? New & overwhelmed, thin cat w/ IBD & newly diabetic, vet wants to wait?

I posted this in the wrong place yesterday, so reposting in here today. I'm crying & too upset to read over all the rules & things, so forgive me. I have a cat named Buddha. He will be 14 yrs old next month. He suffers from severe IBD & has been more than a handful for the past 2-3 years. He refuses to use his litter box to poop, so I have to keep him confined most of the day & clean up poop from the floor, every day. In the past couple years, his weight has dropped from 10 lbs to 5.4 lbs. I'm doing my best to treat the IBD, (thanks to online forums & groups) but it's a very difficult condition to treat. On top of all this, I just received the news that he is diabetic. I got a copy of his bloodwork today & his glucose is 447mg. All other bloodwork is great. I know nothing about diabetes, but this seems crazy high since the normal range says 60-170mg. Is his high for a diabetic? What kind of numbers do you guys see? Vet wanted to try a change in diet & retest in 4 weeks. Do you think this is too long to wait?Should I just start insulin right away? I'm worried that the diet might not help anyways because I'm already feeding him a high protein, low carb diet because that's what he needs for IBD too. I'm only switching to a different flavor w/ the same brand & there will only be a 1% higher protein level & .33% lower carb level. I"m not sure if that's enough to make a difference. I can't really get any higher protein or lower carb level than that. The carbs will only be .93% in the new food. Is there anything else I can do to reduce glucose?Supplements? I'm dreading insulin because my cat is horrible w/ shots, regardless of the size needle & I'm not good at that kind of stuff. I hateall needles myself. I have a lot of anxiety.

Please help. PM me, repost my post in the appropriate place. Whatever you need to do.Prayers, positive vibes etc. I'm desperate. I don't know how I'm gonna handle all of this. I'm veryoverwhelmed. I've also been taking care of myhusband this past year who has cancer. He is stillgoing through treatment & we have to be at the hospital everyday, so I don't have a lot of time or energy left.

 

Hi there,

The glucose is high, but not super high . My Memphis' sugar was I think in the 550 range and there are extenuating circumstances, so my vet suggested changing food and addressing that issue rather than insulin. She doesn't get excited until the sugar is in the 700-800 and above range. I think your vet is right to try a diet change first, before jumping straight to insulin. Sometimes they will do a fructosamine test which is a better indicator of blood sugar over the last 2-3 months, as opposed to the test that says what the sugar is right now.

It takes a while for a diet change to make a real difference, so changing food and retesting in 4 weeks is reasonable.

Something else to consider here. Some cats will get really nervous when they go to the vet and have "stress diabetes". What that means is that they get stressed out and dump sugar into their blood and urine. So if they are checked immediately, the sugar levels will be high. This would happen to Murray, but if they waited, his numbers came down to normal - he was not diabetic. If the vet waits an hour or so, the sugar levels come down to normal. Cats can get stressed from changes in their household and routine, and they can pick up on their humans' stress. You are stressed, your husband is stressed, and the household routine is upset. Plus the cat is probably stressed some from his IBD. So, this rise in sugar in your cat could be temporary because of what is going on in your household. That is another reason to wait and retest later to see if there are improvements.

What are you feeding your cat for his IBD? What are you changing to?

Merlin

 

Hi, Buddha's mom. You certainly have enough on your plate at the moment! First thing to do is...take a deep breath and BREATHE. You're at the best place you never wanted to be, when it comes to diabetic kitties!

A diagnosis of diabetes can be very overwhelming, I know, but hopefully we can help put it in perspective for you and show you that it is a manageable disease!

What food is Buddha currently eating? If he is already on a low-carb (below 10%) diet then I doubt a diet change will have much effect on his blood glucose. What food did your vet recommend? I know how difficult it is to find an acceptable food for a kitty with IBD, I have one too. Is your cat's weight loss from the IBD? Diabetes can also cause weight loss, so if you can get that under control, Buddha may put a little weight back on.

Unfortunately for you, there are definitely needles involved in treating diabetes, but you can do this, it's not as bad as you may think it is. My cay doesn't even seem to feel the shots and ignores them completely! Remember, these are subcutaneous injections; there is a layer of fat just below the skin to absorb the insulin, but not many nerves, so this type of shot is usually more comfortable than an IM (intramuscular) injection.

Diabetes is very treatable in cats, and we will be glad to help you as much as we can. Feel free to post questions any time!

Lucy

 

here is buddhasmom's thread in the intro forum
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-here-please-help-overwhelmed.150584/.

 

I just read your original post and comments. Nature's Variety Limited Ingredient is what I feed my IBD kitty when she has a flare-up, it's a good food and low in carbs, so I don't think changing Buddha's diet at the moment is an answer for the diabetes. As billysmom said, 4 weeks does seem like a long time to wait to retest but may well be due to weaning him off the Budesonide, which may also have raised his BG. My suggestion to you would be to invest in an inexpensive glucose meter (Walmart carries the Relion brand, very affordable and seems to be the one favored by many) and learn to test Buddha at home. There are several links on this site to information and instruction on home testing:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

Again, don't be overwhelmed by it, it is nowhere near as scary and difficult as it may sound, at first, and always keep in mind that you are doing this to help Buddha and keep him healthy!

 

Cheryl

I left a post on your intro thread and you can read it there but if he were my cat, I would not wait to start insulin. He has been on a low carb diet long enough to have seen any changes. He can build up insulin resistance the longer he stays in higher numbers like these.

I'm out with family visitors today but will check in later.

 

Hi Cheryl

Oh, how I feel for you! It is palpable from your post how just how overwhelming is the stress you are under right now.



I'm sure you've come across this group before but I thought I'd post a link for you just in case you hadn't:

IBD Kitties

I agree with Marje about starting insulin treatment as soon as possible. My cat, Saoirse, has low grade IBD and chronic pancreatitis alongside her diabetes so I have some idea of how big an issue GI problems are. With that in mind - and purely as a precaution - I'd suggest discussing anti-nausea treatments with your vet when you're sorting out the insulin; some kitties get GI upsets when starting on insulin. With IBD in the mix, it might be better to be prepared in advance on the off chance that Buddha might need a little extra support when starting his insulin therapy. Not trying to alarm you here; just leaving information where you can find it easily should you need it. Both Cerenia and ondansetron are effective treatments for nausea.

I have PTSD and panic disorder and when Saoirse's not doing so good I go out of my mind with worry and I have shed lots of tears over the past 18 months or so. It helps sometimes to just force oneself to take a step back and just breathe for a while.

A really, really good positive to hang onto right now is that Buddha's bloodwork is very good. That's massive.

I'm very, very glad you have found FDMB. You'll get so much support here from kind, generous and friendly people who understand the worry, the fear, and that dreadful, all-encompassing feeling of being utterly overwhelmed. They have pulled Saoirse and myself through some really desperate times. They will do the same for you and Buddha. Hang in there as best you can. You're not alone with this.






Mogs
.

 

PS ...

I see from your other thread that Buddha hasn't been long on his current food. If it's working in any way well for him and the carbs are OK then, based on my experience of caring for a cat with major problems centring around food intolerance, I would suggest caution around food changes.

As all of us whose cats have IBD/pancreatitis problems are all too painfully aware, food choices can be extremely limited. For our cats, the 'right' food is the one that they can actually eat - and without making things worse. In an ideal world we would all choose the 'textbook' food best suited to help our little ones' health issues, but sometimes we don't have the luxury of choice. For example, my Saoirse has early stage II kidney insufficiency. In an ideal world I should switch her to a high protein, low carb food that is as low as possible in phosphorus. Trouble is that, despite trialling goodness knows how many foods over an 18-month period, I've found only one food that she can tolerate well and eat reliably. Insulin treatment can be worked around dietary restrictions.

If Buddha's current food is OK carb-wise, if he were my cat I'd be inclined to keep to the food that agrees with him and work the insulin around that.

Hope this helps a little. Humans can create all manner of rules, but cats don't read the manual.


Mogs
.

 

Hi Cheryl

Did you get a chance to talk to your vet about starting insulin? We will all so all we can here to help you and Buddha.

 

I just want to point out that I would be extremely concerned about a vet who "doesn't get excited until the sugar is in the 700-800 and above range". Even on an Alpha Trak and knowing a human meter is likely to read less, those numbers are way, way too high. When Gracie was diagnosed, her numbers were in 270-300 range and the veterinary endocrinologist my vet consulted said "start insulin". Granted, we didn't base it on one test alone. We did a fructosamine and then we home tested her for a few days to see if she was staying in those numbers.

 

Hi BuddhasMom,

I'm just saying hello and I'm so sorry you are going through all this. The stress from dealing with your husband's illness must be overwhelming all on its own. Then to have an ill kitty who needs containing and regular poop patrol who is THEN diagnosed as diabetic? WOW! You have my sympathy and all the vibes I can gather to send your way.

 

hello everyone. thanks for all your advice & support. <3 i have started mixing the nature's variety canned rabbit w/ nature's variety canned venison. so far so good. he's still doing ok. i stopped by the vet's office & picked up copies of the urinalysis, blood work, & gi panel blood work. i wanted to post these for your review/opinions/suggestions before i make any other decisions. also, are there any supplements you'd recommend for the IBD? has anyone tried any of the herbal supplements for lowering blood sugar? i've read some good reviews.

 

If you're talking about "Blood Sugar Gold", that pops up here every once in awhile. We don't think much of it because if you read the reviews carefully, the ones that are so great usually talk about changing the cat to a low carb food and being on insulin

Those are the 2 key points to fighting this disease....You'll be better off saving your money and buying test strips with it

 

I also wouldn't waste time on the herbs for diabetes. There are some like gymnema (which I gave to Gracie for a while) but they really are not effective.