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LydetteSimmie (Iceman)

LydetteSimmie (Iceman)

Member Since 2014
Hi All,

I introduced myself in the wrong place yesterday. My nickname is Lydette and I have 3 kitties living with me and my hubby now...and one dog. The 3 cats are Simon (Simmie), Murphy, and Princess Kitty Kat. Our senior citizen dog is Buddy or Bud-Bud. I have been a cat lover since I was a small child and prior to this 'family' we had a large group of 7 kitties (all indoor) and the last one of that group passed away at 20. In that group almost all our kids had some type of physical issue as they were quite old prior to their passing but the one issue that broke my heart the most was when my Moon came down with Diabetes. That was about 23 years ago and there wasn't much knowledge on how to care for cats then beyond glucose curves and insulin.

Now my Simon has diabetes and marked neuropathy but because of all the stuff I have already learned from this site I feel like I have a better handle on things. I got a glucose meter a couple of days ago and because of info on this site and Kpassa I was able to do 2 successful readings today. Yesterday I had a horrible time trying to do a reading but Simmie is so good, and he loves his snacks so today was a much better experience.

The most disappointing aspect of this time around with diabetes really is because of my vet. The veterinary practice is great but my kitty vet really disappointed me. She didn't know about METHYL-B12, she still recommends Hills M/D, and she never recommended to me that I should do home testing. We got into a small argument today when I rushed Simmie in to get what I thought was going to be a METHYL-B12 shot - turns out, regardless of how many times I left messages with the technicians and her voicemail stating it must be METHYL-B12 and saying that normal B-12 DOES NOT WORK according to research, when I got there, she didn't have the METHYL-B12, just basic B12. She got really defensive when I told her I was reading veterinary website info that stated B-12 does not work...she said that that is all they can get from their manufacturers, I said so change manufacturers (in a nice way) and she said METHYL-B12 is not available in injectable form and that the pills I ordered won't be absorbed properly by the cat. Anyway, the pills arrived today and given the successful attempt with the glucose meter I feel a lot better.

You guys are wonderful. Thank you. I wish you all the luck caring for your kitties!
Lydette
 
Hi Lydette and welcome to your own post here on the message board. Now you won't get lost at the bottom of someone else's post and we can tailor our suggestions and recommendations to your concerns.

Glad to see you made it here!

Good job on getting the first BG test and welcome to the Vampire Club!

Umm, my Wink got injectable methyl B-12. It was from Wedgewood Compounding Pharmacy but I got it through my shelter since Wink was a foster kitty at the time. Yes, lots of other people use the pill form of the methyl B-12 with great success. You still need to get the BG's regulated and down in the healing range (<200) to help the diabetic neuropathy heal.

My Wink's neuropathy was so bad, he could hardly walk 3 -4 steps before he had to stop and rest, could not jump, had trouble with the stairs, wasn't grooming his hind quarters. It took a couple of months, but he got so much better and jumps everywhere. I find him up on the kitchen island counter constantly. He loves stretching out on the high breakfast bar. ;-)
 
Welcome to FDMB.

It can take a couple of months of good glucose control and the methyl-B12 to get the diabetic neuropathy resolved. Also, some other conditions may result in the "plantigarde stance" or walking down on the hocks, such as electrolyte imbalances (ex potassium). If a thorough blood chemstry was done, that may not be an issue, just be aware of it.

As far as your vet goes - they are responsible for treating several species and a full spectrum of diseases, so it can be very difficult to be on top of all of them at all times. It may be helpful to provide the veterinary references and resources in a modest packet and say you know that it is difficult to stay current, so you did some leg work for her.
 
You are all so wonderful. Thanks for the warm welcome.

I have had trouble regulating Simmie, today his values were 358 at noon (about 3 hours after his breakkie) and then tonight it was 308 before his final meal and when I was going to shoot. Since I had been relying on glucose curses and Fructosomine checks I really didn't feel I had a grasp on regulating him. Upon diagnosis a year ago we found that sometimes his range could be between 60 - 600! So, to proceed with caution the vet recommended backing off on the initial insulin dosage (from 3 to 2). He is now at 4 units. Now that I can test I will be able to tell if he needs even more insulin.

I should have put Simmie on stricter diet control and I blame myself for this terrible situation. I also knew better. Having had a diabetic cat in the past I knew what obesity could do. He is a very large cat (the big bone theory :lol: but he got up to 22 lbs. I know, please don't yell at me). But he is truly huge, though a feral cat when we found him he was as large as a Maine Coon (in body structure). But I let the whole thing get away from me. I know I need to figure out how to help him more than punishing myself. It's hard sometimes.

So, enough already :-) Thanks again. Hugs, Lydette
 
Hi Lydette,
I'm new here too, and I certainly don't have the knowledge and experience of others here. But I wanted to comment about the vet. I found out, the hard way, that I should have learned much more myself about treating diabetes. I should not have relied on my vet to know how to treat Peter Pan. It took a serious situation for me to find this group and start learning. You're in the right place now. Everyone here is helpful, wonderful, and so knowledgeable. My advice about the vet is to take the knowledge you acquire here and help your vet to learn too... that's what I intend to do from now on.

Rose
 
Oh thank you for that note. I know I am in the best place possible to care for my Simmie. Everyone is so wonderful and even more importantly, genuinely helpful and knowledgeable.

I will take the high road with my vet. I was simply stressed out and I think she understood.

When I first saw this site and got so much good info on BG testing, my hubby ran out to get a meter for me. He is amazing at supporting our whole family financially but emotionally as well. He is an incredible human being. The only thing that gets to him is putting needles in our 'kids. But that's ok as I don't have too much of a problem with it.

Based on recommendations from this site we are changing our meter. We have been using the CVS TrueTrack but it didn't get good reviews from members based on the spreadsheet I read. So, today I ordered the RelionPrime with lancets and test strips. Simmie still test too high but I have just changed him to a lower carb food than Hill's M/D so I want to take things a bit slower when evaluating his BG.

Simmie has started his methyl-b12 and I am holding on to the idea that his neurophy will get better.

Love to all, Lydette (a pic of my Simmie will be forthcoming!)
 
Are you using insulin yet and if yes, which one and what dose?

And also if yes - insulin needs may drop 2 units when changing food and glucose levels may drop 100 mg/dL. Please monitor for signs of hypoglycemia and have a hypo kit ready (Karo or other syrup, high carb gravied food, oral syringe, location of 24 hour emergency vets).
 
You might want to print out this post on symptoms of hypoglycemia and how to intervene. Also, most folks here can help you out or know how to find someone over on one of the other forums to come help in case of a hypo situation. You can always make an emergency trip to the vet if you do not think you can manage the low BG levels yourself at home.

I strongly suggest printing out a hardcopy of that post, read it, re-read it and keep it with your hypo toolkit.
 
Hi Everyone,

BJM, thanks for these follow-on posts. And to everyone.

Simmie is on Lantus and I do have a Karo Hypo kit here for emergencies. I had to use that with my kitty Moon many years ago when I saw he was Hypo.

I did post again this morning under a new 'post' and I really should have just continued here.

One thing I don't normally disclose anywhere is that Simmie and I both have our issues. I myself am dealing with a spinal disease and sometimes that makes me feel overly sensitive to the needs of Simmie. I want things to be perfect for him and some days it's just hard. Like for everyone, I am sure. Everyone is overworked, underpaid, and wanting to do the best for their families, which includes their 'kids'. The point being here is that I want to try and keep my posts together so I am not repeating my fears in panic and can become helpful to others.

Thanks also for the advice on the food and on regulating his insulin so he can get the advantages from the Zobalin. I have been transitioning him slowly from the MD to the low carb, as recommended here, but he does miss his dry food munchies he used to get during the day. Instead of low carb snacks when I have been testing him, I used the low-carb food as incentive. The thing with that is as soon as he smells the open can he is almost impossible to get to sit still :-D so I'll be going out to get the snacks instead.

Maybe here is something I can offer but it might be unique to Simmie. He loves ice cubes. Always has. But once we changed fridge's years ago and got one without the exterior ice crusher we slowly forgot to give him ice all the time. When he became diabetic I noticed him going after my ice water, which I have by me at all times because of my own meds. So now I also keep a small cup next to me and before I do any procedure on him I fill it with 3 ice cubes on the couch and he just cuddles around it. I might as well have given him a snack! HE LOVES IT! He licks them like a champ and is very happy. Maybe one of you guys might like trying the ice cube trick. We know diabetics love their water but this is a little different as he has always loved his cubes!

Thanks again,
Hugs, Lydette and Simmie!
 
I love it! An ice cube loving cat! Who would have thought that a cat would be best buddies with ice cubes? :o :shock: :o
 
Hee....yeah, he's nuts about those cubes. The only downside is that when I get up from the chair I have to remember to bring my ice water with me...there's been more than a few times where he was impatient and would knock over my water to get to those delectable cubes! Gotta watch the laptop! Giving him his own little bowl of cubes solved most of that problem. You should see how his eyes light up when he hears me open the freezer drawer. Ha! :lol:
 
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