It looks like I'm not alone!

Hello all! My name is Selene and my cats name is Honey. She is in the hospital and I got the diagnosis yesterday. There are so many other issues with my blind(from a virus she has fought all her life since I adopted her at 2 months old) 12 year old cat. My immediate worry is that when she possibly comes home today how to switch from food always being available to a feeding schedule of feeding her twice a day and making her eat at a certain time.
Has anyone had experience doing this.....it is ridiculous, but I am worried to death about this. I brought her in Friday night at 1am on an emergency basis as her virus that is centered in her nose was causing severe breathing issues. Had shots, medicine etc, brought her home to take care of her and then on Sunday she became scarily unresponsive. Rushed her back to the vet Sunday at 11am and after blood work got the diagnosis.
I was glad to find this board as I have never given a shot in my life and although that is not my main worry, I am terrified I will miss something during this period of adjustment.
Both of her other companions passes last year within 2 weeks of each other at the age of 21. I have never had a diabetic cat.
I found this sites introduction somewhat soothing.....especially the part about the raw emotion.
Anyway, I sure hope this posts to the right spot. I had no idea there are so many of us dealing with this and I wish all the other terrified and worried rookies the best as we start this journey.

 

Welcome.
Good insulin are the human Lantus and Levemir and the pet insulins ProZinc and BCP PZI. For those two human insulin it is best to get the 5 pack of 3 ml disposable pens via a 10 ml vial. Although per ml the vial is less expensive most cats will not use up a 10 ml vial before the insulin goes bad/becomes ineffective. The human insulin N/NPH is sometimes prescribed but only lasts 8-10 hours. Same for the pet insulin Vetsulin/Caninisulin.
Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
What are you feeding? A low-carb canned is best. No reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb canned

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

Many of use here feed several mini meals throughout the day. What you want is a consistent eating schedule since food effect blood glucose level.

Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

Hi there Larry and kitties! Well, I said there were some variables and here is more. Honey will not eat regular canned cat food unless it has actual real meat. She eats aims lively senior dry and then Purrfectly Chicken or fish and then she will eat the appetizer food that is made from real fish. She will not and never has eaten regularly mixed cat food. I am sure this stems from her fight for life as a kitten when she would only eat boars head deli turkey!!!!
No idea of the insulin type yet as she is not home yet and I am hoping for today. I think you mentioned mini meals and I think I need to focus on that first when she gets home. I will ask the vet at pickup how many are possible a day..if I can just get the food thing square and the shot timing when she gets home I think I will be more confident.

 

Welcome Selene! Diabetes is not as nearly as bad as it first seems, there's just a lot of information to take and and a lot to learn. Things get less stressful and much easier, I promise! Bandit was diagnosed with diabetes in 2009, and he's still doing great!

In regards to the food, most of us prefer to feed smaller, more frequent meals. Cats' metabolisms are twice as fast as people or dogs, so they need to eat twice as frequently. My cats eat 4x a day--every 6 hours. I freeze the wet food and put it in auto-feeders for those meals when I'm not home or want to go to bed early. Diabetics do really well on this type of schedule because it helps reduce the impact of food on their blood sugar levels. Also, when you feed them more frequently they don't beg for food constantly.

Some vets still suggest, strict, twice daily feedings. This is outdated advice based on the older, harsher insulins (NPH and Vetsulin). With the current recommended insulins for cats (Lantus, Levemir, and Prozinc), the cycles are much gentler and more frequent feedings work better (just like with human diabetics).

I cannot express enough how important it is to learn to home test. It most certainly is absolutely necessary getting your cat's blood sugar under control. If a vet tells you it's not needed, unfortunately they are not up to date in their feline diabetes treatment. A person would never inject a child with insulin without testing them first to make sure it's safe and that the dose doesn't need adjustment, and it's the same for our cats. Home testing seems scary at first because you think, "my cat would NEVER let me do this!", but after a few tests and treats after each test, most cats will allow you to do it with no problem. Bandit fought me the first few weeks, and he was one of the worst. Now, he runs to me when he hears the glucose meter beep on, sits patiently in front of me while I do the test and purrs.

 

One thing that's really important in controlling diabetes is getting rid of the dry food, and feeding a canned food that is low in carbs. Here's a list of a lot of commercial canned cat foods--all you need to do is pick one that is less than 10% carbs in the carb column. Weruva, BFF, and Tiki cat are all brands that are actually shredded meat, and you can try mixing them with the pate style foods and see if she eats them. There's also a lot of tips here on how to get her to eat canned food. Changing the diet is very, very important in getting her diabetes under control. Dry food is dehydrating and not good for a diabetic's kidneys (especially senior cats), and most kinds are too high in carbs for diabetics and cause their blood sugar to remain uncontrolled.

For more information on diet, check out http://catinfo.org/. It's a great website written by a vet that explains cats' nutritional requirements in very plain terms.

 

Thank you! I will know what type of insulin today if she comes home. She is very sick and getting breathing treatments. I think the first dose of asteroids on Sunday put her over the edge. I would not normally give that to her but the virus has always been a battle. Of course no more steroids after the diabetes diagnosis.
You know, the only place I have ever hyperventilated is the vets office!!!

 

You are all wonderful. I will read up on all of your great advice so I can get the right foods and supplies. Best to you all and your cat companions. Will post some more after I get her home.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that once the infection is resolving, the diet is changed, and the steroids are out of her system, her blood sugar levels may drop right back down to a normal level, so I would definitely learn to home test sooner than later. Otherwise, you might end up with an overdose situation. Cats blood sugar tends to be artificially inflated when you're at the vets office, so if you're not home testing it's easy to get stuck in a chronic overdose situation.

Any home glucose meter and strips you can get at the store is fine, you don't need the special pet meters from the vet. A lot of people here use the Relion meter from Walmart, but Target and other stores also have good brands. I'd also pick up some lancets (26g--you don't want to use the ultra thin ones to start), and a small tube of Neosporin + pain relief ointment (not the cream). That's all you need to get started!

Because of the infection, it's also a good idea to pick up some Ketostix (ketone testing strips) while you're there, too. They'll be in with the diabetic supplies along with the meter.

 

You are right. So many variables. I had thought I wouldn't have to test at home but now see this will be critical during this beginning period and actually any time I am not sure how she is feeling. Will buy suggested items today. Many thanks!

 

If Honey will not eat canned there are relatively low-carb dry food like Young Again No-Carb (really about 5% carbs), EVO Turkey Cat and Kitten food and Wysong Epigen 90

 

Hi Selene, and welcome.
I echo all the previous posts. It is overwhelming at first, but it does get easier.

 

So I am still waiting on call from vet. In the mean time I took ya'll advice and got the relion meter, strips, ketone test strips. They were out of the 26g lancers so went to Cvs for those. Seven dollars vs two dollars at Wal-Mart for others just starting out to know. Huge price difference.

 

Also, I am retired and can cook for Honey if anyone can recommend a place for recipes.

 

Hello Seline, you are not alone. There are many of us. There are a couple of dry foods you can use to help transition to canned. Usually need to be ordered. Young Again Zero Carb will send you free sample to try. There are also raw diets and if possible you can make your own food and add the necessary supplements. You do have options. Just need to figure out what will work for you and Honey. You can also use an automatic feeder that can deliver feedings at the times you set. Once you get her home and know more. Please come back , ask questions and most importantly know you are not alone.

 

I am learning things by leaps and bounds and able to actually breathe a little! Had no idea about the timed feeder!!

 

There are a few on the market in all price ranges. One will do 5 feedings a day. I just got that has 2 separate food compartment that you set separately and can use a small ice pack to keep food cool. Some are dry food only so you need to be careful. Comes in handy for middle of night feedings and when you need to be out of house for a few hours.

 

Update....so my cat isn't coming home today. She was regulating her own sugar this morning...I think the vet said the reading was 100, but it spiked to I think 246. They r going to do a test to be sure she is diabetic..can't remember the name. I don't want to bring her home just to bring her back. I have alerted my family about all of the nutritional things and other great info here. We r all cat owners.

 

That would be wonderful. Will they know what might have caused the rise. It might be wise to check at home for a while.

 

So from looking around she might be doing the serum fructosimine test. This is supposed to give a definitive answer to the diabetes question. This might be what the vet said but my head is ready to explode from info.

 

Take a deep breath. There's a lot of information here and you don't have to learn it immediately. For now, I would focus on the low carb diet if you can get her to switch. If not, and her glucose winds up elevated enough for insulin, then that's what you do.

Likewise, if she needs steroids to survive, then again, that is what you do. Yes, it may result in the need to give insulin. You just shoot around the other conditions which need to be managed.

 

Cats can have spikes in blood sugar because of both infection, and stress from being at the vet's office. It's possible that is what's causing the swing at the vet's office. Steroids also cause blood sugar to go up in pre-diabetic cats. It's very possible that when you bring her home and switch the diet to low carb canned food she may not need insulin. This happens with some cats.

The test they are doing is probably a fructosamine test. This gives you an average idea of what range her BG has been in over the past couple weeks.

The website, catinfo.org, that I linked to above has some great instructions and recipes for making your own cat food! Here's the link to that section: http://catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood. The recipes there are all low carb.

 

Yes! Honey actually controlled her own blood sugar yesterday and the vet did not give her insulin. That was as of 6:45 pm last night. The test results were not back from the lab yet. I believe her blood sugar was 100. Her episode definitely happened after administering the steroids at home. They also gave her some at the vet until blood test results came back. I am optimistic and so is the vet that things are looking up. Waiting on the call now. Whatever happens I at least feel much more capable of handling it because I have learned so much here with help and reading the info here!!!

On a lighter note, the vet said every time she picks Honey up she pees on her. Honey is blind but not dumb.....I told the vet that Honey can really hold a grudge!

So looking forward to getting her home. I miss falling asleep with her paw on my face.

Thanks for the recipe info...much appreciated.

 

Honey is home! Not diabetic!!!! Six vets consulted on this and have never seen a cat throw such high numbers ever and not be diabetic. Also, 3 nights hospital, 2 breathing treatments a day, meds and everything else, blood tests....$440.00. When the vet told me I said ' are you sure?' Very reasonable. It is a great thing to have a great vet.

Still changing diet etc cuz she still could be pre-diabetic.

 

Selene, we all love stories with a happy ending and this is indeed great news! Honey is obviously in good hands with a Mom who took such pains to be prepared for her return home. Happy Tails!

 

I'm only a little over a week into this journey myself, but the support on this website has been better for me than any comments from friends, or even my vet. We'll get through this together!

 

Fantastic news I also highly recommend catinfo.org as a great place to go to learn about an appropriate cat diet. Making your own is the gold standard and even better than commercial tinned food anyway - she has taste not liking that stuff!

I would strongly suggest that you still change her diet as she clearly has potential to turn diabetic and it will be better for her health anyway.

 

I am so grateful for this site. I have told everyone I know about this info. Honey is home but still quite sick. As she is blind she is really having a hard time even remembering the house. Three days in the hospital is so hard on them. I hope to be able to remain a participant here even if just to offer support to others.

I read thru the whole cat info site and am going to start making her food the day after Xmas. It all makes so much sense. I am still confounded that I have never had a vet tell me any of this stuff!!

I never joined a support group before. You all set a high standard with your heartfelt support!

 

Unfortunately there aren't too many vets that know this stuff. They do very little study on nutrition and what they do get is generally provided by one of those nasty pet food companies - here in Australia it's Hills that formats and presents the one lecture vets get on nutrition. As a consequence it's Hills that most vets recommend. I put my vet back in his box as far as diet was concerned by taking in a can of ZiwiPeak and asking him to compare the ingredients on that to the ingredients on the prescription diet he wanted me to feed and then tell me which one had ingredients that weren't right for a cat - he never mentioned the prescription rubbish again

 

What wonderful news! Tell your vets to write that up as a case report for a veterinary journal, since it was so unusual for all of them to see. It may prevent another cat from being incorrectly diagnosed as diabetic.