Introducing myself

Hello, I am new here. I have two brother cats just about 5 years old, Rain and Bow. Bow just got diagnosed with diabetes. This cat is difficult to take to the vet, I have to give her gabapentin because she is shall we say not always cordial to the staff. I noticed that she was losing weight, so I took her in and she got the diagnosed.
I am overwhelmed, of course. She told me to start will 1 mg of Vetfulin twice per day and I have to bring her back in 5 - 12 days to have her sugar tested. I am ok with giving the injection because I have given fluids at home in the past to 2 other cats. I picked up the food, insulin and needles and it was $ 190. 00. The first weekend, I dropped the insulin bottle on my ceramic tile and it shattered. I had to pick up another 90-dollar vial yesterday.
Other than the general welfare of my cat Bow, I am worried about a few things:
1. Cost - I am sure there are probably other places to buy your supplies that may not be as expensive as the vets office. Can you give me an idea of cost-effective ways to purchase insulin and needles.
2. Testing blood sugar at home. Since she is so difficult to get to the vet I am wondering if any of you do test at home. How do you do that and what equipment do you use?
I appreciate all of your expert support. Thanks a million!

 

Hello @Jade Green and welcome! I am also new but I have learned many things thanks to the wonderful people of this forum. I assure you that you are in the best hands.

Unfortunately I can't tell you about the costs of insulin because I live in Spain and everything is very different here. However, I can speak about testing your cat's blood sugar, because that is something you will have to do at home, if possible, several times a day, but always before giving the insulin shots to avoid the risk of hypoglycemia. I dont know why your vet told you to mesure only every 5-12 days. It's super important to know that the dose is correct and the numbers are never bellow 50, because this can be really dangerous.

With a glycomer you can prick its ear to measure blood sugar every day. But if your Bow is a figter, you can try to buy Free style Libre, which will last about 10-14 days each. You can join Free Style Libre facebook group to know everything about the device.

I will give you a link so you can give us some information about Bow ,the link will also tell you how to set up your spreadsheet so you can enter the BG numbers you have and it will tell you how the spreadsheet works. It's really easy.

Once you enter the BG numbers you have I can tag some members to take a look at it. Also if you have trouble setting up the spreadsheet just ask ,we have a member here who can set that up for you.

Here is the helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help.

Finally There is a specific thread for Vetsulin.

I hope this can help you but don't hesitate to ask anything. I know it can be overwelming. I still am, because my Sharess still have really ugly numbers, but thanks to this forum anbd everything I learned here I can feel more confortable knowing I am doing everything I can to keep my baby Sharess safe

 

Jumping in just to say yes to testing! Almost all of us test at home and we encourage it as it’s the only way to keep your cat safe.

I need to point out that Vetsulin is not the best insulin for cats. It’s also called caninsulin because it was created for canines who have a much slower metabolism. It’s a harsh insulin that hits fast and it’s not long acting so your cat is not protected a full 12 hours after each shot. If you realize you’re not seeing the results you want, I’d suggest considering a better gentler longer lasting insulin like Lantus or prozync

 

Totally agreed with @Ale & Minnie (GA) . My vet also gave me Caninsulin and we had to change it to Prozinc a few days after because it lowered the numbers (too fast) the 4 first hours and she was with almost no insulin the rest of the time. Lantus and Prozinc are better options for cats.

 

Hi Jade and Bow and welcome to the forum
Home testing is definitely the way to go both as a cheaper way for testing than the vet and as a way of ensuring that Bow is in safe numbers. Just testing every so often will not keep him safe. Blood glucose changes several times a day. And it would be a lot less stressful for Bow.

Also as mentioned vetsulin is not a good insulin for cats. It is a fast acting harsh insulin that does not last the 12 hours.
Make sure you are giving the main meals 1/2 hour before the dose of insulin so there is food aboard. And also give Bow at least 2 or 3 snacks of low carb food during all the cycles.
I would suggest looking at a more suitable insulin such as Lantus or ProZinc in the future.

What food are you feeding home? We recommend feeding a low carb wet food 10% or under carbs.
Here is a link to suitable foods FOOD CHART

 

My vet gave me the Purina DM diet (vet food) Can you kindly tell me more about testing? What do you use to test? I heard that some use freestyle libre. Are you testing every day? How expensive is it? Thanks for the help!

 

Hi Jade and Bow, there are great links (those posted above) and a many others if you have some time to scroll through and read them ( I personally have over 40 bookmarks added from the wealth of information here, that I go back to and reference). There's alot and it can feel overwhelming, worry not, we all slowly get there and noone can learn it all in few days.
For testing, most everyone uses a human Blood Glucose meter, (available at any pharmacy, large department stores and of course, online deals) . There are "pet approved" meters, and most here feel them unneccessary and very expensive (the testing strips, purchased seperately, are very costly!). Before they were invented (recently) everyone, including vets got on just fine with a standard blood glucose meter. Testing blood requires a prick to kittys ear, a small drop of blood that is wicked up by a test strip. Some use the Libre, it tests blood sugar for you, as long as kitty is agreeable to wear it.
For pricing.... on-line can give you an idea, and if you are comfortable with sharing where you are on this lovely blue green planet, we may be able to best direct you. (country/ state/ province- nothing specific)

In addition to the cost savings of testing at home rather than the vet's..... My recommendations for being budget-wise:
Purchase the best insulin you can get/afford - kitties are tiny and need tiny doses, a bottle or package of pens will last months and months. (big 150 lb hooman= much more insulin)
Choose a Blood glucose meter based mainly on the associated cost of its test strips, the strips can potentially become the largest ongoing cost.
Vet prescribed foods are 'for sure' very expensive, and 'not so for sure' any better ...or even appropriate for diabetic kitties. Bron's food chart link posted above can direct you with this.

If you do decide after your research that you do not want to stick with the vet prescribed food (especially if dry kibble), opened or not, has a money back guarantee, return it and say the cat won't eat it. If you got it at the vet there should be no questions asked about the return (that is of course as long as the bag isn't almost empty)
So breathe, have a read, and keep asking questions, there's always someone around to help.

 

If you live in the US Jade you can buy a ReliOn Premier mete from Walmart for $9 and 100 test strips for $18.99
So it is not expensive. And the test strips are quite cheap.
You will also need a box of lancets size 26 or 28 to prick the ear. And some cotton rounds to hold behind the ear when you prick and then hold it over the prick for a few moments to stop any bruising.
pit will take a few days for you and your kitty to get used to home testing so expect to fail a few times….we all did! But you will definitely be able to do it. And Bow will not hate you! He will love you more.
Here is a link to HOMETESTING HINTS AND LINKS