Hello-New

Hi, I just found this board and it has helped calm me down a little. I am a cat mom to 25 rescues. They range in age from one and a half years old all the way up to 14 and a half years old.

My youngest male cat Ventuno (Vinny) who is a year and a half old was diagnosed with diabetes yesterday. He was at the vet's office all day. His beginning blood glucose for the day was 519. After 2 units of insulin on the next check he was in the high 300's. On the next check he was back up to 508.

I am to give him 3 units of insulin twice a day.

He was a perfectly healthy cat until 2 months ago. I am unsure but I believe he was bit by a spider. He had one trapped in their bedroom but I don't know if it got him before I got it. A couple of days later he had a very infected looking spot on the side of his mouth. With antibiotics, it was gone after about 10 days. Then about 2 weeks later, he started acting like he couldn't get enough to eat and he was begging for me to turn on every water source in the house. I started noticing weight loss, a roughness to his coat and appearance and he seemed tired all the time. He was eating and drinking with no issues going to the box.

Due to his age, the vet checked him for everything but diabetes and everything checked out fine. Yesterday he weighed only 10.2lbs.

Like any other pet parent, I am concerned and want to do whatever I can to help him.

 

Welcome! Sorry you have to be here, but you have found the best place! Post in the main forum, the Feline Health board for the most eyes. What insulin are you giving? What does he normally eat? Did your vet talk to you about home testing?

 

Welcome to you all (I feel woefully underpopulated with only 5 rescues here)!

Was an antibiotic the only treatment for the spot, or did Vinny also maybe get a steroid to help reduce swelling? I am curious, because the timing seems strange and a steroid (whether oral or injected) can certainly bring on diabetes - it did for our first diabetic cat. But of course it could all just be a coincidence, you just never know.

 

Welcome!

 

Thank you for replying. He is on Vetsulin. They all eat a mixture of dry and wet food. The dry is Pro Plan Pure Nature and for the wet, it's friskies. Until this diabetes thing happened, Vinny was the only one who would NOT eat the wet food. Now he acts like he can't get enough of it. I have a huge issue with this vet so they don't discuss a whole lot with me. I moved here a year and a half ago and in this small town...I'm an outsider...I don't always get a warm welcome. Plus last week I came unglued and I told her she had the compassion of a seriel killer. Vinny wasn't there 10 minutes and the word euthanisia came out of her mouth at least 3 times. This is before any test were run. I had a cat who had Fibrocartilaginous Embolic Myelopathy and I had to drive him 2 hours one-way to get to a decent vet. So, now she didn't discuss anything with me other than bring him back in a week.

 

Vinny did get a steroid injection. I don't think it's a coincidence. Vinny was a big strong healthy boy. Not fat, just a big boy. He looks so awful now. If steroid can bring on diabetes, is it a temporary thing?

 

Ding ding ding! No, I do not think it is a coincidence then. It isn't a guarantee, but I feel much more confident thinking that it caused the diabetes. Fortunately, you caught it very early and started treating it right away. Is it temporary? No one can say for certain, but I think that there is a good chance of it. We got our first diabetic into remission after his steroid injection for skin issues.

It is even more important, then, that you home test if you can. Although the recommendation is for everyone to home test, in my opinion it is even more critical if steroid-induced because it can go away at almost any time.

Your vet sounds like a real peach. I'll leave it at that or I'll curse a blue streak. At least you got your insulin prescription, you can try to push back on her for home testing and curves rather than bringing him back (for a curve, I assume, which is pointless to do there). We can help with the rest. I don't personally have experience with Vetsulin, but others do.

You are in the right place. Euthanasia for Vinny, or any cat not literally at death's door, which he ABSOLUTELY IS NOT, at this point would literally be criminal. Shame on her.

Sandi.

 

Is there a specific place here that I can gain some knowledge of home testing?
I've had experience with so many cat related illnesses but diabetes isn't one of them.

I am so happy I found this board.

 

You can start here http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/#post-1665 , and you can certainly go to youtube to see some variations. Basically, you just prick their ear (or paw pad, but most kitties don't like that) just like a human would prick their finger, and then use the same meter and strips to test it.

I am going to blatantly plagiarize (with all credit due) a shopping list and video from @JanetNJ :

"If you have a Walmart nearby many here use a relion micro meter... If no Walmart choose a different one that takes a 0.3 sample.
1. Relion micro or confirm meter
2. Box of 100 extra test strips
3. Box of 28 gauge lancets
4. Cotton cosmetic rounds
5. Neosporin ointment with pain relief"

If in the US, #1 should be $14.98 for the Confirm, and #2 is #35.88 for 100. Lancets are cheap. #4, some also use a folded over paper towel, it is just something to put between their ear and your finger. If you are not in the US, then you might not find #5, but might have an equivalent ointment that you would use on small human wounds that also has a pain relief component.

And here is the video,also liberally stolen from @JanetNJ 's signature:

I will also add that your vet may recommend/"require" a pet-specific meter like an AlphaTrak, but that isn't necessary and the strips are way more expensive than for the human meters. If the vet pushes back, either on home testing at all, or on using a human meter, we can give you suggestions for how to handle it. Heaven knows, we've collectively dealt with it all.

We are glad you are here too. Being able to treat a diabetic would be a great tool for you to have in your virtual rescuer's toolbox.

More questions? Head them our way. I'll be offline until tomorrow, but the beauty of the board is that others will be coming and going around the world and someone can surely help.

Have a great evening (morning? I forgot to ask where in the world you were located...based on your food choices, I am assuming the US, but if not then let us know and we can give meter suggestions specific to your locale).

Best,
Sandi.

 

Thank you for the info. I am in the US also, in SouthWest Tennessee.

 

Great. Hello from next door in NC

Have a great day!
Sandi.

 

welcome

 

Have a hug from New Zealand.