New, sad and feeling bad...

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quicklikebunny

Member Since 2013
Hi,
Yesterday my Boo Boo Kitty was diagnosed diabetic. Feeling bad beacuse i don't know if i did it to my little prize fighter. She chose me from the shelter and now i'm kinda of feeling like I have let her down. And now to top it off, i'm going to have to stick her in the ear, draw blood and give her a shot. I know that everyone says that once you get to doing it, it's easy and the more you do it the less it hurts the cat... love my Boo Boo girl, just don't want to hurt her and i don't want to see her suffer. I guess I'm looking for words of encouragement. Does the vet really need to do that 10 hour curve? Once I get the testing strips, lancets, insulin and needles, how do i know what her blood sugar should be? How will I know what dose to give her? Need some warm fuzzies to know that everything will be ok. Thanks!
 
My cat doesn't seem to mind the needles and pokes so much as being held down. I was told that BG levels should be between 200 and 70 at best. I'm kinda new at this entire thing too, but my parents had a diabtic that was fine for years once they got him under control. The curve helps figure how your cat reacts to the insulin. I need to do one for my cat this weekend. As for dosing... your vet should tell you what's best.
 
First step... sit back and take a few deep breaths and RELAX a little! Diabetes isn't a death sentence, it's a highly manageable disease... think about how many humans live with diabetes every day and live long, healthy, normal lives!

Ear pokes and shots can be stressful in the beginning, there's no denying that. But it's not the pain of the pokes that sets our cats off - it's the sense of anxiety and fear coming from their owners, and the feeling of being restrained and doing something new! Once you get more comfortable and relaxed with poking, everything will get MUCH easier. It takes some time, but in a few weeks you'll be a pro, posting and reassuring other newbies that things will get easier and they will get through it!

No, you don't need to do a curve at the vets - it's more or less a waste of money. Stress can really raise a cat's blood glucose - it happens to even non diabetics. So the stress of being stuck in a vet clinic for 10 hours with loud noises and strange people poking her could send her blood glucose through the roof, giving you false results anyway! Save the money and pick up your own glucometer and test her at home - if you're in the USA, the ReliOn Confirm and Micro are great economical choices, as well as the new Prime ($9 for 50 strips!!!). You can order supplies online as well.

A non diabetic's blood sugar could be anywhere from 40 to 120 ish. We aim for as close to that as possible, but generally anything under the renal threshold (below 300 BUT above 50) is a good goal to aim for. Your dose changes will depend on what insulin you get (Lantus, Levemir, or Prozinc/PZI) and what blood glucose numbers she has, but generally a good starting dose for all insulins is 0.5 to 1 unit.

Welcome aboard!
 
Everything will be ok. No the vet doesn't need to do that curve, it's more accurate and cheaper if you do it yourself.

Here is some info to get you started..

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Rd6sMfsrNB41yQVEqpyjlHrJsDIbGEhbRIWR4QAwu3c/pub
And
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=18139

I would recommend you talk to your vet about lantus or levemir since they have the best chance of remission. Ask him to show you how to shoot and get a prescription for solostar pens of insulin since they last longer.

Then go to Walmart and pick up a relion meter, strips, keto diastix testing urine strips, syringes, and low carb food. Also stuff for your hypo kit (see first link above).

What weight is your cat (or his ideal weight?) that will help determine starting dose.
 
aah I know it can be overwhelming and sad at first. On the positive side, your here. My Booty is
a happy 17 yr. old kitty who was diagnosed at age 13. She now runs into the room before me
for shot time. Not much holding down. And believe me, she can be a brat. The treats, the heat, the petting
and extra attention have bonded us even more. She is different cat because of it, in a good way.

Here are some links that might help:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00165 ... 02_s00_i01 (fortiFlora-probiotic) Helps digestion&can help with appetite and switching to wet from dry food))

http://felinediabetes.com/diet.htm (Food Info)

http://catinfo.org/docs/Tips%20for%20Tr ... -14-11.pdf (Food Info)

http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Food%20Char ... -22-12.pdf (wet food carb list)

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=86436&p=925576&hilit=testing+ear#p925576 (testing tips)

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/view ... eo#p515124 (home testing difficult cats)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8 (ear)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_3TLtN8XYo (shot)

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207 (spread sheet)

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/view ... =9&t=85113 (BS testing tips)

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1581 (lantus proticol

http://rawmeatpetfood.com/products-page ... emix-21oz/ (raw)
 
Everyone else has the basics covered so for just the warm Fuzzies....I have 14 cats, 12 long time buddies and not diabetic....2 recent adoptees both diabetic that I adopted as diabetics...so nope not a big deal at all for caring for a diabetic cat because trust me if it was with 12 healthy and happy kitties already under the roof I certainly would not have taken on 2 with diabetes.

And you have a big advantage over me in that BooBoo already knows and loves you. When I first started sticking ears and giving shots poor Maxwell and Autumn didn't know me from Eve. But 2 years later for Maxwell and 8 months later for Autumn I have two new best friends, in fact Maxwell is laying on my arm making me type one handed while Autumn is snoring on the couch next to me. Now if it hurt either of these two to have their ears poked or get shots they would avoid me at all cost.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
quicklikebunny said:
Hi,
Yesterday my Boo Boo Kitty was diagnosed diabetic. Feeling bad beacuse i don't know if i did it to my little prize fighter. She chose me from the shelter and now i'm kinda of feeling like I have let her down. And now to top it off, i'm going to have to stick her in the ear, draw blood and give her a shot. I know that everyone says that once you get to doing it, it's easy and the more you do it the less it hurts the cat... love my Boo Boo girl, just don't want to hurt her and i don't want to see her suffer. I guess I'm looking for words of encouragement. Does the vet really need to do that 10 hour curve? Once I get the testing strips, lancets, insulin and needles, how do i know what her blood sugar should be? How will I know what dose to give her? Need some warm fuzzies to know that everything will be ok. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I think you are looking at it all backwards! I bet you don't realize that you have likely saved her life because diabetics don't get the best of care in shelters, so she's very very lucky that she picked you!

Now, I would not bother worrying about the reason she's diabetic; she will be happy to feel better because of your caring for her needs.

OK the pokes on the ear tips? No big deal there.... my two pretty much slept through the pokes, so don't worry in that regard. Poke your own finger tip; it's not horrible.

And the 10hr curve at the vet? I don't think it's worth the price your vet will charge you because the stress on the cat will just end up giving higher numbers than her true numbers! You would be better off to do your own curve at home... when's the vet want to do the curve? Why not get your supplies and start testing before then?

What dose to give? Well, first, you may be able to change her diet if needed .... be sure you are feeding a low carb wet diet and NO DRY food.... some cats are DIET CONTROLLED and don't even need insulin once their diet is adjusted.

Confirm a good diet, start home testing, and then if the numbers show you still need to give insulin, I would suggest Lantus or Levemir. Don't worry about help.... you will have tons of it here on this site.

The good thing is she picked a wonderful person like you who is doing all that's needed to get her feeling better, so cheer up. Before you know it, she will be feeling better.

Ask all the questions you have; someone here will have an answer/suggestion/advice to help you.
 
Re: New, and feeling mch better!

Good morning!
Wow thanks for all the support, i feel much better... not to mention that BooBoo was next to me all night purring so that made me feel much more optimistic! I am going to the vet to get her blood work report this afternoon as well to get all the supplies necessary and the script for insulin. Once I have all that info I'll be back to ask for more advice. Based on everyones input, I have opted not to do the 10 hour curve. Why stress myself and my baby girl out more? Thank you all for your support. I will have many questions as we go , but eventually i will be able to coach and guide someone someday who is in my position today. Meow!
 
quicklikebunny said:
but eventually i will be able to coach and guide someone someday who is in my position today. Meow!
Click to expand...

You most certainly will...that is how everyone of us that responded to you here got here, we all started out right where you are today scared, confused and overwhelmed. :-D But those that had been through it held our hands and our kitties' paws through it all then it became our turn to pay it forward by holding hands and paws of the next group of newbies that showed up scared, confused and overwhelmed.

Just remember 1) Breathe 2) Baby Steps you don't have to get it all right immediately and 3) the only stupid question is the one that goes unasked. We don't care how many times we have to repeat something.

This isn't a sprint it is a marathon.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Test your own glucose level and you'll see it isn't that painful. Plus, its a way to check if your meter is working correctly should you ever get a wonky reading.

Pick up some Neosporin Ointment (not cream) with pain relief. Apply to the ear a few minutes before testing. Wipe off. It slightly numbs the ear, plus helps the blood bead up for testing. (If necessary, you can catch that bead of blood on a fingernail if you have a squirmy cat, so wash your hands first!)
 
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