Newly diagnosed and scared!

Hi, my wonderul cat's name is Pepper. He is 12 years old and was diagnosed today. We live in Winston-Salem, NC. I had noticed over the past week that he was drinking and peeing a LOT! I called the vet today and took him right in. Urinalysis confirmed what she thought was diabetes. I get the blood test results tomorrow. I've already purchased high protein food (Purina d/m) and he is on an antibiotic to fight off any infection.
He is quite overweight. (Like Garfield) and I'm hoping that I can get him down to a healthy weight and this can be regulated.
Any thoughts out there?
I'm absolutely emotional about this and reading this website made me cry all over again. Am I crazy?
Any words of encouragement would be appreciated.
Thanks ;-)

 

NOT CRAZY. We've all been there.

What you want to do now is to READ READ READ and educate yourself.

1) Cat nutrition: Dr Lisa Pierson's site
Read all about low carb foods, why most of us choose to feed either all canned or raw diet, and about weight.

2) HOMETESTING! please read the stickies above about why it is important to hometest when you start giving insulin to your baby.
Just like you wouldn't give a human diabetic insulin w/o knowing their blood sugar levels, most of us want to have some information about whether we are giving our furries enough, not enough, or too much insulin.

Do you know what insulin you might use for your baby? And... the antibiotics? I'm a little confused about that... was there an infection?

 

Well, at one time or another we were all in your shoes. The trick is to remember to breathe.

Read, read, read... read the links under HEALTH... read about the different insulins... read about cat nutrition.

First and foremost, ditch the D/M. It's higher in carbs than you need, and full of fillers. Just tell your vet your kitty doesn't like it and return it for credit. Is the D/M wet or dry?

Home testing the blood glucose is highly recommended. Think of it in terms of a human child... would you shoot insulin without first knowing the blood sugar level? And, what did your vet say about insulin? There is an FDA warning out on Vetsulin.

 

Welcome

The main site is http://www.felinediabetes.com Go there to read tons of helpful articles on how to manage your diabetic cat, how to give insulin injections, what happens in the body that causes diabetes, etc.

You can return the prescription junk to the vet for a refund. That's all the "prescription" food is: worthless junk ingredients. Vets sell it bceause they don't know much about proper nutrition.

Read http://www.catinfoorg for proper cat nutrition. The best diet for diabetic cats is low carb canned food. We can help you with how to choose a low carb food. Many commerical brands are good.

 

WELCOME, this forum is a great place to gain knowledge and really learn how to manage feline diabetes. By doing just a few things each day (that really won't take up much of your time at all), you won't need to worry about losing your precious cat, not where feline diabetes is concerned.

There are three key factors to managing diabetes: food/nutrition, home testing and insulin

1) Feline Nutrition: Now, as far as diet - definitely dump the dry food (if you are feeding any) and if the vet recommends purchasing prescription food like DM just say "no thank you". ALL cats, and especially those with diabetes, do best on a species appropriate diet that is high in protein and low in carbs. Dry food DOES NOT fit that bill and DM food, even canned, just really isn't that great as far as quality. Most here on FDMB feed low carb/high protein canned, raw bought from a pet store or they make there own.

Here great links, one is to a food chart put together by one of our board members that breaks down the carb % and protein % of most of the commercial brand foods. You want to keep the carb % below 10% and around 7% is great. The other link is to a site by a vet "Dr. Lisa DVM" ... who also posts on this board from time to time ... there is in-depth info. there about many things, including nutrition and how to make raw food.

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=115

The good thing with feeding your diabetic cat this way, is that it is ALSO good for any non-diabetic cat too. All your cats can safely eat the same food without worry and it may save you some costs and headaches of having to do separate feedings and keeping track of what they are eating.

2. Home testing: It is impossible to convey the value of testing your cat's BG (blood glucose) level at home. Some vets will "suggest" this, but most won't even mention it. They will send you home with insulin and an amount to shoot and maybe some instructions about hypoglycemia (blood sugar dropping to a dangerously low level).

Well, the thing is, human diabetics don't EVER give themselves insulin without checking there BG to make sure it is safe to do so, so why shouldn't it be the same for our kitties. Here on FDMB it is. You will notice that the vast majority of people here test their cat's BG at least 2x/day (before giving each shot to make sure the level is safe enough) and periodically at other times to see how the cat is responding to the current dose. We use a human glucometer, test strips and lancets - which are all very readily available and easy to use.

Our kitties get lots of love and treats for "putting up" with this and most of them actually come out to be tested on their own 'cause they want those treats . Here is a collection of great links that "Carolyn and Spot" pulled together about hometesting. See what you think ... it truly is the best way to not only keep Your cat safe but also really get a handle on this disease and help him to live a healthy life with FD (feline diabetes).

Carolyn and Spot's Hometesting Links: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

3. Insulin: There are several types of insulin available. Many people, myself included use Lantus or Levimer both of which are great insulins. They are gentle insulin and given twice (BID) per day in 12 hour increments.

Please read up on the insulins available, here is a link to the Insulin Support Groups:

viewforum.php?f=5

However, one caveat and again this shows how these three things are inter-related:

If you are feeding dry food or even a high carb food, BEFORE removing these foods, please make sure of your insulin dose as it will most likely need to be reduced, so as to avoid a possible hypoglycemic situation due to the removal of the dry/high carb foods that will lower the BG’s and reduce the amount of insulin required. Again, another reason why home testing is important.

I know this all seems like a lot, and that's because it is ... there is a learning curve here. But as long as you are determined and keep at it, you will have it down before you know it and you'll be seeing the results in Your cat' overall health and happiness. Ask all the questions you can think of - that's why we are here!

Also, if you haven't done it yet, take the time and fill out your profile. It will help when others come on and read this. Also, let us know where you live - city/state as there are probably people in your area who can provide on the ground support and help you to learn home testing, etc.

 

Oh you are not crazy at all! I was in your shoes two weeks ago. I just finished crying myself because Webber has to go in to the vet tomorrow to start his insulin. I just feel so helpless. BUT this message board and the web site have been a godsend. Everyone on here has been so positive, encouraging and supportive.

Welcome!

 

Hi Pepper's Mom! Sounds like you love your furrbaby to pieces. I 'had' a Garfield too, now he is just 17.2 lbs and handsome as ever! No you are not silly to cry - you will find it to be something you might do quite often here. Reading all you can will give you the knowledge you need to fight this battle. Chocolate might be necessary too. And the special moments you will have with Pepper will help you realize how important it is to help him drop weight and get regulated. I read and re-read Dr Lisa's site catinfo.org, got Crash on low carb, low calorie wet foods and OTJ in 5 months. My profile holds the story. Go slow on the weight loss, and take back the D/M - get him on canned only. And for snacks: find freeze dried chicken snackuses - Pure Bites on Amazon is the best value ($30 for a huge bag). He'll love it - it's crunchy. Come back often and ask as many questions as you have. (((hugs)))

 

Thank you guys so much!
I'm supposed to go back to the vet in about a week so we can test his blood sugar again and discuss insulin. His blood work last Tuesday came back with a BG level of 550. (Not good, I know) He does hate this new food, and he's always eaten dry food, so I wonder what is so different? I'll definitely do more research on that.
Thank you for all the support, thus far. I will keep everyone posted on what I decide to do. Right now, I'll do anything to keep my baby healthy. I'm guilt-ridden, and have been letting him sleep with me every night (until 2 or 3 am when he wants to roam around and pat at my face! LOL) Oh well, I would miss not getting a full night's sleep! ha ha
Another question, do kitties feel bad when they are going through this? What kind of signs should I be looking for?
Thanks again! HUGS!