Go to: D ISCUSSION Hypoglycemia is clinically defined as blood glucose levels low enough to cause symptoms and signs. Older cats, cats who have previously received steroid medications, and cats treated with glargine insulin have been shown to be more likely to go into diabetic remission, but the most important factor is starting insulin therapy early and monitoring closely. Using Insulin to treat diabetes in felines Once you have to give them insulin, if you have an owner who is not terribly confident that The pancreas is a small but vital organ that is located near the stomach. If for some reason you must use a U-40 syringe for a U-100 insulin, or vice versa, use our conversion chart. Nevertheless, Marshall and Rand think it is a risk worth taking. Unfortunately, these symptoms can also be present with other illnesses, so be sure to consult your vet if you notice these signs. Sugar Does Not Cause Diabetes: Did the Film What the Health Get it Right? She and several other diabetic cats had been under the care of HARTs former diabetic den mother, Margaret B. Thanks, everyone!) "In the Sixties or Seventies, you might have been expected to pass your dog to the vet, take your leave and go," she says. She added: "I took in my cat from a friend who found him at 4 weeks old, too young for a shelter to keep him, I was told. So I guess its up to me to tell you all a little bit more about diabetes in cats. Close monitoring by both the owner and the veterinarian is an essential part of treatment for a diabetic cat. This allows a slow and steady decline of blood glucose and resolution of electrolyte imbalances. The initial doses administered orally, can make you vomit or have diarrhea. Insulin is required to prevent lipolysis, halt hepatic ketogenesis and gluconeogenesis, and promote tissue metabolism of glucose and ketones (1). In diabetes, there might be an absolute shortage of insulin (Type I), or the cells may not be responding appropriately to the insulin, a condition termed insulin resistance (Type II). I dcline your answers. And Ill bet theres not one of us, when filling that syringe of fluid that keeps us alive, who hasnt had a quick shadow pass over our minds: I wonder how much of this crap it would take to end it all, forever? To euthanize a cat, the humane thing to do is take the cat to a vet. With a low carbohydrate diet, free choice feeding may be acceptable for cats who prefer to graze throughout the day, especially if a longer-acting insulin preparation is used. Andrea Smith had already tried to kill herself once with an insulin overdose in the months leading up to her death, aged 45, on August 8 last year, Aberdare Coroner's Court was told. In dogs, diabetes mellitus rarely responds to dietary changes - unlike some people and some cats - and almost always requires twice daily insulin injections to control the disease. With early, aggressive treatment of diabetes, many cats will enter a state of diabetic remission, meaning they are able to maintain normal blood sugar levels without insulin injections. Increased thirst 3. There is also an increased incidence in older cats. Understanding the disease will help you learn how to help your cat. Type II, or Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, is different because some insulin-producing cells remain. But heres where it gets tricky. The decision to euthanize the cat pet is one of the tough choices to make. One group of cells produces the enzymes necessary for proper digestion. 1. Excessive blood sugar is also referred to as hyperglycemia. There are several prescription food options that are available in both wet and dry food forms, though feeding a wet-food only diet may be beneficial for many cats. 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It produces enzymes to assist in food digestion and hormones such as insulin, which regulates blood sugar or glucose metabolism. CONTACT YOUR VETERINARIAN. 2. Signs of hypoglycemia may occur suddenly and can include: Weakness Depression Behavioral changes Muscle twitching Anxiety Seizures Coma Death See below for a list of other side effects. Diabetes Mellitus Without Complication in Cats Diabetes is a disorder of carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism caused by an absolute or relative insulin deficiency. I can understand why owners might prefer their pets to d The proper insulin dose is based on a number of factors - weight, food intake, exercise, type of diabetes, time of day, and other things. Continue reading >>, This article courtesy of PetMD.com. Excessive thirst and urination can also signal diabetes in a cat. It is estimated that between 0.2 % and 1 % of cats will be diagnosed with diabetes during their lifetime. Here Ive got the proverbial crazy cat lady seated before me. That said, not all diabetic cats are obese. I am feeling terribly guilty and sad, she was my beloved baby doll and I never imagined I would have to do this. The sugar is absorbed very quickly and your pet should respond in 1 to 2 minutes. Emergency Preparedness: Diabetes Emergency Kit, Diabetes Warning Signs: Learn About the Signs to Be Prepared, Diabetes Warning Signs Discover the Risks and Signs of Diabetes and Be Prepared, Insulin overdose: Dosage, symptoms, and treatment, Is new Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler the most misinterpreted guy in the NFL?, Former U-M football player says going vegan changed his life, reversed diabetes, 8 Valuable Life-Saving Lessons I Learned from My Dads Type 1 Diabetes. A question that is often asked is My pet is older, should I put him to sleep. While giving injections may seem daunting, most owners can be taught to administer these injections at home quite easily and due to the very small needle size, cats tend to tolerate these injections very well. Continue reading >>, There's no need to euthanize for this reason. While human amoxicillin is actually the same medication, the dosage forms available for people may be problematic for use with cats. Check out Dr. Lisa Pierson The other group, called beta cells, produces the hormone called insulin. A single blood glucose reading in a veterinary clinic may not be sufficient to diagnose diabetes in all cases. Diabetes is a treatable condition and your pet can live a normal, happy, healthy life. Mix sugar or honey with the food to increase blood sugar quickly. "They wouldn't treat an animal like this." How diet, lifestyle and even ethnicity can affect DEADLY disease, Diabetes and cardiovascular disease: A deadly duo, To Ward Off Diabetes, Eat Whole Fruit, Shun Fruit Juice, How Diabetes Got To Be The No. To be sure you get the right syringe, take your insulin (or the insulin box) into your pharmacist when you go to buy syringes and the pharmacist will make sure you get the right syringes. Yet you can understand that looking after a diabetic cat may not be straightforward and every ones cup of tea. Continue reading >>. In my previous article What Does a Cat With Diabetes Look Like? These assessments may need to be performed every few weeks when a cat is first diagnosed with diabetes in order to determine the appropriate dose of insulin, but can be spaced out further once the diabetes is more well-regulated. Even if every last drop from the syringe went into the fur and not under the skin, the safest thing to do is to leave it at that, not giving any insulin until the next scheduled dose is due. You need to be aware of the type of insulin you are using and you need to know its concentration, listed in units (U). You can consider giving it a 15 times higher dose than a regular one to kill it. Diabetes is not a death sentence for your pet. Continue reading >>, Learn about the how, when, where and who of managing feline diabetes. It would help my feelings a lot. 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The more common type of diabetes is diabetes mellitus. However, there is no definitive evidence that the timing or frequency of meals in diabetic cats protects them from insulin-induced hypoglycemia. This energy comes from the food we eat. NSAIDs that are formulated for humans, such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), and naproxen (Aleve) can be extremely dangerous for cats. He was the first to do everything; the first to open his eyes, the first to walk, the first to climb out of his baby bed at only two weeks old. What I believe is that once you get over the initial teething problems, looking after a diabetic cat can become straightforward but of course you do need to keep an extra eye out as you would for a sick loved one. Improved pregnancy outcomes in women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes but substantial clinic-to-clinic variations: a prospective nationwide study, Diabetes Type 2 - Stem cells treatment clinic. As the brain is deprived of glucose it needs to function, the animal will experience seizures and coma. Regular assessments of weight, water intake, and appetite should be recorded to help determine if treatment goals are being met. The veterinarian uses sodium pentanol and a barbiturate so the cat passes painlessly. The next steps will involve blood sampling; usually a comprehensive profile and a fructosamine sample will be taken. Alternatively, some veterinarians may utilize a continuous blood glucose monitoring system to help determine blood sugar concentrations at home. If a cat has not entered diabetic remission within the first six months after diagnosis, it will almost certainly require life-long insulin injections. Let me describe to you what happens when an animal receives an insulin overdose -- before it dies, if it dies. 3 Amazingly, in some cases, after a while, a cats pancreas may even heal or regenerate and start producing insulin again. Regular monitoring will help determine the ideal insulin dose for each cat as well as help avoid complications, such as hypoglycemia or uncontrolled diabetes and diabetic ketoacidosis. Theres a reason veterinarians go to college for eight years. Anyone without that training doesnt understand theres nuance and many details to consider when putting an animal down peacefully, including age, size, condition and other matters. In both Type I and Type II diabetes, cells cannot access the nutrients they need even though there is plenty of sugar in the blood, because insulin cant transport the sugar from the bloodstream into the cells that need it. Simply put, diabetes mellitus a failure of the pancreas to regulate blood sugar.The pancreas is a small but vital organ that is located near the stomach. I'd be surprised if the vet hadn't at least HEARD of PZI, and doubt that he really thinks PZI is illegal (it most definitely is NOT), what's more likely is that he's sticking with what he knows, and is counting on his clients just believing his "wisdom" and never checking into the validity of his ridiculous statements. You can also use the knife She had lost some of her sight and hearing, much of her appetite and most of her control over her bodily functions invariably, shed pee on me every morning as I carried her down the back stairs of my third-floor apartment. Most bottles, cartridges, and pens of insulin sold in the United States have 100 units of Short-term management and long-term risks After the intensified treatment often required for treating gestational diabet Lantus and Levemir are long-acting insulins that supply the background insulin needed to supply cells with glucose arou Diabetes Complications in Dogs and Cats: Diabetes Ketoacidosis (DKA), The Diabetes Cure Your Doctor ISNT Telling You, LI doctor leads study of Type 1 diabetes effects on the brain, Type 2 diabetes? Insulin will kill a cat, but. deal. What I have learned at the 2017 International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Congress in Abu Dhabi. Dr. Stacy. Continue reading >>, insulin is a crappy tool to try to use to kill yourself. Though there is no cure for feline diabetes, the prognosis for a good quality of life is good with adequate management at home. Twice a day insulin. Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) The most common side effect experienced with insulin therapy is hypoglycemia. But the point of my article is not to write Tommy Boys life story, only the end of it, which broke my heart and was entirely unnecessary, so that other guardians of diabetic pets can learn from my mistake. Some vets will still try to prescribe Humulin N. Do NOT use this type of insulin as it has unpredicatable results in cats. I mean, shes long ago confessed to keeping ten cats in her tiny apartment. And after that, you can euthanize him/her, or let your veterinarian do it for you. Her later years, as they are for many of us, had not been kind. However, it is often opted to help an aging pet cat or one which could be suffering from an incurable or severe medical condition. The vital thing is to get your cat to the vet the minute you notice any potential symptoms. Both types are similar in that there is a failure to regulate blood sugar, but the basic mechanisms of disease differ somewhat between the two groups. Vision loss (due to formation of cataracts) 6. Some of the good sites to inject insulin are: Around the shoulder area. The most common form given to cats is the liquid suspension or the tablets, both in specific veterinary preparations. It is very easy to strangle your cat, but it is not an easy task to perform. This te Breaking the cycle, Tommy Boy and his siblings began life in safety and love, in a home instead of the street. Trying to draw more to make up for the error may result in a total of too much insulin being given--the result being hypoglycemia. What this means is that cats who do not have diabetes may have a high blood glucose reading, and even occasionally glucose in their urine. This breakdown results in weight loss, despite an increased appetite. When the pancreas stops producing insulin or the amount produced is inefficient, Kitty's body begins the breakdown of stored protein and fat to use in the body. Change in food, diet, or amount fed. In 2011, the RSPCA euthanised 44 per cent of the animals it took in. An average cat eats around 1/3 -1/2 cup per day, so divided down that's 181-272 kcals. Continue reading >>, A month ago my sister wanted to know if her Jack Russell Terrier could be sick because he was drinking and peeing all the time. Diabetes, a common condition for humans, is also relatively common in domestic animals like cats. You can also request a consultation and we can discuss the situation in more detail. Though Drs. Or tips on how to give a cat hospice care? Hereditary deficiency of GLUT-1, insulin -independent t Pancreas Tucked away inside your abdomen is an organ that is important to blood sugar regulation, called the pancreas. Low blood sugar means there's less fuel available to help power your cat's muscles. Meanwhile, excessive amounts of glucose remain in the bloodstream. At approximately three weeks old, Tommy Boy started coming clear across the apartment to sit on my foot as I worked. Continuous low dose regular insulin infusions are the standard of care in humans with DKA (611). Cats with well-controlled diabetes should maintain a normal activity level and demeanor. I saw some of the aftermath of that insulin overdose, and it was horrible and heartbreaking -- nothing you would ever want to see a pet go through. A few studies have shown this method to be safe and effective Dec 22, 2013 #5 Blue Joined: Dec 28, 2009 OT Dec 23, 2013 #6 Blue Joined: Dec 28, 2009 Its one of the night terrors we all live with. There are multiple types of insulin preparations that can be used for cats in the treatment of diabetes, such as lente insulin (Vetsulin), ProZinc or glargine insulin. It has two significant populations of cells. All the glucosamine and chondroitin in the world couldnt help her bend her hind legs, and it hurt just to watch her walk, stiffly dragging her nails on the ground. I wondered what they would choose to do if their dog did have diabetes rather than a urinary tract infection. Fleeman and Rand wrote the article focusing on diabetic dogs, much of the advice applies to all pets with diabetes. These tests arent always diagnostic on their own. Cats who have achieved diabetic remission should continue to be fed a low-carbohydrate diet and receive close monitoring, as some will eventually require insulin therapy again. But even if you dont have a Margaret, you can find great information and support at FelineDiabetes.com. The sugar solution should never be poured directly into your pet's mouth since there is a risk that the solution will be inhaled into the lungs. If your cat is having trouble with vomiting, be very careful and watch for possible hypoglycemic episodes. Every day you will have to give your pet medication, feed a proper diet, and watch his behavior. Once you push up into the 3 or 4 units, you can bring them into remission, but it is often via a sudden hypoglycaemic event, which is unpleasant all round. When the pancreas becomes inflamed, the condition is called pancreatitis. No matter how well you care for Kitty, he could experience complications. The report said that free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.4 billion to 3.7 billion birds and 6.9 billion to 20.7 billion mammals every year. All dogs are different. This means that U-100 has 2.5 times the amount of active insulin per mL, therefore 2.5 times as strong. In animals, diabetes is not typically broken down into these types. Kristine Timpert's quirky little book "If Babies Did Crunches" tries to sugarcoat an important message for adults: Beware of crunches. Oh, and its not just insulin. Though ideally injections should be spaced 12 hours apart, varying injection times by 1-2 hours when needed will not adversely affect a cats treatment. Even in a stable cat, blood glucose curves should still be performed every 3-4 months, as insulin needs can change over time. Get trusted answers from verified pet experts standing by 24/7 Full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. Once the pet has stabilized, it should be transported to your veterinarian for evaluation. What are the symptoms of feline diabetes? There's no doubt about it: Managing a diabetic cat is not easy. How much insulin will kill you? Canine diabetes is nearly always insulin-dependent. Unlike humans with Type II diabetes, oral medications to reduce blood sugar such as glipizide have not shown to be consistently effective in cats. But I can understand why many owners might feel daunted by the prospect of looking after a diabetic cat and consider euthanasia as a first choice. Appropriate insulin function will trigger the liver and muscles to take up glucose from the blood cells, converting it to energy. If you have more than one responsible member in the family make sure that you all are able to do these tasks and share them out. Your pet's diet Her last day, I suppose, went as well as could be expected, even as it remains one of the saddest experiences of my life. Work very closely with your veterinarian to get the best results for your cat. Ketoacidosis is considered a medical emergency, and cats diagnosed with this complication require hospitalization for ideal management. I was able to scrounge a full 300 ml (full cartridge) of insulin to last me during that week. Through their Feline Diabetes Message Board, people with diabetic cats can learn and get emotional support as they get used to the idea of living with a diabetic kitty. Insulin works whether the body makes its own insulin or if it is given by injection. $400-$600 for a dog around 40kg. In regard to calories, our food has 544kcal/cup, which isn't bad. If there's ever any confusion about whether or not insulin was administered, the injection should be omitted [1]. Select a small fold of skin along the cat's back, shoulders, side of the chest, or abdomen.