Please Help

[aburke2227]

Hello, my name is Ashley and I am 19 years old and I have a ten year old male cat named Pepper who was just recently diagnosed with diabetes. For around three weeks or so we noticed he had lost a lot of weight and continued to throw up any food that he ate which at the time we fed him a mixture of canned and dry food. He also was peeing and drinking a lot more than normal. He has had a throwing up problem for maybe 4 or 5 years but we always just assumed it was because he ate the food too quickly, but we are thinking now that it was because his body could not process the dry food. He never had a weight loss problem and was always a healthy weight and seemed healthy all around until these past couple weeks. We took him to the vet and got his blood work done and a urine sample and she said he was extremely dehydrated and diabetic. I am looking for any kind of help, my dad doesn’t want to spend the money on special diabetic food or insulin or blood work and this “curve” to figure out the insulin dosage at the vet for Pepper because he cannot afford to and he thinks the best option is to either see if he can get better by only switching him to a canned food only diet and if that doesn’t work to put him down. I do not want to give up on him, he is a happy cat who deserves a chance to live a longer life. Please any advice on how to help my cat in a cost effective way. Thank you.

 

[Sharon14]

Welcome Ashley! We can help you to help Pepper. First you don’t need the expensive prescription food, any low carb wet food will do. If you’re in the US, most of us use Fancy Feast Classic, or even cheaper Friskies Pate. Just avoid any of the gravy varieties (if you’re in a different country, let us know and we’ll help you find an appropriate food). Also, you don’t need to go to the vet for expensive curves. You can pick up a human meter and do them yourself. It’s easy and we will help you learn. Did the vet mention Pepper having ketones? If not, then start with the food change and learn how to test. Within a week or so of the low carb food and testing, we’ll see if Pepper needs insulin. Most kitties do need some, at least for awhile, but we can help you with that too.

 

[CandyH & Catcat]

yes! switch to canned food ASAP -- Fancy Feast "classic pate" or Friskies pate canned food are widely available, relatively inexpensive, the "special diabetic prescription" food turns out to be NOT the best, no matter what the vet says -- not blowing smoke, there are many here who have successfully taken care of diabetic cats for YEARS

just a quick welcome shout -- you'll shortly hear from others here who have a lot more experience than I do, we've been at this for a little over two months

second step -- assuming you're in the US -- go to Walmart and buy a ReliOn human glucometer and the specific strips to go with it -- so you can test Pepper's blood glucose yourself, and wind up determining if he needs insulin -- this is probably the least expensive way to go, and a lot of us are doing exactly that

warning, it IS complicated, and you are suddenly going to learn a LOT of things, prepare to be confused, but there are many here just waiting to help -- thanks for shouting us out -- you came to the right place

 

[Idjit's mom]

Hi Ashley and Pepper, welcome to FDMB. You have already had great responses from members, and I just would like to add my support and say Hello!

If Pepper was dehydrated, it would help him if you add some extra water to his canned food. And smaller, more frequent meals are going to help satisfy his hunger, as most unregulated diabetic cats are very hungry because they can't utilize food as effectively.

As CandyH and Catcat suggested, the Walmart ReliOn Prime meter and strips are not expensive, nor are the lancets to make the prick to get that drop of blood to test. You can use a cotton ball, a folded tissue or paper towel to back the ear when you use the lancet, and for compressing the site to help prevent bruising. It helps to use some petroleum jelly on the ear before using the lancet to help the blood drop bead up. So, you already have some of the supplies you will need. Here is a link on home testing the blood sugar: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
Even if you are fortunate enough to have Pepper go into remission on a low carbohydrate diet, with or without insulin therapy, he will always be diabetic and will need testing periodically to ensure he is still in remission, and to be able to act accordingly in time if he drops out. Knowing how to test and having the supplies on hand is going to provide the information you need.

There is great information for caregivers for newly diagnosed diabetic cats on the Home page, the Getting Started and Education sections to the right side of the page. Knowledge is power and the more you know, the better care you can provide for Pepper.

You can create a signature that provides Pepper's information whenever you post. Just provide what information you have right now, you can edit when necessary. We also use a spreadsheet here to record any insulin and testing data, so that we can see right away what the testing numbers are, and be able to tell if the diet change is having enough effect.

1. Setting up your signature (light grey text under a post). Here's how:
click on your name in the upper right corner of this page
click on "signature" in the menu that drops down
type the following in the box that opens: kitty's name/age/date of diabetes diagnosis/insulin you're using and dosage amount /glucose meter you're using/what (s)he eats/any other meds or health issues (s)he has. You can add your name, and a geographic location (sometimes the time zone matters) Be sure to SAVE when you are finished.
2. Another thing that will help us help you when you get started BG testing at home is to set up a spreadsheet like the one we use here. You will see how the trends and patterns emerge, and members can review his/her progress before offering suggestions or advice:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

We will do everything we can to help you help Pepper.

 

[Sarah&Soph]

I’ll echo everyone else and also recommend the food switch! If he still ends up needing insulin, there are cost effective ways to get the supplies he needs. A lot of the time chewy.com has insulin for cheaper than most vets do and there are websites where you can get syringes for cheaper as well. Also, if you store it properly insulin can last for several months instead of the 42 days or whatever it says on the vial

 

[nslade001]

Hi Ashley, welcome! I'm glad you found us

A quick insulin comment... (And this refers to the human insulins , not the animal insulins you have to buy at a vet) Depending on where you are, Canada is cheaper than the US for insulin but I believe you need to bulk order from some pharmacies; if you're near a border, you can buy it at a Canadian pharmacy, and from Canada you don't need a prescription from your vet.

Sometimes the forum Supply closet has supplies for cheaper or free.

And here's a link on some possible sources of financial help.

Good luck! Please let us know how you and Pepper are doing!

With love, Nikki

 

[Harukyo]

Hey Ashley! I completely understand the cost of having a diabetic cat and also try to make everything as economic as possible without feeling like I'm skipping on quality care. As @Sharon14 said, get comfortable with testing and once you have enough data for us to see, the people here can advise you the best care plan going forward. I just joined about 3 weeks ago and the information from the people here and this website has been invaluable as a resource when continuous vet care is not possible. I also used a website named Diabetic Cats in Need and applied for their "one time assistance" program http://www.dcin.dreamhosters.com/assistance-programs/where they can help you get materials that you need like insulin or a glucometer kit ! All the best from Lauren and Kyo!

 

[JanetNJ]

Diabetes is very treatable and they can live long healthy lives with it. My cat was diagnosed 3 years ago. She has other things slowing her down now, but she's getting up there.

As mentioned above, store foods are fine. I have a link to the food list in my signature. Pick foods under 10 percent carb (under 7 is even better). Add extra water to the foo.


Get your own meter. We can help you learn. Once you are home testing there will be much fewer vet visits. Just email the vet your spreadsheet (we will help you set it up). I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home. It literally takes less than a minute to do. It takes longer to find her than test her. Ha

Vetsulin insulin is $50 on chewy.com... A better insulin is ProZinc and costs $106 on chewy. A vial of either will probably last you 4-5 months of you keep it in the refrigerator. Ordering 5 pens of lantus from Canada (marks marine pharmacy will ship to the US) is about $170 and will probably last you a year. Lantus in the US is over $300 full price but some have luck with a discount card.

The cheapest place for syringes is Adwdiabetes.com. (Which ones you'll need will depend on which insulin you use). It's about $14 for box of 100 (50 days worth) and a box of 100 28 gauge lancets is under $2.

You could also apply for help from dcin (diabetic cats in need). You would have to fill out a form and apply for assistance.