New Member - kind of freaking out about diagnosis

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Angelique2014

Member Since 2024
Hey there - totally new here. I have an almost 10 year old Maine Coon named Oliver who is the love of my life *don't tell my partner* who has just been diagnosed with diabetes. I noticed him drinking excessively a week ago today and took him in for a blood and urine test this last Friday, with the diagnosis coming on Saturday.

I went in to the vet with him today (Monday, 3/4/2024) and learned how to test his blood glucose levels and give him an insulin shot.

My worst fears came true as I did my first solo glucose test on his ear. First I missed and didn't get enough blood and on second try I pierced his ear through and hit my finger. I think I was more traumatized than him.

I got a reading of 333, so I gave him his recommended shot, which was another ordeal. I've given subcutaneous saline before on his 2nd removed predecessor, so i thought this would be easier. It was not. He flinched and buckled and was generally not receptive and it took 2 tries - not sure how much medicine was in him or on him by the end of it.

I think I just need reassurance that it gets easier. I don't want to overly stress him nor do I want to prolong his life if there's not any quality to it. How do you know when it's time?

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any advice, wisdom, experiencial information.

Much love,
Angelique
 
Hi there, I just saw your post and wanted to let you know I am right there with you. My baby Mr. Nub just received his diagnosis three weeks ago, and though he has been on insulin he still seems unwell at times.

I think you are already on the right track testing his glucose levels at home (I received my AlphaTrack last night but am weary of using it because I don't want to hurt him), and if you have only just begun administering insulin today you should still have the opportunity to speak to your vet about the new medications that just hit the market (BrexaCat and Senvelgo). I am personally no expert, but it is very worth discussing, as the label cautions against cats who have ever received insulin due to the high possibility of insulin dependence. I imagine that because your cat has only been exposed to insulin once, he is likely still a candidate.

I trust that for all of us, this must get easier and my heart goes out to you tonight as you process the diagnosis. In my research, I have identified that remission is more likely for older cats. Being that yours is 10, it would seem that this is also likely for him. I recommend getting on the appropriate diet immediately (according to much of the information on this page dry food is a no) and keeping up with his medications. There is light at the end of the tunnel, wishing you and Oliver the absolute best.
 
Welcome!

Two basic questions we need to know: What insulin is your cat on and the dose? What are you feeding the cat?

Fur shots happen. You definitely don't want to give more insulin when that happens because you have no idea if any insulin actually got into the cat. What gauge are the insulin syringes? 30 or 31 gauge is ideal and cats don't notice it.

The first week or two is usually overwhelming for newbies. There's a huge learning curve to get to know the lingo, the particular quirks of the insulin, learning to hometest, setting up a spreadsheet, etc. It does get easier with time :) It helps to have a support group like FDMB and a good vet. I'm on my second diabetic so I'm an old pro at this :p

Diabetes is not a death sentence. It is a very treatable disease if you are willing to put some effort into it. Read this for reassurance: https://felinediabetes.com/newdiag.htm
 
Welcome Angelique and Oliver, you couldn't have found a better group to join. Believe me it does get easier
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
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6. As the ears get used to bleeding and growhelp.e capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 10 or 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with
Here is a video one of our members made testing her kitty
She's using a pet meter that has to be coded ,with a human meter you don't have to code it.
So ignore that
I have always used a human meter since that's what our numbers are based on
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

Tap on this blue if you need help in the future with anything we need information about Oliver
Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help.
It will also explain how to set up our spreadsheet and how it works
If you need help setting it up just ask
Just keep asking questions
 
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It could be that your cat is reacting to the click sound. Some do. You could try poking freehand without using the lancing device.
 
Welcome to FDMB!

Angelique - it really does get easier. We've all been in exactly the same situation. Testing blood glucose and giving a shot looks so easy at the vet's office or when watching a video. It's an entirely different story when you're by yourself and trying to do all of this. The one thing that will help a great deal can be summed up in one word -- TREATS! You want to provide a positive reinforcement (i.e., a treat) every time you poke your cat with a sharp object. It doesn't matter if you are successful or not. Your kitty still gets a treat. Many of the members here use a freeze dried protein (e.g., chicken) treat. Anything that is protein only will be either zero or low in carbs. (In other words, Temptations are not a good idea. We had one member who gave her cat shrimp which is fine.) My cat was very food motivated so she got a treat at her pre-shot test time and she got her shot when her head was in her food bowl.

It may help to make sure that you have syringes that have a very thin needle. We generally recommend a 31 - 33 gauge needle. The thinner the needle, the less your cat will notice. I don't want to make a specific recommendation since I don't know what insulin you're using and the concentration of the insulin has to match the syringe.
 
The Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery has an article titled "Acceptance of home blood glucose monitoring by owners of recently diagnosed diabetic cats and impact on quality of life changes in cat and owner" which concludes that hometesting has a positive effect on quality of life for the cat and person :) It's a good read.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1098612X17727692
 
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