Pet Lovers

[photodreamr]

Cat Lover..

Thank you!!.  I started this morning feeding him all of what he wants.  i figure that if we could not control the glucose then we might have to put him down...so what would it hurt?  And if it helped then we are golden.

He is on Lantus a people's insulin also.  thank you for giving me hope.

[ID2]

Aww my heart goes out to you caring for a diabetic cat. But my feelings are very personal. I am a type 1 diabetic and have been on insulin for the past 34 years. Please give it more time to see if you can level off your kittys readings. I'm sure its very difficult since your kitty can't tell you how he's feeling. But I hope you can find a balance with a vet you can trust and treatment that is doable. Please don't give up on your kitty.

[photodreamr]

ID2 and all who have helped.

THANK YOU!!!

I was beginning to think there was no hope and was getting ready to say good bye to a great kitty.  With your words of wisdom I have found renewed hope and determination.

I can't begin to tell you how blessed and relieved I am feeling.  

I will keep you updated.  If anyone can add anything for this first-timer dealing with a diabetic kitty I will be so grateful.

Thank you again.

[catlover]

that's the trick-finding the amount of insulin the cat needs-we give her 3 lines 2x per day-

From what I understand there in no animal insulin-we were very naive thinking it would cost less.........

We get it twice a year at just under $300-same medicine as you have.

The vet tried to get us to come in more and more often and for a plethora of testing etc...............who can afford to pay thousands of dollars like this for all these tests-as soon as we saw the cat was doing well-no more tests-

[Mama Mia]

My heart goes out to you and your kitty, too .Our kitty Noah, a Maine coon who is about ten years old, developed diabetes about a year ago. He got very thin and developed an abcess on his forehead one night. We got him right in and our longtime vet  did a lot of blood tests, after draining the abcess, and found he had diabetes too.

He put him on Novalin insulin, people's, we buy a vial at Walmart for a few cents less than $25.00. This has to be

 refrigerated  and lasts over a month. Anyway, at first he had to see the vet weekly and blood work was done, and insulin regulated. This was done for several months, also at about two thirty in the afternoon because the levels were at either their highest or lowest then. Sorry I can;t remember.

He was put on Hill's MD cat food, expensive and prescription,,but we always got a coupon discount. The problem was we couldn't keep our other cats from eating which was too expensive. He is eating regular food now again.

If it were me, I would find another vet. You are being gouged to death onthe price

 of\ insulin for one thing, and they must charge you plenty for a visit. Ours didnot, gave us a big break on tests and visits. There is no way we would  let him cry for food.

Noah gets his shots twice a day, by the way. I will keep you and kitty in my heart, please find another vet for another opinion. sorry this is so long.

mm

[Mama Mia]

I can't remember how to edit. As I said, our vet gave us a break on the visits and tests, we have gone to him for fifteen years. I suppose $300.00 a year if you did a vial a month,it would add up that way. You don't buy it all at once do you/ from your vet?Our lasts over a month. 

mm

[jaxs mom]

Here is the ingredient list of Royal Canin DM ( I just copied the main ingredients) 

Chicken Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Barley, Wheat Gluten, Tapioca, Powdered Cellulose, 

I see a bunch of carbs in that food. Cats don't need corn gluten meal, barley, wheat gluten, tapioca or powdered cellulose.

My suggestion is to read this vets website http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felinediabetes

And get the cat on a grain free and starch free meat based diet, either raw or canned. 

Fancy Feast classic line ( only the classic) tender chicken, tender beef and turkey and giblets are low carb canned foods that are healthier for cats than any of the vet prescribed foods. Raw would be even better but if your cat already likes canned food this is an easy transition and the food is readily available. Don't buy the other flavors though as they rest of them are all high in carbs. 

[Anita Hug]

Exactly, jaxsmom. In the case of the prescription pet foods, many of them are subpar.  They want you to buy it, and buy it at their office. But when you look at the ingredients, they are not much better than the cheap stuff at the grocery store.  Definitely look for carb amount, but also look for quality carbs.

for comparison to the ingredients in the prescription food, here is what is in my kitties food:  Boneless herring, herring meal, pollock meal, boneless flounder, boneless Pacific hake, chickpeas, red lentils, canola oil, green peas, green lentils, yellow peas, herring oil, sun-cured alfalfa, dried kelp, pumpkin, butternut squash, spinach greens, carrots, apples, pears, cranberries, mixed tocopherols (preservative), chicory root, dandelion root, chamomile, peppermint leaf, ginger root, caraway seeds, turmeric, rose hips, freeze-dried herring, freeze-dried hake, freeze- dried flounder, Enterococcus faecium fermentation product plus premium vitamins and minerals.

There are carbs in it, but they are low glycemic carbs - which just means that they wont spike blood sugar as much as corn gluten meal and tapioca... in the Rx food. My cat got worse on the prescribed food, and better after I changed her to the premium food. Don't make a lot of changes at once, though. I think it's best to change one thing at a time and keep track of what works and what doesn't.  If you do several things at once, you wont know which made her better (or worse). 

Your cat is likely diabetic with those numbers. Where the second opinion will help would be in the approach to treating her. I agree with the poster who said you are being gouged on those prices, so that would be another reason to seek out another vet. And defintiely ask for a prescription for the insulin. It is much much cheaper at Walmart.

Pulling for your cat, and for you as you figure all of this out. It can be overwhelming at first, but it gets easier once you understand it and get into the routine. 

[Fona]

Photodreamr:  My heart goes out to you and the struggle you are having.  I have been going through a struggle with my elderly girl, too (although she is not diabetic, she has a lot of health problems).   I have done a ton of research so I do have some suggestions (for what they are worth to you).  I realize you may be aware of what I am about to say, but here goes anyway. 

First, here is something to think about.  Many older cats that become diabetic also develop hyperthyroidism and the symptoms are losing weight, constantly crying for food, plus a lot more.  HP is serious and always needs to be addressed asap.  I have read that diabetic cats with hyperthyroidism require higher doses of insulin in order to maintain blood glucose levels.  As the HP is brought under control, the metabolism slows and the insulin has to be adjusted. 

My girl does not have diabetes but she does have a host of other illnesses and has also developed HP in the last few weeks, which we seem to be getting under control.  How?  Well, she is on a hyperthyroid pill twice a day, and is now eating raw, freeze dried food only - which I totally believe in because of the good results I am seeing.  (Just a note here.  Some vets don't believe in raw food, but please do some research on it, look up customer reviews, etc., then make your own decision.  I just went ahead with it because we had nothing to lose and it is working.) 

The raw, freeze dried food comes in a bag and you add some to warm water, let it stand for about a minute, then mix it up and let the cat eat it.  (Take a couple of days to gradually introduce it to your cat).  My cat loved it on sight and licks her bowl clean - and she is slowly looking better, plays with her toys, is acting like her old self and hopefully will be putting on some weight (it is too early to see weight gain as yet).  Because of her stomach problems (IBD) she was on raw freeze dried food just before I discovered she also had HP, but I really believe in it anyway.  In my opinion, the best brand is called Primal, which I think is slightly milder on her stomach and, to be honest, for me it was a last resort.  Please believe a previous post to this one by jaxsmom - your cat definitely does not need those horrible ingredients in his food.

Photodreamr:  The above is only my opinion and some suggestions you may not have considered, but I sincerely hope you (and your new vet) will at least consider what I have said and I sincerely hope this post will help.  It will not happen overnight but in a few weeks I am sure you will see a big difference.  Like you, just a few weeks ago I also went through a time of wondering just how long my girl would last - and today she is sitting right here on my desk, bright eyed and asking me to play with her.

I really do wish you and your kitty the very best of luck with this problem.  Please keep us informed of how you are both doing.

[catlover]

I forgot to tell you that out cat is 17 years old-we adopted her when she was almost 6 and a half-her elderly owners could no longer care for her-she was so big and beautiful-still is.

When I first saw her I told my husband-come quick.............you've never seen anything like this.

At first he did not want her..........said-she might not even fit in the litter box!

And she'll probably get sick too-

We went out to lunch to talk about it-went back and said "wrap her up"-she has brought us imeasurable joy.

Please don't give up.