Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic!

You just got your diagnosis from your trusted vet and you are worried and scared. You don’t know what your next step should be. First, take a deep breath, then a second one. This is a manageable disease and can be treated at home.

Second, verify the correct tests were done to arrive at this diagnosis. You want to make sure your cat does not get insulin unless they really are diabetic and need it. Recently there have been a few of cases on the FDMB where the cat was pronounced diabetic before all the correct tests were done. So let’s double check the symptoms, tests and results.

1. What were the symptoms?
A diabetic cat will typically eat a lot more than normal; drink a lot more than normal, pee huge puddles; and lose weight. They may have dandruff or look greasy. They may have weakness in the back legs or walk on their hocks. However, thyroid issues also have the same symptoms. So you need to take your cat to see your vet for some tests.

2. How was this diagnosed?
Some vets will test the blood at their surgeries/clinic using an on-the-spot method and regular blood meter. This test only shows how the cats blood is at that moment in time. However it is inconclusive for diagnosis alone since most cats experience stress either at the vet or on the ride there. A urine dipstick can be used to check for glucose in the urine. Again this test is not conclusive but does provide another clue.

Most importantly, your vet should draw blood for a fructosamine test. They will likely send this to the lab. This test shows the blood glucose levels averaged over the last 2-3 weeks. A test result over 350mL in conjunction with the symptoms and other tests will allow your vet the confidence that yor cat truly does have diabetes.

3. What was the cause?
Many cats that become diabetic were obese and/or fed on a high carbohydrate, dry food, free-fed diet. However, steroid shots or infections can also cause a cat to become diabetic. Also, underlying issues like pancreatitis, cancer and more are suspected to have a role in a cat becoming diabetic. Ask your vet if he checked for infections like UTI, teeth and ear.

4. You can confirm the diagnosis at home
In this more relaxed and familiar home setting, your cat's blood glucose levels will be more accurate. Purchase or borrow a human blood glucose meter kit, and/or urine glucose & ketone urine test strips. Normal cats blood is 40-130 on a blood glucose meter. Normal urine should not show any sugar. Plus, if your cat is diabetic, you have started to acquire the items needed to treat this disease, putting you one step ahead.

Having confirmed the diagnosis as diabetes, you are ready to get started with diet changes, testing and insulin. We are here to help!

Wendy&Tiggy + Deb and Wink

 

Re: Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic

"Like"!

 

Re: Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic

What She ^^^ said!

 

Re: Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic

One of my diabetic friends explained it best to me. He said, "there is hyperglycemia and then there is diabetes. You can have hyperglycemia without diabetes but you can't have diabetes without hyperglycemia."

 

Re: Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic

Nice job, Wendy
:thumbup Thanks.

 

Re: Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic

If this isnt already a "sticky" somewhere it should be.

 

Re: Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic

That's what we were thinking when we wrote it up. Wendy did most of the work.

 

Re: Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic

Really good post! :thumbup

A lot of thought and work has gone into this... Top job!

Eliz

 

Re: Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic

Nice writeup, and a necessary discussion. There are many cats that DCIN helps out of situations (shelters, homes, and even vet's offices) where they are not being tested with any regularity and into homes that use glucometers, and those cats are never again given a shot of insulin once monitoring begins. And I have seen this involve cats that are on some pretty large doses of insulin.

However, I don't agree that a fructosamine is always needed.

A cat with, for example, a BG level of 400, glucose and slight ketones in its urine, and significant clinical symptoms is going to need insulin therapy. A fruc test isn't going to change that reality. The insulin therapy may not be for long, but it is needed, especially to prevent DKA.

Many people already have sticker shock from the exam, full blood panel, and urinalysis when their cats are diagnosed. DCIN is contacted by several people every week wanting to surrender or destroy their cats because of sticker shock. Another $120 test is going to push more people over that line.

My cats never once had a fruc test and my vet didn't think it was necessary at the initial diagnosis of my first diabetic. (I diagnosed my second diabetic.) I didn't agree with the vet about that at first, but with home testing and learning the clinical symptoms I came to see that the diagnosis was right and that the fruc test indeed was not necessary.

 

Re: Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic

You make a good point but the value of 400 that you refer to, is a home test measurement correct?

So to clarify - if the vet said the cat was diabetic, did they do a fructosamine test? If yes then good - diagnosis is confirmed.
If not, then home testing will tell you the same thing as a the fructosamine - but cheaper!.

 

Re: Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic

In the hypothetical, the 400 mg/dl would have been the measure at the vet's office. My point is that given that number (clearly higher than a vet stress number) in combo with sugar and slight ketones in the urine and significant clinical symptoms (which are not the result of vet stress), I believe a fruc test is not necessary and a waste of money. That is only my opinion. I believe there are situations in which fruc tests should be used to confirm a diagnosis, but I don't believe they are needed in all cases and thus I don't believe they are the "most important" element of the diagnostics.

If the authors are planning to get this information onto FDMB as a sticky, I would think all of the content should have a strong consensus among members or the explicit approval of the site owner.

 

Re: Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic

bump

 

Re: Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic

cheaper unless the cat ends up DKA while they wait for the fructosamine results.

Lucy was 650 and nearly dead at diagnosis. That was enough proof for me, and enough proof for the vet to hospitalize her immediately. She would have died before fructosamine results came back (she almost died anyway). KK was 315 at the vet but spilling glucose, losing weight, eating and peeing like nobody's business, etc. Bloodwork ruled out kidney and thyroid as causes for the eating and peeing. That's enough proof for me.

I could see 200 or maybe even 300 as vet stress, especially if there are no clinical signs of diabetes, but beyond that it's pretty clear that the cat is going to need insulin. Don't get me wrong, I do think fructosamines have their place, but I do think a diagnosis can be made without that test in many cases.

 

Re: Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic

Hi everybody, Thank you for all you helpful advice for Bunny and I. When I first took bunny back to the Vet when I took her to get caught up with her shots it was because she had begun to drink and eat non-stop, lose weight and she shedding with alot of dandruff. I had to change her litter box for urine at least twice maybe more a day. She is almost blind now but that started a couple of years ago and my Vet didn't think to check for diabetes then because Bunny is a fighter and it just seemed better for her to give her the shots she needed at that particuler visit amd get her going so Bunny wouldn't become so upset. She seemed to be a healthy cat and my Vet said that losing her sight could be genetic. Anyway when I returned amd told her what I suspected she checked her urine and sent her blood to the lab for tests. She put her on a low dose of insuline and said we would adjust it as needed. The blood test came back from the lab positive for diabetes. My Vet gave me instuctions on how to care for Bunny to keep her healthy in her new condition and how important her diet was and that she eat the right food. The only problem is she wouldn't eat anything but the dry cat food she was used to (she is a grazer). I tried everything that has been suggested on this site and from people I know who have diabetic pets and what trick or brand of food they used, how they prepared it. etc.... Well it ended up that she went from 13 pounds to six and started vomiting up foam and blood. She would only drink water, eat some canned tuna and a little bit of the diabetic dry cat food which she hated. I had to start from scratch with mixing in her old food with the wet tuna. she goobled it down and looked at me like I was trying to kill her. Talk about guilt! She is on the right dose of insuline and is bouncing back. She is drinking just the right amount but I don't know what to do about her food situation. I tried everything humanly possible and she made herself very sick because she is so stuborne. I hope everybody's kitties are doing well and love and thanks again!
Bunny and Mary

 

Re: Newly diagnosed? First check your cat really is diabetic

Mary, can you start your own topic on this? Let us know what you are currently feeding and what foods you have tried ie have you tried fancy feast? Friskies? Wellness grain free etc.