New to being a diabetic cat mom

Hello,
My name is Tammy and Charlie has just been diagnosed with feline diabetes. I am just reading lots of information and watching some videos to get my self better informed. Thank you

 

Welcome. You've come to the right place. Diabetes is very treatable and they can live long healthy lives with it.

 

Hi Tammy! Welcome to the forum. I am sorry you have to join us, but this is a really friendly bunch to have in this journey.

Hope Charlie does welll with the treatment. When you have had a chance to read it all, you may want to setup a more detailed profile and a spreadsheet. It would help people help you if you have questions.

 

Thank you. I have been reading and watching videos most of the day. I will read some more and then update my profile. Thanks

 

Hi! Nice to meet you Tammy, I'm Sydney and my cat's name is Moo Moo.

 

I'm new and trying to bungle around on everything. Trying to learn home testing. Navigate this website, learn the FDMB spreadsheet, that's in view only, and my sugar baby is not better than four weeks ago. Chris Ronkoski, admid., was kind enough to set up Raymond James spreadsheet but I'm getting no where..uggg

 

@Lee cuzz Hey! Nice to meet you, I'm pretty new to everything as well. Is there anything in particular you need help with??

 

Thank you. I'm going to try another lancet. Can't home test but I'm trying..
Also, do you know to search for a topic under FDMB? Every time I search, says, nothing found.

 

So, I had a lot of trouble with getting blood at first. I'm using the lancets for alternative site testing which I believe are 28 gauge. My lancing pen came with a clear tip, which switching to helped so much. Neosporin with pain relief ointment (not cream) helps so your cat doesn't get grumpy and it beads the blood up. I use my nail to get the blood onto it, because my cat doesn't sit well enough for me to touch the test strip to her ear after using the lancing. Treats help a LOT for me. There are a couple videos some members here have made that helped a lot (I will see if I can find them).

As far as the search, I would try to make something more general, maybe? What are you trying to search for?

 

This is a photo of where you want to aim with your lancet.

The videos are: This one, this one, and this one

 

Hi Tammy. Welcome to you. I see you are following SLGS and so a reduction was earned by falling under 90. What are you feeding? Kudos to you for home testing. The new dose will be dependent on what information I learn from you but you will take It down to no more than .75.

 

I am feeding Fancy feast Pate and whiskers pate.

 

The you can follow either of our dosing methods since you are not feeding dry food. Tight Regulation or Start Low Go Slow. Info on them is here:
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...-low-go-slow-slgs-tight-regulation-tr.210110/

Would you set up a signature please? Include food you feed, type of BG monitor ,when diagnosed, any other medications or health issues?Look at mine for ideas.

 

Here’s more to read.
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/the-basics-new-to-the-group-start-here.18139/

There’s a lot to learn so keep asking questions.
Did your cat have ketones present at diagnosis or was he DKA? If so add that to your signature as well. If you don’t know we will figure that out later.

 

I think I added everything to my signature. The vet said he had no ketones but didn't say anything about DKA? I don't know what DKA is.

 

Great job on the signature Tammy. If Charlie had DKA, you would know. It is diabetic ketoacidosis. It's a complication that can happen with an unregulated cat, good to know you don't have to deal with it. If you haven't been to our Heath Links/FAQs section yet, it's a good one to browse around it to learn about all sorts of things diabetic.

 

That’s good. That means no DKA. Don’t worry about that right now. Good job with the signature.

 

Thank you

 

Thank you

 

Were you feeding him any dry food before diagnosis? If so when was the food switched?

 

He had dry food before he was diagnosed on Dec 22 and the vet put him on Hill's GlucoSupport MD 1/3 cup a day (dry) and 1/2 can of Hill's GlucoSupport MD (wet) 2X a day but I took him off all dry food on Dec 29. And started feeding him whiskers (pate) and fancy feast (pate). Free feed him. If the bowl is empty I fill it.

 

Hi Tammy, I see you’ve come a long way since that first day you were looking for help. I am so happy you’ve had the help you needed. Charles Gallent seems to be doing well. Good luck to you both on this journey. Be patient with yourself.

sorry Tammy, missed my misspelling of Charlie
Have a happy Sunday.

 

Hi Tammy, I'm new and was encouraged to see how quickly you got the lay of the land! How is Charlie Gallant doing today? How are you holding up?

Xo,

Rachel

 

He is doing good. Sorry I did not get back to you sooner I was not on my computer all day. I gave him 0.5 units tonight because his sugars were only 6.2 again tonight and it worked well the other night. I am still getting the hang of things and going to ask for more advice on dosing in a couple of days. His behaviour is back to normal and is back to cuddling again, he stopped for a few weeks after I started to poke him but I truly think he knows now that I am doing it to make him feel better. It is hard and I really worry about him and how I am doing with it all but I am starting to feel better about how to manage things.

Tammy

 

sorry I did replay but just figured out I had to hit the reply button for it to go to you.

 

Thanks, Still a lot of learning to do but i am not panicking as much as I was just a few weeks ago.

 

Things sound good Tammy. It’s overwhelming at first but I promise it gets better. Ask for advice any time you are unsure of what to do. The people on this forum are great, kind and caring. You’ve connected with some great experienced people. I wish you and Charlie all the very best.

 

Thank you. This site has been my life saver. I am still learning how to work the site but the more time I spend on it the less overwhelming it becomes. I took a mental break from everything tech today. I have a much better feeling now thinking I can do this. I know it will be a long time before I feel total comfortable with everything but with all the help and positivity from people on this group I know we can make it. ( I just found out how to add a smiley face..lol)

 

Tammy it took me a long time to figure out things including the emojis . There are no stupid questions here, ask away.

 

Thank you I really appreciate all the help!

 

Tammy, I just read this again and it made me laugh. How many times have we all done things like this, this definitely was something I did. New things sometimes just block our common sense and the obvious is out of sight. Trial and error, eventually it will all make sense and definitely get easier. I truly admire you for being open about your experiences, it is of great value to someone else who might be embarrassed to ask questions. Have a good day tomorrow and I’m glad you’re here.

 

LOL I need to be open so people realize I truly have no idea what I am doing and everything, from learning how to use this site, to checking Charlie's blood, giving him his isulin or dose issues. I figure if people know how much I don't know it will be easier for them to help me..lol.
Thanks I hope you have a great day tomorrow as well and I am glad you are here as well. You have been a great help!

 

We all started out clueless and scared. You are not alone.

 

I just started a new thread to ask about his AM dose. Can you tell me how to tag people in it?

 

Yes. You put the @ sign followed by their name. When you start typing a list will pop up and you select it. Like this. @Tammy Campbell Gallant

 

Thank you

 

I love your honesty Tammy, being open like you are is the best way to get others to know who you are. I felt comfortable talking to you from the very start. We all struggle with our kitties, getting them healthy. Be patient, there is a wealth of information but also a lot of people to help you understand
this journey. Charlie seems to be doing well so you must be doing the best things for him. Like I told you, ask questions when you get lost or confused Be open to change or suggestions. I am here for you and so are many others with a lot of experience. You and Charlie have a great day.

 

Thank you! Charlie and I are doing much better over the last few days. You and other people on this site have built up my confidence. Charlie was my mother-in-laws cat before she got to bad to look after him and we took him in, I will admit I really didn't want another animal at the time but...what else do you do? As soon as he got here he became the boss of the other animals and of us..lol. He is so loving and gentle, just like she was. We have had him for 7 years now and unfortunately my mother-in-law is no longer with us. Charlie is a little piece of her. I did everything I could for my mother-in-law while she was with us and I will do the same for Charlie. (sorry that was a little much) He just holds a special spot in my heart and when I got this news and tried to educate myself I was so overwhelmed and wanted you to know how much you helped me and Charlie. Sometimes even knowing you are doing something little right helps.
Hope you and Dolly have a great day as well!

 

Tammy I am so happy to hear you are feeling more confident. Sometimes it just seems daunting, so much to learn, the health of this precious little life in your hands, (the drama side of me ). It will get a little more comfortable each day, a new responsibility. Trust me the rewards of watching your cat improve out weigh the fear of not getting everything right. There will be good days and then days that Charlie will seem to be going backwards. Eventually you will be able to be okay with even that knowing his numbers will get back to going in the right direction. I am so sorry for the loss of your mother-in-law. The comparison was not too much in my mind, on some level part of her lives on through Charlie. Not everyone can understand that Dolly is as precious as a person to me in many ways. I care for her in ways my family does not understand. The loss of sleep, pre coronavirus, cancelled plans because her numbers were too low, things like that. Not to mention the expense , I won’t even add it up anymore. I have to be reminded all the time that I will make wrong decisions, make mistakes. It’s a tricky disease. I am here for a chat but not for any health related decisions. I don’t have the knowledge or the experience. You may lose a lot of sleep, one of the hardest things for me. I’m not a nap person. Just reach out any time of day but make sure you put the right prefix on your thread title. There is always someone around 24 hours a day to help you. It took me time to figure all that out as well . It’s time to go talk to my Dolly and start dinner. I hope I’ve made sense and not too many typos. You and Charlie and all the rest of your family have a good night. Chat soon.

 

I am truly surprised how many of my family and friends don't understand. They have told me to just put him to sleep. I try to explain that he is not in pain and why would I do that but some don't understand. I am glad you are here to understand that. I am off to bed. I did lay down for an hour today after being up most of the night with Charlie to get a good read on his night time numbers but didn't get much sleep. Charlie is all ready for bed and cuddling me while we watch a big of TV before we call it a night.
I am here as well if you need to talk. (I try to check this site a few times a day) I can't give advice either... Obviously but can chat if you need someone to talk to. Hope you and Dolly have a great day tomorrow! Talk soon

 

Thank you Tammy