Jimmy got diagnosed Tues, home safe from emergency care.

My baby boy Jimmy is in emergency care. He's fighting an infection caused by his diabetes, also diagnosed today.

I'm a little overwhelmed, and also feeling like I should have somehow known he was sick much, much earlier. Is there any way to care for an awesome, super loving diabetic cat without breaking the bank on vet bills? Is there any way to get help with vet bills?

 

Re: Jimmy got diagnosed today, is in emergency care.

Hi and welcome to the FDMB family.

This is absolutely can be done without breaking the bank. Now with the infection it might be a little more pricey until Jimmy gets over that. But I have 11 cats only 1 is a diabetic. Even my diabetic I adopted from this board as a diabetic.

The important thing right now is to relax and take a few deep breathes. We are going toneed a few things from you before we know which was is the best to help you.

Can you tell us what kind of insulin they are going to start him on? how much and how often?
What is Jimmy diet is like right now? We highly suggest a low carb/high protein canned diet. Now since I have 11 everyone here eats what my diabetic Max eats. Just good old-fashioned Friskies Pate flavors. This simple diet change and a short course of insulin got my guy OTJ (Off the Juice or in remission).

Are you interested in learning how to home test Jimmy's blood sugar at home. It is very easy and we can teach you how. That way you will know exactly how well the insulin is working, keep him safe from Hypo and not have to drag him to the vet all the time for curves since you will be doing those at home and sharing the results with your vet. I personally just email my Max's spread sheet to my vet. I have owned him since October 15 2010 and my vet has yet to actually see him.

Mel , Max & The Fur Gang

 

Re: Jimmy got diagnosed today, is in emergency care.

I am so sorry to hear your Jimmy is in the hospital. Did they say he had DKA? If so, it is the best place for him to be.

Here are some ideas for help with vet bills: http://www.felinediabetes.com/vetbills.htm

The good news is that feline diabetes is a disease managed at home. We test our kitties with glucometers just like human diabetics and only need to see the vet for regular checkups or emergency care. Video for hometesting

Please don't blame yourself. Cats are also brilliant at hiding pain and discomfort. For us, we didn't notice until the litter box started flooding over. We had fed Science Diet light for years for weight control and not realized it could be helping him toward diabetes.

What you can do for Jimmy now is to educate yourself and figure out the best plan for his diabetes when he comes home. We will be glad to help with that!

 

Re: Jimmy got diagnosed today, is in emergency care.

Thank you for all the kind words and welcome. I'll be combing through those sites tonight to see what I can come up with.

Right now, I don't know what's going on. I'm operating on faith and the old adage that no news is good news. I haven't gotten any calls that said he was taking a turn for the worse, so I'm going to hope for the best. He's a tough boy...probably tougher than any other animal I've known. He's survived eye punctures, being driven off into the woods on top of a car (accidentally...he's no longer an outside cat for that reason!), and being poisoned by a neurotoxin in Hartz flea medication. I'm just praying he's got another life or two left in him because he's a really good cat.

My vet now seems on the same page with me...i.e. understanding that just because I'm not well-funded doesn't mean I want to put him down. She's shaved the costs down to something more manageable though I'll probably still need assistance just to swing that. She also said she might have insulin at the office that she can send him home with, but everything depends on how he's responded to the antibiotics and IV rehydration tomorrow afternoon. Please pray for my boy. I know you've got other things you could send your good thoughts out for, but I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to think of him for me.

-with many thanks
Angie

 

Re: Jimmy got diagnosed today, is in emergency care.

Angie and of course dearest Jimmy,

There are 20 fingers, 20 toes and 44 paws all crossed that you will get through the stay with the vetty bean just fine and be home with your momma really soon. You have one very smart mom, because while you were sick she found us, and once you are home again we will help her make you feel all better.

There is actually nothing we like better than to pray for those extra sweet kitties

My own diabetic cat Max had a pretty rough start in life. He was originally a Katrina survivor, then spent 2 yrs in a sanctuary, was adopted by an elderly lady in boston, only to have her get ill and go into a nursing home, the family didn't want to treat his diabetes and had surrendered him for euthansia, but he's a lucky guy and a wonderful angel from this board put me in touch with him, helped fly him from Boston to Nebraska to be with my husband and I. That was October 15th 2010, today he is healthy and happy and in remission and no longer on insulin. All because of the wonderful folks on this board. And you are now part of this big wonderful family.

We will hold your hand and paw through it all. Venita here runs a group called Diabetic Cats in Need, we also have a supply closet and a newbie kit program to help out in getting newbies like yourself off to a great start. Once you know how Jimmy is doing and a few more details on his insulin etc we will see what we can do to get you all hooked up.

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang.

 

Re: Jimmy got diagnosed today, is in emergency care.

You are probably getting your biggest expense now.If your vet can give you some insulin to start, you can get all the other supplies you need for under a hundred bucks-insulin syringes,a meter and test strips, urine strips to test for ketones and lancets.Walmart and most other chains have their own brand of meters and strips.You don't need any really fancy, high tech stuff to start.

Diabetics (wether a person or a pet) tend to have infections when they are unregulated. This too will decrease as time goes on.My cat was literally on death's door when he showed up on my door step fifteen months ago.He is now almost in remission. This morning he was hiding behind a door and my first thought was he was hiding because he was sick..when I watched him he was playing hide and seek with one of my younger cats. This is the first time I have ever seen him play!

So it does get better!

 

Re: Jimmy got diagnosed today, is in emergency care.

You might go ahead and send for one of our newbie kits: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=19541 It is free except for postage and contains a meter, strips, lancets and other goodies you will need. It will take a few days to arrive but you should have it by the time Jimmy gets home. If you get free insulin from the vet, you should be able to start the process at very minimal cost.

 

Re: Jimmy got diagnosed today, is in emergency care.

When you have a moment, check out the various insulin forums. Each of them has info specific to the insulin used. Many of us use Lantus, some use Levemir, and a number use PZI forms.

If your vet decides to go with Lantus (it has had some excellent success in control and in some cases, remission), don't get freaked by the upfront cost as you'll be using a purchase for a couple of months, easily, if you handle it properly (ex. refrigerate, don't shake).

The doses for many cats are in the 2-4 units per day and there are 1000 units in a 10 mL vial. This would be 250 days of doses @ 4 units total per day. Thus if the vial is $120, the daily cost becomes $120/250, or $0.48 per day. If your cat is on a lower dose, the cost reduces even further. Read over the Lantus stickies so you'll be able discuss this with your vet

Although it may seem more costly, getting Lantus in the pen refill vials of 3 mL (5 in a set) lets you get more useage overall, as insulins start to deteriorate once opened. Sometimes, you can purchase individual pen refill vials (ex from hospital pharmacies), so the cost can be spread out even more.

 

Re: Jimmy got diagnosed today, is in emergency care.

Jimmy is home now, with a bit heftier of a bill than I was expecting, but I guess that's what happens when one adopts a furbaby.

The good news is he seems a lot more like his old self. He's following me around the house letting me know he's hungry every 5 seconds, and when we were still at the vet's, he was rolling around all over the exam table trying to get loving from anyone who'd have him.

I'm seeing the weakness in the back legs that I've noted in research and other forums, so hopefully as his BG levels get more stable, I'll be able to work on that with him. So I have a few questions: how do I transition from vet care to home care? I'm really paranoid I might do more harm than good, but if I could stabilize him and eventually get him "off the juice", I'd be ecstatic.

I'm about to give him an insulin shot for the first time (wish me luck!). Since I don't have a meter, I'm just operating on what the vet's been doing for the past day. Here's hoping. Thank you all for your kind thoughts and words.

Also, I believe his insulin is PZI.

 

Re: Jimmy got diagnosed today, is in emergency care.

How wonderful that your baby is home!

PZI is a good mild long lasting insulin. What is your dose?

Did you send for a newbie kit? The sooner you can start testing, the better.

 

Re: Jimmy got diagnosed today, is in emergency care.

Unfortunately after paying today's vet bill, I can only afford to get the newbie kit tomorrow when I get some more money in the bank. But it will definitely help!

 

Re: Jimmy got diagnosed today, is in emergency care.

You can get a free newbie kit...just pay postage, here:

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=19541

 

Re: Jimmy got diagnosed today, is in emergency care.

I was quite literally tapped out after the vet bill today, with a grand total of $1.79 to my name. I should hopefully be able to pay the postage tomorrow whenever I have more than a dollar and change.

 

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to thank everyone again for all the kind thoughts and prayers for me and Jimmy. We're doing well and adjusting to life post-diagnosis. I've found a group to help us out and keep us pointed in the right direction as far as his ongoing care is concerned. Thank you so much for your generosity!

Angie and Jimmy