Newly diagnosed & worried about costs- advice needed!

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GatorsRBst

Member Since 2013
I just got the call from my vet that my cat, Scamper, has diabetes. In reading info about it, I'm worried about high costs of treatment. Being a teacher limits my income, so any advice from those with experience with pets with diabetes about how to cut costs, save money, get inexpensive supplies, etc., while still giving the best care to my sweet cat would be appreciated!
 
Welcome to the FDMB, the best place you never expected to be. Breathe, take deep breaths and release. Again. Again.

This is so very stressful. What happens next? How can I deal with this? Will my cat be ok? We live and breathe feline diabetes 24/7. Our collective knowledge is invaluable and we can help you with the day to day management. You don't know us "strangers on the internet" but we have helped a lot of people.

First off, would you please tell me your name and where you live. USA, Canada or international. country, state general area would be great.

Yes, we can help you with ideas for saving some money in the treatment of Scamper and his diabetes.

1. commercial cat food. low carb, Fancy Feast classic pates or Friskies pates are more cost effective than the prescription diets and as good as or better than the prescription diets in ingredients and wide range of flavors.
2. long lasting insulin like Lantus, Levimir, PZI or Prozinc. They cost more than Humulin or Novolin but are so much better for your cat.
3. appropriate low starting dose of insulin.
4. Home testing. Of Urine to check for ketones. Of blood to test the BG's and adjust the insulin dose. Scary thought, to poke your cat's ear to get blood, but it saves you the cost of having curves done at the vet and Fructosamine tests at the vet.

We have lots of more detailed information available, but I did not want to overwhelm you.

How are you feeling? Stressed? Panicked? Shocked? A state of bewilderment? This is natural. We can provide emotional support and help you every step of the way. Please let us know how we can help you.
 
Hello and Welcome :)

As we all say here, this may be the last place you want to be, but the best place you can be when your furbaby is diagnosed with FD.

Initially, the cost might be a bit high, mostly due to the insulin and the vet bills :P

Other equipment like a home testing meter is a one time buy. You will have to keep up with strips and lancets and of course low carb treats (most of us here use freeze dried chicken, like PureBites).

I use a WalMart brand ReliOn Confirm. The meter itself is less than $20, and the strips are quite reasonable. I actually made my first ebay purchase of strips...and found a great deal...100 strips for $22.00, so shop around, but just make sure you check the expiration date on them.

WalMart also has their own brand of syringes, which are much cheaper, and have the 1/2 unit markings which is, in my opinion, a necessity.

Did your vet say the type of insulin your kitty will get?

On this site somewhere also there is a link to a coupon for Lantus pens. You can buy 6 @ $25.00 each, either one at a time or at once, I believe. Of course, that will only help if Lantus insulin is prescribed.

There will be much more experienced members coming along shortly I'm sure, so I just wanted to say welcome and give you an idea :)
 
You can avoid some of the vet bills depending on how much you are willing to do at home for example

- Vet wants to do a "curve" at regular intervals.. can be $300+.. Home testing is more accurate and much cheaper!
- Vet says ok to home testing but tries to sell you an expensive Alphatrak meter -people meters are cheaper and just as accurate ie the Walmart relion brand ( if you are in the US)
- Vet recommends prescription wet food that your cat wont eat after a couple of days. Fancy feast pates, friskies pates and wellness grain free canned are just as good and cheaper.
- The bottle on insulin has a 28 day expiry printed on it - Not accurate - Lantus , Levemir and prozinc last up to six months if kept in the fridge

If you give us more info we can help more.

Wendy
 
Thanks so much for your quick and helpful replies. I have an appt this afternoon with the vet to learn how to give the shots. He didn't mention the kind of insulin, but did warn me both about price - abt $150/bottle - and that it would say only good for 1 month, but actually can last much longer if stored in the fridge. From everything I've read so far - been on a big learning curve the last couple of hours (thank goodness it is summer & I have the time!) - and so I feel more confident going into the vets with knowledge. Thanks so much fir the support already given, and for the great info! Yes, I live in the US, Florida, Orlando area, so I see a trip to Walmart in my very near future!
 
It does seem like a lot to handle at first however it will get better. I thought that I would not be able to do it or afford to do it however that is not the case. The biggest thing for me was that I had a feral cat and I was scared! All I knew is that if I did not learn to do it then I would have no choice but to put her to sleep. At first it was not easy since I had hardly ever picked her up. Over the months and years that I have used her as a guinea pig she has come to trust me. My message to you is this - you can do it, its going to take time but don't give up. There are also plenty of experts here that can walk you through anything and answer a question about anything!! You have all the help you can ever need! Welcome!!
 
GatorsRBst said:
I just got the call from my vet that my cat, Scamper, has diabetes. In reading info about it, I'm worried about high costs of treatment. Being a teacher limits my income, so any advice from those with experience with pets with diabetes about how to cut costs, save money, get inexpensive supplies, etc., while still giving the best care to my sweet cat would be appreciated!
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Welcome to FDMB. You will be able to learn the most economical methods both to treat Scamper and to care for Scamper from the people here.

First thing I would suggest would be to get yourself a human blood glucose meter. You can easily test Scamper at home and avoid the costly trips to the vet for testing and curves. The most economical meter would be the Relion meters, so pick up a Relion meter, the test strips and lancets for the meter, and also get yourself a container of KETOSTIX from the pharmacy, to be used to test Scamper's urine for ketones.

I would not rush into spending money on insulin and syringes because you want to be sure that Scamper truly needs insulin..... there are a great deal of cats who are found to be DIET CONTROLLED cats. It has been found that feeding a diet of low carb wet food will bring those high glucose numbers tumbling down, so if you can post what you are feeding Scamper, you can be helped to ensure that Scamper is eating what is best for health.
A very good site to read, all about nutrition and good diet and why dry is bad is Dr.Lisa Pierson's site.
http://catinfo.org/

On her site, she has compiled a list of wet foods and their fat, protein, and carb %. Look for foods that are 10% carbs or less and feed them to Scamper.
http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

Now, if you have been feeding dry food or high carb food, give the switch to wet food a chance to settle with Scamper, maybe a week on wet will give you an idea how the diet change has affected Scamper's numbers. Keep home testing with the Relion meter so you can see the progress.

Once Scamper's diet is correct, you will then be able to see if the numbers are still high and you may need to give insulin. Any food change will result in Scamper needing more insulin than if the food had not been changed.

Aside from fixing the diet and starting to home test, it's important to know if Scamper has any other health issues or is taking any meds that may be causing higher BG numbers. Other health issues like infection, pancreatitis, dental problems, can all cause higher BG numbers, so you will want to rule out those problems.

Last, if you can tell us a bit about the reason Scamper was taken to the vet, and also how the vet tested for diabetes. Did the vet do a fructosamine test or did the vet just state Scamper was diabetic because of a high glucose number on a blood panel? One number is not good enough, but the fructosamine test is an average of Scamper's glucose over the last few weeks and if that number's high, then Scamper may well be diabetic (hopefully a diet controlled one).

If you fix his diet, and get a Relion meter, your expenses will be the test strips, syringes, and insulin (Lantus or Levemir are the best ones), and members here can tell you the best places for prices on insulin and syringes. There is no need for expensive vet visits and curves at the vet. you will be perfectly capable of treating Scamper yourself at home.

Gayle
 
Sorry I didn't say earlier - my name is Janet. I read much information today, most on this site, and I'm definitely changing the diet of both my cats. My other cat, Domino, has had several instances with Crystals, so for many years I've been feeding both my kitties Hill's Prescription diet c/d. It definitely stopped Domino's crystals - he hasn't had problems since - but today I've read how bad dry food is for cats. I'm sad to say I wasn't aware if this previously, but I'm now committed to switching both my cats to wet food and twice a day feelings instead of using the perpetual feeder. I thought it would be a problem, since that's pretty much all they've eaten for most their lives (dry), but tonight both of hem ate & enjoyed wet food! The vet prescribed Lantus insulin without me having to ask. I was happy, since that seemed to be one highly recommended here. Scamper does not have other medical problems, is not obese (underweight, actually, which is one of the main reason I brought him to the vet), and is 13 years old. Recently he'd lost a significant amount of weight, was drinking & urinating much more than usual & just seemed off. He got a full screening at the vet's, but I'm not sure if he got the specific test mentioned above. I'll call the vet tomorrow and ask. I do know that the measurement in his blood was very high - in the 400s - when it was supposed to be in the 100-200 range, I believe. It was a lot of info to take in & I'm forgetting some of those details. I truly appreciate the help you've offered! Thanks for the advice. I'll purchase the ketone six and home measurement relion meter tomorrow. Thanks again!
 
I use the ReliOn Prime meter because a box of 50 test strips only cost $9. You will find that the strips for the meter is what cost so much and not the meter itself. I can go through a box as fast as lightning so that's why I use the Prime. The only thing is that it is a WalMart meter and strips and thats the only place you can buy the strips. If you have a Walmart nearby then its not a big deal.
It seems like a lot to learn at first but its not really that hard. There is someone on the board to answer any question and walk you through anything!
What part of Florida are you from? I lived in Florida for about 20 years. My sugar cat is a stray that I found while living in Palm Bay, FL. I also lived in Ocala and Kississimme for a while. Florida is my second favorite team. I was lucky to live there when Tebow was in his hayday! Both my cats were from Florida. My cat George who recently passed away was 15-17 years old and I found him while I was working in Zepherhills FL and a few years later Chicken Little was found in the woods in Palm Bay. I sometimes really miss living in Florida!!
Terriy
 
You can still free feed your cats. Just remember to portion control. Maybe put out 1/4 of the food in the morning, 1/4 before you leave for work, 1/4 when you get home and 1/4 before you go to bed.

This will help your sugarcat also, to have the meals spread out over the day.

When you are ready to learn how to home test, add a question onto your post here and we will give you the tips and tricks and videos to watch. I'd do it now but don't have all those great links on my work computer.
 
Terri, I live in the Orlando area. I got my degree from U of F & am a die-hard Gator! Go Gators!! I also feel lucky to have attended many a game when Tebow was Q-back, including his last home game - a superb win against Florida State!

I have purchased a ReliOn home testing unit, but I need instruction. When us the best time to test? Before Scamp eats, after eating, after the insulin shot?? Also, how do I prick to get blood? I read to do his ear, but when I tried tonight, I just hurt him & didn't get any drops of blood. :shock: Is there a specific place in his ear? Please help! My mother has diabetes & I've seen her pricking her finger, but don't know how/where to do it on a cat! I'd appreciate any guidance & help you guys have. Thanks again! Janet
 
Ear testing tips document here with picture of the cat's ear and lots of tips to make it work better. https://docs.google.com/document/d/13c_CPZVKz27fD_6aVbsguadJKvjSrSAkD7flgPPhEag/pub

Testing psychology here: https://sites.google.com/site/michelangeloprofilefdmb/feline-diabetes/ear-testing-psychology

Test before every shot, to make sure the BG is high enough to give insulin. We start at a threshold of 200 for shoot/no shoot status.
Test mid-cycle, to find the nadir or lowest point the insulin takes your cat. +5 to +7 is typical but ECID.
 
Hi there

Testing can be challenging at first depending on the cat and how much of a bleeder they are. Deb provided good tips so have a good read of those and watch the videos etc.


It doesnt hurt them as much as it hurts your mom because a cats ear has less nerve endings than your moms finger. if scamp was objecting it was more to having his ear held etc.

a few key tips from the tips deb gave.

1. always warm the ear first
2. Have something firm behind the ear to press against
3. Always give a low carb treat afterward whether successful or not

Are you using the lancet on its own or the device? And what size lancets?

Wendy
 
Watched the videos & got up the nerve to do testing again, but wasn't successful. After poking several times & still not getting a big enough drop of blood, I gave up for now. :? Will try again later today. The lancets I'm using came with the testing kit - I will have to go buy more soon b/c it only came with a few. They say 30g - is that the size? For now, I'm trying to do it freehand. Gave Scamper a treat afterwards just b/c he was such a good boy to let me try!

The vet prescribed 2 units of insulin 2x a day for now. From reading info on your forum, I know that seems high, but I'm afraid to not follow Dr's instructions without being able to get a good home test!

Thanks so much for the links to the videos and psychology for home testing. They've been VERY useful. I'm not giving up, just taking a break for now.

Your help and advice has been fantastic. Thanks for all of it! :cool:
 
When you buy more lancets, look for the ones labeled "For alternate test site". Those are larger gauge, 25-26, so make it easier to get blood when you are first starting out.

Those 30 gauge lancets can be more difficult to use at first. The ears will 'learn to bleed'. They actually form new capillaries over time, angiogenesis. :cool:
 
Yay! Finally got a drop of blood big enough to get my 1st reading!! :-D it's been about 6-7 hrs since his shot this morning & was pretty high - 324. :shock: I guess he's making progress from the numbers in the 400s that he had at the vet's last Thurs, but I'd been hoping it was already lower than that! Guess he DOES actually need the 2 units of insulin for his 2 shots a day that I've been giving him since Friday night...

He'd been drinking so much less, I was hoping for a better/lower reading, but since his diet is now all wet food maybe that's why he's been drinking less water? Scamper's been voraciously hungry, which I think is great b/c he'd lost so much weight before being diagnosed. AND it's also great b/c he seems to LOVE lost every flavor of the wet food I've given him so far! Please tell me if that's actually a bad sign?!

Tomorrow I'll be headed out to the stores to buy some 30g lancets (anything to make this easier!) and some more wet canned food that will serve both my sweet kitties needs - low carb, grain free, and low phosphorus! Whew! Hopefully not to many more expenses to do with all this for the next couple weeks... The checkbook is quite depleted! Any suggestions on the best place to buy the 30g lancets? Walmart, Target, or some other store! I'm looking for the best buy...

Thanks for all the help! I can't believe how excited I still am from getting that blood drop! LOL
 
Welcome to the Vampire Club!!!

but since his diet is now all wet food maybe that's why he's been drinking less water?
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My 3 don't drink out of the water bowl any more since they have been on wet food. I keep refilling them everyday just in case they want a drink of water instead of in their food.


AND it's also great b/c he seems to LOVE lost every flavor of the wet food I've given him so far! Please tell me if that's actually a bad sign?!
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Sorry, I can't tell you that loving every flavor is a bad sign. It means he's hungry. Once the BG's get under control, the appetite will diminish. Back to a more normal amount. We tell people that diabetic cats can need up to 50% more calories because their bodies can not process the food properly until the insulin doses start to regulate the cat.

Tomorrow I'll be headed out to the stores to buy some 30g lancets (anything to make this easier!)
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Actually, you want the larger 25-26 gauge lancets. The ones labeled on the box "For Alternate Site Testing".

Walmart usually has them. Like $3.74 for a box of 50 .

Lancets - the larger the number, the smaller the size of the pin to prick.
 
Sorry- my mistake! I meant that I already have a few 30 lancets & I need to go get the larger ones (26-28) tomorrow. The link you provided showed me how inexpensive they are at Walmart - thanks so much! Walmart & Petsmart, here I come!

One more question - I want to purchase some low carb (probably freeze dried?) treats for my sugarcat tomorrow as well. Do you guys gave any suggestions for a good brand/flavor and where to get them?

Thanks - I have so many, many questions! Good thing you all are so smart and knowledgable! :smile:
 
Good low carb treats suggestions for your cat in this post. Basically, anything that is pure meat is good.

http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9172

My kitties love the Halo Liv-a-Little freeze dried chicken, the Pure Bites brand freeze dried chicken, and the Whole Life brand freeze dried liver.

Some people say they get the Pure bites at Walmart but I have never found them at my local WM. Petsmart, Petco are good places to check.

I mail order mostly. I do have a local specialty dog and cat store but they are more expensive there.

Thanks - I have so many, many questions! Good thing you all are so smart and knowledgable!
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Just paying it forward. Someone else helped us when we were new here.
 
So, I think I've gotten the hang of the ear testing a bit better now & Scamper seems to love the treats he gets afterwards! I'm a bit panicky though - first time I've tested & found his levels so low - 50. :shock: ! It turns out he at VERY little this morning - found a flavor of wet he doesn't like so much (Friskies Mixed Grill Pate) and Domino left most of it, too. Tested poor Scamper 2x to be sure the reading was correct - thought it had malfunctioned. Got a 50, then a 51. Am very worried. Just finished giving him a few extra treats for letting me do his ears twice in a row & he ate another 1 oz or so of a different kind of wet food. Should I be panicky? I'm keeping a close eye on him, just wondering when I should test next, if it will be thrown off by the food I gave him now, if not eating this morning before his shot may be what caused it to drop so low? I'm worried b/c it is only +3-4 after shot & I know from reading you said it will go even lower the next couple of hours?? Help!!
 
he has two hours before the lantus hits its peak. Get another test in 30 minutes and see where he is and let us know. The food may take him up but he might come down again after that.. or it might not affect him and we will need to break out the high carb HC food. Do you have HC at home? Anything with gravy.. You dont need to worry quite yet, just keep an eye on him though.

Wendy
 
I am also thinking thats a sudden drop. I am not sure its just because he didnt eat. You might want to reduce his insulin to 1 unit and see how that goes for a few days to a week. 2 is a high starting dose anyway.
 
No, what is High Carb HC food? Can you name some brands for me? I'm going to the store later today (after I'm sure Scamp is OK), so I can pick some up then. I have Karo Syrup, honey, and dry Hill's c/d if any of those would help?
 
Ok the karo syrup will work if he drops below 40. But for now just test - please get another test 30 minutes from when you got the 50 and let me know and we can decide what to do.

If he drops again we may feed him a tsp of his regular low carb food with a single drop of syrup but we will see where he is first. I am hoping the food you gave him will bring him up a bit. But even if it does we will need more tests depending on how high is is.

HC (high Carb) food is anything over 15% calories from carbs so any gravy lovers fancy feast will do. Pretty much any canned with gravy. And keep it aside for these issues only !

I will be here let me know how the test goes

Wendy
 
yikes. Ok feed 1 tsp of regular food with a 2 drops of syrup on it and test again in 30 and let me know

Tomorrow you will be reducing the dose to 1 unit for sure.

Wendy
 
He didn't really want to eat his old (dry Hill's c/d) food - I've been feeding him wet since Friday & he love, love, loves it! So I gave him more of the wet that he ate earlier with the Karo drops mixed in. Hard to measure the Karo - not sure exactly what 2 drops is, but went with 2 small squeezes. He ate most of it up.

I'm wondering if this drop has been happening the whole time I've been giving him shots - since Friday night - and I just didn't know b/c I finally got the hang of the home testing?!?! Also, he isn't showing ANY signs of problems, looking unsteady on his feet, drooling, etc., and he hasn't since I've been administering the shots.

He has another shot due tonight at 8pm. Let's talk after his next reading about what I should be giving him then - I can't stay up all night ear testing...

Thanks so much!
 
a drop is the size of a dime I guess. You dont want him to eat too much LC - only a teaspoon - because you want him to keep eating in case we need to give syrup again.

How is your supply of strips?

He may have been doing this before now but Lantus is a depot insulin and it takes time to build up to the correct level in his system.. so that may have coincidentally started now. and that correct level for 2IU is too much.

Cats vary at what level they show symptoms. We don't want him dropping much further. Tonite maybe you skip and start fresh on 1 unit tomorrow morning. That will allow the "depot" to empty a bit so that the 2IU is out his system and we can start fresh on the 1unit.

Wendy
 
Janet, for future reference, if a cat is that low and refuses to eat anything including vanilla ice cream, then you go to Karo, rub on the gums, wait max of 15-20 minutes, test, and if needed, rub some more Karo, and keep it up until numbers either go up and stay there or kitty will eat and numbers go up and stay there. I spent one night doing this with MC, Karo, test, more Karo, more testing,....finally got to where I would set my cell phone every 15 minutes in case I fell asleep. Never syringe Karo.......you could aspirate him. Also, some cats may never show a hypo symptom and suddenly start seizing. So glad you are hometesting now and hugs, kisses and praise always work well after each test no matter the years of testing.
 
Sorry - had set my timer for 30 min, then had troube pricking to get blood. Scamper's poor ears are like pincushions today! Reading is now 91. Better?
 
Much! but the syrup will wear off and he could well come down again. Another test in 30 minutes please and let me know. We need to get two readings that are increasing without syrup. So lets see where he is in 30. Remember to warm those ears first and give a low carb treat after.

Talk to you soon!

Wendy

Summary

AMPS 356 gave 2 IU
+3 50 gave LC
+3.5 32 gave 1 tsp LC + 2 drops syrup. (1.25pm EST)
+4.25 91
 
Thanks, will do.

I always warm his ear first, but am using the lancets that came with testing kit. I'm now almost out & they are only 30g, so had already planned on getting more today that have bigger needle & hopefully it will be easier. Want to be sure Scamp's ok to leave for a bit first, though.

Will get back to you in a few minutes with his next test results.
 
In an emergency, you can re-use the lancet. It gets duller with repeated use, so for the comfort of kitty's ear, it isn't recommended.

MJ
 
Thank you, MJ. I'd thought of that & have saved the last one I used in case I wouldn't be able to get out until tomorrow. I had read that they became less sharp & didn't want to do that to Scamper unless I had to, though. Now you've confirmed it! Should I stay home to do another test in 30 minutes, or do you think it would be safe to leave him for a bit to get the shopping done?

Also, any advice about what to do about the PM shot would be welcome. Thanks, Janet.
 
High carb food = Fancy Feast with gravy - - Grilled, sliced, gravy lovers

there are lots of other high carb options -- gravy is the quickest to digest -- flavors with rice or other grains are not quite as quick to digest.
 
And remember start him again on 1 unit tomorrow and we will see how that does. You can expect him to be high as he will "bounce" as a result of these lows but dont worry ...and dont be tempted to go for the higher dose. The bounce will clear.

AMPS 356 gave 2 IU
+3 50 gave LC
+3.5 32 gave 1 tsp LC + 2 drops syrup.
+4.25 91
+5 110
+6 106
 
Should I do a pm shot tonight?? I am good to go with the 1 unit shot tomorrow am, but I won't be able to stay home & test him so often tomorrow, so I'm worried about changing things & skipping shots. I appreciate your advice, though, so please fill me in on the best thing to do & I will do it! Janet
 
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