What else could it be?

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mpsmom

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I read the intro to diabetes and it said that even though you're cat is drinking a lot, losing weight and his blood sugar tests high, only a vet can confirm diabetes. What else would those symptoms indicate? It's not my first time at the diabetic rodeo. I had a cat a few years back that I was giving shots to twice a day and who did very well for 5 yrs, not only didn't continue to loose weight, he gained back the weight he lost, which my vet said he has never seen. He died of surgery complications unrelated to diabetes. So, when I noticed that one of my older cats (12 yrs old) was drinking a lot and lost weight, I tested her and her sugar was over 300. I'm ready to start her on insulin, but now that I read the intro (because I couldn't remember what dose I was giving my other cat), I'm wondering just what else it could possibly be and exactly what the vet would do to "diagnose" diabetes. My guess is, test her blood sugar, possible do a fructose test or maybe a curve and then charge me 100's of dollars.
 
How much time after eating was the 300 measured? For a diabetic cat NOT on insulin the lowest BG is usually at feeding time (after fasting) and goes up after feed and then down say six hours later.

If the cat is not stressed the high BG is probably diabetes. WHy not take the cat to a vet for a diagnostic? Whitout a script from the vet you can/t get the recommended insulins needed to treat diabetes.
 
The symptoms of diabetes can also indicate other conditions, many of them much more serious. A fructosamine will be definitive for diagnosing diabetes but, frankly, the other conditions are so serious I would suggest a vet visit and a complete blood panel to rule them out.

Since you know how to treat the direbeasties I'll only suggest that you acquaint yourself with the changes in treatment, and there have been many. If you are in the US you will need a prescription for insulin and there are several choices. Read about them at the pet diabetes wiki and see how cats are doing on each of the insulins in the support forum.

The diet revolution in treating FD is also fairly recent. Check out www.catinfo.org for unbiased information on feline nutrition.
 
Gia and Quirk said:
The symptoms of diabetes can also indicate other conditions, many of them much more serious. A fructosamine will be definitive for diagnosing diabetes but, frankly, the other conditions are so serious I would suggest a vet visit and a complete blood panel to rule them out.

Since you know how to treat the direbeasties I'll only suggest that you acquaint yourself with the changes in treatment, and there have been many. If you are in the US you will need a prescription for insulin and there are several choices. Read about them at the pet diabetes wiki and see how cats are doing on each of the insulins in the support forum.

The diet revolution in treating FD is also fairly recent. Check out http://www.catinfo.org for unbiased information on feline nutrition.
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Thank you. I did read the section on treatments. Things have changed, including, apparently, the need for a script for insulin. I used to get Humalin U and was told by the pharmacist that I didn't need a script (for either that, or surprisingly, the needles). Any recommendations on the cheapest place for insulin?
 
In the USA, the cheapest place to buy Lantus or Levemir is to get in from Canada. You can get ti locally but have to shop around for the best price. Cosco seems to be a good place sometimes. What is most economical is to get the five pack of 3 ml disposable pens (or cartridges for Lanutus). This is because almost all people never use up a 10 ml vial of Lantus or Levemir before it goes bad.
 
Larry and Kitties said:
In the USA, the cheapest place to buy Lantus or Levemir is to get in from Canada. You can get ti locally but have to shop around for the best price. Cosco seems to be a good place sometimes. What is most economical is to get the five pack of 3 ml disposable pens (or cartridges for Lanutus). This is because almost all people never use up a 10 ml vial of Lantus or Levemir before it goes bad.
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Why are your cats on 3 different types of insulin? With my first, I used U and he did very well, but I was reading about the new ones. Is it just a matter of seeing which one your cat does best on? Did you try your cats on different ones before settling in on the different types for the different cats?
 
I use three different insulins because:
1. Mitten has been and is doing great on U so no reason to change when I still have U. My last vial of U is almost gone I will try Lantus when the U runs out.
2. Lantus did not really work for Twigie so I tried N since it was cheap. It is working great.
3. The other four are on Lantus and it is working good for three of the four but only marginally for Bailey. Patches was on PZI Vet but that was too expensive so I switched to Lantus. Thunder was started on Lantus. Bailey and Smokey were on BCP PZI but it was not working that great for Bailey so I switched to Lantus for both.
 
Is the U still available? I was talking to the vet today who said she wasn't sure they were still making it.
 
I don't think U is available anymore. N is available without prescription but it only lasts about 8 to 10 hours in cats -- so there is a portion of each day when your cat has no insulin.

There are several things that can cause "transient" or short term diabetes.

Bad teeth / gums
Infection / illness
 
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