New diabetic kitty....

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Jane & Boo (GA), Jan 10, 2016.

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  1. Jane & Boo (GA)

    Jane & Boo (GA) Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    I have a new diabetic kitty, but am not new to this forum. I had another diabetic kitty a few years back (Silverado, GA) who actually turned out to be an acro cat. The kind and knowledgeable folks of this forum recognized that Silverado wasn't responding like a normal diabetic and pointed me to another group for acro cats. With their help, I learned a lot about Acromegaly and the protocols for dosing an acro cat. Sadly, I lost Silverado back in 2011.

    Fast forward to last week.... I was asked to take a kitty who was being removed from a neglectful environment. The old lady who had her wasn't neglecting her out of malice, she was just an old woman having trouble taking care of herself and doing the best she could for the kitty that she calls Boo. Boo is nothing but skin and bones and has lots of hair loss from over-grooming, so my first order of business was a vet visit with a full blood panel and urine test. Of course, the diagnosis is diabetes. After talking to the former owner, I'm sure the diabetes is the result of steroids that she was prescribed to "calm" the over-grooming issue that her previous vet suspected was due to an allergy. The old woman couldn't afford tests to determine the actual problem, so trusted the vet when they told her there is "no harm" in trying the prednisone for a while to see if that stops the over-grooming. The steroids didn't solve the problem.... just created another one.

    So now I'm studying to get myself back up to speed on this whole process. The good news is that I'm not terrified like I was the first time around with Silverado. He was a great teacher and I thank him for the lessons learned.
     
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  2. Merlin

    Merlin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2014
    Welcome back Jane and Boo to FDMB! How wonderful of you to take on such a beautiful soul. Here is a list of things for you in which I am sure all will sound familiar. I am sure it will be no time before you get Boo back to feeling good. Bless you!

    Good Reading: This is a must read. It is an excellent 18 page informative document that covers feline health and nutrition. Don't take short cuts and read it all. www.catinfo.org Also read other postings and their spreadsheets. You will learn a lot more from others.

    Home Testing: Here, we all home test and congratulations to you for wanting to home test too. It is mandatory to understand how your kitty is reacting to the insulin and the dose. You will want to test before each shot and some additional test in between the 12 hour cycle when you can. The main reason to home test is to keep your kitty safe and to find an effective dose. Find a place in your home where you will always perform the test and give lots of hugs and treats before and after testing. There are many videos showing you how to test. Hometesting Links and TipsHere is a picture of where you test on your kitty. http://s106.photobucket.com/user/chupie_2006/media/testingear/sweetspot.jpg.html

    Here is another good link on Home Testing:http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-home-test.htm

    Meters: There are many different meters. There is a pet meter called the Alpha Trak2 and human meters. Some use the pet meter because it is what the vets use so the numbers will match up. The meter and strips are expensive though. Most folks buy AT strips from ADW. Most use human meters that can be purchased at any pharmacy. It typically reads a little lower than the pet meter but we have ways of compensating for those lower numbers. Many use Walmart's brand, Relion Micro, Relion Prime or Relion Confirm. The Micro and Confirm only needs a tiny drop of blood but the strips are a little more expensive than the Prime which needs a little bigger drop of blood. They cost around $15 and the strips are around 35 cents each. The AT strips are usually around $1 each at the vet’s office.

    Lancets: Lancets are used to poke the ear to get blood for the meters. There are many different sizes lancets (gauges). It is recommended when you are first starting out to use a 26-28 gauge because it is a larger size and will make a bigger hole, hence easier to draw blood. Also, it would be a good idea to pick up Neosporin WITH pain reliever to apply on the edge of the ears and don't forget to alternate ears. It is a bit scary at first to start poking the ear, but eventually it will become easier for both you and your kitty. Some people even draw blood from the paw pad.

    Spreadsheets: Our spreadsheet instructions are here. If you look at the signatures of the members here, you will see a link to their kitty’s spreadsheets. We keep track of all our tests. This is basically a place to collect data and help you to determine patterns, doses, etc. It also aids those that may be helping you to better understand your kitty. To further my knowledge on diabetes, I would make it a habit to read other kitty’s postings and spreadsheets. Even though they are all different and will be different than your kitty, it was still invaluable information.

    Food: There are many reasons why we are here but one is due to feeding dry cat food which is high in carbs. You will want to consider changing your food to wet, low carb food. It is recommended to feed food that is under 10% carbs and I found with Merlin that right around 4-5% worked for him. Here is a list of cat food to choose from food chartyou will note that the food with fish are lower in carbs however it is recommended that you only give fish once a week due to its mercury content. Many use Fancy Feast, 9 Lives, Friskies, Wellness, Werurva etc. This list can also be found in www.catinfo.org If you are already giving insulin and you have not transitioned to wet, low carb cat food, be sure to test while you are transitioning. This is because by changing to low carb food, it could decrease your kitty’s number by 100 points or more. One last thing, many of us add water to the wet food so your kitty is getting plenty of water to flush out the toxins and to keep them hydrated.

    Hypo Kit: Always good to be prepared for possible hypo events (low blood sugar) which means that your cat has reached dangerously low numbers. It can be fatal, hence, the importance of home testing and collecting data in a spreadsheet. In each of the Insulin forums are stickie’s labeled Hypo Links. Here is one: How to Handle a Hypo. Please print and post on your refrigerator so everyone in your household is aware of hypo symptoms. You will want to create your hypo kit that would include and not limited to; extra testing strips, honey/karo/maple syrup, high carb food, medium carb food, vet information, etc. Hopefully you will never need it but probably at some point in time, you will need to deter from going too low.

    Ketones: Diabetic cats are susceptible to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). It is best to buy testing strips that will measure (if any) ketones in the urine. One brand is Ketostix which can be found at Walmart or any pharmacy. You will want to test periodically unless you continue to get high numbers, then it is suggested to test more frequently. Ketostix typically costs around $10 for 100.

    Treats: It is always nice to have treats available for your kitty especially when testing or when they decide not to eat. I like using Pure Bites. I have found it at Petsmart and other pet stores. It is freeze dried and the only ingredient is the meat i.e. chicken, duck, etc. If your cat likes it, then I would go to the dog section where it is cheaper than the cat package. It is bigger chunks but no problem in breaking it up. Another option is to use Bonita Flakes where you can find at your local Asian market. There is a link here somewhere in this site that has a list of low carb treats.

    Injections: Some of the insulins that folks use are Lantus, Levemir, Prozinc, Humulin, Novolin Vetsulin, etc. Two hours prior to your insulin shot, you will not want your kitty to eat. The reason is because food will elevate the BG number and you do not want to shoot based on a higher number. Then you test and then feed. It is best for your kitty to eat a little before your shoot. I shoot while he is eating. Here is a link on how to give injections.http://www.felinediabetes.com/injections.htm If you are using Humulin, Novolin, Vetsulin, etc. it is best to ensure that your kitty has eaten all of their meal; say about 20-30 minutes before you shoot so they have a little more in their tummy.

    If you have any questions, just holler.
     
  3. Jane & Boo (GA)

    Jane & Boo (GA) Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    Thank you Cindi! I remembered most of this..., but not all of it. Still need to get Ketone strips and get a spreadsheet started. I did manage to do her first home BG test today. She did great.... me, not so much.... it took me 3 pokes to get enough blood. She handled it really well though. Her first test result was 242. I have her eating Fancy Feast Classic right now, but will be transitioning her to home-made raw that I feed to my other cats. I didn't want to put her on raw before knowing how her kidney function is. Her blood test indicates that her kidneys are fine (yea!).
     
  4. Merlin

    Merlin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2014
    That is fantastic news about Boo's kidneys. That is awesome that you are making home-made raw food. I bet your kitties love their dinners.
     
  5. Jane & Boo (GA)

    Jane & Boo (GA) Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    I started feeding home-made raw 2-years ago when I took in an IBD kitty. He had been suffering from chronic diarrhea for a couple of years, was wasting away to nothing, and had an awful looking coat. I convinced the owner to let me take over his care and initially thought that I would end up needing to have him put down because he was in very, very bad shape. After experimenting with dozens of commercial foods, doctoring him through dehydration, and an episode of fatty-liver, I decided to try Dr. Pierson's raw recipe. After 3-days on the raw diet his diarrhea stopped and it has never come back. Today he is at a healthy weight and is just beautiful... his black coat just glistens. After seeing this, I put all of my cats on this diet. I spend one day of every month making cat food and it's soooooo worth it me to see how healthy and happy these guys are because of it.
     
    Critter Mom likes this.
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