Joey Waddles - New Diabetic

Hello everyone! First...thank you all for having such a wonderful forum. I signed-up earlier this week after my fur baby was diagnosed. I read through post after post and went through just about every emotion - laughing, crying, etc. Again, thank you all. I felt a little less overwhelmed and little more prepared when we took my baby back to the vet today to get treatment info.

Joey (Joey Waddles as we call him) is a nearly 11 year old DSH with a pair of beautiful bright green eyes. I've had him since he was about 6 weeks old - he is truly my baby! He's been overweight most of his life (not proud of that fact). The two or three years he was at an ideal weight (age 5-7ish) we had 4-5 bouts of pancreatitis we had to deal with. Once he fatten up again (yeah, I know, not ideal at all) we haven't had any health issues until recently when I noticed him drinking and urinating more. I knew diabetes would be an eventual diagnosis and became a reality March 6th, 2017 ...I'm just glad I'm in a more financially stable place (not a poor college student any more) to properly treat him.

This morning hubby and I went out and bought a bunch of different brands of wet food (from the food list on here) to see what he likes (and he loves wet food too!). Since he's been a dry food free-feeder most of his life, we also bought a small bag of grain-free dry food to help transition him to just twice daily meals of wet food (wanting to be careful to not make the pancreas angrier). We also bought the Relion Prime glucometer form Walmart (the Relion Micro was sold out in all of the local stores). His vet prescribed Lantus 1 unit twice daily, and I just ordered the vial from Marks Marine Pharmacy in Canada (nearly half the cost than here in the US and Michigan).

The last piece of the puzzle I need to get are insulin syringes.... so, where do you all buy your insulin syringes? The vet wrote a prescription for U-100, 30 unit syringes. Perhaps I'm worrying too much about syringes out of everything else, but just curious where the experienced diabetic cat parents get theirs...

I hope we are on the right tract with his treatment. I am a human registered nurse (but did work at a vet clinic for 6 years before becoming an RN) and I work with dialysis patients. I hope my human diabetes knowledge can help and not hinder me with Joey's treatment!

I really appreciate all of the information here!!

 

Welcome!

I like these, short needle lessens chance of coming out other side of the skin & 1/2 unit markings: https://www.adwdiabetes.com//produc...-5-16-with-half-unit-markings-100bx_16367.htm

these are popular too: https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/ulticare-u-100-vetrx-half-unit-insulin-syringes_5739.htm

Walmart sells ReliOn syringes with 1/2u markings but found the plunger action a little rough which makes it hard for tiny adjustments.

Post any questions you have in the main health forum, many more eyes over there. Many great folks here with great experience, I am sorta new myself.

 

Welcome to FDMB - the best place you never wanted to be! It sounds like you're on the right track with insulin, low-carb food, and home testing. One suggestion I would have on the syringes is to make sure you get the ones with half-unit markings since we change insulin .25 units at a time. I used the Relion U-100, 3/10 ml (8mm, 31 gauge) syringes with half-unit markings from Wal-Mart.

 

Welcome!

 

Welcome! Others gave syringe advice so I just wanted to ask which dry food you bought.... Because grain free doesn't mean that it's low carb. They often will substitute grain for potatoes or peas which are also carbs.