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- Thread starter toby
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Sue and Oliver (GA)
Member Since 2009
Join the club! We were all terrified at first. The good news is that the more you learn about this disease, the more confident you feel about the treatment. We have a protocol that has worked for thousands of cats.
We use a mild long lasting insulin like Lantus, Levemir or ProZinc. We test our cats blood glucose levels at home, just like we would with our 2 legged kids. And we feed wet low carb food. There is a lot of info on the site, particularly on the Index page - hometesting info, food info, health info.
Start reading and ask questions as often as you need to. We'd love to help you help your sweet Toby.
We use a mild long lasting insulin like Lantus, Levemir or ProZinc. We test our cats blood glucose levels at home, just like we would with our 2 legged kids. And we feed wet low carb food. There is a lot of info on the site, particularly on the Index page - hometesting info, food info, health info.
Start reading and ask questions as often as you need to. We'd love to help you help your sweet Toby.
Maggies Mom Debby
Member Since 2009
We have all been there - scared and confused. This site has wonderful, caring people who have been dealing with FD and are willing to help others. It also has tons of great info, so read, read, read, then post your questions. We are here to help!
Wendy&Tiggy(GA)
Member Since 2011
It's ok, we are here to help. Here is some reading for you, but the main thing is not to panic. This is a manageable disease and with the right treatment your kitty will be back to normal really soon.
Here is the reading https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Rd6sMfsrNB41yQVEqpyjlHrJsDIbGEhbRIWR4QAwu3c/pub
Meanwhile how about you tell us more about yourself and your kitty? What's your name? How old is Toby and how much does he weigh? What does he eat? Did your vet prescribe insulin yet?
Wendy
Here is the reading https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Rd6sMfsrNB41yQVEqpyjlHrJsDIbGEhbRIWR4QAwu3c/pub
Meanwhile how about you tell us more about yourself and your kitty? What's your name? How old is Toby and how much does he weigh? What does he eat? Did your vet prescribe insulin yet?
Wendy
BJM
Member Since 2010
Welcome!
There's a lot to learn, to be sure. I've a link to learning tips in my signature link to help.
While you work on learning to home test, there are some Secondary Monitoring Tools in my signature link with info on testing for ketones. Ketones are a by-product of fat breakdown for calories. Too many may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially fatal, expensive to treat complication of diabetes.
There's a lot to learn, to be sure. I've a link to learning tips in my signature link to help.
While you work on learning to home test, there are some Secondary Monitoring Tools in my signature link with info on testing for ketones. Ketones are a by-product of fat breakdown for calories. Too many may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially fatal, expensive to treat complication of diabetes.
Hi toby,
My April just got diagnosed 2 weeks ago, and has only just started insulin days ago.
You're probably in the best place for information and helpful people. I am fairly new here as well and people have just been awesome. I don't have a lot of information links for you, but it looks like the good people here have already given you lots of good reading places to start.
To give a quick sum up of things you need to do if not already:
a) Insulin treatment and supplies. Have you decided which insulin to try? Most people suggest Lantus, and from what I read, it's gentle and lasts longer. I am on Caninsulin, but that's because I listened to my vet and I had panicked and got everything I needed there. If you're in Canada, Lantus is available OTC and tax-free without a prescription. I believe you need one in the US.
b) Consider changing food/diet if you haven't already. I'm in the process of doing this. You'll hear quickly an all wet diet is best. Alongside here, you'll need to calculate the amount of calories your cat needs, so you can feed accordingly. I have a big 20lb guy, but he is taking about 210 calories a day (targeting a lower weight). I feed him 6 times a day just so there's always something in his stomach.
c) Home testing. It sounds daunting poking your cat a few times a day to get a glucose curve, but you can do it! We'll give you more details when you're ready for this.
I likely missed a lot of things, but those are the big things that cropped up on the top of my mind. I will stress to you, that giving April needles, and pricking his ears for blood, causes him no pain. He doesn't even flinch. I remember all I could think of was all the pain I would cause him.
Most importantly, take a breather and step back. Yes it would be ideal to start your cat on insulin soon. But there's a lot to take in, lot of information. But a calm will settle in as you learn more. I'm much less panicked now. If you look in my thread, you'll see i'm all over the place, just typing as my mind went.
Hopefully, with proper treatment, diet, and close monitoring, you might get your kitty onto a diet controlled regime. That's what I'm hoping to do.
My April just got diagnosed 2 weeks ago, and has only just started insulin days ago.
You're probably in the best place for information and helpful people. I am fairly new here as well and people have just been awesome. I don't have a lot of information links for you, but it looks like the good people here have already given you lots of good reading places to start.
To give a quick sum up of things you need to do if not already:
a) Insulin treatment and supplies. Have you decided which insulin to try? Most people suggest Lantus, and from what I read, it's gentle and lasts longer. I am on Caninsulin, but that's because I listened to my vet and I had panicked and got everything I needed there. If you're in Canada, Lantus is available OTC and tax-free without a prescription. I believe you need one in the US.
b) Consider changing food/diet if you haven't already. I'm in the process of doing this. You'll hear quickly an all wet diet is best. Alongside here, you'll need to calculate the amount of calories your cat needs, so you can feed accordingly. I have a big 20lb guy, but he is taking about 210 calories a day (targeting a lower weight). I feed him 6 times a day just so there's always something in his stomach.
c) Home testing. It sounds daunting poking your cat a few times a day to get a glucose curve, but you can do it! We'll give you more details when you're ready for this.
I likely missed a lot of things, but those are the big things that cropped up on the top of my mind. I will stress to you, that giving April needles, and pricking his ears for blood, causes him no pain. He doesn't even flinch. I remember all I could think of was all the pain I would cause him.
Most importantly, take a breather and step back. Yes it would be ideal to start your cat on insulin soon. But there's a lot to take in, lot of information. But a calm will settle in as you learn more. I'm much less panicked now. If you look in my thread, you'll see i'm all over the place, just typing as my mind went.
Hopefully, with proper treatment, diet, and close monitoring, you might get your kitty onto a diet controlled regime. That's what I'm hoping to do.
Elizabeth and Bertie
Member Since 2010
Hello to you and Toby, and welcome to FDMB!
Everyone here has been where you are now, so we all understand what you're going through.
Please ask any questions you want to.
Eliz
Everyone here has been where you are now, so we all understand what you're going through.
Please ask any questions you want to.
Eliz
Deb & Wink
Member Since 2013
April's mom,
You may have only been diagnosed two weeks ago but what you said to Toby's mom/dad is awesome! Good job. You sure have learned fast.
I remember that April is a boy, not a girl but I do not remember your name. You can add some informmation to the user control panel, profile, edit signature to have this appear at the end of the post.
It's nice to see a quick snapshot of information at the end of the post of the people we are helping. Things like your name, your cat's name ( and gender in the case of April ;-) ) , what insulin you are using, what glucometer you are using, any additional health issues your cat is dealing with, any dietary restrictions (due to IBD or food allergies).
Yes, we recommend low-carb wet food for all diabetics, but we understand that is not possible in all cases. The change can take time or there can be extenuating circumstances why a particular food must be fed. A little blurb at the end of the post, in your signature, can do a lot of explaining and hopefully head off those annoying, repeated suggestions to switch your cat to low-carb wet food when that is not possible.
Also, while updating your user control panel, profile, edit profile if you would be so kind as to let us know what country you are in, maybe the state/province if you are comfortable giving out that information. That is helpful, especially for those of us that are having more and more 'senior moments' and do not remember information like this easily. The brain does not always succeed at the information retrieval process very well these days. It took me two weeks one time to remember the name for trowel (garden digging implement), and I've been a gardener for 40 years. :shock:
Won't you please help a poor older woman struggling to remember some details about your cat and do these updates?
We'd really appreciate it. Thanks.
You may have only been diagnosed two weeks ago but what you said to Toby's mom/dad is awesome! Good job. You sure have learned fast.
I remember that April is a boy, not a girl but I do not remember your name. You can add some informmation to the user control panel, profile, edit signature to have this appear at the end of the post.
It's nice to see a quick snapshot of information at the end of the post of the people we are helping. Things like your name, your cat's name ( and gender in the case of April ;-) ) , what insulin you are using, what glucometer you are using, any additional health issues your cat is dealing with, any dietary restrictions (due to IBD or food allergies).
Yes, we recommend low-carb wet food for all diabetics, but we understand that is not possible in all cases. The change can take time or there can be extenuating circumstances why a particular food must be fed. A little blurb at the end of the post, in your signature, can do a lot of explaining and hopefully head off those annoying, repeated suggestions to switch your cat to low-carb wet food when that is not possible.
Also, while updating your user control panel, profile, edit profile if you would be so kind as to let us know what country you are in, maybe the state/province if you are comfortable giving out that information. That is helpful, especially for those of us that are having more and more 'senior moments' and do not remember information like this easily. The brain does not always succeed at the information retrieval process very well these days. It took me two weeks one time to remember the name for trowel (garden digging implement), and I've been a gardener for 40 years. :shock:
Won't you please help a poor older woman struggling to remember some details about your cat and do these updates?
We'd really appreciate it. Thanks.- Status