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Old June 30th, 2012, 11:14 PM
Springheadpen Springheadpen is offline
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Second Opinion

I'm new to the forum and wanted to say Hello everyone.

My baby is an old lady.

I've taken her to a vet and received her health test results. If anyone can read and comprehend the lab results - I'd like to know your thoughts on her health. I'm being vague on purpose to see what others think - in essence asking for a second opinion. The results are attached.

Thanking all in advance for any input.
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Old July 1st, 2012, 10:03 AM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Your cat's blood glucose level is very high and most likely indicates that she has diabetes. Other values may be out of whack because of it. Does your vet want to start your kitty on insulin? Does she have any symptoms like excessive drinking and peeing?
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Old July 2nd, 2012, 06:08 PM
Springheadpen Springheadpen is offline
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Thank you for your reply sugarcatmom. You are correct, she does have diabetes. Had an increase of water and peeing, had lost a fair amount of weight and was given a calorie control food (Medi-Cal by Royal Canin) The vet said that she would do better on this food but since then had lost a bit more weight -they then wanted to try a different food, one with higher protein, but now they say its a bad choice and do want to start her on insulin therapy twice a day. I found it a bit odd to be given calorie control food to help her gain weight - even the doctor wasn't sure, during my last visit, why nutritionist recommended it to me.

It just seems that they are pushing for insulin rather then a natural way (food diet). I'm all for it (insulin) if that is the route that I will have to go to help my girl.

I'm in Toronto, Canada and are unable to find online how much insulin costs, I know that it will vary depending on brand, but if anyone has an estimate about how much it may cost and I can compare it to what the vet may tell me.

Again thank you for any and all thoughts.

Cheers
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Old July 2nd, 2012, 08:29 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Springheadpen View Post
was given a calorie control food (Medi-Cal by Royal Canin)


So NOT what a diabetic cat should be eating. When will vets ever learn???!!!! A high carb, plant-based diet such as this one is the main cause of diabetes in the first place.

What was your cat eating before?

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Originally Posted by Springheadpen View Post
they then wanted to try a different food, one with higher protein, but now they say its a bad choice
Why? What was the higher protein food, do you know?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Springheadpen View Post
t just seems that they are pushing for insulin rather then a natural way (food diet).
With blood glucose levels as high as hers, she will likely need at least a short course on insulin. Many cats, once switched to a LOW-carb, higher protein WET diet, and a low dose (1 or 2 units 2x/day) of insulin, can achieve diabetic remission. But in the meantime, your kitty is at risk of developing diabetic ketoacidosis if those glucose levels don't start coming down ASAP, and insulin shots are the best way to do that.

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Originally Posted by Springheadpen View Post
I'm in Toronto, Canada and are unable to find online how much insulin costs, I know that it will vary depending on brand, but if anyone has an estimate about how much it may cost and I can compare it to what the vet may tell me.
Depends quite a bit on what insulin you end up using. I've been using Levemir for my cat for the past 6+ yrs so I can't comment on exact pricing for other insulins, but the Lev costs me somewhere around $124 for 5 3ml cartridges, and that lasts me more than a year at 1u bid (2x/day). There is also Lantus, which I think is similarly priced but may not last as long, Caninsulin (I don't recommend it for cats as it's too roller-coasty), ProZinc, and Humulin N (also not recommended as its duration tends to be too short). Of those, Humulin N is probably the cheapest. No idea what ProZinc costs these days, but it's specifically made for cats and you can only get it at the vets (same with Caninsulin, which was first developed for dogs). Lantus, Levemir, and Humulin insulins can be purchased from any pharmacy without a prescription.

I urge you to check out these links for more info on feline diabetes, especially the symptoms to look for in ketoacidosis, and also the sections on home-testing blood glucose levels:
http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.felinediabetes.com/
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Old July 3rd, 2012, 01:04 PM
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Dog Dancer Dog Dancer is offline
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SCM, you're the best! You are just a wealth of information - thank you for sharing I'm sure more than just the OP will benefit from this.
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Old July 3rd, 2012, 05:17 PM
Springheadpen Springheadpen is offline
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sugarcatmom you are awesome! I so very much appreciate all the info and links, thank you so much I will look at the links you provided and keep doing my reasearch before the appointment.

Quote:
What was your cat eating before?
Oddly enough the only food she wanted to eat was Dry Friskies Chef's Blend. Just today I have read that at no time should a cat - especially a diabetic one- be eating dry food. The following following link is where I read it, I still have to continue reading the site. Plus it maybe useful to others.

http://yourdiabeticcat.com/diet.html

Quote:
Why? What was the higher protein food, do you know?
They wanted to change the food in hope that she would gain weight. I don't know what the higher protein food was/is it was just indicated to me via e-mail by the vet assistant, I asked but still have not rec'd an answer from them.

I tried to give her wet food (of the same medi-cal dry she now eats) and she wouldn't even give it the time of day. I was told that wet food texture was something that she just doesn't like. I've an appointment for next week to talk with them about the food and insulin. I will have a list of questions and points to go through with them and one question will be about the higher protein food. I will keep this thread updated after the visit.
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