Newly diagnosed - a little overwhelmed

Hi There- My 12 year old Russian Blue, Lestat, has just been diagnosed with diabetes. While I am not panicking, I am a little overwhelmed by everything that I'm reading and trying to decide where to start, what to do, etc.

I need help and a users manual.

My poor little Lestat is a bit of a lemon and seems to be plagued with problems. In 2010, he had to have his first surgery to remove non-disolovable crystals from his intestines, that were too large for him to pass. He had to have the surgery again in 2012. At that time, my Vet put him on a special urinary tract- Science Hills prescription diet Kidney Care KD (both wet and moist combined) to hopefully help prevent him from developing these again. In 2013, he started having allergy related skin dermatitis, and he would get sore patches that he would groom excessively until they were raw, which were treated with both steroid shots when they got really bad and Atopica orally when not as Severe. So now, I can't put him on a special diabetic diet because of the potential kidney problems and I have been advised to try and give him 2mg of Chlor-Trmeton orally for the skin, as well as .1ml Glargine Insuline (Lantus) in th morning after he eats.

He's probably more stressed than we are, but he's getting used to the new eating schedule and having the shot in the morning.

I'm using the urine sticks to test his Urine and the Ketone level seems good, but the glucose seems high.

I'm supposed to take him in in a couple of weeks for more testing, but am concerned about how stressed he gets- last time we took him, he didn't eat at the Vet for nearly 2 days- which I'm sure will affect the levels.

I don't want to over react to all the information (side effects, associated diseases, etc.) that I'm reading and I now feel like I'm going to be at hime for the rest of his life observing him.

Where to start- I assume home testing is better than taking him in?

I obviously need my vet to explain what normal should be- what else should I be asking?

I love my boy so much. I should also mention that he has a fur sister (Pandora- different breed) that is now getting used to a food schedule also out of sympathy for her brother- she's not so happy- lol.

Thank you for your consideration and advice.

 

Welcome Christopher and Lestat. It is overwhelming at first, there's a lot to learn, but you can do it and it will get easier! Many people here have diabetic cats that also have kidney problems. If you post your questions about a good food that will help both problems on the health forum, I'm sure someone will give you some good advice. Are you giving Lantus once a day or twice? It would be great if you could start testing his glucose at home. It is much less stressful for Lestat and will also help keep him safe as you'll know if he's getting enough insulin or, too much, which can be extremely serious. Keep reading and asking questions. That's the best thing you can do for Lestat.

 

Welcome to the message board, 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. All of our insulin guidelines use human glucometer numbers for reference.
- 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.


And just a clarification for you: urinary tract crystals form in the kidneys and/or bladder, not the intestines. The intestines start at the end of the stomach and are coiled up inside the body until they end at the anus. Feeding a wet diet reduces the chances of crystals or stones forming.

 

Hello and Welcome Christopher & Lestat!
One thing, one day at a time! Yes, it's a very steep learning curve! Sticking around here is one of the best things you can do. You will surprise yourself very quickly.
I think right off the bat, getting familiar with home testing is key, so you don't have to return to the vet for a curve to be done.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
Testing at home will give you much peace of mind and save you money, plus you are correct! Kitty's levels do go up when stressed at the vet.
Then it would be great if you could get a SPREADSHEET up and running, for others to refer to who wish to help you.
Here is the info:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/

There are members who can assist you with it if necessary. Just ask!! We love questions here.

You said you have been looking around the site, so I am sure you know that you need to purchase a glucometer for testing. Try Walmart ReliOn brand, as the strips are cheapest and you will be buying them often.
How do you think Lestat is going to like you poking his ears? Try desensitizing him now, by handling his ears abit, reward & praise him, release. Get him used to it, in other words. After 2 wks my Tucker was coming to our testing spot himself!
Warming the ear to stimulate blood flow, in the beginning, is extremely helpful. Little rice socks, or dampened washcloth heated in a baggie(microwave) work well.
If you need help or have any questions at all, jump on here and post!!
Much more to say, but I am sure others want to jump in here too.
All the best
Brenda

 

Thank you so much!!!