Cats and Diabetes (long)...

My cat Boo, who is 7 and lives with my Mom, (we got him when I still lived at home), was diagnosed w/ diabetes a few months ago.
It's been taking the Vet a long time to regulate him (IMO), and my Mom's been taking him weekly & every other week to get him checked. He needs an insulin shot twice a day.
So today, my Mom took him for his usual appiontment, & the office was SO crowded, so the receptionist told my Mom to bring him back later rather than have him wait, be nervous, & have his Blood Sugar get elevated. On her drive home, Boo went into diabetic shock. His eyes got hazy & was meowing weird, so my Mom gave him Karo syrup right away & he came around almost immediately. This was the first time ever that it happened. Right back to the Vet for Boo, apparently he was being given too much insulin. (The nerves from going to the Vet didn't help matters) I feel like this Vet can't get it straight. I'm going with my Mom to get a second opinion. Let's face it, if my Mom wasn't home today, Boo could have died.

If anyone has any diabetic cat/dog experiences...Please share!!!!!
I don't know what to do.

MY dog Reggie was a diabetic. Like your mom's cat, he got two shots a day. The fact that he got very stressed by going to a crowded vet's office did not help. Can your mom take Boo during the week?? Find out if there are late hours. It is usually less crowded and will put less stress on the cat.

Oh wait. You mentioned that he received too much insulin. Did your mom check his urine??
That could be another reason why he went into shock.

I am glad he is okay now!!!


ps. If you want a second opinion, I could recommend a vet...but she is in Queens.

My cat Luke was diabetic for one month. He is just a baby so it was just a fluke. I actually did my own research and found out it was from a steriod shot that he got for an allergic reaction to something. Anyhow, his sugar was 500, and I had to give him insulin shots 2 times a day. I was so nervous not being able to watch him while I was at work, so I would make sure I checked his pee every morning (he went anytime I put him in the litter box like a good boy) and if the urine strip was level 2, the darkest one - brown, I'd give him the two units (after we established a system because he didn't cooperate). I just kept monitoring him and kept feeding him the Purina DM food and after about a month, I saw the urine strip would become lighter so I would drop it to one unit. Then eventually it was normal, no trace of glucose so I stopped giving it to him and kept feeding him the diabetic food just in case and he's been fine.

Don't give up. Just be sure that you check his urine everytime before he gets his shot, because they can die from hypoglycemic shock. It seems very stressful and hard at first, but cat lovers love their cats and you are helping him/her and just keep that in mind. I called the vet crying one morning because he didn't let me give him the shot and I had to leave for work - it's no easy task but they will realize they are feeling better afterwards. My good friend's cat is a lot older and just got diagnosed and its been a lot harder to regulate her and he is still working on it in month 2 now...just give it time and remember better too little insulin than too much. I won't bring him to the vet for another test because i know that stress makes their sugar level go up, so as long as i know he's fine...that's what matters. Good luck. Oh, here is a WONDERFUL website I found with a chat room for people with diabetic cats. They helped me out SO much.

http://www.gorbzilla.com

ETA: I did what I thought was best, because my vet wasn't giving me straight answers.

I'm so sorry to hear about your cat!

I do have a wonderful vet and highly recommend him. Mr. Blue (my cat) had all kinds of problems and no vet was able to treat or diagnose, until this one...good luck!

Dr. Ron Coiro
(631) 265-1438
Smithaven Veterinary Hospital
He is Board Certified and has NEVER had anything against his license...he truly cares about animals and is extremely knowledgeable.

I dont have an experience so to speak but i wanted to tell you that FH's aunt had a cat that was diabetic, on insulin, and lived to be 19 years old!!!

definitely try to go to another vet, it doesnt sound right that they sent u home because it was too busy.