Georgie just diagnosed - mommy scared

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jawhd

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My Georgie was just diagnosed last Thursday. The Vet did blood work and his BG was at 450. I feared that diabetes might be the problem and my fears were confirmed. George is a little over 10 years old weighing in at 17+ lbs. I knew right away there was a problem because of the changes in his behavior just in the last month. He always weighed in at 20lbs+ - as he started to eat and drink more, and is litter box became a pool I knew. On Saturday the Vet taught me how to give the shots and prescribed 1.5 units a Lantus twice a day. I've been doing pretty well with the injections and Georgie even cooperates by laying down when I start looking for a spot to inject.

I've just been on this site for a little while and fear that I'm ignorant. I thought that everything was going quite smoothly because I'm able to give the injections and George seems to be feeling better. I don't have to go back to the vet till the Saturday after Thanksgiving to have his sugar checked. From what I'm reading, it appears that maybe I should be testing him at home. This was never mentioned by the vet. Also, she did recommend the high protein low carb diet but, I bought the food that she had in the office.

The expense has been a little overwhelming but my husband and I both agree that we would do anything so George could be comfortable and happy. He means a lot to both of us.

Any suggestions that anyone has would be helpful seeing that I’m new to this.

From what little research I’ve found, I also read that there is a possibility that George can go into remission. I was wondering if anyone was familiar with that happening. It is my understanding that this can happen when cats are treated with Lantus and it’s their first diagnosis.

Any suggestion of feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,

Judy and Georgie.
 
We were all scared and overwhelmed at first. You'll be surprised at how quickly it all becomes routine. I am not experienced enough to offer advice - the experts will be along shortly to do that. I will say that home testing is really important - for 2 reasons. By testing before each shot, you are sure that it is safe to give that dose of insulin, and second, it will save you lots of money. You can test at home and then let your vet know what the numbers are, and then have a discussion rather than paying for the vet to test and getting a not very accurate number anyway. Reading the information and the links on this board and then asking lots of questions is a great way to start helping your kitty.
 
Welcome Judy and Georgie!

You are in the right place to help you and DH to help Georgie.

Yes, some kitties can go into remission, I have one of those curled up and purring on my lap as I type. It doesn't happen to all of them but it can happen.

Yes, home testing is the best way to keep Georgie safe when giving insulin, you wouldn't shoot your diabetic human child without testing first, so why do it to a cat. If you have already mastered giving shots then home testing is going to be easier. And will give you a great sense of peace of mind because you can see what the insulin is doing in his body.

We use the glucometer that humans do, any human meter that takes a small sample of blood and sips well will work. I personally use the Relion Mini from Wal-mart as it is fairly cheap and has the cheapest strips I could find. (The strips is what will cost you). We just poke the edge of our kitty's ear and test a small sample of blood, to make sure their numbers are safe to give insulin. With home testing not only will you be getting better and truer numbers because Georgie won't be all stressed out at the vets (strange people, noises, smells, etc). You will be saving yourself the money on the tests by the vet. I simply email my spreadsheet to my vet so we can work together on my boy's treatment.

As far as diet, yep, low carb/high protein canned is the way to go, but you don't need the pricey prescription stuff, there is plenty out there on the commerical market that are cheaper and made with better ingredients. Personally I feed 9-lives and Friskies pate flavors that are below 7% carbs.

You can DO this and we can help hold your hand/paw all the way along. Others will be along shortly with lots of links to help you out. But wanted to pop in and say Hello and remember BREATHE! Diabetes is a very treatable disease. If it wasn't after losing my first sugarcat Muse (not to diabetes) I would never have volunteered to adopt another one from this board, but I did and now have a lovely diet controlled handsome fellow asleep on my lap.

Mel
 
Yep. Been there, felt that. Welcome to the club! It does seem overwhelming at first, but you are doing lots of things right already.

The wet DM from the vet is okay. Most kitties aren't very interested in eating it for long - it's heavy on liver. And hard on your pocket book. Most people here feed 8-10% carbs of regular food like Friskies, Fancy Feast or Wellness. If George won't eat it (or if you would just like your money back), take it back to the vet. Pet food producers are used to getting their food back. Here is a food chart: http://www.felinediabetes.com/diabetic-cat-diets.htm

Yes, hometesting will keep George safe. Here is a good intro site: http://www.sugarcats.net/sites/harry/bgtest.htm and a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8 Some vets don't talk about hometesting because they really don't know it can be done, some just don't want to overwhelm their customers on the first day.

And yes, remission is certainly possible. We came here giving way too much insulin, not hometesting and feeding dry food. Following the protocol here, Oliver was off insulin in 6 months.

Read and reread. Ask questions. We'll be here to help.
 
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