Feline diabetese?

Question

My cat has diabetes and so far we haven't found anything that could help him. My mother won't go back to the vet so we don't know where his blood sugar is at right now, it was very high the last time we were there, but right now we don't know. His neropathy is pretty bad and they say that B12 methalcobolomen helps with the neropthy. Can anyone suggest anything?

Answer 1

Is he on insulin? It's very important to give it to him everyday to keep his sugar stable.You need to check his blood sugar every day,you use urine strips to do this,or at least I did when I had cats with it.Alpha lipoic acid is good for people with diabetes,as is cinnamon ( you can get both in capsule form at GNC stores) I suppose it would help with a cat ,but you would have to ask your vet about the dosages.Also,feed a low carb cat food (canned is good because it doesn't have much grain in it) Wellness Core is supposed to be great for cats with diabetes.Your Mom really needs to take him back to the vet to get checked,though.Good luck.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Here is a really good website all about feline diabetese
Home testing your cat's BG (blood glucose, or blood sugar) levels at home is an important part of regulating your cat. While you don't have to home test to successfully regulate your cat, many find the added peace of mind of knowing their cat's BG level well worth the trouble.

If you have a diabetic cat, consider doing home blood glucose testing. Just as cats become accostumed to their daily insulin shots, they will tolerate periodic blood tests.

Advantages of home testing include less stress to your cat, considerably decreased costs and time of monitoring compared to vet visits, closer control of your cat's blood glucose level by more frequent monitoring, and possible avoidance of deadly hypoglycemic episodes.

There is much more....


http://www.felinediabetes.com/

Hope this helps you ...

Answer 4

if your mother (or any other "responsible" adult) will not take him back to the vet to get treatment then either surrender him to a rescue group or have him euthanized. You are not doing him a kindness by letting him live with severe diabetes. As you know it can lead to neuropathy, which can lead to gangrene. Diabetes can also lead to blindness and kidney failure as well as more awful things as it progresses..ultimately ending in death. Your cat needs medical care or to be euthanized. Please try to consider his quality of life over your desire to have him. I know it is tough and that you love your kit but uncontrolled diabetes is no way to go. (You can check his blood sugar levels with urine strips or blood strips- just like a human. Their blood sugar levels are the same as a human)

Answer 5

Your vet may suggest that your cat be hospitalized for "regulation" and treatment. If your cat is very ill, hospitalization is advised. Most cats do NOT need to be hospitalized to begin treatment for their diabetes. If your cat is alert, well-hydrated, eating and drinking without vomiting, your cat can be managed as an outpatient.

Your veterinarian should demonstrate the technique for giving insulin shots. Many excellent on-line guides are also available. Please note that many veterinarians still suggest giving the insulin shot in the scruff of the neck. Recent evidence shows this is not the best place to give insulin shots so please use alternative injection sites such as along the cat's sides.

Insulin shots in the cat are started twice a day, usually at 1-2 units of insulin per shot. Cats should not be started at higher doses of insulin. At one time, a type of human insulin called NPH, or N, was the insulin of choice for the cat, due to lack of better choices. The molecular structure of NPH insulin is very different from that of cat insulin. Cats have unpredictable responses to NPH (N) insulin. If your veterinarian suggests this type of insulin, educate yourself and then your vet. Beef derived insulin is a much better choice for your cat. The U.S. veterinary literature now considers PZI to be the insulin of choice in treatment of feline diabetes. In many areas, beef PZI is used with great success in cats. Newer insulins such as glargine (Lantus) and detemir (Levemir) show great promise. Outside the US, insulins such as vetinsulin and caninsulin are commonly prescribed.

Once your cat is started on insulin, you should monitor your cat at home. Usually, you do not need to take your cat in to your vet for weekly blood tests. There are various methods of monitoring your cat at home and veterinarians disagree as to the best method. The monitoring section of this website can give you more information. You are urged to monitor at home using either urine testing or blood testing. Monitoring may seem intimidating but is easily tolerated by the cats and can be learned by any caretaker.

To monitor, you can simply observe your cat for the resolution of symptoms. If your cat starts drinking and peeing normal amounts and its weight normalizes, it can be considered regulated. This method only works if you keep insulin doses low and do not increase the dosage amount without using other monitoring methods. Urine testing is advocated by many veterinarians and you have various options for collecting urine, including the Smart Cat Box, a specialized litter box. Perhaps the most accurate method is to use a glucometer to test blood glucose levels just like human diabetics do. Blood testing sounds intimidating, but many animal owners do it without problem. You must decide what method you will use based on your veterinarian's recommendations and your own education about the various techniques.

Answer 6

you can buy glucose testers from you're local drug store. i work at a vet clinic and we use the same glucose testers for pets as for people. there is insulin treatment special for cats and syringes too. you just have to talk with your doctor or get a second opinion. there is also diabetic cat food available at your vet and if they don't have it, i'm sure they would be happy to order it for you!

Answer 7

I think i'm more canine than feline!

Answer 8

Yes, Jillian, I'm sorry to say that if your Mom is not willing to give him the medical treatment he needs, your family should do the humane thing and have him put to sleep. I don't mean to be harsh, but letting your cat suffer without proper medication is cruel.

Answer 9

nope sorry i did not even know that animals can get diabetes...sorry but you should call another vet and see what they suggest.