Newcomer 4/17/2015

Hello,
I am Lana, I learned today my cat was a diabetic.
My vet gave me some websites to start learning. I am so overwhelmed on the amount of information. My Snickers bookmark is growing long.
I have learned, I have a lot to learn...I am nervous I'll screw up!

 

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
- Low carb over the counter canned or raw diet, such as Friskies pates. see Cat Info for more info,
- A long-lasting insulin such as ProZinc, Lantus, BCP PZI, or Levemir
- And 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!)

 

Wow, I'm just getting to learn my way around this forum, but what I said is exactly what newbies say. That adjective "overwhelming" is the perfect fit.
\

 

I need to get the hang of this board.
Thank you for the information. I am going shopping tomorrow.
I thought my cat had kidney issues for the past year. I noticed her water consumption sky rocket and brought her to the vet.
I had just bought her the next really EXPENSIVE Hill prescription KD formula (dry) $42.
This is going to be an expensive month, but she's worth it.

 

Return the KD and get a refund.
Get Friskies Special Diet pates if there are kidney issues - low carb and low phosphorus, unless she's stage 4 renal disease?
Otherwise, regular Friskies pates are low carb and there is a downloadable list at Cat Info.
If there are renal issues, let us know - we have a list on the board that excerpted the low phosphorus low carb foods for here.

By the way - at the bottom of your post is a button that says Edit. If you click on that, you can fix any grammar, spelling, double quoting, etc, or add it addition comments, then save the changes.

 

Thank you for the helpful information.
I changed her food and have noticed the last two days she has not been continuously at the water bowl. There is so much less to scoop in the morning. I have been scooping so much urine due to her water intake that now I'm afraid she isn't drinking enough. She will eat whenever I offer her food (she's a rack of bones) so she seems to be doing well in that way. Today however after her breakfast she went and hid and that is something she never does. She seems a bit skittish, it's like she thinks I'm going to take her back to the bad place ( vet). I'm just anxious to start seeing improvement in her appearance. She used to have very soft fluffy bunny fur but currently her fur has a flat greasy look to it. Is this normal of the disease?

 

She is getting most of her water from food, now. Frequent, smaller meals will help her gain weight.
The grooming and fur will improve as she gets better control. And better control will come with home testing which also will help keep her safe.

 

I haven't yet done a home test. I have watch the videos but am a bit apprehensive to do it just from watching a video.
My vet had me change her diet first and then to bring her in for the blood curve after a week or so. She said to change the food first before the insulin blood curve to see how the change in diet helps her. She didn't want to be doing the insulin therapy and the change in diet at the same time.
Now my next question is the supplies, where is the best and most economical place to purchase them? I need to get Lantus and the pens. I live with my brother who is also a type one diabetic and takes Lantus. I have access to a meter and strips.

 

While you work on home testing, see my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for assessments you can make to monitor her health. They aren't as precise as blood testing, however they still provide clues.

There may be a coupon at http://www.lantus.com that you can use for the pens (the best way to buy Lantus for cats).

We've found that Marks Marine in Canada has some of the best pricing for Lantus, so if you're in the states, you can fax or mail them the Rx. They'll ship it refrigerated.