Scooter and Rachel

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ScootersMama

ScootersMama

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Hi, I'm Rachel and I'm the Meow-ma to three kitty-kids, Spark (10), Gizmo (7), and Scooter (5). We learned today, 1.26.12, that Scooter is diabetic. (Doctor has suspected it for a few weeks, but today was the confirmation). I'm feeling so overwhelmed with everything! The worst part would either be the guilt that I've done something wrong to cause this, or the fear that Scooter will learn to fear me coming toward him with the meter and the syringe. I'm afraid I somehow caused it, even though rationally I know that is not the case as I've always given Scooter and his brothers the best possible care. He's a big boy, but part of that is his bone structure, and I've never fed him anything other than Hill's Science Diet (often we buy the light kind). He doesn't eat off my plate...except we have a ritual of sharing a piece of popcorn or two when we watch movies. He certainly doesn't eat sweets or fatty things!! Did I do something wrong? I feel so guilty for all the long hours I've worked...basically his whole life (I'm a high school teacher and coach/advise many different activities). Is his quality of life going to diminish when his mama is always poking him with needles? Are we going to be less close? We have always been extremely close and the thought of him being afraid of me makes me cry. (Well, I've been crying ever since we got the diagnosis.) Will he ever forgive me? Do others feel these emotions as well in the beginning? When he first started getting sick a few weeks ago, I literally woke up every 15 minutes all night, every night to check on him. Will we ever get another full night's rest? What do we do next?
 
Welcome Rachel to your new support group! Someone early on in this sugar dance reminded me to breathe, deeply and often. It was some of the best advice I ever got.

One of the amazing things about this dance is that kitties and their beans become closer. The cats seem to realize they are feeling better because of what we are doing. Most of us shoot while the kitty is eating and they barely notice. And we make sure there are lots of treats that go with the testing.

Dry food does have a lot to do with diabetes. We fed Oliver Science Diet light for years, trying to keep his weight down. Once he became diabetic, we changed to wet lo carb food. He not only lost weight, got shinier fur and more energy, but his diabetes went into remission. A vet explains why wet is best here: www.catinfo.org Purina has a great advertising wing and it turns out they give a lot of the nutrition classes for vet schools. What a racket.

So our protocol calls for a wet lo carb diet, hometesting and a mild long lasting insulin. And it works! We have had hundreds of cats regulated and in remission.

Yes, things will get better. As soon as you start testing at home, you will feel much more in control. You will know that every dose you give is a safe amount to give and you will be able to see how the insulin is working.

How can we help?
 
wish I lived in MO, I would jump on over and offer the biggest hug you have ever received.
All of this is so overwhelming at first. Once you both get the routine down, test (with treats and lovin), feed (low carb from cheaper to more expensive) foods, and insulin (the right amount cuz you are testing)... Pretty much that easy. And if someone would have said that to me during that first couple of weeks, I probably would have cried more.
I have 3 girls 15,14 (GA) and my Sugar Bean 8. ALL of them ate dry foods their whole life. and high carb treats everyday...until dx in 4/11. All of our worlds changed almost in 1 day. Boy, did I just think wth??? I cannot do this! and my poor girl, I could not tell you how many times she was showered with my tears and 'I am sooo sorries'. Bean thought I had flipped my lid. I remember at the beginning of this, she finally was feeling better and actually played for the first time! I cried and still do when I remember that night! I was in the process of moving 9 hours away, got moved and moved back all in about 6 months. I thought she was depressed from the move and was looking and acting terrible because of that~ guiltly, oh hell ya, I know exactly what you are saying. But now, months later, with the support and advice from this forum, she is not only better but in diet controlled remission!
Hang in there, cry, shout and lean on this forum for major support... you will find it.
Read information like no other, ask any questions you can think of and listen and follow advice.
Sit back and watch the magic this forum can bring to your furry family and yourself! I am a firm believer in that and I have an almost 9 yr old still with me today to prove this place is wonderful~without it, my Bean girl would not be here....
Sending furry hugs to MO for you and your babies
 
I agree. Take a deep breath. Since I got Hobbs I tried to feed him the best food I could afford, confident that I was doing the best thing for him to ensure a long and healthy life. Unfortunately it was mostly dry. He's off dry, totally on wet now and he's really made a turn around in a very short time. I can't say for sure that switching to wet is going to "fix" every cat, and surely even with Hobbs I'll have to check him always because he could always turn back to needing insulin again. (And really he's not even "officially" off the juice yet) Did dry food CAUSE his diabetes? No idea. I know it didn't help. We can't blame ourselves for doing something "wrong" if we didn't know it was "wrong" and who knows what science could discover tomorrow. Like Dorie says, Just Keep Swimming!
 
Welcome, Scooter and Rachel.
I'm a newbie, too, and the people here have been really wonderful as I've started to learn to home test and treat my Frodo's diabetes. I felt a little guilty, too. Last year my vet told me about a convention he'd been to where he'd heard a speaker talk about species-appropriate diets. He wanted me to start giving all of my kitties (especially overweight Frodo) a canned, grain-free diet and I agreed it was needed, but I couldn't see how I would afford it as a single mom on a graduate student salary (I'm a Mizzou Tiger, BTW). I did start giving them a few canned meals a week, but I kept thinking I'd do more when I graduated and got a job. Wish I had at least put Frodo on it! But even though I regret that, I can't beat myself up. I was feeding my cats what I had been told most of my life was a healthy diet for cats. I was doing the best I could and now I'll do the best I can to treat Frodo's diabetes.

If you read any of my posts from the last week, you'll see I have had a horrible experience with testing. BUT it has gotten a lot better in the last two days and I'm feeling like we're going to be able to do. Even more important, even when it was at it's worse my kitty forgave me and curled up in my lap later for a good purring.

Hang in there.
Heidi
 
Wow! Thank you all for the kind replies. I am so glad I decided to join here for support. It seems like a great group of people! I'm still feeling guilty, but it is getting better. I will meet with the vet in the morning without Scooter to determine his treatment plan without him singing and dancing around the exam room. I've been on an adventure to Pet Smart to investigate the different brands of wet lo-carb diet available in my remote area - and I was pleasantly surprised at all the options! I figured we'd be stuck with one or two brands, but there was a whole aisle dedicated to this! I am worried that the doctor may not be on board with wet food, but that is something we'll figure out, I guess. I bought one of each brand of food, so Scootie has many days' worth of gourmet pleasure in store. And I know his brothers will be over the moon to go back on canned. Spark especially despises kibbles, but eats them grudgingly while giving me the evil eye. (He ate wet food the entire time I was in grad school at U of Iowa, so he remembers it fondly.) Sue, the letter from the kitty made me BAWL :razz: because (minus the boyfriend...no prospects in sight here!) I was guilty of all those behaviors, and hopefully Scooter is wanting to go back to a normal kitty life. It's certainly what I want for him! Again, it's great to meet you all and I look forward to picking your brains and getting advice. I will post again after we meet with Doc tomorrow. Thank you all!!
 
Hi!!

I am new here as well, but not new to diabetes. My almost 16 yr old, Fritz, was diagnosed 8 years ago!!! At first I was so scared to give him injections. I would cry, he would run away and hide under the table.

Hang in there, it get's easier. It took a couple weeks to a month for me and Fritz to get used to it. When I inject him now, he doesn't even flinch. You are making a very special commitment to your fur baby and you can do this.

I never in a million years thought Fritz could lead such a normal life.

Keep up the good work :-D
 
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