New Diagnosis

My baby, Taylor, is 13, has cancer in his ear (numerous tumors; no treatment); and was just diagnosed on Monday with diabetes. His level was 406; vet gave him ProZinc twice a day - one unit a day. I've switched him from Iams Healthy Adult dry food to Fancy Feast pates. His number this morning was 276 (after three jabs...sigh). This is going to be difficult - I work a full time job AND a part time job. I cannot test during the day, except on weekends. He has been perfectly healthy - except for the cancer diagnosis which he received in February. His blood work was perfect then - the vet couldn't believe he was almost 13 at the time. I boarded him (and his "sister") in late May due to a vacation. I researched and found a place I felt comfortable with - and dropped them off on a Wednesday evening. I left numerous telephone numbers (including a local contact for emergencies since I'd be out of state). I went to pick them up the following Wednesday afternoon...oh, man. They reeked of urine (my cats are SUPER clean) from the boarding area, and she told me THEY HADN'T EATEN. She did not try to coax them with tuna, or anything. Ugh. Got them home, and cleaned. Within a week, both had colds, but recovered within 48-72 hours. They had lost a lot of weight and were shedding like crazy (stress induced). My female kitty, Mary Jane, bounced back quickly. Taylor did not. He continued to lose weight, and started drinking a HUGE amount of water last week, which of course led to excessive urination. I made the appointment for Monday and they kept him all day. I know intellectually that stress probably did not cause the diabetes...but some part of me thinks it had a hand in it. So, now I need to learn a whole new world, which I will gladly do for my baby. I'm keeping an excel spreadsheet, and hope I'm doing it all right. I'm glad I found this place! So much information!!!!

 

Welcome Diane and Taylor! Did your vet give Taylor any steroids for his ear? I'm asking because that can cause diabetes and as the shot wears off the numbers can go down. Stress can also cause numbers to go up, but they usually come back down on their own when things settle. It's a bit overwhelming at first, but you will soon get a routine going that will work for you and Taylor. Please come to the Health forum with any questions you have.

 

Sharon, he did not receive any steroids for his ear. Thanks for that info, though! I've been doing a LOT of reading!

 

We are so glad you found us. Most of us here also felt uncertain and rather overwhelmed at the volume of "new" things we had to learn to help our kitties feel better. The learning curve is steep, but you aren't alone. We'll be happy to help answer your questions and share tips that we've discovered along the way. So gather up your questions and head over to the main health forum where you'll get more eyes on your posts.

 

Welcome Diane, Mary Jane, and Taylor!
Glad you found this place . Feel free to post any general questions on the Main Health Forum and any insulin/dosing questions on the Prozinc Forum

 

Welcome... We are here to help if you have any questions

 

Welcome to you and your kitty, Taylor. We can help get you on track.

 

Welcome to you and Taylor!! Hope you find what you need here!

 

Thanks everyone! Just trying to keep myself calm and doing a lot of reading. His numbers have been around 280 since starting the insulin (1 unit at 6:00 a.m., and 1 unit at 7:00 p.m. - ProZinc). His vet called today, and was happier with that number than the 406 it was on Monday. He's made the switch to FF pates pretty smoothly (his sister is loving the new food, him...not so much, but he eats it). His excessive thirst has definitely slowed down. I also stopped the Temptations Treats (much to his dismay).

 

Mine had a temptation addiction too. Keep a few.... Once my cat went too low, I gave just a few and the numbers zoomed back up. Lol. It was very clear at that moment how she became diabetic. Lol

 

Yikes....I became a temptation overindulger after the boarding incident....I felt bad and being a mom, I show love by giving food! lol Ugh....he so loves his treats! But he also loves tomatoes and melon. I wonder if those are still ok for him.

 

wow, weird cat. I would think melon is too high in sugar. hahaha... good treats are freeze dried meat treats, deli meat without fillers (like boarshead) turkey, ham, roast beef... and catnip, tuna, fresh chicken.

 

I cannot get the blood testing down. i poked my finger (the needle went through his ear and to mine) and I bled like crazy (this happened yesterday too) but he doesn't! I'm hitting the sweet spot...it's very frustrating for both of us to start the day off like this. he was so mad at me, he wouldn't eat. he's mad about his food. Just arrrgh. I can do the insulin shot with no problem. but the blood testing is driving me insane.

 

It does take about a week for the capillaries to start growing. In the meantime, vigorously massage the ear, and warm the ear a bit if it's been in the air conditioning with a warmed sock of rice. Please put a cotton round or folded paper towel behind the ear to protect your finger. Is the Lancet a 28 gauge?

 

33 gauge...I thought smaller would be better, but from my reading, I now understand you want to start off with a bigger size to help the "bleed". I will be buying new lancets tonight. : )

 

that will make a huge difference. even now a year into testing I still use 28 gauge.

 

Hi, just wanted to drop my two cents on the Boarshead deli meat. I was giving Beenie no salt added Boarshead deli turkey as a treat after testing. She LOVED it
I was questioning the ingredients even though the packaging says 0 sugar. I also was concerned about seasoning like onion and garlic powder. I decided, just last week, to call Boarshead directly to ask about sugars and lone behold there is sugar in just about all of their deli meats. Even though the label says "0" grams they don't have to list it if its less than 1 gram per serving. So if its 0.8 grams they don't have to include that info on their labels ( I assume this is some sort of law that really doesn't protect the public). So all of my mid cycle testing and AMPS/PMPS treats add up and did have trace amounts of sugar. I did away with all deli meats and sticking to freeze dried meats. Too bad because the turkey was such a hit. Boarshead does offer one deli meat with absolutely no sugar, onion, or garlic seasoning and that is prosciutto!!! That would be an expensive treat

 

eh, I don't give the edges, just the middle, and it's just a few bites... I didn't notice any impact on her BG, but if your cat likes the freeze dried treats that's great. CC ate one freeze dried treat and would never try another. stubborn thing.

 

Oh...I'm sorry and know how bad you feel. I hope our story helps you. Don't give up.
Tiger: 13 yrs old. Indoor cat. On (small amount/daily) prednisone and prescription food for skin allergies for past 10 years.
Diabetes Diagnosed: May 25, 2017. Lantus insulin, (31 gauge needles) AlphaTrak2 Home test kit (includes lancets and BG test strips), Prednisone (2 weeks to whene off every other day - after 10 years on pred) and antibiotic for UTI for 2 weeks. Vet unsure if Tiger is prednisone or insulin dependent.
My feelings/fears: Stress. Loss of freedom. Cost.
Food: changed from Science Diet CD dry to Science Diet MD can. Treats are dehydrated chicken.
Meds: Lantus began 1U 2x/day; week later, upped to 2U 2x/day. three weeks after diagnosis, vet upped to 3U 2x/day...within four days, Tiger showed signs of Hypoglicemia (random peeing in house, disoriented, back legs wobbled - we thought he was dying); we called and took to ER vet. Honey on finger was licked; brought BG down. Returned to 2U 2xday and monitored closely. Vet thinking Tiger is producing insulin again.
Outcome: In less than five weeks, Tiger went from BG 521 (on 5/30) to BG 92 (which began his remission). Tiger (and I) can now do ear pricks/BG tests without an anxiety attack. Our family is grateful! If you are newcomer to this site, DO NOT GIVE UP. Many cats go into remission within 4-8 weeks, using Lantus insulin and can food. Keep them on high protein/low carb can food. Wheen off prednisone, if your cat on it. This contributed to Tiger's illness.
Key factor that helped me: this site and excellent website for $20 vet chats. justanswer.com