New to Feline Diabetes

Hi,
My 11 year old torti, Bula, was diagnosed with diabetes today.
It was suggested we join this group so here we are.
We go in for education and training on Friday.
She seemed to be losing weight and producing a large amount of urine.
Otherwise, she seems the same as always... purring, jumping up on counter, interested in food.
She had normal bloodwork in the spring.
Here is hoping our transition to daily insulin and glucose monitoring goes smoothly.
Lisa

 

Hopefully it was caught early, and the earlier it's caught the highest chance of remission. Glad you found this board. Do you know what kind of insulin?

 

What is early? Her bloodwork in early summer (June or July) was normal.
Her bloodwork done this week (Jan) was abnormal. 6 or 7 months, is that considered early? I hope so.
We find out on Friday what the plan will be and what kind of insulin and testing schedule her doctor recommends.
I've switched her to Hills m/d wet diet.
She used to be on Hills c/d wet (for crystals in urine which are gone now) and t/d dry (for teeth which are great now).
Hopefully the crystals stay gone and the teeth stay good.
I sure hope it can go into remission.

 

I/we strongly recommend home testing, and I hope that your vet does as well. They will probably suggest an AlphaTrak pet-specific blood glucose meter, but it is rather expensive and the cost of the test strips is ridiculous compared to the human BG meter and strips that must of us use. The protocol that the Tight Regulation on this site follows was based on a human meter, if that would help convince them. Someone else here can hopefully find that specific reference for your vet if you need it.

Other than that, at your vet visit please gather all of the info regarding insulin type and starting dosage, Bula's current and ideal weight, any other current health issues she has (sounds like none?), what her BG reading was at diagnosis and on Friday, if the blood work showed anything other than high glucose, whether you have other animals and any health or food issues they have (can impact your feeding choice and approach). Just start a thread over in the main Health Forum with that info for us all to review before you give your first shot at home.

And of course we'd love a picture of the lovely lady in your profile pic

Great to meet you and we look forward to helping you start this journey!

Best,
Sandi&Whisper.

 

Hi,
Her blood glucose was 22 (Canadian units) with normal between 4 - 6. She has been prescribed 1 unit of Caninsulin every 12 hours and the vet strongly suggested Hills m/d. So far, it seems her urine output is drastically less with being on m/d and she seems to be drinking less water but hard to tell as she could be getting into the dogs water. I gave her the first dose tonight at 10 PM after 1/2 can of food. She is sleeping under my chair on my jacket and seems fine. I am going to get a home glucose monitor tomorrow or the next day. So far so good.

 

The MD wet is good, but not the dry.... But just so you know, the fancy feast classic or Friskies pate foods are low carb too and a lot less expensive.

I like my alphatrak meter as I loved having the same readings as the vet.... Although the strips are pricy at about $1 each.

 

Welcome to FDMB from another Canadian. Love Bula's picture. She's a beauty!

So glad to hear you are going to home test because that is key to helping Bula get regulated and to keeping her safe. Once you are home testing, there will be no need for frequent vet visits to monitor her BG levels and the readings you take will be far more accurate. Most cats get stressed out at the vet and this elevates their BG by 5-6mmol or more which leads the vet to prescribe too much insulin. By testing at home and tracking your readings, you can lower your costs, make sure it is safe to give insulin, see how low BG is going on the given dose and provide your vet with accurate BG history when seeking their advice.

What part of our beautiful country do you live in?

 

Welcome to you and beautiful Bula from another Canadian!

 

Thanks everyone! I spoke to the vet tech on duty last night and got some reassurance and information.
Miss Bula is doing well. The litterbox is soooooo much better and she is drinking less. She is on m/d wet only and tolerating her injections.
The drastic change in her litter box with just the change in food is very reassuring. She is purring.
I was concerned that she was maybe sleeping more today until I realized the dog and I were also napping today.
She just arrived for a cuddle, so I must go.
We live in Vancouver just off Granville Island.
Thanks for all your support.
Lisa & Bula

 

That is all good news.

Suggested next steps for you would be to get a spreadsheet set up, create a signature with a link to the spreadsheet and your relevant details to be able to help you best without you having to repeat it to everyone (or in times of crisis), and get started home testing to keep Bula safe

If you need help with any of that, or with specific questions, just shimmy over to the main Health forum and start a post there.

Hugs to you and skritches to Miss Bula!

Sandi&Whisper.