Hello from a new member

Hi everyone!

I came across this website the other day and wanted to say hello and introduce my little man, Stomper.

Stomper is about 9 years old and was diagnosed with diabetes in the middle of January. He had gone in for his annual check up in late August and he was down a pound but all his tests were perfect and he was completely fine. We took him in again in December because he was vomiting and not himself and he was down another pound. Blood tests again were normal but our Vet suspected early stages of lymphoma or IBD so she started him on Prednisolone. In the middle of January I noticed he was very lethargic and did not eat his breakfast one morning. He really loves food so I knew something was amiss straight away. We took him in that day, he had lost another two pounds, and they diagnosed DKA and mild pancreatitis. I felt so bad because apparently he had been showing the classic symptoms of diabetes but we had mistaken them for the side effects of the Pred, as they were the same. He was admitted for a few days but responded well and now we are in the process of trying to control the diabetes.

We are still in the stage where he is going in each week for a glucose curve but the vet was very happy with his curve last week, just his numbers were still a bit high. We increased his insulin this week to 5 units of Lantus, twice daily, and he goes in for his next curve tomorrow. Personality wise and energy wise he is back to where he was a couple of months ago so I am hopeful that it is being controlled. With that said he is currently on a mix of canned and dry Purina DM ( which is what they were feeding him when he was hospitalized), but I will be looking to stop feeding the dry portion once we are through this stage and testing at home.

I'm so glad to have come across the website and message board. This experience has been overwhelming and scary at times but we love our boy so much and will do whatever we can to help him. It's so nice to know there is a place I can visit when I have questions or just need some support. Thank you!

 

Welcome.

Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
BG curves taken at the vet can be artificially high and not representative of being at home because vet stress can rains BG by 100 points (USA) or more.
Is Stomper still on Pred? It is likley the Pred induced the diabetes.
A low-carb canned is best. No reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb canned

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

If you need specific recommendations/suggestions post in the Health forum

 

Hi, nice to meet you and Stomper!

Can I ask your name? We're all on a first-name basis here. I'm Andy, obviously and my sugarkittie is Pimp. He was diagnosed last October, and is making a great recovery- thanks to this Board!

We strongly recommend home glucose testing here, which is much easier than it sounds. You can save a lot of money by not doing those expensive curves at the vet and as Larry mentioned readings at the vet can be inflated. We have a great spreadsheet available for tracking readings which really helps when getting support from other members.

Please feel free to poke around, there are tons of invaluable resources here for learning the steps to the Dance of Feline Diabetes. When you're ready to start asking questions, please come post on the Main Page - Feline Health

Welcome to the Best Place You Never Wanted to Be

 

Hi! Thank you for the welcome!

The vet also thought it was induced by the Pred and is hoping that in time, he will go into remission. He was weaned off the Pred during his hospital stay so right now the only thing he is taking is insulin. Once we get him controlled we will look at other options then for the lymphoma/IBD.

After finding this board a couple of days ago and doing some reading I definitely want to get him switched over 100% to low carb canned. I am so glad I found this site because I didn't know that eating dry food made such a huge difference. Before he was diagnosed he was eating Orijen dry and Merrick canned but we changed to the the DM ( canned and dry) as that is what they sent us home with and I wanted to try and keep things as stable as possible for him these initial weeks. I will talk to the vet tomorrow when we pick him up after his curve testing about the dietary changes we would like to make. I know we have to be careful because of the BG drops from taking out the dry component so want to make sure she knows what is going on. We do plan to start home testing as soon as possible and would like to discuss this with her tomorrow too.

 

Hi Andy!

You snuck in there while I was replying to Larry. My name is Chrys. Nice to meet you!

The vet mentioned last week about showing us how to test at home once she's happy with his numbers so we were hoping if all was well this week, we would be starting that soon anyways. After reading this board though, I plan to start regardless of his results tomorrow.

 

Hi Chrys!

That's so great that you plan to start home testing and eliminate the dry food. Please do not change his diet until you have started testing. BG's can come down a few hundred points when kibble is removed and insulin needs will change.
We have lots of members here with IBD kitties too that can give you tips on management.

When you're ready, go ahead and start posting on Main Page - Feline Health

 

Thanks Andy. Will do!

 

Hi Chrys Steroids were the reason my Dottie developed diabetes, too. Shame that one drug can frequently send you down the road to another debilitating condition.

Stomper looks like a Big Boy...he's earned his name! We're so glad you found us. Lots of wise heads on this board. Everyone here has been through the mill, so they know what to look for, and how to find a solution whenever possible. They're all willing and ready to see you and Stomper through any crisis.

Stomp on over to the main forum so you can begin learning! Again, W E L C O M E !

 

Thanks Jeanne! He is a big boy, though he is about 4 pounds lighter since that photo due to the illnesses. He originally had a different name but we could always hear him stomping around the house, so the new name stuck