Very overwhelming..

Why would my vet insist that I purchase a pet glucose monitor when many people say that a regular monitor is just fine even though the numbers are off? I am REALLY new to this, and I have no clue. My cat's name is Figit and he is 13 years old. He is fixed. Figit and I are waiting for his urine to come back to make sure there are no crystals. It will be back tomorrow. His blood came back today and his sugar was high (about 400) and his wbc count was up.. but he has a uti, so I expected that. I wasn't overly worried when the vet said he has diabetes when we went in yesterday, but since then, I have become overwhelmed. I work in the medical field and I have experience working with diabetics, so although it is not easy, I figured we could manage. I told the vet right away that I would be home testing, even before I knew that it aparently isn't the norm. I took him to one vet on Friday the 10th because there was blook in his urine. She gave him antibiotics for a uti and did nothing else. On Wednesday, there was more blood and it was in many puddles everywhere. Other than that, there was no change in Figit. I took him to the vet who I usually go to in emergencies and he did a full exam, took blood, tested his sugar, and told me he was diabetic. They sent me home with a urine collection cup and told me not to worry. Today I went to drop off the urine and recieved the results that I expected when I got there. The vet tech told me that they want to put him on Lantus and will call me to get dosages and discuss diet on Tuesday. I told the vet tech that I planned to get the human monitor and she said the dr would prefer an animal one for the blood curve tests. I can't afford to continue to bring him there for simple things I can do at home. He eats fancy feast, mostly chicken or turkey pate. He eats dry food from Purina one, which I have cut out. I also bought a bunch of 95% meat canned food with no additives at Petco, but it hasn't gone over well. He wants his dry food.. I got him another dry food that is low on the glycerin index just for now while he is transitioning off of dry food, but he doesn't seem to want much of any of it. He did well with it this morning, but this evening wasn't as great. What if his sugar was just high because we were at the vet? Is that possible? I guess my most important question regards the meter.. I am also worried because the Lantus is very expensive. I have looked into getting the coupons, and that will help, and an rxprescription discount card.. and I did look into the pens that are sold seperatly in some places, so that maybe it would be more affordable, but has anyone here used "recycled" lantus? I heard that even though the expiration says 28 days after opening, it can last much longer for cats so that left over lantus from humans can still be used. Is this true? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou!

 

Hi,

Someone more experienced than me will be along shortly. It is all overwhelming at first but not for long. A lot of people here feed the Fancy Feast pates. Transitioning from dry can be a slow process, depending on the cat. IMO a human monitor is just fine. There are some good human monitors out there with lower priced strips. Other members who know more will chime in. There are excellent blood glucose spreadsheets here that you can show to your vet. A vet should be able to understand and interpret it easily. I don't know where you live, but if you live in the US, you can get a Rx from your vet and have the Lantus shipped from Canada. It's much cheaper. And if the vial is treated properly, it will definitely last more than 28 days.

 

Thankyou! I will look at the spreadsheets. I appreciate the help. I am located in New England.

 

I'm fairly new here too, and my vet is pushing the pet glucose monitor too. It's not the monitor that's so expensive, it's the testing strips. We've been getting along quite nicely with a human one. My cat also was eating Purina One, but I was able to transition him to Wellness Core and then to Young Again Zero (it's not really zero carbs, but it is much lower than most dry food) and he's feeling, acting & looking so much better. Stick around, these folks are super helpful!

 

Hi Christie, welcome to you and Figit. To answer one of your questions, yes vet stress can raise glucose numbers, possibly by 100 PTS or more. UTI's can also raise his numbers. If you can get a meter and begin home testing now, you will be prepared if and when he needs to start insulin. Most of us use a human meter, and while they often read a bit lower than the pet specific meters, we are mostly interested in trends and seeing how well the insulin is working, not in exact numbers. Transitioning to an all low carb wet food now before the insulin may help lower his glucose too. Fancy Feast Classic Pates are fine. If you do need insulin, Lantus is a great one. Many here order from Canada https://rxcanada4less.com
If you do start testing and want to start a spreadsheet, here's how http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/ if you need help, just ask and someone will be glad to help.

 

Hi Christie and Figit....welcome
It can be very overwhelming at first, even if you have a medical background...I do too and although a lot of it is the same, some of it is different too.
A human monitor is absolutely fine and the strips are a lot cheaper. Here in Australia, we can't get the pet monitors and the vets use the human ones, so they are fine. Don't let the vet talk you into the vet one, it will cost a lot more in the long run and it simply isn't necessary.
It is great you are going to home test.
Before you started the Lantus, It might be an idea to wait and see what happens to the BSL once the UTI has been sorted out. Figit's BSL may possibly be lower after treatment.
Re the Lantus cartridges.....they will last about 6 months if kept in the frig, not on the door.
I would definitely try and transition him over to wet food. You will have a much better chance of getting the BSLs under control and maybe even remission.....no promises there! But the transition will take time and you will need to be testing during this time as dry food raises the BSL much higher than the wet food and if you are giving insulin you may need to reduce the dose. If you are testing you will be able to see this happening. Start testing now so you have some baseline numbers before insulin and before the UTI is treated.
A good idea to test for ketones too.
Keep asking lots of questions...we are all happy to help. We are all in your postition once

 

So we are trying very hard to stick to the wet food but he is searching for the dry. I do have the Nutrisca chicken recipe that has no glutin, soy, corn, potato, wheat, etc in it and it says it is a 10 on the glycerin index. I don't really know what that means. Pretty much, the costs over the last few days have taken up all of the money that I saved to put towards a car. My other cat, Fuegos, probably has high sugar as well, but I can't even afford to get him checked right now. I am worried. I would honestly rather figure his diet out instead of jumping right to insulin. I mean, between the stress and the uti, it's possible that his sugar could be more normal when he is feeling better. I gave him wet food this morn, he ate about 1/3 of a small can. He doesn't eat too much, and hasn't for a while.. which is another reason why I don't like the idea of insulin. What if he doesn't eat enough and I can't regulate it? I work 12 hr shifts (7p-7a) on Sat and Sun and 11-7 on Mondays.. what if I am at work and he drops? I'll have a very sick, if not a dead kitty if I am not here to catch it. Really, I am feeling like I will never leave the house again. It's not good. The problem I am having is that for months now, Figit refuses to be on any type of food consistantly. I was switching between fancy feast, sheeba, fresh pet select, and the dry that I left out for them. All of this makes me worry about my other beast, Fuegos, because he is huge and eats dry food. The thing is, after wasting $116 at the first vet before getting this diagnosis at my usual (every 5 years) vet, I don't have more money to get him checked right now. It has literally drained all of the money that I had saved to get a car so that my husband and I would each have one to use. I don't know what to do. I want to save my cat, but I feel like it is causing me to drown already. Fancy feast is fine. Testing is fine. The insulin and the meter and the strips are going to kill me. And I can't put him to sleep because of it, it's not even an option. I do believe the vet visit and the uti are making his sugar higher and I just want him to be ok. I am going to try to sleep for a little bit. Figit woke me up to feed him at 7, and I was up late researching. Just found out my uncle goes through a vial in 10 days, so no luck getting leftovers from him. Trying to get Figit to eat the same food every day may actually be impossible. He would rather starve. Seriously.. but I am trying.

 

Christie I have felt the same as you, it really will get better. If you are in the US, you can get a Relion meter from Walmart. The cheapest strips are with the Prime, but it does take a bit more blood than the Confirm. You can test both kitties sugar and if you get them both on canned food, all the better. As for insulin, check out the supply closet. There are often great deals on Lantus and other supplies.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/supply-closet-for-sale-or-free.15/