Diabetes Resolved: in 2 WEEKS!

That almost sounds like a cheesy TV ad.

But - it isn't!

Took my Diabetic cat to the Vet on Friday and got a clean bill of health!

She hadn't gained much weight, but her bony spine had filled in and her fur now is incredibly soft and healthy looking.

In the space of 2 weeks, her diabetes has gone into remission and she is healthier than before she got sick.  Her energy is amazing!

Incredible!

I would have never believed it...

All because I changed her diet.  No more dry food for her! Only  HIGH PROTEIN food.  Canned or Raw.

For anyone out there who has a cat - to avoid the expense and suffering of a diabetic cat - switch over to canned high protein food.   The carbs in the dry food is killing your cat.

Better to switch now than have to go through what my cat and I did!

No more insulin injections and no more taking blood glucose levels!  Well, I will do the occasional fasting blood sugar in the am, just to keep an eye on it.

Kitty's happy!

I'm happy, too.

From what I gather by the research already done, if you catch diabetes in cats soon enough, there is 100% reversal .... which avoids the damage to the vital organs.

The catch is - to find out as early as possible and treat it.

Feline Diabetes is more common than you think.  One of our tenants had a diabetic cat - and I have had two!
 
Hopefully cat food manufacturers will realize this and change their dry food to reflect this information - not that they didn't already know! High protein is what cats require - not corn and other carb fillers!

Save your cat before it's too late!

Diabetes: In Remission!!!!!

Remember my diabetic cat?

It's been 20 days since I started her on an "all protein" diet, and 18 days since I started insulin....and guess what?

I think she is in remission!!

A Miracle!


Kitty relaxing, but keeping one eye out for the lancet....!


If you were witness to what I went through with my other diabetic cat... you would understand what a relief this is.

By the end of the first week, I was giving 2 units of glargine insulin twice daily to my present diabetic Kitty.

After a couple days of 2 units, her blood glucose was dropping a little lower than what I liked, so I dropped the dosage gradually to 1.5 units,  then 1.0 units of insulin.

By the end of the second week, I had reduced the dosage down to 0.5 units of insulin.

When even that small of an amount dropped her afternoon 2 hour pre-lunch glucose to 1.9 mmol/L - I stopped it entirely -  yesterday afternoon.

She has not had any insulin for 24 hours!


It isn't just for MY convenience that I am relieved....but also for my cat's comfort and quality of life - although it will be a lot cheaper when we go on vacation  not having to find a sitter that can do blood glucose levels and the administration of insulin!

Yay!

My Kitty has gained weight (YAY!) and I can't feel her spine as much...her coat is definitely healthier-looking and she is playful and full of energy - perhaps even more than when she was eating dry food.

So, let this be a lesson to everyone out there with cats:

HIGH PROTEIN DIET!!!! Don't give the dry catfood - it's KILLING your cats!
Check the label of what you feed your cat.

As with HUMANS:   PREVENTION is better than a CURE!!!

I am going to start giving raw food next week.....it is available at our local pet store (mom and pop store - NOT the big box store!) and it is cheaper than canned food by a mile.

A local (Vancouver) company prepares it...it comes frozen. I might have to incorporate it gradually, but it will be a lot healthier than the canned foods.

Let's keep our fingers crossed!

I have a Veterinarian appointment for a week and a half from now and hopefully I will have the evidence of complete remission!

Holy Hanna!!

How can you have a blood glucose of 1.9 mmol/L*  - and not be convulsing???

Just took Kitty's blood glucose and after giving only 1.5 units - she is very LOW.  Now, I have seen numbers that low on neonates....but not on adults - not any that were coherent - and not any that were able to eat.

Yet Kitty was able to scarf down 15gms of chicken.

I am wondering if she is already going into remission?

That would be great!

Meanwhile, these low blood glucose readings cause problems with work.  How do you do a glucose level and treat a hypoglycemic reaction if one is not at home?

Lucky for me, this week I work at home and then I have vacation time coming up.  I was hoping to run off to somewhere sunny, especially since the weather is getting slightly chilly here.... minus 10C and we are pretty much snowed in.

Oh well!

Today, I will be at home for the afternoon.....doing q2h blood glucoses!

I suppose I could get my groceries later.

This am - very early

so much snow! Long awaited!!!

*UPDATE #1:  After eating 15gms of chicken, one hour later, her blood glucose is 3.1 - still too low.  I gave her the remaining 15 gms of chicken, so hopefully her 2 hr post lunch glucose will be a little more than that.   Still not out of the woods!

*UPDATE #2:  2 1/2 hrs after the initial low blood glucose - it is now 5.1 mmol/L.  Not optimum, since her next dose of insulin is due in a couple hours.   I think I will go back to 1 unit bid.

Low blood sugar Alert!!

This morning my Kitty's glucose reading was 5.8......normal.   As per online information, I did give her the usual morning dose of insulin anyway - 2 units of glargine.

Just before her "lunch" -  I tested her blood glucose again, since I had my blood draw technique a little more refined - and I wanted to make sure 2 units wasn't too much for her.




My Diabetic Kitty relaxing in front of the fireplace


It's lower than what I would like at 2.7mmol/L.

She didn't have any symptoms of hypoglycemia, however.  

I gave her usual 35 grams of chicken and at one hour post lunch,  repeated her glucose level - 4.1mmol/L.   Two hours post lunch, her blood sugar was back to 5.8,  better but slightly lower than what I like to see for a cat on insulin.

I may have to reduce her insulin to 1.5 units bid (twice daily).

Apparently, according to research done,  it doesn't work to go to a sliding scale, since the best insulin to use is long acting and best given as a bid dosage - 12 hours apart.  



Human grade chicken, free range and
hormone and antibiotics free
I use the 100% chicken breast-
no veggies added



I had used sliding scale on my last diabetic cat and found first hand that it didn't work - and that was using a short acting insulin.     Mind you, I believe the diet I was giving my poor cat at that time was not conducive to stable blood sugars.

 Back then, only 15 years ago, a diabetic feline diet didn't mean giving a high protein diet, as researchers now recommend.

It also is advised not to withhold insulin dosage due to low blood sugars.   This makes sense, since with the long acting insulin - if you withhold it - you would end up with a high blood glucose  hours later after a meal or two.  


The object is to keep the blood glucose at an even level throughout the day in a normal as range possible - and this is accomplished by giving bid insulin at a level just right for the cat.

Finding that stable dosage is what may take a little tweaking. 

I probably should have increased the dosage by .5 unit instead of one whole unit - hindsight is 100%, but I had felt that since one unit overall decreased Kitty's glucose level by only (on average) 5 mmol/L - it wouldn't hurt to add on another whole unit.

I know better now.  Since then I have found supporting evidence that recommends .5 increments.



Kitty with our other cat



Two good things I have noticed with the change of diet -  her coat is much shinier and healthier looking, and her problem with dandruff has almost disappeared.    It could be that the grains that are added to almost all cat food was causing an allergic reaction in her system.

I also believe she is vomiting less.

I wish I would have done research on cat food a lot sooner.   Incredibly, very few cat foods are available out there that don't put grains and veggies or fruit in them.

If my Kitty weren't such a lazy cat, and got out there and caught some mice, she probably would be healthier!

As it is, she is afraid to step off the doorstep...... even when the door is open.

On Poking my Cat's ear....

My cat has been on insulin twice daily for 6 days now.

glygine: long acting man-made human insulin

My hope is in the research that was done in Australia - that cats, when caught early, and had their diet changed and put on glargine insulin, tend to resolve their diabetes in four months:

"An important finding that changed management of diabetic cats world-wide is that treatment with insulin glargine results in remission rates close to 100% compared to 20% for lente insulin and 30% for protamine zinc insulin in newly diagnosed diabetic cats"*

The great thing about the study is that it includes tables of dosage and target blood glucose levels based on body weight.

First thing I had to do is buy insulin and a glucometer and strips.

Expensive! (it was hilarious that the pharmacy asked me for my Medical card even though it was my cat that was the patient!) - but totally worth it since my cat stresses out going to the vet and I am definitely up to doing blood glucose testing - again!   I think it will turn out cheaper in the long run and will definitely be less stressful for my Kitty.

I downloaded a diabetic record, much like we keep in the hospital - but with more space for food details.  (Weekly one for me, a monthly one for my Veterinarian.)

Testing a cat is no easy matter.  The videos that shows how to do it makes it look easy, but with my kitty - not so much.  Even with the application of heat, it's difficult to get enough of a sample to register..



I had a much easier time with my other cat - and I suspect it has less to do with my expertise as the type of lancet I used.  The stick pen I use has a much finer point than the lancets I used for my last cat - the kind used for a baby's heels.  (doesn't that make you wince!!! Poor babies!)

I started Kitty on one unit of insulin bid (twice daily) just to make sure I didn't overdose and cause a hypoglycemic seizure. It's best to aim for a gradual reduction in the glucose level.**

Her blood sugars started out at 29.7 ( I am using mmol/L measurement that we use in Canada since I am more familiar with it)  and only went down to 19.2 by the end of the day.

The next morning it was 8.2 so I skipped the pm insulin.  I shouldn't have, because cats have a faster metabolism and and require bid dosages to maintain a consistent glucose  level.  Sure enough,  the next morning's glucose level was back up again - 18.3 mmol/L. 

Lesson learned.

I decided it would be best to stay at one unit of insulin bid for a couple more days.  I monitored her intake in grams and kept it consistent for insulin dosaging purposes.    The Ozzie researchers had allowed their cats to free range eat for the first 2 weeks of the study and then put them on a restricted diet.



I fed her when she was hungry (four times per day, as it turned out) and kept track on her chart.

After a few more days - it was evident that her glucose levels had stabilized at 18 to 20 mmol/L.

Yesterday I started her on 2 units bid and this am her blood glucose level was 12.6......so we're getting there!

Apparently after being on insulin for two weeks, her pancreas could kick in and start creating it's own insulin. As I already quoted above, after four months, it could very well be that I can discontinue her insulin altogether.

I wish I had known about the importance of high protein diet back when my other cat had diabetes.....his blood glucose levels could have been better maintained and possibly could have recovered. The diet Veterinarians were advocating for feline diabetics back then wasn't at all what diabetic cats actually require.

As my present Veterinarian states - we should be giving our cats canned mice - and unfortunately, people won't do it because it's not esthetically pleasing to us.....so we ignore what cats actually need and give them what we think they need......creating the proliferation of feline diabetics!!!

I suppose that is the importance of research!

Preventative medicine and improving patient care!


* http://www.uq.edu.au/ccah/index.html?page=43498&pid=0

** Meters calibrated for feline use may read higher or lower than the actual value, in
contrast to consistently lower readings for meters validated for human blood.  Therefore, my target range for Kitty's blood glucose level is 4.4 - 7.2.

Diabetes......AGAIN!

In the mid 1990s I had a cat that developed Feline Diabetes.  Back then, the treatment was insulin but the diet wasn't ever changed as part of the regimen.  Not much, anyway.

On the left "Spike"-my 1st diabetic cat

I would give three-times daily doses of porcine insulin and test his blood sugar a couple times per day.  His blood sugars would swing wildly (yes - I did blood sugars on him!) and on occasion, I was witness to hypoglycemic seizures. 

I would rub a little bit of corn syrup in his gums and in a few minutes he would come to....albeit, slightly dazed.

It was difficult to go on vacations because it was a chore to find anyone who would look after him....no one wanted to take on the task of insulin administration.  I don't blame them. It would be a daunting task for anyone without experience in the area or a love of my Cat.

Eventually, after approximately 2 years on insulin.....he died from Kidney failure, which is quite common with Feline Diabetes. 

Three years ago, our renters had a cat with diabetes.  When they went on vacation, I offered to give the twice-daily insulin.  I didn't mind at all, and they were relieved to have someone take over that was aware of the challenge.  

Their cat did well......and lived for another 3 years.

In the past couple weeks I noticed that my Kitty (featured in a few of my posts) had lost quite a bit of weight.  At first it wasn't worrying me since we had her on a weight reduction program for her slight obesity.    It wouldn't hurt to have her lose 2 lbs.

My present diabetic Kitty...

In the last month and half alone - she lost probably 2 lbs more than her target weight... now weighing perhaps 10lbs, which wouldn't have worried me, except her spine was quite bony when I ran a hand down her back.

I ended up taking her to the Vet last Friday, and she is now diagnosed with Feline Diabetes. 

Who would have thought I would have 2 diabetic cats in a lifetime!  They are a LOT of work, but it's worth it - as long as she isn't in pain and she can lead a normal healthy life.

More tomorrow on her Treatment Plan.

Interesting Fact:   Apparently, cats can go into remission and if treated early and correctly, can rejuvenate their pancreas spontaneously and not require insulin at all!!

More Snow!

A friend of mine thought this photo I took would make a great Christmas card!
I have to say, I love what he did with it!

Meanwhile, our cat loves to make snowmen!  No, this isn't where he did his "business".
He just likes to go out in the snow and play, and this is something he does....
Gathering the snow in a mound - a kitty snowman!

Mayhem at our house

Got a nice bouquet of variegated tulips when my cousin came through. They were so gorgeous, my husband and I took a ton of photos.

Of course, my husband gets into the photography part a little more than I do. After all, he was the one crawling out to the end of the roof for the moon shots, whereas I simply hung out the window.

Here were the flowers:

This is where my husband decided that, rather than take the flowers down, as I did earlier, and take the photos - he was just going to take the photos as the flowers sat up on the fireplace mantel. Kitty was watching the whole production:

Kitty then turned to me as if to say accusingly - " He's on the furniture...aren't you gonna do something about it?????"

"Go on. Do it. Spray him with water!!!!"

Speaking of which ...

Cats.  They are fun creatures.

I know you probably have seen this video, but I had to put it out there.  The funniest part is right near the end...



I used to have a cat that would play "catch". I would throw the wad of paper up to her on the balcony, she would catch it in her paws, transfer it to her mouth then jump down from the balcony ledge, run down the stairs and bring it right to me - and drop it at my feet.

She would then run back up the stairs, jump up to the balcony ledge and wait for me to throw it to her again. She would do that for hours.

Why, no.

We don't have kids.

Can you tell?

And here I thought it was Over with...

Isn't it about time for spring?

Not that we have had much snow. The weather has been very mild, with only two small snowfalls late last year.

Not enough for my husband to bring out his brand new snowblower.

Yes, a snowblower. It was supposed to be an "la Nina" year, so in anticipation, my husband ran out and bought a snowblower last fall.

Used it once.

*sigh*

Today our cat decided to make use of the snow and build his version of a "snowman". No - he didn't do his *business* in the snow. He actually does do this just for the fun of it.

Weird cat.

Christmas Menagerie

Not that the posting of the Hallelujah Chorus the other day inspired this,  of course,  but since animals were all involved in the first Christmas in some way or other -  or so says the song - "The Friendly Beasts" -  that I learned in elementary school  -

I Just Couldn't Resist posting This :

Birthmarks

While we are on the topic of skin markings......I have seen some fairly unusual birthmarks in the course of my career. Maps of different countries, famous people and animals.  Yup. People actually proudly display them to me.

So, I decided, hey why not? It's my blog.

I happen to have a birthmark too...on my ankle....it is a "cat's paw". I don't know what it means but it is certainly identifying - if my body were ever to be found and my family needed to know if it was really me.

  My mother gave me this explanation when I was little:   apparently a cat "ran over her tummy" when she was pregnant with me.   I should have suspected that story wasn't true when we saw the toys "Santa" gave us in my mother's shopping bag just before Christmas Day.

Do you have an unusual Birthmark? One in the shape of ... something ??   Or have seen an unusual one?

Rainbow Bridge

Just this morning, 2 hours ago, my dear little kit (the darker one in this photo) went to "Rainbow Ridge" .......this is what my sister tells me.

I have had several animals but this one was special....Got her from the SPCA 10 years ago when she was already 4 years old.....and found out 4 years later, she was actually the mother of my other cat (the tiger-stripe one behind her in the photo).  

She will be missed. 

Just in case you have never heard of "Rainbow Bridge".....this video explains it.....

Just Because these 3 cats look so much like Our Three Cats

...never mind that they have the same attitudes also.....

Mammary Cancer Update

My Kit#2 is still hanging in there. Lost a little bit more weight but is active, happy, cuddling, enjoying life and her food and still able to use her cat box. She was starting to lick the wound and make it bleed so now I clean it daily with iodine and apply a dressing and Ace wrap - which she tolerates. I give her abx when her wound gets "stinky" and that kills the bacterial infection. But, I am afraid she is using up all of her 9 lives. It can't go on like this forever. Here is what I wrote 4 months ago:  My post of April 17th

Alternate Blog

Awww. I was just reading all the comments this am as I sat feeling sorry for myself.

Thanks u all for all your support. Funny how you can feel a camaraderie through the "blogworld" when you haven't even met anyone. Even Frank, the jerk, turned into somewhat of a mascot of sorts.

The blogs of "old" nurses like me crack me up because I can so relate. The younger nurses that have worked for a while - same -- plus I can feel for you - you have a lot more years to slog through...and the future is looking a little...well... difficult. Finally - the nursing students - you are the future of nursing when I am long gone. Thank Goodness for you.

I really think nursing is getting more and more complex and difficult (never mind the higher ups making it darn near impossible to do a good job). The main thing that I liked is knowing that there are others like me out there in that "Sister-Brother-hood" that is nursing, because - really - there is just no one else who understands like another nurse.

Blogging really helps with getting through the crap times and has us high-fiveing the good times. Being able to express frustration or share elation when we are actually able to do a job-well-done. It used to be enough that our patients rewarded us in the small ways that matter. Thankfulness. A word. A smile. Knowing that what we do really matters and changes lives and that YES - we make a difference in this world. But it seems - those are few and far between.


We are wanting more of a ...... connection.

So - now with blogging - we get support from other nurses who by their encouragement or just sharing their own experiences - or just appearing on our site and reading what we have to say, then quietly leaving - - - - - it's become the new way to communicate.


Unfortunately, there are ethics and government and confidentiality and .....all those other things to ponder......

....so maybe I will write about things other than nursing.



It's a thought.



After all, nursing isn't my whole world.



Only a very, very small piece of it.

Small World......
We have a carriage house out back over top our 3 car garage that we rent out. Guess who is now renting it from us?

A couple that are both paramedics with the Ambulance crew in town....and - guess which one specifically? Yup. :) Just found out today.

Nice couple, but, as much as I like them....it would have been handier to have rented to that nice Veterinarian that came around after the Tenancy Agreement papers were signed and sealed. Darn. Nothing against paramedics, but, hey - we have a cat with cancer right now......and it would have been much more practical to have a Vet nearby..... :(

But, the neighbors will be happy........

Mammary Cancer



Kitty at the laptop, my photo

 I was going to blog a little more about my LPN experience....but today I am a little sad....One of my precious cats, Kit #2, has developed Mammary Cancer. As an RN I knew from the looks of the lump near her right fore nipple - it was cancer. I knew it before I took her to the Vet for an actual diagnosis. I knew there was nothing that could be done but I still wanted to know. I told the vet that I knew it was Cancer.... to which he replied...."Oh no....those lumps are usually benign".

But, once he examined her....he confirmed my worst fears.

I knew that for cats...if they develop cancer, the treatment you would normally do for humans would be next to inhumane for a cat, especially since without treatment the aggressive forms will kill them within a year - or sooner - and with treatment - they are lucky to last 3 years maximum - but at what cost (and I don't mean money here)?

I found Kit#2 at an SPCA four years after I got Kit#1. Kit#2 was abandoned by her original owners at the SPCA (they lied and said the "owner had died" - but I know they didn't because I talked with them 4 yrs later when I was making inquiries with the same phone number I had saved in Kit #1's file) with what would be her last batch of kittens. Years later - when comparing a photo of Kit#1 with her mother that the previous owner gave me at the time - I would discover that Kit#2 was the mother of Kit#1! So, based on calculations, Kit#2 had had her first batch of kittens at age 10 months. ( This really upsets me for several reasons....ONE...no kitten should be having kittens....TWO..who dumps a cat because the owners are too irresponsible to prevent another batch of kittens??? It was obvious that is why she was dumped, because I could see that the kittens were not "all Siamese" like my Kit#1...but mixed.)

ANYWAY. Any adult female cat can develop mammary cancer, but the average age is usually 10-14 years of age.
Strike one for Kit#2.
Siamese cats appear to have a genetic predisposition for developing mammary cancer and are twice as likely to develop it as other breeds.
Strike two for Kit#2.
Unspayed females are at a much greater risk of developing mammary cancer. Female cats that were spayed after having one to several heat cycles, with or without having kittens, are also at a greater risk than a cat that was spayed before her first heat cycle.
Strike three for Kit#2.
I guess Kit#2 just didn't have a chance.

So now the tumor has burst open and my poor Kit#2 has a huge draining hole. I cleaned it up this am. It is getting *slightly* stinky but there doesn't seem to be much necrotic tissue at this point but I am sure it will be getting that way soon. That's just what cancer does. It doesn't appear to be infected at this point - the drainage is serous type and clear. She has no pain or fever. I have towels laid out in every area she lays down to catch the serous drainage, and launder these frequently. At this point most people would question - WHY NOT PUT HER DOWN??? (certainly my husband thinks this.)

My answer to that is: Quality of Life. The moment I don't see her prancing out of the "bathroom" after her daily dump, the day I see that she is having pain, the meal I don't see her eat ravenously, the moment I think that her quality of life is compromised - that is when she will be euthanized.

Kitty on her Cat-porch, my photo

At this moment, she is happy. There is nothing more that she enjoys but to lie in front of the fireplace and bask in it's warmth. She cuddles with us, she bosses Tia around, she begs for more soft food rather than the kibble. She jumps up to the windowsill and watches from her perch the world beyond the window. She visits the outdoors via their "catporch" and is interested in what is going on around her. She just doesn't seem bothered at all with that draining plum sized tumor on her chest. She keeps her fur meticulously, she makes sure the drainage is kept to a minimum......

Quality of Life. I know more PEOPLE with less "quality of life" that aren't sick.

So I will continue to monitor my baby (yes, when you have no children - they ARE our babies! FACT: 70% of animal owners- cat and dog- have no children!) and the moment she is uncomfortable, or won't eat, or has declined to the point where she just isn't Kit#2 anymore........I will think about euthanization.

AND - I won't be taking her to a VET to do it. She HATES the Vet office. I will have it done at home where she isn't traumatized in her last hours................ It's the least I can do for an animal that has given me so much joy and unconditional love.