Our cat Jackie just diagnosed with diabetes

The vet just called with the news today and told me it wouldn't be cheap to treat. They gave me the option of treating it, or to euthanize her. The last thing I ever want to do is euthanize her, she is the sweetest cat ever! I'm overwhelmed with the diagnoses due to the cost and I'm trying to get everyone one at home on board. They're not very supportive. We also have two other cats who eat regular dry food, but due to Jackie needing a different diet, the way they've been feeding the cats will have to change.

How much on average does it cost on a monthly basis to treat diabetes in a cat? They told me the insulin will be expensive. What all supplies do I need? And where can I get them at the best cost? Any suggestions or information would be helpful, thank you! I've also been looking into different foods, and I came across one called Crave, does it work okay with diabetic cats? My cat enjoys wet food, but she never fully eats it all like dry food.

 

Hi Anness,

Welcome to yourself and Jackie.

Things can be very scary and overwhelming just after receiving the diagnosis, and there's a bit of a learning curve, but please let me start by reassuring you that diabetes is very much a treatable disease, and cats can live long and happy lives with the condition. We can help you to learn about how to help Jackie - and we can also help you manage the cost of treatment too!

One of the best things you can do to optimise Jackie's treatment, to keep her safe, and to save you a considerable amount of money on vet fees for glucose curves is to test Jackie's blood glucose (BG) levels at home. We can help you to learn how to do this. We can also point you in the direction of where to get the best prices on supplies, including insulin (especially important if you live in the US - many members have been buying Lantus and Levemir insulins from a reputable Canadian pharmacy for many years).

The supplies you will need are:-

- Human glucometer for home testing (cheaper than using a pet-specific meter).
- Test strips for the glucometer.
- Lancets for taking blood samples (usually done from the tip of the ear).
- Urine ketone strips.
- Insulin.
- Syringes matched to the type of insulin you're using.

Also, we have a Supply Closet here (access from the main forum index) where members sometimes offer supplies either free or for a small amount.

If you let us know which country you're in we can point you to the best place to get your supplies and also help you identify affordable diabetic-friendly food choices.


Mogs
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Thank you! I'll check it out. I'm in the US.

 

In the US, most members get a lot of their supplies from Walmart (meter, test strips, lancets). The Relion Prime is a popular meter choice and it has the most affordable test strips. If you look in the forum FAQs under the 'Food Charts' topic you'll find the link to the list of US commercial cat foods that are diabetic friendly. The majority of US members feed their kitties with Fancy Feast classic patés (under 10% carbs).

If you can let us know which insulin your vet is recommending then US members should be able to point you where you can get the best price.

I'm in the UK so I'm signing off now (half past five in the morning here!) but other members will hopefully reply soon with further information for you.

Glad you found us. We'll do all we can to help you both.


Mogs
.

 

PS: Most cats only need very small doses of insulin and we can give you pointers on caring for your insulin to get the maximum life from it.


Mogs
.

 

Gorgeous pic of Jackie!

Nite!


Mogs
.

 

PPS:

While there's never a guarantee, there is the possibility that diabetic cats can go into remission. Cats in remission need to be kept on a low carb food but they don't need daily insulin. (Hoping this snippet might help you drum up a little more support on the home front! )


Mogs
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That's what I have heard, I'm crossing my fingers! I'm also hoping to prevent diabetes in our two other cats. One is her sister, Molly. The other is her half sister, Maggie.

 

Hi. You can feed all of them the same low carb food. No need to buy food from your vet. Many here feed fancy feast pates.

 

Hi Anness,
Welcome
First off if you are talking about Crave Dry food it's very high in carbs, just
about any dry food.

If you are talking about Crave wet food I looked on the Chewy site and looks like
they are low carbs, but very expensive and the trays they come in are only about
35 or 45 calories. It would cost you a fortune to feed enough of them for Jackie to
get the right amount of calories.

Most of us feed Fancy Feast Classics Pate or Friskies Pate
I will give you the link for the food chart

Most of us use a human meter from Walmart
The Relion Prime costs 9 dollars
The Prime test strips cost 17.88 for 100 strips
26 or 28 gauge lancets about 3 dollars
Cotton rounds to put behind her ear so you don't accidentally prick your finger,then you would just press on her ear for a couple seconds to stop the bleeding.

Depending on what insulin your vet suggests , then we can tell you what kind
of syringes you will need.
I'd say maybe 18 dollars for 100 syringes

I know you want to save money, but if your vet wants to give you Vetsulin
(Yes it's cheaper than others, I forget how much it is) but it's actually used for dogs.
It's a harsh insulin and drops the cats BG fast.

Either Lantus or Prozinc is good.
Lantus is more expensive if you buy it here in the US, most of us buy it from Canada from Marks Marine Pharmacy.
I'll give you the link so you can check it out
Five pens or Five cartridges will probably last you over a good year depending on how many units your cat will need.

Don't let your vet try to tell you or sell you a pet meter such as the Alpha Trak 2
They are about 40-50 dollars and the test strips are very expensive something like
48 dollars for 50 of them
Just tell him you can't afford it

I'm trying to give you the best price for all the supplies, since you said you are overwhelmed at the cost.

I would never want to see any cat euthanized because they have diabetes.
For a vet to say either treat it but it will be expensive or euthanize your cat
just blows my mind

We can all steer you in the right direction when it comes to saving money and the
best price for supplies



Do you have the blood work results, how high did the vet say it was.

Have to tell you once you have everything and start home testing at home ,
there is really no need to see your vet unless of course you cat gets sick.

We have a spreadsheet here that we all use to keep track of our cats BG numbers.
Can discuss that later, but you can take a look at mine, it says Tyler's Spreadsheet

We can help you with that also when the time comes
You can also see after I get done posting is my signature, cats name, date diagnosed, type of food , cats age, type of insulin

When you decide what type of insulin you will be using you can set that up.

I know this sounds overwhelming but believe me once you get the hang of everything it's easy.
This is the best place you ever want to be.
The members here are very knowledgeable and have years of experience.
I really have to say they know more than most vets do.

If it wasn't for the advice they have given me my cat wouldn't be doing
where he is today, he's doing great.

I'll give you the link for the food chart and Marks Marine Pharmacy, your vet
would just have to give them a script for the lantus, and that's it.
You can call them and they will contact your vet, they will explain everything to you.

Good luck and Jackie is so adorable.
Start to do some reading on here about the different types of insulin's and
how they work.
Go to the Forums page and you can read about everything , they are
the yellow stickies

 

Here is the new link:http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
We like to stay under 10 % carbs

 

https://rxcanada4less.com Marks Marine pharmacy





Lantus Solostar Cartridges 5x3ml per box (temp. gauge. ice pack, express-air mail) Brand 100u/ml 15 ml $159.99 USD

Lantus Solostar PEN CAN (temp. gauge. ice pack, express-air mail) *single pen open box* Brand 100iu/ml one pen 3 ml $49.99 USD

Lantus Solostar PENS 5x3ml per box (temp. gauge. ice pack, express-air mail) Brand 100u/ml 15 ml $164.99 USD

Lantus VIAL Insulin (10ml per vial) (temp. gauge. ice pack, express-air mail) Brand 100u/ml 10 ml $110.99 USD


Like I said you are better off buying the 5 pack of cartridges or the 5 pack of pens
They will last you way over a year
Besides that they have an expiration date of 2022 or 2023 by now.
So you would start to use your first one ,always keep them in the refrigerator and they will be good until that expiration date .

When buying a pen or cartridge , we all buy syringes and use it just like a vial of insulin.
You take the top off of the pen and there is a little gray rubber stopper and you stick the syringe in it and draw out the insulin.

 

Welcome to FDMB Anness and cute little Jackie! Youve already received great advice
I think maybe to get acquainted with this board you may want to start here:
New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

I hope you are open to home testing Jackie's blood glucose. Going to the vet will be your major cost. Once I learned to home test we never HAD to see the vet for diabetes again.

I'm going to post this here just so you have a ready link.
FDMB SPREADSHEET INSTRUCTIONS

Once you decide its there for you ok?

We all look forward to getting to know you and your extra sweet Jackie.

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY
jeanne

 

Hi Anness - welcome! Lola and I are new to the forum too so we're still learning the ropes. You are worried about cost, so I thought I'd share what my experience is (I'm far from an accountant, but I think my math is right):

Lola is on ProZinc - 1 unit, twice daily. There are 40 units per ml, and the vial contains 10 ml, so 400 units per vial. If Lola holds steady requiring 2 units per day, the vial will last 6 months (400/2= 200; 200/30 = 6.666) My vet charged us $145 for the vial, making her daily insulin cost $0.73 (145/200 = .725). Petco sells ProZinc at something like $105, which would make daily cost $0.53 ($105/200 = .525).

She gets shots twice a day, so 2 syringes daily. (Some people use theirs more than once - my diabetic father did, but I won't because I don't want to risk contaminating the vial.) My vet charged $45 for 100 syringes with its own nifty "Sharps" container (for disposing of the used ones), which I can simply take back to them for disposal. (Sharps are medical waste and cannot be put in your regular trash collection. They must be disposed of properly). Buying from the vet is super convenient for me, but it comes at a cost. Lola uses 2 daily, so the container will last 50 days, giving me a daily cost of $0.90 ($45/50 = .9). However, I've learned that my county offers free sharps disposal at two (not exactly convenient) locations, so I could buy 100 syringes online for about ~$20 which would reduce my daily cost to $0.40 ($20/50 = .4).

So if I buy my bare necessity supplies (insulin & syringes) from the vet it costs $1.63 per day to treat Lola's diabetes, and it would cost $0.93 per day if I bought supplies online. This cost is offset by the change in Lola's diet. She had been eating Hill's Perfect Weight cat food at something like $38 for 11 lbs (!). After diagnosis, the vet put her on Purina DM at $44 for 6 lbs (!!!). However, I've now learned from this board that neither of these is a healthy choice for any cat, let alone a diabetic one. She's now eating Friskie's Classic Pate at $0.55/can, about 1 can per day. It's not just a savings with Lola because I'm transitioning ALL my cats from spendy dry food to Fancy Feast and Friskie's.

In my experience from many years ago, the biggest expense with a diabetic cat is the vet. Back then I didn't do any home testing, relying instead on taking him to the vet for regular Blood Glucose Curves. We got along okay, but we did have a couple of emergencies (most to the e-vet) one of which nearly killed him and which was very expensive (because he was a the local U's acute care unit for 4 or 5 days). This time around I decided to do home testing. I think all of those emergencies could have been averted had I been home testing. Now I get real-time, accurate readings on demand, not influenced by stress (being at the vets) or changes in schedule. Here's how my math works out:

My vet charged $180 per curve (that was 5 tests spaced throughout the day). Of course, that also included the benefit of her professional advice. I'm using a glucometer for which testing strips cost $1 each (more on that below). So what I paid the clinic $180 for, I could have done at home for $5. I'll still have to pay the vet for a consult at some point, but at least I will be able to provide her with readings that reflect her actual condition not ones influenced by stress or schedule changes. And, because I can see her status at a glance using this forum's spreadsheet, I will be better able to determine when Lola actually needs to see a vet rather than making that decision based on "well, it's been 6 weeks" or "she's just not looking right." I anticipate that will reduce the number of vet visits we actually need to make.

(Right now I'm doing a lot of testing in order to build up the dataset on her spreadsheet which will provide a more accurate representation of where she is during the day and how her levels are trending, especially important since she's newly diagnosed. Ideally, if she does well and holds steady I hope to test maybe once or twice a week with a curve every 4-6 weeks.)

I made the decision to home test after I got advice from the vet who was covering for my regular vet who was on medical leave. She told me to increase Lola's dose based on the number they had on her 2nd curve. My spidey senses tingled, but I followed that advice anyway and Lola suffered for it. It was because of my initial discomfort with that advice that I ordered the meter. I got an AlphaTrak2, a meter designed specifically for cats & dogs. It cost ~$50 (and came with 50 test strips). Test strips cost about $1 each. I hadn't found this forum yet, but I did know that some people used human meters. I decided to get the AT2 because I knew it would provide me "cat" numbers, just as the vet's testing equipment did. (So no "apples to oranges" issue.)

Then I found this forum. (What a lifesaver!) I don't regret buying the AT2, but because the protocols here are based on readings from human meters I'm thinking that I might also get a human meter. Initial cost to purchase is lower, and the cost of strips is much lower. But, most importantly, if Lola gets into trouble I know I'm not going to be able to count on my vet to be available 24/7, sitting at the keyboard, to advise me. If we're in trouble in order to best take advantage of the wealth of information and help from this board I'm either going to need readings taken by a human meter or I'm going to have to try to convert the AT2 numbers to the human equivalent (and as I understand it, there isn't a hard and fast formula you can use). So, as it stands now if Lola's in trouble it's ME having to do the "apples to oranges" computation and I'm pretty sure I don't want to be in that situation. I'm still thinking this through, but that's where I'm heading.

I'm lucky to have an excellent vet who is very experienced with diabetic cats and I trust her implicitly. She is fully on board with home testing. If I had a vet who discouraged home testing, I'd find another vet.

Sorry for the long post. (My husband claims that I am incapable of telling a "short story" and he may be right.)

Good luck to you and Jackie. I know it's terrifying and overwhelming at first, but it really can be manageable. There's a ton of collective experience on this board to help you.

Enid

 

Hi Anness,

Just checking in to ask how things are things going yourself and Jackie?


Mogs
.

 

It's an adjustment. I'm still waiting on the vet for all the information I requested. I need to call them back today because they failed to e-mail me. I'm struggling to get Jackie to eat wet cat food. She tends to lick up all the moisture and leaves everything else, which concerns me once I start to give her insulin. She doesn't like chunks in her food, and she doesn't like Friskies wet canned cat food or the crave wet cat food very much. I bought a high protein dry food in the meantime while I try to switch her over to wet cat food. I have noticed an improvement in her begging habits decreasing since switching her food. I'm just trying to figure out how to get her to eat wet cat food, it's not her favorite. Does anyone have any suggestions? I've never had a cat that didn't care for wet cat food.

 

Theres a product called Fortiflora Its a marginal probiotic. I use it to entice Zoe to eat. Cats love it because its made with the stuff they spray on dry food. It comes in small packets. I usually buy a three boxes at a time. (each box contains 30 packets.) It gets Zoe to eat so I keep plenty on hand. I've seen it sold at Petsmart but they charge WAY too much. I will try and find the link to the company we buy from online if youre interested. I would try the suggestion below first .

You can also grind up some dry food and sprinkle it on the top of the wet food. Theres also Parmesan cheese.

 

Hi Anness,

It is a bit of an adjustment alright, but things do get better and easier with a little time.

Covid restrictions seem to be making it more difficult to engage with vets at the moment. I hope you get further today.

I've had the chunks problem in the past. Sometimes breaking the chunks into smaller morsels with a fork can help.

Here's a link to Dr. Lisa Pierson DVM's website. On the right hand side of the page there's a link to her tips on how to transition dry food addicts to a wet diet. It might give you some ideas to work with:

catinfo.org

In the meantime, Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein Chicken variety is a low carb dry food that might be worth a try. (Perhaps US members could advise whether it's possible to get a free sample of this food?) I think it might be available from Chewy's.


Mogs
.

 

You can’t get a free sample but if you buy from Chewy they sometimes will let you return it.

 

Welcome, Anness! So glad that you've found a group of folks here who can guide you through this process.

I wish that I'd found this site prior to starting my cat on insulin, because I would have liked to have done a couple weeks on a low carb wet food diet first to see how that affected his blood glucose levels. By the time I made my first post and was told about the diet change, Ragnar was already several days into an insulin schedule and it was too late to make a sudden switch to diet-change-only plan. But maybe the experienced folks here will say it's an option for your kitty.

P.S. Jackie is such a cute kitty!

 

Update! I finally got more information from the Vet. I'm a bit slow right now due to recovering from a concussion, trying to complete my school assignments, and still trying to work. I'm having a hard time trying to get Jackie on a feeding schedule, part of that issue is other people feeding her at random times. When she eats canned food, she eats maybe an ounce at a time. Is that enough to give her insulin?

The Vet recommended Lantus, feeding her every 12 hours, doing a blood glucose curve at home by pricking for the tests or with a freestyle libre. Has anyone used the freestyle libre on their cat? I'm thinking Jackie may try to take it off. She also recommended the Alpha Trak 2 because it uses less blood to get a reading. Is that true? Do the human meters require more?

 

Please type "Libre Users" into your title. That will get you more responses.

The AT is a good meter but the strips are very expensive. You will be going through a lot of strips in the beginning.

 

Hi everyone, I would just like to say thank you for all of your support. Jackie had to be put to sleep today due to having frequent seizures, unrelated to the diabetes. The vet said she most likely had a brain tumor. :'(

 

I’m so sorry for your loss. We never have them long enough.

 

Oh my GOSH NO
I am so very sorry for this devastating loss. My heart goes out to you. sighhhhh

Fly free sweet Jackie. Land ever so softly back in moms heart forever.

You now have a little watching over you.

jeanne

 

What sad news. I'm so sorry.

 

Oh, I am truly sorry to hear your sad news. So hard...




Mogs
.

 

Oh Anness I am truly sorry to hear about Jackie.
My heart breaks for you, such a beautiful girl.
Fly high sweet Jackie ♥