Newly diagnosed

Hi there. I'm Linda. My baby, Jaspurr, was recently diagnosed (on Monday), and I've been giving him insulin for two days now. Nothing I can say that I haven't seen said before. The initial reaction was tears. A lot of them. But my kitty is my best friend, and we are going to get through this. I think having a forum like this will be some help.

It's still so new. I'm obviously shocked and sad, and feel guilty for not knowing that dry food (even the "good" stuff) is a big factor in kitty diabetes. I was giving him Orijen! Orijen saved my mom's cat's life, after she was having seizures from the Purina she was eating. I never fathomed it would make my boy sick. He was healthy and fine his whole life (he's eight), then suddenly dropped about six pounds and showed all the signs. I was woefully unprepared, but I thank God that I'm now in a position where I work from home and can be here to take care of him and keep an eye on him. Switching his food for the last week has seemed to help already - then the insulin started yesterday. That is a challenge. You all know this already.

As for food, I'm giving him the Instinct canned stuff now. He likes it, and he seems to feel better. He was pretty playful, today, in fact.

A big challenge is coming up, especially with everything being so new and raw - at the end of this month I'm moving from California to Kentucky. Which means air travel for my already stressed out buddy, and finding a new vet and watching him through all the moving hassles. I'm doing it all on my own. It's a little overwhelming. Okay, it's a lot overwhelming.

Anyway... Not sure what else to say at this juncture, or even if I was supposed to say all that here at all. It's all new to me.

Hi all.

 

Welcome, Linda and Jaspurr! We all understand the fear, worry and confusion. We can definitely help you and give you hints on how to handle the other things on your plate like air travel, etc. This is a very supportive and knowledgeable community.

Please post all your questions on the main health forum where you'll have them seen by more people. Let us know the following info:

• what insulin you have
• what dose you're giving
• whether you plan to test your kitty's blood glucose at home (much worse than it sounds and will give you so much peace of mind)
• if so, what blood glucose meter you'll use.

Don't blame yourself for Jaspurr's FD diagnosis. Being overweight can be a factor and dry food can contribute to that but it can happen to a slender cat who eats wet food 90% of the time like my guy.

 

Welcome. We are here for you to answer questions and offer moral support. What terrible timing with the move coming.

 

Welcome Linda and Jaspurr