New Here- Newly Diagnosed Furbaby

Hello All-
We've been very blessed with the health of our furkids, beyond very minor things. We've rescued cats for years! And thank goodness, as we noticed something was wrong with one of our boys right away, although, to be honest, I didn't think of diabetes right away. I have to admit I panicked a bit because his brother passed away in April from cancer. That was completely unexpected! So I didn't wait when our boy was listless,& I'm so glad I didn't wait, because he would have went into a diabetic coma & died if I would have waited!
As of right now he's still in the hospital. The vet is stabilizing him, he's been there over the weekend. This came on so suddenly! One day he was fine, playing, running around as normal, the next morning- WHAM!
I've read about feline diabetes before & we've had cats for a very long time. Everyone's food procedures will have to change-but that's okay & doable. Peaches is a part of our family! I'm thinking that because we're not so versed & educated with this that blood monitoring is easier for monitoring in the beginning? I'm certain I'll have loads of questions, & I'm sure I'll be able to contribute with knowledge that I have of these wonderful animals! So, hello everyone!

 

Welcome to FDMB, 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.
- 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.

 

Welcome Lonewolf. Peaches is a very lucky cat to have you as their person. If you are interested in learning how to test Peaches glucose levels at home I would suggest you start with talking to your vet. Some vets are willing to teach clients how to home test. Second, this discussion board is a great place to come with questions/concerns. Pedro and I are keeping our fingers/toes crossed that Peaches comes home ASAP.

 

Good Morning Lonewolf 143 and Welcome!! So sorry to hear Peaches is having such a rough go of it. I hope your vet has him stabilized and ready for home soon!! On the plus side you could prepare the home front for his arrival!
As BJM posted above, a glucometer for testing is a must. This might be of some help -->> http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
All of us here have been where you are right now, and are ready and willing to answer any questions you could possibly have!
We have a spreadsheet template already created for recording your blood glucose readings. It will organize things much easier for you, and aid experienced members in giving advice regarding Peaches dosages, etc.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/

Let us know how we can be of help to you!