Newbie.

Well, here we all are not wanting to be, but it's great to have a website where parents of diabetic patients can share their stories, grief, and advice. My Sinbad is 11. He was diagnosed last week with diabetes although I knew there was something wrong for about a month. Took him to the ER at Pearl in Tampa, FL only to have a vet say, yeah, he is walking funny, but for $1500 we can find out why. His regular vet, Dr. Adler, followed up that same week suggesting we take Sinbad in for x-rays, which I did. Dr. Adler stated her suspicions were he had diabetes so instead of x-rays, labs were in order. The labs confirmed what all of us do not want to hear - diabetes!! His levels at the time were 303. Sinbad was placed on insulin immediately at $296 a vial. I panicked, how am I going to afford $296 a month (pharmacist advised me to dispose of the vial after 28 days if all has been used). I contacted the vet, in tears of course, how in the world does anyone care for a much loved pet with such an outrageous price! Praise God, I was told the vial can last up to 6 months safely!!

As I have stated in the beginning, I am grateful for this website because I'm an emotional wreck. I cannot bear to lose my kitty, but I know that's God call. My step-daughter recently put her baby down due to diabetes just months ago. I see all the signs her kitty had that mine now has. I am praying he regains the strength in his limbs, that in of itself is heartbreaking to watch.


This is Sinbad (left) with his sister, Chloe. He is sporting his new haircut.

 

They are both beautiful kitties! At that price, I am assuming the insulin is Lantus? How much insulin does he get? What kind of food does Sinbad eat? These are all questions that help us get to know you and Sinbad.

 

Hello and sorry you have to be here. It is really devastating to get the news that your furbaby is diabetic but it is manageable.

There are many things you can do to help Sinbad. And a little more information will be helpful too. What insulin are you using and how much? What food are you feeding? From your statement that you paid $296 a vial I presume that the insulin is Lantus (Glargine). We have been off insulin for over a year now; however I have seen posts where there is a reliable source in Canada called Marks Marine where with a prescription Lantus is much more affordable. You may want to check out this link on the board: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/insulin-from-canadian-pharmacies.49608/. On the main page, there is much useful information on the Health Links/FAQS about Diabetes page.

It is also a really good idea to home monitor glucose levels. One inexpensive meter is the Relion Confirm or Micro from Walmart. The strips and meter are not too pricey and it is easy to use. This is the one I and many others here use.

Something for you to consider is food. Wet, low carb food is the best thing you can feed Sinbad and Chloe too. We like to keep the carbs under 10%. There is an excellent food list available here: http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf. Many of us with diabetic cats have found that Little Friskies Classic Pate ( except the Mixed Grill) and Fancy Feast Classic are great for cats. I personally used to think they were not that good but when Squeaker was diagnosed (BG 586) almost 3 years ago, I found they were much better than I thought. Another brand I found that is really good is some of the Weruva varieties. You can look at their website for nutrition information, be sure to use the mineral content per 100 kcal to make a decision if you use this brand. It is a little pricey but just another option. http://www.weruva.com/truluxe-nutrition.php.

We have all been newly diagnosed and had our heads spinning at one time but there are so many people here who can help you and answer all the questions that you have. So take a breath and try to relax. We are here to help.

 

Welcome to FDMB.
Lantus was approved by the FDA for humans and was only tested for and approved for a month. That isn't the same thing as saying it is only good for a month. Kept refrigerated on a stationary shelf, it can last around 6 months and be used with no harmful effects on the cat.
If you happen to leave it out between shots, it is not ruined, but may become less effective sooner than around 6 months.
It is a good idea to wrap the vial in bungee wrap, as dropping a glass vial almost always shatters it.
If you wind up needing a refill, get the 5 pack of pens as as you almost always can use 1 completely before it becomes less effective. We use syringes to draw the insulin out of the pens, treating them like mini-vials.

 

Rhonda, I took Sinbad off dry food as this was high in carbs. He is now on classic Fancy Feast. He always preferred wet food anyway so this was easy to switch.

 

Thank you. I did research on the pens and found those are even more expensive. The bungee wrapping is a great idea as I almost dropped the bottle already!

 

Anita,
Yes, you are correct, wet food is a better choice for my cats and they are now both on it. Sinbad is receiving Lantus, which I am told this is best for him. I feel very relieved that it will not cost me as much as originally thought. I would do anything for my Sinbad and was terrified I would not be able to give him the proper medication he needed. Thank you for the websites!!! Very resourceful and needed!!

 

Thelma, are you home testing yet?

 

Rhonda, I do not have a monitor as of yet - was not sure which one to purchase, but one is on order from the vet. Sinbad goes in for his first curve testing on Tuesday.

 

Testing at home will give you peace of mind, as well as save you money with the vet visits! I started testing Shiloh as soon as she was diagnosed, and I have never taken her in for a curve. I just send the vet her numbers. If the vet ordered the AlphaTrak, be prepared for the cost of the strips. @Mogmom and Goofus , can you advise on the alternative strips?

 

Shiloh is very cute. That's the problem with me right now, as my husband says, I am going on emotions not logic. I thought the curve testing was mandatory to ensure proper care. I will test regularly though as it will give me a peace of mind. From your experience, do cats regain some form a normal life with treatment? I am not hoping for a cat that rounds around batting a ball, I just want him comfortable, safe and happy.

 

Yes, they do! Very much so! Shiloh is 14 1/2 and since she has been on insulin, she is so much happier! She is playing, both with me, and on her own. She found a water bottle cap on the floor the other day and had such fun batting it around. This is a video of her playing with me.

 

Welcome - you have two very cute fuzzballs!

Doing curves, or testing the cat, is very helpful. However, once you've learned how to home test, then you can do it at home for a fraction of the cost at the vet. The AlphaTrak and it's strips are very expensive. You can just pop into Walmart and pick up either their Relion Confirm or Micro and the strips that go with it are amongst the cheapest out there.

Once you get Sinbad back into normal number range with the insulin, and work on the neuropathy, you might very well find him back to batting around a ball. For the neuropathy (leg weakness) try Zobaline. It's also available from Amazon.

Cats can live long and happy lives on insulin. My Neko has been on insulin for 3.5 years, and we've had some here for 9+ years. Cats also have the unique ability to go into diabetic remission, given the right set of circumstances.

 

The pens come in a package of five pens. Each pens holds 3 ml so the package contains 15 ml compared to the vial which is only 10 ml. Even then, the cost per ml of the pens in more. However, most caretakers can use up an entire 3 ml pen before it looses its effectiveness. However, very few caretakers can use aup a 10 ml vial before it looses its effectiveness.

 

Larry,
Which pharmacy is the most inexpensive for the pens. I contacted Walmart and was given a quote of $400 for a 5 pack.

 

So very cute. This gives me much hope. He is picking up some old traits. He does not share well and when someone is in his bed, he nudges them out!

 

Wendy,

Thank you. I will get the meter at Walmart since it is highly recommended here. I cannot thank everyone here enough for the advice. It's so insane, I brought a newborn baby home 34 years ago and did fine with him. I can't even get my head around my kitty's diabetes yet alone ensure adequate care for him.

 

I compared keeping Shiloh safe and healthy to having a baby (which I have never had) about a month ago.

 

Depending on the pharmacy, you may be able to buy 1 pen at a time. Check Target, and hospital pharmacies.

For feline specific glucose reference numbers, see my signature link Glucometer Notes. Most importantly, using a human glucometer for a cat is like reading temperature in Celsius, rather than Fahrenheit, ie the numbers will be lower than the numbers a vet would get with a lab test or a pet meter. That is why there are reference numbers for using the human meter.