newly diagnosed

luca my 10 year old cat went in for dental surgery and we came out with a diagnosed with diabetes. luca also was diagnosed with megacolon over 2 years ago and is on oral medication and had done well. Like everyone else its stressful to start the process of getting him as healthy as possible. SO far he has been given 2 injections and he meowed each time . We practiced at the vet with saline and he was fine. Is it because the insulin is too cold or am i doing it wrong. i have watched several videos on how to injected. My vet also will see him in about 2 weeks to have spend the day and monitor his levels. She issnt suggesting that we do it at home as kitties dont seem to be cooperative. Everything i have read seems that kitties are monitored at home. We have 2 other kitties s feeding him before insulin is going to be hard. Kitties are use to grazing during the day on dry high protein food (due to megacolon) He doesnt love can food like most kitties do. I'm also concerned about the timing we have trips planned which means one of my sons will have to learn how to administer the shot. I'm not sure what im asking for other then this is all overwhelming as was the megacolon diagnosis. Any suggestions would be appreciated......judy

 

Hi Judy welcome to you and Luca. It can be overwhelming at first, but it will get easier as you find a routine that works for you. I have multiple cats that were used to free feeding on dry food too, and it took awhile for them to get used to the new schedule, but they did and yours will too. What insulin are you using? We absolutely recommend you learn to home test. It's the only way to see how well the insulin is working and the best way to keep Luca safe. It's true that testing at the vet is stressful for cats, but at home they quickly learn that a treat will follow and actually will go to the testing spot and wait to be tested. Here's some info to get you started
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
Check it out and ask any questions you have on the Health Forum.

 

Some insulins sting some kitties and some don't like it cold. You can warm it up before injecting by holding the syringe, where the dose is, between your fingers for a few minutes.

A lot of vets think home testing will be stressful because it is stressful for the kitty at the vets. That's not what we find and by testing at home in a less stressful environment you will get more accurate readings. You can prepare Luca for home testing by rubbing the edge of his ear several times a day and telling him how good he is when he lets you, the next step can be clicking a pen near his ear after you've rubbed it so he gets used to the sound the lancet will make. Kitties don't have many nerves in the area we test so once he's used to you messing with his ears doing the test itself will probably be no big deal for him at all. The first time I actually tested Vyktor I thought I was going to vomit but he barely reacted at all and then he got a low carb (chicken for him) treat after and he immediately decided that testing was great. It is vital to home test to keep kitty safe.

 

Testing at home is not stressful here. Ok the first week was, but after that it's been easy peasy.

If you want a dry they can still graze on, the only one I've found is Young Again Zero carb which you can buy at Youngagainpetfood. Com.

They will send a free sample of you ask them. I credit the food with getting my cat's blood glucose levels under control and can't say enough good things about it.

 

Unless one has a high-dose cat or keeps the syringes in the fridge, the room temperature syringe will warm the small amount to insulin normally injected.

 

Whether or not the insulin warms before injecting would depend on the temperature of the room and how quickly after drawing the shot is given as well as the size of the dose.