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Cat with diabetes

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Hayley1983

New Member
Hello,

So, my little Amber a few months back was drinking so much, urinating more due to the water and lost nearly a kilo. After a trip to the vets, they confirmed that my precious Amber has diabetes.

First off, trying to inject the insulin of caninsulin (2.0units) I’d chase her round the house and we both got stressed! Plan B came along, as usual she has her food at 6:45 am and 6:45pm. I shut her in the kitchen whilst she eats and once she’s eaten she is injected at 7am and 7pm. I find by shutting her in the kitchen I can go back in and get the insulin and inject her. She can’t run away, and neither of us are stressed. Amber isn’t bothered at all by her insulin injection anymore, it certainly helps having her shut in the kitchen.

The vets first instructed me to inject 2units of Caninsulin twice per day. After a month, I did her blood curve every two hours and submitted them to the vets who then advised me to increase Ambers insulin to 2.5units, and after two weeks do the blood curves again so I have done that today and they are very much similar to the readings a few weeks ago, see below readings - very high first thing in the morning before food and then drops a little then a few hours later the reading is very very low and then throughout the afternoon creeps back up high again as her insulin wears off - I will submit them to the vets tomorrow and see what they say. The vets just came back and keep doing the same thing and do the curves again in a week. Poor ambers ears it breaks my heart pricking them.

Amber would have biscuits in morning and throughout the day which is leave down whilst I went to work and in the evening she would half a wet food pouch, and probably a small few biscuits before bed time.

I asked the vet should Amber have a change in diet, He said not, which I was quite surprised by, however I listened to them and I didn’t change the diet. The vet did suggest to change to senior food and wet food only, feeding only twice per day. Therefore now she only has senior wet food, one pouch in the Morning and another in the evening.

she does appear to be still hungry, however I am so determined and she doesn’t get the treats like she used too.

anyone have any thoughts, tips etc on diet and if I’m doing everything correct? I don’t really understand the readings below if someone could help me.

The vet did say she could go into remission but I have idea on how long that would, I want to as much as I can for her.
I used the alphatrak2 to do the readings.

she is my world, and I will do everything I can to help my little Amber.

Thanks

6.50am – 20.02mmol/L
7.00AM – Food x1 wet pouch
7.15AM – Insulin 2.5units
9AM – 13.1mmol/L
11AM – 2.6mmol/L
1.00PM – 2.7mmol/L
3.00PM – 8.2mmol/L
5.00PM – 17.9mmol/L
7.00PM – 29.8mmol/L
7.05PM - FOOD x1 wet pouch
7.15PM – Insulin 2.5units
 
So, my little Amber a few months back was drinking so much, urinating more due to the water and lost nearly a kilo. After a trip to the vets, they confirmed that my precious Amber has diabetes.
I fear you may want to find a site offering advice on pets. (Probably cats specifically, I guess, since cats have distinctive diets compared to dogs.)

(There may be some people here with diabetic cats but mostly we're human 🙂)
 
Sorry to hear about Amber @Hayley1983 It must be really hard controlling diabetes in a cat. I’ve had lots of cats myself but none with diabetes.

I found this that might help you (my bold):


The aim of treatment is to alleviate clinical signs of diabetes. To achieve this goal, vets aim to keep blood glucose concentrations below the renal threshold (which is < 14-16 mmol/l) and avoid hypoglycaemia. They do this by trying to maintain the blood glucose concentrations roughly between 6-16 mmol/l in cats for the majority of the day.
Treatment is successful when the clinical signs of diabetes mellitus improve without inducing hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose levels).

It’s from the Caninsulin site:


http://www.caninsulin.co.uk/cats/glucose-curves.aspx

.
 
I fear you may want to find a site offering advice on pets. (Probably cats specifically, I guess, since cats have distinctive diets compared to dogs.)

(There may be some people here with diabetic cats but mostly we're human 🙂)
Sorry I didn’t realise that this was just for humans. So sorry
 
Sorry to hear about Amber @Hayley1983 It must be really hard controlling diabetes in a cat. I’ve had lots of cats myself but none with diabetes.

I found this that might help you (my bold):


The aim of treatment is to alleviate clinical signs of diabetes. To achieve this goal, vets aim to keep blood glucose concentrations below the renal threshold (which is < 14-16 mmol/l) and avoid hypoglycaemia. They do this by trying to maintain the blood glucose concentrations roughly between 6-16 mmol/l in cats for the majority of the day.
Treatment is successful when the clinical signs of diabetes mellitus improve without inducing hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose levels).

It’s from the Caninsulin site:


http://www.caninsulin.co.uk/cats/glucose-curves.aspx

.
Thank you much appreciated
 
As you can see, Amber’s readings look ok. As someone with diabetes - not a vet or a medic - I’d be looking to get rid of those readings in the 2s eg 2.8. They are too low and count as hypoglycaemia. Personally I would ask your vet about how to deal with those - firstly, do you need to give Amber anything extra when she’s that low (as a human, I’d take some glucose but that might not be right for cats so definitely ask your vet). Secondly, I’d ask does she need food at that time (ie part of a pouch or whatever? That is, could you alter the timing of her meals so that they prevent her going low at those times?
 
As you can see, Amber’s readings look ok. As someone with diabetes - not a vet or a medic - I’d be looking to get rid of those readings in the 2s eg 2.8. They are too low and count as hypoglycaemia. Personally I would ask your vet about how to deal with those - firstly, do you need to give Amber anything extra when she’s that low (as a human, I’d take some glucose but that might not be right for cats so definitely ask your vet). Secondly, I’d ask does she need food at that time (ie part of a pouch or whatever? That is, could you alter the timing of her meals so that they prevent her going low at those times?
Thank you it’s hard to give any extra food in the day as I go to work, I have cameras in the house so I can check she’s ok. It’s tricky to leave extra food down, as my other cat would probably get there first! I will give the vets another call in the morning. Appreciate your help
 
Thank you it’s hard to give any extra food in the day as I go to work, I have cameras in the house so I can check she’s ok. It’s tricky to leave extra food down, as my other cat would probably get there first! I will give the vets another call in the morning. Appreciate your help

Ah, that does make it difficult. Great you’ve got cameras to watch she’s ok though. I’ve just looked and I believe the insulin she’s on is a porcine (pig) insulin which is an intermediate-acting one - that means it takes a while to work and lasts quite a few hours. It does probably ‘kick in’ with a peak of action after 4 or 5 hrs, and that might explain why Amber is dropping low at 11am and 1pm. Again, something to ask the vet about.

I adored my cats. Amber is very lucky to have you. Best wishes to you both. XX
 
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Years ago I looked after a diabetic dog for a couple of weeks and it was critical she had her food and insulin at fairly precise times, I had to collect a urine sample and test that every couple of days. I recognised the symptoms of her going hypo (staggering and disorientated) and had to give her honey. It was very stressful.
The cats I had were very small and didn't weigh much more than a kilo.
Good luck with it.
 
Odd that the vet did not point out that cats are obligate carnivores.
I expect that domestic cats have evolved, as those unable to cope with carbohydrate will not have survived, but surely the obvious way to treat a cat, is as a cat, and feed it on small animals?
I had a cat come to live with me and I fed her on meat.
 
Odd that the vet did not point out that cats are obligate carnivores.
I expect that domestic cats have evolved, as those unable to cope with carbohydrate will not have survived, but surely the obvious way to treat a cat, is as a cat, and feed it on small animals?
I had a cat come to live with me and I fed her on meat.
I would have thought the vet would have been all to eager to recommend a special expensive diet. I'm sure standard cat food is partly cereal as well as meat or fish.
 
I would have thought the vet would have been all to eager to recommend a special expensive diet. I'm sure standard cat food is partly cereal as well as meat or fish.
It seems that commercial cat food is quite high in carbs - well it would be, as it is cheaper than protein.
I used to laugh to see my huge Labrador - also fed mostly meat, crying anxiously as the cat inspected his dinner and ate some of it just to show him who was boss, before sauntering off to wash her whiskers. He was quite convinced that she would eat all of it, I'm sure, as his expression was so anxious. Although quite intelligent, for a dog, the amount of his dinner and the size of the cat did not come into his calculation of the possible results.
 
It seems that commercial cat food is quite high in carbs - well it would be, as it is cheaper than protein.
I used to laugh to see my huge Labrador - also fed mostly meat, crying anxiously as the cat inspected his dinner and ate some of it just to show him who was boss, before sauntering off to wash her whiskers. He was quite convinced that she would eat all of it, I'm sure, as his expression was so anxious. Although quite intelligent, for a dog, the amount of his dinner and the size of the cat did not come into his calculation of the possible results.
I'm sure my retriever and cat were in league as we had left some steaks on the grill pan on top of the cooker whilst waiting for the grill to get hot and turned round just in time to see one of the steaks disappearing down the throat of the dog having been stolen by the cat. Trouble was they looked so cute it was hard to tell them off and not to laugh.
 
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