<p>So my 11 year old male Siamese has just been diagnosed with diabetes. We just got the call last night and still trying to figure out what to do. Any of you who have been through this with a pet – what questions should we ask the vet? Are there alternative therapies to Insulin? Some that just keep him happier? Any thoughts would help.</p>
<p>First of all, so sorry to hear about your kitty!</p>
<p>A prescription diet and insulin injections 2x daily kept our 11 yr old kitty alive and pretty much happy for almost 4 years. The earlier you start insulin injections after the diagnosis the better - it will stave off some physiological consequences of diabetes (like loss of function in hind legs). Cats who “know” that they are diabetic do not mind injections, and anyone can do them! We had to up the insulin dose a bit since the lower dose initially prescribed was not effective. </p>
<p>Welcome to the club, lololu! My Siamese boy is 15 and has been diabetic for about 2 years. My vet said most cats do very well on insulin and a low carb diet. I buy the prescription dry food at Petsmart. You will have to get frequent blood tests to make sure the dose is correct. My cat actually is insulin resistant, which is due to a pituitary tumor, and has made his treatment more complicated. But he’s doing well these days and my goal is to keep him comfortable. I doubt there is any alternative to insulin as far as treatment, though.</p>
<p>Our vet was incompetent when it came to diabetes treatment (needless to say, we no longer take our pets there), so when insulin did not work based on almost no decrease in urination, I called my sister in panic. She said we can do frequent testing or simply try upping the dose in small increments (titrate the cat, lol) to get the minimal dose that would lead to normalization of the symptoms. It worked, but the dose was 2x the initially prescribed! Duh - Our cat was NOT 7 pounds! </p>
<p>Re: source of insulin. Humulin (yup, this is what cats get!) is not cheap. We got ours at Costco at $30/vial (have no idea what the prices are now) and we bought BD needles there as well in huge packs. A vial of insulin lasts way more than a month, but we simply tossed it after one month. Some people say you can reuse the needles, but we did not do that. The costs can add up, but it was so worth it! </p>
<p>My cat was diagnosed as a diabetic last year. We put him on insulin and also switched his diet to a high protein/low carb diet. I researched and found that the best option for the diet is canned cat food. There are a few brands that are especially high in protein so we tried several. The ones he liked best were Fancy Feast classic varieties (only the classic ones, not grilled with gravy). He did so well on the diet that we were able to take him off the insulin. Bonus was that it makes them poop less (less fiber I guess?). We get him checked now and then to verify.</p>
<p>Thanks guys, we are leaning towards starting the process, but my husband’s concern is with having to be there all the time. Have you found that you can kennel the cat or whatever when you need to be gone?</p>
<p>I don’t have a cat (although I grew up with one). One of my pets does have a serious digestive issue who needs round the clock care, and I would not feel comfortable leaving her with anyone, BUT I think in your case it’s not so complicated that you would not be able to find a caretaker. However, I would not kennel her. In my personal opinion, kennels are not great places for any pet, but I would say that’s especially true for a pet with a chronic condition. You want to minimize stress and risk of illness. Being in an unfamiliar place, locked up for a large part of the day, in a place that can get loud and surrounded with unfamiliar animals is both stressful and carries a chance of the cat getting sick from the other animals (no matter how well you screen, when you have that number of animals, you won’t be able to catch every single one that is sick or just developing something).</p>
<p>One of my pets is a large dog, and I found a great service where you can leave your dog with a pet sitter in their house. They have quite a few petsitters on their list, and you can choose what you need. For example, my dog is not crated, so I found a home where he would not be crated. He is the only dog in the house, and he stays with the family the whole time I am on vacation, living as part of the family, rather than crammed in a small space for many hours. I would suggest looking for something like this in your area, but with someone who has some experience with administering medication. If you think the cat would be traumatized by living in someone else’s home (some animals do get very stressed when they are taken to an unfamiliar place), I would have someone come to your house to take care of the cat.</p>
<p>FWIW, our vet put our cats on canned food years ago. He said this was the current recommendation by the profession because the dry stuff is too high in carbs and can lead to diabetes. We still give our guys a handful of “oral care” kibble (big crunchy chunks) every day to keep their teeth clean, but the bulk of their diet is canned food.</p>
<p>Sounds like OP could use a laugh about now, and when it comes to the subject of medicating pets, this never grows old: <a href=“http://www.pawnation.com/2012/03/27/how-to-pill-a-cat-in-13-easy-steps/”>http://www.pawnation.com/2012/03/27/how-to-pill-a-cat-in-13-easy-steps/</a></p>
<p>Our grouchy 10 year old female cat was diagnosed over a year ago. The insulin dose is small (.2 or whatever) and the shots are easy. We reuse the needles. She has put all her weight back on and is happy. She’s fine with the shots for us, but not happy with anyone else doing them. Our vet said she could go as long as a week without them and would be fine. We haven’t had to do that, but she has definitely missed some doses. We did not change the food, even though we should have. We have other cats, and the dry food is out all the time. We use high quality food from Tractor Supply. She doesn’t mind the shots at all and usually shows up when it is time.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear this.</p>
<p>My 11yo Doxie was Dx’d last month with diabetes. I was very scared, but it’s been really easy actually. He gets shots twice a day. He’s on human insulin, but if he were on canine it would be once a day. Don’t know what feline dosage is.</p>
<p>MOWC…do you sterilize the needles?</p>
<p>I haven’t reused any, but have been getting boxes of 100 at Costco for about $15. </p>
<p>Geez, acollegestudent. There are vets who kennel cats all the time, and they are very much capable of giving a cat a couple of shots a day.</p>
<p>Our experience is pretty much the same as MOfWC - my sister who is a vet told us that the cat can survive without insulin shots for a week, but we had a great house sitter who was a biochemist and was not afraid of dealing with injections. Yup, the injections are tiny, .2 CC. We had to buy special dry food (but then I found a protein-rich food by blue buffalo), because our precious muffin would only eat dry food. </p>
<p>We didnt have a diabetic cat, but one who needed sub-q fluids. ( I didn’t reuse the needles)
Shots would be much quicker to deal with and while wet food is preferable, there is very high quality dry/freeze dried food.
Also if I can learn how to give sub-cutaneous fluids, I imagine a business which cared for animals when their owners were away would find it an advantage to be able to do so.</p>
<p>There isnt a site comparable to dogfoodadvisor, but this one has lots of info.
<a href=“http://www.catinfo.org”>http://www.catinfo.org</a></p>
<p>@MOWC My cat stands up on my lap and stares at me when it’s time for his shot. They are such creatures of routine! We have been re-using syringes ever since I had trouble filling my prescription at CVS. I mentioned it to the vet and he said there is no reason not to. So we use one a day for the two injections. Also, we are using Lantus which has jumped up to $180/vial. At one time, my boy was up to 12 units twice a day. Now he’s down to 1.5! Vet is starting to talk remission, although that shouldn’t be possible given the insulin resistance. I also have a dog with a nervous stomach, so DH and I don’t travel much. It’s a problem.</p>
<p>Costco sells Humulin insulin and 100 ct boxes of BD syringes without prescriptions. I asked why - it is a life/death kind of emergency item. Humulin works well for cats. </p>
<p>We switched to Lantus when the Humulin failed to achieve a sustained normal value. But my cat’s case is unusual. Most cats can live very well with diabetes. And I am doing my part to help send all 6 of my vet’s children to ivy league schools. No joke!</p>
<p>We use the needles for several days and don’t sterilize them. So far no problems… That’s good info about the Humulin. </p>
<p>Lololu, it’s scary when you find out your kitty has a serious medical condition. I hope he fares well with treatment.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>I’d be afraid of contaminating the bottle w/ a reused needle that wasn’t sterilized. Do you at least keep the needle in the fridge between uses? (I’m just imagining tiny bits of blood or whatever on the needle)</p>
<p>everyone…
How long do you use your insulin bottle? My dog’s bottle should last at least 2-3 months because of such small amounts given, but someone in another thread said I should throw away after 30 days. </p>
<p>(this is human insulin being given to a dog).</p>
<p>I’m surprised that Costco lets you buy insulin w/o a Rx. Both Costco and Sams Club will let you buy needles w/o a Rx (cheap!). Didn’t ask about the insulin. But both are cheap for that.</p>
<p>Thank heaven for Costco for pet meds. It’s saved us a huge amount.</p>
<p>^^
What other ones do you get there? I’m going to get dog’s thyroid Rx there next. (lol…it’s the same one H takes. But for some reason, dogs don’t absorb well, so our 22 lb dog takes a much larger amount than 220 lb H.)</p>