Bobby has diabetes =(

My sweet 6 year-old Bobby was diagnosed with diabetes last week. I took him to the vet because I felt something was wrong: drinking a lot, peeing a lot (and sometimes not in his box,) losing weight, and sullen demeanor. Sure enough, after a physical exam and labs I got the dreaded call confirming my suspicions. I'm a registered nurse, so I'm familiar with treatment for DM in humans, but pretty clueless when it comes to my cat. I think being an RN will help me learn quickly, though. I've already started Lantus 2x/day and the vet gave me a glucometer to test sugars at home. The plan is to do a curve in about 2 weeks. So far Bobby is tolerating his injections really well! He doesn't seem bothered at all. He's a very docile, gentle kitty and I actually think he's digging the extra attention <3.

I'm appalled at the cost involved in this diagnosis. Lantus is so pricy and the vet had inferred that Bobby would necessitate prescription food, which is astronomically expensive. Since visiting the site, I've learned, thankfully, that I can buy wet food from the store in lieu of the Hill's M/D that was forced upon me when I was in the office. I'm also thinking into the future and all the vacations we won't be able to go on. Gone are the days of leaving extra food and water out to take a weekend getaway... Instead we'll likely need to board. They'll probably charge an arm and a leg to board AND administer insulin.

Part of me is feeling very guilty and responsible for Bobby's diagnosis. Just one week ago I had been a proponent of dry food, primarily feeding that to Bobby due to its low price, not realizing how detrimental it is to cats. How ignorant of me! I would give canned food a couple of times a week as a treat, but I had no idea that treat is what Bobby needed day in and day out. Why do pet food manufacturers continue making this junk??? Why don't more vets advise against it???

Has anyone had a diabetic cat who would pee outside the box before treatment but cease this behavior once regulated? I'm really hoping Bobby will start exclusively using his box again.

Thank you all for reading this lengthy post. Any comments/advice/commiseration will be read and appreciated =)

~Danielle, Bobby's human mom

 

Beautiful cat! Welcome!

 

Welcome Danielle and Bobby. Yes many of our kitties have peed outside the box at diagnosis and once numbers get better they use their boxes again. And yes, Lantus is expensive that's why most of us buy it from Canada where it is half the price. Glad you're here, come to the Health Forum and ask any questions you have. We will be glad to help you and sweet Bobby out- he's gorgeous!

 

Welcome! We can certainly help you and your handsome boy, Bobby.

 

Welcome! We are here to help if you need us. When you are ready for more lantus, order from Marks marine pharmacy in Canada.

 

Welcome Danielle and Bobby!
We'll try to help as best we can . Feel free to re-post the litter box utility question on the Main Health forum so more eyes can see it and any insulin specific questions on Lantus forum. Bobby kind of reminds me of another kitty on Lantus, Boomer

 

Welcome! I know things seem overwhelming now, but it definitely gets easier! You have a huge advantage going in being an RN--my mom is also a nurse, and the only person I ever truly trusted to cat sit for Bandit when he was on insulin, mainly because she wasn't nervous at all doing the tests or shots. You'd be surprised how important that is.

Most cats with the right food, insulin, and dose adjustments via home testing do make it to remission--if you're willing to put in the effort, it pays off enormously in the long run. And it looks like you're on the right track with all three of those things. Home testing also means you don't have to pay for expensive vet curves or fructosamines--getting 3-5 tests daily is more revealing in terms of dose adjustments. What meter did your vet give you? If it's an Alphatrak, the test strips are pretty pricy and you might want to consider getting a human meter because the strips are less expensive.

In terms of cost, others mentioned Mark's Marine Pharmacy, which is a complete lifesaver when it comes to Lantus. When Bandit went back on insulin in 2015 after being in remission since 2010, I freaked out when I saw how much Lantus had increased in price--I was so relieved when I found about Mark's here. When you order, get a 5 pack of the pens--it's the most economical because they'll last you nearly a year--most of the insulin in the vial will go bad before you can use it all, but the smaller pen sizes (and you can draw out of them just like a vial) means you'll be able to use almost every drop before it goes bad. There's some great information on handling Lantus here, so that you can extend it's life as much as possible.

Hills M/D, neither canned nor dry, is actually NOT appropriate for diabetic cats, which is crazy, since it's supposed to be formulated for them. There are so many commercial foods that you can feed that are better quality and less expensive.

As for the peeing question--I'd post that in the Main Health Forum, and if you have any other questions about food, insulin, or home testing!