New to group

Hello! Was directed to this group by a friend from Australia who is a friend of Bron and Sheba's. We have a newly diagnosed diabetic cat, Goby. He's only 4 and the news came as a bit of a shock. brought him in for tummy issues and discovered this other detail. We are trying to regulate BG, but having a tough time getting blood from him. He's a super sweet cat and so tolerant, but he must have thick ears or something because this part has been the worst. Switched to an all-canned diet to see if that could help.
Anyway, just looking to this message board to see other people's stories and advice. We are all still adjusting.

 

Welcome to FDMB.

Check out my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for some additional assessments to help evaluate your cat.

 

Welcome.
If yo are using the lancet pen that typically comes with the meter make sure it is set to the deepest depth.
Also, most come with a clear cap. Try using that..
Make sure the ear is warm and make sure that the back of the ear is firmly backed up. I use a cotton cosmetic pad to backup sop I do not puncture my finger.
Also, lancets made for human alternate site settings (other than finger tips) are larger diameter and will make bleeding easier.

 

Hi,
My daughter was talking to Ros the other day and then she rang me and said Ros had a friend in the U.S. who had a cat who was just diagnosed with diabetes. I am sorry I didn't respond to your condo earlier but I have had computer problems and not been able to get online for a week.
I am so pleased you have joined FDMB. Welcome! You will find lots of very knowledgeable people here who all have cats who have or have had diabetes and they have lived with it for years.

Do you mind if I ask a few questions?
It can be very helpful for us to know a bit more about Goby so we can know the areas we can help you.
What type of insulin and dose is Goby on?
How much does Goby weigh?

I see you are home testing....that is great and will help Goby a lot.
It would be really helpful if you could set up a spreadsheet so you can record Goby's blood sugar levels. Then the experienced people can see how the insulin is affecting Goby and help you with the dosing. If you run into trouble setting it up, just shout and someone will help you....I had to get help!
Here is the link
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

Also here is a link to home testing with lots of tips to make it easier. It does take time for the ear to learn to bleed so don't lose heart. We all went through the agony and distress of it all when we first got the diagnosis
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

Here is another really good link that has many links within it.......
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/where-can-i-find-________.127890/

Here is a food link which has the suitable canned food in the US for diabetic cats. It is important to feed food which is 10% carbohydrates or less to diabetic cats. If you are feeding food which is higher in carbs than 10% it will raise the blood sugar levels (BSLs) even higher. If you are swapping to a lower carb food it is important you monitor the BSLs closely at first as the BSLs could drop more quickly and the cat may need less insulin.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/food-links.133016/

I hope I have not given you too much information! I do hope you will continue to post and ask lots of questions. We all understand how hard it is at first, but it does get a lot easier I promise and it will soon be old hat! I have just realised we don't know your name.....would you like to tell us please?
Bron

 

Hi Bron! I'm Joy My husband Dave and I have two cats, Goby and Willow. Dave is a step brother type to Ros After a few wrong diagnoses with a terrible vet, we finally found someone willing to work with us and Goby. He's now on an all canned food diet - Fancy Feast Classic varieties. We've had him on this diet for 2 weeks now. He weighs 13 lbs. he used to be a bit heavier (~14 lbs), but was never super overweight, so it was another reason the diabetes came as a shock, on top of his young age.
We give him Lantus insulin, two units twice a day so far, but it looks like we'll have to go higher. The lancet and BG testing is getting a little better. Thanks so much for the spreadsheet and all the great info! It will be super helpful.
I will look through the resources you sent through and continue to monitor until we find the right insulin levels for him. He's such a good cat and we love our cats as family, so we'll do whatever it takes to keep them happy and healthy!
Have to run to work but really appreciate the message back!! And also for pulling us into the message board, it's been really helpful already. I've never done a message board or group so I'm still getting the hang of it

 

Thanks Larry! The tip about the lancet setting is actually hugely helpful. Why we didn't think of that earlier, I don't know. But hopefully we can get it on the first try now without traumatizing poor Goby too much.

 

Hi Joy and Dave!
I saw Ros at school pick up today....she is such a lovely girl.
Fancy Feast classic canned food is great and the insulin lantus is also a great choice. Sounds like you have a good vet, if he is willing to work with you.
So pleased the testing is getting a bit easier.
Once you get the SS up and running you might like to transfer over to the Lantus and Levemir board. That is where most of us who use these insulins post. We all love our cats as family here too, so you are in good company!

The Lantus dose is increased or decreased on the nadir......the lowest part of the cycle....which can be anything from +3 after shot to +9.... But most often around +4 or +5 with the Lantus. It is not increased on the preshot number. Also we increase here by 0.25units at a time so we don't miss the optimum dose. A lot of vets go up by one unit each time which we think is too much.
We work out the best dose for a cat to start with by what he weighs x 0.25 units. So Goby's starting dose would have been 1.5 units. So if you are happy to do so, I would wait to increase until you have your SS up and running so we can see how he is reacting to the insulin.

If you go up to the top right hand corner of the page and click on your name you will see a list of things. If you could click on signature and fill that in that would be great . Then when someone helps you they can see at the end of your post what insulin Goby is on, any other health issues, food fed etc.

Hope to see you again soon....keep asking questions. Give Goby and Willow a pat from me.
Bron

 

Welcome, Joy and Dave. Great picture of Goby!


Mogs
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I love the photo of Goby....so cute!
Bron