help please newly diagonsed with diabetes

[karentigger]

my cat tigger was drinking a lot of water & peeing and took her to vet & diabetes. they changed her food to purnia vet diets dm, i am giving her the wet & dry version of it. on insulin 2 units was once a day & when they checked her week later sugar was still over 400 now i have to give her insulin 2x a day. most days i was changing the litter box 3x a day due to all the urine & one or 2 days it was almost back to normal. i feel like she goes up & down sometimes she acts like herself other days she barely moves all day long. she is 11 & before this was always running & playing. past couple of nights having a hard time to get her to eat when i give her injection. i had to miss one due to the fact that she wouldn't eat first. bought some fancy feast savory salmon classic (not sure if this is good for her or not) but she ate it. saw the list of foods with high protein but that wasn't on it. the other fancy feast that i saw all had wheat gluten in them. is it normal for sugar to go up & down like this. at times she walks funny & at times when she is eating her breathing is not normal. she knows usually when she is eating she is getting an injection. she has been on the insulin for about 2 weeks now, first week was once a day & now it's twice a day, 2 units am & pm. i would think by now she would have adjusted better. i hate to take her back to the vet again any sooner then need be. any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks karen

 

[traceyg]

my cat suzie has only been diabetic for 6 weeks so I am new to this also. This board is great and you will get good answers. The one thing I can tell you that I have learned is that some food is better then no food. If all she will eat is the Salmon classic that is better then her not eating. All the classics are suppose to be less then 10 percent carb. It is 6 weeks later and we are still working with Suzie. We are taking her to a new vet. it takes some time but I think it is worth it. Suzie actually played a little this week and that is the first I saw that in a long time.

I would also suggest home testing. I still am learning but I feel better knowing that I can do it. I think Suzie is safer that I do the home testing. At first it is a little scary and I still get a little nervous but when I think about shooting her insulin in her and not knowing where her levels are that is scarier. I have read a lot of success stories here so that made a difference for me. If it wouldn't be for the board Suzie wouldn't be here right now I feel sure. Since I am new to this I can't really advise you. They are still holding me hand a bit but I can say stick with the people here and listen to them. it will make it so much easier for you and your cat.

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

We will be glad to help. A question first - what kind of insulin?

We advocate testing at home. We test our kitties with human glucometers so we know if it is safe to give the dose we are planning on and to see how the insulin works during the cycle. We have taught hundreds of people how to do it over the internet and would be glad to help you. It is the only way to keep your kitty safe - to not shoot blind. Here is the technique: Video for hometesting If you are willing to learn, just ask for help.

Sometimes cats can be much higher at the vet than they are at home (strange noises, people, animals, smells) and then the dose determined at the vet may not be the right amount when you get home. We do our own curves at home - which will definitely cut down on vet expenses and visits.

Here are the non gluten foods: http://www.felinediabetes.com/glutenfree.htm

If you recently changed the diet to wet lo carb, it is really important you start to test before giving shots. Our cat Oliver went down 100 points overnight when we changed from dry to wet. That could affect the amount of insulin needed.

Let us know if we can help.

 

[karentigger]

thanks for all advice. this is very informative. i give tigger lantus 2x day, 2 units. i know & understand that everybody is real big on home testing. i am just getting her & myself used to the injections before the home testing. she doesn't like her injections now that she knows it coming she won't stay still. i am guessing her sugar must be still pretty high due to her water intake & how much she pees in the litter box still. i am just concerned as to why she is not responding to the insulin yet & she just lays around most of the day.

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

We always gave the insulin when Oliver's face was deep into his breakfast or dinner. He never noticed....

Here is some info on giving the injection that might help: How to give a shot

Some needles are bigger than others and can hurt more. What size needles? Do you warm the syringe in your hand for a few seconds before you shoot? Cold insulin can sting.

 

[traceyg]

We always gave the insulin when Oliver's face was deep into his breakfast or dinner. He never noticed....>>

That is what I do for Suzie and it seems to work. People here had to help me calm down when giving her the shot also. I think Suzie fed off my nerves and she got a little upset. The people her gave me some confidence. As I felt more confident she was more okay with it. Our cats read us like a book they pick up on our vibes . . .

I let her eat some regular cat food then I give her the Fancy feast appetizers. Not all of it just like a dessert treat. When she is eating that I give her the insulin. Unless I can't get her to eat cat food then we go straight for the appetizer. Most of the times she feels better after the insulin and will eat some regular cat food then. Anyway with the fancy feast appetizers she loves them so much she forgets she is getting the insulin.

I felt the same way about home testing a few weeks ago. Just doing the insulin was more then I thought I could handle. I am still adjusting to the home testing but they did win me over here. I had to take it one step at a time. First Suzie and I had to get used to the Insulin shots. I still get a little nervous six weeks later. Most of my friends still think it is bizarre to treat a diabetic cat. I also tested myself and practiced on myself. that helped. Made me feel more confident. The better I felt about it the more okay Suzie was.


Some days it is one breath at a time but it is worth it. We are still working on the home testing but I am glad I am doing it. It saves some money and a lot of stress on Suzie she hates going to the vet. I also am a lot less nervous when I give her the insulin because I don't worry about her numbers going to low and that she will go into sugar shock.

I know you and your cat will be okay with all this it just takes time. I am still learning and can'
t offer much advice but to let you know it is okay to take it one step at a time just as long as they are forward steps