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wfarian
Starting Member
Canada
3 Posts |
 Posted - 07/27/2010 : 5:58:13 PM
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Hello Everyone,
Monty, my ten year old grey guy, was diagnosed one week ago with diabetes. The vet gave us a prescription for Lantus at 1 unit every 12 hours. He also gave us a list of approved foods for diabetic cats, a list that included dry food. The vet did not suggest testing Monty's blood at home. On the second day, shortly after Monty's insulin injection he appeared to become comatose. I put some honey on my finger, he licked it off and perked up.
After more research I reached the conclusion to remove the dry food (I was giving the boys Orijen), and purchased raw chicken from a company called the Urban Carnivore. This is the entire carcass of the chicken, minus the beak and feet. I also stopped giving Monty insulin after 9 shots (9 units in 4 and a half days). I became uncomfortable giving my best feline friend a human hormone.
My vet is not supportive of my choice to stop insulin injections, but did give me a referral to a holistic vet. Unfortunately I have not been able to make an appointment for Monty as this vet is on holiday until the 4th of August.
Monty was urinating outside of the litter box for a few weeks. I thought this was because my other furry friend, Nico, was doing the same. Nico was treated for a urinary tract infection, and he resumed using the litter box, but Monty did not. So off to the vet Monty and I went.
At first it seemed Monty was fine on the Lantus, but the hypo reaction the next morning, and his aggressive behaviour after the evening shot had me worried.
It's been only 3 and half days on the all wet diet, but Monty is acting more like his old self. I think losing Rosie, our beloved dog, and Buddy, my other wonderful cat last year put both of us into depression. I'm not sure, but that and the dry food may have contributed to Monty's current condition.
I'm concerned that I'm doing the right thing by my fellow. We've been together for 10 years, which is longer than any boyfriend I've ever had.
Thanks for reading, this site is a real relief,
Wanda and Monty |
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pleimanlb
Average Member
USA
2221 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2010 : 11:17:44 PM
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Hi Wanda, the only way to tell how Monty is doing is to purchase a glucose meter and start testing his glucose levels at home. Normal range bg's is 50(2.7)-130(7.2). A change from any high carb food, can lower the bgs by 100 points (5.5) or more, so testing is the answer to all your questions. It may be that with the change in food alone, he has gone into a diet controlled remission. The bgs taken at the vet's office are usually higher too, due to stress. Once home and feeling calm and safe, his bgs could very well have been lower.
If he hasn't had any insulin, and you are feeding low carb food, no gravies,fruits or veggies in the canned or raw, this is the best time to find out if he needs insulin at all. Did the vet keep him for a few days to run any curves on him to find out what was the right dosage for him? Obviously he did not take into consideration the factor of high bgs' due to vet stress and start at a much reduced dose.
If you do need insulin for Monty, there may be a pharmacy in Ca that compounds a bovine pzi. I can find out if you'd like. It is closest to a cat's natural insulin and is very gentle on the system. Much better than Lantus. I know of someone in Ca that recently had bovine pzi (Insuvet, I believe) shipped from the UK at a very reasonable price. Comparable to what our compounded insulin costs in the US. Read as much as you can and research bovine pzi. |
Lindsey
Kitty's Numbers Feb/Mar 09 http://www.yourdiabeticcat.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8355
Kitty's Numbers Jan 09 http://www.yourdiabeticcat.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8081
Kitty's Numbers Dec 08 http://www.yourdiabeticcat.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7861
http://s244.photobucket.com/albums/gg24/pleimanlb/?action=view¤t=125ec684.pbw |
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wfarian
Starting Member
Canada
3 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2010 : 2:03:27 PM
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| Thank you Lindsey, we began testing Monty's blood glucose last week Wednesday. His levels were high, they went from the lowest of 250 to over 360. Last night we measured again, 200! This is after 4 days of only wet food (and an egg yesterday, just for kicks). I've stopped with the Fancy Feast, and am giving them only raw chicken (whole carcass ground up). My other cat is having a hard time with the change of food. He was addicted to the dry stuff, and now it's gone. He does need to lose weight anyway, and he's only 2 years old, so I'm hoping... he'll get used to it. |
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Debbie and Greta
Average Member
USA
1501 Posts |
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Carri
Starting Member
Australia
36 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2010 : 7:30:46 PM
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Hi Wanda, I am sorry to hear about Monty. How long are you going to give Monty to adjust to the new food? I am afraid with numbers like that Monty needs insulin. It would be great if the food change alone was enough and sometimes it is for some cats but mostly not. Unfortunately the longer you leave Monty without helping him with insulin the worse he will become and the more damage will be done to his organs.
My cat Mia has gone OTJ using Lantus. I couldn't get PZI in Australia but would have used that if available.
Please keep testing everyday to see whats happening with Monty and read all the information here to educate yourself as much as possible.
I totally understand the fear of using insulin and the fear of them having a bad reaction such as you experienced. Mia had 3 really bad hypo's before we found TR. It shows the importance of home testing and getting the right insulin scale for Monty. I only got that after practicing TR. |
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wfarian
Starting Member
Canada
3 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2010 : 11:43:22 PM
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| Now Monty's glucose reads 9.1 (about 170). Even lower. He's eating only raw chicken and today I soft boiled the egg. He prefers the yolk. Nico still isn't eating very much, just off my fingers a bit. |
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Carri
Starting Member
Australia
36 Posts |
Posted - 07/31/2010 : 12:36:10 AM
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Well the numbers are getting better, that is encouraging. Are you testing more than once a day? The numbers fluctuate during the day but great Monty has managed to get himself down even more.
Did you have a look at the links that were posted above by Debbie and Greta regarding feeding raw. well worth a look. You can only feed an unbalanced raw diet for a short period of time. I feed my cat a raw diet with some ground up chicken carcasses in it for the bone content but it has to be the right % and you really need to add other supplements.
Monty is still a bit high with his bg's, I hope he continues to get himself down further. How long are you going to give him to do this himself?
I hope Nico starts to eat for you. |
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Monty and Wanda
