I can’t highly recommend starting monitoring Denver’s bgl yourself. It’s really simple, and can avoid overdosing or under dosing on insulin. I’ve had a diabetic kitty for going on 6 years now, and a great source of info and assistance can be found at this site, their message board is awesome as well. They do get a bit preachy at times, but most people there are invaluable founts of knowledge and assistance. SeaDragon’s post is full of awesome info and should be read a couple times over!
This is an easily controlled condition, and it sounds from your descriptions that Denver is still running high. My Friday had rear leg weakness and wasting, wobbliness and excessive urination until I had her under control. I got her back to normal in just a few weeks with close monitoring.
Keeping your vet involved is always a necessary and good thing, but I really feel that you’re doing additional and avoidable harm by not learning testing and dose adjustments sooner rather than later.
Also, a wet food only diet is best for diabetics. I switched all my cats over to wet once Friday was diagnosed and they all lost the extra chub and are as happy and healthy as can be.
Good luck with this, it’s easy to learn and monitor and have a happy kitty! Just remember to treat and give extra loves after poking the ears!
Like walking in the rain and snow
When there’s nowhere to go
And you’re feeling like a part of you is dying…
Sorry. I’ve tried to stay out of this thread, but every time I read the title…
Nah, I don’t do much for my cats. The little beasties can fend for themselves as far as I’m concerned…
…except for the 7 cat trees, numerous scratching posts, custom-designed bench/litterbox, complete ripping out of the downstairs carpet because one of them was getting stressed out and peeing in a corner (we had it replaced with faux hardwood, no more peeing), many cat toys, and complete inability to disallow them from sleeping anywhere they can get to (which means they usually end up all sleeping on our bed).
Nah, can’t stand 'em. We’re terrible cat parents. Which is why when we fell in love with two kittens at our vet’s a couple of years ago (they foster kittens and put them up for adoption), they completely waived all the adoption fees for us and practically shoved the kittens at us, because they know that coming to live with us is pretty much winning the lottery for an orphan kitten.
We had a big tom with thyroid problems. He went from about 17 lbs max to about 7 before we got him treated for it. He was nothing but skin and bones and noise. He got back to 10-11 lbs after being on medications. I used to love going to the pharmacy to get a refill.
Me: I’m here to pick up a prescription for Coder.
Pharmacist: What’s the first name?
Me: Trouble.
Pharmacist:
Me: It’s a veterinary prescription.
He got to where he would crap next to the litter box. It was in the basement, and he could get down the steps just fine, but wouldn’t go inside the thing to crap. He would go inside it to pee, at least…
Finally, I took him for the last ride to the vet. I think other than giving them a good, loving home, the next best thing you can do is to give them an easy passing to the Rainbow Bridge.
My husband took off for his hunting camp last night. All four cats customarily sleep on him/with him during at least part of each night. All four cats are hollering that their bedwarmer is Missing In Action, and they want him back. I have had to pull double duty and try to pet four cats at once. I only have two hands.
My cats have more standing prescriptions than I do. The ones that I pick up at the human pharmacy have “Cat” typed on the label between the kitties’ first and last names, as if it’s a nickname rather than a description of the animal. For ex: Lucia “Cat” Mapp.
