Hi. I'm new.

My cat Mini is about 12-years-old. Two weeks ago, he was weak in his hindquarters and his belly was bloated. His eyes had been a little cloudy for ages, but I figured it was his age. He was peeing a lot in the box, and drinking a lot and I now realize he was eating tons of dry food. I was feeding both of my cats (they're brothers) Science Diet Hairball. When a friend said her cats stopped vomiting when she switched them to Purina Natural, I switched mine too, and they liked the Purina a lot more than Science Diet.

But then Mini's symptoms got progressively worse, probably because of the food? I wish I'd recognized the symptoms sooner or I never would have switched them, but what sent me to the vet was, he'd been having accidents here and there for a year, but one day I walked in and found poop and pee everywhere, and the kitchen looked like a lake, and it seemed weird for a cat to produce that much urine, so I called the vet and after blood and urine tests, they diagnosed diabetes.

So I put out a second, more accessible litter box for Mini's neuropathy, and the accidents have mostly stopped. And for two weeks, I've been giving Mini twice daily injections of 1 unit of ProZink, and rewarding with a lick of coconut oil, which both cats love. They also get a splash of milk every night.

I gradually switched both cats over to the Hill's Prescription MD dry food from the vet, which they pick at, which tells me how MUCH Mini was eating before, since before all this, I was constantly refilling the bowl. I also started feeding them both canned Friskies Pate. Each cat gets a quarter can twice a day, immediately before Mini gets his insulin shot, and I buy the Friskies in various flavors, all of which they love.

Maybe I should be pickier about flavors?

I'm sort of torn about the vet, who cost a fortune, as vets usually do. She did not heavily stress diet, beyond the MD dry food. She was very concerned that I maintain them on free-feeding dry food, since that's what they were used to, and when I asked about low carb, she referred vaguely to theoretical successes some people have had with diet and diabetes....? I really like her, but I called today to check in with them on Mini's progress. I also said I want to monitor his glucose levels myself, and the lady at the desk pushed a cat-specific glucometer, which she said is preferable to the human kind, and by the way, they want $106 for it.

I was planning to order a meter from Walmart and start checking his levels myself.

Oh, and Mini? After two weeks, his eyes are already clear and he's much more interactive. No more hiding under the furniture. He's relaxed and they both stay near me, the way they used to. He seems much healthier and happier, although he's still very weak in his back legs.

Should I drop the MD all together, or is it of value?

Can the neuropathy go away? Does it usually take a long time, or is this permanent?

Am I making any glaring mistakes?

Thanks for any advice. I'm really excited to be helping my cat like this.

 

When my cat, Dimitri, was diagnosed back in March, my vet didn't say much about diet either except to put him on "Kitty Atkins." After finding this site,
I put him on Friskies pate (I buy the 32 can box with 4 different poultry flavors because he doesn't like the seafood flavors.) I don't feed dry at all.

I went to my local Walmart and bought a Relion micro meter with strips and lancets, and just use that to check his sugar. It works great and I like that it
uses a very small drop of blood. It's a bit difficult at first, but I give Dimitri a small treat each time, so now he comes running when it's time for sugar check.

For the neuropathy, you can get Zobaline, which is a B12 tablet, that helps a lot. I give Dimitri his hidden in a chicken-flavored pill pocket, and he loves it.

 

Hello.
Welcome to FDMB.
Here is a link for the Zobaline from amazon.
This will help the neuropathy. It can take a few weeks .... up to a couple of months before it makes a difference but it will .
It needs to be methylcobalamin ( a type of b 12) ..... regular b12 ( cobalamin) won't help with neuropathy.


You do not need the meter that the vet pushes.....
it is expensive and hard to get refill strips ( very costly and you have to order them thru the vet)



Diet does make a huge difference. If you can get your cats to switch to only wet food.... friskies pate's are fine..... we have a list
shortcut list

here's a great article of why you should ditch dry food.....
http://catinfo.org/

 

Thanks so much for the quick replies. I just ordered the test + strips from Walmart, and also the Zobaline for his neuropathy. I really appreciate the information and support.

I know it varies from cat to cat, but do you think one can of Friskies a day for two big Maine Coon-ish cats is enough? Mini's the biggest. He was nearly 20 pounds at the vet's two weeks ago, but he's pretty normal-sized, except for his huge belly, and I anticipate his weight going down as he feels better and the football recedes. I've only ever free-fed dry food. How do I determine amounts of food? They certainly aren't acting hungry on this amount so far, and they used to seem hungry all the time.

 

Make sure you don't get rid of the dry until you get the testing down because removing the dry can significantly reduce BG (Blood Glucose) levels, meaning a reduction in dose.

You can also free-feed wet food; just add water to it to keep it hydrated longer. I feed both of my boys Friskies, too. Mikey is ~14 pounds and Henry is around 8-9 pounds. Between the two of them, they go through about 2-4 cans a day (sometimes more, sometimes less).

 

Just a note: there is lactose in milk, a form of sugar.

 

"Make sure you don't get rid of the dry until you get the testing down because removing the dry can significantly reduce BG (Blood Glucose) levels, meaning a reduction in dose. You can also free-feed wet food; just add water to it to keep it hydrated longer. I feed both of my boys Friskies, too. Mikey is ~14 pounds and Henry is around 8-9 pounds. Between the two of them, they go through about 2-4 cans a day (sometimes more, sometimes less)."

KPassa, I never would have thought of hanging onto the dry until I get the testing down, and free-feeding canned food never occurred to me either, so thanks for both.

BJM, "there is lactose in milk, a form of sugar." I was thinking about that, and I don't think they'll miss the milk now that they're getting all the other new good stuff. Thanks.

 

Hi. The Zobaline should arrive today, and I have another couple of questions. Does he need to be on the Zobaline forever to control the neuropathy? If/when the neuropathy goes away, do I continue giving it to him, or do I taper off? When I give it to him, I crush the tablet into his food? Kinda challenging since I have two cats who like to switch bowls. And finally, how much do I give him, or is that on the label? Thanks again.

 

Once the diabetes is under control and the neuropathy remits, the Zobaline may be discontiued. It won't hurt the non-diabetic cat.
Label should have dosing instructions, which may be on the web if you look it up.

 

each pill is 3000 mcg or 3 mg....

dosing for neuropathy is 3 - 5 mg.....
since it's a b vitamin.... any amount the body doesn't need, it will just pass thru in the urine ....
the body only takes what it needs....

 

Hi extra sweet Mini. Would you introduce your bean to us please?

How to's of home testing. Warming the ear and treats are key.

Ear testing psychology

 

My cute little pumpkins.

 

Gorgeous cats

 

Oh, thanks, and they're sweet, goofy, wonderful cats, too.

 

I was feeling pretty confident about Mini, because he seems to be getting better, slowly, and I've been feeling really good about finding a doable, regular way, with the needles and the insulin and the coconut oil I keep in the fridge to give him his shots consistently, and the new food regimen is working out fine, and the pills for the neuropathy are no problem. It's come together pretty well and it's starting to seem like a normal part of our day.

And I'm mostly just thrilled to have a way to help him feel better than he has, maybe in years. And except for beating myself up constantly for not noticing his distress a lot sooner, were doing okay.

And then today the BG meter got here, and now I'm a puddle of insecurities again. It's a ReliOn Confirm, and I'm usually pretty technically handy, but there are so many parts to this thing - the meter, the lancet, the strips, the little bag. Plus you need a Kleenex in this hand and a treat and a cotton ball, which I don't have, and I didn't buy enough lancets, didn't even know about them, so I gotta buy some more of those, and I hope i don't run out...

The readout on the meter seems cryptic and confusing. it's like a really OLD digital watch, and why couldn't it be easier to understand the words and buttons? I imagined testing myself first, so I could understand all the messages, and because I like sweets, and who knows what MY blood sugar's like. But it's all pretty intimidating. Even the lancet seems way scarier than I imagined.

And if I don't want MY finger pricked by that thing, how am I gonna convince Mini to let me do it to his EAR? He was bitten nearly in the eye by a dog the day before I got him. He was just a kitten, and he was fine, the eye was fine, but he's always been spooky about hands around his head, so I've started handling his ears today, and trying to figure out where in the house to do the testing consistently. I'm already sticking him with insulin in the bathroom, when I'm sitting on the toilet (sorry if TMI) so I guess it makes sense to confine all of my pain-giving to the same place. But do I need a different kind of treat, or do I just give him more coconut oil, which he begs for?

I just feel totally overwhelmed, and I was weird, but fine with giving him the insulin and all the rest. Thank you for the links. I read/watched every one. But I think I need to breathe for a while, and come back to this later.

Is there a process to approaching all this new information, and learning all these new skills without traumatizing the cat in the process? He seems so sensitive lately to stress.

And maybe I just needed to vent. It helps. Thanks for everything,

Starling (I'm Alex, by the way)

 

It can definitely be overwhelming at first! Definitely try it on yourself first so you know how it works. The poke you feel is more than the poke your kitty will feel because they have fewer nerve endings in the tips of their ears than we do our fingertips. With the ReliOns, I never bothered with learning "how to use it" and just stick the strip in and sip the blood up. I keep all the numbers written down old-school with pen and paper before loading it into my spreadsheet. You don't need cotton balls; I use scraps of paper towels to blot the blood and apply pressure after I'm done poking and it works just fine. You can also reuse the lancets till you get more (just don't reuse syringes!).

Most cats are simply bothered by being restrained and/or having their ears messed with. You sometimes have to desensitize them to the process. The actual poke is negligible and they can barely feel it, if at all. Here's something I wrote up about testing "difficult" cats that might be of help for you. Please let us know what other problems you might encounter and someone will likely have some suggestions to help you. We've all been there and we've all overcome many of the initial problems that crop up so you'll be in good hands, no matter the issue. ;-)

 

Oh, didn't see Deb had already shared that link with you. :lol: Thanks, Deb! Here's another one I wrote up about taking your time that you might find useful.

As to treats, right now you want to associate the positive with ear testing as you start getting the hang of it so use whatever you think will work, even if it's more coconut oil. Although with the coconut, I believe it's also a diuretic, so you might have some loose stools if you feed too much of it.

 

Oh, Kpassa, thank you so much. Your preparation essay really helped. It was just what I was looking for, so I read it and dove in. And phew. Thank you, thank you. So much. First, you're right. It doesn't hurt that much, as you said, so I put him on my lap at my desk, and he was just happy to be there because it was his favorite spot, and he can't jump up there anymore. He felt really solid on my lap, like he was there for the duration and just purring loudly and super happy being petted. I didn't think he was going anywhere, so I did it to his ear, and got no blood, but he didn't mind the click or the stab and just kept purring, so I did it again and there! was a drop of blood, and the meter worked great. It's really a pretty amazing gadget.

So what matters most after all the drama (sorry) is the number was 325, which sounds pretty high? As I said before, for the last three weeks, he's been getting twice daily injections of 1 unit of ProZink. Should he be getting more, or do I stay at one unit? Huge thanks, again. And gosh, I have such sweet, easy cats... A.

 

You generally adjust insulin doses by the nadir - how low the glucose goes in t between shots. You adjust based on pre-shots with ProZinc when you have data to show how low the glucose will go, when you start in a geven range of pre-shot.

For example, it used to be that Gracie would start around 300, and drop to just over 100 with 1.2 units of insulin. Since I started a fresh bottle, I've needed to reduce that to 0.8 units when starting around that level. (Spreadsheet not up to date - recovering from chronic sinus infection, sinus surgery, and dealing with stray cats at condo complex!)

 

See! That wasn't so hard after all! Congratulations on getting that first home BG reading and welcome to the Vampire Club Alex.


We suggest 3 tries at poking and getting blood and then give it a rest. You won't always be successful but it does get easier and the ears do form more blood capillaries in a couple of weeks to make it even easier.

Keep up the testing and you'll soon get a better handle on how Mini is doing on the prozinc.

Treats don't have to be food. They can be extra hugs and snuggling, ear scritchies, being held in your lap, being brushed. Basically anything your cat likes.

Sounds like you've fallen into a routine already which is great! It can seem overwhelming, but after just a few weeks, all this diabetic care for your beloved Mini becomes almost second nature. It builds a very special close bond between you and your cat which you will cherish.

 

Oh, thank you so much for the support, Deb & Wink. You're right. This has totally changed my relationship with both cats, in a really good way.

I feel much more confident about testing, but I'm still confused about scheduling tests. When and how often should I test, and what do I do with the results besides log them?

Thanks, A.

 

Most people try to test 4 times a day, if they are able to.

We recommend always testing at pre-shot, to make sure your kitty's BG (blood glucose) is high enough to shoot the insulin. That shoot/no-shoot threshold is a BG >=200 in the beginning.

Then, we recommend that you test somewhere in the middle of the 12 hour cycle, around +5 to +7. We realize that people work and have other commitments in life, so not everyone is able to get those mid-cycle tests.

Yes, you track the readings. If you use our formatted, color coded grid, (aka SS or spreadsheet), you can get feedback from other more experience users of your insulin on possible changes you could make.

Directions for setting up that SS/grid are here. You need a google account and simply do the updates online, in your google drive. No need to download anything.

ECID (Every Cat is Different) so the testing is showing how YOUR cat is doing on the type of insulin and the dose you are using. The more tests you can get, to fill out that SS, helps people to see the patterns and suggest changes.

Hope that helps you to understand a bit of the ins and outs of testing.

 

Deb and Wink, thank you so much for the advice. I'm testing when I can, and my spreadsheet for the last two days is here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... sUkE#gid=0

Can you look at it and let me know how he's doing, or should I post it somewhere else? Huge thanks. A.

 

Not sure you have the information in the correct columns.

Each cycle is 12 hours. You start recording your BG tests with the pre-shot tests. Any subsequent tests are expressed in elapsed time since the shot, which should be after that first pre-shot test of the cycle.

Perhaps this will help clarify.
AMPS = morning pre-shot test
U = units of insulin given
+1 = 1 hour after insulin shot given
+2 = 2 hours after shot
+7 = 7 hours after shot
etc.

PMPS = evening pre-shot test
+2 = 2 hours after insulin shot given
etc

We do it this way since we all live in different time zones. It helps to provide consistency of how we enter the data on the SS. It levels the playing field for when the shot is given and tests are done.
It doesn't matter what time you are giving the shot, you still put the BG test numbers in the appropriate column for the 12 hour cycle. Looks to me like you changed the column headings to indicate 7-8 pm for the +7 hours after shot.

 

Hi Deb. I think I finally get it that times start from the first test and go up, so O redid it, but I added actual times as a note for myself temporarily, so I'd feel a little less clueless about where, say, 2pm is on the spreadsheet. If it's too confusing, I can delete the line. Thanks again, Alex

 

Wow! You're shooting really low numbers with the Prozinc insulin you are using. Not sure many people would shoot that low.

I think with that 45 reading you got today, you want to lower the dose of insulin by at least 0.25U.

I'll try to get some more experience Prozinc users to comment on your post.

Thanks for moving the numbers into the correct columns!

Hey, any additional information you want to add for your own purposes to help you with the spreadsheet is always good. I added the day of the week to Wink's SS for example.

 

Hi Deb, I caight her other post for the 45 at+8. He is rising. And yes, she would reduce the dose and not shoot under 180 with ProZinc.

 

your cats are gorgeous.

My cat Angel was only diagnosed end of last month so I know exactly how overwhelming it can be. Well done with the testing, Angel is the sweetest most laid back cat and I don't always get a big enough drop of blood first time, but he is so good. I seem to be getting the hang of it better now. I've learnt so much just in these few short weeks and still learning, but it's not scary any more.

Feel free to look at Angel's spreadsheet if you want an example I've added dates and info.

hugs
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