As many of you know Petie was diagnosed as being diabetic today. So, speaking from personal experience, this is my advice to Petie and all the other cats out there that will be diagnosed with this disease.
1. It's not a death sentence. It is completely manageable and sometimes curable if caught early and with the right insulin. Insist on anything other than Vetsulin. Vetsulin is dangerous compared to the stuff that's out there now, namely Lantus.
2. Food is critical. My vet started Nimbus out on Purina DM (for diabetics) but after his health stabilized we VERY SLOWLY transitioned him to OM (diet) because it's actually BETTER for the glucose #'s than the DM is.
3. Get on a really, REALLY close relationship with your vet. Email is preferrable. There will be TONS of questions. Follow the dosing instructions to the letter unless the vet makes an exception.
4. Learn to read the numbers. 60-120 is normal, 180 is really bad, but so is 40. Keep stuff on hand to pull him out of a dive. Honey works, if the cat will like it. But, spaghetti sauce will do the same thing. Two licks is sufficient. It is VERY bad stuff for their numbers but GREAT if they're crashing.
5. NO PEOPLE FOOD WHATSOEVER. OR TREATS. It's all bad bad bad. A piece or two of shredded cheddar is about all Nimbus gets WHEN HE'S VERY LOW (under 70), or a piece of shredded lettuce.
6. Understand that feline diabetes is different from the human diabetes.
7. Lantus is slow-releasing. It will help moderate out swings. But know that your cat is liable to be higher in the morning than in the afternoon.
8. Charts, charts charts! You want to see trends as well as daily. This will help you see an infection coming on before the cat starts showing signs, once he/she is regulated. Keep track of #'s AND shot dosage.
9. Antibiotics are critical when infections start. The most common types are Urinary Tract and Upper Respiratory. Your cat's immune system is SHOT. He/she is VERY prone to infection. The sooner you start the antibiotics, the better. We use Baytril. But the whole class is good. Baytril just works best for us.
10. Litterbox cleanliness is more important than ever now. Clean box = less risk of infection.
11. Shop around for supplies. Test strips are cheapest online. Check into prescription discount cards online. We use pharmacydiscountnetwork.com - but see if your pharmacy will let you use it for a cat. Grocery store pharmacies tend to be cheaper than the Rite-Aid/CVS types.
12. Don't panic. It's a lot to take in. Just keep a routine down. We have a rug in the kitchen that Nimbus goes to every time it's time. He goes, lays down and takes his poke. He gets his shot while he eats (which helps negate the spike that comes with eating).
13. The meter pokie thingies are reusable, contrary to what they say. Just sanitize the needle thingie with a little rubbing alcohol and let it dry. When it starts to get a little difficult to get blood, that's when you change them out. For me, it takes about a week. Sorry, those things are WAY too expensive to throw out after each use.
14. Cuddles, cuddles, cuddles. Kitty needs love now more than ever. And exercise. It all helps, in so many ways.
As always, I am always available should you need someone to talk to, Petie. Email is free, quick, and so reassuring when you're first starting out.
Good luck, tribble-snorkel-sonicpurrs from all of us, nosetaps and all. You will get better. Trust us. Nimbus used up one of his 9 lives but it was worth it. He's feeling groovy now. Took TSB a LONG time to get to that point though. The first 6 months is the hardest.
All of us at the House of (Mostly) Coon Cats
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