Newly Diagnosed

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Rileyspappa

Rileyspappa

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Hi there, my 14 yr old buddy, Riley, was diagnosed with diabetes yesterday. He had lost alot of weight in a few short months, but ate regularly. Looking back, he'd had the signs, drinking alot of water and urinating. But considering, for awhile, getting him to drink water, (hairballs, constipation) was tough, so I thought this was good. I came home the other night to a very lethargic cat. He had not touched a bit of food all day, very strange for a cat that weighed 18lbs at one time. Took him to the vet yesterday and lo and behold. Luckily he hasn't suffered some of the symptoms of long unchecked diabetes. We got it pretty early. I am amazed at how quickly the weight went. He was measured at 9.2 lbs on Tue. Last June he was almost too heavy to hold.

To be honest, I am really frightened. Mostly because I am not a very disiplined person, and I really don't want to mess this up. I've been through alot in 14 years and Riley's been there, unconditionally, every single day of it. I guess it's now my turn to be there for him. I know he's old, but considering his health up until July, I know he's still got a few years left if I do this right.

I guess I really didn't realize just how special this little guy is to me. I am looking forward to learning from experience and sharing mine with you. --Chris
 
Hi Chris-

Welcome! WOW...that's a giant weight loss! I'm sorry that you find yourself in a situation to have to learn all about feline diabetes, but super happy that you've found this site to do it! There's tons and tons of great information here and lots of knowledgeable people to help you through the process. I know it can seem overwhelming in the beginning, but you are not alone...and diabetes is quite manageable. People will want to know lots about you and Riley.

What insulin are you using?
Dosage?
Are you home testing?
What kind of food are you feeding Riley?

If you haven't already, check out the FAQs. Here's the link: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=2501. You can browse around and find information about particular insulins, how to test, thoughts on appropriate food, important signs to watch out for to keep your kitty out of trouble, etc. Once we know a little bit more about your particulars, we can give you some more specific help. Ask lots of questions. The more you know, the more at ease you'll be. I look forward to getting to know you and Riley! Cheers!

s
 
Hi Sherry, Good to meet you!

Yeah, I'm a little overwhelmed to say the least. The Vet that I talked to today at the Hospital has a 16 yr old cat that she has been treating for 8 years, so I think I might be lucky there.

They have Riley on Lantis, giving 1 unit twice a day. His food is Royal Canin Diabetic DS 44 for dry and Hills M/D for wet. Today is the first day for insulin. His BG was 518 yesterday, and 470 when I picked him up today.

He is acting like he's hungry, but he won't eat right now. The Dr. said that in transition I should give him what he was eating along with the new food. But at the moment he doesn't want any of it. I think he wants ice cream, but that's not happening.
The Dr. thinks that if the BG goes down a bit more, he'll feel a little better and start eating. IDK, maybe I'm just freaking out.
 
Welcome Chris (and Riley, too!)

First, Riley needs to be on low carb wet food. If you look at Janet & Binky's food chart here http://www.felinediabetes.com/diabetic-cat-diets.htm you will see alot of brands (Friskies, Fancy Feast, etc.), and many varieties that are low carb and far more economical than the food from the vet's office. Riley's BG level will drop dramatically once he is eating low carb wet food (some here have reported a 100+ drop), so you will have to monitor his BG level when his diet is changed.

We do encourage people to home test. You can look here http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287 for information on that. You do NOT need to get an expensive glucometer...many people here purchase their testing supplies at Wal Mart as that brand has proven to be accurate and the test strips are less expensive. Once you learn to home test, you will be able to make informed decisions regarding doseage and also avoid many trips to the vet for BG curves, since you will be able to do you own and provide your vet with the information.

There are some things you will need to have on hand in the event Riley has a hypo incident. Information about the supplies you will need and information about treating a hypo 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.

Many of us here use Lantus, and your vet has started you on a very reasonable dose. A few tips about Lantus: Although all the literature on Lantus says it is viable for 28 days only, that is for human comsumption. Lantus remains viable for felines much longer than 28 days, so long as you keep it refrigerated. Also, Lantus is available in vials or in pens that contain a cartridge of the insulin. Many of us now use the pens because there is so much Lantus in a vial that it can't be used up before it loses its punch.

You are going to have many questions and feel a bit overwhelmed...please post back and we'll do our best to help and support you.
 
Great to hear that you're using Lantus. Check out the stickies at the top of the Lantus board. Lots of great information there about dosing protocols, storage and handling, hypoglycemia, etc. I'm so glad to hear that your vet has started you on 1u BID (twice a day). Some vets start high, so you're already ahead of the game! You'll probably hear from lots of folks about getting rid of the dry food. I'm not familiar with the food you are using...I'm sure others will chime in. Dry food is loaded with carbs, which is not so great for our diabetic babies. Of course, you need to get Riley eating...a kitty who is on insulin and not eating is a recipe for trouble. Good call...no ice cream! :-D Oh, how my girl loved her some ice cream! Often times, you will see a dramatic change in BGs once you nix the dry food. You're only at 1u right now, so you're in a good space to be able to make the change.

Are you home testing? It's super important that you test before shooting, especially if making the food change I mentioned. The general routine is test, feed, shoot. If you don't have a meter, there is a sticky titled 'newbie kits' (I think it's on the health board). Check in there and they'll hook you up. Or, you can swing by any pharmacy and pick up a meter and strips yourself. Since you're already giving insulin, that might be the best plan. Some pharmacies have specials for a free meter when you buy test strips (strips are for sure the money makers!). Human glucose meters work for our kitties as well. I was super scared when I started home testing, but it's actually really easy to do and the fear disappears pretty quickly. Since Riley's having some pretty high numbers right now, you'll also want to pick up some Ketostix (those might come in the newbie kit as well...not sure about that though). You'll want to test his urine for ketones, as that too may be dangerous. Super high and super low numbers are worrisome...I'm not trying to scare you, just want you to have all the information so you can be prepared. Did you vet mention anything about ketones?

At some point, you'll want to think about getting a spreadsheet up and running. That way, all the folks here can see Riley's numbers and offer support. We need to know what the numbers look like to give you the best support. The sticky for that is here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

Ok...that's a lot of info for now. I don't want to max out your overwhelmed meter all in one post! ;-) Please feel free to ask questions at any time. And remember, you don't have to do this alone. I'm sure others will be along to offer additional advice and welcome you to the board.

Ciao!

s
 
Welcome Chris,

Another one to jump on the bandwagon about food. Check out this website by a vet: http://www.catinfo.org She explains why wet is best for any cat, but especially diabetics. I checked the food chart and your Royal Canin Diabetic is 24% carbs. We try to stay between 8-10% carbs.

Lots of vets have not checked out the food angle. They get their nutritional education from the food companies. I love my vet, but she wasn't up to speed on food. But she was impressed with our numbers when we dropped the dry and went to wet. We are the ones who went down 100 points overnight.
 
Good Morning Chris- (well, not sure where you are, so, maybe good afternoon!)

I just wanted to check in and see how day 2 is going. Have a great day!

s
 
Your title "Newly Diagnosed" just grabbed my attention and a flood of memories just hit me. I remember 1 1/2 years ago having my cat diagnosed the more I initially heard the more sick to my stomach I got thinking there is NO WAY I can do this. This website is the best thing that will ever come your way. When you are scared, confused, frustrated and don't know what to do next there is an answer right here 24/7. It sounds overwhelming at first but I swear it is not only doable it gets really easy. I was fortuante and caught it early so Wiley was on insulin only 1 month but you need to home test please keep an open mind about doing this it is the only way to know for sure. The diet change to Fancy Feast (Janet Binkys food chart) really is what did it for me, I hope you are that lucky. Good luck and read, read, read lol.
Peggy
 
Hi there :)

Lots of overwhelming info, isn't there? Don't worry, you don't have to assimilate it all at once, but it is a quick learning curve and the quicker you can catch on the easier it will be down the road.

Most important right now is that he eat and that he gets insulin. Also very important right now is that you test his urine for ketones as these are common complications in newly/poorly treated cats but can be avoided.

Yes, food is a huge issue for all cats but especially diabetics. You can do him a huge favour by feeding a canned food that is moderate/high in protein and moisture and low in carbs, but if you aren't quite ready for that change yet, I don't blame you. If he'll eat what the vet sold you, great, just know we're going to remind you about this later.

Yes, testing blood glucose levels is the absolute best way to keep him safe and healthy. It took me some time to work up the courage to do it, so if you don't start today, we'll understand :-D but again, we will remind you !

Make sure you read through the fdmb faq which is linked in a thread above this one a bit...very good info for newbies and you'll want to print it out if you can.

Be vigilant about ensuring he eats right now, even if you have to syringe watered down canned food into him (ask your nearest pharmacy/vet for either a feeding syringe or just a bigger syringe than what you have for insulin). I had to do it for Squeak in 2002 and I'm so glad I persisted :)

Jen
 
I really get the food idea. It was actually last July that he went through a major constipation episode. It was at that time that started him on the switch to wet. He's kind of weird in that sometimes he likes wet, and sometimes he likes dry. Sometimes he'll eat only Fancy Feast, sometimes he'll eat only Little Friskies indoor. If I could only teach him to speak English. So, I'm still trying to learn cat. After 14 years though, I think sometimes I can.

Right now, the main thing is getting him caloric intake. As long as his numbers are high, his cells are still consuming all the parts of him they shouldn't, as I understand this thing. I also understand that the most important thing to avoid is the Hypoglycemic episode. On Dr.'s advice, I skipped his insulin this morning as he did not eat, and I would not be here to monitor. My goal is to get him on a strictly wet diet. Adding some dry on occasion if need be.

I mentioned earlier that Rileys Dr. also is the owner of a diabetic cat for 8 years now. We had a very nice and informative conversation yesterday. She agreed that the big thing was to get him eating first, then use patient persistence in the dietary switch. That makes alot of sense to me.

I am intersted in home testing, and will get there soon. As of right now, I'm here to learn, and I have alot of self discipling to do. If you knew me, you would know that this is the most daunting of all these tasks :lol:

Although I desire him to be the fat happy cat he was six months ago, I accept that this is going to be a process, perhaps ongoing for the rest of his days. I'm okay with that, afterall, he has given me so much. --Chris
 
You have the right attitude :)

My suggestion, check with your vet, is that if he doesn't eat on his own, force feed him and give him a shot but make sure its a small dose like 1 unit (what is your dose supposed to be again?). He really needs the insulin even if he isn't eating...chances are his numbers are high enough even with no food onboard that he will be safe with a shot. Its a delicate balancing act at first but it can be overcome...Squeak is fat and sassy and a testiment to that!
 
Riley must eat, and you may have to help him. Do you have or can you get a feeding syringe/large syringe from your vet or drugstore? If you can, take some of the ground/pate wet cat food, mix in enough water so it will travel through the syringe, and try giving that to Riley. You will have a mess to clean up later (we've all been there!).

If that doesn't work, you and the vet can discuss giving him an appetite stimulant.
 
Chris - you are off to a really good start. I have to also chime in about trying out the super-low carb canned food. I have a 14-y-o cat who tested 600+ at diagnosis. He was eating dry food (37% carbs - yikes) at the time. I immediately switched him to Merrick cans (Grammy's Pot Pie and Cowboy Cookout are both <6% carbs) and lo and behold, he was off insulin (we used Lantus) in 12 days. Not saying that happens for everyone, but pretty much every cat will have some sort of natural glucose drop if we reduce those carbs. Cats' bodies just don't need or want them! Keep us updated on your progress.
 
Well, Riley improved. When I got home from work he was pretty hungry. I gave him a little snack of diced chicken (high protien, no carbs) and he ate it! At night, he ate some dry food, enough for me to give him his shot.

This morning, he woke me up in bed yelling "breakfast time...breakfast time!" This was awesome to me as he hasn't done this in a week or so. The hard part was waiting for schedule (he's pretty persistant). Then he ate a good helping, about 2 oz of wet. He is in the best spirit he's been in for a few days now. It's so hard for me to resist giving him food, but i know I need him to be good and hungry at shot time. Though his dose is low, (1 u. 2x a day) sometimes I have to do this little thing we call work. I need to feel that he is going to be okay. I am going to consult w/ the vet about home testing. They have been very helpful, and they love Riley...(He's quite charming with the ladies ;-) )
 
Chris just want to let you know you don't need your vet's permission or approval for hometesting. your vet may be fabulous and encourage it...or maybe want the income as if you don't do he will and that will not be satisfactory.
Please either have you cat checked for ketones or you can also do this yourself with ketone strips that you get at the pharmacy.
If you'd like a newbie kit I can provide you one...I can even provide the Keto-stix and all you have to do is pay postage...If you are able a donation is appreciated.
These kits, or testing period is not really optional if you want the best results for your beloved kitty. Regulation or even going off insulin altogether can't even be hoped for without testing.
and you will save alot of $$$ by doing this yourself as opposed to the vet.
Newbie Kits link down below.
Lori
and tomtom too!
 
Hey Chris-

It's been a really long time since we've heard from you. Just wanted to check in. Not sure if you're still around and not posting. Give us an update if you can. Take care.

s
 
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