Hi, I'm Tony , I'm new and I'm scared

[tonysypa]

Just wanted to say hi to all .... My cat, Charlie , 10 year old Maine Coon ,was just diagnosed with diabetes on Friday ....

over the last two months or so, he had lost a considerable amount of weight to the point I could start to feel the bones of his spine, he's been drinking huge amounts of water and urinating as such, and while Charlie was always a little piglet, food being his #1 priority in life, his appetite has been ravenous as of late, constantly meowing that he was hungry ...

While I've known something has been amiss for the last couple of weeks, I've procrastinated taking him to the vet ... Money is also an issue as I was laid off from my job a month ago ... but this past Tuesday, Charlie had bad diarrhea and was vomiting for most the day. I knew I couldn't wait any longer and just prayed I didn't wait too long. Turns out the episode of that day was only a one day thing, but it cajoled me enough to bring him in.

I has a horrible week, stressing out because I thought Charlie had cancer or something, was dying and I'd have to put him down.

At first I was overjoyed when the vet tested his urine and told me he had diabetes. The results of the blood test were available the next day to confirm this. The doc gave me a free sample of insulin that day, some syringes, instructions ( poor Charles, he's gonna miss his potato chips ). I'm going back to him on Tuesday for another consultation, further details etc

But now I've been reading some articles, reading some of the topics of discussion here on this site .... and I'm getting anxious all over again .. and again stressing at the thought that I'm going to have no choice but to put Charlie down.

I'm reading all these things about care and costs ... I can barely make rent and bills now, how in God's name am I going to be able to purchase insulin, needles, testing strips etc etc ... I'm currently working part time, covering all shifts, how will I be able to give him a stable environment, fed the same time, given insulin the same time , what if he has one of these episodes I'm reading about and I'm not there to give him syrup or something .. and is all this for nothing anyway? just prolonging the inevitable a year or so from now ?

I know I'm just being a little panicky ... I know things will be ok and me and Charlie will have many more years together playing " smack that thing on the floor, chase it, then smack it again " ( he always wins ) ... but right now all the worst is running through my head .... All I can do for now is gather information, and wait until I speak to the doctor again ... but until then I don't anticipate much sleep ... one thing I have going for me is you guys. I'm know I'm not alone and here is the best place I can be right now ... so thanks to all in this group in advance, for all your advice, what works what doesn't etc .... and I hope someday I can help some anxious newbie in the future

Tony from Brooklyn

 

[Wendy&Tiggy(GA)]

Hey tony and welcome to the board,

First thing is not to panic. We can help advise on low cost supplies and there is even a charity DCIN that can help .. their info is here as well as freebies you might find useful ie http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=15

But first there is an 84% chance your cat will go into remission in the next six months if you make all the right decisions, and then you won't need to worry! There are three keys to this..

1. Food. U want a low carb canned wet food, friskies classic pâtés are good and cheap too. What are you currently feeding?
2. A good insulin such as lantus, levemir or prozinc. What insulin did your vet give you? There is a savings card for lantus too we can give you info on. If you are giving insulin don't change food until you start home testing.
3. Home testing blood.. Critical after a food change especially since blood glucose and insulin needs may drop, and to watch for remission and make dose changes. The above link to the freebies may have free meters etc. but you can get a meter, 50 strips and lancets from Walmart for $40.

Let me know about the food and insulin questions..

Wendy

 

[Squeaky and KT (GA)]

Hi Tony!
Welcome to you and your extra sweet baby!

Grab a tissue, dry your eyes....diabetes is NOT a death sentence! KT, 10, has been diabetic for 2 years - just had a full blood panel, everything was great. Dakota, 11, has been diabetic for 3 years, his recent checkup was wonderful too! Our cats eat mostly Friskies canned food with occasionally Fancy Feast when I can afford it.

There's just a few times you DON'T want to feed so you'll know your cat's real 'body' numbers with a food influence. Ours free feed most of the time.

HUGS! BREATHE!

 

[Hillary & Maui (GA)]

Hi Tony, WELCOME to the group.

There are three components to managing diabetes - Food, Insulin and Home Testing

we have ways to do all of this inexpensively and to work with every budget. Yes, there will be initial up front costs, but these can be easily managed and done on a budget.

First thing - what kind of food are you giving him? We highly recommend NOT feeding any dry food and only feed low carb canned or raw food. Sometimes by just making this simple food change, you may find the need for insulin to be very short or not needed at all.

You also don't need to buy expensive prescription food, You can use friskies, fancy feast products instead. We do have a food chart to help you choose low carb food - which we recommend being 10% or less. and feeding mostly between 0-7% carbs. (Personally, I stay between 0-6% carbs.)


If you check out this link - http://www.catinfo.org - it tells you why dry food is bad for cats, why prescription food is not necessary and on the right side of the page is the food comparison chart.

If you look on the right side of her site, she has a food comparison chart to help you figure out what food you want to get based on the carb %.

Here is another link that will give more information about food/nutrition

Nutrition/food info

The good thing with feeding your diabetic cat this way, is that it is ALSO good for any non-diabetic cat too. All your cats can safely eat the same food without worry and it may save you some costs and headaches of having to do separate feedings and keeping track of what they are eating.
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2. Home testing: It is impossible to convey the value of testing your cat's BG (blood glucose) level at home. Some vets will "suggest" this, but most won't even mention it. They will send you home with insulin and an amount to shoot and maybe some instructions about hypoglycemia (blood sugar dropping to a dangerously low level).

Well, the thing is, human diabetics don't EVER give themselves insulin without checking there BG to make sure it is safe to do so, so why shouldn't it be the same for our kitties. Here on FDMB it is. You will notice that the vast majority of people here test their cat's BG at least 2x/day (before giving each shot to make sure the level is safe enough) and periodically at other times to see how the cat is responding to the current dose. We use a human glucometer, test strips and lancets - which are all very readily available and easy to use.

Our kitties get lots of love and treats for "putting up" with this and most of them actually come out to be tested on their own 'cause they want those treats . Here is a collection of great links that "Carolyn and Spot" pulled together about hometesting. See what you think ... it truly is the best way to not only keep Your cat safe but also really get a handle on this disease and help him to live a healthy life with FD (feline diabetes).

Home testing Links

3. Insulin: There are several types of insulin available. Many people, myself included use Lantus or Levimer both of which are great insulins. They are gentle insulin and given twice (BID) per day in 12 hour increments. Or you could also choose PZI or the new version called Prozinc.

Please read up on the insulins available, here is a link to the Insulin Support Groups:

Insulin Support Groups

However, one caveat and again this shows how these three things are inter-related:

If you are feeding dry food or even a high carb food, BEFORE removing these foods, please make sure of your insulin dose as it will most likely need to be reduced, so as to avoid a possible hypoglycemic situation due to the removal of the dry/high carb foods that will lower the BG’s and reduce the amount of insulin required. Again, another reason why home testing is important.

I know this all seems like a lot, and that's because it is ... there is a learning curve here. But as long as you are determined and keep at it, you will have it down before you know it and you'll be seeing the results in Your cat' overall health and happiness. Ask all the questions you can think of - that's why we are here!

 

[Deb & Wink]

Hi Tony and your sugardude Charlie. Welcome to the best little place in the universe to help your diabetic cat.

What did the urine test show for a reading?
What was the BG (blood glucose) reading?

Charlie does have all the classic clinical symptoms of diabetes. P/U (polyuria), P/D (polydipsia), ravenous, rapid weight loss.

It's perfectly normal to be scared and worried and stressed out. This is your beloved Charlie after all.

First, read this A message from your cat.

Second, Breath. Deep breath in, hold, release, Deep breath in, hold, release, Deep breath in, hold, release, Deep breath in, hold, release.

We will help get you through this. You have already received a lot of information from other people. Please, answer a few of our questions and we will answer some more of your questions. Deal?

 

[macal]

Welcome. Yes it's scary at first, and yes the dollars can be intimidating BUT, remember to take it slow, read up and there's a very good chance with proper treatment and advice that your kitty will go into remission and the insulin will not be needed after a few months! Many kitties go into remission especially using Lantus (glargine) insulin...which is a more expensive one, BUT, the bottle lasts for 3 months and you have a good chance of not needing any more and just being careful what you feed kitty.
You're in good hands here. Take it slow, read up, ask lots of questions, and there's lots of generous folks here who can help you if you're short on cash. Both with supplies and dosing and feeding advice.
Hang in there : )