Conner & I say "hi"!

My senior cat, Conner, was diagnosed with diabetes a week ago & we just got back from our diabetes consult with a vet tech. I had been researching some on this forum before just to be a little prepared. I could tell that it would definitely be helpful in providing resources that would make this an easier process for both of us. I get a lot of anxiety about needles, but thankfully my husband isn't phased by it at all! We purchased the AlphaTrak2 monitor and will definitely be doing testing here at home. Conner was a stray that I adopted a little over 15 years ago (& he wasn't a kitten at that point)....along with several others! He's definitely a "box" cat and loves to sleep in anything that is cardboard! Looking forward to connecting with the wonderful members of this community. A big thanks in advance for all the support & help that I know I'll experience!

 

Good morning Megan and Conner and welcome to FDMB. Love the kitty in the box pic! He's precious.
I am so very glad that you have begun researching and discovered this resource. Getting that diagnosis is a bit of a shock, and although I think we all know a little bit about human diabetes, most of us don't consider that it's going to happen to our cat! The basic components of treating diabetes are the same: diet, insulin therapy and blood sugar testing.

It's great to hear that you are going to be testing his blood sugar at home, it's the best way to see how the insulin is working for him and to keep him safe from a hypoglycemic event.
We do want this new adventure to be as stress free as possible for you and Conner. It's a steep learning curve at first, I won't fib to you, but we will help every step of the way.

I suggest you do the following so that we have the information available to best help you:

1. Setting up your signature (light grey text under a post). Here's how:
click on your name in the upper right corner of this page
click on "signature" in the menu that drops down
type the following in the box that opens: kitty's name/age/date of diabetes diagnosis/insulin you're using and dosage amount /glucose meter you're using/what (s)he eats/any other meds or health issues (s)he has. You can add your name, and a geographic location (sometimes the time zone matters) Be sure to SAVE when you are finished.

2. Another thing that will help us help you when you get started BG testing at home is to set up a spreadsheet like the one we use here. You will see how the trends and patterns emerge, and members can review his/her progress before offering suggestions or advice:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

Going forward, please post in the Main Health forum HERE so that more members can see and respond. This forum is only the welcome mat and we want you to have the answers you need as quickly as possible.

 

Welcome! If you need anything let us know.

 

Welcome to this supportive place. My kitty was diagnosed about six months ago and I won't go into the messy details but she has improved miraculously by feeding her only wet food. I had her on prescription dry food, Royal Canin brand, recommended by first vet and only since switching to wet food have her glucose readings stabilized. She was also on Lantus, not Vetsulin, but a week ago we stopped Lantus. Between the Lantus and wet food, she seems in remission now. Conclusion: members here seem to be more savvy than the three vets I've seen.

 

Welcome to the group. Your kitty is beautiful. Look forward to seeing you around the forum.