New to Feline Diabetes- a little overwhelmed

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sch

sch

Member Since 2012
Caesar is 9 years old with a 23 May diabetes diagnosis. Any advice is welcome. Thank you.
 
It's so great that you're home testing! This (plus hugs and kisses) is the number one best way to help Caesar feel better. About your vet, remember that you are essentially still a customer looking for good quality service. If you feel you're getting anything less than stellar, see about finding a new vet. A great way of locating "diabetes friendly" vets, is to post online here with your general location and see if anyone knows of a good vet in your area. In the beginning with Dainty, I would take her in vet's every other week. Advice from people here helped us become self sufficient especially if you post in the forum specific to Caesar's insulin. I went from going to the vet's every two weeks (which was really raking up the medical bills) to about three or four times a year. I'm sure more informed people will come along and give you more (most likely better) advice but I still wanted to put my two cents in since I can't seem to go to bed. :-D
 
Thank you Renegaderem. Your encouragement is so appreciated and I am thankful for your 2 cents! I hope you got to sleep ok. ;-)

I was also thinking about things after I wrote. I am not feeling confident about how much I am supposed to be feeding. I split a can of low carb purina between the boys about every 6-8 hours (they are normally getting about 1 1/2 cans per cat per day. Does this seem right???

How many times a day should I be testing his blood?

sigh...I know there was something else. Well....

I could surely use advice on a doc for him. I need a vet near Harford County, MD. Any help? Thank you.
 
Good Morning, I'm too new to FD to give any advice, but I wanted to weigh in with a hug, well wishes for you and Caesar, and to say that you sound like you're doing all the right things so far. It is very overwhelming in the beginning, but it does get better. This board is a great resource, the people are wonderful and will give you tons of advice and support and encouragement.

The one thing that I really wanted to say is that you don't need your Vet's approval for home testing. Caesar is your baby! You need to do what you think is best for him - even if that is to look for a new Vet that will work with you. My Vet didn't mention home testing, and I didn't think anything about it until I read about it here. Someone here always says that you wouldn't give insulin to your 2 legged child without testing first to be sure it's safe.... when I read that, a light bulb went off for me. I called my Vet who said that home meters read higher than the one in the office, but that I could bring mine in and test it against theirs. Funny - mine was actually 50 points LOWER. After the Vet saw that, and saw that I had been keeping a spreadsheet of the readings (thanks to whomever created it), he was very impressed and all for me continuing to home test.

Good luck with the Vet search :smile:
 
Hello! I am new to this also; my cat was diagnosed about two weeks ago. My vet did not support home testing either so I switched to one who did. First thing I did was to search this forum, upper right box, typing in the name of my town (in my case Gainesville FL). I searched under "Gainesville" and also Gainesville FL, and was able to locate a member who had posted recently from my town. I then sent her a private message asking which vet she used. She gave me the name of her vet plus another two recommended vets which were closer to my home (thank you Angela&Henry!!!). I called all three. My question to them was, "do you support home testing for diabetic cats?" The vet I chose said, "Oh yes, we actually sell the test kits here if you need them." So you might want to search this forum for members who live close to you and ask for advice. If none, then you will probably have to call every vet in your area and ask about their experience with diabetic cats and home testing. As a PS: there are some great questions on this site for "interviewing vets" which I used also. A final thought, you might want to also contact the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association in Abingdon MD and ask if they know vets in your area who would support home testing. I believe Abingdon may be close to you (??) and I saw on a brochure on their website in support of home testing of diabetic cats. The number listed for them is (410) 569-0795, email is office@ahvma.org. Addess is: 33 Kensington Parkway, Abingdon, MD 21009. I believe they open at 9am. You can also do a search on their website for vets in your state who are certified by the AHVMA. One who looks like she is near you is Dr. Esra Yavuz, located in Bel Air (is that close?). Here is the website for that practice if you want to check it out: www.doctoresra.com phone number 410-420-6555. Again not recommending, just providing some leads on vets who may be supportive of diabetes home testing. I am an analyst by profession; so I am used to researching and analyze everything. Best of luck!!!
 
It is so easy to be overwhelmed when you get the diagnosis, when you do have vet support! When you don't, it is especially hard. Vets usually get one workshop in FD in school and then are sent off to treat many different species and diseases. It is important to have a vet who is willing to learn and work with you. The idea that they insist on testing from their office is discouraging and certainly discounts what you are perfectly able to do at home.

Good for you to start hometesting on your own! That is the most powerful weapon you have to keep Caesar safe. At least your vet started you on a good insulin. Have you seen our Lantus forum? Especially important are the starred topics on the top; they will explain how to use Lantus, how to care for it, how to dose it. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=9

You could tell your vet you are not able to bring him in for another curve or fructosamine test; you will be doing curves at home and will be glad to share your results with him. You can cite financial issues or Caesar's discomfort at the vet - whatever. You are the customer; you are your cat's advocate. If your vet can't respect that, I think I would be looking for a new one.

Another important tool is our color coded spreadsheet. It allows you to keep track of his numbers and your doses, and for us to see his history when you have questions. Here are the instructions:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207 If you want help, just send me a private message. (Small pm button in the LH corner of my post)

You are doing great - changing the food and testing are vital and you have done them on your own. Now you have a forum of backers who will help you and support you. Hang in there - we're here for you and Caesar.
 
Sue and Oliver, MelanieP and Ninja, and knolet,

Thank you so very much for your replies. Thank you for the links and Melanie, thank you for looking that info up for me in my area. Yes those are close to me. I am in tears with gratitude! I will be spending lots of time looking into all of this tonight! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!
 
Foodwise, if you read the can, it will tell you the cat should be fed roughly 1 oz per pound, divided into 2 meals.
20 lb = 20 oz, 10 oz is half that, and slightly more than 1.5 6 oz cans of food for just 1 cat.

The unregulated diabetic can't use the glucose he digests, so he is HUNGRY. I'd go for 2 cans per meal until he is better regulated. If you smear it across the plate, it cuts down on the scarf 'n' barf behavior. Alternatively, some folks will freeze part of the food and put it out to thaw slowly during the interval between shots. Or you might consider a timed pet feeder - the PetMate 5 compartment feeder seems to do well with cats.

For more detailed calorie counting, pop over to Cat Info

For info on urine ketone testing, see my signature link "Secondary Monitoring Tools". Ketones happen when there is not enough insulin, too much glucose, and the cat breaks down fat for calories.
 
You are getting good advice so I am just saying welcome.
Also could you please edit your first post and remove the 991 icon. That icon is reserved for emergencies and you do not seem to have one.
 
Larry, I certainly did not intend to use the icon inappropriately. Because I was desiring immediate attention, I thought (from reading the topic icons section) that was what this icon was for. Pardon my misunderstanding, and thank you to the others who have previously replied to me for graciously overlooking my error.
 
Sue and Oliver- Thank you for asking! Well... I was.

I need all the positive encouragement I can get right now. I have plenty of that "not on my side" feeling...

Not to mention that Caesar seems to be grumpier due to this new bg testing. That, also is making me feel rather sad... His BG is running in the 300s...I don't feel terribly good about that.
 
The secret to the testing is to give him a favorite snack every time. Eventually they associate the treat with the poke and they tolerate the one to get the other.

And even if he balks a little at first, you just have to figure you are keeping him safe every time you get a number before you shoot. 300s are not awful for a beginning diabetic. We have lots of people who start with kitties in the 400-500 range.

I don't use your insulin so can't help with dosing. Do you want me to set you up with a spreadsheet? If so, send me a private message. Then you can post over on the Lantus forum and get dosing advice.
 
Does Caesar like catnip? I just gave some to my cat Ninja and she is in a much better mood. LOL! I hope YOU are doing better today. I know how frightening it is to have your baby diagnosed with diabetes and a vet who is not supportive. It's like being in a strange land, where you are lost and don't speak the language - and your cat's life is hanging in the balance. What do you do? I too posted a 911 message in my first couple of days, because I was scared and didn't know where to turn; and to me, it was an emergency because I had absolutely no idea what I should be doing or not be doing. It's been almost two weeks now, and since I found a vet to help me, I have begun to calm down (a little); though I am still scared; and thankful for the support of this board. I think everyone probably goes through this same thing. Hang in there. When you find a good caring vet to work with you, that will make a big difference!

Melanie
 
off topic- private messages question.

I just sent 2 private messages but they are in my outbox, not "sent massages." Do I need to do something else or are they actually sent? I did hit submit after I wrote them. This whole thing is new to me, sorry.
 
I've been there, with an angry cat and nothing to show for it, even after numerous pokes. Warming the ear with a rice sock really does help, I've also found rubbing the ear from the base up will make a tiny drop of blood much larger. I made Dainty's ears a mess when we first started testing but she still somehow allowed me to keep trying and now she even purrs when I get out the supplies. Keep at it, it really does get easier with time as you become more skilled at getting the right area and Caesar makes the connection that pokes mean treats.
 
I just sent 2 private messages but they are in my outbox, not "sent massages." Do I need to do something else or are they actually sent? I did hit submit after I wrote them. This whole thing is new to me, sorry.
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The messages will stay in your outbox until the people you sent them to read them. At that time, they'll move to your "sent messages" folder. So you did it right, they just haven't read them yet!

Testing gets much easier, and you'll see that soon. Bob wasn't a big fan, plus it took me a while to get used to it. After a month, he actually came running when he saw or heard me get the meter out. I bribed him with fresh shrimp, which Bob believes is God's gift to him. :smile: Bob hasn't had a shot for almost a year. I test him once a month, just to be "sure" he's still good. And even after all that time, Bob comes running as soon as he hears the zipper on the meter case. When I was testing him regularly, there were many times he would remind me that it was time for some shrimp.

Everyone of us was as overwhelmed as you are today. I know I sure was. This all gets easier, believe me. You, and he, will be fine in the near future.

Carl
 
Renegaderem and Carl,thank you for your encouragement, the great advice,and for your answer to my question :)

I just tested him again (I am trying to do a curve today) and he jerked his head when I was using the lancet and scratched right across his ear!! Needless to say I got plenty of blood but I felt AWFUL!
I am going to try the shrimp idea. He does like human brand tuna and I thought of just giving him a tablespoon as a reward but then I remember when we used to give the tuna juice to our former kitty many many years ago and he developed crystals in his urine and a blockage. Therefore I am reluctant, but it is the one thing I KNOW he gets very excited about so...???? Good idea? Bad idea?

I am going to try the rice sock, too. I sure hope mine purrs and comes running one day when that zipper opens. Thanks for the smile. Have a pleasant weekend.
 
questions questions questions... :/

I am going to ask a couple more basic questions. I have looked but I cannot find the answers to this. Sorry, again I am not savvy to some of this.

What does it mean when someone has (GA) after their name, and on the spread sheets, I know AM=morning and PM=evening but what does AMPS and PMPS (the PS PART) mean? Thank you in advance.
 
At the top of the health board (where you're posting) are posts that they call stickies - they stay up there all the time - one of the stickies is a glossary of the terms that people use here. I was so happy when someone pointed it out to me because lots of times I had no idea what people were talking about with all of the abbreviations. It was like speaking a new language. I've only been here for a month and a half and I still go to the glossary. Here's the link:

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15885

GA: Guardian Angel or Gone Ahead (our kitties who have passed on to Rainbow Bridge)
AMPS: A.M. Preshot
PMPS: P.M. Preshot
 
Tuna is a great treat. Stick with the water based, not oil based. You will just be giving small pieces when you test, not as a diet so if he will eat it, go for it!

If he ever moves away and you are "losing" his ear, get a dab of the blood on your fingernail. You can test it there.
 
If you do try the shrimp idea, I used to just boil them, peel them and then cut them into bite sized pieces. I'd buy a pound, and freeze them in small freezer bags, four shrimp to a bag. That would get him thru two days. I'd get about ten days out of a pound, unless I decided to steal a couple from his stash :-)
And shrimp have zero carbs.
Carl
 
Thank you all for your replies and links. Thank you knolet for spelling it out for me! :-)

Sue- I never would have thought of the fingernail idea-awesome!! Thank you!
 
toosweetcae said:
Thank you all for your replies and links. Thank you knolet for spelling it out for me! :-)

Sue- I never would have thought of the fingernail idea-awesome!! Thank you!
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We've all been there, I had the same questions and tons of people helped me out - so I'm glad that I could help out as well. Isn't that fingernail idea great? I still have to do that to get Zeus' blood, otherwise he shakes his head and we lose the drop.

Hope you're feeling a little less overwhelmed tonight... it does take a bit, but you'll do fine and so will Caesar :smile:

Kathie, Zeus and Smokey
 
.... I never thought about putting it on my finger before! Many a time Dainty decides its time to wiggle and scoot right at the critical moment of meter to blood drop! :o You learn something new everyday....
 
Feeling so horrible. Caesar did NOT like his testing tonight and my son had to hold him so tightly..his ears (Caesar's, not my son's..lol) were SO pink from the struggle. I almost just quit. I finally got a drop of blood and it was his highest number yet-no surprise. He probably thought he was at the vet's office again. I feel REALLY lousy. I feel like all of this is changing his sweet sweet personality and right now I just feel like crying...:'(
 
toosweetcae said:
Feeling so horrible. Caesar did NOT like his testing tonight and my son had to hold him so tightly..his ears (Caesar's, not my son's..lol) were SO pink from the struggle. I almost just quit. I finally got a drop of blood and it was his highest number yet-no surprise. He probably thought he was at the vet's office again. I feel REALLY lousy. I feel like all of this is changing his sweet sweet personality and right now I just feel like crying...:'(
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We often get absorbed in how rough it is for our kitties and tend to forget about the human end of the equation. You deserve a hug right now!
I remember when I first got blood from Dainty's ear. It was the best/worst experience ever. It was great because I felt like for the first time since Dx, I had some measure of control over her condition. but on the other hand. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=39720 this was the result (turns out I wasn't putting enough pressure on the poky spot and you're not supposed to test with IV fluid needles) Dainty also started avoiding me. I thought this was it. I traded my cat's affection for her health. I tried many different techniques to restrain her for testing. I quickly found that if I sat in something akin to a computer chair, with a pillow in my lap (she would sink into it and I wouldn't feel the claws on my legs) we were about 20-30% more likely to get blood than if I had my arm across her shoulders trying to hold her down. *this is not science* I have a theory that for Dainty, holding her down triggered the *struggle and flee* sense. We also found that testing with a lancet device, where you can adjust the depth setting, helped give confidence to my shaky hands. I was still plagued by E-7's ( signal for not enough blood on my meter) but they were getting fewer and farther between. I also noticed something important, the calmer and more relaxed I was, the less she tried to wiggle. We still aren't the best or most routine testers (I think I've done two curves over the course of her treatment and only tested amps/pmps with occasional nadirs) but we manage. I guess what I'm trying to say is that every cat is different. We're all going to try and give you advice based on our own experiences. In the end, you know Caesar best. I'm confident you'll be able to find your rhythm for testing and you'll eventually get his sweet personality back. On another note have you set up a spread sheet yet? It's the link in a lot of people's signatures. What was his BG lvl and how many hours post shot?
 
(((HUGS))) I can relate to everything that you said, I experienced the same thing, same feelings only a couple short weeks ago. I never thought that Zeus and I would get it together for his tests. He began to run away from me every time I walked near him, and I felt horrible and stressed about it. But with time and patience it does get better - I promise. Zeus does still try to escape both before and after the poke, but my confidence is higher and Zeus is... well, he's better than he was. At least he doesn't always run away from me. In fact, he has started to run to the kitchen while I'm heating up the rice sock (he gets fed after the AM & PM test, and then treats after each poke in between). That's improvement. I actually think he kind of likes the warming of his ear and I usually scratch his head/face and give him smooches on the head and tell him what a good boy he is. You just have to find a position that is comfortable for you and for Caesar.

As for the poke - I too found that I wasn't using enough pressure with the lancing device. I also try to hold it for a second or two before moving it away now... seems to allow the blood to bead up better. Also, I had originally bought the really thin lancers - my thought was thinner = less pain for Zeus. However, I then had to poke more than once because I wasn't getting enough blood. Someone suggested a lower guage lancer as in the beginning the ears don't bleed well. It has helped. I do still sometimes have to poke more than once, but it's usually because Zeus tried to pull away or shake his head.

My advice, take a couple of deep breaths and try to relax before you test Caesar next time. Maybe even put a little relaxing music on before - I read that someone else does that, and the cat comes running for his test. You may want to try a feliway plug in or spray for a while. It's a natural pheromone that is supposed to calm cats down. I used them for my old cat Smokey during my kitchen remodel. It took a while before I really noticed any difference, but I do think it helped with her stress level.

Good luck! You can do it, and Caesar will still love you even after the pokes.
 
If you aren't getting enough blood with teh lancet pen you can take the lancet out and free-hand it. I tried the lancet early on but got nothing but an irritated cat who didn't like the sound it made. I just free-hand it now and feel I have more control over it.
 
Are you sure warming the ear? A larger lancet also helps - usually the 25-27 gauge works best in the beginning. The 31 gauge in most human kits is too small.

Where do you live in Maryland? Maybe we have a member nearby who could give you some hands on help.
 
Thank you everybody for your kind and helpful words.I love and need those hugs!!!
I am being over-sensitive and I know it. I mean, we do get blood everytime, and in truth, he is taking it well except for occasions like last night (not sure why that was). I do believe I need a larger gauge lancet,(I free-hand it after watching the video, I thought that was probably the best way rather than fool with the pen).We have tested now a total of 9 times since I got my supplies (did a curve the 2nd day) and I have consistently gotten enough for my meter( Relion Micro). I am being somewhat of a baby, I guess. I don't like the idea of such a sweet kitty turning sour, even though I know I am helping him. Sometimes he walks away looking at me like-what the heck are you doing to me, mom? All I could think after last night's fiasco is-I hate this new life we have to have. Perhaps if it was the only thing going on in my life, I may not feel quite like that, ya know? When your kitties are one of the positives-the high points in your life and then something major happens there too.. well. let's just say, I have HAD IT with major life-changing events.
When I look over the success we have had, and the fact that Caesar does not run from us, I should be grateful. I do stay calm, and my son helps me out with holding his head steady-he ALWAYS jerks his head when I prick his ear- but the blood seems to stay(thankfully). I will get onto getting the spreadsheet today but these are his numbers since the 14th: 305,( 244. 343. 325- curve).329.294.354.268. I am testing always before his shot. So, I guess I am doing ok? More importantly how does that look for him??
 
Success! I got my spreadsheet set up! (on my own-yea!)with just a tiny bit of help. OK..so my question is..what should I do now? Should I join an insulin support group? I am calling my vet tomorrow, as he is expecting me to bring Caesar in for a fructosamine test this week. I am going to ask him if he will support my home testing and what I am doing here. So.. we shall see how that goes.... I feel like all I do lately is face confrontations.. I HATE confrontations..... :sad:
 
Yes, it's time to join a support group. Since you are just starting, probably best to post on the bigger one - there is more traffic.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=9

Great job on the spreadsheet!

It doesn't really have to be a confrontation :mrgreen: , just a discussion between a business and a consumer. "here is what I want and need to do with my cat and here is what I will need from you". You might set it up early by emailing or faxing him your spreadsheet so he can see how you are doing.
 
Sue, thank you for the link.
Well.. I say confrontation because I recently had one with them already where they were very clearly in the wrong and now I have to do this again. So I am trying to stay positive..but realistic. I already don't feel comfortable simply communicating with them!
 
Success!!!! My vet.. (the one I like of the 3) was ALL FOR me home testing WHEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank God! What a relief!!!!!
 
See, all that worrying for nothing! Great news that the vet is open to home-testing. :smile:

Carl
 
Thanks Carl :-) Yeah, but from the conversations we had, I would have NEVER known it. Believe me- the worry was justified.
 
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