Just diagnosed

So our cat Beef was just diagnosed with diabetes. We think he is 8-9 years old. We had a roommate leave him as collateral about 3 1/2 years ago. He is very sweet and we love him.

We are overwhelmed right now with how to care for him, how much things will cost, and the change in our lifestyle. We are very active people and go away often. Putting him down hasn't even occurred and is not an option unless he is in pain.

Any suggestions, tips, thoughts are greatly welcomed.

Lauren and Bryan

 

Hi Lauren,

Glad that you are not considering putting Beef down, but for a little while there is going to be an adjustment period. Can you do that?

Diet can be a big factor in diabetes. What type of food is Beef eating now?

How was he diagnosed? Did he have symptoms that made you think something was wrong? Did the vet mention insulin, if so, do you know what kind?

 

Here are trips on how to save money: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/frugal.html

Food is one big cost and you can definitely save big $$ on that. Don't buy the expensive prescription junk the vet may try to sell you. The food doesn't do anything to help your cat. Feed your cat one of the many commerically available brands that are available. Low carb canned food is best and we can suggest brands to try. Fancy Feast is one popular brand that many people here feed.

Blood glucose testing is something else you can save money on. Instead of having the vet keep your cat in the office all day to do blood glucose testing that won't be accurate, learn how to test your cat at home. Use any one of the Human blood glucose meters that are at the pharmacy (Accu-Chek, FreeStyle, ReliOn, etc). Your vet may sell an expensive "pet blood glucose meter" (AlphaTrack or other brand) but it's not needed and you can't buy the supplies at any Human pharmacy (a big problem if you run out of test strips and you *must* frequently test a hypoing cat)

Going away doesn't need to be a problem. Many people here hire a vet tech from the vet's office to pet sit and give the injections. Others train relatives or friends to give the injections. You can also hire a professional pet sitter who has experience with diabetic cats. Of, if you're lucky, there may be a member who lives nearby and may be able to pet sit for you.

 

Welcome Lauren and Beef,

Love Beef's name. Is there an interesting story there?

The best thing you can do right now is to educate yourself. Read and print off stuff and reread it. Here are some places to get started:

Start with our frequently asked question section: http://www.felinediabetes.com/fdmb-faq.htm

Diet: http://www.catinfo.org Written by a vet, she explains why wet lo carb is best for all cats, but especially diabetics.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/diabetic-cat-diets.htm Janet and Binky's food charts. We try to feed 8-10% carbs.

Having given you those links, you should not change the diet if Beef is already on insulin, until you are hometesting. Changing from dry to wet can drastically reduce the blood glucose levels and you need to be on top of his numbers.

Hometesting: We figure that humans test their blood sugar levels to be sure it is safe to get insulin. We do the same for our cats. Here is some good beginning info: http://www.sugarcats.net/sites/harry/bgtest.htm and a video to show you how it is done: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8

Know that we all started this journey exactly like you - scared and overwhelmed. But as you learn, it begins to make sense, becomes easier and soon becomes routine. We all want to help - we are paying it forward for the help we received.

 

Thank you all so much for your support and suggestions. I googled feline diabetes as soon as we got off the phone with the vet and this is the first place it brought me.

Beef was left by an old roommate of Bryans as collateral, for a while when beef first moved in we would tease and call him beefcake because he was huge. And.when he was left the name stuck, new name for a new beginning. He had been maltreated by his previous owner, not fed properly it taken care of well. He is a very sweet fella I couldn't imagine not taking care I'd him let alone leaving him as collateral over 3 years ago, with no word since.

As for his diagnosis, he had been lethargic for about 2 weeks, but we're in the northeast and have been in a heatwave. Beef doesn't fair well in the heat so we chalked it up to that. He was constipated last week which happens every few months, so we give him a can of wet and systems are typically a go after. But it didn't help, and he began to have a little mange on his tail and wasn't cleaning himself well. We got a last minute vet appointment Saturday morning. He was really good during his exam but he had a fever and the vet gave us the option of an injection to hydrate him take him home and we'd come back on Monday to do the blood work or leave him to have an IV and they could get started ruling thongs out and work on a diagnosis. It was the first time he has not been in our home in 3+ years.

I guess our vet is pretty good. She gave us options and made almost the same recommendations you all have...kitty atkins diet (as Bryan has called it), not worrying about his diet until his blood sugar is stable, and home glucose readings to save on office visits. Right now he eats an indoor geared for tubby cats dry food, the name is escaping me, good life may be? The insulin was $100 for 40 units and for now we're going to try 1 unit am+ 1 unit pm. That's going to be the tough one.

Bryan and I are now both proficient in injections. He's having a harder time than Beef who doesn't flinch. But I'm sure I'll have my.moments too.

Thank you all again for the tips and support,
Lauren, Bryan, and Beef

 

Lauren please consider home testing a must. as well as a diet change. you very well may find yourself with a diet controlled kitty (no insulin) if you help him now. if you need help with the testing materials pm me. the little pm button of the bottom on the post. you may want to call someone to. let me know. this is all new to you and perhaps unsettling and scary---we all started out feeling that way. Now we know better. feline diabetes is very treatable, and bonds you with your kitty like never before. he is your sugar kitty!
we are all here to help you thru this.
Lori

 

No dry foods are good for a diabetic if you can help it. By switching to a wet food, you may well have a diet controlled kitty and won't need to give any insulin. The dry food often is the cause for such high numbers.

Home testing is very important, even if you test only just before giving shots

As for the constipation, that can be fixed very easily in most cases.
With dry food, he's likely not getting enough moisture, so when you feed him wet food, you can mix in some laxative powder such as Miralax, or here in Canada, I get Lax A Day or Reversalax. I sprinkle in 1/4tsp with Oliver's morn meal and eve meal of wet food.
Just be sure to mix in some extra water into the wet food with the powder. In a day or two, you should see 'movement'.