nervous about diagnosis

Hi Everyone, My 12 year old cat was diagnosed with diabetes today, his blood sugar was over 500. The vet put him on 2 shots of Lantus a day. Hope he will start feeling better soon. How long does it take for them to start feeling better after they have started the Lantus..It is so hard to see him suffering.

 

Welcome.
What dose of Lantus? A good starting does is 1 unit twice a day. You should some improvement in 3-5 days


Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
What are you feeding? A low-carb canned is best. No reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb canned.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

If you have any other specific questions please post n the Health forum
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/

 

Good morning and welcome to FDMB.

Hearing that your cat has diabetes can be very overwhelming and scary. However, it is something that can be easily managed with a good insulin, a low carb/high protein diet and hometesting.

Larry gave you some great links above. If you have any questions, please let us know. We have all been where you are now and can help you get through this. Soon you will probably be helping other new members to this board.

 

My Dust Bunny was put on ProZinc at 2u twice a day and she actually started cleaning herself again on the first day! It was about 5-6 hrs after the first shot and she wasnt hiding and sleeping all the time. Its had been a while since i saw her cleaning herself. I hope your kitty feels better just as quick!

 

Hi there, and welcome to you and your kitty.

As other members have already posted, we know only too well how overwhelming and scary things can be in the early days after diagnosis. Melanie (@Brashworks), one of our members here, made an absolutely wonderful video about how well her kitty, Genghis, has done since she was diagnosed and successfully treated with insulin. I've posted a link to the video below because I think it will help you to feel more hopeful and positive that your kitty will feel better again.



Lantus is what is known as a depot insulin. Over several days it builds up a little 'tank' (depot) of insulin in a kitty's body; a bit like a chemical pancreas (but one without an OFF switch). It can therefore take administration of several doses before the full effect of a dose can be judged.

Home testing will help you to keep your kitty safe and monitor how he is doing on a particular dose. Tracking blood glucose results in a spreadsheet will help you to better understand how your kitty is responding to his insulin and it will help you to fine tune your kitty's dose so that he can safely get the greatest benefit from his insulin treatment. The spreadsheet also helps members here to give you better tips and suggestions as you go along.

As his body starts to use the insulin you should first start to see improvements along the lines of less drinking and less peeing. If he's currently hungry all the time then his appetite should start to return to normal as the insulin treatment starts to benefit him. Over time he should start showing more interest in grooming. Between that and the insulin helping his body to use nutrients properly again his coat condition should start showing clear signs of improvement. If he has lost too much weight prior to Dx then the insulin treatment should halt the weight loss and he should start regaining lost weight as treatment progresses. The transformation that effective FD treatment brings about can be jaw-droppingly impressive.

Can you let us know your kitty's current weight, and whether he is underweight, overweight, or at ideal weight. Also, does he have any other medical issues alongside the diabetes Dx?


Mogs
.

 

Thank you for your reply and all of those wonderful links. Puffy is taking Lantus @ 2 units twice a day. This is day 3 for our compassionate and sweet little fellow. We have seen an improvement with his drinking less often(4-5x) and thus less frequent trips to the litter box. He is still eating Hills MD OK. But he is still excessively tired and can't stand very long before laying back down. The vet said he has a bladder infection and two abscessed teeth. Puffy doesn't tolerate liquids or pills at all. He was stressing so badly during each attempt with the liquid. We opted for a long acting shot called Convenia. Wow! after reading up on Convenia, we wish we didn't give him that. Now he has this horrible antibiotic which has quite a few LONG ACTING negative side affects of it's own. Those side affects make it hard for us to notice the simpler positive affects of the insulin therapy. Puffy "might" have a difficult road ahead. But he has two over the top caring parents.

 

Thank you very much for your interest and the ways Puffy should be improving soon. He already has begun to drink and pee less often. Sadly his injection of Covenia will mask some of his improvements until it is eliminated from his system. What a bad antibiotic with multiple side affects. So sad to see him so tired all the time. His eyes are so full of expression. Just breaks our hearts. We know that he will turn the corner soon. The folks at this web site and it's forum have been a God send for us.
In response to your questions, Puffy is just a tad over 14 lbs. I believe he is 2 lbs. over weight. He just got bigger within the last three months. Puffy just became lethargic a week ago. We took him to his vet and found out that he also has a bladder infection and 2 abscessed teeth. This is why he prescribed liquid Amoxicilline. Puffy is very strong and determined not to let you squirt anything into his mouth. We tried but are such softies when we try to administer liquids. Wish the vet told us about Covenia before hand. We would have been firmer yet gentler, and calmer in our later attempts. Hind site is apparent here. Thank you again.

 

Thank you for your positive support. I would like nothing better than Puffy turning the corner and returning to "normal". Sure am looking forward to being able to help calm other folks fears and to also give advise. Thank you very much.

 

Best asset Puffy could wish for!


Mogs
.

 

I am adding Puffy to my Novena Prayer list if that is alright?

 

Thank you so much for your compassion. Please include Puffy in your Novena Prayer list. The power of prayer is truly remarkable.