Grizzles starts treatment

Hi, We have recently adopted Grizzles from a shelter. He is estimated at 13. He had been there over 6 months and was not listed as a diabetic. Immediately after adopting him we noticed his extreme thirst and frequent urination. He also has mouth sores and ulcers, a chronic URI, only a couple teeth, and patchy coat. Our vet never mentioned diabetes so we took him to a new vet who immediately knew he was a diabetic. Last week we started him on Lantus. 1 unit twice a day and a low carb diet. Vet said to feed him 3/4 can of Hills W/D right before his shots. I am just finding this site so we have not home tested him yet but plan on starting tomorrow once we gather the supplies. He goes back to the vet next week for his first curve to see what the results are. He is drinking much less water but his appetite is still the same. He would eat all day if you let him. Any advice would be great!

 

Welcome to FDMB, the best place you never wanted to be.

There are 4 things you'll need to manage your kitty's diabetes:
- You - without your commitment, the following won't work
- Low carb over the counter canned or raw diet, such as Friskies pates. see Cat Info for more info,
- A long-lasting insulin such as Lantus, ProZinc, BCP PZI, or Levemir (which you've got)
- And home blood glucose monitoring with an inexpensive human glucometer such as the WalMart Relion Confirm or Target Up and Up (the pet ones will break your budget!)

 

Hi and welcome to FDMB. So far you are doing a great job with Gizzles.

It is not unusual for diabetic cats to be hungry all of the time. Right now his body is not processing his food correctly. Once his glucose readings level out, you probably will see his appetite level out too. Many people feed their cats several times a day and that may help with Grizzles appetite.

 

I would just like to say how great it is that you are keeping this cat and treating him, I think most people would have taken him back. I know Grizzles cannot say it so I will thank you so much.

 

Ditto to everything Nancy said!

Welcome to FDMB.

And well done for being proactive and wanting to hometest.

Hometesting isn't hard to learn but, like anything new, it can take a few goes to get the hang of it.
In a nutshell, it involves pricking the outer edge of the kitty's ear to get a tiny blood droplet; transferring the blood droplet to a test strip in a glucose meter; waiting for the meter to count down and give the result; and rewarding kitty with a treat and/or a cuddle.
Please be reassured that this should not the kitty as there are very few nerve endings in the edge of the ear. But it will be a new experience for you both.
Kitties pick up on our stress, so the more relaxed and 'matter of fact' about it you are, the more relaxed your kitty is likely to be. Many cats come to look forward to being tested because it's a chance for a bit of 'quality time' with their caregiver.

Here is the link to the FDMB page of hometesting info, tips and tricks, and example videos:
Hometesting Links and Tips

Please ask any questions you want to. We're here to help.

Eliz