Stacey and Diego - newly diagnosed

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KukaaKatchou

Member Since 2013
Hello! My name is Stacey and my 12 year old cat has just been diagnosed with diabetes. He has a stuffed and runny nose that won't go away, so the vet did a blood panel. Our vet did some research and we decided to go with Lantus for Diego and that is the insulin I am using for myself, as I am also diabetic. I've started the spreadsheet, and I am having some doubts as to whether I am medicating the cat or his fur :P The numbers aren't dropping as much as I would like, but my experience is solely based on how I reacted to the insulin. I have switched Diego from a dry food to canned food - we are currently using Friskies Ocean Whitefish and Tuna (6% carbs) and Salmon Dinner (6% carbs). I have a second cat who has food allergies (unidentified) and who still eats the dry food until I can safely transition him to canned. He bleeds internally if he eats the wrong food.
Diego did lose weight in the past few months, so the vet suggests I free feed him. Any time he comes to me and meows, he gets some canned food. He is also on an antibiotic to kill any bacteria lurking in his nose and sinuses.
Any and all help is very much appreciated. I wasn't this stressed when I was diagnosed!
 
Welcome to LantusLand, the greatest place you never wanted to be. :lol: :lol: We are mostly crazy cat ladies and few crazy cat gents, and we will do everything we can to help you take excellent care of your sweet Diego. How much does Diego weigh and what is his ideal weight? That's great that you are switching to canned food. That is very important for treating feline diabetes. Do you have any questions?
Liz, Zener's other mom (I sign my posts and Anne doesn't)
 
He's probably around 8 pounds now and he was 11 pounds before.
The vet started him on 2 units every 12 hours. At first I thought that was high, but his numbers aren't coming down very fast.
At the vets he tested as 35mmol / 630 mg. A lot of that was stress and I started converting him to canned food as soon as I suspected diabetes, so that helped in bringing down his starting numbers to very high as opposed to off the charts high. The vet told me to leave his dose stable for a week - I'm allowed to reduce slightly if he gets low, but not to raise. Does it normally take a few days for the insulin to get established? I mostly worried about being sure I'm injecting him and not his fur. So much easier to do on myself!
I'm currently using my glucose monitor for both of us, but I'm thinking of getting a free Aviva Nano from the pharmacy to use only for Diego. Mine has built in lancets which is not very handy for a cat's ear. We are in Quebec, Canada, so we have different meters available than other places.
That's all I can think of for now. Wendy from the Feline Health board suggested I come over here and get advice :) So here we are :)
 
Here is the link to your post in health. I'm not a dosing expect but I wonder if the dose is too high based on his weight. Please read the starred stickies at the top of the forum, especially the one on the Tight Regulation Protocol.

Do you smell insulin or feel any moisture on his fur after the shot?
Liz
 
Welcome to Lantus Land.

Most of us can't speak to how Lantus works in humans but we do know how it works in cats!

You've done a great job getting your spreadsheet set up and getting started with home testing. It does take roughly a week (5 - 7 days) for the Lantus depot to form and for you to see a response. The other observation I'd make is that it's important to get some spot checks during the AM and PM cycles. Lantus dosing is based on the nadir, not on your pre-shot values. It's entirely possible for a cat go go from the 400s to the 40s and back to the 400s all within one cycle. If you were only looking at the pre-shot value, you'd be considering increasing the dose. The 40s warrant a dose reduction. In other words, if you can get at least one test each cycle in addition to your pre-shot tests, that would be great!

Regarding food, feeding fish more than one or two days a week may not be a great idea. Lisa Pierson, DVM has an excellent website on feline nutrition. She notes the following:
I do not favor feeding fish-based diets for several reasons: 1) high allergy potential, 2) toxins/mercury levels, 3) PBDE levels (fire retardant chemicals with thyroid-disrupting properties), 4) often high in phosphorus and magnesium, 5) significant addiction issues - the cat will not eat anything else.
Click to expand...

Most of us have given a fur shot on occasion. Just be sure to not give a 2nd shot -- you never know how much insulin got where it was supposed to go!
 
The first shot I gave him, yes. The ones today , no. I guess I just expected a larger drop right away. I forgot to consider that I'm taking multiple meds to keep my sugars controlled.
I've read the stickies and the protocol. The protocol is similar to the one from the AAHA and its Australian couterpart.
I'm off to test his BG again for our +6 values (please let them be lower!)
I also added Diego's profile to my signature for extra information.

Stacey
 
Welcome to lantus land! You are in the right place... Sienne makes a good point about the depot so hopefully his numbers will come down soon.

When you post tomorrow/Next you do it like this

Subject: 3/14 Diego AMPS 400(or whatever his am reading is) +5 200 and other readings. You can update this at the end of the day or as you take the readings.

Content : how Diego is doing in terms of the 5ps-peeing, pooing, preening, playing and purring. And anything else you think will let us know how he is getting on. And any questions. You can also add a ? Icon in your subject to let us know there is a question. And a link to your previous days post - we call them condos.

Most people here post daily, but its up to you.. The more you post the more eyes you get on Diego.

Wendy
 
Hi Stacey. Welcome to LantusLand (LL). You'll soon discover that this is the place to be if you have a diabetic cat. We look forward to watching Diego's progress.

Have a great day.
 
Welcome Stacey & Diego :-D

You're in the right place, we all look forward to helping with Diego :smile:

p.s I grew up in Pointe Claire, QC ;-)
 
Hi guys .. just wanted to stop by and say welcome to lantus land! Sounds like you are already catching on, with the SS up and running and the switch to wet cat food .. we'll be here to help you all the way!
 
Hi, Stacey, and welcome to LL! You've gotten a lot of great advice so far. This place is such a great resource.

How is Diego's Upper Respiratory Infection doing? Antibiotics are good for secondary infections but URIs (i.e. colds) are caused by a virus which are not effected by antibiotics. Most will just run their course but sometimes anti-viral meds are needed. (I'm dealing w/ a bad URI for my civvie Emma right now.) One thing that can help is a supplement called L-lysine, it helps to limit viral replication. If it is just sneezing and a little watery eyes it will probably clear up on it's own, but if the eyes are crusty and colored discharge from nose and eyes you should ask about anti-virals. Any infection or pain can cause BG to rise too!

For your other cat's food Royal Canin does make it in canned form as well. It is high in carbs but probably better than the dry form in case Diego gets any. Start reading labels and I bet you can come up w/ something that has very similar ingredients and lower carbs. For food allergies unique proteins like rabbit, venison or duck often work well, beef and fish are two of the most serious offenders. Tess loves beef, but almost always throws it back up!

And finally , yes, our protocol is based on Drs. Roomp and Rand's study from the University of Queensland. Just slightly modified for day to day use in a home setting. We've found out a lot of little tricks by trial and error! :lol: :lol:
 
Hi Stacy, Just wanted to welcome you to the best place on earth for FD. Diego is one lucky lil kitty to have a bean like you who has found here. Hoping the extra testing will show more info and help you see where he is dropping. Keep up the good work, Pet Deigo for Ruben and I. Things are gonna get better and become more of habit or rutine. Stay the course and look forward to seeing good changes
 
Thank you for the warm welcome :) Diego's upper respiratory problems are continuing but hopefully the saline and the antibiotics will help. The vet does think it is due to a virus, but he is afraid that the bacteria lurking around will start to cause problems since Diego has had this for months now. I do have the L-Lysine gel and I'll see if I can get Diego to take it again. Wonder how many carbs is in the gel? His problems are only in the nasal area - his eyes are clean and bright.

I got a box of syringes today and a BG meter just for Diego. It will be simple to tell our readings apart :) I will keep updating his spreadsheet as we go. I'm taking the day of work tomorrow to get more testing done during the day so I'm not freaking out at work thinking he is going hypo on me.

Stacey and Diego
 
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