Newly Diagnosed

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Tiffany and Goose

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Hello all,

I've spent the past few days lurking, after discovering that my 4-year-old kitty Goose is diabetic. This board seems like a wonderful support system and I'm glad I'm not alone in my concerns.

A little history...DH and I adopted Goose when he was two months old. He was sick when we got him, and over the next year he didn't gain much weight despite a ravenous appetite. (And, not knowing better, I fed him mainly dry food, which makes me cringe in retrospect.) My vet at the time suspected IBD and prescribed prednisone. Within two days of his first dose of prednisone, he was at the animal hospital after becoming violently ill, and was diagnosed with DKA. But once the steroids worked their way out of his system, he recovered. His BG stabilized and the ketones went away.

Fast forward a few years. Goose had been acting normal, eating and playing as usual, but DH noticed last weekend that the litter box smelled different (sweet, he said) and we made an appointment with our new vet. Goose's BG was 539 and he had a UTI. He's now on Humulin, which I see isn't the insulin of choice here. I'm currently giving him 2 units twice a day. He goes next week to get his blood rechecked. I'm struggling to learn how best to give the shots, because I'm so afraid of hurting him.

Additionally, I've started introducing EVO canned food, after reading that a high-protein/low-carb diet was ideal. I'm going to start hometesting soon so I can monitor him daily.

Whew, what a crazy week this has been! Thank you for reading my meandering post - it helps to know I'm with other people who know what I'm going through. (Unlike an unkind coworker who instructed me to "just get another cat"!)
 
Yes, Tiffany, we are all crazy cat people here who are willing to test our kitties' blood glucose levels and find them the best possible food.....Wait till you read a post about ketone testing, where we try to catch the cat in mid stream in the litter box with a ladle....Stalking the litter box.....

You are right. Humulin is a hard insulin to use. And hometesting is especially important with it, as it hits hard and can take cats down low early in the cycle. How can we help you with hometesting? Have your seen the video and read the tips?

The shots really don't hurt them at all. We always gave ours to Oliver when he had his nose deep into his food. (Which you want with Humulin - you want Goose eating heartily before you give the shot.) Evo canned should be great. Have you checked the flavors on Janet and Binky's chart? http://www.felinediabetes.com/diabetic-cat-diets.htm Try to stay between 8-10% without giving fish more than once a week or so.

There is always someone on the board ready to help. And there are NO silly questions. You can do this; we will help!
 
Wow, all in a week? Well, congratulations on keeping it together! As for those shots? Bah. It took me the better part of three years to even attempt one - and the very first time he didn't even have the courtesy to validate my fears by howling in pain (in fact - he never looked up). Those itty-bitty skinny little needles do all the work for you, really; make sure you keep your eyes peeled - because neither of you will likely feel the needle puncture his skin.

I know all about those coworkers. My mother was talking about it at her office and got a "Geesh, $100 a vial? Why not just put the thing to sleep?" (to be fair, I think he was feeling bitter about having to put his dog down not long before then...)

Well, welcome aboard! (I've only been here a month, myself). This really is the best place to be for crazy cat people. :lol:
 
Welcome aboard. I am new at this too, so the only helpful hint I can offer is this. I give him the shot right after I put down his food. He's so busy eating, he has never noticed the needle. I prepare the syringe and let it sit a moment warming up, then I mix his food with a lot of hoopla, rattling the bowl etc., big fanfare bringing it to his mat.

I feel mine five times a day in smaller portions, so he is always eager to eat.

I also know the guilt feeling of keeping him on dry food for so long. But, ya can't look back, just go forward best you can.

The next time that coworker complains about a sick kid or spouse,tell her to " Just get another kid". Our pets are not disposable - we couldn't bear the guilt.
 
Hi and welcome to FDMB :mrgreen:

As has been said previously, injecting kitties doesn't have to hurt them. You are shooting the insulin under the skin only.It's when you inject into muscle it hurts.

Have a look at the pics here:http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Syringe#Conversion

So as long as you pull his skin up like a tent, you won't hit his muscle.
Another thing you can do is ask vet to shave a small square on his scruff or side (we always shot into the scruff-I'd have had no hands left trying anywhere else! :roll: ).Then you rotate on this where you inject.If you keep injecting in exactly the same spot, the skin thickens and this can cause discomfort (over a period of time).

It doesn't feel natural at first, but the relationship you will form with your cat is like nothing you've ever had with him before.

Humulin isn't regarded as a particularly good insulin.The ethos of this board is start low, go slow (usually 1u), but at least 2u isn't a massive dose either.
Ask any questions, plenty of cat minded people here to help and support you. :mrgreen:
 
Hometesting actually has me quite worried. Goose has had two ear infections, and because of that I learned how much he absolutely hates to have his ears touched. I used to creep up on him when he was sleeping and squirt the medicine in his ears! I haven't watched the video yet, but will do so this weekend. How often should I test him? I've noticed that some people do it sporadically, while others try to do it before each injection. Should I be more vigilant because he's on Humulin? Also, can he eat as much as he wants? Since the diagnosis, I've been feeding him wet food whenever he cries for it. He's good at walking away when he's full, so I don't think he's eating just because it's there, but I want to make sure I'm not overfeeding him.
 
It is recommended and most people here test before each shot. It is very important to do that with new cat since the BG can be low and give a full dose could cause a hypo. Until they are somewhat under control it is OK to feed them a lot. When weight is regained then it can be reduce. You should strive to feed the same amount since that make figuring out the right dose easier.
 
If you really can't do his ears, you can try the paws. We have several people here who pawtest. And if you want help the first time, post your city and state. Maybe we have someone who lives nearby.

You need to test before every shot, to make sure it is safe to give insulin. And with humulin, you want to find his nadir at somewhere between +3 and +6 or so. That is the place in his cycle where he is at the lowest. That number will help you adjust his dosage up or down as needed. As soon as you have some numbers, you can share them with your vet and ask for advice. Or you can come on the board and ask. (We work Saturday and Sunday....)

Yes, you want to feed him more than usual. When newly diabetic, cats don't process their food well and can be literally starving. Several small meals during the day and night are best. Lots of us use automatic feeders to help with feeding more often.
 
Sue is right. Feed him as much as he wants, even easier if he's not a piggy :mrgreen: This will naturally curtail as you get control of his diabetes.

You can try the paw pads, not soething that I could have done.

Alternatively-will he let you stroke/play with his ears? Also giving a little treat before and after you test.(Pavlovs dogs experiment?Classical conditioning,associates the experience with something nice)

You do want tests before each shot, +1, +3, +6, +8,+10-this is just a one-off to see what the insulin is doing.On a daily basis you'd then get a test before each shot (bare minimum) and one around nadir (lowest number in the bg cycle.You would work this out from doing all the +test times mentioned above). You will need to do the curve test after each dose change (or most of the +hrs mentioned).This gives you an overall picture of how he's responding to the insulin.

Humulin works fast, hence getting a +1. Your trying to achieve a valley curve with his numbers.
Have a look in the Caninsulin/Vetsulin iag-sticky on Humulin. Also look up on Wiki for general info.

Don't be scared and don't feel rushed.
If so many tests is too much for you, please try and get the preshot tests, don't increase again until you have got more of the other spotchecks in, that way your helping protect him.We've all been where you are and understand how scary and overwhelming this all is. You'll be surprised how quick it all become second nature.

Good luck-keep asking questions :mrgreen:
 
kate and lucky said:
(Pavlovs dogs experiment?Classical conditioning,associates the experience with something nice)
Click to expand...
Unrelated to testing and moral support, but you just reminded me of Eddie Izzard's Pavlov's Cat stand-up... "Day two: rang bell, cat answered door..." :lol:
 
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