New to Group - Diabetic Cat with Elderly Owner needs help

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ToniJ

Member Since 2015
We were so happy to see this support group. My Mom's cat, Jake, was just diagnosed with diabetes. We tried changing his food, but that was not working and now he is on insulin shots 2 times a day. Mom is 83 and lives in Rochester, NY. I live in Virginia. We both are animal lovers and want to get Jake back to health. Is there a network in the area who could help Mom with the insulin shots?
First - she can't get the protective caps off the syringes - I think I can solve that by having them pre-loaded and stored in the fridge with the cap on the needle loose. But then giving the shot, she is still not very coordinated at it.
Any advise would be welcome. Are there groups/people who I could contact to help on a twice daily basis?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Toni
 
I am not aware of a group that might be able to help. Maybe, while you are visiting, you could teach a young relative or neighbor or student interested in medicine how to give the shots (and hopefully test before each shot). Sometimes vet techs are willing to do this as they are not especially well paid.

The general wisdom here is that it is not a good idea to prefill syringes - something about the reaction of the insulin on the material in the syringe (someone else will know the exact issue)

Bless you and your Mom for working so hard, in a difficult situation, to help Jake.
 
I agree, check with your mom's vet office to see if there are any techs that would be willing to help. Or does your mom have anyone that comes each day to assist her with her care? If so, you could ask them if they could help. You could also check with pet sitting services in her area. Some of them will be willing to come in just to help with medications.
 
You can't pre-fill the syringes. As BJM said, the lubricant can react with the insulin. Leaving the caps loose on the syringes is just not safe. And really, if she has trouble giving the injections, pre-filling isn't really going to solve the problem.

Toni, I suggest you cross-post to the the "Feline Health - (The Main Forum)" and add "in Rochester NY" to the topic title. That forum gets a lot more traffic and there might be a member in the area who can recommend someone or has a suggestion.

A little more info might help too. How old is Jake? What insulin and dose is Jake on? We are looking for something like "the insulin is Lantus and he gets 1 unit twice a day." You mentioned diet change. What was Jake eating and what did your mom change him to? Was it canned or dry?

 
MaineLove - Coral Sea and Turner Joy, mother and daughter. Coral was diagnosed with diabetes June 19, 2015. We are in the process of learning all we can about how to help our girl get healthy. New to this type of forum so forgive the lack of computer posting savvy. Kathe and Frank
 
@MaineLove - Welcome to the board. I just noticed your post and wanted to let you know if you can post a separate thread (message) specifically for your intro, you will get a far better response.

Can you go back to the menu page, click on the forum for New Introductions Go Here and start a new thread by clicking on the "New Thread" button over on the right upper part of your screen. That way your questions and info won't get confused with those of the person who started this thread.

We'd love to hear a little more about Coral like what treatment she is on, eg. diet only or insulin, if insulin what kind and what dose, any other health problems etc. along with anything else you would like to share.

I too struggled a bit navigating the board when I first started but we will help you. You will find a wonderful, knowledgeable group of people here to help you on this journey that none of us ever wanted to take. I'm relatively new here and I can tell you, this site has been nothing short of a godsend.
 
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