New to this, I have questions!

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Erincobb

Erincobb

Member Since 2020
Hello everyone, I apologize that I may seem all over the place with this post but I am very new to this and I’m very overwhelmed. First I will tell you about my situation and then I will leave some of my questions I have at the end. My cat Weezy was just diagnosed with diabetes and I now have to give him insulin and I am very overwhelmed and could use some help. My cat Weezy is 11 years old. This all started about a week ago when we noticed he was acting very tired and sluggish/ lethargic and he did not want to eat and had lost a lot of weight. So we took him to the vet and after some testing they told us that he has diabetes. They sent us home with Vetsulin and told us to give him 2 units twice a day 12 hours apart, and to give it to him after he’s eaten a full meal and to only feed him when he’s getting his insulin and not any in between meals. They gave him his first shot at the vet office of 2 units. He looked like crap all night long. Saturday morning 9/19/20 was the first time giving him his shot at home. He just did not want to eat at all so I have to force feed him with a food syringe. After I fed him and gave him his 2 units he honestly seemed like he just got worse. People were telling me that 2 units is way too much to start out with and that he should start with .5 or 1 unit and that seems to be true because once the vet called to check on him I let them know that he was still lethargic and looked like crap so they said to reduce his amount to 1 unit twice a day instead of the 2 units. Last night I had to force feed him again and I gave him his 1 unit. He seemed to do much better on that, all he does is basically sleeps and occasionally gets up to drink water or to go to the litter box, but he looked better and didn’t look as miserable. Me and my wife have been alternating sleeping on the couch with him in the living room just to monitor him and also make him feel better knowing we are there for him. This morning was my third time giving him insulin and once again he didn’t want to eat so I had to force feed again. He seems to be doing better on the 1 unit. My problem here is that since joining the feline diabetes Facebook page people have told me that I should be doing at home BG testing and that depending on his levels I could alter the amount of units of insulin and maybe wouldn’t even have to give him a dose depending on what his levels are. They also said I should choose wet food that is low carb. The vet never said anything about at home testing or the food needing to be low carb. At this point Weezy is still just sleeping or laying all day with only occasional movement. He has not eaten on his own in 3 days and I have had to force feed him every time. The vet will be calling to check up on him tomorrow but I want to go to the store tonight to get at home testing stuff. People also said some of their cats are in remission and I don’t really know what that means. Also people have said once you get the dosing amount just right then your cat can live a great life and feel back to normal. My questions are, why isn’t he eating on his own? Will I have to force feed him for the rest of his life?! What brand of food do most cats like that will maybe get him to eat on his own again? Once he does start eating on his own again do I alter the amount of insulin if he dosent eat enough? If he dosent eat enough do I force feed him the rest so that he won’t get sick from too much insulin? How do I check his BG and when do I check it? Do I check before or after he’s eaten his meal and how do I alter the unit levels depending on his BG number? Did anyone go through the same thing with their cat with the not eating on their own? I’m sorry that I am all over the place but I am so new to this and I am doing the best I can and I have been doing exactly what the vet has told me to do. I just don’t want to give him too much or too little insulin and I’m concerned about his eating and I just want him to feel better and get back to somewhat normal. All he does is rests or sleeps and when he does walk he is still very wobbly and seems dizzy. Thank you all for reading and I look forward to help I get!
 
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Hi Erincobb, I have moved your post to our Feline Health forum, which is the place where new people post to get them started. We've got lots of information about how to home test his blood sugars, and also his urine for ketones. The latter because you say he's been lethargic and not wanting to eat. I'm glad you are able to syringe feed him - and no, you will not have to do this the rest of his life. It's sounds like he's nauseous, and you should contact the vet for some anti-nausea medication like Cerenia or ondansetron.

Remission means no longer needing insulin, so a diet controlled diabetic.
 
Hello Erin and Weezy!

I encourage you to look at the Health links section of the forum. Click on the first sticky post, "Index- health links, FAQs." So many good links there. Tips on home testing, and awesome food chart to help picking out food easy. All your basics are covered there.

Please do consider making a spreadsheet and signature for Weezy, so you can get hand tailored advice here. In that sticky post I pointed out, click on New? How you can help us help you!

My kitty was also totally sick at first. Didn't eat for over 3 days. Once his sugars started coming down, he began eating and feeling better.

I do think 1 unit twice a day is a better starting point. Insulin does not have to be skipped if the kitty is not eating, if blood sugar is high enough. On a human meter, if blood sugar is over 200, kitty can get insulin. Yes, with vetsulin it is better for Weezy to eat first, because Vetsulin is a pretty harsh insulin for cats, but vets keep handing it out. If you can afford a better insulin, Lantus or Prozinc works better with cats. But you can totally make Vetsulin work for you and Weezy.

Most vets do not know feline diabetes well. Our vet is awesome at other things, but gave us terrible advice about sugar cats. Starting doses are better when done at 0.5 or 1 unit twice a day. Increases in dose are better done at 0.25 of a unit at a time. Cats don't have to only have 2 meals a day, they can be fed anytime except the 2 hours before shot time. (they need to be hungry at insulin time.) A low Carb wet food is your best chance at remission. It does not need to be prescription food. My boy Billy went into remission on Fancy Feast classic pates. That handy sticky post I mentioned has an awesome food list to help you make good choices.

So many vets don't suggest home testing, but it keeps your kitty safe. You can use a pet meter, but the strips are expensive. Many people use an inexpensive human meter, like WalMart's ReliOn. Strips are cheap. Normal blood sugar level on a human meter is 50-120. Over 200 should be safe to give insulin. Under 50 is a hypo reaction and is an emergency. Handy sticky post I mentioned has links at the top that explain how to treat a hypo and what to put in an emergency hypo kit.

Do look at those links. Read a little. Knowledge is power. I promise you that the more you know, the less overwhelmed you will feel.

If you have more specific questions, I'm mostly found in the FaceBook group. I'm Julianne Q Johnson, an Admin there. Feel free to tag me.
 
Welcome to our forum. We know this is overwhelming and frustrating. We know because every one of us have been there.

YOU HAVE LANDED IN A SAFE PLACE. We will help you sort this out. Its not easy and its a huge learning curve but its doable (believe me if I can do it? ANYONE can ) I was a needle phobic wreck. But with all the help and encouragement here Trouble and I made it. You will too.
Theres a ton of information here with good people to help you navigate it all ...

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY:bighug:

I'm going to try and answer some of these questions :

My questions are, why isn’t he eating on his own? Will I have to force feed him for the rest of his life?! What brand of food do most cats like that will maybe get him to eat on his own again?

There could be several answers to why a cat isnt eating It can range from just feeling yucky to needing fluids, it could be because this insulin isnt working for him or the dose is wrong
Now this is important ...Did the vet say anything about keytones. When a diabetic cat doesnt eat and doesnt get his insulin he can become very sick. PLEASE READ ABOUT THEM HERE THIS IS IMPORTANT
Ketones, Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), and Blood Ketone Meters

What brand of food do most cats like that will maybe get him to eat on his own again?
You want to feed low carbed wet food anything 10% and below is considered low carb. Many here feed Fancy Feast Pate. There are other low carb like some of the Friskies pate. but we can get into that later. If he is refusing all can food then you can sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top or Add tuna water anything to get his interest. (here as well there are other product and tricks to getting kitty to eat) We can help with that too.

Once he does start eating on his own again do I alter the amount of insulin if he dosent eat enough?
You will more than likely have to change his dose when he is eating again.

Right here I'd like to interject...
Hometesting Links and Tips This is the ONLY way to know how much to change his dose and keep him safe.

How do I check his BG and when do I check it? Do I check before or after he’s eaten his meal and how do I alter the unit levels depending on his BG number?
All this is addressed in the link above.

Dont be sorry. You've already taken the right step by coming here. We all have been in your shoes. PLEASE keep asking questions.
I hope this will get you started on how to navigate this disease. Dont worry we are going on this journey WITH you.
jeanne

ETA We can help you with the dosing by the spreadsheet we offer you can find how to make your own here:
FDMB SPREADSHEET INSTRUCTIONS


 
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Hi Erin,

It is so overwhelming to begin with. I totally understand how you are feeling. My kittie have been diagnosed 3 months ago, and we have some new challenges, but we are all coping much better. So hang in there.

I arrived at this forum because, like you, I was told by the vet to give insulin and bring him back in a month. As an aftertought, the vet mentioned he might have a hypo, so I should look out for it. Well, after reading all I could, and finsing this forum, I came to the conclusion that hypo symptoms are not too different from hyper synptoms, so I needed to start testing at home so I could know what is going on. It is possible you will feel much more empowered to do the right thing if you could start testing at home. A human glucometer is not too expensive and there are loads of videos on youtube to get the hang of it.

With regards to food I am really not qualified to say much, but I think is always worrisome when cats are not eacting and it is particulalry important when you are giving insulin. So I would do all coaxing possible to get him to eat.
Hercules was not eating much before the diagnosis, but he is Ok now that his blood sugar is better resultaed, so I think it is common for them not to eat when they are feeling rubbish. It is important to find out though why....

:bighug: Hope he feeld better soon!
 
Juls and Billy said:
Hello Erin and Weezy!

I encourage you to look at the Health links section of the forum. Click on the first sticky post, "Index- health links, FAQs." So many good links there. Tips on home testing, and awesome food chart to help picking out food easy. All your basics are covered there.

Please do consider making a spreadsheet and signature for Weezy, so you can get hand tailored advice here. In that sticky post I pointed out, click on New? How you can help us help you!

My kitty was also totally sick at first. Didn't eat for over 3 days. Once his sugars started coming down, he began eating and feeling better.

I do think 1 unit twice a day is a better starting point. Insulin does not have to be skipped if the kitty is not eating, if blood sugar is high enough. On a human meter, if blood sugar is over 200, kitty can get insulin. Yes, with vetsulin it is better for Weezy to eat first, because Vetsulin is a pretty harsh insulin for cats, but vets keep handing it out. If you can afford a better insulin, Lantus or Prozinc works better with cats. But you can totally make Vetsulin work for you and Weezy.

Most vets do not know feline diabetes well. Our vet is awesome at other things, but gave us terrible advice about sugar cats. Starting doses are better when done at 0.5 or 1 unit twice a day. Increases in dose are better done at 0.25 of a unit at a time. Cats don't have to only have 2 meals a day, they can be fed anytime except the 2 hours before shot time. (they need to be hungry at insulin time.) A low Carb wet food is your best chance at remission. It does not need to be prescription food. My boy Billy went into remission on Fancy Feast classic pates. That handy sticky post I mentioned has an awesome food list to help you make good choices.

So many vets don't suggest home testing, but it keeps your kitty safe. You can use a pet meter, but the strips are expensive. Many people use an inexpensive human meter, like WalMart's ReliOn. Strips are cheap. Normal blood sugar level on a human meter is 50-120. Over 200 should be safe to give insulin. Under 50 is a hypo reaction and is an emergency. Handy sticky post I mentioned has links at the top that explain how to treat a hypo and what to put in an emergency hypo kit.

Do look at those links. Read a little. Knowledge is power. I promise you that the more you know, the less overwhelmed you will feel.

If you have more specific questions, I'm mostly found in the FaceBook group. I'm Julianne Q Johnson, an Admin there. Feel free to tag me.
Click to expand...
 
Juls and Billy said:
Hello Erin and Weezy!

I encourage you to look at the Health links section of the forum. Click on the first sticky post, "Index- health links, FAQs." So many good links there. Tips on home testing, and awesome food chart to help picking out food easy. All your basics are covered there.

Please do consider making a spreadsheet and signature for Weezy, so you can get hand tailored advice here. In that sticky post I pointed out, click on New? How you can help us help you!

My kitty was also totally sick at first. Didn't eat for over 3 days. Once his sugars started coming down, he began eating and feeling better.

I do think 1 unit twice a day is a better starting point. Insulin does not have to be skipped if the kitty is not eating, if blood sugar is high enough. On a human meter, if blood sugar is over 200, kitty can get insulin. Yes, with vetsulin it is better for Weezy to eat first, because Vetsulin is a pretty harsh insulin for cats, but vets keep handing it out. If you can afford a better insulin, Lantus or Prozinc works better with cats. But you can totally make Vetsulin work for you and Weezy.

Most vets do not know feline diabetes well. Our vet is awesome at other things, but gave us terrible advice about sugar cats. Starting doses are better when done at 0.5 or 1 unit twice a day. Increases in dose are better done at 0.25 of a unit at a time. Cats don't have to only have 2 meals a day, they can be fed anytime except the 2 hours before shot time. (they need to be hungry at insulin time.) A low Carb wet food is your best chance at remission. It does not need to be prescription food. My boy Billy went into remission on Fancy Feast classic pates. That handy sticky post I mentioned has an awesome food list to help you make good choices.

So many vets don't suggest home testing, but it keeps your kitty safe. You can use a pet meter, but the strips are expensive. Many people use an inexpensive human meter, like WalMart's ReliOn. Strips are cheap. Normal blood sugar level on a human meter is 50-120. Over 200 should be safe to give insulin. Under 50 is a hypo reaction and is an emergency. Handy sticky post I mentioned has links at the top that explain how to treat a hypo and what to put in an emergency hypo kit.

Do look at those links. Read a little. Knowledge is power. I promise you that the more you know, the less overwhelmed you will feel.

If you have more specific questions, I'm mostly found in the FaceBook group. I'm Julianne Q Johnson, an Admin there. Feel free to tag me.
Click to expand...
So when I test his sugar level after he’s done eating and he is within the normal range, should I just not give him the insulin?
 
If I'm understanding your question ...It would depend greatly on that test. If Weezy's number was really low and without data You should NOT give insulin. If he was high you would. BOTH of these scenarios come with caveats Theres a lot depending on a high reading and a lot depending if that low number was JUST above that "NO SHOOT" margin. Without data (that being recorded tests on your spread sheet) it is difficult to advise or help.

Granted this is a steep learning curve bot one that has been managed for years on this site by a wide margin of different people with different situations. Its our task to help each one find the right path for their personal situation.
 
Weezey sounds like he's sick ... a diabetic cat should be very hungry and not lethargic. Did you vet check him for pancreatitis? A cat not eating can quickly develop fatty liver. There's a lot to learn about diabetes as you know, but I'd want to tackle why he's not feeling well before getting all into the logistics of dealing with diet changes and such. I would prefer he goes to the vet today to be checked for illness.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Hi Erincobb, I have moved your post to our Feline Health forum, which is the place where new people post to get them started. We've got lots of information about how to home test his blood sugars, and also his urine for ketones. The latter because you say he's been lethargic and not wanting to eat. I'm glad you are able to syringe feed him - and no, you will not have to do this the rest of his life. It's sounds like he's nauseous, and you should contact the vet for some anti-nausea medication like Cerenia or ondansetron.

Remission means no longer needing insulin, so a diet controlled diabetic.
Click to expand...
 
Panic said:
Weezey sounds like he's sick ... a diabetic cat should be very hungry and not lethargic. Did you vet check him for pancreatitis? A cat not eating can quickly develop fatty liver. There's a lot to learn about diabetes as you know, but I'd want to tackle why he's not feeling well before getting all into the logistics of dealing with diet changes and such. I would prefer he goes to the vet today to be checked for illness.
Click to expand...
I have updates on weezy and have new questions, where should I post that? Do I edit my original post or write a reply to my post? I just want everyone to see it, I’m not very good with technology and forums and computer stuff so I apologize for sounding like an idiot lol
 
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