Bennie's first day

[SusieRodick]

Wow, what an overwhelming day! My baby got his first shot and I'm now learning about feline diabetes. His "count" was over 500. So glad I had tested when I did. I have no idea what to expect going forward but my hopes are high. He is 13+ and has already been through urinary crystals and on CD for a few years. Okay, finally a question. What can I expect to see in the next 2 weeks until he goes in for his first testing. He is on 1-1/2 units of Vetsulin 2x day. Anything else I can do to help my little man start feeling beter?

 

[Idjit's mom]

Welcome Susie. First, what is your kitty's name? Second, you are in a great place to learn to take care of kitty. You can create a signature, look at the bottom of my post. Give as much info as you can so you don't have to repeat. Click on your name in the upper right hand corner, select signature. Third, begin reading about FD, on the home page, and the yellow tagged info & stickies at the top of the forums. It seems overwhelming at first and a bit scary, but........Fourth give yourself a pat on the back for stepping right up to help that much loved fur baby! You can post questions in the Main forum, and in the Vetsulin forum, to get more eyes on the ??, and answers faster. I learned it's most important to home test before every injection. Have you begun testing?

 

[Idjit's mom]

Pardon, it's Bennie!!! Duh!

 

[SusieRodick]

Thank you for responding, looks like I have a lot of reading to do this weekend. As far as testing, no. Doctor did not mention testing at this time but I did see posts regarding it. Since we just started at think Dr wants to get levels down and then he will work with me on that in two weeks. I take him in with no shot or food in mornong and drop him off and they will test his levels throughout the day. At that time they would adjust if necessary. Bennie definitely loves the new food. Just wasn't sure how long before I would see positive response. Not guilting myself, but sure wish would have known the signs to look for. I thought it was stress and treating him for that.

 

[Olive & Paula]

Susie, first of welcome to you and Bennie.

Not to question your vet, but regulation does not happen quickly. Pick up a human meter and start now. It will actually help you regulate faster. 1.5 units is a bit high to start with on Vetsulin. It is a fast acting insulin. Meaning it kick in fast, drops glucose and starts to leave the body.

You don't have to mention it until you go back to vets. Being at vets causes stress in most cats which raises their glucose. Doing all day testing there can give false results, which then the vet raises the dose. Then kitty goes home and wham they crash. It happens all to often.

There is a Vetsulin group here, post in there and they will help you every step of the way.

Hope to see a picture of Bennie soon.

 

[FurBabiesMama]

Welcome! You can do glucose curves at home (test glucose prior to insulin shot then every two hours until next pre-shot test) rather than leaving Bennie at the vet for it. Not only will it save you money, but it will save him stress. Testing can seem scary and overwhelming at first, but it becomes easier very quickly.

When Mia started on insulin, I saw signs of improvement in her pretty quickly, definitely within the first week or so. I also transitioned my girls from a dry food diet to a wet food diet which was challenging but so much better for them. That immediately contributed toward a reduction in the amount of water they drank (even Willow, the non-diabetic).

Post any questions you have on the main health forum. You can get a lot of support and advice here.

 

[SusieRodick]

Thank you. I think the first testing u will do with doctor until I have more information under my belt. I also work 10-12 hours a day, so I'll have learn what I need to do to rest before injection. Thank you for your input

 

[Idjit's mom]

Just a word of caution, our vet only advised testing midday, and after the curve at vet one week after diagnosis, advised test at midday 2x a week. The change in diet lowered Idjit's blood glucose level, I shot and he had a hypoglycemic event. Not severe, but scared the dickens out of us. Thank goodness I tested him and saw that LOW BG.