Really NEW and Overwhelmed...

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Mellie

Member Since 2013
I assume it's somewhat normal to drive yourself a little crazy and question if you are giving insulin properly (Lantus) vets drug of choice. Our sugar baby,Jazz,
who is 13 was diagnosed yesterday and we brought him home today. His levels are still pretty high in the 300's but only two shots so far. I gave him 3rd shot tonite but I truly question if it I gave it properly. It seems such a tiny amount given with such a small needle. I am not reassured at this pont I am doing very much right...He is not eating very much but still drinking alot of water. You forum has helped, it seems there are more sugar babies than I realized. I felt very alone yesterday so thank you for all of the articles and making me feel there is help available. Food charts have helped if only Jazz could read and realize this stuff might really help me even if I DON"T like it but we will work on that together...He's always been picky and Hates can food...Thank you again even though I am still overwhelmed I think with all of the help from this site and forum and with a great vet Jazz and I might survive.
 
Hi Mellie & Jazz and welcome to FDMB.

It is normal to feel overwhelmed when you first learn your cat is diabetic. That is why this board is here to help you.

You said that he is in the 300s. I am guessing that means you are hometesting. If so, that is fantastic news. Hometesting is the best way to determine if your insulin is working. You want to test before every shot and also before you feed Jazz.

Lantus is a great insulin for cats. What is your dose? We recommend that everyone start low and slow and this is usually 1 unit. Yes, it seems like a tiny amount, but it is amazing how much that can affect your cat's glucose levels. You need to stay at the dose you are on for at least one week. It takes at least a week for your cat's body to adjust to the insulin. After a week, you can do your own curve. What this means is that you also test every 2-3 hours in between shots. By doing this, you will see how well the insulin is working. Once you have those tests, we can help you determine if you need to change the dose.

Diet also affect glucose levels. What are you feeding Jazz? We recommend a low carb/high protein canned or raw food diet. You want to remove dry cat food from his diet. However, please do not do this yet until we know if you are definitely hometesting and also what your current dose is. The reason I am saying this is that by removing dry food, if you are giving too much insulin, Jazz could become hypoglycemic. That could be very dangerous for him.

It will not take long before you develop a routine that works best for you. Because this is all new, it is overwhelming. Continue reading the posts here, especially about hometesting, diet and hypoglycemia. Ask any question that you may have. There are very experience people on this board and we are here to help you.
 
Welcome Mellie! I am kind of new here too. My jupiter was just diagnosed on 3/14. I know it seems really overwhelming at first, but it will get easier. There are so many kind people here always willing to help and answer any questions you have. So please if you have a question dont be afraid to ask!

I was also really scared to give Jupiter his shots of Lantus at first. I was worried about him having a hypo and his BG going too low. I am now home testing so I feel much more comfortable giving him his insulin.

Jupiter likes canned food, but he doesnt like the pate kind (which is the kind he needs to eat, as it is lower in carbs). So I mix a little bit of the pate in with the shredded kind that he likes. Every other day I add a dab more of the pate to the shredded kind and eventually I will get him completely switched over to the pate. It can be frustrating at first because your cat doesnt know that he needs to eat the food that you are giving him - but eventually you will have no problem feeding your cat the food he needs - it may just take a little extra time to get him used to the new food.

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=90985
This was my first post and as you can see from the first few posts that I made – I was very overwhelmed and stressed out. Only a few days later and I am already feeling better about things. I still have questions though – and there are still people here that are helping me thru this. So like I said if you have any questions feel free to ask away and there will be people that can help you thru this too!
 
Hello and welcome to the board

You would be surprised how little insulin they need - my cat Bailey literally gets 3 drops and thats enough to keep him healthy! I dont even go up to the first marking on the syringe. But every cat is different, most are around 1-2units, while my Tiggy is on 6.5.

Dont feel overwhelmed - this is steep learning curve but before you know it Jazz will be feeling and acting normal and it will all be routine. Are you home testing? That is critical to keep him safe as well as needed to see if you need a dose change.

Let us know too what he is being fed - that can impact his blood sugar a lot.

Wendy
 
Thanks for the encouragement! 3rd shot this am and Jazz is happily lying by laptop purring contentedly. We still have a few major blips to overcome...Hates can food he has always hated it not even just not liked it, hates it, ignores it and pushes it away. We managed to get him to eat a little dry food (Purina Vet Diet DM) mixed with some Fancy Feast last nite and this morning...so we are working on that and will work towards home testing. Even at vet they have VERY difficult time getting a drop of blood from paws or ears so for the moment we are taking him for blood draws and those all important numbers. Even tho I seem to have sent our vet on a few cruises and paid for some daughters weddings it is worth it right now to keep Jazz as healthy as possible...Any hints on feeding and getting blood are appreciated. KIds moved back in with their cats so we are currently a 5 kitty family...Love them all cats & kids or would that be kids & cats, anyway thanks again for all the help! Love the encouragement, info and boards, someday hope to be as knowledgeable and assured as y'all are that I am doing everything possible for Jazz..
 
Good morning,

Welcome to the club. I am new here as well and Mego was just diagnosed last Friday. So I guess you could say I'm still a little green in the gills. You are in very good hands here and there's A LOT of info to read, but it is well worth it. My best advice for you is to stick with it and ask every question you can think of and do home testing if you can. This is kind of an "all in" process but it's well worth it. Mego just had his 3rd shot this morning. No matter what, just know you are now part of the sugarcat family. If you ever need to talk, just click on PM on the right side of the screen under Mego's picture.
 
Thats the beauty of this board help is just a click away. We have ALL been in your shoes in one way or another.

WELCOME to the best site on the planet to help you help Jazz.




And pssst Jamie? Didnt I tell you..."Mark my words"? ;-)

jeanne
 
hi Mellie
I think everyone has problems getting blood at first and we all think our cats don't bleed properly :shock:
The more you test, the easier it is and the ears bleed more. Jazz may initially not like being tested but he will definitely prefer you to do it at home where he feels safe and secure than at the vets office- no matter how nice the vet is.
Cats always have vet stress and this puts up the bg numbers.

There are lots of posts on hometesting and which supplies to get and check out youtube for videos.
The other advantage is it will save you soooo much money in the long term and of course, be a lot safer for Jazz - kitties numbers candrop significantly to dangerous levels, without testing you won't know that.

Great that you're trying a slow transition to wet food - 1 of my civies didn't like wet either but he learned to love it. You can mix flavours - I usually add a little fish flavour to his.
As Jazz moves more to wet food, his bg could come down a lot - again, the need to home test as you may well need to reduce the insulin amount or even skip a shot if too low.

It is overwhelming at first...but gets better!
 
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