Newbie, Sort of

Hello everyone. My name is Lucy, and my 12-year-old cat Shadow (new nickname "Sweetums", of course) has just been diagnosed with diabetes. I'm also a blogger, so I wrote all about it here.

I'm not really all that overwhelmed, because I'm an MD and so I have a lot of experience treating diabetes. I had to get taught how to get blood from an ear (piece of cake! too bad I wasted a strip by forgetting to turn on the meter first), and I'm still getting the hang of the insulin shots (stuck myself through the "tent" this morning; wasn't bad, though). I got kind of a kick out of signing Shadow up as a new patient at Costco when I went to get his Lantus last night (no, he doesn't have Medicare Part B or Part D), and I'll be the first to admit how convenient it is to write my own prescriptions (necessary in Pennsylvania).

What I'm mainly wondering about is how much difference there is between people and kitties in terms of treatment. ie, how low do I have to get his sugars to relieve the polys (thirst, hunger, pissing up a storm)? How long will it take for him to feel better, but more specifically, how long will it be until we can tell he's feeling better? He never seemed all that uncomfortable to us. Then again, it turns out that what to us is "lovingly mellow" is actually "lethargic". His purr had been strong the whole time, though. His actual presenting complaint was hind end weakness, ie, not being able to jump.

Any advice about what to expect would be most welcome. Also, any input from folks who are also either diabetics or docs themselves. How does that change the dynamic with the vet? Mine's older than dirt and offers little in the way of guidance, but I can't tell if that's just his way of expressing respect for me professionally. I've been with him for 25 years and I love him to pieces, while acknowledging he may not be everyone's cup o'tea. Still, input from other professionals would be appreciated.

You've got a FANTASTIC site here, boards and all. Lots of information to peruse; I've just barely scratched the surface, but wanted to post and say hi.

I look forward to being a member of the community.

 

Rebecca, the webmaster and amazing lady who started this website is a physician. You can read the Diary of a Diabetic Cat that she kept for some time. You may find it very interesting.

http://felinediabetes.com/diary.htm

What type of food is your kitty eating? Dry food or high carb gravy canned is going to make things harder to regulate. The neuropathy will get better once the numbers are regulated, but you can add MethylB12 to help move things along.

There are some stickies at the top of the Lantus Forum that may help answer some of your questions.

viewforum.php?f=9

I'm not a doctor, nor professional but I have had six FDs in my life, in fact, many of the folks on this board know more about feline diabetes than their own vets do because they are in the trenches with it, day in and day out, and many folks have done so much research on the subject, you'd be suprised what the posters on this board can do. It's a wonderful place and I do hope you find the information that you need.

 

How soon he is feeling better depends on how soon he is getting enough insulin.

For cats it is best to "start low and go slow" -- 1u BID with small increases after a week or so (Lantus protocol has a lot more details - read sticky posts)

If doses are increased too quickly, the "right" dose can be missed --- and overdosing insulin can cause high blood sugar because the liver dumps excess sugar to soak up the overdose. (somogyi rebound)

Some cats see a response in days/weeks - some take a few months.

The hind end weakness will take longer to resolve than the polys.

Changing to low carb high protein canned or raw food helps --- reducing the burden on the pancreas and amount of insulin needed.

Most people coming here with enquiring minds learn more than their vets. GP Vets get just a few hours of training in diabetes, and that covers several species. And of course the education may have been years ago.

So... most of us here have needed to gently educate our vets after educating ourselves. The right foods, home testing blood sugar and insulin - starting low and increasing gradually to find the right dose.

Hope you don't mind me responding -- not a medical professional nor diabetic myself. I'm an engineer - and have cared for 3 diabetic cats. (one with an insulin resistance condition - acromegaly)

 

Tubby got his first shot in the morning. By evening he was not ravenous any more . The next day his peeing was back to normal. He was always on wet food. His water intake also dropped. :smile: