? Just diagnosed.. Looking for asome guidance

[SamanthaLee87]

My KC was Dx this past Wednesday. Wednesday as a really tuff day. Prior to her Dx all I knew about diabetes was that it was sugar to much sugar. After I spoke to the vet on the phone I broke and bawled my eyes out. I went to facebook and posted about it on the feline diabetes group. Many people commented to help. My emotions have settled a little and now I am trying to manage the Dx. My anxiety still spikes when it comes time to test and shoot. Right now I am trying to focus on the basics of what or daily routine will look like. Pre Dx KC got 1 wet food every morning, and a small dish of dry food that she would pick at once in a while. With Dx I oped to change her food right away. I asked the vet about food for her.They gave her a script for Royyal Canin wet and dry (weaning off old wet)
Today I started to get overwelmed again. I tried going over notes that i jottted down Some of the questions i came up with are as follows.

Testing
If bg is -200 stall . Stall for how long? obviously stall the shoot. Stall food also? If stalling food how long do I give it?

Feeding
Not sure I want to stay on the RC wet. Was thinking maybe still offer her the RC dry but give Friskies or Fancy Feast wet but was unsure if that's OK?

Lancer
What gague is best? What if it goes all the way through the ear?

On top of learning all that I need to learn to take care of my baby, I am still trying to figure out how to use message boards and forums.

 

[Astra&Purrfect]

First of all, welcome to the forum, Samantha. And try not to worry. At the beginning, it's true there’s quite a lot to read up and learn about Feline Diabetes but don’t feel overwhelmed. Just take your time. I know that feeling of nervousness before you test and shoot. It's perfectly normal and with more practice, you'll get more into the swing of things. To try to answer your questions:

1. If you go to catinfo.org, you'll read that cats are obligate carnivores. That means they eat meat and don't naturally consume wheat, rice, oats, potatoes, etc. (which are in kibble). Carbos convert to sugar in the blood. I would drop the kibble (cat biscuits) entirely and switch your cat to a 100% wet food meat diet. Also, make sure those tins don't have "cereals" or "sugar" listed as ingredients. However, when the cat is already on insulin, you need to keep a close eye on her numbers when you remove all kibble to make sure it doesn't have a big effect on lowering numbers, so would recommend this link to read on catinfo.org http://catinfo.org/feline-diabetes. I read it when my Purffect was first diagnosed. Vet Lisa Pierson also says there that wet food doesn't have to be an expensive vet brand. Are you from America or Europe? Over here in France, I use Animonda Carny and Catessy paté in trays.

2. I use 28G human lancets by Freestyle and place a cotton wool disk (like for removing make-up) on the other side of the ear when pricking. I have never gone all the way through the ear but others have said don't worry if this happens. After the ear pricking, I hold the ear very gently for twenty seconds by folding over another cotton wool disk soaked in vetedine (pet iodine) to disinfect and prevent any bruising. I use lancets free-hand and you can see a picture of the sweet-spot posted by JanetNJ on this thread: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/introduction.186835/#post-2074109

You might like to read this other post on the forum about stalling but I hope someone experienced in that issue will also answer you: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/what-is-to-low-to-shoot-at.185974/

I hope this helps, Samantha!

 

[Rachel]

Hi @SamanthaLee87 and KC! Welcome to the best place you never wanted to be! Astra already gave you some great info, so I'll just add on.

Testing:
If under 200 on a human meter (220 on a pet meter), stall 20 minutes WITHOUT FOOD. Then test again. You can do that for up to an hour. Usually their BG will rise pretty fast in that time frame and you can feed and shoot.

Food:
Fancy Feast classic and Friskies classic pate are great. Have you seen the Food Chart? Click that link and it'll bring you to it...you're looking for under 10% carbs. Please do make sure you are testing at home before you change food though...we've seen it drop BG by over 100 points in one night!

Lancets:
As Astra said, the bigger ones like 26 or 28 gauge are good to start with while the ear learns to bleed. Eventually you might use smaller ones. If the lancet goes through the ear...it happens! We've all done it...just grab your blood sample anyway. It usually doesn't bother the kitty too badly.

We don't want to overwhelm you. I'm going to go ahead and give you two more links to look at: Beginner's Guide and our Prozinc Protocol. They're both at the top of this forum, but since you said you're learning how these work, I wanted you to be able to just click. Read them several times...I referred to them constantly when I started. And ask as many questions as you want! You can reply to this thread or start a new one...whatever you prefer. We're here and happy to help out in ANY WAY WE CAN!

 

[JanetNJ]

Welcome. Everything is covered above so I'll just say I totally can empathize with your emotions and feeling overwhelmed. I balled for about 24 hours with very little sleep when my cat was diagnosed. I wondered if it would be kind Der to put her down... If I cod handle shots.... How it would impact the family's time wise and financially. But you know what? After a few weeks is routine. And the upfront costs are expensive from lab work and buying a the supplies, but it's manageable now. It gets easier... You'll find your Groove and it will be ok....and we are here to help, support and answer questions.