My baby was just diagnosed with FD today..I'm terrified!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Mina&Tigress

Mina&Tigress

Member
Hi Everyone!

My name is Marina, but friends call me Mina. I am the proud mama to my wonderful baby Tigress who'll be 11 this October. I took her in for her Comp exam and dental work this morning, I was already nervous with her going under anesthesia, but then I get the call saying her pre-op blood work came back abnormal. Long story short my baby has FD. I was just so heartbroken and then of course I asked the question "was it my fault?" She is a little overweight but I feed her no more than 2/3 cup a food a day. 1/3 in the morning before work, 1/3 in the evening when I get home. The doc said no, sometimes cat are just susceptible to it. How did I not see the signs, more urine in the litterbox, drinking more water, she seemed ok. I feel like I failed her. Then she gives me the $$ of testing, special diet, and medication and my heart falls even more. But whatever it takes to make her better, right? I'm still terrified. The thought of 2x daily injections?! Worse, I work two jobs as it is to get by, so stress of course is off the charts. I love my cat, but what if I mess up, make her more sick. PLEASE someone help and put my mind to ease.
 

Attachments

  • Photo-0050.jpg
    Photo-0050.jpg
    276.7 KB · Views: 1,596
  • Photo-0266.jpg
    Photo-0266.jpg
    70.2 KB · Views: 1,596
Welcome Mina and extra sweet Tigress!!

First....BREATHE!....deep....

Now again....

NOW you can quit panicking, your baby is diabetic not dying! Diabetes is NOT a death sentence altho' many of us arrived here with basically the same words in our first posts. It's a very manageable condition, just something new to learn. You've already found the best place to start!

Breathe again....

Quit blaming yourself - there are many reasons for a cat to become diabetic down to even being genetic. Whatever has happened is history so put it in the past and everyone will help you learn how to best help sweet girl.

I literally fainted at the sight of needles before June 8th last year...June 8th I shot my cat with that terrible thing....twice...and he purred...

BIG HUG! Others will be along too...
 
Hi Marina,
First off take a deep breathe, it will be ok and it will get easier
It is not your fault and we are all here to help you through this
First off is diet
You do not have to put her on the special diet, most of us on here feed our kitties
all wet food diet from Binky's chart, either fancy feast or friskies
On the first page there is a link for diet, just follow that to the chart
you can print it out and take it to the store to shop.
Second most important thing is home testing. you can get a kit on line here at FDMB
and they will ship it to you.
It is so very important to always test before you shoot up any insulin
you also do not have to bring her to the vet for a curve as we all do out own curves at home ourselves
It is less stress on them, so you will have more accurate numbers
I know I just threw a lot at you, please dont worry to much as we are all here for you
What type of insulin did your vet prescribe?
Welcome and dont forget to breathe!
Denise and shakes
 
Hi Mina!

Okay first off BREATHE! :-D

It really isn't as bad as you are imagining, really...I promise, but we all know exactly where you are right now. Just about everyone of us has been right where you are now, scared to death, overwhelmed, and feeling like our world just exploded.

but in truth caring for a diabetic kitty is really pretty darn easy, so easy in fact that I adopted both of mine as diabetics, and before I did, I already had 11 healthy and happy cats at home. Now if it was a really big deal to you think I would take on not only one but 2? :-D

So let me cover the basics real quick. There are 3 keys to caring for a diabetic:

1) Food: Here is the good news. You don't need that fancy, expensive prescription food. There is nothing in it that isn't in a lot of the stuff on the commercial market, and actually the stuff you can find on your local grocery store shelves probably has better ingredients. Lots of us feed Walmart's Special Kitty Pate, Friskies Pate, 9-Lives Pate or Fancy Feast classics on the low end of the scale. Or Wellness, Merrick or Evo canned on the higher end of the scale. Just about anything on this list that Tigress likes and is under 10% or less carbs. Binky's List

2)Home Testing: Here again is some good news! A regular human meter will work just fine, no need to invest in a fancy expensive pet only meter. Walmart has a really nice couple of meters the Relion Micro or the Relion Confirm for about $9 and the strips (the expensive part) are about $50 for 100. Or you can click the link at the top of the page that says Newbie Kits and the webmistress of this site will send you out a kit with everything you need to get started on testing Tigress at home. Now this does a lot of things, it lets you know exactly where her blood sugar is in a moment's notice. It lets you know if she is high enough to give insulin to safely to begin with, as well as giving you truer numbers than the vet will see. Since all cats are stressed out at the vets, and stress raises blood sugar. It also keeps more money in your wallet, because you can do your own curves and share the information with you vet and use those numbers to base dosage increases and decreases without having to take her into the vet all the time for them to run curves.

Lastly. 3) Insulin. DId your vet tell you yet what insulin and at what dose he is going to prescribe for her? The three best insulins for cats are Lantus, Levemir and Prozinc/PZI, all of these are long lasting gentle insulins. They are fairly pricey up front but we have ways of making them not so expensive over the long haul. We also recommend that she be started on no higher of a dose than .5u to 1u, it is much easier to up the dose if that isn't enough than it is to get it back out of the cat once it has been injected.

I'm sure others will be along shortly to say hi and give you a bunch of links and reading material. I've got to run for now, as it is time to poke a kitty and feed the furry horde. :-D

Welcome to our family of Sugarcats and the people who love them!

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Thank you for the responses ladies. I actually haven't picked her up from the vet yet. They wanted to put her on IV fluids and try to flush her system out I guess? I'm picking her up at 6pm. Is there a specific insulin I should ask for? The Doc said she's need prescription food too, should I say no to that and just get her wet food on my own? She's been a kibble girl from the start, occasionally getting tuna as a treat. I was also told I could get the syringes from a CVS or Walgreens. Is there anything I should lookout for? What questions should I be asking my vet? Thank you again, I'm trying to breathe but it's been mostly tears since I got the phone call. But reading posts on hear is helping..
 
Hi Mini. We'll help you :YMHUG: You've come to the right place. We're like a big family here, and we'll help you get through the scaries. I use Levemir with my cat, and have also used Lantus, both of those insulins are good, and many cats do well with Prozinc, as well. I think with Prozinc you use U40 syringes, and I know with Lantus and Levemir you use U100 syringes. If you end up getting Lantus or Levemir, you can get ReliOn syringes (be sure to ask for the ones with the 1/2 unit marks on them) from WalMart for $12.58 for 100 syringes. And just to let you know, at first my WalMart said they did not have the syringes with 1/2 unit marks, and I said "yes, you do", and they did, the boxes are just not marked that way. Here's a link http://www.relion.com/diabetes/syringes Read the NOTE at the bottom, it says they have 1/2 unit marks, but I don't think it says that on the box anywhere, so the pharmacist may say they don't have them, when they do. Just talking from experience.

I wish you the best of luck with your cat. I know it's scary. We've all been there. We're here to help.

If you end up going to WalMart, you can also pick up their ReliOn Meter and some test strips, and Ketone Test Strips, and then go to the pet food section, and pick up some pate or classic varieties of Fancy Feast, and couple or three higher carb varieties (the ones that say "Grilled" on the can) for just in case scenarios. Here's a link to help you select the cat food http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html you want to look in the 3rd column and select the ones under 10%. I sometimes take the print out of the list with me to the store :cool:
 
Hi Mina and Beautiful Tigress!
Welcome. So glad you found this group.
As the others have said, breathe... and read. There is so much wonderful information here and the members are terrific at offering help and support.
I am just a newbie here myself but my Poto has had FD for 3 years and we have come to cope very well.
I get my sringes at Walgreen's. I use the Super Thin II.
Insulin is dosed out in vey small amounts called units (U). Most of the brands used for cats come 100 units per milliliter. It is referred to as U100. The syringes are designed to measure those units in very small amounts because the daily dosage can be as small as a fraction of one unit and therefore you need to be able to get that tiny amount accurately in the syringe. The syringes we use are 0.3 ml and are marked for half unit measure. The needles are very tiny, usualy 31 guage (the higher the guage the thinner the needle) and only 5/16 of an inch long. They pretty much resemble a mosquito bite as opposed to needles used for other things.
There are more expensive brands of syringes but it is not at all necessary to use them. The pharmacist will be able to help you choose the right ones.
Keep your chin up, gal. You and Tigress are going to get through this just fine!! :-D
Many Hugz,
Carol (and Poto
 
I assume since your vet said you will get syringes from the pharmacy, the either
Lantus, or Levimir will be prescribed. Both of those are 'human' insulins that are also
very good for cats, and both are U-100 strength, and therefore use 'human' U-100 syringes.

You will probably get sticker shock, though.

As soon as you know what insulin is going to be prescribed, please come here and tell us
and we will give you some ways to save money. You can get the 3ml pens/cartridges instead of the
10ml vial and that will save you money over the long run.

The reason is that the insulin will go 'bad'
in a 10ml vial before you can use it all. You throw away a lot. If you get the 3ml pens (they come in
packages of 5 pens), then you open one pen at a time and you can usually use all of it before it
poops out.
 
Thank you everyone! Seeing your posts are helping. As soon as I have more information I will come back and post it here and hopefully get some feedback.
 
Welcome :smile:

Here's a list of questions to ask your vet: http://gorbzilla.com/questions_for_your_vet_.htm

Mina&Tigress said:
They wanted to put her on IV fluids and try to flush her system out I guess?
Click to expand...

Does your cat have ketones? IV fluids are needed to flush out ketones, which if left untreated can result in a serious condition called diabetic ketoacidosis. Ask your vet why the IV was needed.


Is there a specific insulin I should ask for?
Click to expand...

Ask for Lantus or Levemir.

There is also ProZinc which is a pet insulin.

Humulin N isn't a good choice so if your vet prescribes it, ask for one of the insulins mentioned above.

The Doc said she's need prescription food too, should I say no to that and just get her wet food on my own? She's been a kibble girl from the start, occasionally getting tuna as a treat.
Click to expand...

Yes, be firm and tell the vet that you are not going to feed the prescription food. Buy commerical canned food for your cat. You can use http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=12846, and Binky's canned food charts, and the Pet Food Nutritional Values chart. On Binky's chart, look at the column for carbs and choose foods that have a number 10 or less. On the Pet Food Nutritional Values chart, look at the % Kcal from carbs column and choose foods with a number 10 or less.

For treats, freeze dried meat treats are best. Here's a list of popular low carb treats: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9172

I was also told I could get the syringes from a CVS or Walgreens.
Click to expand...

Your vet must be prescribing a Human insulin such as Lantus or Levemir. Buy U100 3/10 cc insulin syringes, preferably with half unit markings.
 
Welcome, Mina and beautiful Tigress!

I've just come in from a family birthday party and am trying to catch-up, so, please, forgive me if I repeat something you've already heard. When my sweet Hershey (now 10 yrs old) was diagnosed with FD in Nov, 2011, I was heart-broken. I came home and started researching. When I learned how bad the dry kibble had been for all of those years...I just felt SOOOO guilty!! The symptoms were there - increased thirst, weight loss, stopped grooming. But, honestly, I didn't even know cats could GET diabetes! But, since he wasn't on insulin, yet, there was no problem with switching him to all canned food the next day. (We use Wellness and found it cheaper to order online than in stores. And, I like having it delivered to my door. Saves the almost $4/gallon for gas!) Just as a comparison - We use Wellness for Hershey. We get the 12.5-oz cans for $35.99/case which comes to $.24/oz. Oreo eats Friskies Pate' from Walmart $.50 + tax which (with our tax rate) comes to ~$.10/oz.

My vet told me how things were done - prescription dry that 'all their diabetic patients eat' - bring him in to get 'regulated' over a 2 - 3 day period - ~$500 payable when seen (not counting insulin, syringes, whatever). Okay, we are a one-income family of four with two kids in college. Are you KIDDING me??? I cried...and cried...and bawled...and, well, you get the picture. I was a basket case.

Fast forward a few days...stumbled on this place, don't even remember what I put in the search bar. I learned that there's more than one way to do things. You can't actually regulate a cat in 2 - 3 days. You don't have to take them to the vet for that $500 curve, but can do it at home away from the stresses of the office. And, no, kibble isn't the way you have to go. Okay - so, now what??

With that education under my belt, I left like I could actually see a light at the end of the tunnel - and this time, it wasn't a train!! I met several welcoming, friendly people on here and they held my hand through getting started. We did the curve at home and started him on insulin. I also learned that if I had blindly followed the initial vet instructions - a couple of units, not worry about home-testing and bring him every couple of weeks - he probably wouldn't still be here. You are welcome to take a look at his SS (spread sheet) and see how many times the tricksy little rascal has gone low on me! ;-)

We started off using the iPet glucometer because my husband wanted one calibrated for cats. We quickly learned that would be too expense to continue with. Now we use a ReliOn Confirm from Walmart. We order our strips cheaper online than from Walmart (cost ~$.28/strip). ($69.99 for 250 strips) We test at least 4 times a day - shot time and usually at least one other time during a cycle.

We did buy our first bottle of insulin from the vet, but have since learned there are other, less expensive, places to get that, too. So, there really are ways to cut costs without cutting the care for our sweet babies. We use ProZinc - our bottle from the vet was $140? (I think.) but should last us 5 - 6 months with our current dose, so it's not nearly as bad as it first seemed.

Initially, my husband did all of the testing and shooting and I would sit quietly, often holding my breath with my eyes closed, because I just KNEW it was hurting him. Then, one night, I was home alone with Hershey and he wasn't acting like himself. I was so worried that his numbers had dropped and I was helpless to do anything about it because I didn't know how to test him. Well, as soon as my husband came home I got him to teach me and now I test about half the time. We also found that if we give him his shots while he's eating he's oblivious to the whole thing.

I think somebody already mentioned Binky's list so you can compare foods and that you can get a test kit sent to you through this site, but ours was less than $10 at Walmart, so pretty affordable, even for us.

You have already met some super people and will meet more in the coming days. You will make lots of new friends and others who are sharing this journey with you. In the ~3 months we've been here, I made some wonderful friends who have become so special to me and have helped me start figuring this dance out.

I would advise you spend as much time as you can reading the information and threads on here and asking lots and lots and LOTS of questions!! It may also help you to look at people's SS (spread sheets) tagged in their signatures at the bottom of their notes and kind of get a feel for how different people do things.

Again, WELCOME!!

Libby (and Hershey, too!)

PS. I forgot to tell you to relax and breathe (easier said than done - I KNOW!) - it really does get easier! :-D
 
Ah! You are all so wonderful so far, it definitely gives me hope! So I picked up Tigress from the vet, poor thing looked so miserable. I asked the vet all the right questions, she was surprised by how much I had known about already. I told her I spent hours on this site reading everything I could. I got prescribed lantus, but holy moly it's expensive! Now question about shelf life of the vial. Vet said it would last 2 to 2 1/2 months dosing Tigress with 1u twice a day. But the pharmacist told me the bottle is only good for 28 days from first puncture. Who do I believe?! Someone mentioned something about the pen cartridge refills being cheaper in the long run and wasting less, Is that accurate? How can I get my hands on those? Doc also prescribed a special dry diabetic gastrointestinal food. I objected at first telling her everything I read said wet food was better. She said that there was a wet brand of the same but since Tigress prefers dry and it's better for her teeth I got it. Thankfully it's about the same cost and the wellness brand food she normally eats. Should I try to supplement wet and dry food? Or maybe a little water on the dry food? Tomorrow is day one of insulin. We're going to try and do a 6am-6pm schedule since that's what works best with my two jobs. Another thing! Doc said to only test glucose every couple days...is she wrong? I picked up one of the freestyle lite monitors since it use the least amount of blood and I'm already paranoid that even getting the 0.3 microliters is going to be a battle. My baby hates her ears being messed with and forget about getting near her paws! Is this a good monitor?
 
Hi Mina!
You have come to the right place. Most of us here have been going through what you feel right now.
It was so overwhelming to have your cat diagnosed with diabetes, and you just don't know where to start. People here at FDMB are very helpful and you will get the right advise here.

My cat Kitty was diagnosed with diabetes mid December. He was then 11,5 yrs, overweight and eating dry food his whole life. Now he is (almost) in remission (=OTJ) and no longer needing insulin shots.

You can find our story in this thread that I posted on Tamara's condo: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=67585 My comments are towards the end of the thread.

My short advise:
- convert Tigress to wet food as soon as possible. I know it may be tough as it was with Kitty, but be persistent and determined. It pays off very fast! In 2 weeks time Kitty went from 2u insulin twice a day to no longer needing insulin.
- giving shots is not difficult and it will not hurt your baby
- do home testing. Also, it will be easy once you learn the tricks
- and ask any and all questions from the wonderful people here at FDMB. People here have a lot of knowledge and can give you confidence in what ever challenging moments you are going through!

Good luck!

- Mia & Kitty
 
Hi Mina,
Just wanted to show you this about shelf life of Lantus.
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=151
There are a few "sticky" threads on the Lantus TR forum like that one that will tell you all about the insulin and how it works.
With proper handling and storage, that will last you more than 28 days. Months even.

You're in a good place!

Carl
 
Thanks Carl! Good to know because the cost alone was going to give me a heart attack if I had to pay for it on a monthly basis.
 
Just stopping in to say Welcome, Mina & Tigress!!

The help & support we received from the generous folk here literally saved my cat's life...
and he is currently in remission and enjoying an active, happy lifestyle. :-D

You have found a magical place!

celi & binks
 
Thank you all! I'm thinking of keeping a blog to keep track of this overwhelming experience. I look forward to soaking up every bit of information FDMB has to offer. Tomorrow or I guess later on today will be my first try giving to insulin injection to Tigress. I hope I do it right. I'll probably spend more time looking through posts tomorrow to get more tips. And like you've all said...I'm breathing. =]
 
Hey Mina!

Just wanted to come over and say hi to you and your beautiful kitty! I see that you're in Vegas, awesome!!! I live up in Summerlin by Palo Verde High School. Please let me know if you need help with anything, I can help you with home testing, shots, whatever you need. I have found that Smith's (I use the one on Charleston & Hualapai) has the cheapest Lantus pens/cartridges and the manufacturer's website has a coupon for $25 off your first pen prescription so we paid about $200 for five pens, basically a five month supply for us, so $40 a month...cheaper than the $110-120 for a vial per month (or however long it lasts)! If you want to use the pens make sure your vet writes the prescription for Lantus Solostar Pens, some of the pharmacies out here can be picky about what needs to be put on the script. Also, I wouldn't recommend Walgreens, I called and their price was like $100 over the other pharmacies I called! We use Relion syringes with the half unit markings from Walmart, they're like $13-14 for a box of 100. We also use the Relion Micro meter to test her at home...Relion has the cheapest strips and supplies so that's what many of us use.
Please please do not hesitate to PM me, let me know if you want my email or cell number.
It is definitely overwhelming and frustrating at first but you'll learn everything quickly. Morlei was diagnosed at the beginning of January and I spent what time I had between work and school coming on the Board and reading everything I could. I am definitely not even close to being as experienced as many of the people on the Board but I feel like I know what to do to try and get my kitty regulated and hopefully one day into remission. Remember that you're never alone, we will be here for you every step of the way! :smile:
 
Hi Becky!

I'm so happy to have a neighbor close by who understands! Thank you for the extra info, Walgreens is where I actually went and even though I initially was prescribed the vial I did ask about the pens. I think she said about $225 for the box of 5.

Oh a high note...we survived the first injection! She didn't make it quite so easy, I had to pin her by her scruff. Not too bad but hoping that soon she doesn't fight me. I tried giving it to her while giving her her multivitamin treat that she loves but she smelled something fishy and tried to run away. I hope today's 6pm shot is a little easier. I injected into her left side ribs behind her shoulder as the doc suggested. While she was not happy I was holding her she didn't even seem to notice the injection. And I felt to wet fur so hopefully I dd it right! It's almost 30 minutes later and Tigress seems fine.

Thank you all again for the support! It means so much!
 
Mina&Tigress said:
Hi Becky!

I'm so happy to have a neighbor close by who understands! Thank you for the extra info, Walgreens is where I actually went and even though I initially was prescribed the vial I did ask about the pens. I think she said about $225 for the box of 5.

Oh a high note...we survived the first injection! She didn't make it quite so easy, I had to pin her by her scruff. Not too bad but hoping that soon she doesn't fight me. I tried giving it to her while giving her her multivitamin treat that she loves but she smelled something fishy and tried to run away. I hope today's 6pm shot is a little easier. I injected into her left side ribs behind her shoulder as the doc suggested. While she was not happy I was holding her she didn't even seem to notice the injection. And I felt to wet fur so hopefully I dd it right! It's almost 30 minutes later and Tigress seems fine.

Thank you all again for the support! It means so much!
Click to expand...

$225 is a good price, maybe the Walgreens I called quoted me something else then...or for two boxes...who knows!
What vet do you go to?
If she gives you trouble you can try giving her the shot as she finishes her food, that's what we do with Morlei sometimes and she doesn't even notice.
 
I go to the Banfield in Silverado. It's two minutes from my house, so it helps since Tigress hates being in a car. I'll definitely check out the rebate for the pens. Can we still use the syringes with the pens?
 
Mina&Tigress said:
I go to the Banfield in Silverado. It's two minutes from my house, so it helps since Tigress hates being in a car. I'll definitely check out the rebate for the pens. Can we still use the syringes with the pens?
Click to expand...
sure you can use the syringes with the pens.
 
Mina, you have such a cute Tigress. Welcome to the board. I'm fairly new here too but starting to get over being overwhelmed. You've been doing the right thing by reading and asking questions.

I do have one piece of advice for you. If you have not opened the Freestyle Lite box, take it back and exchange it for something else. The Relion Confirm the others mention also uses a tiny bit of blood. I originally had the Freestyle meter (like several others here) and it gives misleading numbers for kitties. Take a look at the spreadsheet in my signature and you'll see a dramatic difference in test results starting March 13th when I got rid of the old meter. I like using the Freestyle lancing pen, but the meter was a waste of time.

The other important thing to look at when you select meters is the cost of strips, because you'll go through a few of them. I also have a Bayer Contour that needs a slightly larger drop of blood but seems to wick up very easily so it doesn't seem like it needs more.
 
Thanks! I actually picked up a CVS TRUE2go Glucose Test Meter, hopefully it's good enough. Anyone one have any experience with it?
 
Hmm I really don't want to take chances. I guess I'll go pick up a relion meter from Walmart. Only bought from CVS because they accept my FSA card and trying to save on out of pockets expenses as much as possible.
Headed to Walmart now. Thanks for the link, I'm going to try the Relion Confirm ( in pink if they have it) =]
 
Second injection was a success! Have it to her this time while she was eating and she didn't even flinch. But I think I might of pushed too hard? When I took out the syringe the needle was slightly bent. Does this happen to anyone else? It's such a small amount of insulin I worry I'm not getting it in, but no wet spots on the fur, so good sign? Right now she's curled up next to me, watching tv, and purring. I think we're going to make it through this. Next tough thing is going to be the glucose testing. Went to Wal-mart and got all my supplies...now to get her to let me near her ears.
 

Attachments

  • Supplies_.jpg
    Supplies_.jpg
    67.2 KB · Views: 1,436
  • WorldMeetTigress_.jpg
    WorldMeetTigress_.jpg
    282.5 KB · Views: 1,439
I've heard some complaints about the True 2 Go meter...
one wonderful thing about the relion is that the strips are (I believe) the least expensive on the market :-D

celi & binks

LOVE THE PICS! :lol:
 
You are doing great, Mina!
Those needles are rather flimsey and bend easily but it takes a wire cutter for me to be able to break them off. I think you got the insulin in just fine.
Try for more of a swift dart motion when you inject rather than pushing through the skin. You will meet less resistence and the needle shouldn't bend on you. It's also more comfy for the kitty.. :-D
Hugz,
Carol
 
Mina, I totally understand your stress. I'm now dealing with a diabetic cat (officially as of Tuesday), and am overwhelmed at everything I need to do to keep my Pumbaa from having to go on insulin. But I'm willing to do it to keep my little guy alive and healthy! Even though before he was diagnosed I didn't have enough hours in the day...what with being self-employed and dealing with house maintenance and landscaping, and another cat and a Border Collie, and doing daily chores and errands from my ailing mom... You know how it is these days!
big-hug.gif


As I've read in so many other posts, just take a deep breath, and take the easy way out for now until you can figure out, and can deal with, a long term, affordable solution. I'm hemorrhaging $ right now with a store-bought low carb diet and vet bills and supplies, but once I transition both of my boys to a low-carb, home-made raw diet, I think we'll be okay. I pray we'll be okay.

There is a really great, and funny, link you should read here on these boards:
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=33671

Good luck, to you! And good luck to all of us dealing with getting our furry friends healthy again!
 
Our cat was recently diagnosed, too, so I know how you're feeling. You just gotta do what you gotta do. Regarding diet, I personally find Binky's chart overwhelming and would just say, to make it easy--give your cat a variety of Fancy Feast CLASSIC cat food. I just bought a bunch for 55 cents each at Target.

If you have had trouble with pricking your kitty's ear, I found this helpful: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/view ... f=14&t=287

Warming the ear really really well will help with getting the blood. Try using a wool sock with rice, heat it in the microwave, then press it to your cat's ear.

We changed our lancet to 28 and that also helped. Before at 33 it was TOO THIN, TOO SMALL for us to get blood.

We use a ReliOn Confirm meter and strips, which were not crazy expensive from Walmart.

We found our vet most helpful with showing us at first how to give him a shot, and testing and regulating the cat (very expensive--I doubt it was all necessary, but that was before I found this website). We do NOT report to our vet that we're not feeding our cat the prescription diet she wants/advised us to feed him.

It can be stressful and seem time-consuming. I know that. Fortunately with this site and the message board, there's a lot of information out there that helps with WHATEVER QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. WE ARE ALL HERE TO SUPPORT YOU AND EACH OTHER.
 
Welcome!!!

You are in the right place :-D You've found an endless pool of help and resources!

You are getting some great advice here...just wanted to say HI!

Tanya and Elie
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top