New to Diabetes

lmunsie

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Hi Everyone,

I used to be an active member here a few years back.... then life got crazy. Luckily cats were good for a looooong time. But now my poor boy cello has been diagnosed with diabetes and I have this complication to add to my life. I have decided to treat him and am hoping to attempt tight regulation (for those of you who are dealing with diabetes).

I am signed up on Feline Diabetes forum as well as the tight regulation forum.

This is my current situation and plan and I'm looking for any feedback with people with experience in this, since my vet isn't overly willing to work with me re: home testing and tight regulation.

My cat Cello (13 yo siamese, neutered male) was diagnosed with FD about a month ago. I was unable to treat him at the time because I was leaving for a month. His only symptom was excessive drinking and urination and urinating outside the litter box. His BG was 28, and the vet told me she didn't think I had the lifestyle to treat him because I am often gone for >12 hours of the day and travel a lot and that he would probably be fine for a while and then get sick and I'd have to make a choice, she did say diet could help and gave me purina DM to give him. I switched his food while I was away (he was getting dry food then as well) and he still peed a lot but stopped urinating outside of the box. I did a lot of reading when I got home and that brought me here. I immediately switched him to what now is a mix of only Fancy Feast and the DM (my other cat is now 100% off of dry as well). In the past 72 hours of doing this he is drinking and urinating *almost* normally and his BG dropped to 20. I took him to the vet to learn how to get the shot, talk about home testing and TR and try to get the right insulin. This did not go well. The vets around here don't endorse home testing and she would only give me caninsulin, IF (or from my reading more like... when) this doesn't work they will offer me Lantus. I have some acquaintances who are vets and I'm currently trying to get my hands on PZI insulin. The vet reccomended that I give him 1 U a day for a week then bring him in for a curve. This seems pointless.

I am picking up a glucometer on Sunday and am going to try to start TR myself.

So this is my plan.

Saturday all the local vets are open, so I was thinking of giving him 1 U in the morning and observing him throughout the day, just to make sure he doesn't have a reaction, and if he does at least the vets will be open. (sunday-monday are holidays here this week, which means monday is a perfect day for me to do a curve). Sunday I get the glucometer so I'll figure out how that works (I've watched the videos...think I can do it). Then monday morning, do a reading, give 1 U and do a curve every 2 hours to see how he responds and go from there.

Now notably my life is really busy, I do work a LOT of long hour days and I know this is going to be a bit of a problem, but I'll do the best I can with TR evenings (will get up in the middle of the night) and weekends. Any day I can come home in the afternoon I will as well. I have also found a local lady who was a nurse who has offered to give shots when I absolutely can't get home for a small fee, and hopefully when I'm away (I travel for work a lot as well).

So that's my start of plan. Anyone see anything I can/should be doing differently?!
 

catsallaround

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I used TR and my cat was off shots in a month from starting! Hes only eaten wet friskies and been on prozinc. I know there was a place to order some inulins without RX-my vets very open minded and I did't tell her what I had planned till after I had meds.

I used the relion confirm meter-was under 10 and strips are 20 or so for 50ct. Walmart has it.

Post and see if anyone in your area has a vet ref would be only thing I would try. Number one thing with TR is do not freak if it gets low-plenty of times my cat went to 30 something.
 
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lmunsie

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thanks for the advise! I am looking around for help locally, but I do think I can do it myself.

Considering he has already responded so well to the diet alone I am very hopeful. My vet is totally freaking me about about hypo, but I am trying to read and believe the literature, that the diet will help avoid this and I'll be prepared.....
 

catsallaround

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Only meant so you could get the insulin eaiser. I must admit I am a stay at home cat mom
I tested my cat OFTEN(Vet asked once if it was 2 days mistakenly put in as one...
)

My guy was 7 1/2 at time of diagnoses and I am told it was caught pretty early. I had noticed he was a little slower for maybe a month or so but had thought it was cause the cold outside and fact he had always been more lazy in winter.
 
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lmunsie

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ya, i don't have the luxury of being at home, so I'll err on the more cautious side, but it doesn't seem to be as risky once he's on the new diet from what I can tell. I also wish they wouldn't give me caninsulin, i'm looking elsewhere for prozinc or PZI, but in canada its not technically approved for cats. If it doesn't work I'll switch to Lantus.

I'm going to do the curves though and bring it to my vet and hopefully they will see i'm willing to do the work and will be more willing to work with me.

I think we caught Cello early, I'd had blood tests done on him every year at his checkup so it can't have been going on for too long. The only symptom he had was the drinking, which he had showed in the past and I had had him checked for diabetes in the past, so it went on about a month before I took him to get checked again. But weight and all other aspects of lifestyle have stayed the same, and he has had drastic improvements on just the diet change.

Fingers crossed for a successful treatment and possible remission
 
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lmunsie

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catsallaround: did you ever have to treat for hypo?
 

catsallaround

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Not ONCE!!! He ALWAYS came back up on his own. Only thing I did different was wet food was available at all times-otherwise he would eat to fast and throw up.
 
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lmunsie

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Originally Posted by Minka

The best advice I can give you is to switch him to a low carbohydrate diet and read this: http://catinfo.org/?link=felinediabetes
thanks for the link! already did the switch and within 72 hours his bg dropped significantly and his symptoms all but dissapeared. He is still too high unfortunately and needs insulin
 

minka

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Originally Posted by lmunsie

thanks for the link! already did the switch and within 72 hours his bg dropped significantly and his symptoms all but dissapeared. He is still too high unfortunately and needs insulin
Didn't you say he is on Fancy Feast and the DM food though? Both of those aren't low enough in carbs to be as effective as possible. Premium foods like Blue Wilderness, Nature's Variety and Before Grain would be much better options.
 
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lmunsie

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Originally Posted by Minka

Didn't you say he is on Fancy Feast and the DM food though? Both of those aren't low enough in carbs to be as effective as possible. Premium foods like Blue Wilderness, Nature's Variety and Before Grain would be much better options.
yes, he is on those other foods. I will def. look into these ones you suggested. It seemed like most people had their diabetic cats on fancy feast. His skin is already not looking so hot from being on it though and I was hoping to find some good alternatives......

Are those foods as high in protein?
 

catsallaround

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Certain fancy feast is VERY low carb and before I could get my guy on friskies(needed to do big cans as many cats share the bowl at my house)he was on wet I had on hand.
 
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lmunsie

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Originally Posted by catsallaround

Certain fancy feast is VERY low carb and before I could get my guy on friskies(needed to do big cans as many cats share the bowl at my house)he was on wet I had on hand.
yes, i have printed out a list of the very low carb ones and DM is only 8% i believe and these foods are helping
 

minka

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Originally Posted by lmunsie

yes, he is on those other foods. I will def. look into these ones you suggested. It seemed like most people had their diabetic cats on fancy feast. His skin is already not looking so hot from being on it though and I was hoping to find some good alternatives......

Are those foods as high in protein?
If a food is low carb, there isn't anything else that Could be in it other than protein and fat.
You can look at a food one of two ways: highest protein, or lowest carb. I know how to calculate both but since crude protein is already listed on the can, I calculate that first. If a food has 43 or higher percent protein (ideally 45 or 50+), contains no grains, soy or weird additives and veggies aren't in the main 5 ingredients than it's acceptable in my eyes.
But since your cat has diabetes, if it were me, I would invest in the Best possible food I could afford because sometimes that can mean Never having to pay for insulin again. (And that means less vet visits which eat your wallet faster than anything! xD)
Originally Posted by catsallaround

Certain fancy feast is VERY low carb and before I could get my guy on friskies(needed to do big cans as many cats share the bowl at my house)he was on wet I had on hand.
Yes, some of the varieties are, but they also are made from meat by-products and you don't even want to KNOW what goes into those...
 

catsallaround

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I know...have had many cats since mid 90's with a diabetic cat issue comes up of sugar not being regulated and they will only eat limited items at times. I never finished my bottle of insulin as he did so good on the "crap" foods. He is going in for exam soon just to refresh bloodwork.

Glad to hear kitty is doing well
keep up the good work!
 
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lmunsie

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Originally Posted by Minka

If a food is low carb, there isn't anything else that Could be in it other than protein and fat.
You can look at a food one of two ways: highest protein, or lowest carb. I know how to calculate both but since crude protein is already listed on the can, I calculate that first. If a food has 43 or higher percent protein (ideally 45 or 50+), contains no grains, soy or weird additives and veggies aren't in the main 5 ingredients than it's acceptable in my eyes.
But since your cat has diabetes, if it were me, I would invest in the Best possible food I could afford because sometimes that can mean Never having to pay for insulin again. (And that means less vet visits which eat your wallet faster than anything! xD)

Yes, some of the varieties are, but they also are made from meat by-products and you don't even want to KNOW what goes into those...
I agree completely he should be on the best food, especially since this food change hasn't been great for his skin and breath (was always on very high quality dry food..... which turns out caused this diabetes) so I will do some research to figure out better food, with comparable protein/carb levels that are available in my area. But for now at least he is switched from the high carb dry to low carb wet and it is helping. Getting my glucometer today
so real treatment can begin soon!! (assuming the testing goes well)
 
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lmunsie

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Did my first successful glucose test! Only took two tries and he was very good about it. Unfortunately he is very high. 23.2 So going to do my first curve tomorrow. Wish us luck!
 
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lmunsie

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First day curving Cello

Time...........Glucose level.....note

7:30am......21.2 (378)......1 U Caninsulin
9:30am......11.8 (212)
11:30am......2.1 (37.8)......Trying to stay calm, he is acting normal, eating and is on
the right diet.........
 

catsallaround

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Remeber that the 1 unit was rx'ed when he was on a high carb(pre diagnosis) food and he may need less insulin.

Good luck on the curve today
!
 
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