Just found out

So today I found out my 13 year old Male tabby ( Baxter ) has diabetes. I'm so overwhelmed my anxiety is super high. I keep reading things and watching YouTube videos. Tomorrow we go back to the vet for them to show me how to give him his shots. I'm so scared. Does anyone have good advice?

 

Hello Stacey, I am sorry you are going through this with Baxter. You have come to the right place. You will get a lot of support and understanding here.

When you get to the Vet be sure to ask lots of questions so you are comfortable when you get home.

A few things to get started are setting up a Signature and Spread Sheet so everyone here can see Baxters' info.

Giving the injection is easy, IMO. I do urge you to get supplies to test blood sugar at home so you can keep Baxter safe. It really is not difficult with a bit of practice; and you will get plenty of suggestions here.

You will also need to learn signs of hypoglycemia(low blood sugar) and how to treat. And lastly, appropriate food.

I will attach links as soon as I find them!

 

Hi Stacey, my cat was diagnosed fairly recently as well. Let me say the shots are really easy to give. My cat is a "scaredy cat" and I was really concerned she would start hating me. She still does not like me catching her, but the shot itself is fine--she does not even flinch. I have just ordered a test meter and it was because I am frustrated with not really trusting the values obtained at the vet office because cats have a big jump in glucose when they get scared. But no one can really say how much it jumps as I guess it depends on the cat and the situation. So it is harder to be sure without testing at home. I had already had the vet tech at the office show me how to get a blood drop and I actually did it once and that was not very difficult either and, at least at the clinic she did not seem to mind. If your vet is willing tomorrow you might ask them about doing that at the office, too, so you have an idea of how to do it and how hard it might be or not. I got a pet meter (though a lot of people here use a human meter) at chewy.com.

 

Hi and welcome Stacey and Baxter to the forum where you will get lots of great advice and support as you learn to look after your diabetic kitty. It is scary and super stressful in the beginning. We can all relate to that! But it will get much easier as you learn about feline diabetes (FD) and it will soon be just a routine procedure for you to carry out......hard to believe now I know!

Do you know what type of insulin your vet is going to prescribe?
Many of us give Lantus which is a longer acting insulin and is very good for cats. Other good insulins are Levemir and Prozinc. What food does your kitty eat? Dry food is NOT good at all for diabetic cats.....(it is not good for any cats).
You need to be feeding a low carbohydrate canned food which is 10% or under carbs. Dry food is very high in carbs and raises the blood sugar which we are trying to lower. Don't let your vet talk you into buying dry prescription diabetic food from him. They are too high in carbs. Wet canned food is the best food for Baxter. Many feed Fancy Feast pates and Friskies.
Important.........when you swap over to a low carb diet it will probably lower the blood sugar so you need to be aware of that.....it would be a good idea to swap over to the low carb food for a few days BEFORE you start the insulin
Here is a link to suitable foods. Look for food which is 10% or under carbs.
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

Another way you can help Baxter is to home test the blood sugars. We can help you get started with that. It sounds scary but it is not hard....we all do it ...and it will keep Baxter safe from very low blood sugars. You vet will probably say it is not necessary and it will hurt Baxter but it will not hurt Baxter and it is very important to keep Baxter safe.

Don't be frightened about giving the insulin to Baxter. It is not hard and the cats don't seem to notice it when it is given.
I won't inundate you with everything today. I am sure you feel overwhelmed.
I will give you another link to FAQ about feline diabetes. Read as much as you can on FD and ask lots of questions. It is a steep learning curve in the beginning.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/health-links-faqs-about-feline-diabetes.14/

After you have been to the vet, can you post over on the main forum page and tell us how it all went please?
Here is the link
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/

 

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/editing-your-signature-profile-and-preferences.130340/

https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/

 

Thanks for all the info.. just got back from the vet... they told the blood work had come back with a level of 440.. when cats should be around 100. Your 100% right Vet said nooooo Dry food. He doesn't want me to start testing his blood just yet he wants me to start with the insulin first.

 

Welcome Stacey. A word of caution, if you are going to change the diet to a low carb wet diet, this will affect the Blood Glucose (BG) levels. It will lower them. So, if you do this and shoot the insulin you are not going to know how low the level goes. It is never a good idea to shoot blind. Many vets don't advise home testing, because they possibly aren't well educated or knowledgeable about Feline Diabetes. Home testing is the best way to see how the insulin is working in your cat, and will help prevent a hypoglycemic event (blood sugar too low) which is dangerous and can be fatal. Please read from this thread from board members and reconsider. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...ing-home-glucose-testing.197951/#post-2215139
We also had a vet that didn't stress home testing, especially before giving insulin, and Idjit had a mild hypo. Not life threatening, but scary enough. Humans test before shooting insulin. You are on the board because you love Baxter, you are his caretaker and he depends on you, he can't help himself in this situation. There are tips and instructions on how to home test, and tremendous support. We all do it because we know it's one of the best tools to keep our fur kids safe.

 

He has be slowing cutting in food back he wants me to mix what he is currently on and new food. He has me coming back Monday to show me how to test his blood.

 

Stacey, I think it would be a good idea for you to start posting in the Main Forum so that you can get more input on what is going on with Baxter ( I love his name!) There are more eyes to see and then members can get to know you and Baxter. This Intro forum is essentially the Welcome mat on the front porch and not all members have the chance to check in here too. I suggest you start your thread with the basics of the diagnosis and what the vet wants you to do now: start insulin, transition to all wet food, and coming back on Monday to learn home testing (YAY!!!!!! I am so relieved) You can start getting Baxter used to having his ears handled. Find your testing station with good lighting and comfortable for both of you. Watch home testing videos and go through the motions, ALWAYS reward with a treat, whether the test is successful or not.
Please post in the Main Forum and get more input and help.

 

I am glad you will be testing at home. I promise it all gets easier and becomes routine. I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.