New to this and scared!

I'm new to all of this and worried about my little girl. My baby of 14 years was just diagnosis the other day. We took her to vet BC my mom who had taken care of her since she was about 2, was complaining of her urinating on carpet and clawing her couch up. She has never urinated until recently and the clawing fairly new also. So they tested her urine and blood, they both were pretty high. I took her home with me to stay so I could take care of her. Right now I have immediately changed her diet and really nothing more pertaining to the diabetes. She is happy, going potty in her box like she should, eating and drinking and also playing. She doesn't really seem like anything is is bothering her. What are the chances that she was stressed and sad where she was living and that caused her spike in sugars?? Is this possible? I have read that stress and sadness could cause this. I dont blame her for being stressed or scared. As much as my mom id a good mom to me, she's not the best furmom! I'm just scared for her, want her to be OK. This is scary for us both. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!!

 

Welcome to the board to you and Mia too. It is very stressful to receive a diabetes diagnosis and you are not alone in how you are feeling at the moment. Was a fructosamine test done? Stress can elevate blood glucose levels but a fructosamine test will test for ongoing elevation of blood glucose over a period of time so that will rule out stress induced hyperglycemia that can happen at the vet. All the best to you and Mia and hopefully it was just stress. What treatment was prescribed apart from a change in food?

 

Hi! Thanks for responding. I am not quite sure if they tested that, I will look at paper work when the kids wake up. I'm sure it will say there. I feel lost I have been up most of the night reading forums on here and just a bit confused, but I'll keep doing my homework. The vet did not prescribe anything else, only suggested shots. But she agreed we could try the diet change and go from there. But then again she was saying she didn't think it would help her! The vet really was not much help at all. I'm really not sure what to think. I'm just praying this will all go away and she can live her elder years happy and healthy! I have never given a shot to anyone, much less a fur baby! Nor am I sure how to test the blood. Ahhhhhhh ~~STAY CALM~~ I do know she seems to be acting fine other than being confined to a safe room with her best buddy, my son, he loves his princess to pieces! I have 2 male cats and they are so curious to know who she is. I'm trying to do the correct thing with the introduction. Seems it may take a while BC she is not to fond of them! ~~BREATHE~~

 

Welcome! It is scary isn't it, but it does get better. You've changed her food, that is good, but now you need to learn to check her blood sugar. That is the only way to know if the diet change is helping and if it is enough. Any human meter is fine, many of us use the Relion from Walmart. It's a bit overwhelming at first, but it becomes second nature pretty quickly. You can start by choosing the spot that will be your testing spot. Go there and hold your kitty, rub her ears give her a low carb treat, then let her go. After doing that a few times you can actually get the test. My cat comes to me whenever I sit in the testing chair, even if we just had a test! It's good that you've found this site. Read, read, read. The more you know, the more you can help your sugar baby. Please keep us posted and if you have questions, ask!

 

While you learn how to test blood glucose at home you can also test Mia's urine to check for glucose and ketones and measure her water intake to check for a response to the diet changes. I tested my Lucy's urine and measured her water intake daily for a week or two before we did blood tests and started insulin as I thought she may have diabetes because she had glucose in her urine and in that time I also changed her diet to a low carb diet and I found that her water consumption decreased with the low carb diet. But we did need to start insulin and the delay was because Lucy is very feisty at the vet so the vet suggested for a week or so to change her diet and test her urine and then if there was still glucose in her urine we would do a blood test with sedation and when we did the blood glucose test as well as fructosamine test the diagnosis was diabetes. I am in awe of how my Lucy has adjusted to the blood glucose testing at home and the insulin injections as she is very feisty but with the support of others on the board I learnt how to do everything that my Lucy needs to stay well and happy and I am very happy with her quality of life now. First step as you said is to breathe. Sending you hugs and understanding too.

 

You all make it sound so easy and that everything will be OK! Thank you for that!! Hugs for the comforting words. I am so very thankful to have found this page!!

 

You all make it sound so easy and that everything will be OK! Thank you for that!! Hugs for the comforting words. I am so very thankful to have found this page!!

 

Welcome the FDMB.
We refer folks over to Cat Info for vet written feline nutrition info. There are a number of low carb over the counter foods available in the US.
For home testing, you want a human glucometer such as the Walmart ReliOn Confirm which takes a tiny blood drop, matching test strips, and lancets for alernate site testing (they're a little thicker and improve your chances of getting a droplet).
All of the insulin guidelines on FDMB use human glucometer numbers. These generally read lower than pet meters, especially at the low end.

 

Thank you so much for the links!

 

Thank you for the much need info and guidance!

 

Welcome! You will have all the support you could ever need here, you will be fine I've only been doing all of this for a few weeks myself, but I can tell you it does get easier and less scary. The amount of information here is overwhelming at first, but please ask lots of questions and someone (more experienced than me) will answer them for you.

 

Thank you very much. I'm so relieved I found this group! Already I don't know what I would do with out you all!!

 

Welcome to FDMB. Here is some more information.

Home Testing: Here, we all home test. It is mandatory to understand how your kitty is reacting to the insulin and the dose. You will want to test before each shot and some additional test in between the 12 hour cycle. Another reason to home test it to keep your kitty safe. Find a place in your home where you will always perform the test and give lots of hugs before and after testing. There are many videos showing you how to test. Here is a picture of where you test on your kitty. http://s106.photobucket.com/user/chupie_2006/media/testingear/sweetspot.jpg.html

Here is another good link on Home Testing: http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-home-test.htm

Meters: There are many meters. There is a pet meter called the Alpha Trak2 and human meters. Some use the pet meter because it is what the vets use so the numbers will match up. The meter and strips are expensive though. Most use human meters that can be purchased at any pharmacy. It typically reads a little lower than the pet meter but we have ways of compensating it. Many use Walmart's brand, Relion Micro or Relion Confirm, because it only needs a tiny drop of blood. They cost around $15 and the strips are around 35 cents each.

Lancets: These are used to poke the ear to get blood. There are many different sizes (gauges). It is recommended when you are first starting out to use a 26-28 gauge. Also, it would be a good idea to pick up Neosporin WITH pain reliever to apply on the edge of the ears and don't forget to alternate ears.

Spreadsheets: Our spreadsheet instructions are here. If you look at the signatures of the members here, you will see a link to their kitties spreadsheets. We keep track of all our tests. This is basically a place to collect data.and help you to determine patterns, doses, etc. It also aids those that may be helping you to better understand your kitty.

Food: There are many reasons why we are here but one is due to feeding dry cat food which is high in carbs. You will want to consider changing your food to wet, low carb food. It is recommended to feed food that is under 10% carbs. Here is a list of cat food to choose from. food chart you will note that the food with fish are lower in carbs however it is recommended that you only give fish once a week due to it's mercury content. Many use Fancy Feast, 9 Lives, Friskies, etc. This list can also be found in www.catinfo.org ; If you are already giving insulin and you have not transitioned to wet, low carb cat food, be sure to test while you are transitioning. This is because by changing to low carb food, it could decrease your kitties number by 100 points or more.

Hypo Kit: Always good to be prepared for possible hypo events which means that your cat has reached dangerously low numbers. It can be fatal, hence, the importance of home testing and collecting data in a spreadsheet. In each of the Insulin Forums are stickies labeled Hypo Links. Please print and post on your refrigerator so everyone in your household is aware of hypo symptoms. You will want to create your hypo kit that would include and not limited to; extra testing strips, honey/karo/maple syrup, high carb food, medium carb food, vet information, etc.

Ketones: Diabetic cats are susceptible to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). It is best to buy testing strips that will measure (if any) ketones in the urine. One brand is Ketostix which can be found at Walmart or any pharmacy. You will want to test periodically unless you continue to get high numbers, then it is suggested to test more frequently. Ketostix typically costs around $10.

Treats: It is always nice to have treats available for your kitty. Some use it after they have tested to reward. I like using Pure Bites. I have found it at Petsmart and other pet stores. It is freeze dried and the only ingredients is the meat i.e. chicken, duck, etc. If your cats likes it, then I would go to the dog section where it is cheaper than the cat package. It is bigger chunks but no problem in breaking it up. There is a link here somewhere that has a list of low carb treats but i don't have it right now.

Injections: Two hours prior to your insulin shot, you will not want your kitty to eat. Then you will test and then feed. It is best for your kitty to eat a little before your shoot. I shoot while he is eating. The reason why you do not want your kitty to eat two hours prior to your test is because food elevates BG numbers. So you do not want to dose based on a food influenced number. Here is a link on how to give injections. http://www.felinediabetes.com/injections.htm
Note: Please check your insulins as there are some that would be best to allow some time after your kitty has eaten before you shoot.

 

Thank you so much, that information was very very helpful!

 

Hi! And welcome. You have come to the best place to help Mia and you to get educated about Feline Diabetes. It is very scary at first. I am not going to lie to you. Sometimes, I still get frazzled but, each day, I learn something new and I see progress with Bubba, slowly but surely. I asked a lot of questions; heck, I still ask a lot of questions. I am still learning but whatever I can share, I will. We will all help you every step of the way. This is a great group of people and all of our goals is to help our kitties and keep them safe. If something doesn't make sense to you just ask. Someone will explain it to you in a way that you will understand it.

 

There is no doubt I came to the right place! You ALL have been so comforting and informative, I'm speechless! Thank you for everything!