Newly Diagnosed! Kam and Moshi's Intro

Hi everyone, my name is Kam and I am here with my little guy, Moshiko. He is 6 years old and was diagnosed with feline diabetes on March 18th. I just wanted to post because this is something that is completely new to me, as Moshi has always been a generally happy and healthy kitty. We are here for advice, moral support, etc. I am finding it hard to not feel like the worst cat mama ever. It seems like now, all of the signs and symptoms appeared to be there, but I just missed them. We just received his insulin, glargine (I think we are on Lantus?), and are awaiting our "demo" appointment so that the vet can teach me how to give him his injections. I am currently a second year law student with a part time job as a legal assistant, at my future firm (yay for post grad job opportunities, let's hope I pass the bar!!). Anyways, I only mention that to kind of illustrate my time commitments outside of taking care of Moshi. Additionally, I am in the process of switching him over to his glucosupport diet.

I am currently filled with questions, but having trouble keeping them all in my brain right now (it's full of legal knowledge! that is a joke...). SO, if you would be so kind, please comment/post ANYTHING you wish you would have known when you received your cat's diagnosis!! Kind words, special advice, tips and tricks, anything! Pawsitive vibes, too please! We need it!

Finally, I want to post a little bit about how I came to find out about his diagnosis:
One day, I noticed diarrhea in the litter box when I cleaned it in the morning. I went to class, came home around 4pm, to feed him his food. He was extremely uninterested, which was VERY weird. Moshi likes his food! I left, because I am studying for the MPRE right now. Around 9pm, I came home and he had not eaten his food. I gave him a churu, hoping that he just was being picky or something. He threw it up, so I rushed him to the emergency vet. After a night in the EV, they determined his liver, pancreas, and BG levels were extremely elevated. They pushed fluids, sent us home with a bland diet, antinausea meds, gabapentin, and instructions to come back if he was not feeling better. He was fine for about 2 days, then again started similar symptoms. I took him to the vet the next day, where they drew his blood and determined his BG levels were again extremely high. They called the next day and told me he was diabetic. When they were describing symptoms that might lead to a diabetes diagnosis, it all started clicking. He was normally a chunky guy, but over a few months he lost a lot of weight despite his insane appetite. He was also drinking a lot, and peeing a lot. Looking back, I should have realized, but I just attributed his weightloss to us moving to a new place and eating higher quality food. It makes me sad to think that maybe I could have done something sooner, so that he would not have had to spend as much time with vets this past week.

Thank you so much for reading! Moshi says meow, and we both appreciate any advice/kind words.

 

@Wendy&Neko
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Bron and Sheba (GA)


Thank you ladies

 

Welcome to FDMB!

It sounds like you're on the right track. A few things....

It's absolutely normal to feel completely overwhelmed with all of the new information about managing Moshi's diabetes. There's a lot to learn but it becomes routine pretty quickly. There's a great deal of information about using Lantus in the sticky notes at the top of the Lantus/Levemir/Biosimilar forum.

Lantus/glargine: The generic/biosimilar form (Basaglar or Semglee) is much less expensive than the name brand. You will need syringes -- do not give insulin using the needle tips that come with the pens. The pens dispense in whole units only and there's a good deal of insulin wasted in priming the pen. You will need U-100 3/10cc syringes with half unit markings and they should have 30 or 31 gauge needles.

You mentioned glucosupport diet. If you're referring to the glucosupport diabetic food, save your money. It's expensive and it's not a high quality food. In fact, there's nothing "prescription" about it and it's higher in carbs than what you should be feeding your cat. A low carb diet is less than 10% carbs. Most members feed their cats a food that is in the neighborhood of 5% carbs. You want to feed your cat a canned food diet; dry food is higher in carbs. Thank your vet and then let him/her know that Fancy Feast or Friskies pate is at least half of the carbs in the prescription food. This is a chart that lists most of the canned foods available in the US along with nutritional information. You have a lot of choices. (As a law student, you might want to know that the pet food manufacturers lost a class action suit for calling their food "prescription.")

We strongly encourage all members to set up their signature and a spreadsheet. The signature contains basic information about you and your cat so we don't annoy you by asking the same questions repeatedly. The spreadsheet will allow you to track your cat's progress and it will allow us to follow along. This post on helping us to help you contains the information on setting up your signature and spreadsheet.

You're probably asking, "Why a spreadsheet?" We also strongly encourage home testing. This is the best possible way to ensure that Mochi is in safe blood glucose numbers. It also allows you to determine if he needs a dose increase or reduction. Many of the members here use a Walmart Relion meter. The strips are the least expensive available. This is a link to our post on home testing.

Please let us know if you have questions. The members here are generous with their time and knowledge. We're here to help.

 

Welcome to the FDMB. Sienne gave you lots of information. What are you currently feeding Mochi? Sometimes a canned or raw diet can make a huge difference if you are feeding kibble.

 

I'm on my second diabetic cat and learned so much with my first one. One, ditch the prescription food (canned and dry) the vet recommends. It's expensive, full of poor quality ingredients, and none of those ingredients are special in any way that makes the food work for diabetics. Low carb canned food is best and what most people can feed. Raw and home cooked diets are also options.

Two, start with a good insulin like Lantus. Follow one of the two methods posted on the Lantus board, tight regulation or start low / go slow. Read all of the info stickies on the Lantus board to understand how the insulin works for cats. There are ways to get Lantus for less money.

Three, learn how to hometest and log all the numbers into a spreadsheet. There's a Google based spreadsheet FDMB recommends. It's easily shared with the vet.

Did the vet do a fructosamine test? It's not part of regular routine blood work. The vet has to specify the test when submitting the blood sample. A fructosamine is similar to the AC1 test for Human diabetics. It gives the average blood glucose level over the past few weeks. The regular blood glucose level that is part of regular blood work only tells what the level is at the time of blood draw. Stressed out cats and those with other health issues going on that makes them feel unwell will always have a high blood glucose level.

 

I am feeding mostly canned food, it's the glucosupport canned food. I do have the kibble, but I only have been giving small amounts/using it as treats. He LOVES kibble and crunchy treats. He likes to scream at me until he gets a treat, so I have been using the kibble in his puzzle feeder instead of regular treats.

 

Try freeze dried treats instead of kibble. It's a lot healthier and zero carbs. Pure Bites is one popular brand. Freeze dried treats are crunchy like kibble. Air dried raw is also an option and crunchy.

If your cat is a dry food addict and crunchy treats just won't cut it, there are some dry foods that are lower in carbs than the prescription food that are better to feed. Members can point you out to those brands.

Another thing I learned, it's ok to disagree with the vet Vets suggest things but you don't always have to follow it. Food is one big one Many vets insist on prescription food for every single health issue. Why? Very little education in nutrition in vet school, big name companies sponsor veterinary conferences and give away freebies and stuff, commission for selling prescription food, etc. My vet isn't a fan of raw diets but he's fine with me feeding my cats a commercially available raw food.

It's important to have a good relationship with the vet and work together as a team to manage the cats' diabetes or any other health issue. Be involved and proactive in your cat's care. It's fine to switch vets if you feel your cat might get better care elsewhere. There's a thread somewhere here on FDMB on how to tell if you need a new vet, how to find a new vet, questions to ask a new vet, etc.