First time feline diabetic cat owner

[Jessee07]

Hi all,

New here to this forum and also to having a cat with diabetes. Our cat Sugar (almost 7) was diagnosed with diabetes on the 15th of this month. We had noticed she was losing weight, she was slightly overweight at 13 pounds, our vet said she should be around 11. At first, we thought she was losing weight because we had to put up several baby gates due to one of our dogs, so we thought the weight loss was due to going over and/or under the gates. Then we noticed she was drinking more than usual, which she’s always drank a lot more than our other cats but was drinking more than her normal, along with a huge appetite spike. Again, we thought all of this was because of her increased activity, but then we noticed she started urinating outside her litter box in a very large amount, it also had almost no color and a very faint odor not the way normal cat urine smells. She was also straining to poop and just overall not acting like herself. We made her the first available appointment. They did blood work and ran a urine test. Diabetes. They tested her ketone level and said she was a good candidate for a medication called Bexacat. We were told to give her one pill a day and have a follow up with them in 3 to 5 days to measure her ketone level again, if she stayed in the range she was in or lowered she could stay on it, and they would see us again in two weeks. If the ketone level went up, we might have to take her off it. They gave us a bunch of information and a list of symptoms of EDKA to look out for, so we set her recheck for Monday, the 20th. On Friday we noticed she wasn’t acting right again. We smelled her breath, and it smelled slightly sweet, which can be a sign of DKA. I called the vet, and we brought her in immediately for a ketone check. She went from a 1 on Wednesday to a 2.3 on Friday. We were told that 2.4 was the cut off for Bexacat and she would have to be removed and put on insulin. I had been reading so much about feline diabetes since Wednesday, so I made the decision to just pull her off of the Bexacat and put her on insulin. They said to start on 1 unit insulin twice a day, no less than 12 hours apart, it could be more than 12 but not less than 12. They said if she wasn’t eating do not give her that dose and skip to the next one but only if she started eating. If she went more than 24 hours without food bring her in. Since she hadn’t been eating much since Wednesday, we were advised to give her .5 units until her appetite picked back up. I knew from reading some literature about feline diabetes that it was important to monitor her glucose at home. I asked the vet about this, and they said we didn’t need to as we would just bring her back in two weeks for a glucose curve screening. I didn’t like that and said so, they assured me it was safe as long as we were watching her for signs of hypoglycemia and if she was experiencing that to give her corn syrup or maple syrup. I was uncomfortable with that idea, I do people medicine, not animal medicine, but I would NEVER advise someone to take or give insulin unless they were monitoring the blood glucose levels. That is just asking for trouble. So, we dropped the cat at home and immediately went to the store and purchased a glucose monitor, lancets, and extra testing strips. We’ve been monitoring her blood glucose levels since then. I’ve noticed she’s all over the map. From the high 60’s to over 200. We’ve had to increase from .5 units to the full 1 unit. It just feels like we’re failing her. I’ve been reading up more about feline dietary needs as well and I feel so guilty that I didn’t know that dried food was so bad for them. I’ve had cats my whole life and always been told that feeding “premium” dry food was unnecessary, feeding wet food exclusively was basically unheard of unless you were a “crazy cat lady.” That cats could eat "anything", and they'd be fine, they aren't picky. After having read all the information I have, I feel so guilty for not seeing it before, they aren't meant to eat processed mystery "food". I’m looking into switching our cats and even our dogs over to a raw food diet, however, I'm not quite comfortable in my own knowledge to go there just yet, I don't want to mess up again now that I know all that it can cause. We have switched our diabetic cat to low carb wet food exclusively. Our other cats are being more difficult and we’re working to switch them over slowly. I’m having a hard time with the nighttime though. I’ve noticed that our cats seem to prefer to eat mostly at night and early morning hours. I can’t leave wet food out all night and obviously can’t leave dried kibble out either so I’m not sure what to do to be sure they’re eating enough. I’ve also noticed the diabetic cat trying to eat the dog food if she can get it. Anyways, sorry for rambling but any advice that you can give would be greatly appreciated. Also, any advice on the vet front is also welcome, as we want to make sure we are doing right by our cat. Thank you so much.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Hello and welcome. You've proved a couple times that you've got great instincts when it comes to your furbaby. Was Sugar the name before diabetes?

First off, a couple housekeeping things that'll help us in this post:New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

OK, what insulin are you giving now? That's one of the things listed in that post that we like to see in the signature. Different insulins can act differently in the cat. We would also like to know what type of meter your are using, and we'll be able to help with dosing once we see the blood sugar data, preferably in a spreadsheet. Most of us end of following one of our dosing methods and don't need to talk to the vet about changing doses.

Are you testing at home for ketones now? You can get urine testing sticks such as Ketostix at most human pharmacies. Here is how: Tips to catch and test a urine sample We need to make sure you've kicked the ketones to the curb. How is Sugar's appetite and activity level now?

 

[CORKY]

Welcome to FDF you are definitely in the right place as well as your instinct, good for you in home testing, and diabetic acts should consume a diet of wet can food between 0-10% carbs, or raw foods but that takes a bit of balancing to do with many other nutrients and vitamins to equal the wet can food, my Corky is on ProZinc, a 1 hour insulin, which is one of the best insulins and Lantus for cats, there are many brands of cat foods most of the members enjoy Fancy Feast pates, they are US made so they are regulated and no waste goes into the food, quite nice, and many flavors to choose from, you can do if necessary a curve at home, you do not need a vet for that either, you it is important you test before shooting insulin, AMPS and PMPS, you do not want to shoot without testing first to avoid hypoglycemia, you should have handy what is called a HYPO KIT, this should include Karo syrup or honey, some medium carb foods between 11-15% carbs and some high carbs between 16-24%, the Karo and honey are just a quick fix, we do not want to give all the items in the kit all at once if BG is low, below you will find several links like food list(the third column contains the carbs) in order for us to help you, we need to know more about your cat, we can guide you and help you with dosing, also we would like you to create your signature and spreadsheet so you can enter the BGs and we can monitor how the insulin is working.
It is overwhelming when we hear the words diabetic, but not to worry it is very manageable, with the right diet and correct insulin and amount, I don't want to overwhelm you with so much, but in the Main Forum you will find many sticky notes with valuable information, we will be here for you, no concern is a small concern, so post post post. I will also tag several members that can help you with the insulin you are using and dosing

@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Wendy&Neko
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/spreadsheets-tech-support-testing-area.6/
FOOD CHART CHECK CARBS/ FF

 

[Jessee07]

Hello and welcome. You've proved a couple times that you've got great instincts when it comes to your furbaby. Was Sugar the name before diabetes?

First off, a couple housekeeping things that'll help us in this post:New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

OK, what insulin are you giving now? That's one of the things listed in that post that we like to see in the signature. Different insulins can act differently in the cat. We would also like to know what type of meter your are using, and we'll be able to help with dosing once we see the blood sugar data, preferably in a spreadsheet. Most of us end of following one of our dosing methods and don't need to talk to the vet about changing doses.

Are you testing at home for ketones now? You can get urine testing sticks such as Ketostix at most human pharmacies. Here is how: Tips to catch and test a urine sample We need to make sure you've kicked the ketones to the curb. How is Sugar's appetite and activity level now?

Thank you so much. Yes, Sugar was her name prior to diabetes, ironic right? I will definitely get it logged into a spreadsheet, right now I've just been using a planner. The meter I was able to get where I live is the relion platinum. They had that, the blu and something called next gen, so I just went with the platinum as it seemed easiest to use. The insulin they gave us was vetsulin, I've seen mixed reviews on it but we weren't given another option.

We are not testing for ketones at home currently, I was so confused as to what's best to use, blood or urine and like I mentioned, our vet doesn’t see a need for us to do it at home. They want us to bring her in for these types of things and otherwise just play fast and loose, which that just seems like a horrible way to best help her, in my opinion. I will definitely spend some time tonight and tomorrow reading the things you posted so that I can get the information and make sure I'm following that.

Her appetite depends, she was doing okay through the night but now she's wants to eat again at like 3-4a. She eats a full fancy feast can at 6-6:30a. Will eat another half a can to full can around 8:40a before she gets her insulin at 9a. Then it depends on the day whether she'll eat before 3p or not. She usually really wants to eat between 5p and 6p. Then she eats at least a small something a little before 9p so she can get her insulin. Her activity isn't much, honestly. She plays a little here and there but not like before she got diagnosed. She mostly sleeps (usually under a bed) or just hangs out with the kids and I. She won't even really run around with her sister anymore and I know our other kitty (Marshmallow) tries but it just seems like Sugar doesn't have the energy to play. I've read a lot and I know that I shouldn't be so worried but I can't help it.

I really appreciate all the help, thank you again.

 

[Jessee07]

Welcome to FDF you are definitely in the right place as well as your instinct, good for you in home testing, and diabetic acts should consume a diet of wet can food between 0-10% carbs, or raw foods but that takes a bit of balancing to do with many other nutrients and vitamins to equal the wet can food, my Corky is on ProZinc, a 1 hour insulin, which is one of the best insulins and Lantus for cats, there are many brands of cat foods most of the members enjoy Fancy Feast pates, they are US made so they are regulated and no waste goes into the food, quite nice, and many flavors to choose from, you can do if necessary a curve at home, you do not need a vet for that either, you it is important you test before shooting insulin, AMPS and PMPS, you do not want to shoot without testing first to avoid hypoglycemia, you should have handy what is called a HYPO KIT, this should include Karo syrup or honey, some medium carb foods between 11-15% carbs and some high carbs between 16-24%, the Karo and honey are just a quick fix, we do not want to give all the items in the kit all at once if BG is low, below you will find several links like food list(the third column contains the carbs) in order for us to help you, we need to know more about your cat, we can guide you and help you with dosing, also we would like you to create your signature and spreadsheet so you can enter the BGs and we can monitor how the insulin is working.
It is overwhelming when we hear the words diabetic, but not to worry it is very manageable, with the right diet and correct insulin and amount, I don't want to overwhelm you with so much, but in the Main Forum you will find many sticky notes with valuable information, we will be here for you, no concern is a small concern, so post post post. I will also tag several members that can help you with the insulin you are using and dosing

@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Wendy&Neko
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/spreadsheets-tech-support-testing-area.6/
FOOD CHART CHECK CARBS/ FF

Thank you so much. I am so glad I found this forum. I have read so much and I know that realistically this is something we can handle but it's scary. Being told not to worry about testing at home and trying to push us towards prescription food. It's just a lot. Also her saying that if the insulin doesn't work, she would have a year maybe 18 months. I mean, it's hard to believe insulin wouldn't work but I guess that's possible.

We have her on Fancy feast classic pates. She does get the friskies pate as well but isn't as big of a fan of that. I've found a couple lists (I will definitely look at the ones you mentioned) to be sure I'm getting the right stuff. I can say I honestly did not know about the hypo kit, so I'll get that built right away. I'm also going to get my signature created as well as the BG spreadsheet.

Thank you so much for all of this. I'm starting to feel better.

 

[CORKY]

Thank you so much. I am so glad I found this forum. I have read so much and I know that realistically this is something we can handle but it's scary. Being told not to worry about testing at home and trying to push us towards prescription food. It's just a lot. Also her saying that if the insulin doesn't work, she would have a year maybe 18 months. I mean, it's hard to believe insulin wouldn't work but I guess that's possible.

We have her on Fancy feast classic pates. She does get the friskies pate as well but isn't as big of a fan of that. I've found a couple lists (I will definitely look at the ones you mentioned) to be sure I'm getting the right stuff. I can say I honestly did not know about the hypo kit, so I'll get that built right away. I'm also going to get my signature created as well as the BG spreadsheet.

Thank you so much for all of this. I'm starting to feel better.

Sugar knows you and depends on you the vet depends on your pocket, sorry to be so honest, you got a good monitor and Strips, most of us members use the ReliOn, and "prescription" food, is not, the food the vets sell contain over 14-18% carbs, you use that food the more Vet visits you will have. Many Vets are not familiar with cat diabetes, so they tend to treat it as if it were a dog. Your vet I am sure has the best intentions, but no so best the knowledge at times

 

[Wendy&Neko]

The Relion is a good meter, and you are feeding good food for a diabetic cat. The insulin, unfortunately, is not a good one for a cat. Vetsulin is called Caninsulin in the rest of the world and should tell you what animal it is for. The American Animal Hospital Association no longer recommends Vetsulin for the treatment of feline diabetes, but does recommend Lantus or Prozinc which are much longer lasting in cats. Having said that, when Neko was diagnosed, we were put on Caninsulin cause "that's what they did at the clinic". It took a while and much discussion with the vet, but I finally got her switched to Lantus. Both the cat and I were much happier.

If you are getting the 60's on 1 unit of Vetsulin, the insulin dose is too high. Do you have syringes with half unit markings? You should reduce the dose down to 0.75 units. Yes, that means eyeballing the dose. Here is a post with our Vetsulin dosing methods and more info that may help:
BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO CANINSULIN/VETSULIN

You can get special blood test meters for ketones or you can use the urinary test strips. Some people have multiple cats or shy cats, then meters are easier to use, though their test strips are more expensive. We've seen people test ketones as trace in the beginning of the day and zoom up to very concerning the same day. So yes, we are a fan of people testing regularly and not waiting for a visit to the vet, Anything over trace means a conversation and possibly visit to the vet.

Feeding several small meals to your cat is fine, or letting her graze. In the beginning however, it's a good idea to pick up the food for the two hours before the shot. Otherwise her numbers could be influenced by the carbs in her food, and when you test before shooting, that number might say it's OK to shoot, but might not have been if she hadn't eaten.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Did the vet tell you that with Vetsulin you need to feed 30 minutes before you give the Vetsulin. Food needs to be on board 30 minutes before you shoot because it hits hard and fast.

You can read about Vetsulin here
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-caninsulin-vetsulin.231587/

Vetsulin hits hard and fast
It's actually used for dogs
Here is a little bit of information from the Vetsulin Sticky

• Because this insulin can drop BG quickly, it is important to feed your cat 20 - 30 minutes before giving insulin. This ensures there is food on board for when the insulin starts to work. So, the sequence would be: (1) Test BG. (2) Feed. (3) Wait 20 - 30 mins. (4) Give the insulin shot. (If you are not yet home testing it is still advisable to feed and then wait before giving the shot).
• Some caregivers feed a snack (or part of the main meal) an hour and a half to two hours after the shot. This strategy can slow down the rate at which the BG is dropping.

Hypo kit if needed
Med and High Carb food and have honey in your house



Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Beef Feast in Gravy 20% High Carbs Edit This is wrong on our food chart , It's actually 14%

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Chicken Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs



Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Turkey Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Chicken and Beef in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Good idea to mark the cans with magic marker how many carbs

Or any on the food chart. Doesn't have to be Fancy Feast just an example about the med andhigh carb foods



https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-

10% and under is low carb
11% -15 is medium carbs.

16- 24 is high carb.

 

[squeem3]

You can leave canned food out for hours Canned food is a cooked product so it's fine to leave out. Many people use a programmable timed feeder to give their diabetic cat small meals throughout the day. A microchip feeder may work better for a multicat home. Can you put away the dog food after the dog eats? Dog food can't be good carb-wise for a diabetic cat.

You can do a lot of things at home for your diabetic cat. You don't need to bring your cat to the vet all the time for urine testing or blood glucose curves or whatever the vet says needs to be done. Save your money and learn how to do these things at home. Be proactive in your cat's care. Some vets, for whatever reason, insist that only they can manage the cat and ignore the client's concerns and questions. If you feel your vet isn't willing to work with you on managing your cat, it may be worth looking for a new vet.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB.

Like Wendy noted, you've got excellent instincts when it comes to Sugar's health. FWIW, I was a wreck when Gabby was diagnosed. It didn't help that I'm very comfortable with most things medical and I speak the language. In fact, I spoke it so well, the ICU vet (Gabby was hospitalized) assumed I knew how to give shots. I spent a lot of time with YouTube videos and learned how to use a glucometer pretty much the same way. Many vets are reticent to suggest home testing since many caregivers are even more reticent to do so out of fear that they will hurt their cat or they believe that it's more than what they think they can handle (or it's too much trouble and may ask the vet to euthanize their cat). If given the choice of getting my cat used to being poked in the ear vs hypoglycemia, I'm going to get my cat comfortable with home testing! Like you, I think it's important to have a handle on where blood glucose numbers are and how my cat is responding to insulin.

As for food, you have lots of choices. Maria/Corky provided you with a link to a food chart that was developed by a vet, Lisa Pierson, DMV, who has a passion regarding feline nutrition. We consider low carb as under 10% although, most members feed their cat foods that are in the 5% range. I'd also point out that many of us were clueless about canned vs dry food when starting out with feline diabetes. I was feeding my cat a premium dry food, as well. A raw diet is easy. There are pre-mixes that make it very simple. These are products that have all of the supplements needed to make raw food nutritionally complete. You add water to the pre-mix, add it to the ground, raw food and then you're done. I put my cats' food into ice cube trays and freeze it and take out as much as I'll need for the next day.

If you plan to discuss insulin choices with your vet, this is a link our post that contains the American Animal Hospital Assn guidelines for treating diabetes.

 

[squeem3]

raw diet is easy. There are pre-mixes that make it very simple. These are products that have all of the supplements needed to make raw food nutritionally complete. You add water to the pre-mix, add it to the ground, raw food and then you're done. I put my cats' food into ice cube trays and freeze it and take out as much as I'll need for the next day.

There are also commercially available raw foods if you don't want to make your own. These do cost more than if you made your own raw food. The options are frozen, freeze dried, and air dried. Air dried raw is crunchy like dry food. I feed my diabetic a freeze dried raw food and my non diabetic a frozen raw food.

Canned food is perfectly fine and what many members here feed Feed what works best for you and the cats.

 

[Laurie&Petey]

I feel so guilty that I didn’t know that dried food was so bad for them. I’ve had cats my whole life and always been told that feeding “premium” dry food was unnecessary, feeding wet food exclusively was basically unheard of unless you were a “crazy cat lady.” That cats could eat "anything", and they'd be fine, they aren't picky.

Glad you found this forum, very knowledgeable and supportive community! At first it is very overwhelming and you can't learn fast enough. Then you make a bunch of changes and find a new routine. When the diabetes has a mind of its own and fights back, you'll be frustrated and feel like it's something you are or aren't doing, and I assure you while we feel like we are failing them, we are giving them everything we have . Slowly the numbers start improving and your kitty starts to feel and look and act better and you just keep fighting this baffling disease, every day.

I too had NO idea that cats should be eating wet food, I have had a lot of cats live 20+ and never, ever, ate wet food! I always believed it was exactly the opposite. Since Petey was switched to wet food he doesn't drink any water, and he was ALWAYS at the water bowl.

You're in a good place and slowly you and Sugar will find your new routine and a new bond. I wonder if she might be the youngest here?!

 

[CORKY]

Glad you found this forum, very knowledgeable and supportive community! At first it is very overwhelming and you can't learn fast enough. Then you make a bunch of changes and find a new routine. When the diabetes has a mind of its own and fights back, you'll be frustrated and feel like it's something you are or aren't doing, and I assure you while we feel like we are failing them, we are giving them everything we have . Slowly the numbers start improving and your kitty starts to feel and look and act better and you just keep fighting this baffling disease, every day.

I too had NO idea that cats should be eating wet food, I have had a lot of cats live 20+ and never, ever, ate wet food! I always believed it was exactly the opposite. Since Petey was switched to wet food he doesn't drink any water, and he was ALWAYS at the water bowl.

Your in a good place and slowly you and Sugar will find your new routine and a new bond. I wonder if she might be the youngest here?!

Love this! and yes I cried till there were no more tears, I ran around the house like a chicken without a head, I bombarded this Forum till the tip of my fingers were raw, this Forum saved my Corky he will be 12 in a few months, diagnosed 3 years ago, I adopted him from the ASPCA when he was 8 weeks old already d-clawed( horrific) he grew up on Meau Mix, I had no idea the danger to come or no idea about FD, when I found out there was something wrong, from 16.5 lbs to 8.5lbs later, he had never been a lap cat, and shy, only cuddling was in his territory, the bed, I noticed him always at the water bowl, meowing next to it, throwing the water out, I though he was playing, one day he allowed me to pick him up he felt like a feather, he entered the emergency hospital, they had to drain his bladder from so much water in it and 650BG, he stayed for 8 days, and $8,000. later with a bag full of stuff I had no idea to do with, and I was told that a diabetic cat's BG needed to be between 200-300BG (LIE) and he left with a Libre sensor, that fell off the same day and the insulin vial shattered on the floor on his second dose! I was close to a nervous breakdown, I had so many sleepless nights, and fears of loosing him, and his Vet since 8 weeks old , decided he was not interested, it was not until several months later by coincidence found this Forum, I never looked back, so it's ok to be scared and have doubts, but that is part of the process,
FD is manageable, learn to home test, follow directions, ask questions, many, we are here to help you and Sugar get better and stabilized.

 

[SmallestSparrow]

We are not testing for ketones at home currently, I was so confused as to what's best to use, blood or urine and like I mentioned, our vet doesn’t see a need for us to do it at home.

Since she cooperates with blood testing I’d vote for testing ketones by blood rather than urine but it is more expensive (that’s the con, here come some pros):
Since you are in the medical field, you can see how testing the blood will pick up ketones earlier than waiting for them to show in the urine. Additionally, cats may not pee when they are not eating/throwing up—in other words when you’d most want to check. My vet insisted on blood tests for ketones at home when we put Methos on Bexacat.

your next question will probably be: what meter? I’m not sure what to say there. Here’s what I’m doing and an additional recommendation: I asked my vet last April and she said vets usually used Precision Xtra by Abbott because it had been studied in cats. I used this until this year. It undoubtedly has the most expensive strips of any meter ($5 per strip). I suspect (without proof) that they are phasing this out which adds to the cost as they have a new meter (neo optimum I think) that does ketones and as companies phase out a line supply makes the price rise (or maybe companies raise price to drive us to new product idk)

many people use that newer meter or other now more common ketone meters for humans (thank you keto diet fans) like keto mojo. The only drawback is they haven’t been used on cats in any studies but for general screening for ketone use I doubt it matters.

if you use a human meter and have problems, when you call tech support don’t say you are using it for a cat or they won’t help you. Because Abbott refused to help me, and because it was often taking weeks for strips to ship to me (I’m on the west coast) I found a pet specific ketone meter Centrivet and now use it. The drawbacks are strips still pricey ($2 each) and still somewhat hard to find strips (dairy supply companies usually best source). I have seen some online pet pharmacies carry them now. I think there are a few new pet ketone meters—check amazon and chewy—that are more reasonable.

I think human ketone meters like mojo ketone and nova max plus are more reasonable like $1 a strip…maybe less. The newer Abbott meter was more per strip but o don’t recall price.

re vet not wanting home testing, here is probably why: if your cat is acting normally ketones will probably be low or normal. So you’ve stuck the cat and you’re stress over potentially nothing and diabetes is a marathon, not a sprint. At first parents are stressed, crying, anxious. Then repeated testing, especially when seeing high numbers, they become more stressed and anxious and add sleep deprived. Pretty soon it all seems too much. Some parents crack and stop treating or even decide to euthanize. Vets try to help us balance our lives for the marathon we face.

[edit: likewise if the cat is vomiting and not eating you will need to take him to clinic or er anyway, where they can check ketones. So really checking ketones at best gives you a heads up that there’s potential problems coming but probably in practice doesn’t change outcome]

My current cat has a very rare tumor causing his diabetes and making it difficult to regulate. Thirty years ago I had a cat with the exact same rare cause (but didn’t know it for the three years I’d treated his diabetes). Back then the vet did a curve at clinic, set a dose, and I gave it. No home testing blood for sugar or ketones. Just feed and shoot and walk out the door. Occasionally test urine for sugar and ketones (we wanted to see trace or 1+ sugar and no ketones). This was not tight control but it was how it was done. I slept. I didn’t worry about going to work. He seemed ok. No ears were stuck. It wasn’t ideal and I can’t bring myself to go back to that now that I CAN monitor methos but there have been many text exchanges with my vet where she’s said “if you find your home broken into but only your meters are missing don’t call the police. I have them”. She knows how my world crashes with every elevated glucose or ketone result and that these things will vary. It was easier —so much easier—when I didn’t know.

 

[Jessee07]

Sugar knows you and depends on you the vet depends on your pocket, sorry to be so honest, you got a good monitor and Strips, most of us members use the ReliOn, and "prescription" food, is not, the food the vets sell contain over 14-18% carbs, you use that food the more Vet visits you will have. Many Vets are not familiar with cat diabetes, so they tend to treat it as if it were a dog. Your vet I am sure has the best intentions, but no so best the knowledge at times

This makes a lot of sense. I'm in this cycle of wondering if the vet is actually good or if I just feel sort of beholden to her because of how she helped us with our dog who had a seizure disorder of unknown origin. We don't really have a lot of vet options where we live. One vet is most definitely off the table, they are definitely not great. One is super affordable and knows her stuff but because of this it is very hard to get in to see her. The vet we have now the practice was originally owned by another vet. He was amazing and the reason we switched. Now it's taken over by someone else and I'm stuck in this cycle. Is she great or do I just kind of feel like I owe her? There is only one other vet here in town, she recently moved her from another smaller town about 20 minutes from us. I know people seem to like her. She has a lot of other therapies and things other vets don't offer. She's a University of Iowa grad. But I've never seen her before, I called when Sugar first was showing troubling signs. They were very helpful. But I just feel so stuck. Ideally, I've heard great things about holistic vets but the closest one to us is 5 to 6 hours one way, so not really doable. Sorry for the rambling, I just feel so lost.

 

[Jessee07]

The Relion is a good meter, and you are feeding good food for a diabetic cat. The insulin, unfortunately, is not a good one for a cat. Vetsulin is called Caninsulin in the rest of the world and should tell you what animal it is for. The American Animal Hospital Association no longer recommends Vetsulin for the treatment of feline diabetes, but does recommend Lantus or Prozinc which are much longer lasting in cats. Having said that, when Neko was diagnosed, we were put on Caninsulin cause "that's what they did at the clinic". It took a while and much discussion with the vet, but I finally got her switched to Lantus. Both the cat and I were much happier.

If you are getting the 60's on 1 unit of Vetsulin, the insulin dose is too high. Do you have syringes with half unit markings? You should reduce the dose down to 0.75 units. Yes, that means eyeballing the dose. Here is a post with our Vetsulin dosing methods and more info that may help:
BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO CANINSULIN/VETSULIN

You can get special blood test meters for ketones or you can use the urinary test strips. Some people have multiple cats or shy cats, then meters are easier to use, though their test strips are more expensive. We've seen people test ketones as trace in the beginning of the day and zoom up to very concerning the same day. So yes, we are a fan of people testing regularly and not waiting for a visit to the vet, Anything over trace means a conversation and possibly visit to the vet.

Feeding several small meals to your cat is fine, or letting her graze. In the beginning however, it's a good idea to pick up the food for the two hours before the shot. Otherwise her numbers could be influenced by the carbs in her food, and when you test before shooting, that number might say it's OK to shoot, but might not have been if she hadn't eaten.

Thank you for this. My oldest has been studying up on pet insulins and asking her biology professors. We knew vetsulin wasn't great, but I had no idea it was specifically for dogs. We have an appointment with the vet on the 30th or 31st for her glucose curve. I will talk to her then about getting a different insulin. If I'm being perfectly honest, posting here has forced me to actually look at the vet overall. She really seemed to be pushing the Bexacat. She told us she had 5 diabetic cats, and all were on Bexacat and only one had to come off it. It sounded so promising, so not knowing any better, I was like yes, of course. Turns out that Sugar also did not do well on the Bexacat. It also seemed like they weren't really giving answers then either. They said her ketone level was at a 2.3 and a 2.4 was the limit on Bexacat. But they said we could keep her on it over the weekend and if things got bad call an emergency vet and have her seen or put her on insulin right there. Personally, that seems like a really silly thing to suggest. I would have thought that the obvious answer was take her off and put her on insulin. Anyways sorry for the rant. I'm just so frustrated.

I apologize that I still don't have the spreadsheet made. I'm working on it. Sugar started insulin on 1/17, and we were told because she wasn't eating too well at the time to give her .5 units. I bought the ReliOn meter right after her appointment. She got her first BG reading at 8pm and it was 104. She had eaten okay but I still stuck with the .5 units and at 10:06pm we tested BG again and it was 84. On 1/18 we did her BG reading at 7:30am and it was still at 84. She ate, glucose didn't change, and she was given .5 units at 8:05am. We tested again at 10:08am and it was at 68, so I gave her a churu tube. That didn't help so I gave her a finger full of maple syrup and her reading was at 69. We gave another churu tube and a little more maple syrup and she hovered at 80-84. By 8:19 when she finally ate a full can of food and was able to get her insulin she was at 123. At 10:36p she was back to 81. The 19th she started going higher and higher. Her highest that day was 162. After that they just kept getting higher. We were told to move her to a full 1 unit. Since the 20th she has been between 141 and 247, only having one reading at 97. So now I don't know what to do.

We do have multiple cats and she's been really good at evading us getting any urine. So, I think we're going to have to go with a blood meter, I was looking at the keto-mojo I think it's called. I'm not sure if there's a specific meter that's better? I'm not loving the cost but honestly, at this point, I will do whatever it takes to help her live her best life. There is no way that any of us could bare to lose her, we can't go through another loss right now.

I wasn't exactly sure how to measure her BG, I was told 4 hours after she got the insulin and about 30 minutes prior to insulin being given. But I was also told to feed her 30 minutes before insulin, or right as she's getting it. I feel so lost. This forum has really helped but I just feel like I've gotten so much information, my head is swimming, and I still can't help but to feel like I'm failing her somehow, someway.

I really appreciate all your help and advice. Thank you so much.

 

[Jessee07]

Did the vet tell you that with Vetsulin you need to feed 30 minutes before you give the Vetsulin. Food needs to be on board 30 minutes before you shoot because it hits hard and fast.

You can read about Vetsulin here
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-caninsulin-vetsulin.231587/

Vetsulin hits hard and fast
It's actually used for dogs
Here is a little bit of information from the Vetsulin Sticky

• Because this insulin can drop BG quickly, it is important to feed your cat 20 - 30 minutes before giving insulin. This ensures there is food on board for when the insulin starts to work. So, the sequence would be: (1) Test BG. (2) Feed. (3) Wait 20 - 30 mins. (4) Give the insulin shot. (If you are not yet home testing it is still advisable to feed and then wait before giving the shot).
• Some caregivers feed a snack (or part of the main meal) an hour and a half to two hours after the shot. This strategy can slow down the rate at which the BG is dropping.

Hypo kit if needed
Med and High Carb food and have honey in your house



Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Beef Feast in Gravy 20% High Carbs Edit This is wrong on our food chart , It's actually 14%

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Chicken Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs



Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Turkey Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Chicken and Beef in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Good idea to mark the cans with magic marker how many carbs

Or any on the food chart. Doesn't have to be Fancy Feast just an example about the med andhigh carb foods



https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-

10% and under is low carb
11% -15 is medium carbs.

16- 24 is high carb.

Thank you for this. We were told she needed to eat 30 minutes before or right as she's getting her insulin. I try to give it to her 30-40 minutes before hand because it does take her a while to eat. She likes to take her time. Her sister on the other hand, horks it down like she hasn't ever been fed.

We started to build her hypo kit and man I have to say, trying to find high carb food where we live is practically impossible. We have very few stores here and the list that I have, I couldn't find anything in our Target, Walmart, Runnings, Tractor Supply and even a specialty pet store that was a high carb option. I was meaning to ask if it would be okay to give her something like bonkers or churu tubes in the event she goes hypo. I'll also be sure to mark the cans, we put them in a large like makeup/bathroom travel bag so we have them in a particular place and can grab it easily.

Thank you again for the info. It really helps a lot.

 

[CORKY]

This makes a lot of sense. I'm in this cycle of wondering if the vet is actually good or if I just feel sort of beholden to her because of how she helped us with our dog who had a seizure disorder of unknown origin. We don't really have a lot of vet options where we live. One vet is most definitely off the table, they are definitely not great. One is super affordable and knows her stuff but because of this it is very hard to get in to see her. The vet we have now the practice was originally owned by another vet. He was amazing and the reason we switched. Now it's taken over by someone else and I'm stuck in this cycle. Is she great or do I just kind of feel like I owe her? There is only one other vet here in town, she recently moved her from another smaller town about 20 minutes from us. I know people seem to like her. She has a lot of other therapies and things other vets don't offer. She's a University of Iowa grad. But I've never seen her before, I called when Sugar first was showing troubling signs. They were very helpful. But I just feel so stuck. Ideally, I've heard great things about holistic vets but the closest one to us is 5 to 6 hours one way, so not really doable. Sorry for the rambling, I just feel so lost.

It’s ok to feel stuck, but follow your instincts, make sure which ever vet you choose they are qualified for Feline Diabetes yiu need to go forward, not backwards, you can use this Forum for extra support and dosing assistance I truly feel here you will have much more accurate assistance with that by monitoring Sugar’s spreadsheet daily home testing and low car foods Sugar can be easier regulated, vets have the best intentions but some sees our desperation in doing “whatever it takes” for our pet they can get a bit greedy, and not what’s best for our cats, keep asking questions, no matter what to us and especially your vet, she should not be upset but glad about them and you concerns, you, more than your vet knows Sugar the most, so it’s ok to doubt ask and post us we are here for you, I trust this Forum blindly from the start, Corky is doing amazing, thanks to the dedicated members tat are really concerned and want to see our cats get better, it takes time to regulate Sugar as any cat, all cats are different and react differently to insulin, so us parents need to have patience and especially we need to be consistent in what and how we care for them and you are doing great! Especially with your brighten doubts questions and concerns, all of us more often than not questions what we are doing our cats tend to want to have us on our toes and have us second guess us,

 

[CORKY]

Thank you for this. We were told she needed to eat 30 minutes before or right as she's getting her insulin. I try to give it to her 30-40 minutes before hand because it does take her a while to eat. She likes to take her time. Her sister on the other hand, horks it down like she hasn't ever been fed.

We started to build her hypo kit and man I have to say, trying to find high carb food where we live is practically impossible. We have very few stores here and the list that I have, I couldn't find anything in our Target, Walmart, Runnings, Tractor Supply and even a specialty pet store that was a high carb option. I was meaning to ask if it would be okay to give her something like bonkers or churu tubes in the event she goes hypo. I'll also be sure to mark the cans, we put them in a large like makeup/bathroom travel bag so we have them in a particular place and can grab it easily.

Thank you again for the info. It really helps a lot.

Any wet can food with gravy tend to be high carbs you can also keep a small bag of kibbles to use as HC. But just give a bit of it they are so high in carbs 20-30% you do not want to feed but 10-20 pcs but avoid it unless absolutely possible, below is a Carb calculator that AI use often, you calculate with the nutrients in the food, also good to calculate the snacks you may give
Cat Food Nutrition Calculator | Elizabeth C Scheyder

 

[Jessee07]

You can leave canned food out for hours Canned food is a cooked product so it's fine to leave out. Many people use a programmable timed feeder to give their diabetic cat small meals throughout the day. A microchip feeder may work better for a multicat home. Can you put away the dog food after the dog eats? Dog food can't be good carb-wise for a diabetic cat.

You can do a lot of things at home for your diabetic cat. You don't need to bring your cat to the vet all the time for urine testing or blood glucose curves or whatever the vet says needs to be done. Save your money and learn how to do these things at home. Be proactive in your cat's care. Some vets, for whatever reason, insist that only they can manage the cat and ignore the client's concerns and questions. If you feel your vet isn't willing to work with you on managing your cat, it may be worth looking for a new vet.

I didn't know that. Thank you. I definitely feel better leaving something out for her. We've tried to be more conscious of the dog food unfortunately we're stuck in a hard place because the dog is also a grazer. During the day it's easier because he has to eat fast, or his sister will take his food. At night though, he sleeps with either my oldest or middle kiddo and he likes to eat slowly at night, since there is no one to steal his food. I think the best solution is going to have to be to just keep Sugar out of that room at night while he's there and then just remove whatever leftover food in the morning so she can still go sit in her window and sleep under the bed during the day.

I'm reading a lot of stuff trying to be sure that I am confident in my abilities so that we don't have to go to the vet for everything. I really would like to avoid going in as often as possible, unless of course it's necessary. I'm currently stuck in this cycle of wondering about our vet. I kind of feel beholden to her because of our dog but I also realize that his issues were different but also looking back on it now and realizing she may not have been as great as I thought she was back then either. I mean, it's really sucking to come to the realization that I think I have. Our dog had a seizure disorder of unknown origin. He was on phenobarbital and that worked for a while and then when we got to a point that he was a max dosage for his weight, we had to add in another med. Which worked for a while and then we had to up it and up it. Then he went into a cluster, and I called a begged our old vet who retired to please see him. He did and he said it wasn't fair anymore. He was on such high doses, there was nowhere to go anymore, and he was going to suffer until it eventually killed him. He said the hard thing that needed to be said. We put him down. We never had that talk with his everyday vet. She never said, hey yah know, it may be time to give him a good week or two and then put him down. So now I'm like, maybe this isn't great. It just really sucks because we don't have a lot of options where we are.

 

[Jessee07]

Welcome to FDMB.

Like Wendy noted, you've got excellent instincts when it comes to Sugar's health. FWIW, I was a wreck when Gabby was diagnosed. It didn't help that I'm very comfortable with most things medical and I speak the language. In fact, I spoke it so well, the ICU vet (Gabby was hospitalized) assumed I knew how to give shots. I spent a lot of time with YouTube videos and learned how to use a glucometer pretty much the same way. Many vets are reticent to suggest home testing since many caregivers are even more reticent to do so out of fear that they will hurt their cat or they believe that it's more than what they think they can handle (or it's too much trouble and may ask the vet to euthanize their cat). If given the choice of getting my cat used to being poked in the ear vs hypoglycemia, I'm going to get my cat comfortable with home testing! Like you, I think it's important to have a handle on where blood glucose numbers are and how my cat is responding to insulin.

As for food, you have lots of choices. Maria/Corky provided you with a link to a food chart that was developed by a vet, Lisa Pierson, DMV, who has a passion regarding feline nutrition. We consider low carb as under 10% although, most members feed their cat foods that are in the 5% range. I'd also point out that many of us were clueless about canned vs dry food when starting out with feline diabetes. I was feeding my cat a premium dry food, as well. A raw diet is easy. There are pre-mixes that make it very simple. These are products that have all of the supplements needed to make raw food nutritionally complete. You add water to the pre-mix, add it to the ground, raw food and then you're done. I put my cats' food into ice cube trays and freeze it and take out as much as I'll need for the next day.

If you plan to discuss insulin choices with your vet, this is a link our post that contains the American Animal Hospital Assn guidelines for treating diabetes.

Thank you so much for this. This has all be so reassuring. I'm still struggling with everything and kind of feeling like I'm failing her, but I think that's mostly anxiety due to our past pup. His medical stuff really did a number on our family, so it's been really hard to get rid of that anxiety. I know this is something that can be managed and we can handle it. I still get that feeling sometimes that maybe I'll mess it up.

I am definitely leaning towards raw food. I had no idea there were so many options that make it so much easier than I thought. I just really want the best for them, they're family and I can't imagine not doing everything in our power for them. But just like when a kid is sick, it's scary. This place has really helped and I'm hoping sooner rather than later I'll be better at this.

 

[CORKY]

I didn't know that. Thank you. I definitely feel better leaving something out for her. We've tried to be more conscious of the dog food unfortunately we're stuck in a hard place because the dog is also a grazer. During the day it's easier because he has to eat fast, or his sister will take his food. At night though, he sleeps with either my oldest or middle kiddo and he likes to eat slowly at night, since there is no one to steal his food. I think the best solution is going to have to be to just keep Sugar out of that room at night while he's there and then just remove whatever leftover food in the morning so she can still go sit in her window and sleep under the bed during the day.

I'm reading a lot of stuff trying to be sure that I am confident in my abilities so that we don't have to go to the vet for everything. I really would like to avoid going in as often as possible, unless of course it's necessary. I'm currently stuck in this cycle of wondering about our vet. I kind of feel beholden to her because of our dog but I also realize that his issues were different but also looking back on it now and realizing she may not have been as great as I thought she was back then either. I mean, it's really sucking to come to the realization that I think I have. Our dog had a seizure disorder of unknown origin. He was on phenobarbital and that worked for a while and then when we got to a point that he was a max dosage for his weight, we had to add in another med. Which worked for a while and then we had to up it and up it. Then he went into a cluster, and I called a begged our old vet who retired to please see him. He did and he said it wasn't fair anymore. He was on such high doses, there was nowhere to go anymore, and he was going to suffer until it eventually killed him. He said the hard thing that needed to be said. We put him down. We never had that talk with his everyday vet. She never said, hey yah know, it may be time to give him a good week or two and then put him down. So now I'm like, maybe this isn't great. It just really sucks because we don't have a lot of options where we are.

But you have us, rely on this Forum, really, you can take your her to the vet only when necessary but for diabetes, this is the right place to be, sometimes too many points of view or hands on with different opinions or changes, can be devastating, to regulate the diabetes, trust is the answer, if the members here cannot help with a concerns they will be the first to tell you go to the Vet

 

[Jessee07]

There are also commercially available raw foods if you don't want to make your own. These do cost more than if you made your own raw food. The options are frozen, freeze dried, and air dried. Air dried raw is crunchy like dry food. I feed my diabetic a freeze dried raw food and my non diabetic a frozen raw food.

Canned food is perfectly fine and what many members here feed Feed what works best for you and the cats.

Thank you so much for this. I'm leaning more towards raw food but I'm also trying to figure out if that's because of my need to control things or at least feel like I am or because that's just what I think is best. Thank you for giving more options for me to look into.

 

[Jessee07]

Glad you found this forum, very knowledgeable and supportive community! At first it is very overwhelming and you can't learn fast enough. Then you make a bunch of changes and find a new routine. When the diabetes has a mind of its own and fights back, you'll be frustrated and feel like it's something you are or aren't doing, and I assure you while we feel like we are failing them, we are giving them everything we have . Slowly the numbers start improving and your kitty starts to feel and look and act better and you just keep fighting this baffling disease, every day.

I too had NO idea that cats should be eating wet food, I have had a lot of cats live 20+ and never, ever, ate wet food! I always believed it was exactly the opposite. Since Petey was switched to wet food he doesn't drink any water, and he was ALWAYS at the water bowl.

You're in a good place and slowly you and Sugar will find your new routine and a new bond. I wonder if she might be the youngest here?!

Thank you for this. When she first got diagnosed, I asked my aunt, she's kind of our crazy cat lady, and she had no idea. She had a corgi that was diabetic but never a cat and she at one point in time had 22 cats. She's never had one that was diabetic, she was as baffled as I was. She's the one who suggested looking online to see if reddit or somewhere had better information. I've been reading and researching as much as I can but you're right it's so much to take it and I feel like I can't get everything fast enough or right enough. I'm still working on making her spreadsheet. Turns out I'm not super great with this type of stuff but thankfully my oldest seems to be, she's helping when she has time. I just feel so overwhelmed right now and it's starting to feel like I just can't catch a break. I'm really glad I posted here. It has been beyond helpful.

 

[CORKY]

Thank you so much for this. I'm leaning more towards raw food but I'm also trying to figure out if that's because of my need to control things or at least feel like I am or because that's just what I think is best. Thank you for giving more options for me to look into.

Here is something I was told at the beginning with my desperation:
" take a step back, breath in and breath out, cats are very sensitive to stress, we stress, they stress, and Bg readings may not be accurate" the calmer we are we can process better the FD, it is manageable, I was told to put him down, several times, but like you, I was willing to do all I could for him, and financially after his hospitalization, I was broke, and I also have a Main Coon, Coco, they are my life, family, support and company, I have no family members, is just US!, my kiddos! and just seeing his spreadsheet today, I am convinced, that all my doubts sweat tears and sleepless nights, were all worth it!!! So giving Up or going insane is not the answer, Our love and dedication for them will save them

 

[CORKY]

Here is something I was told at the beginning with my desperation:
" take a step back, breath in and breath out, cats are very sensitive to stress, we stress, they stress, and Bg readings may not be accurate" the calmer we are we can process better the FD, it is manageable, I was told to put him down, several times, but like you, I was willing to do all I could for him, and financially after his hospitalization, I was broke, and I also have a Main Coon, Coco, they are my life, family, support and company, I have no family members, is just US!, my kiddos! and just seeing his spreadsheet today, I am convinced, that all my doubts sweat tears and sleepless nights, were all worth it!!! So giving Up or going insane is not the answer, Our love and dedication for them will save them

I will post a member that can help you set up the Spreadsheet, we need that right away in order to help you much better.
@Bandit's Mom
Could you help setting up Sugar's SS

 

[Jessee07]

Love this! and yes I cried till there were no more tears, I ran around the house like a chicken without a head, I bombarded this Forum till the tip of my fingers were raw, this Forum saved my Corky he will be 12 in a few months, diagnosed 3 years ago, I adopted him from the ASPCA when he was 8 weeks old already d-clawed( horrific) he grew up on Meau Mix, I had no idea the danger to come or no idea about FD, when I found out there was something wrong, from 16.5 lbs to 8.5lbs later, he had never been a lap cat, and shy, only cuddling was in his territory, the bed, I noticed him always at the water bowl, meowing next to it, throwing the water out, I though he was playing, one day he allowed me to pick him up he felt like a feather, he entered the emergency hospital, they had to drain his bladder from so much water in it and 650BG, he stayed for 8 days, and $8,000. later with a bag full of stuff I had no idea to do with, and I was told that a diabetic cat's BG needed to be between 200-300BG (LIE) and he left with a Libre sensor, that fell off the same day and the insulin vial shattered on the floor on his second dose! I was close to a nervous breakdown, I had so many sleepless nights, and fears of loosing him, and his Vet since 8 weeks old , decided he was not interested, it was not until several months later by coincidence found this Forum, I never looked back, so it's ok to be scared and have doubts, but that is part of the process,
FD is manageable, learn to home test, follow directions, ask questions, many, we are here to help you and Sugar get better and stabilized.

Not going to lie, this made me cry. That is exactly how I felt. We've already had so much loss, I really don't think our family could handle another one. It just seems like one after another, things just keep happening. Sugar's got diabetes. Our only male is having something going on and we have no idea what. We found him at roughly 10 weeks. His litter was left in our neighborhood, and no one would take him in. We found him hiding in our garage. We searched for owners and found his litter had been dumped and he was the only one not taken in. Shelter said they wouldn't take him because of Covid, and pound said they'd take him but euthanize him. So, we kept him. At first, he didn't like the girl kitties but grew to get along with them. Now for the past 4 months, it's like he wants to kill them. He is so violent with them. So, he has to be secluded. We can't figure out what is wrong. Testing says he's fine. There doesn't appear to be anything wrong but with how he's going after them, he has to be separated. Our almost 13-year-old has double patellar luxation and it's looking like surgery is her only option. It's just so much. Plus, my own undiagnosed medical issues. I just feel like how much more can one family handle? It's crazy.

I think our vet has good intentions. She's fairly young though, my age so like late 30's early 40's. It doesn't seem like she has a lot of cats that have diabetes so not a lot of experience. I'm hoping that she's open to hearing me out with what I've learned, but I guess we'll see. Unfortunately, where we live, we don't have a lot of options as far as vets go. One is definitely off the table. Which leaves two. One is super hard to get into and the other, I don't know much about, she's fairly new to town.

 

[Jessee07]

Since she cooperates with blood testing I’d vote for testing ketones by blood rather than urine but it is more expensive (that’s the con, here come some pros):
Since you are in the medical field, you can see how testing the blood will pick up ketones earlier than waiting for them to show in the urine. Additionally, cats may not pee when they are not eating/throwing up—in other words when you’d most want to check. My vet insisted on blood tests for ketones at home when we put Methos on Bexacat.

your next question will probably be: what meter? I’m not sure what to say there. Here’s what I’m doing and an additional recommendation: I asked my vet last April and she said vets usually used Precision Xtra by Abbott because it had been studied in cats. I used this until this year. It undoubtedly has the most expensive strips of any meter ($5 per strip). I suspect (without proof) that they are phasing this out which adds to the cost as they have a new meter (neo optimum I think) that does ketones and as companies phase out a line supply makes the price rise (or maybe companies raise price to drive us to new product idk)

many people use that newer meter or other now more common ketone meters for humans (thank you keto diet fans) like keto mojo. The only drawback is they haven’t been used on cats in any studies but for general screening for ketone use I doubt it matters.

if you use a human meter and have problems, when you call tech support don’t say you are using it for a cat or they won’t help you. Because Abbott refused to help me, and because it was often taking weeks for strips to ship to me (I’m on the west coast) I found a pet specific ketone meter Centrivet and now use it. The drawbacks are strips still pricey ($2 each) and still somewhat hard to find strips (dairy supply companies usually best source). I have seen some online pet pharmacies carry them now. I think there are a few new pet ketone meters—check amazon and chewy—that are more reasonable.

I think human ketone meters like mojo ketone and nova max plus are more reasonable like $1 a strip…maybe less. The newer Abbott meter was more per strip but o don’t recall price.

re vet not wanting home testing, here is probably why: if your cat is acting normally ketones will probably be low or normal. So you’ve stuck the cat and you’re stress over potentially nothing and diabetes is a marathon, not a sprint. At first parents are stressed, crying, anxious. Then repeated testing, especially when seeing high numbers, they become more stressed and anxious and add sleep deprived. Pretty soon it all seems too much. Some parents crack and stop treating or even decide to euthanize. Vets try to help us balance our lives for the marathon we face.

[edit: likewise if the cat is vomiting and not eating you will need to take him to clinic or er anyway, where they can check ketones. So really checking ketones at best gives you a heads up that there’s potential problems coming but probably in practice doesn’t change outcome]

My current cat has a very rare tumor causing his diabetes and making it difficult to regulate. Thirty years ago I had a cat with the exact same rare cause (but didn’t know it for the three years I’d treated his diabetes). Back then the vet did a curve at clinic, set a dose, and I gave it. No home testing blood for sugar or ketones. Just feed and shoot and walk out the door. Occasionally test urine for sugar and ketones (we wanted to see trace or 1+ sugar and no ketones). This was not tight control but it was how it was done. I slept. I didn’t worry about going to work. He seemed ok. No ears were stuck. It wasn’t ideal and I can’t bring myself to go back to that now that I CAN monitor methos but there have been many text exchanges with my vet where she’s said “if you find your home broken into but only your meters are missing don’t call the police. I have them”. She knows how my world crashes with every elevated glucose or ketone result and that these things will vary. It was easier —so much easier—when I didn’t know.

That makes sense. I feel like I check her numbers and if they're high, I worry, a lot. I try to be calmer about it. Through reading I know it can take time to get to that sweet spot, but I will admit, I have anxiety when it comes to my animals. The loss of our dog was what broke me, after him, medical things just seem to take me to a worst-case scenario. I'm trying to be better about it, but I also know that I'm not cable of not monitoring her, especially BG. It's been helpful being here. I feel less crazy and definitely less alone.

 

[Jessee07]

It’s ok to feel stuck, but follow your instincts, make sure which ever vet you choose they are qualified for Feline Diabetes yiu need to go forward, not backwards, you can use this Forum for extra support and dosing assistance I truly feel here you will have much more accurate assistance with that by monitoring Sugar’s spreadsheet daily home testing and low car foods Sugar can be easier regulated, vets have the best intentions but some sees our desperation in doing “whatever it takes” for our pet they can get a bit greedy, and not what’s best for our cats, keep asking questions, no matter what to us and especially your vet, she should not be upset but glad about them and you concerns, you, more than your vet knows Sugar the most, so it’s ok to doubt ask and post us we are here for you, I trust this Forum blindly from the start, Corky is doing amazing, thanks to the dedicated members tat are really concerned and want to see our cats get better, it takes time to regulate Sugar as any cat, all cats are different and react differently to insulin, so us parents need to have patience and especially we need to be consistent in what and how we care for them and you are doing great! Especially with your brighten doubts questions and concerns, all of us more often than not questions what we are doing our cats tend to want to have us on our toes and have us second guess us,

Thank you so much. I feel like you're right. I'm definitely going to be calling the couple other vets here in town to see what their knowledge on Feline Diabetes is, I'm not to hopeful that our town has one that is highly knowledgeable, but I'll take something over almost nothing. I'm really trying to work on keeping calm and taking it day by day. I know through reading it's going to take time and with that time we'll get better at this. But man, it just feels like the in-between point in time has me being a bit on edge. I will absolutely be going into her glucose curve with a bunch of questions and I'm hoping she will be opening to hearing what information I have and being willing to work with us in the way that's best for Sugar. If not, we'll have to find another vet. I'm hoping to do this with a little vet visits as necessary, Sugar is very tolerant, but she gets really stressed at the vets, especially if her sister isn't with her.

 

[Jessee07]

Any wet can food with gravy tend to be high carbs you can also keep a small bag of kibbles to use as HC. But just give a bit of it they are so high in carbs 20-30% you do not want to feed but 10-20 pcs but avoid it unless absolutely possible, below is a Carb calculator that AI use often, you calculate with the nutrients in the food, also good to calculate the snacks you may give
Cat Food Nutrition Calculator | Elizabeth C Scheyder

Thank you, this helps a lot.

 

[Jessee07]

But you have us, rely on this Forum, really, you can take your her to the vet only when necessary but for diabetes, this is the right place to be, sometimes too many points of view or hands on with different opinions or changes, can be devastating, to regulate the diabetes, trust is the answer, if the members here cannot help with a concerns they will be the first to tell you go to the Vet

This makes me feel so much better. I would really like to avoid going to the vet's office more than absolutely necessary, not only has here prices gone up, but it seems like every time I'm there they want to add something else on. We have quite a few animals and before this, it was already spendy. Now with this, it's like no, I don't really want to see you once every couple weeks, especially because it really does stress Sugar out. She's one of our most tolerant cats, but she is very stressed, especially if her sister isn't there with her.

 

[Jessee07]

Here is something I was told at the beginning with my desperation:
" take a step back, breath in and breath out, cats are very sensitive to stress, we stress, they stress, and Bg readings may not be accurate" the calmer we are we can process better the FD, it is manageable, I was told to put him down, several times, but like you, I was willing to do all I could for him, and financially after his hospitalization, I was broke, and I also have a Main Coon, Coco, they are my life, family, support and company, I have no family members, is just US!, my kiddos! and just seeing his spreadsheet today, I am convinced, that all my doubts sweat tears and sleepless nights, were all worth it!!! So giving Up or going insane is not the answer, Our love and dedication for them will save them

This helps a lot. After our dog, I just, it broke me. We fought so hard for him, and I would do it all over again, but I still can't help but to feel like I didn't do enough for him. I'm almost positive his seizures were caused by a tumor, so realistically no amount of medications was going to help him. But I still feel horrible. He wasn't even 2. It's hard to not feel guilty. So, the reminder to breathe and just sit in the calm for a minute is just what I need. I feel like with Sugar majority of my anxiety isn't about her because I know that we can and will get through this. With all the support here, with my kids pushing to help her, my husband just letting me do my thing (he pretends to not be a "cat person" but he loves Sugar so much) there's just no way that we can't get through this. I just have to remember that Sugar isn't Odin, and their issues are not the same.

 

[Jessee07]

I will post a member that can help you set up the Spreadsheet, we need that right away in order to help you much better.
@Bandit's Mom
Could you help setting up Sugar's SS

Thank you for this. I will take all the help I can get.

 

[CORKY]

Thank you so much. I feel like you're right. I'm definitely going to be calling the couple other vets here in town to see what their knowledge on Feline Diabetes is, I'm not to hopeful that our town has one that is highly knowledgeable, but I'll take something over almost nothing. I'm really trying to work on keeping calm and taking it day by day. I know through reading it's going to take time and with that time we'll get better at this. But man, it just feels like the in-between point in time has me being a bit on edge. I will absolutely be going into her glucose curve with a bunch of questions and I'm hoping she will be opening to hearing what information I have and being willing to work with us in the way that's best for Sugar. If not, we'll have to find another vet. I'm hoping to do this with a little vet visits as necessary, Sugar is very tolerant, but she gets really stressed at the vets, especially if her sister isn't with her.

If your new vet is not interested in questions or your concerns, or "tells" you what to do without explanations, we are here for you, we can help you with curves as well you do not need the vet for that, if your cat has no other health issues and is just diabetes, all you need your vet for is blood work if really necessary , rabies shot etc, but for the diabetes, you are already here, and it does not cost you anything!. Corky is a very healthy large inside cat, aqnd again all cats are different, but since the disappointment his all time Vet gave me and I found this Forum Corky has not stepped Paw in a Vets office, here is were he has stabilized, work on increases/decreases, diet, everything I have learned about FD, it's right here., Remember, follow your instinct first. hopefully the member I tag will contact you for the Spreadsheet before the day ends, everything seems overwhelming, but within a few week, you'll have this down packed

 

[squeem3]

I don't take my diabetic to the vet for anything diabetes related. I have a good long standing relationship with the vet so he's comfortable with me doing what's best for Leroy at home, even dose changes. I keep him up to date with everything. I only bring Leroy in for an annual check up and anything that's beyond my capability to manage or treat at home, like his recent bout with pancreatitis.

There's info here on how to screen a potential new vet: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/vet-interview-screening-topics-check-list.156663/

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@Bandit's Mom
Hi Bhooma can you contact
@Jessee07 and help her set up her signature and spreadsheet. I see Maria tagged you up top

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@Jessee07
Can you please set up your signature, it's information about our cats , it's in gray letters at the end of everyone's post. Just click on your name up top and then tap signature and add this information.

• Add info we need to help you:
  • Caregiver & kitty's name
  • DX: Date
  • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
  • Name of your meter
  • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
  • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
  • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
  • Bexacat or Senvelgo (if applicable) and dates
  • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
  • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
  • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.

Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.

Thank you!

I also tagged Bhooma to contact you to set up your spreadsheet
@Bandit's Mom

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I'd suggest checking around to see if there's a cat only or cat friendly clinic in your area both for your diabetic cat and the kitty that is being aggressive. With regard to your aggressive kitty, if no one has answers, another option is Cornell Vet School. They have a consultation service for cats.

 

[Jessee07]

I don't take my diabetic to the vet for anything diabetes related. I have a good long standing relationship with the vet so he's comfortable with me doing what's best for Leroy at home, even dose changes. I keep him up to date with everything. I only bring Leroy in for an annual check up and anything that's beyond my capability to manage or treat at home, like his recent bout with pancreatitis.

There's info here on how to screen a potential new vet: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/vet-interview-screening-topics-check-list.156663/

Thank you for this. I would really like to be able to just do this stuff myself, and with this forum, I'm positive that I can. I just need to get the vet on board and hopefully she will listen. If not, I guess we'll be looking for another vet. I really wish our previous vet hadn't retired, I know he would have been on board with us doing this stuff at home.

 

[Jessee07]

@Jessee07
Can you please set up your signature, it's information about our cats , it's in gray letters at the end of everyone's post. Just click on your name up top and then tap signature and add this information.

• Add info we need to help you:
  • Caregiver & kitty's name
  • DX: Date
  • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
  • Name of your meter
  • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
  • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
  • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
  • Bexacat or Senvelgo (if applicable) and dates
  • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
  • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
  • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.

Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.

Thank you!

I also tagged Bhooma to contact you to set up your spreadsheet
@Bandit's Mom

Thank you, I think I got it. I'm not really sure that I did it right or if it's showing or not.

 

[Jessee07]

I'd suggest checking around to see if there's a cat only or cat friendly clinic in your area both for your diabetic cat and the kitty that is being aggressive. With regard to your aggressive kitty, if no one has answers, another option is Cornell Vet School. They have a consultation service for cats.

Thank you for those suggestions. I'll look and see what I can find nearby. I know one vet in town (she's new within the last year) offers alternative therapies. I'm going to contact her and see if she might have any insight or other options besides drugging him to see if we can get him to calm down. He's fine with dogs, it's the cats he goes crazy over. It's strange.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Thank you, I think I got it. I'm not really sure that I did it right or if it's showing or not

Hi Jess
Looks good just add the meter you are using
@Jessee07 to your signature

 

[Jessee07]

Hi Jess
Looks good just add the meter you are using
@Jessee07 to your signature

Done. Thank you.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Done. Thank you.

You're welcome

 

[Hendrick Cuddleclaw]

Then we noticed she was drinking more than usual, which she’s always drank a lot more than our other cats but was drinking more than her normal, along with a huge appetite spike. Again, we thought all of this was because of her increased activity, but then we noticed she started urinating outside her litter box in a very large amount, it also had almost no color and a very faint odor not the way normal cat urine smells. She was also straining to poop and just overall not acting like herself.

Hello to you and Sugar, welcome to FD central. I don't post much these days but I just had to comment because your level of engagement and attention to detail is so amazing. Seems like most pet owners do not notice these little changes in behavior, urine color/odor, water consumption, or even weight until it is impossible to NOT notice. And I just wanted to commend you on being so engaged and present with your kitty, it nearly brings a tear to my eye to see it.

Also your instincts regarding getting her on insulin, and not waiting around any longer --- spot on.

We have 7 cats in the cluster and when my boy Hendrick was diagnosed with FD, we began the long hard journey of transitioning the entire cluster off of dry food and treats (they LOVVVVVVVVVVVED temptations so much. Too much!)

To accomplish this we used Surefeed chip feeders. And every night at 6pm I make a batch of homemade cat food using a food processor, raw meats and EZ Complete powder, they absolutely go nuts for it.

 

[Jessee07]

Hello to you and Sugar, welcome to FD central. I don't post much these days but I just had to comment because your level of engagement and attention to detail is so amazing. Seems like most pet owners do not notice these little changes in behavior, urine color/odor, water consumption, or even weight until it is impossible to NOT notice. And I just wanted to commend you on being so engaged and present with your kitty, it nearly brings a tear to my eye to see it.

Also your instincts regarding getting her on insulin, and not waiting around any longer --- spot on.

We have 7 cats in the cluster and when my boy Hendrick was diagnosed with FD, we began the long hard journey of transitioning the entire cluster off of dry food and treats (they LOVVVVVVVVVVVED temptations so much. Too much!)

To accomplish this we used Surefeed chip feeders. And every night at 6pm I make a batch of homemade cat food using a food processor, raw meats and EZ Complete powder, they absolutely go nuts for it.

Thank you so much for this. It really means a lot. I've been struggling with whether or not we noticed soon enough. We've learned to be far more observant of our animals since we lost our dog to seizures and a cat to some unknown kidney disease. She was mostly black, and her ears were already like a yellow/orange color, so I didn't notice she was jaundice until it was too late. I felt horrible. It was during the peak of Covid, and our vet said she had the highest bilirubin level he had ever seen in an animal that was still living. He was amazed she was still alive. We have no idea what caused it, but we lost her a couple days later, and it really sucked. Since then, I try really hard to make sure I'm keeping an eye on them. It's hard not to feel guilty though. But thank you again and sorry to dump that all on you.

 

[Hendrick Cuddleclaw]

Thank you so much for this. It really means a lot. I've been struggling with whether or not we noticed soon enough. We've learned to be far more observant of our animals since we lost our dog to seizures and a cat to some unknown kidney disease. She was mostly black, and her ears were already like a yellow/orange color, so I didn't notice she was jaundice until it was too late. I felt horrible. It was during the peak of Covid, and our vet said she had the highest bilirubin level he had ever seen in an animal that was still living. He was amazed she was still alive. We have no idea what caused it, but we lost her a couple days later, and it really sucked. Since then, I try really hard to make sure I'm keeping an eye on them. It's hard not to feel guilty though. But thank you again and sorry to dump that all on you.

No apologies needed whatsoever. I can relate 100%, before Hendrick was diagnosed with FD I pretty much left the cat stuff to my wife. I would enjoy their company and lap sitting but I wasn't feeding them or very engaged or paying any attention to behavior, water consumption, weight....etc.

Then one day I said to my wife, offhand "huh, does Hendrick look a little skinny to you" and she said yes. So we were like hmmm, he's only 9, almost 10 that's not very old, let's get him seen "soon." So we made an appointment to see his vet, a couple weeks out. And we weighed him. Then when we weighed him again one week later he had lost over a pound in one week!


And so we had the appt moved up and he was diagnosed with FD and almost died from DKA. TO THIS DAY I feel horribly guilty that I was such an absentee Cat-dad. But, like you, the experience drove a change in me. Bigtime. I pay attention to everything now, watch the cats in the litter box, we weigh them regularly and notice any behavioral changes.

And I developed a super-close and special bond with Hendrick over the course of his insulin therapy! An incredible silver lining. That bond remains to this day, 2.5 years after he went into remission.

 

[Jessee07]

No apologies needed whatsoever. I can relate 100%, before Hendrick was diagnosed with FD I pretty much left the cat stuff to my wife. I would enjoy their company and lap sitting but I wasn't feeding them or very engaged or paying any attention to behavior, water consumption, weight....etc.

Then one day I said to my wife, offhand "huh, does Hendrick look a little skinny to you" and she said yes. So we were like hmmm, he's only 9, almost 10 that's not very old, let's get him seen "soon." So we made an appointment to see his vet, a couple weeks out. And we weighed him. Then when we weighed him again one week later he had lost over a pound in one week!


And so we had the appt moved up and he was diagnosed with FD and almost died from DKA. TO THIS DAY I feel horribly guilty that I was such an absentee Cat-dad. But, like you, the experience drove a change in me. Bigtime. I pay attention to everything now, watch the cats in the litter box, we weigh them regularly and notice any behavioral changes.

And I developed a super-close and special bond with Hendrick over the course of his insulin therapy! An incredible silver lining. That bond remains to this day, 2.5 years after he went into remission.

I'm glad he's in remission. That's what I'm hoping we can reach. She's about to be 7 and she's my youngest daughter's best friend. I just don't know what we'd do without her. I honestly didn't even think about the possibility cats could get diabetes until she was diagnosed, which seems silly to say. I kept thinking the worst. Dr. Google said it was kidney damage, hyperthyroidism, or diabetes and diabetes seemed like our safest bet. It's just scary, especially when they can't tell you what's wrong, it's like guess with a newborn all over again. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me, it really eases my mind to see others who have gone through it and come out better off say that we're doing good. Now if I can just get my vet to agree with me, we'll be set.