How do I proceed????

Hi Everyone!

My 12 year old cat Cosmo was diagnosed with diabetes in August. He has been free fed dry kibble (Blue Buffalo) his whole life.

Upon diagnosis my vet wanted me to start feeding Cosmo a prescription diabetes food, get Cosmo on a feeding schedule, and give him insulin shots twice a day.

Cosmo shunned the perscription food, didn't like it at all. He ended up going 3 days without eating anything!!! Very stubborn cat. So vet said to have Cosmo go back to his dry kibble so at least he will eat.

I have successfully gotten Cosmo on a feeding schedule with his dry kibble. After finding Dr. Pierson's website and reading everything, I would like to see if I can switch Cosmo over to a wet food and see if his diabetes will go into remission.

Here is my issue though - when I asked my vet about doing this and checking Cosmo's glucose at home my vet told me that pet owners should not be doing that at home. He said I need to bring Cosmo in every time I need his glucose checked. The vet won't even talk to me about how to home test and possibly getting Cosmo off insulin. The vet told me to switch Cosmo over to the wet food and then after two weeks bring Cosmo in to get his blood sugar checked. After reading the information on Dr. Pierson's website this scares me because I'm afraid of insulin overdose if we wait two weeks.

I've watched the videos and read all the information on how to test at home, but here are my questions -

1. Since Cosmo has been on Insulin since August, is it too late to try to switch him to wet food and see if he will go into remission?

2. Would switching to wet and trying home testing be a good next step (I don't want to stress Cosmo out by doing this if there isn't a chance he can go into remission due to being on insulin for too long now)?

3. If I do start home testing, what are the parameters for normal blood sugar for a cat? What are the parameters in each stage to lower his dosage so I avoid insulin overdose? He is currently on 2 units of ProZinc twice a day if that helps.

4. I know the vein in the ear is the preferred testing site for cats, but Cosmo has very dark ears. I can't see a vein at all. Can I test him in his paw pad instead?

I greatly appreciate any help anyone can offer.

 

Hi,

The 1st most important thing to do is to start home testing right now if your kitty receives dose.

I would like to suggest you post the same thing over at the ProZinc Forum, HERE is the link and talk to experienced users about dosing for tonight – given that you are able to test prior to injecting to make sure it is safe in the 1st place.

But..please go to Walmart now and buy everything needed to provide for safety of your kitty:

Relion Prime human glucometer + box of Relion Prime testing strips 100ct, box of Relion lancets gauge 26 or 28-29, pack of cosmetic cotton balls or rounds, Neosporin WITH pain relief ointment (better than cream).

For you home kit to prevent Hypo:

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers – Beef feast 2-5 small cans, Fancy Feast Grilled Chicken or/ and Tuna Feast 2-5 cans, Karo Syrup or Honey.

None of it will be expensive. And on the ProZ forum they'll ask the same.

 

1. Switching to wet is an excellent idea, but I would learn how to test first. Taking away the high carb kibble could make a huge impact on the numbers.

2. Yes. Get a meter, learn to test. Then switch to low carb. You can then determine what dose changes you need.

3. Normal on a human meter is 50-120 and on a pet meter it's 68-150. If your cat starts going towards the bottom of normal mid cycle at their lowest then you need to reduce the dose. People here can help you with that.

4. The ear is preferred but you actually want to avoid hitting the vein. It hurts more and bleeds too much. You want to get the sweet spot on the edge of the ear. There are a handful that use the paw pads.

 

Not too late at all!
The thing is to proceed gradually as per Dr. Pierson.
Lowering daily carbs content lowers BG levels significantly and whilst on a dose the cat should be carefully monitored by testing BG at home to avoid Hypoglycemia.

@Dena

 

You may want to consider finding a new vet, too.

 

Hi Dena and Cosmo, first of all, welcome to FDMB. Ultimately the goal is remission, but it is not the only concern. Getting Cosmo at least regulated and keeping him safe is equally important. His health is paramount.
I suggest that you do a few things to educate yourself about feline diabetes and then others to help us help you with Cosmo's treatment and care.
First, revisit the Home page and read the Getting Started and the Education sections on the right side of the page. This is all information that is a good basis for understanding the disease and how to help Cosmo. I admit, I had to go back and re-read some items more than once, as I began to understand and more "sank in" each time.
Second, create your signature. This is Cosmo's pertinent information that will display with each of your posts. It provides members with important info without having to ask for it over and over again. Here is a link: SIGNATURE
Third: learn to home test, it's one of the best tools you have to see how the insulin is working for Cosmo and help keep him safe. We can help with all kinds of tips. Set up your spreadsheet and record all insulin injection times/doses, plus the BG (blood glucose levels) when you test. This provides the data which will show the patterns of how the insulin is working, and helps members advise you. SPREADSHEET INSTRUCTIONS UNDERSTANDING THE SPREADSHEET
Get educated and know what to do if Cosmo experiences a Hypoglycemic event. It can be life threatening and you will want to be knowledgeable and prepared. This information is in the FAQs forum, as well as an Index with other valuable information about feline diabetes treatment, many "how to's", including home testing. FAQS
There are insulin specific forums here that will inform you about the insulin you are using, and very caring, knowledgeable and experienced members that can further advise.
One step at a time and you will find yourself empowered, informed and in control of Cosmo's health and well being.