June 9th New Member saying hello.

[Astroheist]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to all of this and like anyone new I'm of course nervous about what I'm doing. So many things going through my head right now. My cat's name is Lily (which I later discovered is not as unique as I'd thought lol) and she's a domestic short hair tuxedo. She's 9 years old and I just started giving her doses on Monday.

My worries go from cost to if I'm doing the doses right to if she's going to get better or not. I have been lucky to have a friend who pointed me here for help and a common issue.

I appreciate being here and I hope to share in my experiences, feel better about how things are going and make others feel alright as well.

Thanks.

 

[MoeMoe]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to all of this and like anyone new I'm of course nervous about what I'm doing. So many things going through my head right now. My cat's name is Lily (which I later discovered is not as unique as I'd thought lol) and she's a domestic short hair tuxedo. She's 9 years old and I just started giving her doses on Monday.

My worries go from cost to if I'm doing the doses right to if she's going to get better or not. I have been lucky to have a friend who pointed me here for help and a common issue.

I appreciate being here and I hope to share in my experiences, feel better about how things are going and make others feel alright as well.

Thanks.

I am also new to the diabetic cat and this forum. The people are wonderful and have a wealth of knowledge. They care about you and your feline.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Hello and welcome. I have a soft spot for tuxie's.

I hope we can help you through this journey. There is a lot to learn at first, but we've all been there and love to help. Ask any questions.

Of course, my turn for questions first. What type of insulin are you giving? And how much? What type of food is Lily getting? We are strong believers in low carb wet or raw food for diabetics. Have you thought about home testing Lily's blood sugars?

 

[Astroheist]

Hello and welcome. I have a soft spot for tuxie's.

I hope we can help you through this journey. There is a lot to learn at first, but we've all been there and love to help. Ask any questions.

Of course, my turn for questions first. What type of insulin are you giving? And how much? What type of food is Lily getting? We are strong believers in low carb wet or raw food for diabetics. Have you thought about home testing Lily's blood sugars?

Hello,

She's a silly little thing who co operates for the vet but I get her home and she runs off to sulk at home because I took her there. I'm like a parent of a 9 year old girl who I promised to take the water park but we went to the dentist instead

All great questions. I'm giving her Lantus with a pen and I'm not sure about how to explain doses. Its always one dose twice a day. Right now I'm giving her Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet wet food and Blue Buffalo Indoor Cat kibble. I'm sure these are not ideal and before this issue with diabetes came up I honestly had no idea or education on what works for her. I'm following my vet's advice while I'm new to this and I plan to get her off the kibble completely when her blood sugar is under control. I'm very open to the idea of low carb wet food (Like Instinct for example) only but I don't want to just yank her off the kibble suddenly. I have thought about home testing her blood sugar but right now I'm not since I am new and I'm already having confidence trouble with giving her insulin. I suspect as I become more comfortable I will move into taking her blood sugar with the vet's visual guidance.

 

[Ann & Sister]

Hello,

She's a silly little thing who co operates for the vet but I get her home and she runs off to sulk at home because I took her there. I'm like a parent of a 9 year old girl who I promised to take the water park but we went to the dentist instead

All great questions. I'm giving her Lantus with a pen and I'm not sure about how to explain doses. Its always one dose twice a day. Right now I'm giving her Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet wet food and Blue Buffalo Indoor Cat kibble. I'm sure these are not ideal and before this issue with diabetes came up I honestly had no idea or education on what works for her. I'm following my vet's advice while I'm new to this and I plan to get her off the kibble completely when her blood sugar is under control. I'm very open to the idea of low carb wet food (Like Instinct for example) only but I don't want to just yank her off the kibble suddenly. I have thought about home testing her blood sugar but right now I'm not since I am new and I'm already having confidence trouble with giving her insulin. I suspect as I become more comfortable I will move into taking her blood sugar with the vet's visual guidance.

Welcome,
I am a newbee as well. My kitty was diagnosed May 27. She is on Lantus via 31G BD ultra fine syringes which have been a breeze to use. I eased Sister into a combo of Purina Pro Plan DM dry, fresh chicken or salmon and Sheba pate, 1/3 each, served buffet style at breakfast and dinner with lite snacks if she asked. Before this, she was a dry food junkie, and I was working on her weight (she lost 2 pounds) when neuropathy hit mid May. We started her on 1 unit Lantus twice a day. Then she was reduced last week to 1/2 unit twice a day. We just returned from her first BG test at the vet's office and she is at 140. When diagnosed, she was at 431. Lantus is good stuff. I do hope your kitty does as well.

 

[Olive & Paula]

Definitely do not stop the dry kibble UNTIL you are home testing. It can drop the glucoses quickly. That being said, staying on the dry kibble will keep the glucoses up making it harder to regulate her.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

I'm giving her Lantus with a pen and I'm not sure about how to explain doses. Its always one dose twice a day.

We don't recommend using the pen needles. We use regular insulin syringes and pull the insulin out of the pen. You can get U100, 3/10ml, 30 or 31 gauge insulin syringes with half unit marks at WalMart if you have one near you. They are $12.58/100.

There are several reasons why we don't use the pen needles. The main one is that it means you can only do dose changes in whole units. That's fine for humans, but cats need smaller dose adjustments in .25 to .5 unit increments. With the pen needles, you're also supposed to "prime" it each time by wasting 2 units. Throwing 4 units a day away is a huge waste of an expensive insulin. You just pull the cap off and insert the syringe into the rubber stopper like you would if you were using a vial.

You can also save a lot by buying it from Canada. That's what a lot of us do! Here's information on buying from Canada.

 

[Astroheist]

I appreciate everyone's hello's and help here today. Hello to everyone and thanks for your advice.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB.

Lantus is a great insulin for cats! If you want to be even more overwhelmed with information, there are sticky notes at the top of the Lantus subform page. There's a ton of information about Lantus, how to store it, dosing strategies, the insulin depot, etc.

I'm also linking a post on how you can help us to help you. There is information on some of the supplies you will need, setting up your signature (so we don't keep asking your the same questions again and again and again), and how to set up a spreadsheet. We strongly encourage caregivers to learn how to home test. It is the best way you can keep your cat safe.

With regard to food, you want to feed Lily low carbohydrate food -- preferably canned food. This is a website, authored by a vet, that has a wealth of information on feline nutrition. There is also a chart with nutritional information, including carbs, that covers most of the foods available in the US. You want to be giving Lily food that's less than 10% carbs -- although most people feed their cats food that's in the 5% range. Some of the Blue Buffalo food is fine. Other flavors are medium (10 - 15%) carb and some are high carb (over 15%).

Please let us know what questions you have.