Introducing Jett - diagnosed today

Hi - I am new to this group. My 14.5 y/o precious kitty, Jett, was diagnosed with diabetes this morning. Attached are his blood results. He weighs 13.1 lbs. The vet prescribed 2 units of Lantus insulin twice a day. That seems like a lot to me, but I have no experience with diabetes. Thank you in advance for sharing your experience and helping me get up to speed on what to do and not do. My first hurdle is to give him the 1st shot tonight and try to read all the great information on this forum. I am overwhelmed.

 

Hi PJ, welcome to you and Jett. Sorry for the diagnosis, but you've come to the right place. There are many people here that are knowledgable in all things feline and they will be glad to help you. It is overwhelming at first, but you will get the hang of it. Lantus is a great insulin and is usually started at a dose of 1unit twice/day. Go to the Lantus forum and read the yellow stickies to learn more about how Lantus works and how it is dosed. If you'll begin home testing and set up a spreadsheet, the people on the Lantus board will better be able to help you. In the meantime, ask any questions you have on the Health Forum.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-glargine-levemir-detemir.9/

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

Thank you, Sharon. Are there videos on giving an insulin shot with a Lantus pen?

 

Check out this sticky
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...insulin-info-handling-drawing-fine-doses.151/
We usually draw the Lantus from the pen with a syringe. The pen is like a mini vial.

 

Have you given his shot yet?

 

Hi Sharin - Just finished giving him a shot. I have no idea if it went into him! It is a tiny needle and his skin seemed really thick. Attached us a pic of the Lantus pen and pen needles. Is the 4mm needle the right size?
Thanks!
Patti

 

Hi PJ, I've never used the pen needles. Most of us use a syringe and draw the insulin from the pen like you'd draw from a vial. You can get much more accurate dosing that way. As far as if you got the insulin in or not, I always sniff the injection area after. The smell of insulin is unmistakeable. Having said that sometimes you'll get a little smell even with a good shot. When I first started, I had the vet shave an area on Colin's scruff so I could see his skin and see the needle go in, now I can do it by feel. If you want to use the syringes you can pick them up at any pharmacy, some states require a prescription, so check on that. You'll want U100, 3/10 ml, 8mm, 31gauge, with half unit markings. I use the Relion brand from Walmart.

 

Look how cute your avatar is! What's your other kitty's name and which is Jett?

 

Thanks! They are brothers. Rhett is the brown kitty and Jett is the black kitty. They are so sweet!

 

Are you keeping that pen in the frig? We store the lantus pens in the frig to get the most use out of them like 3-4 months verse the 28 day period on the pen it its left out all the time. Also we order it from marks in canada to get a good deal on a box of 5 pens which should last a year. The pens only do full units which is another disadvantage. also the mechanism can stick when kept in the fridge. the link below has pictures and videos and how to use a syringe with the pen etc.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...insulin-info-handling-drawing-fine-doses.151/

 

The high BUM and creatinine indicate some kidney degradation but the urine specific gravity of 1.027 is relatively good.
How has Jett ben eating? I ask since the liver values of AST and ALT are high

 

Lantus starting dose is actually recommended to be calculated based on the weight of the cat. The formula is ideal weight (or actual weight if underweight) in kg x 0.25. From his vet report, which I looked at over on the CKD site, his weight was 13.31 lb on diagnosis, which comes in at just over 6 kg. If that weight is a good one for him, or he is underweight, that would make his starting dose 1.5 units. If he is overweight, he'd need to start on a lower dose than that. To do half unit dosing, you will need to use syringes to draw the insulin out of the pen rather than using the pen needles, but I see you have already been sent a link to the ReliOn syringes with half unit markings - those are the ones I use here and they're not too expensive at $12 and change for 100 syringes. A half unit difference is a big one for a cat - we make most of our dosing adjustments in 0.25 unit increments and many cats finish up on micro-dosing of smaller amounts again than that (typically 0.1u) which actually do have a measurable effect, so a difference of 0.5u is a significant difference in dosing for a small animal.

Personally, at the moment, I would monitor his liver values rather than worrying too much about them as diabetes can cause liver values to look 'off' until it's brought under control because the cat has to metabolize fats to try to make up for the nutrition that it's body can't extract normally from food due to the lack of insulin in their system. While raised liver enzymes can be a sign of direct liver problems, they may well normalize once Jett's BG is under control and he is able to get the nutrition he needs from his food.

 

Check my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for some additional assessments you might use to evaluate your cat. Given the elevated liver values, check the whites of the eyes for signs of yellowing (jaundice) which can happen if the liver becomes too overwhelmed by the fat breakdown for calories (hepatic lipidosis).

 

I usually give Shorty a good rub over the area where I just shot him at. If it feels wet, then I know that I got a fur shot. But he's been really good, except for the first day, about sitting there until the shot goes in. I think I've given a few skin shots, your kitty will react more to a skin shot than a sub-cutaneous shot because it'll hurt a little. Also, I usually get the needle drawn and ready 10-20 minutes before his shot, so the insulin isn't as cold going in. But, if you rub his fur over the shot area immediately after the shot and don't feel any wetness, then it's at least in him.

 

Rubbing the shot area after a shot is not recommended since rubbing can squeeze insulin out of the subQ tissue and into the fur. thus, making the shot less effective.

 

I'm sorry to have to say "welcome" but you are in good hands here. I am also a newbie with a recently diagnosed diabetic fur baby and the people here are amazing, helpful, supportive, and knowledgeable. I was able to advocate for my Mimi's health care plan due to people here and suggestions that were made.