Newly Diagnosed

Hi, I'm Karen from MA and my cat, Calvin, was diagnosed with diabetes tonight. He will be starting insulin tomorrow (Lantus). It is 1 unit 2 x per day. The vet suggested the Hill's m/d for his diet, but I noticed there are some carbs (i.e. corn and sweet potato) in the ingredients. He normally eats Fancy Feast classic or the Sheba pate.

I also have another non-diabetic cat and my problem is going to be feeding them. The vet doesn't want Cal to graze, but Mac (the other kitty) does graze. I can't/won't separate them during the day as they are very attached. I'm not worried about giving the insulin and I will be ordering a monitor - the vet said to give it a couple of weeks before I start doing a curve test. But feeding Cal and Mac together might be an issue. Are there any suggestions?

Thanks for this message board - I almost had a melt down in the vet's waiting room after she told me about him.

 

Welcome to FDMB! We are glad you found us. I’m sorry for the diagnosis but you are in the right place.

Many members feed the low carb versions of Fancy Feast. This chart (click on the blue print to the left) is a little older but should still be helpful. You want to feed a food that is less than 10% calories from carbs. There’s no harm in free feeding, for now, but you just want to withhold food for two hours prior to the preshot test.

We recommend you buy a human glucometer and not a pet meter. Our methods of regulation are written based on using a human meter and you will save a lot of money on the meter and also on strips. I’d suggest you go to Walmart tomorrow and get a meter (many use ReliOn Prime or Freestyle Lite), corresponding strips, 28-29g lancets (don’t buy 500 because once you learn to poke successfully, you’ll want to switch to a smaller gauge), urine Ketostix, and, if you don’t have them, U100/0.3cc/31g insulin syringes with 1/2 unit markings to make it easier to dose.

We absolutely would not agree with waiting for a couple weeks to test and do a curve. We are data driven here so we strongly encourage you to test every single time before you give insulin. It’s not unusual to wake up to a lower number and if you shoot without testing, you could risk hypoglycemia. At a minimum, and it’s a truly a minimum, you should test four times a day including the preshots.

We have two methods of regulation we use here and we can help you with that but first we need to help you hometest and get the right food. We can help you do all that if you will post on the Main Health Forum.

A couple posts to help you get started:
How to Help Us Help You
Editing Your Signature and Profile

 

Deep breath, hold, release, deep breath, hold, release, deep breath, hold, release. Repeat as needed.

Yes, a diagnosis of diabetes for your cat can be scary, but there are a lot of people here to help.

Welcome Karen and extra sweet kitty Calvin.

p.s. I'm from MA too, up on the North Shore, Newburyport area. Did your kitty get their name because you are you a Calvin and Hobbes fan?

 

Just to tag along on Marje's post, if you wait a couple of weeks to do a curve, you will have no experience with testing. Trying to test every 2 hours for a 12-hour period is a lot to ask someone who has never poked their cat in the ear before. Better to start now so you and Calvin are ready for that first curve.

This is a link to information and video's on home testing.

 

Hi Deb & Wink - I adopted Cal about 6 years ago - he came with the name. But I liked it and kept it - he is a Calvin!

Doing better today. Gave him his first dose of insulin and he didn't flinch. I will buy the monitor tomorrow. So much to remember and do! (Breathing)

Thanks for the welcome!

 

Thanks Sienne and Gabby - you're right about no experience in testing. I am going to get the monitor and at least try to get a morning and evening base line and figure out what's the best way so he doesn't freak out.

 

Marje and Gracie, thank you for the warm welcome. I am willing to learn what I can to help my handsome boy (he's the orange tabby in my avatar picture). I'll look at the links you provided. Thank you for having such a wonderful forum!

 

He’s definitely handsome! We will see you in Main Health. Please tag me in your comments by typing @Marje and Gracie.

 

Hello and welcome from another fan of gingers.. Magellan was an odd boy, never adjusted to his ears being stuck.. But the pads of his toes.. no problem only thing you have to remember is to clean off the toes before stabbing. Also remember to bribe him.. I find before and after the test to be best. and during lots of cuddles and scritches. In the beginning Magellan would run and hide.. after a bit he would hop up on the working station and demand his treats.. even if it was not officially test time.... Time and patience from both of you and you will get through this and learn the sugar dance