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Hello. Well we just found out our 8 year old cat is diabetic. I can't stop crying. I know this will take some adjusting. Im not even sure how to do this. Wish me luck

 

Welcome.
Good insulins are the human Lantus and Levemir and the pet insulins ProZinc and BCP PZI. For those two human insulin it is best to get the 5 pack of 3 ml disposable pens via a 10 ml vial. Although per ml the vial is less expensive most cats will not use up a 10 ml vial before the insulin goes bad/becomes ineffective. The human insulin N/NPH is sometimes prescribed but only lasts 8-10 hours. Same for the pet insulin Vetsulin/Caninisulin.
Most of us here test our cat's 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 sugar
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

Hi Jan, welcome. It is scary at first, but it will get better. Please tell us more about your cat and ask any questions you have. We will be glad to help you along in this journey.

 

Hi and welcome to FDMB.

It is scary and overwhelming when you find out your cat has diabetes. However, it is something that is very manageable. The best way to manage it is by feeding a low carb/high protein diet, good long acting insulin and home testing. Larry has already provided you with some good information.

We can help you learn all you need to care for your sugar kitty. Can you tell us about your kitty? What are you currently feeding him/her? Did your vet prescribe insulin yet? If so, what is the dose?

We recommend home testing so you can have more control about managing your cat's glucose levels. This means using a glucose meter to test his/her blood before every shot. It sounds scary, but once you get the hang of it, you will wonder why you were so worried. By testing before every shot, you will know if it is safe to give insulin and how well the dose is working. Don't worry, we can help you learn all of this.

Ask any questions you may have on the Health board. That is the board where we post all health questions and you will get the most responses.

 

Hello JanPaschal, and welcome!

My cat was also diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 8, and he is now nearly 18 years old.

It can be very upsetting when we first find out that our beloved kitty has diabetes. Everyone here understands how that feels - (((hugs))).
But the good news is that diabetes is treatable! And with good care and a little bit of luck a diabetic kitty can live as long and as happily as a non-diabetic kitty.
And some lucky kitties will go into 'remission' from their diabetes (ie. be able to have their diabetes controlled by diet alone, either temporarily or permanently.)

We can give you tips about giving insulin shots; and can also help you learn to test your kitty's blood glucose at home if you're willing to try that. (It's much easier than it sounds. )
We can also give you advice on the best diet to feed.

The insulin the vet prescribes may depend on where you are in the World, and also on what you can afford to buy. Some people have choices about which insulin to use, and some do not. But whichever insulin your vet prescribes we will do our best to help you use it most effectively.

Chin up, sweetie! We are here to support you.

Eliz

 

I understand your feelings well. That first week is especially difficult. We will do our best to support and advise you through this.

There are experienced users on here of all different types of insulin.

 

Wow this is so overwhelming. The insulin is Vetsulin at 3 ml I guess you call it once a day for now. I gave the first shot this morning at 8 am. My husband held her and she didn't even flinch. I gave it to her right after she ate breakfast. I have had all 3 of my indoor cats on Blue Buffalo but seems I should be feeding Classie canned food. The list provided was awesome. So now I have to start with a glucometer? The vet hasn't mentioned that yesterday. I guess that will come at next weeks appointment. The is all so new and still crying here. Hope it gets better. Thank you all for your comments

 

Classie Daisy is a beautiful tuxedo and the oldest of our "children". We have two other babies, Tiger Lilly which is a 6 year old tiger stripped tabby and our newest addition is a boy of 6 months named Frisco Polston. Yes all have middle names.

 

Vetsulin...and all insulins...are given twice a day with kitties since their metabolism is much faster. Vetsulin is given once a day with dogs, but will not last 24 hours with kitties. Also is that 3 UNITS you are giving? That is a high starting dose. You can start home testing with a glucometer without waiting for your vet. Especially in the beginning it is very prudent to check glucose levels to see how quickly or how well your kitty responds. DO NOT CHANGE FOODS TO LOWER CARB WET FOODS UNTIL YOU ARE HOME TESTING. There have been many kitties who have had their glucvose levels drop quite a lot JUST with a food change to low carb wet and this would mean that the amount of insulin would also have to be dropped to prevent the kitty from going too low into a hypo.

 

You can post individual questions on this forum:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/

We can get you information on home testing and setting up a spreadsheet to track your kitty's progress.

 

From the Vetsulin website:

http://www.vetsulin.com/vet/Cats_DosingOverview.aspx

"in cats, initially administer twice-daily doses 12 hours apart concurrently with or right after meals fed twice daily. (No change in feeding schedule is required for cats fed ad libitum.) Reevaluate the cat at appropriate intervals and adjust the dose based on clinical signs, urinalysis results, and glucose curve/spot check values until adequate glycemic control has been attained."

From the Caninsulin website (same insulin different name in other countries)

http://www.caninsulin.ca/faq-answers-p.asp

" lente (intermediate-acting) form of insulin, Caninsulin contains approximately 30 percent amorphous insulin for rapid onset of activity, usually peaking about 4 hours after injection and lasting 8 hours in dogs. The remaining 70 percent of the formula is crystalline insulin which is absorbed more slowly and peaks around 11 hours after administration in dogs. In cats, the duration of action of Caninsulin is shorter, with the maximum duration of activity around 12 hours. This formulation allows for a more continuous utilization of glucose to support the body’s energy requirements. Caninsulin is administered subcutaneously once a day initially, although many dogs require twice-a-day administration for effective diabetes management. Cats require Caninsulin to be administered twice daily."

Also because Vetsulin is a faster acting insulin that some others, your kitty needs to be fed about 30 minutes BEFORE giving the shot...first to make sure that there is food on board before the insulin hits and secondly, to make sure that he will eat. If he refuses food, then it would be more prudent to hold the shot, especially when you are not yet home-testing.

It can be overwhelming in the beginning, but it will all start to make sends as you go along.


ETA I would definitely talk to your vet about the starting dose and the once a day shot. Kitties usually are started at 1 to 1.5 units for each shot

 

@Tuxedo Mom
I think this response is for another person whose cat is named Lincoln:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/newly-diagnosed-sos.166933/

 

Thanks...the information was for this person but I was also reading another post with a kitty named Lincoln. After I got the information from the Vetsulin/Caninsulin site to post here I mixed up the kitties' names. One of those days.

 

Do not give 3u twice a day. I would give 1.5 twice a day (12 hours) until you are testing his BG. I would call the vet before giving any more shots. 3 units is a very high dose to start with. Some vets don't advocate home testing. You don't need your vet's permission. You want to be in charge of your cat. You can buy a glucose meter from Walmart or buy a meter made for pets. Both kind of meters can be bought from Amazon much less expensive then from the vet.

 

I agree that the 3 unit dose is far too high. Normal starting doses on Caninsulin are 1 to 1.5 units every 12 hours. I suggested that she speak with her vet about the poor dosing information and provided the links in my post earlier as to how kitties should be dosed. Definitely the home testing should be started ASAP. As well I advised NOT to do a food change until home-testing has been started.

 

Its only once a day. Surely my vet would not steer me wrong. Would he?

 

Some vets are used to treating diabetic dogs. With diabetic dogs they are only given Caninsulin once a day. Because a kitty has a much faster metabolism one shot will not last for 24 hours, merely 12 or less so for 1/2 of that time there is no insulin keeping the glucose levels down. Unfortunately vets are not always well schooled in feline diabetes. Also the starting dose for Caninsulin for a kitty is 1 to 1.5 units twice a day. A dose of 3 units once a day is too high. Please show your vet the information from the Caninsulin and Vetsulin websites that I supplied. And also please consider home testing to keep your kitty safe. Some kitties can react strongly even in the early days of starting insulin. As has been said before, a human diabetic always tests before each shot and in between to make sure the glucose levels are safe and we do the same thing for our kitties.

 

Send your vet this link:

http://www.caninsulin.ca/insulin-dosage-cats.asp


Insulin dosage for diabetic cats
Starting dose:

• 0.25-0.5 IU/kg body weight twice daily.

Pre-treatment blood glucose concentration is used as guidance for the calculation of initial insulin dose in cats. See table below:

Baseline blood glucose concentration
(mmol/L) Baseline blood glucose concentration
(mg/dL) Initial Caninsulin dose (rounded down to the nearest whole unit)
<20 mmol/L <360 mg/dL 0.25 U/kg body weight 1 unit
>20 mmol/L >360 mg/dL 0.5 U/kg body weight* 2 units
Remember to round the cat’s bodyweight down to the nearest whole kilogram and the calculated dose down to the nearest whole or half unit.

*The maximal dose should ideally not exceed 2 IU per injection in the first 2-3 weeks of treatment.


These are the instructions and guidelines from the manufacturer of Caninsulin

 

I'm afraid so. 3 units is a large starting dose. Plus vetsulin only lasts about 8-10 hours, which means that your cat will have a large amount of insulin(possible hypo) for a portion of the day and then 14-16 hours with no insulin.

A more typical dose would be 1-1 1/2 units 2x a day.


Now I will say that for a period of time my cat was on 3 units twice a day, but only after working up slowly to that number and doing home testing to keep her safe, and as her numbers came down her dose was decreased as needed.

 

welcome to the group Jan