Sable Has Diabetes

My beloved cat Sable was diagnosed with diabetes today. The signs that led me to take her to the vet were excessive drinking of water, a really dry coat, loss of weight and muscle mass. The blood that was taken last week showed her glucose level at 500 the confirmation test today showed her glucose to be around 350. My vet wants to try diet changes first to see what impact that has. She has told me to put her on Purina DM and then we will monitor to see if the glucose starts to lower.If it does not start to lower after a few weeks then she wants me to start the insuling injections. Has anyone tried this approach with their cats ? I am also suppose to monitor her urine sugar levels with the Purina Glucotest. Does anyone know a good place to order this online? I appreciate any advice I can get. I feel like a bad pet owner at the moment and would love to know what I can do to help Sable feel better.

Thanks
Serena

 

Hello, welcome to the FDMB!

first - you're not a bad mom. So forget that thought!

While u wait for feedback, take a moment to read through our health articles thru this link:


viewforum.php?f=14

The most important one - in my opinion, is Dr Lisa's Feline Nutrition link, there u will learn all about food transitioning, food labels, brands, feline obesity and so forth.

Did your vet do any other tests besides blood work?
Would you be able to post your state/city - there may be members in your area that may be able to assist.

Keep asking, reading and hugging Sable cat_pet_icon - it's going to be ok, with the huge support system in this board, you'll arm yourself with the most valuable information on felines diabetes!

 

Serena

how are u doing? How is Sable tonight?
Please feel free to ask anything else ok? Keep us posted and hope to hear from you soon.

 

hi and welcome :smile:

first, yes, some people try diet change alone first. but, in all honesty, you'll know if diet change is gonna do anything within a few days. and given that a diabetic untreated for very long runs the risk of developing serious complications, i wouldn't wait more than maybe 3-4 days at the most to see if the diet change is gonna work.

also, fwiw, you could do better than the purina dm too. read about feline nutrition at http://www.catinfo.org and then save some money by buying low carb wet cat food at your local pet store, grocery store, or walmart for that matter. friskies, fancy feast, 9 lives, wellness, etc.....all make several low carb wet varieties. that way you don't go broke buying food and can get a glucose meter and test strips instead :smile:

as far as the glucotest, i know a few people have used it but i can't tell you where you get it. i'll try to see if i can get hold of one of the gals i know that used it and point her here. know though that glucotest stuff doesn't tell you what the glucose level is right now like testing with a glucose meter and a teeny drop of blood would.

 

Serena,

Welcome! If you are a bad mom because Sable has diabetes, we are all in the same boat You are not bad, in fact, I would say you are a good mom because you recognized the signs and then did something about it. Please read all the information you can find here. You can try and control the diabetes with diet. I agree with the others that you can save money by buying low carb canned food from fancy feast, friskies or others. and I saw you were given a link to help you find some good food. You can try the urine sticks, I don't know where to find them. However, I would encourage you to try testing Sable's blood using a human meter. I will try to find the link to show you how to do it. In my opinion, the blood testing would be more accurate than the urine testing. Try this link. viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287#p1665

The other thing, really high blood sugarsfor a long time can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be fatal. So I would not let the high sugars go unregulated for very long. Low blood sugar is equally bad, which is why i advocate blood sugar testing.

I'll edit this to add the link for hometesting.

 

Hi! I am one who Urine tested my cat for 11 months--In the scheme of things here at FDMB, it is not ideal--Please try to learn to bg test, BUT
In the mean time, I used the glucotest every day for all this months--You can get it on amazon.com--Just type in
PURINA GLUCOTEST URINARY DETECTION SYSTEM--It is small squares that you add to scoopable litter--After cat pees on it, you take out the clumps. & break them apart to find the squares that have the urine on them...THEY TURN COLOR FROM THE URINE, then match color to the chart provided by glucotest in the packet--I did this 2-3 times a day-It gives you a reading of glucose level from that!
REMEMBER, this testing method DOES NOT show the actual BG in the cat at that moment, but urine collects in the bladder for 3-6 hours, and then is flushed out--so the reading you get is what cat's glucose level is previously...

Please see if you can learn to blood test--It is 99% more accurate for up to the moment readings and can affect the cat's recovery..
You have done Nothing wrong to your cat and are in no way responsible for your cat's illness...You are great for coming here & trying to make your Kitty BETTER!! Am here if you need me...HUGS~!

 

Thanks everyone for all the information. I will try to learn how to do the blood glucose test. I am suppose to take Sable back to the vet on the 18th to see if there has been any changes if not they will start her on Glucose. I am struggling to get her to eat the wet food. I have mixed it in with her normal food but she has not ate enough of it yet to make a difference. The vet told me to take a week to ween her into it, but yesterday her first day on the DM she did not eat that much. Hopefully today will be better. Thanks so much for the suggestions about the other food brands. After the DM is gone I will switch her to one of the others. Also I was told by my Vet that she wants to put Sable on an insulin that is very expensive if she has to go on insulin. Are their major differences in the insulins? Or is it just dependent on the individual cat?

Thanks
Serena

 

Hi Serena

Glad you aren't going to push the DM if Sable doesn't like it. Most important right now is that she eats!

Lantus is likely the insulin your vet is suggesting; it is an excellent insulin and I'd recommend it. To reduce cost, ask about getting the solostar pen and catridges instead of the vial, as this is a much more economical route to go. Now, the upfront cost of insulin might seem steep, but using a good insulin will save you lots of time and money in the long run. If it is lantus/glargine, make sure you head to the insulin support group for lantus and read the info stickies

Jen

 

Hi Serena,

Be sure to check out Dr. Lisa's site: http://www.catinfo.org She has some great tips on converting kitties to wet food. Glad you are going to try some other types. DM is just not a favorite with many cats. Maybe it is the liver?

Do some research on the site about insulin before you meet with your vet again. Many people here prefer the longer lasting, gentler acting insulins like Lantus and Levemir. If you go to the Insulin Support Group forum on the main page and choose Lantus and Levemir, you can read about other people's experiences, and read the stickies at the top of the page which have lots of info on how the insulins work. Lantus is less expensive in the long run when you use the pens. And so many people have had luck with regulation that you may not have to use as much over time.

They are definitely more expensive than Vetsulin. But fewer here use it because it is harsher and lasts a shorter time in most cats. Also there is a caution on Vetsulin because of quality problems: http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/new ... 188752.htm

Hope that helps. You will need to do some homework before meeting with your vet. But your kitty will definitely benefit from your knowledge!