Annabelle, newly diagnosed with diabetes

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dtuckerhsd

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Hello all, I'm new to the group, here is my introduction!
This morning, we found out that our second oldest, 16-year-old hyperthyroid cat, Annabelle, was diabetic. I was relieved - diabetes is treatable - it wasn't cancer. She's lost a pound, was hiding, drinking water like crazy, and missing the litter box - all new behaviors for her. I was so glad to find this forum! We're in the learning curve, seeking resources and finding out how to best treat our little "daughter" cat. Since Annabelle is my husband Allan's special kitty, he is learning to give her the insulin injections. She got her first injection this afternoon.
I'm a registered nurse and teach nursing at Florida State University. My specialty is critical care, so I've worked with many diabetics - human ones. Of course cats aren't people! But maybe not all that different. I wondered why the vet would "check her sugar" next week because humans check at least daily, and my gut says I want to KNOW what the numbers are so I can get a handle on how she's responding to the treatment. Now that I've reviewed some of the material on this website and looked through some of the postings, I see that my gut feeling is right!
Thanks to you generous people who've posted on this forum, I'll be able to review information about diet, insulin, and testing, not to mention others. Thanks again!
Denise
 
Welcome! You are already way ahead of the game! :thumbup

I bought a relion micro meter at Walmart for $9 and the test strips are $20 for 50. Mom works for McKession, but this worked out better for me. The part I would have liked from her was syringes, but she can't sell them to me since I am not a doc. :lol: She's about ready to retire anyway.

While Cedric is OTJ and no longer needs insulin, I still test 2-3 times a week (I am not very good about updating the sheet tho, just my log book). I have found the testing to be harder, but he tolerates it well. Putting the treat containers in front of him helps. I never had problems with giving him insulin...the neddles are so small he never felt them.

glad you are here and good luck with the treatment! i am in the Orlando area.
 
Hi and welcome.

I saw "tucker" in your name so I couldn't resist reading this :)

Hometesting is by far the best way to treat your girl. I'm glad you're considering that.

This link will help with hometesting: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

What type of insulin are you using? What dose?

Did the vet talk about food? Like humans, changing a cat's diet can help regulate or even get your cat into remission.
 
Thanks so much for everyone's encouragement! I'm going to make a rotation schedule and log form for Allan so he can take charge!
Our vet said to start with NPH 2 units BID, and he didn't even mention diet. Two strikes. We've never had a diabetic cat before, although she's the fourth cat we've had with hyperthyroidism.
 
NPH 2 Units BID is not a bad starting dose, but you won't find many folks here who use it, years ago my little man was started on 4 or 5 units, I can't recall, but it was a little high for him.

There are much better choices for cats regarding insulin. I switched after a few months (back in 2005) to PZI but now am using one of the L insulins. Right now were using Levemir, but I also use Lantus at times too. Depends on what insulin came with the kitty, I've adopted a couple of diabetics.

Annebell has HyperT? Some hypert/FDs (feline diabetics) metabolize insuiln a bit faster because the T4 values are higher and the body is in overdrive. I'm sure you're quite familiar with all that. For this reason I might also consider switching to Lantus or Levemir because they are slower to metabolize.
 
Welcome!

I don't know anything about NPH. We were diagosed just a few weeks ago, and our vet put S'mores on Lantus. Given how popular it is here, it seemed like a good choice.

With help from more experienced users, I've put together a "quick start guide" that might be helpful for you (see the link in my signature). It has some stuff specific to Lantus, but the general testing, food, and spreadsheet sections may help you get started.

I'm not sure if there is any good post on how to choose an insulin, but there are huge differences b/w the different kinds, so it really pays to give it some thought.
 
N is rarely used anymore except by vets who have not kept up to date on FD. Please make sure your feed Annabelle a good 1/2 hr, at least, before shooting N insulin. Fast acting, short duration, and food needs to be on board with this insulin. As others have stated, Lantus (Glargine) and Levemir are the ones used along with some who are using Prozinc (PZI).
 
Hi Denise,

At the top of the page, under the logo with the cat and the words, The FDMB, you will see, two lines down, "User Control Panel." Click on it and when it comes up, select "Profile." Put your city, state (or city, country) in the field labeled "Location." Your location will appear to the right on all your posts and save you the trouble of answering the question again and again.

People have mentioned food. You can see Janet & Binky's Lists of food that shows % of calories from carbohydrate here: FDMD Index Page ==> Tech Support ==> Feline Diabetes FAQ- newcomers, start here! . We try to stay under 10% at the max.

Someone has given you a link to see how hometesting is done. Once you get your meter and start testing, you can share blood glucose test results with us, go to the FDMB Index Page, click on Tech Support, then click on the topic, "How to Create Your Own SS and Publish It in Your Signature." If you enter your test info into this spreadsheet you will be sharing it with all of us.

Lana
 
Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. I just got back from St. Louis and will continue my research. I feel so much better knowing there are wonderful people out there! Denise
 
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