Juvenile diabetes

One year old stray, Finnegan, I took in has been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. Feeling very overwhelmed right now and worried about my boy. Getting one unit morning and night. Haven’t discussed home testing with vet yet. We have specialty vets for internal medicine that I want to try. Trying to find food he likes that is good for him. Any other cats out there with juvenile diabetes? I just don’t know what’s normal for Finnegan.

 

Hi and welcome to FDMB. I have not personally heard of "juvenile diabetes" in a cat, but that doesn't mean someone else on the board has not. I just looked up the meaning of juvenile diabetes and see that it's classified as Type 1 diabetes. Diabetes, a common condition for humans, is also relatively common in domestic animals like cats. Type I diabetes(insulin dependent diabetes mellitus – IDDM) occurs when the body is completely unable to manufacture insulin.

If it was my situation my main concern right now would be about effective treatment, whether a kitty is Type 1 or Type 2. We know that getting the diabetes diagnosis can be very overwhelming. However, please take a deep calming breath and know that this is not the end of the road, it's just the beginning of a new branch in the path of your life so far.

There is extensive information here on effective diabetic treatment for your cat. Please tell us what your vet has recommended for treatment and perhaps we can fill in some of the blanks, plus offer the support of the community.

This Introduction forum is only the welcome mat and you can start a new thread asking for input on the Juvenile Diabetes question as that forum is much more heavily monitored by members. Main Health forum Link
You can just copy your message here if you like and paste it into a new thread on the Main Health forum.

 

Welcome! Finnegan is a cute kitty. There's a sticky by Dr. Pierson at the top of the main health forum that has a link to a spread sheet with protein, carb, fat and phosphorous percentages in a ton of wet foods. There's also some notes on recommended numbers. IIRC, under 10% carbs, 40+% protein, phosphorous under 300 (lower for CKD cats).

Home testing is easier than it sounds. I was apprehensive about it and I've been giving CKD cats subq fluids for years! Home testing is required as you need to test for BG levels before giving insulin. Also cats get stressed out at the vet and that can raise BG, resulting in higher numbers.

Many people here use human meters, the Walmart ReliOn Prime is $9, 50 test strips $9 and 200 lancets $3. Before investing in a glucose meter, consider the cost of the test strips. The pet specific AlphaTrak test strips are $1 each. In a month, I've been through 100 test strips and haven't tested all that much as my cat seems to be in remission.

You can set up a signature with info about Finnegan. You don't mention what kind of insulin you are giving Finnegan. There are several varieties and they work differently.

There's a ton of info here. It will take time to read through it, reread it and absorb it. Lots of acronyms and buzzwords used.

Finnegan sounds like he is in excellent hands!

 

Oh, he is not in the best of hands. He is in the “I don’t hear him so he’s dead” hands. Sigh.

 

Oh boy, I know that feeling so well and I still do it. It just means that you love that little guy. Since you love him so much you will do really well. As Gypsy's Mom says home testing is not that difficult and after the initial fear of hurting your cat it does get easier. I really think your first step is to get the meter and strips and start testing. Believe me you will feel better that you are doing something that will keep Finnegan safe. There is a great instructional video here that will teach you to do it. Let me see if I can find the link for you.
Big hug, you've come to the right place to help Finnegan feel better.

 

My vet says grain free is very bad for cats. Don't know why. So scared to feed him wet food that is grain free. He's not eating anything right now, anyway, at least not this morning.

 

instructional video by JanetNJ about testing. Here

 

Do you know why he isn't eating?
Are you trying him with new food? it is very important that he eats.

 

Hello and welcome to FDMB. Getting a diagnosis of diabetes can be very overwhelming but it's quit manageable. Not sure how your vet determined that your cat has "juvenile diabetes" but age alone does not determine the type of diabetes. Special testing would need to be done to make a determination between Type I and Type II diabetes. I believe Type I is extremely rare. Most cats are Type II.

Totally agree. If your kitty is just not interested in some new food you're trying feed the food you used before so you get some food into him.
There is plenty of information out there that grain free diets are perfectly fine for cats. There is some controversy with dogs and it sounds to me like your vet has cats and dogs mixed up. Cats are obligate carnivores and wouldn't eat grains in the wild so they do fine without them.

 

Mr. Finnegan is a very picky cat when it comes to eating. What he loved this morning, he now hates. So same food - just didn't want to eat it! we think he got into something that made him not hungry. He is eating now. Vet has given me some Fancy Feast options. He will be going to MedVets to see a specialist as soon as we can get him in.

 

Good to hear Mr. Finnegan is eating. You don't need your vet's permission to home test your cat's BG and it is by far the best way to keep Mr. Finnegan safe and on the road to better health. Any human glucometer can be used but best to choose one that takes the smallest blood sample and that has economical test strips. A lot of folks here use the Relion brand meters from Walmart.
Please keep us posted and let us know if there is anything we can help you with even if it's just a little moral support.