Overwhelmed

[Taffysmama]

Hello, new to this as of Friday. My brain is fried. I think I have a little peri-menopause fog, and this is a lot to learn, very fast! Lots of info, and I'm even finding this board hard to navigate and post. Just over loaded, in general. I can't even figure out how to put my cat's picture for my profile, but that's not really a priority. (Maybe it can't be done on phone?)

Doing ok, at least mentally, with the testing and the injections, but not sure I am injecting correctly. I'm fine with needles, but today went badly. This was my first day testing, and I had a hard time poking his ear so many times. At first it was easy, then as the day went on it got harder and I could see tiny pools of blood in the pinnae where I had poked earlier. Later it was harder to get blood from my pokes, and the the last one bled too much! And he felt both of his insulin sticks today, which he had not even noticed the first two days. So I feel awful. Started Sunday, so this is end of third day. I watched some you tube videos on injecting and several pulled the plunger back to check for blood. Is this necessary? My vet did not instruct me to do it like that. Is there a link to some very good videos on testing and injecting? Are there written instructions? How do I know I'm getting it in the correct way/spot, etc.? Are the meters accurate?

My Taffy's numbers are still high. Does Cerenia affect numbers? He is on this for this week because of a pancreas flare up. How many days until usually see a difference?

My last question (for now, there will be many more, I'm sure) is about diet. I was feeding a raw meat diet. Primarily a commercial food called RadCat (turkey, mostly) and home made balanced raw, for over three years. I can't understand why Taffy became diabetic. I thought that only happened to kibble eaters. He's 13, he was about 1-2 pounds overweight, but not obese and this seemed to be where he would stay, until recently. I know he had some chronic stomach discomfort, but rarely vomited or had soft or runny stools. He did get about 5-10 kibbles occasionally for a chase game. He likely had low grade undiagnosed pancreas problem. Some diet changes, especially with high fat or oils, would set it off in the past year or so, and he would not eat much for a few days and look generally miserable, and get soft, stinky poops. (I have pain meds.) So I tried to stick with the RadCat. But now he has diabetes. I feel guilty. Now I don't know what to feed him, but I'm going to try lightly cooked recipe. And I ordered the Young Again Zero for his chase game. His only other regular med for several years is his Flovent inhaler.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

- No need to pull back on the plunger before injecting.
- For information on testing see:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
- Cerenia will not increase BG but the reason for using it can effect BG.
- No one know what really causes diabetes. A high-carb diet like most kibbles can push a cat on the edge into diabetes.

 

[MiCo]

Hello, new to this as of Friday. My brain is fried. I think I have a little peri-menopause fog, and this is a lot to learn, very fast! Lots of info, and I'm even finding this board hard to navigate and post. Just over loaded, in general. I can't even figure out how to put my cat's picture for my profile, but that's not really a priority. (Maybe it can't be done on phone?)

Hello! I am new too, so I can relate to being overwhelmed. However, you are in a great place! This board is full of so much helpful information, and experienced people with tips & tricks they've learned along the way. We are not alone, and all of these other pet owners are doing it (this all seemed impossible to me until I started reading this board and then I began to realize it is doable.)

Please be easy on yourself. It IS a lot to learn. If you have questions, ask! I've been keeping a list of questions and asking here (or to my vet.) It helps me keep things straight. I also started a folder with printouts from my vet, or articles I printed out from here. The other thing that is helping me is to focus on one thing at a time. If I think about it all at once, it is definitely overwhelming.

It sounds like you are doing a good job. Everything will start to make more sense as we go along. I keep reading the same stickies/articles, and they make more sense each day. I actually haven't started the insulin yet (my vet was out of it yesterday, so I will pickup as soon as it's in.) Best of luck as you continue.

Ps-I uploaded my avatar on my iPad. I just tested on my phone and couldn't get it to work.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

Hello! I am new too, so I can relate to being overwhelmed. However, you are in a great place! This board is full of so much helpful information, and experienced people with tips & tricks they've learned along the way. We are not alone, and all of these other pet owners are doing it (this all seemed impossible to me until I started reading this board and then I began to realize it is doable.)

Please be easy on yourself. It IS a lot to learn. If you have questions, ask! I've been keeping a list of questions and asking here (or to my vet.) It helps me keep things straight. I also started a folder with printouts from my vet, or articles I printed out from here. The other thing that is helping me is to focus on one thing at a time. If I think about it all at once, it is definitely overwhelming.

It sounds like you are doing a good job. Everything will start to make more sense as we go along. I keep reading the same stickies/articles, and they make more sense each day. I actually haven't started the insulin yet (my vet was out of it yesterday, so I will pickup as soon as it's in.) Best of luck as you continue.

Ps-I uploaded my avatar on my iPad. I just tested on my phone and couldn't get it to work.

Great advice, Cliff's mom! Would you mind telling us your first name?

 

[Kris & Teasel]

Hello, new to this as of Friday. My brain is fried. I think I have a little peri-menopause fog, and this is a lot to learn, very fast! Lots of info, and I'm even finding this board hard to navigate and post. Just over loaded, in general. I can't even figure out how to put my cat's picture for my profile, but that's not really a priority. (Maybe it can't be done on phone?)

Doing ok, at least mentally, with the testing and the injections, but not sure I am injecting correctly. I'm fine with needles, but today went badly. This was my first day testing, and I had a hard time poking his ear so many times. At first it was easy, then as the day went on it got harder and I could see tiny pools of blood in the pinnae where I had poked earlier. Later it was harder to get blood from my pokes, and the the last one bled too much! And he felt both of his insulin sticks today, which he had not even noticed the first two days. So I feel awful. Started Sunday, so this is end of third day. I watched some you tube videos on injecting and several pulled the plunger back to check for blood. Is this necessary? My vet did not instruct me to do it like that. Is there a link to some very good videos on testing and injecting? Are there written instructions? How do I know I'm getting it in the correct way/spot, etc.? Are the meters accurate?

My Taffy's numbers are still high. Does Cerenia affect numbers? He is on this for this week because of a pancreas flare up. How many days until usually see a difference?

My last question (for now, there will be many more, I'm sure) is about diet. I was feeding a raw meat diet. Primarily a commercial food called RadCat (turkey, mostly) and home made balanced raw, for over three years. I can't understand why Taffy became diabetic. I thought that only happened to kibble eaters. He's 13, he was about 1-2 pounds overweight, but not obese and this seemed to be where he would stay, until recently. I know he had some chronic stomach discomfort, but rarely vomited or had soft or runny stools. He did get about 5-10 kibbles occasionally for a chase game. He likely had low grade undiagnosed pancreas problem. Some diet changes, especially with high fat or oils, would set it off in the past year or so, and he would not eat much for a few days and look generally miserable, and get soft, stinky poops. (I have pain meds.) So I tried to stick with the RadCat. But now he has diabetes. I feel guilty. Now I don't know what to feed him, but I'm going to try lightly cooked recipe. And I ordered the Young Again Zero for his chase game. His only other regular med for several years is his Flovent inhaler.

Flovent is an inhaled steroid. You said your kitty has been on it for years. Even though it treats airway inflammation it's possible that some has gotten into his system over time and this might be a contributing factor to Taffy's diabetes. You haven't done anything wrong and as far as the Flovent goes, if Taffy needs it for asthma he has to have it. You'll just work your insulin dosing around that.

 

[MiCo]

Great advice, Cliff's mom! Would you mind telling us your first name?

You can call me MiCo or Michele. MiCo is a combo of my first and last names.

 

[Callie & Patches]

Welcome MiCo. You will learn so much here. Feel free to ask questions as often as they come up.

 

[Taffysmama]

Flovent is an inhaled steroid. You said your kitty has been on it for years. Even though it treats airway inflammation it's possible that some has gotten into his system over time and this might be a contributing factor to Taffy's diabetes. You haven't done anything wrong and as far as the Flovent goes, if Taffy needs it for asthma he has to have it. You'll just work your insulin dosing around that.

The Flovent is totally suspect to me, and has been. Although the vet told me it was safe and not absorbed systemically, I knew it was giving him digestive troubles. His very mild symptoms and behaviors that told me something was off for a very long time seem to coincide with the use and dosage changes of the inhaled meds. I think that he surely must ingest tiny amounts, as the spacer covers his mouth and nose for 10 or more seconds. His asthma is not severe and I'm determined to find an alternative to control it. Maybe acupuncture. But right now I'm focused on the blood sugar.

 

[rhiannon and shadow (GA)]

You may want to get a baseline ultrasound for his intestinal issues.
He may be heading towards IBD which ironically does better with raw food. It is possible that he is developing an inflammation response
to the protein source so you might want to find a new protein. Try to find a novel protein that he's never had. (rabbit? )

I doubt the radcat brand caused any of his troubles but there are many new raw foods out on the market today. You should be able to find
one he likes.

You might look into Slippery Elm Bark. It really helps soothe the intestines.

Here's the SEB syrup recipes...and it doesn't work overnight so you have to give it time. You only need to buy a small amount of pure powder at a health food store...a couple tbsp max for now.

Into a small saucepan place 1/2 cup cold water and 1 teaspoon powdered slippery elm bark. Whip with a fork. Bring to simmer over low flame, stirring constantly. Simmer 1 or 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Cool and refrigerate. Keeps 7 or 8 days. Give a teaspoon of syrup (5 cc) for an average-size cat (again, about 10 pounds) 5 minutes before a meal.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

The Flovent is totally suspect to me, and has been. Although the vet told me it was safe and not absorbed systemically, I knew it was giving him digestive troubles. His very mild symptoms and behaviors that told me something was off for a very long time seem to coincide with the use and dosage changes of the inhaled meds. I think that he surely must ingest tiny amounts, as the spacer covers his mouth and nose for 10 or more seconds. His asthma is not severe and I'm determined to find an alternative to control it. Maybe acupuncture. But right now I'm focused on the blood sugar.

Here's another snippet of info about Flovent. People who are on it long term can develop cataracts from its effect in the eyes. This type of cataract is distinguishable in an eye exam from more typical aging cataracts. I'd call that a systemic effect.

 

[Taffysmama]

You may want to get a baseline ultrasound for his intestinal issues.
He may be heading towards IBD which ironically does better with raw food. It is possible that he is developing an inflammation response
to the protein source so you might want to find a new protein. Try to find a novel protein that he's never had. (rabbit? )

I doubt the radcat brand caused any of his troubles but there are many new raw foods out on the market today. You should be able to find
one he likes.

You might look into Slippery Elm Bark. It really helps soothe the intestines.

Here's the SEB syrup recipes...and it doesn't work overnight so you have to give it time. You only need to buy a small amount of pure powder at a health food store...a couple tbsp max for now.

Into a small saucepan place 1/2 cup cold water and 1 teaspoon powdered slippery elm bark. Whip with a fork. Bring to simmer over low flame, stirring constantly. Simmer 1 or 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Cool and refrigerate. Keeps 7 or 8 days. Give a teaspoon of syrup (5 cc) for an average-size cat (again, about 10 pounds) 5 minutes before a meal.

Thanks. I never thought the RadCat brand per se was an issue, but thought maybe raw in general was not right for Taffy, or yes, I have considered that he developed an inflammatiry response to eating the same protein for so long, or has a response to one of the other ingredients, such as egg. He did occasionally have other proteins, but mainly the turkey version. We've tried everything as far as raw food, other brands, making my own with supplements. And we do slippery elm. I work in the vitamin and supplement, health food industry. My two suspicions are food intolerance and/or the inhaled steroids. We are going to test for food intolerances.

 

[Taffysmama]

Here's another snippet of info about Flovent. People who are on it long term can develop cataracts from its effect in the eyes. This type of cataract is distinguishable in an eye exam from more typical aging cataracts. I'd call that a systemic effect.

Right? Ugh, and I have mentioned to the vet that Taffy's eyes look "different," too.

 

[rhiannon and shadow (GA)]

if it were me.... I would do the ultrasound....
intestinal issues seem to be very common these days....

and your vet should be able to look in the eyes with the eye scope and see if there are cataracts developing....
you said "different"

if they are cloudy, then that is likely what it is.