Owners with diabetic cats/dogs??

Question

Hi there!I'm a vet student and i found out yesterday my own cat has diabetes.Now I'm supposed to start the insulin shots tommorow,which is fine cause I have given a thousand shots in the past(of course none on my own cat) but I'm really nervous he might get into a hypoglucaemic shock if the level of glucose falls too low(which,as you probably already know is a high risk at the first times you give him the insulin because you can't be absolutely 100% certain of the dose).Everybody is trying to make me feel better and to calm me down but i'm actually really stressed out about it(even though i know how i should handle it if he gets into one) and I thought maybe some experiences from owners who have dealt with the same problem in the past might help me feel a little bit better...boy oh boy I always felt for the stress of the owners when we had to tell them what was wrong with their animals and how they should handle it but these days is the first time I actually KNOW how it feels :(

I went to the clinics of the university I go to and got the dose from one of my professors who are handelling my cat,I'm supposed to start him off on 0,12ml twice a day.I'm guessing this is a "safety dose" one they start all animals on and know that has a low risk and then check out by the levels of glycose in the urine if it's working or if we should lower it or give him more...I'm really nervous though about tommorow.Thank god a fellow student and a good friend of mine is coming over from tonight to help me tommorow if anything goes wrong...Thanks for your answers

Answer 1

We had a diabetic dog that lived to be 16, 8 years after diagnosis. He was hospitalized at first, so that's how we set the dose.

I'd suggest starting with maybe half the "target" dose. That would lower the risk of bottoming out his sugar. Gradually, over the course of a few days, titrate up the dose by a couple of units.
Once you're at the target, check with your vet as to when the cat should be followed up again.

Good luck.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

Dear zusje, I understand how you feel. However, I can't give you any useful tips, as my cat has not had this problem (yet). But what I can tell you is that diabetes is a quite common problem to cats and humans, and I think you shouldn't worry, because your cat has the chance of hving you as his mummy, who loves him so much and is a vet too. So you will be able to deal with any situation much better than any other cat owner, and even those (non vets) usually manage to cope just fine, so you will manage even better. I wish you and your cat all the best.
Be in touch and consult an experienced vet at your University (I don't mean you are not experienced enough, but when feeling gets in the way, clear judgement may be more difficult), and don't be embarrassed to call him and ask him about any symptoms that worry you.

Answer 5

You problbly know this already, but you need to cut out all processed sugars and by using a raw meat diet your cat will be better off.

My dog is still going at 20 and we both have the same condotion.

Answer 6

Dam, I have enough problems with my own diabetes. I didn't know animals got it. It's really too bad that dogs and cats have the same awful diet humans have.