How Long Can a Cat Live With Diabetes Without Insulin?
Diabetes in cats should be managed early and effectively to promote long, healthy lives. Owners and veterinarians need to collaborate in keeping an eye on them closely to ensure success. Early identification, early treatment with insulin or other medications, underweight maintenance and maintaining balanced glucose levels are the keys to long life for any diabetic cat. With proper oversight by both parties involved (owner and veterinarian), this goal can be realized.
Treatment goals should aim to help the cat reach remission, where she no longer requires insulin injections. This process could take weeks or months depending on a variety of factors.
How is diabetes diagnosed?
At first, a veterinarian will diagnose diabetes based on symptoms and a blood sample taken from your cat. They may also ask about appetite and weight issues with your feline friend.
Insulin injections are used to manage glucose levels in your cat’s blood, an essential treatment that is vital to their survival. Insulin must be given twice daily either orally or subcutaneously (under the skin), depending on your pet. For some pets, giving an insulin shot is simple and comfortable while for others they can be uncomfortable or even scary; in order to assist these latter cases a new pill known as Bexacat has been introduced which promises much easier treatment of diabetic cats without insulin injections.
Within days of starting insulin for your pet, their blood sugar level will begin to balance itself out, eliminating all signs of diabetes and returning appetite and weight to normal as well as regular urination and water consumption.
In order to successfully regulate, it’s essential that you remain consistent when administering insulin and food to your cat. Living indoors may help eliminate many uncontrollable variables which disrupt regulation, and regularly check his/her blood sugar levels through spot testing or glucose monitoring systems.
If you must leave town, someone must care for and administer insulin to your pet. Ideally, find someone to feed the cat every day as this will be the easiest way to keep their insulin regimen under control.
Monitoring your pet’s appetite, weight and urination habits is extremely important. At minimum twice monthly, weigh your cat on the same scales on a set day with equal scales if possible. Furthermore, keep Karo syrup and an oral syringe handy should your pet experience severe hypoglycemia episodes; should these require emergency attention you will require immediate treatment from medical care services.
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
First signs of diabetes for cats include frequent urination and thirst. Left untreated, high glucose levels lead to weight loss, dehydration and other health complications that wear down their bodies over time and damage organs.
Insulin is the hormone responsible for connecting cells and accepting sugar from their environment, such as the blood. If the pancreas fails to produce sufficient amounts of insulin, cells cannot access enough sugar from its environment to function and glucose builds up in the blood instead.
Diabetes symptoms include an increase in thirst, loss of appetite and excessive urination. If left unchecked, these symptoms become increasingly severe – potentially even life threatening.
If your cat is diabetic, it is essential that they be monitored on an ongoing basis. By tracking food consumption, water intake, urine output and paw pad condition we can ascertain how effectively their diabetes is being managed. If any significant changes occur contact us and come in for blood tests immediately.
Insulin injections are the cornerstone of treatment for most diabetic cats. Insulin must typically be administered two to four times a day at approximately 12-hour intervals and may be uncomfortable for your cat; however, injections should generally be easy for owners to administer; consistency is key as misses could result in dangerous drops in blood glucose known as hypoglycemic crisis (insulin shock).
Insulin therapy often encounters another issue – infection. High glucose concentrations create ideal conditions for bacteria to invade multiple body tissues and interfere with insulin regulation, making diabetes management harder than usual. We may recommend antibiotics in order to ward off infections and bring back on track the treatment plan for your insulin therapy regimen.
Even with its challenges, most diabetic cats can live long lives when provided the appropriate care and management. To maximize success in managing diabetic cats, early identification of symptoms must occur and commitment must be given in following veterinarian instructions for care.
Mark Winternheimer and Courtnee Winternheimer were alarmed when Oliver, their 12-year-old tabby cat, was diagnosed with diabetes. They needed to learn how to give him twice daily insulin shots as well as monitor his urine glucose levels closely – but now there is an easy treatment pill available that may make this condition far simpler to manage.
What is the treatment for diabetes?
Insulin is a protein that binds to cells and allows glucose (blood sugar) from the blood to enter cells from within, helping reduce hyperglycemia in animals. When given enough insulin doses, blood sugar levels return to normal and your pet feels great!
Some cats may require lifelong insulin treatment while others can experience “spontaneous remission”, where their pancreas regains normal functioning and no longer requires injections of insulin. A cat in remission typically exhibits no symptoms of diabetes but must still be closely monitored for signs of sudden return such as vomiting, increased thirst or the need to drink more water.
Assure your cat is getting enough insulin by feeding him or her twice a day at roughly the same time, with regular mealtimes at set intervals each day. This helps your pet adjust and helps ensure a more steady blood sugar.
After every meal, your pet should be weighed and the insulin dose adjusted accordingly. While some cats may require the same dosage for years, it’s still important to monitor their blood sugar every 3-4 months or whenever clinical illness strikes.
Most insulin comes packaged in an airtight bottle labeled with its type and concentration of insulin, making it important to follow instructions regarding how to mix the medicine before use. Rolling gently instead of shaking vigorously may ensure accurate dosing of doses.
Once insulin has been mixed, a small needle will be used to inject it under your pet’s skin. For best results, inject in a fold of skin at the top of their shoulder or back; however it may also be administered elsewhere.
If your cat experiences hypoglycemic episodes, be prepared with Karo syrup and an oral syringe to quickly restore their blood glucose levels. Diabetics could become seriously hypoglycemic without immediate medical treatment; without glycogen stored in their liver being converted into glucose for energy, severe hypoglycemic events could develop quickly leading to death from severe hypoglyceemia.
How long can a cat live with diabetes without insulin?
Short answer: As long as diabetic cats have access to insulin, they can live for a very long time. It is crucial that cats diagnosed early and begin treatment immediately because complications associated with diabetes can take an enormous toll on the body if left untreated; over time this could develop into ketoacidosis and prove fatal for cats.
Insulin injections are the mainstay treatment for feline diabetes. Insulin acts as a hormone that attaches to cells and allows them to absorb glucose from their blood, so its absence or insufficiency leads to high blood sugar. Most cats find the procedure tolerable; typically twice daily with roughly 12-hour intervals between injections.
Purina or Hill’s has developed low carbohydrate diets specifically designed for diabetic cats that help reduce insulin needs by not processing as much sugar in food eaten by your cat, while also helping prevent sudden blood sugar spikes after meals by encouraging their body to use stored glycogen as energy instead.
Bexacat is another treatment option for diabetes in cats, providing improved blood sugar control for many diabetic cats and even leading to their remission in some instances. Studies involving more than 300 cats tested found that bexacat significantly improved glucose control and reduced symptoms in 80% or more, according to company documents. Unfortunately, some test cats died or had to be euthanized during this testing period resulting in black box warnings about potential side effects, including diabetic ketoacidosis, which is potentially deadly.
Whatever treatment approach they undergo, most diabetic cats must have their blood sugars monitored carefully. If their illness becomes severe or their levels too low, hospitalization and/or euthanization may become necessary; thus making it essential that you visit a vet as soon as you suspect your cat may have diabetes.
