New to the neighborhood...

Ten-year-old Blaze was just diagnosed with diabetes two days ago, and I've been largely unemployed for nearly two years, so it wasn't the best news in SO many ways, but this site has kept me from totally losing my mind. Great information, thank you all. I'm still talking with the vet about what's possible or not, but at least now I don't feel quite so overwhelmed and ignorant.

JeanK and Blaze

 

Welcome!

When you are ready, tell us more about yourself and your cat. Everyone who answers you is just paying it forward; we were all helped by others when we first started this sugar dance. There are people here day and night, from around the world, so feel free to ask any questions or just vent.

 

Welcome to our FDMB family and be patient with yourself. You sound like you really love your cats, so you have come to the perfect place. Get some chocolate, sit back and get ready to read. Also, remember Every Cat Is Different. (ECID) Also, remember opinions may vary sometimes on this board, so you may get different views. Unfortunately, that is human nature.
Sorry this is very long, but there is a lot to say! Also, remember we were ALL newbies once and are feeling just like you are right now! OK……..breathe………. :RAHCAT

This disease is very manageable and by no means a death sentence. There is just some learning we all had to do. You do not need any type of prescription food or “special” diabetic food. Janet & Binky’s chart is located at http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html. Low carb is best for diabetics. I try to stay around 10% or under. I feed Whiskas, 9-Lives and mostly Friskies. If you are giving a high dose of insulin and feeding dry, be careful with switching to canned food. You MUST reduce the insulin at the same time you switch to canned food.

Please create a profile if you have not already done so. It will help us to help you. We need to know what kind of insulin you are on, what needles you are using (U-40 or U-100), what are you feeding, how much insulin you are giving and when, BG test results, etc. There are many people on this board from all over the world, so it will be helpful to know what area and time zone you are in.

Remember that your cat is YOUR cat, and YOU are paying your VET to help you take care of him; diabetes was probably a day or two worth of notes when the vet was in college; it is probably NOT a day-to-day existence with his own cat trying to maintain a quality of life. Sorry to say, but I would have overdosed my guys on insulin if I followed my vet's advice. Vets, unfortunately are not as knowledgeable as they should be on diabetes.

Sometimes, as I did, you have to take a leap of faith and trust these people on this board who deal with diabetes day in and day out. Trust me. You will not be disappointed. OK………..breathe again……….get some chocolate…….. cat_pet_icon

Also, please realize that it takes insulin about a week to settle. START LOW AND GO SLOW!! The usual starting dose from our experiences is 1u twice a day for at least a week. Insulin in cats is NOT and I repeat NOT based on weight. This is a misconception that a lot of us have gotten from our vets here. pc_work

You have to be patient, as I also had to learn!! Do not adjust the dose upwards based on one test. Don’t freak out based on one test result. As long as the levels stay on the high side, keep the same dose twice a day for at least the initial week period and you should see improvements. When you have some time (hee hee), read my profile.

If you are not hometesting already, you really need to start!! Hometesting is VERY important. Think of it as a human diabetic does. *If it were you or a child of yours, you'd be testing blood glucose levels at home prior to each shot; you'd be working with your doctor to determine a proper dose based on those shot results, correct?* Some vets do not agree with hometesting and I cannot for the life of me understand why. Most vets, sadly are not knowledgeable enough in feline diabetes. Insulin is a VERY powerful drug and you NEED to hometest before giving a shot. This is very important. The vet would rather have you bring the cat to them, stress it out more, which may spike the levels anyway and then they can charge you $$. Hometesting saved me a lot of money and it is VERY important for you personally to know the cat’s levels and how it is reacting to the insulin before you shoot so you do not pass up your ideal dosage.
Thanks to everyone's help here I learned to home test 2 cats and they both got off insulin within 3 weeks with diet change…but of course, they reacting both DIFFERENTLY with the process. If I can do it with 2 cats twice a day (and more on curve days), ANYONE can do it. It does NOT hurt them as much as you think it does. It just stings for a moment and then it is gone, you can try it on yourself. Also, put pressure on the ear after poking and it should minimize the nub. They won't mind it once they start feeling better. I use the True Track meter (CVS or Walgreens brand) which I love. And, the strips are also reasonable. Also, remember to give them a treat after the test. Here is a link to a member videos on hometesting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ6iXetR398

I would not feed DRY food if at all possible. Of course, it is better than nothing – you MUST get them to eat if you are giving insulin, but if there is any chance, get them off the dry. I took my guys off dry and within a month they were off insulin. Again, remember that switching from dry to wet can cause a drop in blood sugars, so you MUST reduce insulin at the same time to make sure you are not giving too much insulin. I truly believe also that I saved some of my many others from developing diabetes. I also saved so, so much money changing them all to regular canned cat food.
When Blackie and Jackie got diagnosed, I was afraid to start shots. The people on this board made me realize it was no big deal. (They went on PZI insulin around 3-25-06 and went off on 4-18-06! Please also realize that diet plays a BIG, BIG part in insulin needs. I switched my cats off dry food to all wet and I was never so happy. It was a challenge to try to regulate 2 cats at once.


Welcome to the Sugar Dance. flip_cat
Welcome to the Vampire Club.

If I can do it, ANYONE can!!!
It does get easier. Trust us.

You need to test BEFORE you shoot. It usually goes: Test, Feed, Shoot



There's a saying something like "better the sugar level is too high for a day than too low for a minute".

 

Hi Jean,

Please let us know what we can do to help.

Scritches to Blaze.

 

Hi Jean, and welcome!

You are already learning, and that's the best possible thing you can do. There are some forms of financial aid available, let us know if you need information about them. And please stay in touch.

Gia & Quirk (GA)

Guilt trips are a detour from life

 

I am still learning too but this forum is full of helpful people and so much info so just read and learn and try not to get too upset since its a lot to take in at first confused_cat

 

Y'all are awesome. Blaze is in the hospital right now for his first glucose curve and regulation. His initial numbers were hideous. We're going to use Humulin-N because it's cheaper than the TZI (PZI?) my vet would prefer. I hope it'll work for him; the pharmacist says they actually have quite a few feline customers. I have no problem giving shots (I'm experienced with subQ fluids), but I bet Blaze is not gonna like me sticking his ears all the time! That's his picture as my avatar, when he was healthier. His face was always kind of long and foxy, but now he's all cheekbones and angles.

Jean and Blaze

 

You can request a free starter testing kit from 'Cindy & Mousie'.

 

Blaze is home from the hospital, hooray. At 8:30 AM his glucose was "high" (despite a dietary change over the last week, from dry with canned supplements, to canned only). They gave him 2 units of Humulin-N. At 12:30 he was at 294, and at 4:30, at 194. When I picked him up at 6:30 they showed me how to inject the insulin, and we gave another unit. (I have 31 guage 3/10 ml syringes.) When I got him home he drank something like a pint of water before I could even get some food down for him, and he promptly threw up. After he ate he wanted to drink some more. I took the water away for a while. Starting tomorrow I'm supposed to give him 1 unit twice a day.

I'm supposed to take Blaze back for another glucose curve in 2 weeks. They told me to keep some Karo syrup, and if he starts acting drunk and disoriented, to give him some Karo and get him to the hospital. They don't want me doing home glucose testing, but I really think I should at least learn how.

There were no ketones in his urine, so that was good news.

Blaze is one of five brothers and two sisters from two litters (six months apart) by the same feral parents. There were 2 other kits in the second litter and there was a third litter, but I wasn't able to capture them; and then the whole feral colony disappeared. One of the sisters died last January very unexpectedly. She had an immune system disorder (which shouldn't have killed her; we don't know what happened), and so does another of the boys, Mike (he picked the name himself). If I had anticipated anyone having diabetes, it would have been him, because of the steroids. In 2006, Mike experienced a total urinary blockage and nearly died. He was in hospital for most of a month, and had to have a PKU. Right after I got him home, another brother blocked. I changed their food immediately. I was using Purina Indoor at the time. They eat Whiskas Wholesome Goodness now. I know there can be a genetic predisposition for diabetes, so I'm wondering how high the risk is for the rest of them.

Jean and Blaze

 

Welcome back! We were wondering how things were going. Please check out the videos on hometesting. It is the best way to keep Blaze safe, especially with the insulin you are using. It is fast acting and short duration, so you have to know how it is affecting him. If you want, you can post your city and state. Maybe we have someone how lives nearby and can come help you learn how to hometest firsthand. You don't need your vet's permission. If Blaze were your child, your doctor wouldn't say just go home with insulin and come back in 2 weeks! We figure we can do the same for cats that we would do for our children.

If you get it down, then you can avoid the expense of going back to the vet in a few weeks. By then you can have a spreadsheet full of the bg levels, before and after shots, and just fax it to the vet.

 

Well, we've made it through the first day on our own with shots successfully! Blaze is a little squirmy but doesn't seem to have a problem taking the shots from me, at least so far. He's lost that glazed look and seemed much brighter today. But lordy, is he hungry! I'm supposed to give him two 3-oz. meals, but I gave him extra today. Last night I heard him in the middle of the night snacking on a few of the dry crunchies left in the others' bowl. They're used to having dry food available most of the time; I feed twice a day. I've been putting a good bit less out so that they'll finish most of it in one go, but I guess I'll have to regulate that, too, so that Blaze is less tempted. I'm so glad he has a strong spirit!

Jean and Blaze

 

are you hometesting him before the shots? It is so important to know what his levels are.

Also, please realize that it takes insulin about a week to settle. START LOW AND GO SLOW!! The usual starting dose from our experiences is 1u twice a day for at least a week. Insulin in cats is NOT and I repeat NOT based on weight. This is a misconception that a lot of us have gotten from our vets here. pc_work

You have to be patient, as I also had to learn!! Do not adjust the dose upwards based on one test. Don’t freak out based on one test result. As long as the levels stay on the high side, keep the same dose twice a day for at least the initial week period and you should see improvements. When you have some time (hee hee), read my profile.

If you are not hometesting already, you really need to start!! Hometesting is VERY important. Think of it as a human diabetic does. *If it were you or a child of yours, you'd be testing blood glucose levels at home prior to each shot; you'd be working with your doctor to determine a proper dose based on those shot results, correct?* Some vets do not agree with hometesting and I cannot for the life of me understand why. Most vets, sadly are not knowledgeable enough in feline diabetes. Insulin is a VERY powerful drug and you NEED to hometest before giving a shot. This is very important. The vet would rather have you bring the cat to them, stress it out more, which may spike the levels anyway and then they can charge you $$. Hometesting saved me a lot of money and it is VERY important for you personally to know the cat’s levels and how it is reacting to the insulin before you shoot so you do not pass up your ideal dosage.
Thanks to everyone's help here I learned to home test 2 cats and they both got off insulin within 3 weeks with diet change…but of course, they reacting both DIFFERENTLY with the process. If I can do it with 2 cats twice a day (and more on curve days), ANYONE can do it. It does NOT hurt them as much as you think it does. It just stings for a moment and then it is gone, you can try it on yourself. Also, put pressure on the ear after poking and it should minimize the nub. They won't mind it once they start feeling better. I use the True Track meter (CVS or Walgreens brand) which I love. And, the strips are also reasonable. Also, remember to give them a treat after the test. Here is a link to a member videos on hometesting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ6iXetR398

 

Hometesting starter kit is on the way, thanks to Cindy! I've watched the vids, and I've set up a spreadsheet, so when the kit arrives, we'll start doing that. Blaze was feeling well enough today to play with his big fat shoelace, which he hasn't done for a while, and that made me happy. He's a very gentle play-er, unlike his sister, who zooms in at 110 mph directly for the kill (and she's smart: she goes for the hand holding the other end!).

Jean and Blaze