Newly diagnosed worried mom

Status
Not open for further replies.
LisaStew

LisaStew

Member Since 2016
I initially posted this in introductions but I think this is where I post questions. I was referred here from the Facebook diabetes page for possibly more advice on my newly diagnosed cat Bubby. He is 11 years of age and we brought him home from the ISU vet hospital where he was diagnosed 10 days ago. We have a follow up appointment on Wednesday for blood work unfortunately it is a little over an hour away. Bubby was also diagnosed with pancreatitis upon admission but those symptoms have been better since he came home. I am quite concerned about his ongoing high BG between 350 and 625 regularly for past 10 days. He seems to get steadily better but the last couple days he's been staring off into space a lot and is more hesitant to jump up onto chairs and things. I'm wondering about long term damage from the high BG. He is on .5 units of lantus Glargine twice a day. Doesn't seem to help much but when they started him on 1 unit in the hospital it was a little to much. I don't think his numbers were this high in the hospital but the doc says it is fine as he is still unregulated. He is eating Hill's m/d day now at her suggestion but we are trying to switch him to FF pate gradually. She says after he is on the m/d for one full week then we can do a curve. Should everything take this long to get his numbers down. He drinks and pees constantly but she says that is normal too. Thanks for your help. A worried mom.
 
It does take a bit in many cats. Switching from dry to wet will help. Are you testing yourself or are you getting your numbers from vet test. Stress at the vet can bump up BG numbers by 100 points easy. Are the BG numbers just preshot or are they 600 before the shot and 350 during the middle of the day. Lantus is a depot insulin and it does take several days for that depot to build. FWIW while I get my sugar boy down into good numbers often, I wouldn't label him as regulated although we are chipping our way to it.

Look for an overall trend reductions in BG, drinking and peeing. It likely won't be a straight line but you will know that things are working by looking at the big picture. I knew Fern was on his way when he stopped draining the waterbowl. He still drank a lot at first but he didn't drink it dry. Now I'd say he's back at normal drinking and peeing rate.
 
LisaStew said:
is more hesitant to jump up onto chairs and things.
Click to expand...

It sounds like he may be developing some diabetic neuropathy. Look at this video (now this is a very bad case but it'll give you an idea of what to look for)

A lot of people here use Zobaline for Cats to help with the neuropathy, but getting his blood glucose under better control is the key. The Zobaline will help though, but it can take several months to get results
 
Ferndoc said:
It does take a bit in many cats. Switching from dry to wet will help. Are you testing yourself or are you getting your numbers from vet test. Stress at the vet can bump up BG numbers by 100 points easy. Are the BG numbers just preshot or are they 600 before the shot and 350 during the middle of the day. Lantus is a depot insulin and it does take several days for that depot to build. FWIW while I get my sugar boy down into good numbers often, I wouldn't label him as regulated although we are chipping our way to it.

Look for an overall trend reductions in BG, drinking and peeing. It likely won't be a straight line but you will know that things are working by looking at the big picture. I knew Fern was on his way when he stopped draining the waterbowl. He still drank a lot at first but he didn't drink it dry. Now I'd say he's back at normal drinking and peeing rate.
Click to expand...

Pre test numbers usually between 500 and 600. Lowest reading I've gotten was 382 that was only +3 the vet said lantus is peaking at 8 hours but most of my +8 numbers are around 550.
 
LisaStew said:
Lowest reading I've gotten was 382 that was only +3 the vet said lantus is peaking at 8 hours but most of my +8 numbers are around 55
Click to expand...
You're in the right here. All insulins have 'typical' action profiles for when they are statistically likely to reach peak effect but cats don't read manuals and each cat will have its own pattern of response. FWIW, my Saoirse typically nadirs early on Lantus, too - usually about +3. For future reference, the nadir time can move around (another reason home testing is invaluable).


Mogs
.
 
It will really help if you'll start our spreadsheet and put any results you have (you may have to get your paperwork from your vet if curves were run there)

Here are Instructions on setting up the FDMB spreadsheet...let us know if you have any problems...we can set it up for you if we need to!

There's lots of great information in the Lantus Forum to help you understand how Lantus works too. The "stickies" at the top of the forum are well worth reading through.

How long has Bubby been on Lantus?
 
Chris & China said:
It will really help if you'll start our spreadsheet and put any results you have (you may have to get your paperwork from your vet if curves were run there)

Here are Instructions on setting up the FDMB spreadsheet...let us know if you have any problems...we can set it up for you if we need to!

There's lots of great information in the Lantus Forum to help you understand how Lantus works too. The "stickies" at the top of the forum are well worth reading through.

How long has Bubby been on Lantus?
Click to expand...
He has been on Lantus for 11 days at home plus a day in the hospital
 
OK that's good to know, so if he's been on .5 for more than 3 days, he may need a dose increase, but without seeing a spreadsheet, I wouldn't want to suggest doing that just yet.

Do you have syringes with half unit markings? We only do increases in .25 unit increments, and although there's no such thing as a syringe with quarter unit markings, having them with half unit marks helps to get those doses like .75U

Please start our spreadsheet and plug any numbers you have into it....also, if you look below most of our comments, you'll see our "signatures" where we have info like:

Our name/cats name, age, date of diagnosis, type of insulin, type of meter, type of food, any other health issues?...maybe a general area where you live, and then when you have the link to your spreadsheet, it goes there too

That way we don't have to keep asking the same questions over and over again.

To do your signature, go to the top right of the page and click on your sign on name...you'll see "signature"...click there and a new little box will come up for you to put the information into....then click "save" and you're done!
 
It does take some time before you'll see changes in his water (both IN and OUT) but once you get his numbers down into more normal numbers, you should see his drinking and peeing decrease considerably

Are you home testing or are those just numbers he's gotten at the vet?
 
Chris & China said:
It does take some time before you'll see changes in his water (both IN and OUT) but once you get his numbers down into more normal numbers, you should see his drinking and peeing decrease considerably

Are you home testing or are those just numbers he's gotten at the vet?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tips. I home test for 1 week now. The numbers they gave me from the testing at the hospital were highs in the 200's but he was on an i.v. With electrolytes, not sure why they are so much higher now.
 
A lot of times while they're getting fluids, the numbers can be lower just because you're adding fluids that "dilute" the blood

Another thing....the M/D dry is also very high carb. If you can get Bubby completely off of it (the sooner, the better) his numbers may come down quite a bit. We want our sugarcats to be eating less than 10% carbs in a canned, raw or homemade diet. The Fancy Feast Classics are perfect, as are Friskies and 9-Lives pates.

Here's a list of a lot of foods to choose from....you just need to look in Column C for the percentage of carbs and keep it under 10% (there are some newer foods not on here, but it gives you some choices if you want them)
 
Chris & China said:
A lot of times while they're getting fluids, the numbers can be lower just because you're adding fluids that "dilute" the blood

Another thing....the M/D dry is also very high carb. If you can get Bubby completely off of it (the sooner, the better) his numbers may come down quite a bit. We want our sugarcats to be eating less than 10% carbs in a canned, raw or homemade diet. The Fancy Feast Classics are perfect, as are Friskies and 9-Lives pates.

Here's a list of a lot of foods to choose from....you just need to look in Column C for the percentage of carbs and keep it under 10% (there are some newer foods not on here, but it gives you some choices if you want them)
Click to expand...
Okay, thanks so much. We are trying to switch him to wet but he will only eat a tiny bit at a time so it takes all day to get one can down. He had a coughing spell this morning and is very low energy today. they think he may have asthma as well.
 
Hi Lisa - I notice you are in Iowa. I'm in the Quad-City area (Muscatine).:)

You could also try a few low-carb chunky variety. Bubby might be more willing to try a wet food with some "chew" to it. Nutro has a few sliced varities some of our pate holdouts will eat. Purely Fancy Feast varieties are another.

Thankfully, our sugarcat, Joshi, loves pate. Because we wanted all our cats on the same low-carb food, not all of ours have been fond of the pate variety. Plus, we have one hold out who still eats strictly dry - so we leave out a low carb dry as well.

Figuring out the diet can be stressful. I know that's been the hardest thing for us to negotiate.
 
LaraB said:
Hi Lisa - I notice you are in Iowa. I'm in the Quad-City area (Muscatine).:)

You could also try a few low-carb chunky variety. Bubby might be more willing to try a wet food with some "chew" to it. Nutro has a few sliced varities some of our pate holdouts will eat. Purely Fancy Feast varieties are another.

Thankfully, our sugarcat, Joshi, loves pate. Because we wanted all our cats on the same low-carb food, not all of ours have been fond of the pate variety. Plus, we have one hold out who still eats strictly dry - so we leave out a low carb dry as well.

Figuring out the diet can be stressful. I know that's been the hardest thing for us to negotiate.
Click to expand...

Thanks Lara,
He has taken better to the FF pate but he licks at it until all the liquid is gone then sometimes he will eat what is left if I scrape the edges and chop it up for him. Now the last couple days he has started having coughing spells so tonight our vet for diabetes who is an hour and fifteen minutes away prescribed a bronchodilators that I had to stick down his throat as it couldn't be broken up. But I got it down him now just hoping it helps with the breathing. We only have 2 vets here in Grinnell and they are both 8-5 vets. Scary if there's ever an emergency at night. They think he might have asthma too but his spirits are good. The vet said to me today we may just have to let him stay on dry food but I will definitely find a different choice than her suggested hills m/d.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top