Update on Panther -- Lessons We Have Learned

Last year our beloved first cat, Panther developed diabetes. So we learned about injecting insulin and glucose curves. Last fall, he vomited violently 3 times, and we rushed him to the pet emergency clinic on a Saturday night. We learned about pancreatitus (again) and giving subcutaneous fluids.

Panther has had several more episodes of pancreatitus. So we keep an I/V unit with a pouch of Ringers Lactate ready in the closet. We already had one cat chew through the tubing, so the closed closet is safest. When his fur looks bad and I tent his scruff which doesn't go down quickly -- with Steven's help I give him subQ fluids from 50 to 150ccs at a time. Sometimes once a week, sometimes twice a day.

When Panther meows and makes me follow him, then jumps on the "insulin perch" I know to give him his 1/4 unit of Lantus/Glargine. But only after he eats!

We learned that Panther has a "sensitive" pancreas. That's the organ that produces insulin and various digestive enzymes. So he eats prescription Hills Science Diet I/D and canned Purina Proplan salmon/fish or turkey and giblets. The canned food is amongst those recommended for diabetic cats.

During this time Panther has willfully downgraded himself socially from top male cat to the bottom of the social scale. So no more energy expended in boxing matches with Charger.

Panther is wise enough to direct us in what he needs and when. And we have become wise enough to listen. That is why he is still alive and experiencing a decent quality of life.

Great News From Our Vet!!

You may remember that Panther was diagnosed with diabetes last month. He just came back from his monthly glucose curve checkup. His numbers were so good we can halve his Lantus insulin doses! And he has gained about 8 ounces back since his last visit. I also learned that I must only give insulin if I have seen him eat, otherwise his blood sugar level can plummet into hypoglycemia.

The only minuscule downside: I have to draw out 1/2 to 3/4 of one Unit of insulin for each dosage. Which is about 1/16th of an inch. No worries!! :-)

Panther's Diabetes: Some Resources for Others

Panther, who is about 10 years old, and has been with us for 6 of those years, was diagnosed with diabetes this past month. He is on 1.5 Units of Lantus twice a day. Lantus is the generic of Glargine, an rDNA (recombinant DNA origin) insulin which is supposed to be gentler on cats than some other insulins.

Our veterinarian provided us with some informative handouts, empathy, and watched me repeatedly practice drawing (measuring and getting out the tiny air bubbles from the syringe) and giving the insulin. Of course I used saline, not insulin in my practice attempts. I learned that each type of insulin must be used with the specified syringe, in Panther's case U-100 type syringes which have ultrafine short needles.

In my usual style of wanting to know more, as quickly as possible, I spent my day off from work on the Internet.

The first thing I learned is that we are not alone. Many others have feline and canine friends with diabetes and they have shared what they know freely.

Here are some of the places I visited:

Feline Diabetes is the best, most up to date by far of all the sites I visited. Their tagline is "Since 1996, The Original Internet Guide to Feline Diabetes". A lot of really helpful and supportive information. They also have many useful links.

Recordkeeping is really important, so the family knows that the injections were given and at what time, as well as recording how your pet is doing -- activity level, eating, urinating, drinking, etc. For a variety of pre-made charts you can download (free) go to this page on Pets with Diabetes (see link below), and insulin logs on the Feline Diabetes web site.

One of the many factors our vet explained was the importance of reducing the amount of carbohydrates in Panther's diet. So we switched to Purina DM which has about 7% carbohydrates, and found lists (see below) of canned cat foods and their nutritional analysis. By the way, carbohydrate content is NOT listed on any cans of cat food we looked at. Basically you have to switch to feeding only wet foods, as all dry food has high carbohydrate content. This makes dental care even more important in diabetic pets.

Other useful sites and pages:

Pets With Diabetes
like Feline Diabetes, but broader in scope as canine and guinea pig diabetes issues are addressed as well. A fantastic site for educating yourself about caring for a diabetic pet.

Tips for giving insulin injections

Cat Health FAQ with articles and useful tools

Tables of nutritional information including carbohydrates, in wet and dry foods and non-U.S. food charts Keep in mind that with the Menu Foods Recalls, some formulations may change once the products are remade and reintroduced.

BD Diabetes.com this company manufactures syringes of all types. They have some veterinary articles about diabetes in pets.

Frugal Feline Diabetes Please note some of the links are broken. They advocate doing the glucose curve yourself, but after talking to some vet techs we decided it was too risky and time consuming to do ourselves.

On another note, the initial financial cost of diagnosing and the glucose curve testing can add up. Fortunately, we do not need their help, but for others IMOM (In Memory of Magic) can help with the financial aspects of caring for a sick pet. Their mission statement: ""Helping people help pets". To better the lives of sick, injured and abused companion animals. We are dedicated to insure that no companion animal has to be euthanized simply because their caretaker is financially challenged. To educate on the importance of spay and neuter in relation the proven health risks for animals who have not been spayed or neutered."