Hello from Sir Dracula Dupree

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Bethany&SirDraculaDupree, Nov 29, 2019.

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  1. Bethany&SirDraculaDupree

    Bethany&SirDraculaDupree Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2019
    For my 25th birthday last month, my fiance “gifted” me a kitten (saying I could pick out my black cat I had always wanted) I was planning on getting a black kitten in the spring .. Then last week I saw this beauty on the euthanasia list in NY. He is 10 years old, he was surrendered when his owner became homeless and was diagnosed at the shelter with diabetes and due to the volume of cats was scheduled to be put down. There were a ton of small details that lined up in a way that struck heart with me and then when all the details to adopt and then transport him to me seemingly fell into place perfectly I just couldn’t help myself .... October baby couldn’t help but get a black cat - everyone meet Sir Dracula Dupree my little bat- he even has little fangs!
    He is very sweet and laidback but there were some issues with the transportation and the prescription and nothing got sent over so he was on insulin in the shelter prior to being on the list to be put down. I was given all his blood work and his medical information from his week at the shelter but other than that I am mostly blind because he is not not on insulin. I have changed his diet to fancy feast classic pate varieties and have been watching his water intake religiously. I have an entire notebook to keep track of everything to do with my little man. I have recently been told on the forum that I should get a home glucose monitor and I was looking at AlphaTrak but now am looking into human monitors due to recommendations off of this message board.
    We have an appointment with our vet coming up this coming week but I would like to feel more informed by then if at all possible.
     

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  2. Bethany&SirDraculaDupree

    Bethany&SirDraculaDupree Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2019
    Sir Dracula Dupree is estimated 10years old, he is a black medium hair cat with a lot of love and personality!
    he was taken into the shelter 11/19 at 12.1lbs, as of 11/20 he was 10.4lbs. He was diagnosed there with diabetes after testing and was given 2 units of prozinc after each meal
     
  3. FurBabiesMama

    FurBabiesMama Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2017
    Welcome! It was so good of you to opt to adopt an older, diabetic cat instead of getting a kitten. You must be 'good people'. :) It's great that you have started feeding him low-carb wet food. Go ahead and get a meter ASAP. A human meter is fine. Just be sure to get one that takes as small of a sample size as possible. You will want to get 26g or 28g lancets rather than thinner ones since they will make it easier to get blood from the edge of his ear. It would be great if you could go ahead and start getting the hang of testing even before you go to the vet. If he was eating higher-carb food before, the diet change my have brought his glucose down some. ProZinc is a good insulin, but since you are having to start over, consider asking the vet for detemir (Levemir) or glargine (Langus/Basaglar) instead. They are even longer lasting than ProZinc. Regardless of which of those three you get (don't let the vet try to give you Vetsulin), we can help you. There are forums for the specific insulin types. At the top of each are sticky posts with helpful info. I would suggest you review that information.

    Please ask any questions you have on the main health forum. You've come to the best place you could be to get support and advice!
     
  4. Bethany&SirDraculaDupree

    Bethany&SirDraculaDupree Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2019
    I am so thankful to have introduced him into my life, he has been a perfect fit. I have been trying to wait to see if I could manage to scrape together money for the AlphaTrak but after this message board and finding all of this new information- I will be going tomorrow to pick up a human monitor and start tracking his BG levels. I am unsure about the lancets as that's the part I was never totally familiar with. I am looking at picking up the ReliOn monitor tomorrow so I will look at what lancets that comes with and make sure they are small. I would assume I used one lancet per time I test his BG? To be honest- unfortunately I don't know what he was being fed at the shelter or at home prior to surrender so that has made things really hard to start adjusting.
    I will ask the vet about Levemir or Langus. Can I ask why not the vetsulin?
    I am reviewing all the information I can now. Thank you so much for posting :)
     
  5. MrWorfMen's Mom

    MrWorfMen's Mom Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2015
    Hello and welcome to FDMB. And thank you for adopting that extra sweet black kitty! Sir Dracula Dupree is one very lucky little guy! He's a cutie!
    Black kitties rock!

    While Vetsulin works fine for some kitties, it often doesn't last long enough to keep the blood glucose under control for the 12 hours between shots which makes it harder to get good regulation in many cases.

    The lancets that come with the meter are often 30, 32 or 33 gauge which at least in the early days can make it harder to get a good blood sample. Gauge 26 or 28 work well and are sometimes referred to as alternate site lancets. I believe Relion makes the lower gauge size. And yes you need a new lancet for each blood test.

    Join us over on the Health forum and keep the questions coming!
     
  6. Wendy&Neko

    Wendy&Neko Senior Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2012
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