Indiana Jones just diagnosed and I'm pretty overwhelmed. :(

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Melody Lamb, Sep 24, 2015.

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  1. Melody Lamb

    Melody Lamb New Member

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    Sep 24, 2015
    My beautiful long haired orange tabby (actually my adult daughter's cat whom I took over care for long ago) was diagnosed with Diabetes yesterday. I'm still feeling very overwhelmed at this point. I have a great vet though who will walk me through all this. I'm grateful for this site!
    ~Melody
     
  2. Sue and Oliver (GA)

    Sue and Oliver (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    Welcome Melody! It is a completely overwhelming diagnosis and a steep learning curve. There is lots of great info on this site for you to absorb. In your reading, you'll see we advocate a mild, long lasting insulin like Lantus, Levemir or ProZinc. And a wet low carb diet. This website by a vet explains why: www.catinfo.org. And hometesting. We know that levels at the vet are often influenced by stress so we test our cats at home. And we urge new members not to make a food change until they are testing at home, as it can mean a drastic drop in levels.

    Let us know how we can help. Everyone of us was new to this at one time and needed help. That's why we are paying it forward, helping others.

    PS. What a great name!
     
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  3. Lisa and Witn (GA)

    Lisa and Witn (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    Hi Meleody and welcome to FDMB. Receiving a diagnosis of feline diabetes is scary and overwhelming. However, it is very manageable. Like Sue said, we recommend a long acting insulin, low carb diet and hometesting. This is something that we can help you learn. If you have any questions, please post them, no matter how small or crazy you may think it is. We have all been through this journey and we are here to help you.
     
  4. Lynn & Rupert

    Lynn & Rupert Well-Known Member

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    Jul 15, 2015
    You are for sure in the right place Melody, there are so many great links and helpful, caring people here to help you! I am still a newbie and I would have been overwhelmed without this forum. It will get easier, just remember to breathe and if you have questions or problems, post and someone is always around to help and guide you! Good luck!
     
  5. SpecklesandMe

    SpecklesandMe Member

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    Aug 8, 2015
    Welcome to the forum! Hang in there! People here will help out a lot! :)
     
  6. Peggy & Oliver

    Peggy & Oliver Member

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    Aug 26, 2015
    Hi Melody,
    Just wanted to say welcome and tell you that things will get easier. I was in a TOTAL panic a little under a month ago when I got this diagnosis for my Oliver. He has asthma too and we now have everything down to a smooth routine twice a day. We've come long way and you will too. Glad you have a supportive vet, that makes a big difference. :)
     
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  7. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

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    Oct 6, 2010
    Welcome to the message board, the best place you never wanted to be.

    There are 4 things you'll need to manage your kitty's diabetes:
    - You - without your commitment, the following won't work.
    - Home blood glucose monitoring with an inexpensive human glucometer such as the WalMart Relion Confirm or Target Up and Up (the pet ones will break your budget!). This saves you the cost of going to the vet for curves and done regularly, removes the need for a fructosamine test. All of our insulin guidelines use human glucometer numbers for reference.
    - Low carb over the counter canned or raw diet, such as many Friskies pates. See Cat Info for more info. If already on insulin, you must be home testing before changing the diet. Food changes should be gradual to avoid GI upsets - 20-25% different food each day until switched. There are 2 low carb, dry, over the counter foods in the US - Evo Cat and Kitten dry found at pet specialty stores and Young Again 0 Carb found online.
    - A long-lasting insulin such as ProZinc, Lantus, BCP PZI, or Levemir. No insulin lasts 24 hours in the cat, so giving it every 12 hours is optimal for control.
     
  8. Merlin

    Merlin Well-Known Member

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    Mar 18, 2014
    Welcome to FDMB! You have come to the right place for support. There are a lot of caring and experience folks here. You will be given a whole lot of information and at first, it will seem very overwhelming however in a couple of weeks, things will start falling into place.

    Good Reading: This is a must read. It is an excellent 18 page informative document that covers feline health and nutrition. Don't take short cuts and read it all. www.catinfo.org

    Also read other postings and their spreadsheets. You will learn a lot more from others.

    Home Testing: Here, we all home test. It is mandatory to understand how your kitty is reacting to the insulin and the dose. You will want to test before each shot and some additional test in between the 12 hour cycle. Another reason to home test is to keep your kitty safe. Find a place in your home where you will always perform the test and give lots of hugs before and after testing. There are many videos showing you how to test. Here is a picture of where you test on your kitty. http://s106.photobucket.com/user/chupie_2006/media/testingear/sweetspot.jpg.html

    Here is another good link on Home Testing:http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-home-test.htm

    Meters
    : There are many meters. There is a pet meter called the Alpha Trak2 and human meters. Some use the pet meter because it is what the vets use so the numbers will match up. The meter and strips are expensive though. Most use human meters that can be purchased at any pharmacy. It typically reads a little lower than the pet meter but we have ways of compensating it. Many use Walmart's brand, Relion Micro or Relion Confirm, because it only needs a tiny drop of blood. They cost around $15 and the strips are around 35 cents each.

    Lancets: These are used to poke the ear to get blood. There are many different sizes (gauges). It is recommended when you are first starting out to use a 26-28 gauge. Also, it would be a good idea to pick up Neosporin WITH pain reliever to apply on the edge of the ears and don't forget to alternate ears.

    Spreadsheets: Our spreadsheet instructions are here. If you look at the signatures of the members here, you will see a link to their kitty’s spreadsheets. We keep track of all our tests. This is basically a place to collect data and help you to determine patterns, doses, etc. It also aids those that may be helping you to better understand your kitty.

    Food: There are many reasons why we are here but one is due to feeding dry cat food which is high in carbs. You will want to consider changing your food to wet, low carb food. It is recommended to feed food that is under 10% carbs. Here is a list of cat food to choose from.food chartyou will note that the food with fish are lower in carbs however it is recommended that you only give fish once a week due to its mercury content. Many use Fancy Feast, 9 Lives, Friskies, etc. This list can also be found inwww.catinfo.org If you are already giving insulin and you have not transitioned to wet, low carb cat food, be sure to test while you are transitioning. This is because by changing to low carb food, it could decrease your kitty’s number by 100 points or more.

    Hypo Kit
    : Always good to be prepared for possible hypo events which means that your cat has reached dangerously low numbers. It can be fatal, hence, the importance of home testing and collecting data in a spreadsheet. In each of the Insulin Forums are stickie’s labeled Hypo Links. Please print and post on your refrigerator so everyone in your household is aware of hypo symptoms. You will want to create your hypo kit that would include and not limited to; extra testing strips, honey/karo/maple syrup, high carb food, medium carb food, vet information, etc.

    Ketones
    : Diabetic cats are susceptible to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). It is best to buy testing strips that will measure (if any) ketones in the urine. One brand is Ketostix which can be found at Walmart or any pharmacy. You will want to test periodically unless you continue to get high numbers, then it is suggested to test more frequently. Ketostix typically costs around $10.

    Treats: It is always nice to have treats available for your kitty. Some use it after they have tested to reward. I like using Pure Bites. I have found it at Petsmart and other pet stores. It is freeze dried and the only ingredient is the meat i.e. chicken, duck, etc. If your cat likes it, then I would go to the dog section where it is cheaper than the cat package. It is bigger chunks but no problem in breaking it up. There is a link here somewhere that has a list of low carb treats but I don't have it right now.

    Injections: Most folks here use one of these main insulins; Lantus, Levemir and Prozinc. Two hours prior to your insulin shot, you will not want your kitty to eat. Then you will test and then feed. It is best for your kitty to eat a little before your shoot. I shoot while he is eating. The reason why you do not want your kitty to eat two hours prior to your test is because food elevates BG numbers. So you do not want to dose based on a food influenced number. Here is a link on how to give injections.http://www.felinediabetes.com/injections.htm

    Note: Please check your insulins as there are some (the harsher ones like Humulin, Novlin, Vetsulin, etc.) that would be best to allow some time after your kitty has eaten before you shoot.

    If you have any questions, please be sure to post in the Health Forum.


     
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  9. nora

    nora Member

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    Sep 3, 2015
    I'm new, too. The best thing I heard you say is that you have a great vet!! Love to hear that confidence. This board is also a great resource. I like my vet a lot, she's new out of school, but I haven't known her long and I wish I had a longer history with her, but I guess we will learn together. I've given her two complicated kitties: Kali has a small heart murmur, chronic eye/nose infections, food allergies, and now diabetes; her litter-mate Savvy has heart murmur, asthma, food allergies, kidney disease, and an ear polyp. Most of the standard treatments for one condition are contraindicated by another. She is taking what seems to me to be a balanced approach. Having read stories here on the forum, it's clear I'm far from the only complicated kitty mom. I'm sure you will do with with your cat.--Nora and Kali
     
  10. Melody Lamb

    Melody Lamb New Member

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    Sep 24, 2015
    Thanks everyone SO MUCH for the great welcome and tremendous advice! I'm on day two of insulin shots and food transition...so far, so good. I like the idea of giving Indiana his shot while he is eating (suggestion posted above). He likes the new wet cat food and seems like a good distraction. I will be home testing his levels as soon as my meter arrives in the mail. It seems like the testing will be much harder than the injections. My vet would like five tests spread out over the day, one week from now. Any more suggestions on keeping kitty calm and happy during the ear prick blood test?
    Thanks again!!
    ~Melody
     
  11. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

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    Oct 6, 2010
  12. Sue and Oliver (GA)

    Sue and Oliver (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    While you are waiting for the meter, you might get him ready. Pick the spot you want to test - some people like to put them on the counter, some on the bed or couch, some between their legs. Take him there, give him lots of praise and pets and play with his ears. Then give him the treats you have reserved just for testing. Bonito flakes and PureBites are low carb treats popular at my house. Let him go. After a few of those times, add the rice sack and warm his ears, praise, pets and treats, release. When you are finally ready to do the poke, he should be used to the routine. The trick to this is to get him to anticipate the treats and put up with the poke.

    I would also try the meter on myself so you know how it works, when to put in the strips etc. before you try it on him. Try the lancet so it works well for you.

    The trick for us was to heat the ear warm enough and to use the bigger lancets. 25-27 gauge may work better at first than the 30-31 gauge that humans use.
     
  13. Sarah & Jackie

    Sarah & Jackie Member

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    Apr 25, 2015
    I tried and tried using the traditional lancets and did successfully get what I needed, but both Jackie and I were extremely stressed out by it. One of my vet techs showed me what she uses and I feel so much better since we switched to these. I do have to order them on Amazon and they're more expensive, BUT I definitely feel they are worth it for US.

    They are called Surgilance Safety Lancets-the size # is SLN100(they're the yellow ones). They poke to a preset depth and I can poke anywhere inside his ear, so I don't feel like I'm wearing him out on the outside edge of ear as I did before.
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2015
    Reason for edit: delete link
  14. Sarah & Jackie

    Sarah & Jackie Member

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    Apr 25, 2015
  15. Brashworks

    Brashworks Member

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    Jun 21, 2015
    @Sarah & Jackie wow, those look interesting. Do you have to apply much pressure and do they make any noise? I watched a video on YouTube - looks like they might send out free samples although the video was uploaded in 2008, worth a shot to find out! Thanks for the idea.
     
  16. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

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    Oct 6, 2010
    They have a link to a retailer here.
     
  17. Sarah & Jackie

    Sarah & Jackie Member

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    Apr 25, 2015
    No, don"t need much pressure (one of the things I really like). And they don't make noise. Sometimes the spring actions fail but not often.

    Edit for correction:After doing Jackie's last test, I realize there is a slight noise, but it's minimal.
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2015
    Reason for edit: correction
  18. Sarah & Jackie

    Sarah & Jackie Member

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    Apr 25, 2015
    I looked at that link but the shipping is high. I tried to post the link where I get them on Amazon but couldn't figure out how to do it without my Amazon account info included. I've been getting them there from RND Medicals with free shipping. The prices I see on Amazon are kind of all over the place.
     
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  19. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

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    Oct 6, 2010
  20. Sarah & Jackie

    Sarah & Jackie Member

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    Apr 25, 2015
    yes. It seems they charge more or less based on the gauge, etc.,which I found strange. I don"t remember that being the case with standard lancets.
     
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