indyleslie
Member Since 2019
Hello everyone!
As much as I hate to jump on this ship with you all, I’m new here. I have been browsing through the board for a few hours and I’m quite impressed with all of the detailed information I’m finding. It’s like I’ve found a secret treasure! I feel like this will be an excellent starting point for me.
My cat, Shane, age 11, was diagnosed with diabetes last week. It was a diagnosis I have painfully suspected since January, and we (finally) got the “official” word from the doctor.
Her symptoms came on very slowly and it took a while to realize that something was amiss. Shane became very restless during the night. She would seek some sort of attention at odd hours, began to meow constantly, and seemed to have so much energy that I didn’t know what to do with her. Slowly I began to notice the excessive drinking. Excessive urinating. Loose stools. Constant “starvation mode.” The picture was starting to paint itself well, but I was clueless and had no idea what was going on. She was otherwise incredibly healthy.
We have been in and out of the vet’s office since January, spent well over $1,000, and to make a long story short, Shane was diagnosed with diabetes after the doctor finally completed a urinalysis. The answer was loud and clear. A urine sample should have been taken weeks before that given that her blood sugars were high, but that’s over now. We have a diagnosis. (We ruled out so many things. This cat, besides diabetes, is healthy as a horse!)
I have zero experience in this as far as checking blood sugars and giving insulin injections, but I’m determined for the health of Shane to do what needs to be done. I’m sure many of you didn’t think you were capable at first, but accomplished it all in the end anyway.
Shane has started at 1 unit of insulin twice daily, and it could be increased depending on the response. Her blood sugars are averaging 320-380 right now, both morning and night. I’ve started a spreadsheet to keep record. She’s only four days in, so it’s a bit too early to determine what path we are on.
I’ve cut out any and all dry food (surprisingly she hasn’t missed it) and I’m slowly weaning her onto a low carb/raw food diet. It’s not easy, but trying only costs time. It’s difficult to change her eating habits because she’s had the same ones for 11 years (Fancy Feast gravy foods with dry food on the side), but I was naive in the beginning and thought I was feeding her well. Don’t we all think that until we don’t?
Thank you for reading my long post. I’m sure that my story is a story that you have read a million times before.
As much as I hate to jump on this ship with you all, I’m new here. I have been browsing through the board for a few hours and I’m quite impressed with all of the detailed information I’m finding. It’s like I’ve found a secret treasure! I feel like this will be an excellent starting point for me.
My cat, Shane, age 11, was diagnosed with diabetes last week. It was a diagnosis I have painfully suspected since January, and we (finally) got the “official” word from the doctor.
Her symptoms came on very slowly and it took a while to realize that something was amiss. Shane became very restless during the night. She would seek some sort of attention at odd hours, began to meow constantly, and seemed to have so much energy that I didn’t know what to do with her. Slowly I began to notice the excessive drinking. Excessive urinating. Loose stools. Constant “starvation mode.” The picture was starting to paint itself well, but I was clueless and had no idea what was going on. She was otherwise incredibly healthy.
We have been in and out of the vet’s office since January, spent well over $1,000, and to make a long story short, Shane was diagnosed with diabetes after the doctor finally completed a urinalysis. The answer was loud and clear. A urine sample should have been taken weeks before that given that her blood sugars were high, but that’s over now. We have a diagnosis. (We ruled out so many things. This cat, besides diabetes, is healthy as a horse!)
I have zero experience in this as far as checking blood sugars and giving insulin injections, but I’m determined for the health of Shane to do what needs to be done. I’m sure many of you didn’t think you were capable at first, but accomplished it all in the end anyway.
Shane has started at 1 unit of insulin twice daily, and it could be increased depending on the response. Her blood sugars are averaging 320-380 right now, both morning and night. I’ve started a spreadsheet to keep record. She’s only four days in, so it’s a bit too early to determine what path we are on.
I’ve cut out any and all dry food (surprisingly she hasn’t missed it) and I’m slowly weaning her onto a low carb/raw food diet. It’s not easy, but trying only costs time. It’s difficult to change her eating habits because she’s had the same ones for 11 years (Fancy Feast gravy foods with dry food on the side), but I was naive in the beginning and thought I was feeding her well. Don’t we all think that until we don’t?
Thank you for reading my long post. I’m sure that my story is a story that you have read a million times before.
she was being treated for a uti and I switched her to wet food so I didn’t start yet. Hoping tomorrow is the day but I’m stressing about it and losing sleep!