 4th.
We're still trying to have him regulated and sadly i feel like i have a vet that isn't familiar with Diabetes.

Eddie was on Dry Royal Canin - Diabetes for 7 weeks when he was so thirsty and really still not feeling well..
increased insulin ( Lantus ) from 2-3 units twice per day...

we met a great vet last monday who took him off Dry and on Wet.. immediately a difference.
She lives no where close to us.. she was a temp with for our real DR. who was on vacation... but i loved her knowledge of Diabetes..
already no more thirst and he feels sooo much better - full of energy and socializing with us constantly.

I haven't tried home testing, but was told to visit again in 2 weeks to check sugar levels..
i've read i should decrease immediately.. to maybe 2 instead of 3 units / should i bring him in sooner?

also... i am now feeding him Purina DM - i dont mind paying the price if it's good for him.. but is 1/2 can enough?
Eddie is 13lbs... he just seems starving when it's meal time..
also, which " treats " are better for him.. other than real meat... is tuna okay? and how many treats should he be allowed to get.

EDITED __ __ I just found this --- > thanks! http://www.felinediabetes.com/low-carb-cat-treats.htm _____

sorry for all the questions, its been a rough couple of weeks. I've read this board and associated sites over and over again.. and decided it was time for me to introduce myself!
 
Welcome. The DM is fine but unnecessary. A commercial, low-carb food is fine and is less expensive.
Yes I would reduce the dose to no more than 2 units twice daily. You might want to reduce it to one twice daily since that is the typical starting dose.
I, and others will too, recommend that you start home testing as soon as possible, you do not need your vets approval or need to wait for the next vet appointment.
 
Welcome Eddie's Mom (and Eddie, too)!

As you've already discovered, food makes a big difference in Eddie's BG levels. Diabetic cats need to eat low carb wet food. If you look at Janet & Binky's food chart http://www.felinediabetes.com/diabetic-cat-diets.htm, you will see a number of brands and varieties that are not only low carb, but much more economical than the food from the vet. As you transition Eddie to a low carb wet diet you will have to monitor his BG carefully (some have reported as much as 100+ drop in BG just with a change of diet).

Many of us use Lantus as our insulin. 3 units BID is quite a large dose, and I'm wondering if we've already passed Eddie's appropriate dose for regulation. Unfortunately, vets sometimes determine the amount of insulin based on weight, or based on the curves done at the vet's office. Frankly, we've found that curves done at a vet's office aren't very helpful, as the cat's BG levels rise as a result of vet stress (B.K.'s BG levels rise 300+ at the vet's office, and my mellow Chester's BG levels rise 100+ at the vet's). Because the vet sees the higher BG numbers, they increase the insulin.

Home testing is encouraged, and will also allow you to do curves at home (without vet stress) and provide the information to your vet. You can review the information here http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287 to learn about home testing.

Also you will need to have supplies on hand in the event Eddie has a hypo incident. The supplies you will need and how to treat a hypo incident are here http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2354 and here http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1122

You will have many, many questions as you browse around the board...please do post back and we'll do our best to help and support you.
 
Welcome to FDMB -- you've come to the right place for information / support.

Learn to test Eddie's blood sugar at home using a human glucometer. That will save you worrying that Eddie is going too low or not.
Pick a glucometer that has test strips that you can afford, and requires a small amount of blood. "sipping action" test strips are easiest -- also called "approved for alternate site testing" which means other test spot than human finger tip. Many here use the Walmart Relion meter. It received good reviews in Consumers Report.

Since you are changing the food to lower carb canned food -- reducing the dose to 1 unit BID would be a good idea -- unless you start home-testing blood sugar right away to make sure you're not giving too much insulin with the lower carb food.

In the early stages of diabetes treatment (aka when not enough insulin is present), the kitty IS STARVING --- he can eat-eat-eat but his body cannot get the energy (sugar) out of the food/blood and into the muscles where it is needed.

So it is OK to give extra food. When you are getting close to the right dose, Eddie's appetite will go back to normal.
 
thanks for the welcome ... and yes
when we bring Eddie in to the vet's office he's sooo stressed.. he's been on 3 units for the past... 16 days.
I am not sure how to calculate your BG levels.
when i've seen his readings.. it was
10g then 18g .. stressed out kitty / and then 20g last monday night cause we were at the vet's office for an hour.
these numbers are found here http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Blood ... guidelines
we haven't tested since Monday. i have to return to the vet hopefully Tuesday.. but eddie just stresses out.
SIGH!

i've never used the other blood sugar reading 300, 100 etc.. i was never thought.

I do have corn syrup just in case.. and also food he loves to eat
so we are ready.. but we leave for work about 1 hour after his insulin..
he eats his wet quite well.. usually it's gone in one sitting... about 10 -15 minutes.

so overwhelming at first, but we are ready to do anything we have to for our little furry friend!

thanks for your message!
 
I believe (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) to convert your BG information, the number should be multiplied by 18. If I'm right, then 10g would be 180, 18g would be 324, and 20g would be 360.

Assuming my calculations are correct, and knowing how much vet stress can effect BG levels, I'm thinking you may want to consider lowering the insulin dose. I'm also thinking that, considering the vet stress and that you've just started treatment, those aren't horrible numbers. To be sure, they are diabetic numbers...but I think it will be very interesting to see what Eddie's BG level is without vet stress and more time for the Lantus to work.
 
Welcome! You have already done a lot of homework - what a great kitty mom!

We can teach you how to hometest over the internet. When you take him in for blood tests at the vet and he is stressed by all the strange noises, smells and animals, his bg levels go up. And then the dosage based on those levels can be too high once you get home. The only way to be sure you are giving enough insulin but not too much is to test his bg levels at home.

Here is a good beginning site for hometesting: http://www.felinediabetes.com/diabetic-cat-diets.htm and a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8

You need to multiply your numbers by 18. When you set up a spreadsheet, we can make it automatically switch them back and forth.
 
thank you for your replies... so much appreciated
it's hard to get answers from real people.. cause most don't know
but this is great .. thank you!
Hubby will be getting a home tester .. and we'll be able to check exactly

so how often should this be done? once a day / twice a day ..?
or maybe how many hours after his insulin.
we both work full time / shift work so aren't home for most of the day but his meds are given to him at the same time everyday.
we make sure one of us his home. 7am/7pm
 
we test before every injection -- so usually twice per day

Sometimes we check at mid-cycle and once in a while, we do a curve (testing every 2 hours for a 12 hour period)

At first, it will be a bit tricky and may take both of you to hold Eddie. Just be calm and sure of yourself (pretend if you need to :-D )

my hubby (aka "DH" here for Dear Husband) and I followed a three strikes and we're out rule from baseball --- if we could not get a successful blood test after 3 tries -- we'd stop and give treats and inject.
 
You should check Eddie's BG level before every shot. Also, you will have to do curves so that you know Eddie's is getting a good 12-hour overlap using Lantus and also to determine the nadir (the point in which Eddie's BG is the lowest). Most of us work full-time, have kids, etc., so we have to do our more frequent testing during weekends or other days off. The good news is, once you get the hang of home testing and shooting insulin, the whole thing takes only a matter of minutes per day.

Also, if Eddie is one of the guys who just won't let anyone mess with his ears (I have one like that), you can test using his paw pad.

Hang in there...this will get less overwhelming as time goes on!
 
When Hubby is looking for meters, he wants one that sips and takes a tiny amount of blood. Lots of people here like the ReliOn from Walmart as it works well and both the meter and strips are the least expensive. You can use any human meter - sometimes they are even free. It's the strips that cost. We bought our strips on ebay at less than half the price of the drug store. He will also need lancets (start with 29s - they are thicker but may work well at first). Practice on yourselves first so you know how it works.

Couple other tips: Use a flashlight behind the ear to find where you are going to poke. You are looking for the little capillaries that run off the vein which runs down the side of the ear. When you find them, put a dab of vaseline there. It will make the blood bead up and will help you find the right spot. Make a rice sack. At first, many kitties need warm ears. Take a thinnish sock filled with raw rice and heat in microwave until very warm but not hot. And be sure to have treats ready - successful test or not!

You need to test before each shot, to be sure it is safe to give insulin. It is good to also find the nadir (lowest point the insulin takes him in the cycle) Did you say what kind of insulin? The nadir varies depending on the type. The nadir is important because it tells you how low he is going and helps you determine the dose.
 
Hello Eddie's Mom from another Maritimer!

I am Oreo's Mom from Summerside, PEI and Oreo's "grandparents" live in Moncton!

It is all very overwhelming at the beginning. Oreo was diagnosed four years ago (at the age of 7) and is doing very well - he looks & acts like he feels great. We feed fancy feast (low carb flavors: liver & chicken feast, chicken feast, turkey & giblet feast, whitefish & tuna feast) - he & his brothers really missed the dry food at first (I wanted to give in many times). Actually we have seen less health conditions (i.e. idiopathic cystitis - one of Oreo's siblings would have episodes with this and has not since the wet food diet) in all since we started the wet food diet. Our vet tried to get us to feed Science Diet MD & Purina DM (wet & dry) but we found Oreo did much better on fancy feast.

We hometest Oreo twice a day and do a curve once in a while - we do not take him to the vet for a curve, only his annual exam. Our vet recommended the Ascensia Contour meter - we get the best price on test strips at Walmart (or on ebay). Oreo loves to be tested, he will remind us when it is time by jumping up on the counter and waiting (he does get a couple of dry treats after each test). The whole process has just become part of our day - no big deal! Sometimes we may not be able to test on a 12 hour schedule but we just test/shot as soon as we can and go from there.

My neighbor (housecats4) was able to get her cat Trey into remission (he was on Lantus) a couple of months ago. He was only on insulin for a few months. She was able to do this with the help of this board (her vet was telling her to keep a higher dose but she did not feel comfortable with this) - the assistance she got on the Lantus board (along with the diet change to low carb wet food) I am sure is what get Trey into remission. Check out the Insulin Support Board - Lantus once you start testing. The knowledge/caring/dedication on these boards is second to none.

I am glad you found this website - I do not post much but do pop in (lurk) regularly to see how everyone is doing.

Best wishes with Eddie!

Kristen & Oreo
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top