Untreated Diabetes??

Hi
My 10 yr old cat Rudy lives w/ my mom and was just diagnosed this morning w/ feline diabetes. They want to treat it agressively - 2 shots of insulin a day plus dietary changes. My mom will not agree to give him shots. She travels alot and also cannot really commit to the cost of continuous meds for him. I am so upset but I can't even help out w/ it either because I have my own cat and a 2yr old son to take care of.
His symptoms started a couple of weeks ago. He is a pretty big boy. About 25 lbs. She said his sugar is in the 500's. My dad said just lets bring him home and just try to keep him on a better diet. But how long before he starts being majorly effected by this? And might begin to suffer. Right now hes only excessively urination and drinking. No appetite or behavioral changes. I don't want him to suffer, but without treatment I don't know what to do?? Please help and advise how long you think he will be ok before he starts having behavioral/neurilogical symptoms, not to mention any pain or suffering.
Thanks!
Danielle

As a diabetic, and though I'm not sure how similar it is to feline diabetes, high blood sugar is not comfortable. It's not even close to comfortable. If youre parents are not willing to treat him, I would have him PTS or rehome him, because it would be cruel to not treat him.

Hello,

I, too, had a 10 yr old male who was a big boy (23 lbs) who developed diabetes. We managed his diabetes very nicely for 6 yrs; unfortunately cancer took him this past February I was able to get his blood sugar levels very very nicely under control with the daily insulin, though that didn't happen overnight.

Seriously, the only proper way to treat is daily insulin, home-testing the blood sugar prior to insulin shots (cat owners use the same little blood glucose testing meter that human diabetics use, very simple to use), and a low carb diet.

You can get a wealth of info off of this website (Feline Diabetes), which also has a wonderful Health forum where I invite you to post and explain your situation. I can't promise anything but I do know that there have been several cases where members there have agreed to adopt the diabetic cat of someone who just can't keep their cat............so this MAY be an option. Otherwise, in all honesty, it would be totally cruel to withhold proper treatment for this cat and euthanization is the only other humane option.

High blood sugars put a great strain on the kidneys and the heart; they can cause high blood pressure, can cause neuropathy (impacted nerve function, often manifested by hindleg weakness), lethargy, poor appetite, impacted vision, etc.

The FDMB (Feline Diabetes Message Board) is a total wealth of information for owners of diabetic cats.......the info there, along with the info from long-time members is more comprehensive, IMO, than anything one would receive from a Vet:

http://felinediabetes.com/

Feline Diabetes Health Forum:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/list.php?8

feline diabetes isn't really as difficult to treat as many people think/are lead to believe.....but it does take commitment, that's for sure.

Hope this helps
Lisa

Originally Posted by the_food_lady

I do know that there have been several cases where members there have agreed to adopt the diabetic cat of someone who just can't keep their cat............so this MAY be an option.

Click to expand...

I agree to this! Don't know if it exists but maybe searching for a rescue group for diabetic kitties. I know when my doxie lost feeling in his hind legs there were rescue groups willing to take him to give him proper care that I could not. Good Luck!

Treating feline diabetes is not expensive. A vial of insulin lasts months. I have had 2 diabetic cats and I am not by any means made of money. I buy the syringes by the 100 pack and its about 12.00. The insulin runs about 50.00 ish. So that is not too bad. I use the same syringe morning and night. Have never had any problems doing it that way. Just recap right away.

I am sorry to be harsh, but if you have a cat and it is sick, you need to treat it. You have taken on the responsibility of ownership, in sickness and in health.

Also, diabetic cat food does not have to come from the vet. My guy eats only certain flavors of Friskie wet and 9 lives wet. No diabetic cat should ever have dry food. Go to www.yourdiabeticcat.com. There you will find food lists. You do not have to buy expensive food from the vet.

Please take care of your guy. He has given you love all these years, it is time for you to reciprocate. As I said, diabetes is not expensive to treat.

I had a diabetic cat for 3 years until she was killed by a raccoon. When I first got the news I was overwhelmed by the care that I was expected to give. A smart friend of mine suggested that I take it one month at a time and see if I could handle it. Within 2 months, I had a very workable routine and I relaxed.

The Feline Diabetes web site mentioned above is a god send. You might be able to find a new home for the cat there if that is your only option.

Once you start doing your own blood sugar testing, you gain a lot more understanding and control over the situation. Plus you'll save mucho money and spare yourself from having to listen to vets who don't know what they are talking about.

Ultimately I was able to only do 1 shot every 24 hours which helped me immensely as my schedule is so unpredictable.

Diet makes a huge difference as well. They complain when you take them off of the dry food but eventually they come around. I fed Fancy Feast, but only certain types. The website lists which ones are the best. You may be able to ultimately cure the cat with diet and exercise alone.

The best insulin I found was the one designed specifically for cats. The vet would tell me that I needed to change the bottle every 30 days but I used it until I used it up, usually 6 to 7 months. Since I could test the cat, I could tell if there was a problem. The syringes can be purchased on-line for next to nothing. I don't think that I spent more than $150/year on the insulin and syringes.

The love you develop for an animal whose life you are maintaining is extraordinary. After my cat was killed, I felt like I had nothing left to live for. And believe me, I have a lot to live for. But I felt like I wasn't doing anything that was important anymore. If you can help out this guy, you will be rewarded for it. Plus you'll be able to hold your own in any diabetes discussion

You can't let this go untreated....It not alot of money to treat but can be stressful dealing with daily BG checks..weekly curves....and the 2 shots usually a day...I agree trying to rehome him would be best IF they are not willing to treat her...And a good place to start would be www.felinediabetes.com ..they will be a huge help to you ....

Thank you everyone. Believe me....I am truly upset and this is alot to take in. I do also agree that Rudy deserves the best treatment and all the love returned to him that he has provided to all of us through the years. No doubt!! He's our big ole' boy and we love him immensely. I'm just overwhelmed and have a lot to think about - maybe I have to consider moving him in w/ me from my parents. I don't know.....it's pretty much a whirlwind.

At my household we also just recently lost our 5yr old orange tabby boy named Jack. His death was sudden only 4 weeks ago so we are recovering from that as well. It's a crazy time for cats around our family and I'm having a hard time dealing with all of it. Thanks for all of the feedback - I appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Ellsworth

The best insulin I found was the one designed specifically for cats. The vet would tell me that I needed to change the bottle every 30 days but I used it until I used it up, usually 6 to 7 months. Since I could test the cat, I could tell if there was a problem. The syringes can be purchased on-line for next to nothing. I don't think that I spent more than $150/year on the insulin and syringes.

Click to expand...

I found the same thing with the type of insulin my Taco used (Levemir - a wonderful insulin, one of the newer human insulins. I found it kept his blood sugar nice and consistent as it works differently than the rest). Because I would always faithfully test his blood sugar prior to his twice daily shots, I could always tell if the insulin was not doing its thing any longer. In fact, as his life was nearing the end (fibrosarcoma; multiple on his back/shoulder), I didn't want to spend $130 for a new box of 4 vials (his type came in 4 per box) so I was actually using a new vial that had expired (according to stamp on it) 6 months previously and by george, it still worked just fine right up until the end. I would NOT ever recommend this, however, to diabetic cat owners who do NOT regularly test their cat's blood sugar at home)

So basically if a person follows proper storage of insulin (most are kept refrigerated) and use proper technique when drawing up (this means NOT using a "used" needle to draw up; that's a huge no-no; that's how you contaminate the whole vial of insulin plus it puts the cat at risk of infection at injection site as it's a "used" needle), you can often get 3 months out of a bottle.

Needles aren't that expensive at all.

And to buy a blood glucose meter for doing hometesting (which really is a must), a lot of the makers of them will give you the meter for free if you start off buying 100 teststrips which you'd have to buy anyway! I used to even buy my teststrip on Ebay for darn good deals (from reputable sellers with a proven track record/feedback rating).

The vet tech told me it was ok to use the syringe twice, but now that you have pointed it out, I am only going to use it once. Though nothing has happened, I would hate to take any kind of chance with my sweet Goofy. Syringes are cheap enough.

Thanks for the heads up!