Hello,
I am a new poster here. I have been perusing these boards ever since the family's cat, a long-haired tuxedo cat, was diagnosed with high glucose back in June 2022. He would probably be classified as a senior cat, but one who has remained relatively healthy over the years, in spite of a few scares (a urinary-blockage situation after he first came to us, and hyperthyroidism about eight years ago, for which he takes methimazole). The last few years, he was 14 to 15 pounds, but began losing weight in June, and was urinating outside the box. Just about everything on his blood panel came up normal; one big exception was his blood-sugar level, which was rather high (it had been fine about four months earlier). He was put on Humulin N (I believe the pharmacy gave us Novolin N), at the base dose of two units twice a day, administered either by me or my father (the cat lives with my parents and I am about ten minutes away).
There were some hiccups along the way, including during the first week, when I was there alone with him, and he was acting a bit "chill," but I was afraid to leave, worrying that maybe he was going "hypo," and then I had just given him his nighttime dose. This turned out to be unfounded, but out of precaution we paused on the insulin for a few days, and then started him up again at a lower dose, 1U twice a day. Then 2U, then 3U, then 4U... his spot checks in the vet's office would fluctuate, sometimes "HI" (off the chart), sometimes much better (171). His fructosamine test in September, after he had been at 4U twice daily for about six weeks, was 559. We were told we were managing his diabetes, but he's "not quite there yet." He was at 5U twice daily for about seven weeks; the November fructosamine test was much more encouraging, at 451 (fair control). He was bumped up to 6U twice daily for about a month -- but then one day in early December he wasn't acting right, was rushed to an emergency facility, and he was found to have a glucose level of just 34 or 35. Apparently, he hadn't eaten enough that morning before his dose. For the next few days and weeks after that emergency, he was brought down to 3U twice daily out of precaution, and gradually brought back up to 5U twice daily...but the number from the fructosamine test two weeks ago was 668. I had been hoping it would be within the 450 to 500 range, or, if not as good, at perhaps slightly over 500. I wasn't expecting such a high number.
Our veterinarian, who has taken over our cat's case (and who has come across to me as caring and diligent -- spoke to me on the phone yesterday for almost a half-hour), has recommended that we switch our cat from Hill's c/d (which is for cats with a history of urinary crystals) to Hill's w/d, and that we try Glargine instead of the insulin he's on now. We're not sure which of these changes we'd bring about first, or if we would implement them simultaneously.
I was told that the Hill's w/d (appropriate for diabetic cats with a history of urinary crystals) addresses a cat's glucose level. Most mentions of Hill's w/d seem to state that it helps cats who are overweight (related to the diabetes) to lose weight. Diabetes can cause a cat (or person, etc.) to gain weight, but it can also cause someone to lose weight. If Hill's w/d lowers the weight of overweight cats by lowering their glucose level, that would be fine, as that could help an underweight cat, as well, but I want to make sure it doesn't simply have a "SlimFast" effect. (You wouldn't give SlimFast or something like it to a person who is already thin...) We want to lower his glucose level, but we (my family and our vet) obviously don't want our cat's weight loss to be sped up. (We want it reversed, in fact.) Does anyone have any experience with Hill's w/d, and would you say it's a good fit for diabetic cats who are already underweight?
I'm also not sure if the timing is the problem, as before his hypo event we were trying to adhere more to the 12-hour intervals than time the shots with his meals. Since then, we have been extra careful to wait until we're certain he's had enough wet food (he has both wet and dry) before administering the shot, afraid of another possible "hypo" event. This means that he often begins the bulk of his "meal" an hour or two before getting the shot. Do people think that is throwing his numbers out of whack? And is Glargine generally a better fit for cats who are used to "grazing"?
Thank you in advance for all of your help.
I am a new poster here. I have been perusing these boards ever since the family's cat, a long-haired tuxedo cat, was diagnosed with high glucose back in June 2022. He would probably be classified as a senior cat, but one who has remained relatively healthy over the years, in spite of a few scares (a urinary-blockage situation after he first came to us, and hyperthyroidism about eight years ago, for which he takes methimazole). The last few years, he was 14 to 15 pounds, but began losing weight in June, and was urinating outside the box. Just about everything on his blood panel came up normal; one big exception was his blood-sugar level, which was rather high (it had been fine about four months earlier). He was put on Humulin N (I believe the pharmacy gave us Novolin N), at the base dose of two units twice a day, administered either by me or my father (the cat lives with my parents and I am about ten minutes away).
There were some hiccups along the way, including during the first week, when I was there alone with him, and he was acting a bit "chill," but I was afraid to leave, worrying that maybe he was going "hypo," and then I had just given him his nighttime dose. This turned out to be unfounded, but out of precaution we paused on the insulin for a few days, and then started him up again at a lower dose, 1U twice a day. Then 2U, then 3U, then 4U... his spot checks in the vet's office would fluctuate, sometimes "HI" (off the chart), sometimes much better (171). His fructosamine test in September, after he had been at 4U twice daily for about six weeks, was 559. We were told we were managing his diabetes, but he's "not quite there yet." He was at 5U twice daily for about seven weeks; the November fructosamine test was much more encouraging, at 451 (fair control). He was bumped up to 6U twice daily for about a month -- but then one day in early December he wasn't acting right, was rushed to an emergency facility, and he was found to have a glucose level of just 34 or 35. Apparently, he hadn't eaten enough that morning before his dose. For the next few days and weeks after that emergency, he was brought down to 3U twice daily out of precaution, and gradually brought back up to 5U twice daily...but the number from the fructosamine test two weeks ago was 668. I had been hoping it would be within the 450 to 500 range, or, if not as good, at perhaps slightly over 500. I wasn't expecting such a high number.
Our veterinarian, who has taken over our cat's case (and who has come across to me as caring and diligent -- spoke to me on the phone yesterday for almost a half-hour), has recommended that we switch our cat from Hill's c/d (which is for cats with a history of urinary crystals) to Hill's w/d, and that we try Glargine instead of the insulin he's on now. We're not sure which of these changes we'd bring about first, or if we would implement them simultaneously.
I was told that the Hill's w/d (appropriate for diabetic cats with a history of urinary crystals) addresses a cat's glucose level. Most mentions of Hill's w/d seem to state that it helps cats who are overweight (related to the diabetes) to lose weight. Diabetes can cause a cat (or person, etc.) to gain weight, but it can also cause someone to lose weight. If Hill's w/d lowers the weight of overweight cats by lowering their glucose level, that would be fine, as that could help an underweight cat, as well, but I want to make sure it doesn't simply have a "SlimFast" effect. (You wouldn't give SlimFast or something like it to a person who is already thin...) We want to lower his glucose level, but we (my family and our vet) obviously don't want our cat's weight loss to be sped up. (We want it reversed, in fact.) Does anyone have any experience with Hill's w/d, and would you say it's a good fit for diabetic cats who are already underweight?
I'm also not sure if the timing is the problem, as before his hypo event we were trying to adhere more to the 12-hour intervals than time the shots with his meals. Since then, we have been extra careful to wait until we're certain he's had enough wet food (he has both wet and dry) before administering the shot, afraid of another possible "hypo" event. This means that he often begins the bulk of his "meal" an hour or two before getting the shot. Do people think that is throwing his numbers out of whack? And is Glargine generally a better fit for cats who are used to "grazing"?
Thank you in advance for all of your help.
