newly diagnosed

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Lyn_21

Member Since 2021
Hi everyone, I am Lyn and have a male cat and his name is Marty. His spot blood glucose & urine glucosuria results indicate he is possibly diabetic, the frucosamine result was given as >286umol/L. The vet will discuss the treatment late today. I know the treament process will be a big challenge and stressful for me & my cat, but he is 17.5 years old, what outcome would be for him with the treatment?

it would be grateful if you can share your experience with me. Thanks for your help.
 
Hello and welcome to you and possibly sweet Marty.

It would be interesting to know the exact Fructosamine test number. 190-365 are the ranges for a normal non diabetic cat. Post here: Reference Ranges for Fructosamine Test

I just ran across this post on this forum a couple days ago. Someone who's kitty would have been about 17 on diagnosis, and 5 years later still going strong at 22. https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/we-are-past-5-years-now.254965/

My girl was just 11 when she was diagnosed and she was a little complicated because her diabetes was caused by a secondary endocrine condition. In spite of that, I still got an additional 5 years from her with treatment, and she passed because of the secondary condition, not diabetes. I will be truthful that there is quite a bit to learn at first, but we've all been through that and are glad to help you get started. Soon enough treatment becomes a routine, for both of you.

Cats also have the unique ability to possibly go into diabetic remission. Here we are strong believers in feeding low carb food (often a diet switch works miracles), giving a good quality insulin for cats (Lantus, Prozinc or Levemir) and home testing to keep kitty safe. Bribes (low carb meat treats) go a long way to help.

Let us know how we can help.
 
Hello Wendy&Neko,
Thank you very much for your message. Your message made me feel much better and is very encouraging and helpful.

During the appointment short while ago today, the vet told me that the fructosamine result is 450, so it confirms the diagnosis for Marty.

The vet has provided the prescriptions for Prozinc insulin & syringe, so I will make the orders on line and start the treatment journey for Marty.

Thanks for your help.
Lyn
 
Sounds like you've started with a good insulin. Do you mind telling me what dose the vet suggested?

Also, what food is he eating now?
 
according to the prescrition: 1.5IU twice a day, every 12 hours. no diet was suggested, maybe later. not sure what is IU and how many IU equals to 1ml.
 
What brand/type of food is he getting now? 1.5 units is a higher dose than we'd start on here. We talk in terms of units, not mL.

If you go to our Prozinc group, link here: Prozinc / PZI you'll see a couple of Sticky Notes on top the forum. Those contain general information you might want to read, especially the ones on the basics and insulin care and syringe info.
 
I agree that is a high starting dose. Diet plays a significant part in lowering glucose levels. You want to feed a high protein, low carb diet. Prescription food is not recommended since it is higher carbs than Marty should have. Many members feed their cats Fancy Feast or Friskies pate flavors. Avoid any foods with gravy such as shreds, fillets and bits. Dry food also should be avoided since most brands are also high in carbs

We also recommend learning how to home test. This means testing his glucose before every shot. This will prevent you from giving insulin when his glucose levels are too low. That can cause hypoglycemia. It will also help you determine how well the dose is working and if it needs to be adjusted . You can use a human glucose meter for testing. There are pet meters available but they can be expensive to use and the test strips are not readily available. We can help you learn everything you will need to care for his diabetes.
 
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