Diabetes Help

[Pwhitehill]

Hello, first time poster here! My cat was recently diagnosed with diabetes about a month ago, our Dr put him on a science food diet half dry half wet, I had already done some reading prior to this suggestion and everything I had read told me this was not the right diet plan as it was high in carbs. After reaching out to a vet friend of ours who unfortunately lives out of state she confirmed this was not the ideal diet. Also our vet recommended vetsulin again after reading about this insulin and contacting our friend it was also not the preferred treatment for our cat.

So here is the problem, I have tried contacting other Dr's but none will talk over the phone about the insulin or food they recommend they all want you to drag your cat in for another exam and at about 30-50$ a pop I don't think we should have to pay to go to another Dr and get the same results, I find it sad that they can't answer two questions, what kind of insulin do they use and what kind of food do they recommend because I should not have to pay to get the same results I am trying to move away from.

So I guess my question is two fold, one does anyone live in the Roselle, IL area and can recommend a Dr and two what is the standard for insulin and food and can I just get it myself and continue to use the same Dr?? Or do I have to drag my cat from vet to vet until I get the right one.

Thank you,
Phil

 

[LTS3]

I think you'll find more help on vets with experience with diabetes in your area from the FelineDiabetes.com message board

No vet will prescribe insulin or other medicine without seeing a cat first. It's really important to have a vet you feel comfortable working with. Sometimes it helps to do your own reading on the current ways of managing diabetes and share that information with the vet and the two of you come up with a plan on how to best manage the diabetes.

The main Felindiabetes.com web site has good info on basic diabetes management. For the most up to date info, you should post on the FDMB board.

Diet: low carb canned food is best, under 10% carbs. Preferably only canned food, no dry food at all. Raw and home cooked diets are options but not necessary. Fancy Feast Gourmet / Classic is typically recommended for newbies since it's affordable and easily found in many stores Wheat gluten free, low carbohydrate Wet Food There are many other brands. Choose low carb foods from this chart: http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf Don't forget the treats. Many big name brands are too high in carbs. Stick with freeze dried 100% meat treats (such as PureBites) or plain cooked meat.

Insulin: Vetsulin is ok but doesn't work for all cats. The preferred insulins to use are Lantus, Levemir, and ProZinc. There's more info about these insulins and their dosing protocols on the FDMB.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I can't add much to that, except to state again that any good vet will want to see your cat and perform their own tests. What if, just what if, the original vet made an error with the testing? That would be very rare, indeed, but no vet wants to bet your cat's life and health on that!

 

[duckpond]

I tend to agree that most science diets are high in carbs, i don't know about the ones your vet recommended, i would be surprised if they were not. I know i have read that a lot of people started feeding very low carb foods, like fancy feast classics, some weruva foods like paw lickin chicken and, chicken frick a zee, and goldie lox are very low carb as are all the Rawz wet foods except the beef, it is not. the lowest carb dry food i have found that my cats actually enjoy is Dr. Elseys chicken flavor, it is a bit less than 5% carbs.

One thing i have read a lot about as well is if he is on insulin i would not change the food the Dr. prescribed, without first talking to your vet, or taking him to another one. People have started giving low carb foods, and the insulin prescribed, and caused the cat to crash. If you are not happy with your vet, then i think you should look for a different one, maybe you can find one in your area that you do feel confident with! I think just like a people Dr. they will not be able to talk to you about the cat, or insulin, or food without seeing the cat. But i would not change anything without a vet, IMO. Good luck!

 

[cat princesses]

Hello!
My cat is also diabetic and I'm a member of the Feline Diabetes group as well. They were an amazing group and can help you!

I would say at all costs, NO DRY FOOD!!!! Just by eliminating the dry food, I was able to get my cat to a very small micro dose of insulin! Dry food is too high in carbs! I have been feeding the Weruva wet canned food cats in the kitchen with great success, I'm now at a point where my cat's #'s when I check her daily are in normal range so I'm not even shooting insulin daily anymore!

The key with managing a diabetic cat is TEST TEST TEST!!! Go to walmart and get yourself a Relion Micro reader and test strips - I also use the 30 gauge lancets. Get yourself a clean ankle sock and fill it with rice and tie it in a knot. You will use this to warm for about 25 seconds in the microwave before you test your kitty. Watch some you tube videos - it's scary the first time you try and test but it's super easy! You might also want to get yourself a small flashlight that you can clip onto your shirt - you can use that to check for the blood vessels on the edge of the ear when you poke to get the blood drop. I really like the relion micro tester because it requires a very tiny amount of blood. I usually hold the warm rice sock on the inside part of the ear for about 15 seconds ( make sure it's not too hot ). Then you get your test meter, strip and lancet ready and lance the ear ( I don't use the gizmo for the lancets - I just use the lancet itself in my hand, I find that easier ). You gently poke the outer rim area and get the drop of blood and test. It's critical that you know your cats number before you shoot insulin - things can change all the time and if you give too much insulin - that's a dire emergency situation. Vets aren't that knowledgeable on diabetic issues - and they just don't provide the education. My vet just gave me a qty of insulin to give and sent me on my way - thank goodness I joined the group and learned how to test - if I would have shot that amount of insulin a month after starting her on insulin - she could have died. So testing is absolutely critical. Please join the group - it's overwhelming but they are a great group and you're in good hands! I'm not on there often anymore just because my kitty is very well managed - some people post there multiple times a day at first to learn and get help. I'd strongly encourage that for you until you're comfortable with everything.



Many of us get the RX for insulin from the vet and buy the pens thru marks pharmacy in Canada - the pens are much cheaper - and last so much longer. The bottles of insulin get thrown away before they're empty because they're only good for about 4 months in the fridge so ask about that when you join.



Also, get yourself a BD safe clip - you put the used insulin syringe in the hole and it clips off the sharp part and contains it in the clipper - it holds about 250 sharps. then you can just toss out the syringe once you clip it off. The lancets are too short to clip so you will need to keep those in a container and properly dispose. My vet takes them for me but not all do.



I can't stress enough, the absolute importance of testing at home and keeping a spreadsheet. The group will guide you on creating one in google drive and you'll really get a good picture of where your cat is at daily and when you learn from the group it will help you significantly to see patterns etc etc.



Best of luck! Don't be scared - it's intimidating at first but when you get the hang of things you'll be a pro!

 

[LTS3]

Many of us get the RX for insulin from the vet and buy the pens thru marks pharmacy in Canada - the pens are much cheaper - and last so much longer. The bottles of insulin get thrown away before they're empty because they're only good for about 4 months in the fridge so ask about that when you join.

The pens are for Human insulins such as Lantus and Levemir. Pet insulins such as Vetsulin which the OP is currently using are not available in pen form.

Pwhitehill I want to add that if you are currently giving insulin, you need to do a diet change very slowly to avoid a big drop in blood glucose levels which may result in hypoglycemia if you still give the normal amount of insulin. Monitoring your cat's blood glucose levels at home using a Human blood glucose meter is the best way to know how your cat is responding to food and insulin.

 

[cat princesses]

The pens are for Human insulins such as Lantus and Levemir. Pet insulins such as Vetsulin which the OP is currently using are not available in pen form.

Yes, I was referring to the human insulin lantus which is what many of us are using for our cats. There is an entire sub group on the diabetes group for those members who are using lantus.

 

[Geoffrey]

I am a human physician in internal medicine, not a vet, but diabetes in humans (and cats) is extremely complicated and I would not dream of attempting to treat feline diabetes without initial and regular veterinarian advice.

For example, human diabetes can be familial or acquired, and Type I or Type II and each variety has different treatments, some examples are:

Type 1 diabetes,
*Insulin dependant variety.
*Insulin and diet

Type 2,
*Non-insulin variety that can be treated by medication alone.
*Diet dependant,
*weight loss,
*Diet and Insulin

Even though I am a specialist in internal Medicine, and Diabetes in cats possibly is similar to humans, I would never attempt to treat a cat myself....

Only vets should treat feline diabetes and treatment will need numerous consultations until the diabetes is stabilised - even then the treatment may need to change.

The ONLY RULE that I can give is DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TREAT THE CAT YOURSELF!

Please be careful for your cat's sake,
Geoffrey

 

[cat princesses]

The diabetic cat support group is the best place to go for support they are the experts in addition to working with your vet.

 

[Tobermory]

C cat princesses is absolutely right. Here’s a personal anecdote to illustrate why home testing is so important. When my 16-year-old Max was diagnosed, my vet put him on ProZinc. I was too nervous to home test, so I was just shooting the prescribed dosage twice a day and taking him in once a week to be tested. It just doesn’t work that way. After the second time of watching Max stagger around and fall over under the dining room table while I crawled frantically after him to hold him on my lap and rub corn syrup on his gums, I gave myself a good shake and learned to home test. It’s easy. Watching a cat go hypoglycemic is scary, and you have to act fast.

Like cat princess, I stuck Max’s ear free hand; for some reason I could never get the plunger thing to draw blood. I just gently massaged his ear to warm it up and make the vein more pliable and prominent. And I also used the Relion glucometer from Walmart. It takes just the tiniest bead of blood. When Max was 18, we moved and my new vet prescribed Lantus which I was getting first from vetrx direct.com (great customer service) and then from Costco (because it was $35 a pen less). I lost Max last summer at age 20, but I know he felt better because of home testing—no wild blood glucose swings.

I also used the chart at catinfo.org to find quality high protein/low carb canned food. He pretty much would eat only Fancy Feast classic chicken pâté, though, and only if it was freshly opened and not refrigerated. I was able to alternate it occasionally with some Soulistic, Weruva, and Tiki Cat although Max wasn’t thrilled with chunks. He did like Rawz canned chicken and turkey, both pâtés. He became too thin, so I had to be careful with the low calorie choices like Weruva and Tiki.

The felinediabetes.com site is awesome. I followed the Lantus subgroup, and I believe if I’d discovered it sooner, Max would have felt better and lived longer. Incredible support and knowledge. You might find guidance there about finding a vet that you feel better about.

 

[FakeGourmet]

Also, let your vet know that you are willing to actively manage your pets illness. Write your questions down.