Cat has diabetes

[KristaTX]

He gets PZI insulin that I order from BCP pharmacy in Texas with a Rx from my vet.

How much do you pay for it from them? For a 10cc bottle I paid $110 at my vet yesterday . At Ernie's current insulin dosage, that will only last about 50 days.

ETA: I am paying that for the Prozinc. I guess PZI is bovine and Prozinc is more like human??

 

[auntie]

Our cat had diabetes at around age 12 as well. Don't let this diagnosis throw you. We too were a little intimidated by it at first. Only, honestly..it just wasn't that big a deal. We injected her twice a day. She lived very happily for another five years. She was 17 when she passed away.

I'd at the very least try giving your pet the insulin shots. (the food isn't going to work, and you're only prolonging the inevitable, and having your pet suffer in unnecessary discomfort) If you honestly feel at that point it's something you aren't comfortable with..then I guess you've got to do what's right for you. Only...really...give it a shot (pun..intended). I think you will be surprised at how very manageable an illness this is.

 

[Linda in sunny SC]

How much do you pay for it from them? For a 10cc bottle I paid $110 at my vet yesterday . At Ernie's current insulin dosage, that will only last about 50 days.

I get a vial of BCP PZI U40 insulin for $44 + $12 overnight shipping. Chance is currently getting 2 units twice a day. It usually lasts a couple of months depending on dosage. He was at 3 units for years but we've recently had to decrease to 2 units.

 

[alliecats]

for everyone on this thread.

My 9 year old kitty Ernie was diagnosed two weeks ago . I was suspecting diabetes to be the diagnosis because of his symptoms (increased urination, thirst, and hunger), but I was hoping it would be something easier to deal with or "fix". His blood glucose was around 600 and the urine test made the diagnosis final.

We started out with 2 units of Prozinc twice a day, which was increased last week to 3 units when they rechecked his blood. And today at the vet, she determined we need to go up to 4 units of Prozinc insulin twice a day. His blood glucose was 289 today.

The shots haven't been too difficult for me since I'm already a nurse. It's not going to be so difficult to deal with when I'm home, but we travel fairly often. And we are leaving in two days for a trip to Ohio and Niagara Falls. Great timing .

I asked the vet if it would be better to board him at their office where he could get the 2 shots a day, or keep him at home and have someone give him a shot once a day. The vet said that the stress level would increase his blood glucose so much if I boarded him that since it's just a few days he might be better off just staying at home and getting a single dose a day.

So my mom came over last night to learn how to give shots. I know she can do it, and he has done pretty well with the shots. But after today's visit to the vet (his third in less than two weeks), and with his brother Bert's visit to the vet today that required sedation and made him smell foreign to Ernie, Ernie is one very grouchy kitty right now. Even I haven't been able to give him his shot tonight. He's been so cooperative, too, until tonight. I should have waited to take Bert to the vet after our trip. Sigh .

Hang in there, everyone. Jwhtwolfd, thanks for what you have already written, and please feel free to give us all any more advice that you may have to share.

For Krista:
Excuse the threadjack, but Krista, what are you feeding him? Is he on steroids or has he been?

Please check out the Feline Diabetes message board.
www.felinediabetes.com If you are interested in hometesting his blood sugar they can walk you through it. I can't shoot insulin without knowing it is safe to shoot and it gives you such peace of mind. It's easy too.

Your vet has really moved fast on the dosing. I started my cat at 1 unit twice a day per my vet. They adjsuted the dose every two weeks. It took me about 6 months to get to 4 units, which is quite high. It is interesting to see how different experiences can be with different vets, different insulins, etc. We were at 5.5 units twice a day on Humulin, now we are at 3 units twice a day on Lantus.

 

[si-am]

We were told to use the Hill's md formula. We had a dog that had to be on Hill id for a long time but we really didn't like it.

Any suggestions for food would be appreciated. We found a page that rates dog food and have our new dog on Blue Buffalo brand dry food and Wellness canned food.

It looks like the Wellness Core is low carb. We have been feeding the cats Purina Indoor Formula for some time because that is one that they all will eat.

Thanks for all the support.

Our vet wanted us on a prescription diet too, but that stuff is expensive! Hill's is notoriously high carb, too.

First, dry food is out. I hated that idea because our cats were addicted to kibble (and let's face it, it's easier and less messy) but they adjusted well to the all canned diet. You can safely leave it out in the dish all day while you're at work, and it won't hurt them to graze on it all day. Or, you can even freeze it, and then they can nibble on it while it thaws (we do this if we're going to be out late or overnight).

A great place to look for food is Janet and Binky's food chart. It lists many of the popular brand of canned foods and their carb content. You are looking for something with a number less than 10, so the lower the better.

http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html

Our cats get Fancy Feast, Friskies, 9 Lives, Wellness, Merrick, EVO.... really anything and everything with a low carb content. We can't afford to buy "boutique brands" exclusively, so we try to do a good mix. Wellness Core, for example, is $1.70 a can here! While Friskies is 40 cents.

 

[Pancakes]

My cat was 8 years old when he was diagnosed with diabetes. He just gets a shot in the morning with his breakfast and he's set for the day. The vet hasn't changed his diet so my cat just eats his normal food. Hope all is well