Galaxy is diabetic

[phesina]

She was drinking an awful lot of water, so I took her in to be checked. Blood work showed sugar at 382..

We are seeing if we can manage this with diet, first.. two weeks on yummy-type food such as Friskies, Fancy Feast.. vet had a detailed explanation on why this might do the trick.

Galaxy thinks this is an excellent way to manage whatever is going on!

[cats4ever]

Pat, I am so sorry about the diagnosis. That could explain her urinary issues.
I hope it can be managed with diet. I'm sure that the vet told you that cats can go into remission and be non-diabetic (dogs can't, they are lifelong diabetics).
That would be ideal.
We have a lot of patients with diabetes, more cats than dogs.
If Galaxy would end up needing insulin injections, I know you would do whatever Galaxy needs!

Love and hugs, Heidi and the kitties

[Catty1]

Cole has diabetes. He started out needing 4 units of Lantus, morning and evening. A diet change dropped his blood sugar by half but he still needed insulin. He went into remission for a while when he first had his cancer surgery and was on chemo. These days, he gets 2 units in the evening.

I know many vets use caninsulin. I don't know why Lantus is the choice of my vets except I think it's "purer", if that makes any sense. I get it at my pharmacy in the pen needle style - there are 5 small tubes. It must be refrigerated.

There are syringes online that are about half the price of the ones from the pharmacy. I think the toughest thing I had to do was learn to do a "glucose curve". If you can get a vet tech to show you how it's pretty straightforward - the sample it taken from the edge of the ear. The first couple of times I did this I stabbed my fingers about as much as I got a blood sample. I wound up just poking my own finger to get a reading as I was used to the feeling by then!

Test strips are the most expensive part of the supplies.

This seems like a lot of information I know. Hopefully a change in diet will help. With Cole, that involved high-protein food. Your vet's theory on the other food sounds interesting!

GOOD LUCK!

[cats4ever]

We often recommend Fancy Feast for diabetic cats, because there are several varieties that have low carbohydrates and high protein content, mostly the ones without gravy.
It is a cheaper alternative to prescription diet, and most cats eat it readily.

[phesina]

Thanks so very much for sharing all that good information and advice with me, Heidi and Candace, and thanks also for your encouragement!

This is very early-onset diabetes. She had had another blood test not that long before, which gave a "high-normal" reading.

The vet loaned me ($60 to borrow, $30 back when/if I return it) a glucose-curve kit from the clinic to test Galaxy's blood when the two weeks is up (December 30). The techs showed me how to use it. There are little pin-prick needles to get a bit of blood from the ear, strips to soak that up onto, and the device to measure the sample.

I'm to get one reading just before she eats, then another two hours after eating.

If the reading is still high after the two weeks, I guess we'll talk about insulin and so forth. He did say that was quite expensive, but we'll do what's needed and possible. Hey, what is money for but to take good care of our cats with?

[phesina]

We often recommend Fancy Feast for diabetic cats, because there are several varieties that have low carbohydrates and high protein content, mostly the ones without gravy.
It is a cheaper alternative to prescription diet, and most cats eat it readily.

That's more or less what the vet told me about why this diet can be effective. Galaxy is one of the "eats it readily" crowd!

[cats4ever]

This is an excellent site to get everything you need for diabetes management:

https://www.aaha.org/aaha-guidelines...source-center/

AAHA is the American Animal Hospital Association. Our hospital is AAHA accredited.

[phesina]

Thanks, Heidi. That will be very informative and helpful.

Galaxy and I have a lot to learn as we see what happens with this!

[Randi]

The fact that Galaxy is diabetic probably explains why she has been peeing on your bed. I hope the new diet will help, but if not, she will surely be thrilled to celebrate Christmas eating some food she loves. I would have thought she needed something with less fat in.


I send her comfort and hugs… to you, too!

[cats4ever]

I'm glad that the vet let you borrow the glucometer for testing at home.
Glucose curves, done at the vet over the course of 8-10 hours, are a lot less accurate, because cats get stressed out at the vet, and therefore their blood glucose will go up, diabetes or not.