hello everyone!! i'm new and hav a lot a ?s =)

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rowdycat

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hey friends,
first off my husband just took (1/10/11) our 6 yr old male to the vet for what i thought was a uti. he was peeing on things and that was totally out of character for him. i realize now that he was drinking a lot more than normal, and that his urine output was very high.
he came home and told me that rowdy has diagnosed with feline diabetes. i have to say i was really upset that i was not at this vet apt, bc he was totally overwhelmed with the information that they were giving him, and did not know what ? to ask.
they told us to give him 2 units of unsulin every 12 hrs and feed him a 1/2 can of wet food befor. they also sent him home with a diet dry food, and to come back in a month for a check up.
i have been reading online and on this message board, and feel totally overwhelmed myself!!!!! here goes my ?s..
1. i read that a diet of wet food alone can change his BS...if that is the case can i just switch him over? or do it gradual?
2. i also read that changing his food and giving shots can lead him to go hypo...wht do i do?
3. this all seems really expensive...any suggestions on keeping expense low? (i love him...but we live on a budget!!)
4. as i mentioned he started peeing on things...anyone have this issue? and will it stop after getting his BS in line?
these are all i can think of at the moment =), im sure more will come!
thank you for your help in advance!!
 
Welcome!

First, we were all overwhelmed and frightened when our cats were diagnosed...this will pass as you get more information. Know that this diagnosis is not a death sentence for your kitty, and his peeing all over the place will very likely stop once he is more well regulated.

On to your questions...

What type of insulin are you using? If you look here http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=5, you will see forums for different types of insulin. Each forum contains a ton of information on the specific insulin and you will find it helpful to read that information. Since I don't know the insulin you are using, I can't give you any cost-saving ideas - once you post back with that information, we'll be able to help you.

Diabetic cats need to be on a low carb diet of wet food. If you look here http://www.felinediabetes.com/diabetic-cat-diets.htm, you will find Janet & Binky's food chart. There are many brands of low carb canned food (i.e., Friskies, Fancy Feast, etc.) you can use that are much more economical (and likely better for your cat) than what can be purchased at your vet's office. Some people do have to transition their kitty's to canned food, other people have found their cat LOVES wet food from the first mouthful. If you cat is one that will have to be transitioned, you can find information on that here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=956. Until you cat is regulated, he will drink alot of water and eat alot of food, so I don't know that I would limit his food intake at this time if it were my cat.

You do have to be ready to deal with a hypo incident (and hope you never have one). Information on hypo's is here http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2354 and here http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1122. One of the best ways to avoid hypos (and keep vet bills down) is home testing you cat's BG. Human glucometers work well for this, and many people here get their testing supplies at WalMart. Information on home testing is here http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287.

I know this is alot to take in and it now seems like your every waking moment will be spent dealing with feline diabetes. What you will find is, as you learn more and get used to giving insulin and testing, it really only takes a few minutes every day to effectively treat you cat. You are going to have many more questions and concerns, so please post back so we can help you help your fur kid.
 
most important thing i can suggest is that you learn to home test your cat's blood sugar. there are youtube videos on it, or if an fdmb member lives near you she/he might be able to come to your home to show you how to do it.

if you're starting on 2 units of insulin, i hesitate to suggest you switch foods just yet because a change from dry to wet can drop some kitties 100 points in blood sugar, and you don't want to risk hypo by shooting that much into a cat getting fewer carbs. so it's important to learn to home test your cat's blood sugar before making the switch. most of us made the switch unless we did it before we started giving insulin. i learned to home test before i even gave my first insulin shot so i could tell all along what my cat's blood sugar was.

some vets don't want their clients to home test. but honestly so many kitties throw us for a loop and test very low all of a sudden so it's really important to home test before giving insulin and periodically during the day (at least once or twice between shots). lori & tom here sends out newbie kits for the price of shipping, or you could find a human glucometer advertised in the paper with a full rebate most probably. test strips for meters like the contour or one touch ultra can be had cheaply on ebay. the meter companies make more money on test strips rather than the meter. you'd need a meter, test strips, lancets to prick the ear to get a blood drop and cotton to hold against the ear while you poke, and to apply a little pressure on the area to avoid bruising.
 
Definitely learn to home test your cat's BG (blood glucose). When Sam started he was on 2 units also, but now through a change to an all canned, low carb diet, he's down to about .6 units.

For home testing, I use a Relion meter from Walmart, the same thing as what a human diabetic would use. Besides a meter, you'll need test strips and lancets. I don't use the lancet pen, I just freehand. Either way is fine, you have to figure out what method works best for you.

Once you start testing, you'll want to do an AMPS (morning - AM, pre-shot - PS) test and a PMPS (evening - PM, pre-shot - PS) test before each shot. This will help you determine what the right dose is for that shot. If your cat has a reading of 200, you most certainly don't want to shoot 2 units of insulin! Another really great time for a test is +6 or 6 hours after that first shot. This will give you the peak or nadir of the insulin, showing you the lowest point of his BG for the day. This is a great way to see how the insulin is working and help you again judge what dose is best.

You'll want to keep track of these numbers. Setting up a SS (spreadsheet) is a great way to do that. You'll see most members have a link to their cat's SS in their signatures. Not only does this help you keep track of his numbers and his progress, but it helps other members see the same thing and makes it much easier for them to assist you with any dosing/BG issue questions you might have.

Lastly, I know this is a TON of information. I was in your shoes a month ago. It is overwhelming and makes you feel like you're never going to get the hang of it. I want to tell you that you will. It just takes time and patience and a willingness to learn. This board helped me through all that, so don't be afraid to ask questions and seek advice. Everyone here is great and wants to help!
 
Hi and welcome.

If you plan on changing food, which is a really good thing, I would ask that you reconsider the start dose, 1 unit twice per day would be a better starting dose. As you read, the BG (blood glucose number) will start to come down due to the diet change. Hometesting will save you money and will help keep your cat safe.
 
You've gotten great info so far. All I'll add is that we've found some vets are open to their clients home testing, others aren't. Just remember you don't need your vet's permission to home test.
 
thanks friends! i decided to switch to 1/2 can wet food b4 each shot...still giving him a small portion of the dry, so he doesnt go hypo on me. i also decided to just give him 1 unit of insulin. so far he has been doing great!! he also has not peed anywhere but his litter box (knock on wood=))
 
just wanted to say hi and welcome. I joined up here last Sat and I am sooo glad that I did! I am right along with you on getting all this started and I thank you for posting because I learned more new things! Welcome and good luck!!! dancing_cat
 
Glad he is doing better. Now it's time for us to nag you into hometesting to keep him safe and fine tune your insulin doses. If money is an issue, you can get a free newbie kit from us: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=19541 or get the inexpensive ReliOn from Walmart.

We have taught hundreds of people how to do it over the internet; we would be glad to help you.
 
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