Smokey update

[Tbarry]

Yesterday and this morning were the first days since we took him to the vet last Thursday that Smokey came out . He is still skittish and will run and hide even if you shut the door. We made it to the vet. B/g 546, weight same. The vet advised me that if I cant give him insulin then we should put him to sleep. He also told me that ff was kitty crack and that we should only be feeding him the food he prescribed. I brought my meter with me, and asked him to show me how to use it. He told me "no" until I got a couple of days of insulin in him. He said he would then show me how to use it. I have tried again tonight. My husband (who has parkinsons) tried to hold him for me. Missed his ear! Back into hiding. I still told him he was a good boy...and left the treat where he can find it. I am going to keep trying. In fact I'm going to try even more. I did find a freeze dried treat he likes (salmon)! I do not want to blind give him the insulin, am I wrong?

 

[Marje and Gracie]

I’m so sorry you’ve had such a difficult time testing. Your vet is incorrect on the food and also on not testing. Many, many members here feed Fancy Feast low carb pates. And it just doesn’t make sense to not test until you get a few days of insulin in him.

I hope the Hometesting Links in this post (click on dark blue to the left) will help you. The first link on that post to Testing and Shooting Tips has some good info and the rest of the post has videos, etc, to help you with all the tips we know. It’s often the same for most members starting out but the kitties do get used to it.

Let us know how we can help or any questions you have about hometesting.

 

[Judy and Freckles]

Home testing can be rough to begin with but I can see you are persistent! If you aren't already, you may want to associate food to a specific call (something like "Come here, Smokey".) Smokey will start to associate that call with food and start coming to you. Start playing with Smokey's ears and petting and scratching him so handling his ears isn't a big deal anymore. Spend longer and longer time at his ears so he gets accustomed to it. Then start feeding him and petting his ears. Then you can feed him and pretend to poke his ears. Then eventually you can poke and get the test.

When I had Freckles into the vet it took the vet and 3 assistants to hold Freckles to get a blood sample. There was more human blood than cat blood after that round. The vet indicated that I would have a h..l of a time to get a blood sample by myself. Initially I had my husband hold Freckles but once again the fight was on. Eventually, I decided I needed to get this done on my own because we weren't going to be able to 'out muscle' Freckles because she would just go into hiding. I followed the suggestions above as well as in Marje's post and within 2 days, I was testing Freckles by myself and it wasn't a big deal anymore. They are tried and true psychology strategies called classical conditioning and approach and retreat - so although I would love to take credit for the theory behind it, I can't.

The other thing to keep in mind is that when you switch to low carbohydrate canned food, blood glucose numbers can drop, so you will want to monitor Smokey's numbers when possible.

Looking forward to your and Smokey's journey through this feline diabetes maze but keep in mind there are many people on this board that are experienced and can help you keep Smokey safe

 

[katiesmom]

I am going to keep trying. In fact I'm going to try even more. I did find a freeze dried treat he likes (salmon)! I do not want to blind give him the insulin, am I wrong?

Good for you! Keep trying, you will succeed, I am sure.

My Katie is a wild, fractious little girl and I never thought I would be able to test her. But what the others have said is right, bribe with treats and they will become conditioned to the testing and injections. Katie still runs to her testing spot for her tests, because she always gets her tests and shots in one place (the living room chair), with a plate w/ treats waiting for her. I also give her the treats on a "special" plate that is used only for treats, so she associates the plate with it too.

And, I am sorry, for being so blunt, but your vet is an a$$ and very wrong. Smokey does not need the special food, and there is no reason to wait to test. The fact he didnt even want to show you how is infuriating. You may consider looking for another vet, if possible. I hear what some of these vets tell people and it makes my blood boil.

The vet that originally diagnosed Katie was an specialist in internal medicine. And he started her out on novolin (too harsh, bad for cats), never told me about testing, hypos, nothing. Told me to give her 1 unit 2x a day and shoved me out the door on a friday afternoon. That was it.

I started researching, found this board (thank God). When I nicely asked this vet about Lantus, he told me he only prescribes novolin, if I didnt like it go somewhere else. So I did. Found a vet to prescribe Lantus and basically have treated Katie on my own without much help from any vet. Not that you should do that, but you need a vet to listen to you and is flexible and open.

You are in the best place for help. We are our kitty's voices and their advocates. And I admire your tenacity. Hang in there.

 

[Ann & Scatcats]

Oh Sweet Smokey, Huggies to you baby boy

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

I agree with everything said above. I know it is very difficult right now and you may feel like you are failing Smokey, but you are not.

Keep trying to make it a positive experience for Smokey. While it would be better if you can test before each shot, we understand how this may be too difficult right now. With his glucose very high I think it is safe to give him his shot for a couple days without trying to test first. This will help him relax and reduce some of the stress you are feeling now.

You may want to consider changing vets to someone with a better understanding of treating FD. If this is something you may want to do, create a new post and put in the title that you are looking for a new vet and your location. We may have members near you that can recommend someone.