Mythield
Member Since 2022
Hello everyone, this post has been a long time coming. It's taking a few days for me to be able to take everything in and try to breathe through it. My mental health has definitely taken a severe toll and I'm just trying to navigate each day, one by one.
My beautiful boy Isaac (11 yrs / neutered male) was diagnosed with diabetes on July the 17th 2022. Prior to this veterinarian visit, he had been acting very strange. He was pretty lethargic, had a increase of water intake and I noticed that he was peeing a lot more frequently. I figured it was just a UTI because he's had them before and I knew that drill pretty well. When my new veterinarian (My previous one is now retired) checked him all over and ran some tests, her diagnosis completely shocked me. Isaac's blood glucose levels were actually in the 600s! (Plus a nasty UTI) He had his annual senior check in May and came back with a clean bill of health. To find out that he was now diabetic really hit me like a freight train. It was just so unexpected.
He used to be quite a bit heavier but I had worked hard to try to find a better quality cat food and thought I was doing a pretty good job with his diet at the time. He was on Orijen (kibble) and also eating Tiki Cat (wet) and it was a pretty decent mix. Or so I thought at the time. Since his diagnosis this had clearly changed. He is now on Fancy Feast Pate, I've actually given him this brand before in the past and so he took to it pretty easily.
Diet wise I'm comfortable with Fancy Feast Pate, however I am struggling with this financially because I have another cat who also has to go on the same diet. That's just how those two roll. I am basically going through six cans a day, and that adds up very quickly. I'm actually considering transitioning them both eventually to a raw based diet because financially it would make a little bit more sense for me. My other cat actually has IBS and he gets flare-ups once in awhile. I don't want to make this transition anytime soon though, I really would like Isaac's diabetic condition more stabilized in before switching to raw. But, if anyone has raw food brands that they would recommend, please let me know.
Isaac is on Lantus currently and I was using the Lantus SoloStar Pen but had too many issues with it. I finally transition to syringes for injections, which I'm very proud of myself because I struggle immensely with needles and syringes (there are many personal reasons for this) but he's definitely having an easier time with his injections this way. He gets two injections, twice a day.
I did have to take him to the emergency vet this week, It took me forever to be able to get into one because I live in a small town. He had some kind of allergic reaction to something unknown, likely some kind of bug bite. His glucose levels are in the 500s now which is at least a little bit better than it was last Monday.
Speaking of glucose levels, I am in the process of learning how to monitor them on my own. I bought all the supplies and want to get started!
I was told I could get some help creating a spreadsheet? I would love that help if that's something that's possible. I am still in the process of learning how to understand reading the numbers and what they all mean. I've spent some time on this fourm trying to read through all the information but there's definitely a lot here to go through and it can get a little overwhelming.
It's been a roller coaster of emotions this last week and I'm trying to get my mind together to put a plan in action.
My beautiful boy Isaac (11 yrs / neutered male) was diagnosed with diabetes on July the 17th 2022. Prior to this veterinarian visit, he had been acting very strange. He was pretty lethargic, had a increase of water intake and I noticed that he was peeing a lot more frequently. I figured it was just a UTI because he's had them before and I knew that drill pretty well. When my new veterinarian (My previous one is now retired) checked him all over and ran some tests, her diagnosis completely shocked me. Isaac's blood glucose levels were actually in the 600s! (Plus a nasty UTI) He had his annual senior check in May and came back with a clean bill of health. To find out that he was now diabetic really hit me like a freight train. It was just so unexpected.
He used to be quite a bit heavier but I had worked hard to try to find a better quality cat food and thought I was doing a pretty good job with his diet at the time. He was on Orijen (kibble) and also eating Tiki Cat (wet) and it was a pretty decent mix. Or so I thought at the time. Since his diagnosis this had clearly changed. He is now on Fancy Feast Pate, I've actually given him this brand before in the past and so he took to it pretty easily.
Diet wise I'm comfortable with Fancy Feast Pate, however I am struggling with this financially because I have another cat who also has to go on the same diet. That's just how those two roll. I am basically going through six cans a day, and that adds up very quickly. I'm actually considering transitioning them both eventually to a raw based diet because financially it would make a little bit more sense for me. My other cat actually has IBS and he gets flare-ups once in awhile. I don't want to make this transition anytime soon though, I really would like Isaac's diabetic condition more stabilized in before switching to raw. But, if anyone has raw food brands that they would recommend, please let me know.
Isaac is on Lantus currently and I was using the Lantus SoloStar Pen but had too many issues with it. I finally transition to syringes for injections, which I'm very proud of myself because I struggle immensely with needles and syringes (there are many personal reasons for this) but he's definitely having an easier time with his injections this way. He gets two injections, twice a day.
I did have to take him to the emergency vet this week, It took me forever to be able to get into one because I live in a small town. He had some kind of allergic reaction to something unknown, likely some kind of bug bite. His glucose levels are in the 500s now which is at least a little bit better than it was last Monday.
Speaking of glucose levels, I am in the process of learning how to monitor them on my own. I bought all the supplies and want to get started!
I was told I could get some help creating a spreadsheet? I would love that help if that's something that's possible. I am still in the process of learning how to understand reading the numbers and what they all mean. I've spent some time on this fourm trying to read through all the information but there's definitely a lot here to go through and it can get a little overwhelming.
It's been a roller coaster of emotions this last week and I'm trying to get my mind together to put a plan in action.
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