Newly diagnosed

Hi all, I'm jean and am so happy to have found this group! It's always nice to know you aren't alone and get support. My 20 yr old cat was recently diagnosed with diabetes. I feel bad that the signs were there and I didn't recognize them. Sudden thirst, weak hind legs, wright loss..I just thought it was because she was old. She's been on vetsulin only for 3 days. I test her am and pm after meals, inject her and so far so good. She did have one bad episode sat night vomiting. Sugar was 411. I have done a lot of resesrch and am learning fast!She is on pro plan rx wet food. Eats a can a day. I am giving her 3 mg methylcobalumin daily for neuropathy. My question is, how soon can I expect her to gain weight. She is very thin.

 

Welcome.
How quickly wait is regained depends upon how good BG is controlled.
Vetsulin/Caninisulin is not the best for cats since it only lasts 8-10 hours
better 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 like 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 sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

If you have other questions please post in the Health forum
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/

 

Thanks for the reply. I asked the vet if I could use a human meter and he said no, they are calibrated differently. I check her gl after she eats, then give her insulin.I check it again 2 hours after she's eaten in the pm only since I'm at work all day. The vet suggested this food, purina pro plan diabetes. I will check out the list since getting to the vet is not always convenient. Thanks again.

 

Actually, you can use a human glucometer with feline-specific reference values. All of the guidelines here use these. We recommend you test before you feed and shoot, so you know if it is safe to give insulin. Testing around the expected nadir, or lowest glucose post-shot, helps you determine if your cat is safe, or if at risk of potentially fatal hypoglycemia (glucose that is too low to survive).

Alleged prescription diabetic food is no better than many, over the counter, low carb foods. There is nothing in it which makes it prescription.

 

For Vetsulin if you can manage it at all it would be wise to get some tests 3-4 hours after giving the injection because that's around the time when the dose typically starts working to full effect. That way you'll get a better picture of the dose safety. If you can do additional checks on your days off that will help you to better gauge the duration of effectiveness of the dose.


Mogs
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I do that on my days off. During the week i cant.Once i check her, feed her then give insulin around 7 am, I'm off to work until 5. She does get checked when I get home before feeding and before bed. Darn job gets in the way of everything!

 

Hello and welcome.