New diagnosis

Good afternoon, my 11 year old kitty, Juicy, was diagnosed with diabetes today. The vet told me via phone call that I needed to come in today to get a urine test done to determine if she’s in keto acidosis. They closed before I could get down there, so I’ll have to go on Monday. He told me it could be up to $250 every 1-2 months to treat her, plus a special diet, plus a 48 hour hospital stay if she is in fact ever in keto acidosis, which sounds pricey. I’ve been crying my eyes out because my poor baby is sick, and because the vet made it seem like it’s such a financial burden. I hate to put a price tag on my sweet girl, but money is tight right now as we just had twins. Any insight would be appreciated. I have no idea where to begin and the last thing I want to do is euthanize if this is doable. Thank you so much.

 

WELCOME TO FDMB Mamanda and Juicy we are glad you found us!
First off I'm quite concerned your vet wanted to test for ketones and this wasnt done.
Please go to your nearest drug store and purchase some ketone strips. You find them in the diabetic section. Just regular old HUMAN strips . If your vet suspects keytones they need to be addressed immediately. Ketones are VERY expensive to treat. You can EASILY test for them yourself. You just dip a strip into a sample of clean urine. We have tricks to teach you on how to do that but that can wait till you get back. Sorry to sound so curt but because you are worried about the cost of things I want you to be able to rule this out AND you wont have to pay your vet to do this for you.
Does this sound doable right now?

 

I’m going to go get some right now! Thank you so much. This is all so new and scary to me.

 

If this isnt doable I want to give you a proper welcome

its ok calm down drive safe

 

Call the pharmacy before you go to make sure they have it! And yes, welcome!!

 

This will be a little tricky because it depends on when Juicy decides she needs to pee. There's the ladle method Where you gingerly slip a ladle or large spoon under her will she pees, theres the saran wrap method where you place saran wrap in her box make an indention in the plastic so the urine collects in the resulting pool, or in a clean box place a small amount of litter in it (so she has something to scratch) put something small under one end of the box so the urine drips down to one corner.

 

Thanks Ale I didnt think of that. I HOPE my concern is wrong.

 

What happens next, depending on the result?

 

And adding that $250 a month is not accurate. We have lots of tips on getting discounted insulin and don’t let him sell you on “special diet food” nothing special about it other then the price tag. Most of us here feed our diabetic cats fancy feast or Friskies wet canned food which is low in carbs. That’s what you need, food that has 10% or less carbs.

If you can on Monday find out exactly what tests they’ve ran and the results too

 

If she has ketones, it’s a necessary trip to the ER. It can not wait until Monday as it’s life threatening

 

Ale is correct it would then be an emergency

 

When you can come back, I’m curious as to how he diagnosed over the phone as your cat clearly wasn’t there, right? When was she at the vet? And what symptoms did she had prior?

 

I was at the vet yesterday, it was a different doctor who saw us. She has been having diarrhea, she’s always starving, not grooming anymore, and meowing more. Just not herself. He said we can come in Monday if we can’t make it today. My husband is concerned because if she needs an er visit, it’ll be so expensive. We just paid $455 yesterday on her bloodwork, visit, etc.

 

I wouldnt be worried if the vet hadnt made that appointment. I SURE hope I am wrong

 

Did your husband go the the store for you?

 

Call your vet’s office Monday and have them email you the labs. I take it no urinalysis was done? So this was diagnosed by high glucose on a blood test I bet.

 

Just blood test. The glucose levels were in the 500’s I think he said. No, I was about to go but had to nurse my twins. There’s just no way we can afford an er visit right now. I’m so stressed out. I can overnight the strips from amazon. I might do that.

 

while we wait because theres no guarantee shes even going to pee (just be vigilant) lets get you accustomed to how things work around here shall we? You should start here:
New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

We are dedicated to helping anyone that finds this forum. You have landed in a safe place.
Theres an amazing amount of information here with an amazing group of people to help you navigate it all.

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY

This is the best site on this planet to learn everything you need to know about feline diabetes.
jeanne

 

We understand and CONGRATULATIONS TWINS!

Having these strips will be the best way to see if there will be an emergency visit.

 

I have a feeling you won’t need an ER trip and with guidance here likely never will. You have your hands full with baby twins but this is doable. We will teach you to test at home and you should not need your vet for much.

 

I'm hoping I'm wrong. I dot mean to stress you out. I apologize that I did.

 

Thank you all so much! My husband hasn’t done the research I’ve done and thinks the most humane thing to do is put her down. I’m trying to explain there are affordable ways to do this. She’s MY cat, so I have the last say. Are there ways to do this without insulin? Like, can I start with a special diet and see if that helps? Or is that unlikely.

 

First things first...

If the vet ran labs, I'm hoping that some of the basic electrolyte levels were OK. If they weren't, I'm also hoping your vet would have told. you to get your cat in immediately or to go to a ER since Juicy would need to be monitored 24/7.

Do. you have a blood glucose meter? You will need one to test Juicy's levels.

I couldn't tell from your post if. your vet started Juicy on insulin. The best insulins for cats are either Prozinc or Lantus. They are not the cheapest but they will give your cat the best chance at remission. Lantus is way cheaper if you purchase it from Canada.

As others said, most of. us do not go to the vet for many of the basics. Once you learn to home test, you do not need to have the vet run a curve, do fructosamine tests, etc.

It would also be helpful if you could transition Juicy to a low carbohydrate, canned food diet. Many people here use Fancy Feast or Friskies pate style foods. This chart lists foods and included the. percent of carbs. We consider low carb to be below 10% but most of us feed our cats in the range of 5%.

As for your husband's reaction, please read the link, Gabby's Legacy, in my signature. See post #7.

Please let us know how we can help.

 

since shes not on insulin yet ditch any dry you are using right now. ONLY can wet food Fancy feast pates are all 10% carbs or less thats what you want to feed

 

Lovely avatar Mamanda you are in better hands than mine. I have to leave for now but will check back in a while.

THANKS EVERYONE!
j

 

Thank you again!! I will update once I take that test tomorrow. I ordered some fancy feast. I wouldn’t hesitate taking her to the er if we didn’t just spend almost 500. I love her and I will do everything I can to help her. I will look at that link, Gabby’s Legacy. Thank you ❤️

 

Your vet if he believes in home testing will push a vet meter. Politely refuse. The test strips are too expensive. You can get a Relion from Walmart and the test strips are cheap. I used to buy test strips on auction on eBay for less than at Walmart. Switching to canned food for some lucky folks gets cats diet controlled. Cats can and do go into remission. Often it takes insulin at first. If she will eat the canned food and no DKA or ketones she can start on a smaller dose. One step at a time.

 

Juicy just jumped on my shoulder like she used to do when she was younger. She’s purring like crazy. I hope that’s a good sign. ❤️

 

The vet prescribed juicy probiotics for the diarrhea and an antibiotic because she had a fever. I should still continue giving her them, correct? This was before the diabetes diagnosis

 

Yes,please continue with both. What is the antibiotic ?It makes me wonder if she had higher glucose from stress of being sick and at the vet. It will be interesting to see if there is glucose in her urine or not.

 

Lets hope a low carb diet will do the trick!

 

Clavamox antibiotic and Proviable probiotic. Could her levels have been higher due to stress at the vet? I hope she will be ok. I feel terrible because I can’t afford an ER visit.

 

Absolutely Mamanda any stress will raise blood glucose numbers.

 

Also infections

 

I hope that your kitty Juicy gets well soon.

The folks on this forum are very smart. You are definitely in good hands here. I've been caring for a newly-diagnosed, diabetic cat for three weeks now. Because of the folks helping me on this forum, Oliver is doing SO MUCH BETTER and I've learned that treating diabetes doesn't have to be expensive.

 

Welcome Amanda! I'm happy to see you over here from the Facebook group!

Treating diabetes does not have to cost a fortune! First, getting Juicy onto a low carb canned diet may bring her numbers down quite a bit (up to 200 points!) Also, the stress of being at the vet can also raise it considerably (up to another 200!)....add an infection and her glucose levels could be sky high! So even if her levels were really high at the vet, they could be much lower at home when any infection is cleared up and she's eating a low carb food

You can start learning to home test now and see what the diet change can do. The Relion Prime is available at WalMart for $9, a box of 100 strips is $17.88 and you can get lancets for anywhere between about $2-$10 depending on brand.

One of the best insulin's for cat's is Glargine (brand name Lantus or Basaglar) which you can buy from Canada for 1/3 to 1/2 the price in the US. For a total of $190 (including shipping), you can get 5 pens of Lantus from Canada. That's 1500 units which is enough to last most cats at least 1 year and some cats up to 2 years. (Mark's also will sell an individual pen for $50 plus shipping)---Basaglar, which is also Glargine, is even a little cheaper!

Also, although every pharmacist will tell you that you have to buy new every 28 days, that's nonsense. If kept in the fridge, it will last a good 4-6 months. The only reason they have that 28 days is because when they submitted it for testing, the manufacturer only asked the FDA to test it for 28 days! So officially, that's what they have to say!

ProZinc is another good insulin but it's veterinary only. Chewy has about the best price. A 10ml vial is about $105 which is 400 units of ProZinc.

If your vet writes a script for Lantus or Basaglar and buying from Canada is still too much for you, Diabetic Cats In Need is a charity that helps low income caregivers with the costs of treating their diabetic cats so they don't have to be euthanized or rehomed. We can also provide you with a meter, strips and lancets if even the Relion Prime from WalMart is more than you can handle.

Hang in there! You're in the right place! I think if Juicy had ketones when she was at the vet, he would have told you right then so hopefully that's one thing we don't have to worry about.

As for your husband, if Juicy is on Lantus/Basaglar and you buy from Canada, you're looking at about $15/month for insulin, $36 for 200 glucose strips, $2-10 for 100 lancets and $15 for 100 syringes. (approximate). So more like $60'ish per month...nowhere near $250

 

How is everything this morning Mamanda?.. well its morning here

 

You are all so helpful, thank you! I’ve been reading about feline diabetes and I’ve learned so much. The strips come today, so I will check her ketones. The new food comes today as well. How many times per day do I feed her and is there a schedule I need to stick to? I will go get a glucose monitor today as well! I’ve never used one, so that’ll be a challenge. For the insulin, would I need to make another visit at the vet to get a prescription, or since they already diagnosed Juicy, I could just pick it up—or do they just send it to the pharmacy like a human prescription? I hope they don’t have any reserves about Canada, because he didn’t mention that pharmacy. I’m so very grateful you know so much about this.

sorry I have so many questions!

 

Regarding insulin... Vets will often prescribe either Vetsulin or Humulin N/Novolin. The American Animal Hospital Association no longer endorses these insulins for cats. (They are too short acting for a cat's metabolism and are quite harsh -- they can drop blood glucose levels fast and hard.) The AAHA guidelines recommend Prozinc or Lantus. I've linked the guidelines in case you need to send it to your vet.

I would sincerely hope that you can just pick up the prescription. It would seem a bit excessive for the vet to charge you for an office visit just to get insulin. However, if you need to learn how to give an injection, often they will charge for a vet tech visit so they can show you what to do. We can also share videos and other information about both testing and shooting.

A lot depends on what your cat is used to when it comes to your feeding schedule. Many vets will tell you that you should only feed twice a day. That's not a "rule." The only consideration is to not feed your cat 2 hours prior to shot time. (You don't want your pre-shot test to be influenced by food. You want to know if it's safe to give an injection.) If your cat is a grazer, it's fine to leave out food for your cat to eat throughout the day. Many people do not feed after nadir (the lowest point in the cycle). After nadir, the effect of the insulin starts to wear off and numbers are on the rise. Food may continue to push numbers upward. No doubt other members will share how they feed their cats. A great deal will depend on your cat. My kitty typically had an early nadir and her numbers could drop quickly. As a result I would provide several (3 - 4) small meals over the first few hours of the cycle to help keep her numbers boosted up. The bottom line is that there's no "right" way to feed your cat.

Also, you may want to get some low carb treats. Many of us use a freeze dried protein (e.g., freeze dried chicken). Most pet stores carry this (often the dog version is a little cheaper than the cat version -- I don't know why). Just make sure that the product isn't made in China and read the ingredients to make sure that it's only the protein. Treats are an enormous help when it comes to getting your cat used to testing and you want a low carb treat.

Questions are good. Keep asking!

 

Hi there.

I suggest looking at this post from Mandy, a member who joined us relatively recently. Have a look at the pictures of Mandy's cat, Sissy, at start of treatment and then how she looked just 30 days later. Maybe show your hubby?

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...t-can-we-discuss-her-road-to-diabetes.234039/

Diabetes is eminently treatable, and cats can live long and happy lives either with daily insulin treatment, or - if they achieve remission - as diet-controlled feline diabetics without the need for insulin injections.

So glad Juicy has you in her corner. Your avatar picture is lovely. Congrats on the twins!


Mogs
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If he does use Lantus or Basaglar, there's no reason he needs to know you're buying it from Canada. Just ask for a written script so you can "shop around for the best price". You can take a picture of it and send it to Marks or he can fax or call it in. They have a toll free number (both phone and fax)

 

I just got all the blood glucose stuff. Now to test her

 

So I got the wrong test strips. I can’t go back right now, so I’ll have to test her later.

 

I wont lie testing at first is scary. it aint easy. Trouble hated it every time yet right after testing he got his treat and rubbed up against me like "Aww mom that was no big deal." Yet he would fight before every darn test. He definitely frayed my nerves.

We can walk you through it . Treats a a huge distraction AND reward.

We all have walked in these shoes.

 

It looks negative to me!

 

Post a pic of the supplies you bought. Did you get Walmart’s ReliOn it something else? also if you go with Lantus, you can get the syringes from a Walmart store, they don’t sell online, and it’s the most affordable but also 1/2 unit marked which you’ll need to make it easier when dosing her 1/2 units

 

To make this as least stressful as possible please follow the test tips posted above. Warm up the ear first and aim for the sweet spot. What size gauge lancets did you get? You want to start with 28 or 26 not 30. Don’t rush to try to do this all at once. That’s likely why you ended up with the wrong test strips. Take a moment and breathe. It will all be fine!

 

You got the ketone strips OK, and those were the most urgent!


Mogs
.

 

Agreed!

I’ll say it again, slow down. It’s stressful but you’ve got this. Just take a step at a time. No ketones is great and it means no need for an ER visit so you’re fine and she’s fine

 

Here’s what I would do. Put testing aside for now. You haven’t started her on insulin so it’s not crucial. Tomorrow am, I’d call the vet and find out exactly all the tests they did and get copies of the results emailed to you. The more experienced members here can help you interpret them. If she does need insulin, I’d ask for a prescription for Lantus and order it tomorrow from marks pharmacy. Here’s the link for it:

https://rxcanada4less.com/index.html

While you wait on the insulin, you can practice testing so it doesn’t all feel rushed and overwhelming to ya!

This is important, don’t let the vet talk you into going with Vetsulin. It’s cheaper but not ideal for cats since it’s also named Caninsulin and it was designed for dogs. In the long run, it will cost you more.

 

Juicy thanks everyone for being so wonderful. I’m going to call the vet tomorrow to request a copy of the tests they ran. I’ll post once I receive them. Thank you!!!

 

Juicy is adorable!

 

She is so adorable!!! It looks like she’s wearing an elbow white glove on her right front paw lets get her feeling better again soon!!

 

Ask them to email the labs to you. They get them emailed to them from the lab. They might have run them in house.

 

Thank you!! She’s my girl

 

Thank you so much!

 

Juicy is a pretty pretty kitty!!

 

Shes VERY pretty. My kitty has one black sleeve. Shes a dilute torti. (with TOO MUCH fur!)

We look forward to getting to know you both

 

Pretty girl! Love the long sock.


Mogs
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Ok I spoke to the vet today and she wants to do an abdominal ultrasound on juicy because of her fever and her tummy being a little distended. She also suggested Vetsulin (I was thinking of going with Lantus and she said I can) and a glucose monitor for pets, not a human one. She said I can make an appt so they can show me how to administer the insulin. I said I need to discuss everything with my husband. Here are Juicy’s labs. Thanks again everyone. Please let me know if it doesn’t open.

 

You can argue for use of a human meter on grounds of cost, Amanda. The Alphatrak's a great meter but the strips are much more pricey than those for the Relion Prime.

I'm glad that the vet went with your wish to use Lantus and didn't force the Vetsulin. Lantus is a much better insulin for feline diabetics and I hope that Juicy will do great on it.

When you're going for your lesson on how to inject the insulin, it'd be a good idea to bring an orange with you: they're good to practice on.


Mogs
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I initially bought an AlphaTrak2 because, well, Lola's s a cat. It was about $50 for the starter kit which came with 50 strips (about half of which I wasted in my early attempts to get blood samples.) Additional strips come in packs of 50 and cost $50.

Because the the information on this board is available 24/7 (my vet isn't) and the FDMB guidelines are based on readings taken on human meters, I've since gone out and bought a human meter (from Walmart, the meter cost $9 and an additional 100 strips for $18), and I thank the stars that I did! The very next day we entered a low BG situation that required that I test every 30 minutes. I used 16 strips that day (including the 1 that I messed up because the sample size was too low). Using the Relion strips cost $2.72 for that day versus the $16 that the AT2 strips would have cost.

But it's not just the cost: Had I run out of AT2 test strips I would have been up the creek. I don't know if any local store sells them. At a time when I was worried about Lola's potential for entering a critical low blood glucose stage I would have been frantically calling around trying to find additional strips locally and probably ended up having to order them online and paying to have them overnighted - which wouldn't have helped at all during that morning's looming crisis. Because the Relion meter and strips were so affordable I was able to lay in a good supply beforehand and would have been able to buzz out to buy more if I needed to.

Just something to think about ....

 

Because of the fever and high blood glucose results, I think getting a urinalysis done to check for a UTI would be a good idea. UTIs are really common in diabetic cats and can actually increase blood glucose levels even in non-diabetic cats. If she has a UTI, treating that (confirming treatment with a urine culture) and switching to low-carb canned food may be enough to control her blood glucose without insulin.

 

How old is Juicy? How long have you had her? Has she ever been sick before? I ask because I wonder why she tested for FIV and FeLV. I ask because first of all I question some of the tests run but need to know first. Her electrolytes are unbalanced due to having diabetes that needs to get uncontrolled. She has pancreatitis and needs to get support for that. Lots of vets want you to use a vet meter but as mentioned test strips are expensive and you can’t just go get more at a drug store. I would have a talk with your vet and tell her that you have twins and funds are limited. I would not necessarily do an ultrasound right away and instead see if you can get her over the pancreatitis first. Maybe she won’t need more expensive tests.

 

Ask for an RX for ondansetron for nausea so you can get it at a drug store. Use Drugs.com to find the cheapest places. Say no to an ultrasound now. With pancreatitis you treat the symptoms. Cyproheptadine is an inexpensive appetite stimulant so you need an RX. You do need buprenorphine who’re pain which is a vet medication. Have you ever given sub-q fluids? I think she might need that to balance the electrolytes. How is she tonight?

 

There's a blood test package at Idexx that includes FeLV/FIV tests; it's sometimes more economical to get the package. My vet's selected that package for my cats a few times, even though there was no concern for FeLV/FIV.

 

But those three tests weren’t needed. Do you remember what you did need?

 

She’s 11. I have had her since she was born. I bottle fed her after we rescued her and her 2 sisters from the rain one evening when we heard baby meows. The mama was no where to be found. I have one of the other sisters and my mom has the third sister. She has never had any issues before. Her sister, Sookie, that I also have, had crystals in her urine 5 years ago and she was treated for that. Both kitties have been pretty healthy their whole lives until now.

so does she have pancreatitis? And why would she needs nausea meds? Pain meds are a good idea? The vet didn’t mention any of this. Thank you so much for interpreting the labs!!!!

 

Yes. She tested positive for pancreatitis. On your labs that test is the SpecfPL. She scored 12.2 and over 3.5 means she has it. That is why at this point I would treat for it and see if everything else returns to normal. Is she indoors only?

My Max had chronic pancreatitis that started when he was about Juicy’s age. It’s treated by controlling the symptoms with the things we have mentioned. They don’t know the cause. Sometimes cats get it once and never again. For others it’s a chronic condition that comes and goes.

 

The vet didn’t mention that! So strange! Yes she’s an indoor only kitty.

 

I don’t understand that at all. Look at the labs. The result is in red.

 

I’ve been reading about it for the last 30 mins. Wow. I don’t get why she didn’t mention that! It makes me angry. She hasn’t been vomiting and is eating (more than normal). She’s always starving and she’s definitely getting enough food. Ugh. I’m going to have to call the vet tomorrow.

 

Thank you so much for explaining this to me! I would be lost without y’all.

 

She’s lost weight and the uncontrolled diabetes is why she is so hungry. It’s unusual fir a cat with pancreatitis to have a big appetite and not be nauseous. I’m confused about that.

 

The anti nausea is needed because with a pancreatitis flare up she may get nauseated and stop eating. A diabetic cat needs to eat because of the insulin you’re going to start giving her and because without food they could develop other issues. So the 2 options are Cerenia, which is a pet med, and Ondansetron which is a human med. they both work differently and for some cats one works better than the other. You have to try one or both and see what happens. It’s a good idea to have that handy instead of waiting for your cat to stop eating because you may not be able to get the prescription and meds ASAP. I’d explain that to the vet, that you want to be proactive about it and have it at home. Minnie had IBD and I thought pancreatitis until we ran all the tests. Anyway, ondansetron is what keeps her eating during flare ups

 

Did you talk to your vet today?

 

How are things going? I’ve been thinking of you.