Diagnosed yesterday :(

Hi everyone,

I'm Jen and my orange tabby 9-year old had a glucose reading of 500 something yesterday. Still waiting on the complete blood panel. I haven't slept and I'm scared. They say I'd have to give insulin 2x per day every 12 hours. Of course I will do it, but I didn't realize what a life changer this will be for me and him. I'm glad to find you lovely people and look forward to your help. I'm completely ignorant on this topic and I feel helpless.

 

Hi Jen,

Welcome to the FDMB!

For you, take a deep breath. We were all scared and overwhelmed when first getting on this FD train. There is a lot of great people here that can help you through this process and trust me, they are good at it! A good place to start is at the posting for new members to read if you haven't already. Start here.
If there are any questions, please post! There is always someone that may have suggestions or ideas that will help.

I am not sure if you have all the answers yet from your vet, but some questions that will be asked by our members so they can help you better are:

First - how is your kitty in general? Is he eating ok etc?
Is he currently at the vet clinic being monitored?
What insulin is your kitty on?
Is there any other conditions that he has?
Do you know if he was tested for keytones?
What kind of diet is your kitty on?


And again - deep breath. You can do this Jen.

 

Here are some answers for FAQ too that may be helpful for you.

 

Your post made me cry! Thank you!
He's eating ok, drinking a lot. He was walking funny which prompted me to take him in.
He's at home. We are waiting for blood results today and the vet is calling with the next step.
Not on insulin yet. I don't know whether to get the "human" kind or "vet" kind
I don't know about keytones? They did a complete blood test and urinalysis. They tested his glucose with an in-house rapid test.
He's on fancy feast wet food.

Thank you again. Any advice is appreciated.

 

The urinalysis will tell them if he has keytones - which is an indication of DKA - don't panic! If he doesn't have it, you may just want to read up on it and be aware of what to look for. Jonesy never had keytones or DKA.

I can't really advise on which one to use. My vet started me on Lantus and it has worked very well on Jones, however ECID (every cat is different). Once you know what Leo will be on, you can post directly into the specific form for that particular insulin. There is some very experienced people that can help guide you with doses and talking your through all the "firsts" you will experience.

FF will work if they are the classic or pate's. You are going to be looking for foods that are 10% or lower in carbs. Please take a look at the catinfo.org website. Lot's of good information there and there is a chart of food compositions of a large variety of commercial foods.

Yes, that is one of the symptoms. Jones had a drunken type walk. Once he was on his insulin and he got better regulated, that disappeared.

 

One of the big things is doing home testing. I know some vets don't like it but it is the one thing I wish I started earlier. And the spreadsheet they use here is great for tracking the numbers, dosage and getting the data needed to really understand how the insulin is working in your kitty and what you need to do to help him.

If you look in my signature you will see Jones' SS - click on it and his sheet will open. Don't become overwhelmed by it! It is just data, which can only help. I actually wish I could get more tests in.

If you look under Suggestions, Tech Support & Testing forum, you will see 4 sticky note posts. I would read up on those while you are waiting for your test results.

 

Welcome!
When Maury started walking funny too, that pushed me to take him in. I told my mum it looked like his back feet were ice skating. Little into month 3 and he's not "skating" but he is still a little wobbly on his back legs but I do notice a slight difference

This is a great place to support your kitty and YOU