how immediate is getting on insulin after diabetes diagnosis

David & Mochi

David & Mochi

Member
I took my cat to the vet on 3/28 because she had what seemed like an asthma attack the day before. They ran tests and it turned out her heart/lungs/kidneys were all healthy but her blood glucose was 392 and urine glucose was 3+. I had kept trying to get ahold of them to find out the results but didn't get a response until last night 3/30. They said I needed to see a specialist and I found one with great reviews that's closed for lunch but I will call them as soon as they reopen. My question is, how immediate do I need to get her in. She had no ketones in her urine and seems to be ok and eating etc, but I'd like to know what the timeline is of risk for kda to know if the vet says they don't have an opening for x days if I need to take her into emergency first while waiting for whatever soonest appointment I can get is. As soon as I found out her glucose was high I stopped giving her her old high carb food and she's been eating puree'd fancy feast pate with some pet broth that has no added carbs/starches so she's been eating very low carb since then.

Update, found a well reviewed vet that is able to see Mochi tomorrow so I will be able to get her in right away.
 
Last edited:
Mochi said:
I took my cat to the vet on 3/28 because she had what seemed like an asthma attack the day before. They ran tests and it turned out her heart/lungs/kidneys were all healthy but her blood glucose was 392 and urine glucose was 3+. I had kept trying to get ahold of them to find out the results but didn't get a response until last night 3/30. They said I needed to see a specialist and I found one with great reviews that's closed for lunch but I will call them as soon as they reopen. My question is, how immediate do I need to get her in. She had no ketones in her urine and seems to be ok and eating etc, but I'd like to know what the timeline is of risk for kda to know if the vet says they don't have an opening for x days if I need to take her into emergency first while waiting for whatever soonest appointment I can get is. As soon as I found out her glucose was high I stopped giving her her old high carb food and she's been eating puree'd fancy feast pate with some pet broth that has no added carbs/starches so she's been eating very low carb since then.
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Welcome to FDF, great call on the food choice , I will tag several Members that can help you with insulin and dosing, however, you do not need a specialist for feline diabetes, only a Vet that knows how to treat FD, do not worry, he should be put on insulin asap, we also recommend home testing,( a human monitor and strips like the ReliOn Premier monitor and strips; Walmart) before each shot and several times during the day, you do not want to shot insulin not knowing her BG, it is overwhelming at first, but we are here to help you, in the meantime there are several links for you to create your signature and spreadsheet, also, a diabetic cat needs to consume a diet between 0-10% carbs, also there is a link to a Drs food list to help you choose, pates, chunky, and flakes are best choices, We are here for you post any concerns you may have no matter how small, read the sticky notes in the main Forum there's a lot of valuable information there as well:bighug::cat::cat:

@Diane Tyler's Mom GA
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)


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/
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-chart.174147/
 
Ty so much! I will see what the vet says and keep reading info and go from there. I'm thinking of discussing/trying one of the slow acting insulins because mochi has never eaten full meals in a sitting and tends to eat small bits throughout the day even when trying to withhold food to try to get her hungrier enough to eat a full size meal. She seems to like the pureed pate with broth but calorie wise is still struggling to eat enough which I assume is partly because her sugar isn't regulated yet but I've been trying to supplement with freeze dried chicken/salmon and I ordered some of the Dr something dry food thats recommended on here to help transition her away from dry food as much as possible
 
Mochi said:
Ty so much! I will see what the vet says and keep reading info and go from there. I'm thinking of discussing/trying one of the slow acting insulins because mochi has never eaten full meals in a sitting and tends to eat small bits throughout the day even when trying to withhold food to try to get her hungrier enough to eat a full size meal. She seems to like the pureed pate with broth but calorie wise is still struggling to eat enough which I assume is partly because her sugar isn't regulated yet but I've been trying to supplement with freeze dried chicken/salmon and I ordered some of the Dr something dry food thats recommended on here to help transition her away from dry food as much as possible
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The best insulin would be ProZinc or Lantus they are 12,hour insulin , which is what is recommended for cats, a diabetic cat should have 2 main courses before each shot and at Least 2-3 small snacks in between this will keep the insulin in check throughout the 12 hours, a full meal is 1/2 can of the FF , that’s what I feed Corky, you can see his spreadsheet at the end in remarks what and how he eats:bighug::bighug::cat::cat:
 
Did the vet do a fructosamine test at diagnosis?
And I agree, there is no need to see a specialist . An ordinary vet should be able to manage a diabetic cat....although I have to say many vets are not up to scratch with feline diabetes as they have so many other diseases to manage. I would get a bottle of ketostix from a pharmacy and test the urine daily until you start insulin. and its a good idea to keep checking every week until your kitty is regulated for ketones.
Lantus and prozinc are the only insulins I would consider for your kitty.
You will get more eyes on you if you choose lantus as most use that insulin. But either is good.
 
Air dried and freeze dried raw are also options for "crunchies" that are healthier than any dry food. They're expensive, though, but if you only need a little to do a food transition it might be worth it.

I'd start testing blood glucose soon and see how your cat is with the new diet of Fancy Feast. Diet alone may not be enough for some cats so the sooner you start insulin, the greater the chances of remission is but it depends on the cat. Some cats may never go into remission even if you're doing everything FDMB recommends and that's ok :) The most important thing is to have a happy and otherwise healthy cat.

Any Human blood glucose meter is fine. WalMart's Relion meter is often suggested as it has inexpensive test strips. Any brand you can find at a local pharmacy will work. A basic meter is all you need.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Did the vet do a fructosamine test at diagnosis?
And I agree, there is no need to see a specialist . An ordinary vet should be able to manage a diabetic cat....although I have to say many vets are not up to scratch with feline diabetes as they have so many other diseases to manage. I would get a bottle of ketostix from a pharmacy and test the urine daily until you start insulin. and its a good idea to keep checking every week until your kitty is regulated for ketones.
Lantus and prozinc are the only insulins I would consider for your kitty.
You will get more eyes on you if you choose lantus as most use that insulin. But either is good.
Click to expand...
Not the initial vet that mentioned the glucose was high. I found a well reviewed vet that isn't a specialist and has some diabetic cat patients which I see tomorrow and will request the glucosimine test
 
CORKY said:
The best insulin would be ProZinc or Lantus they are 12,hour insulin , which is what is recommended for cats, a diabetic cat should have 2 main courses before each shot and at Least 2-3 small snacks in between this will keep the insulin in check throughout the 12 hours, a full meal is 1/2 can of the FF , that’s what I feed Corky, you can see his spreadsheet at the end in remarks what and how he eats:bighug::bighug::cat::cat:
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Ty. I will have to go look at how the spreadsheets work since I couldn't really tell what was going on other than the feeding, but my cat has always been a drip eater and even at one sitting wont finish half a can. i know it will get easier over time but there is so much to try to absorb information wise. Idk what I would've done had I not found this message board.
 
Mochi said:
Ty. I will have to go look at how the spreadsheets work since I couldn't really tell what was going on other than the feeding, but my cat has always been a drip eater and even at one sitting wont finish half a can. i know it will get easier over time but there is so much to try to absorb information wise. Idk what I would've done had I not found this message board.
Click to expand...
:bighug::bighug::cat::cat:
 
Kobe (Dean and Lesley) MO said:
spreadsheet is up and running! How did your vet visit go? It looks like you are starting Lantus on Friday? :)
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It was good, the vet and techs were all great. Mochi did really well with them. They mentioned my cats name to another patient later that day whos a member and that person saw some of my threads and turns out we went to same vet on the same day which a nice little mental boost/fun thing. Got the results from her glucosimine test earlier today was high and they suggested started asap so instead of waiting longer to see how diet was a potential dental cleaning thinking it might be part of the sugar problem, which the vet said its not at a level it would cause it, so I decided to start friday since I cant be home tomorrow. Got the lantus today which thankfully the links from the group to goodrx saved me a few hundred bucks which really helps. Decided to use libre 3 for the first month so I have some peace of mind, a consistent monitoring and make the initial glucose curves easier and during that time I will slowly up the spot checks to get her (and myself) used to it and then also spot check if there happen to be any low bg episodes. Checking ketostix every day no ketones so far. Glucose range has been steady between 250-350, her appetite just from the diet change has improved, her weight already went back up a little bit so I feel like it was caught early and between early diet change and insulin can have a decent chance at remission or if not just easier regulation. Got most of her hypo kit set up, just need to grab some mc foods. She wasn't eating much of the wet at first but between mashing it up with bone broth, water, some instinct raw flavor topping shes been better with eating more of it, and she has loved the dr elseys dry which I was worried about because the tikicat I got while waiting for she wanted nothing to do with but I will donate that bag. I'm so thankful for everyone here, everyone has been so helpful and made this feel doable. I have real bad anxiety and can ruminate and catastrophize which makes it hard to make decisions or take action but having been able to learn and ask questions has really made such a difference.
 
CORKY said:
We have had and still have anxiety at one point or another, but thanks to this forum and the members we have high hopes for or kitties with diabetes to a healthier recovery and health, I am real glad things are turning around for you and your baby:bighug::bighug::bighug::cat::cat:
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Ty, your baby's numbers seem to be doing great so really happy for both of you!
 
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