OMG, I gave Lucifer an insulin shot
I gave Lucifer his first shot.
Well, technically he already had a few over the weekend, but it was my first shot. I was so scared; I put my mom on speakerphone and she walked me through it. (It’s nice having a mom who’s a nurse.) Lucifer hardly seemed to mind; he squawked a bit and got up after I gave him the shot, but he seemed happy to get a massage and a treat out of the deal.
I was really nervous, though, especially because I got to the vet’s at 7pm and then had to wait an hour and a half to get Lucifer and learn how to give the shot (this despite having told them that I was coming Tuesday at 7pm before I dropped him off, over the weekend when I called to check on him, and by phone earlier in the day just in case). Then they said he hadn’t eaten yet so we couldn’t give him a real shot, just a fake one and that I should give him the real shot at home after I got him to eat.
So I took a taxi home and got there around 9pm, then immediately gave him food. Which he didn’t eat. Jesus Christ. I think it was just the stress of the cab ride and of being home, because his behavior was fine. (He was SO SO SO HAPPY to get out of the cage and see me. He was rubbing all over me and sniffing around and exploring everything. Pleased to be free. And really, he was glad to see me; snuggling and kneading and doing that thing where he presses his forehead against me and just stays that way–I think that’s the cat equivalent of a hug.)
It’s also that I’m trying to switch his diet to a low carbohydrate one (Wellness Core wet food and Innova EVO dry food, with the idea of phasing out dry food eventually). So I gave him a mix of old and new, and he was less enthusiastic about that. I ended up giving him the old wet food since I felt like it was better for him to eat, period, and be able to get his insulin. Thus he didn’t end up eating until 10pm (despite me coaxing and putting treats in his food and moving it in front of him). I wasn’t sure if I should give him the shot since it was so late (he’s supposed to get it 12 hours apart) but my mom said to give it to him, so I did.
I guess I should wait until 10am to give him the next one? Or 9:30? Should I leave out the food he didn’t eat for him to nibble on over the night, or should I take it away to make sure he’ll be hungry and eat before his morning shot? (I should probably go post these questions to the feline diabetes message board instead of asking here, huh? Although if anyone has any advice, please share.)
I don’t *think* I have to take him to work with me to monitor him. The vet started him on a low amount of insulin–one whatever-the-measurement-is. So he probably won’t get hypoglycemic unless he doesn’t eat (obviously I won’t give him the insulin if he doesn’t eat). If he really doesn’t like Wellness, I’ll try the diabetic-friendly versions of Fancy Feast. Although Wellness seems to have higher quality ingredients. But it’s more important that he eats it, I guess.
I bought a blood glucose meter, so I’ll have to figure out his blood sugar from that. The vet just wants me to monitor his urine (which I’ll also do, of course) but a lot of websites say the only really reliable way is by blood so I’m at least going to try that too (there are a bunch of online tutorials about how to do that).
Oh, he just peed. I tested it. No ketones, but the color of the glucose level was between the two highest colors. I guess that’s to be expected, especially since it’s measured over time and he’s had a stressful day what with being in a cage and then having to ride in a taxi (one of the few things in life he really doesn’t like is being in a pet carrier.)
I’m really trying not to think about how much this is costing me. (I’m getting a rebate on the blood glucose meter but the strips are obscenely expensive). The good thing is that my freelance client seems ready to re-start on the project that she apparently forgot about over the summer, so I should make enough from that to prevent myself from going into actual credit card debt and still be able to go to London and afford to board him at a place that will do the insulin shots while I’m gone. (*fingers crossed*)
I guess I need to call ASPCA pet insurance and explain the situation (I signed him up for it starting August 1, but it doesn’t cover any illnesses that appear within the first 30 days. And naturally this appeared around day 25. *sigh*) I guess I’ll try to get a refund or something, since I’m sure they won’t cover any of it.
Tags: cats
27 Responses to “OMG, I gave Lucifer an insulin shot”
vamprayne on September 2, 2008 11:42 pm | Link
I had a diabetic cat, my very first cat (on my own) she was 13 when she was diagnosed. It was a long, expensive, time consuming 3 years, but I wouldn’t change one single minute of it!
http://www.felinediabetes.com/ was such a giant help to me, none of the vets in town were well versed in feline diabetes.
the people there were supportive, helpful, and generous with time (and sometimes money)
much luck and if you need any advice or encouragement, feel free to contact me.
*hugs and luck*
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rusty-halo on September 4, 2008 12:37 pm | Link
Thank you so much!
*hugs*
I’ve been poring over felinediabetes.com for days. It really seems like an amazing resource!
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soundingsea on September 2, 2008 11:47 pm | Link
Having to give him shots sounds really scary. But I bet he’s just happy to be home with you.
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rusty-halo on September 4, 2008 12:36 pm | Link
I think it helps that I had to give him pills last week. The shots are *infinitely* easier than pills!
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Stewardess on September 3, 2008 12:43 am | Link
Have you made a graph or something to stick on the fridge to keep track of his meals and shots? That helped me a lot. Noting the times made it easier to figure out when to give shots the next day.
The urine test strips are expensive? That’s odd. I paid $13 for fifty Ketostix at Walgreen’s. It’s true blood tests are far more accurate, but the strips come in handy once your kitty is on a stable dose of insulin.
Did a vet tech give you any tips on shots? I took my kitty in a few times to watch them giving her a shot. They also had me practice giving shots on a folded paper towel. I set the practice syringe aside and practiced with it a couple of times before every shot. It helped me relax. ^^
I figured out early on I was using more force than I needed to when giving shots. It doesn’t take much pressure to pierce the skin. I also made sure to vary the injection site, which helped reduce the pain. Eventually I got fast at it.
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rusty-halo on September 3, 2008 1:07 am | Link
A graph is a good idea, you’re right. I’ll set up one tomorrow when I give him that shot.
The blood test strips for the glucometer are expensive. $57 for 50 strips for a One Touch Ultra (which is the brand recommended at felinediabetes.com).
The vet wasn’t very helpful with the shot instructions. They seemed to want me out of there in a hurry (after keeping me an hour and a half after I’d arrived!) I guess the thing I’m most unsure of is just how much to pinch the skin and where exactly to inject.
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Stewardess on September 3, 2008 4:25 am | Link
I’d ask for a demo. They can show you how with regular fluids, which is mostly water. Heck, they can show you just using a syringe with the cap still on.
It doesn’t matter how much you pinch; it won’t affect results. There is no such thing as pinching too much. More is better; it should be enough that you don’t have to worry about poking the needle through the other side of the “tent.”
If you are right-handed: Place cat sideways to you. It works best if the cat’s head is to your left, and his tail is to your right. With your left hand, pull up some skin over the spine to make a “tent.” Using your right hand, insert the needle parallel to the cat’s spine, pointing towards his head. Try aiming for the bottom third of the tent. Depress the plunger as soon as you can, then gently withdraw the needle. I found this to be the easiest and most natural way.
After the injection, rub the spot to relieve pain and to check for wetness. If there is wetness, you poked through to the other side, and injected the insulin onto his fur. Nothing you can do; you can’t give him the injection again, because some of it might have made it in. Just make a note on the graph that you missed. :p
Remember it is far more stressful to you than it is to the cat. To the cat, you are pricking him with something for a second or two. Annoying, but not a big deal. To you, it’s a vital step to keep him healthy. So relax and let him have it. ;)
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Stewardess on September 3, 2008 4:30 am | Link
I forgot to mention where to inject. At first, do it where his skin is loosest, which will probably be around the shoulderblades, over his spine. Later, you can vary the injection site by going lower and lower on his spine. If he’s like most cats, going lower than midpoint on his back will be uncomfortable, because the skin is not as loose.
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Stewardess on September 3, 2008 4:33 am | Link
Here’s my kitty after getting her shot. The ottoman turned out to be perfect.
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rusty-halo on September 4, 2008 12:39 pm | Link
Thank you!
I’m still really nervous but so far it has gone okay each day. He hardly seems to notice that I’m doing anything.
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10zlaine on September 3, 2008 5:45 pm | Link
I don’t actually pinch his skin; I just pull up the skin around his neck and stick it in – that way you don’t have to worry about hitting muscle. That’s part of the reason I prefer the shorter needles, since you can pull the nape up further than the needle goes in. Honestly, it’s not that worrisome. Just pull up, poke in, squirt, and let go, then sort of massage/skritch the area. I do it after he’s started eating, sort of pet him first, then lift the nape, jab, etc.
I usually do different areas around the back of his neck so it isn’t always the same place. Sorry you were out of the room before I had a chance to demonstrate. :(
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rusty-halo on September 3, 2008 6:09 pm | Link
I’m sorry we didn’t have a chance to talk about it. I wish I’d been able to see from you how to do it.
I wish we’d seen each other more at the con. :( Did you have a good time with the volunteer work you were doing?
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10zlaine on September 3, 2008 6:34 pm | Link
It was a really good time; I’m glad Shauny was able to come. Hands down, Laura Bertram is one of the most friendly, accessible actors, ever. All we did was talk all weekend. For someone who was a child actor, she’s probably one of the most down to earth people I’ve ever met.
Did you see the “Girl in the Fireplace” clockwork people, girl and doctor in costume? OMG, best costumes ever. We were hanging out Sunday night and saw them, and Leslie ran over to take their pictures, totally not paying attention to everyone who was posing in the group with them. After the guy who was posing with them started to walk away, we THEN just recognized it was Olmos. So, Leslie has a pic of those people AND him. We were so blinded by the Who that we didn’t even notice him!
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rusty-halo on September 4, 2008 12:41 pm | Link
I did see a clockwork person. That was awesome! There were a ton of amazing Doctor Who costumes. I just wish the panels had been up to par.
Wow, that’s really cool about Edward James Olmos.
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10zlaine on September 4, 2008 12:48 pm | Link
that’s really cool about Edward James Olmos
I know, right? Dude’s must be such a DW fan if he wanted his pic taken with them in the middle of a packed floor. As he was leaving, other people wanted to pose with him and he had to say that he wasn’t posing for pictures, he’d only wanted to have that one taken.
I’m going to see if she’ll post that pic; I just can’t believe how awesome the costumes were when they were all together.
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10zlaine on September 3, 2008 6:42 pm | Link
Oh, and eg: the cat people gave him his shot at 8:30a yesterday and I gave it around 8p. This morning he got it around 7:30, and I’m probably going to give it to him within the next 45 minutes. Generally, I try to do it 60 minutes either side of the previous shot’s time, and usually do it based on how early I’ll be up the next morning.
So, say, on weekends, you could push it to the end of the hour, so you wouldn’t have to give it to him as early as you usually do on the next morning. Then, on Sunday night, you can adjust that time for Monday morning.
You have play room, though sometimes it sure doesn’t feel like it. I think for the most part, if you go over 12 even by more than an hour, that’s not a biggie, but you probably don’t want to go under by too much. that’s just my observation/logic.
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Lelah on September 3, 2008 11:40 am | Link
How did you know Lucifer was diabetic? I have a really overweight Tabby that doesn’t excessively drink or anything, but his weight worries me. I’ve reduced his food and everything, but he is just a big, round cat.
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rusty-halo on September 3, 2008 12:21 pm | Link
I took him to the vet for something else. They did a blood test and concluded that he’s diabetic (blood glucose level 440). He’s been overweight for years, but recently started losing weight, and drinking tons of water and peeing a lot. Then I took him to another vet who did a fructosamine test that tells his blood glucose levels over the past few weeks (also high). So he’s definitely diabetic.
I’ve been feeding him a diet fairly high in carbohydrates (Pet Promise Weight & Aging dry food and PetGuard wet food). This is probably the culprit. I’m switching him to a low carbohydrate diet now. There’s a page explaining it here. I’m switching him to Wellness Core Chicken or Turkey wet food and Innova EVO dry food (with the idea of phasing out dry food entirely eventually).
It depends on your cat and if he has any other health problems, but I would talk to my vet about switching him to a lower carb diet. If you can’t afford Wellness there are other options, including certain varieties of Fancy Feast. I wish that I had done this, y’know, before Lucifer developed diabetes. But I didn’t know anything about cat nutrition. :(
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nutmeg3 on September 3, 2008 12:17 pm | Link
Hurray! I’m so proud of you. And it will get easier and eventually just be all blah, blah, second nature.
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rusty-halo on September 4, 2008 12:31 pm | Link
Thank you! *hugs*
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Raeann on September 3, 2008 12:33 pm | Link
Good luck with the needles (that would freak me out, too). I hope he’ll be okay; he seems like such a sweetie.
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rusty-halo on September 4, 2008 12:29 pm | Link
Thanks. (I hate needles!)
He really is the sweetest cat I’ve ever met. I honestly forget that some cats do things like bite/scratch/hiss, because he never does. It’s not even in his repertoire of behavior. The woman in the vet’s office told me that they all fell in love with him, which is very reassuring because they took him out of his cage and played with him a lot.
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Zafra on September 3, 2008 2:45 pm | Link
Aw. I’ve never had a diabetic animal, but my daughter was diagnosed w/ Type 1 at 18 months. Believe me, I went through the same stuff you are! :) Although I will readily admit they wouldn’t let me out of the hospital w/ her until we knew how to do everything. So obviously that is a bit different. (and silly, but I digress)
Is there a reason the One Touch was recommended? Originally I got one from the hospital, but same thing – It was costing me almost $100 for 100 strips! So I changed to my local supermarket pharmacy brand. That dropped the cost in half and to me it works just as well. I don’t have insurance for her, either, and I am going round #3 with the state for aid. (viva-la self employment!)
I had a chart in the beginning and logged everything. She has to get 2 kinds, so that made it more confusing. Trust me, though, months from now you won’t need it. :) You’ll just say ‘ok, time for a shot kitty!’ It does get much easier to deal with.
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rusty-halo on September 4, 2008 12:31 pm | Link
Oh, wow, that’s a lot to deal with. I’m glad to hear that it gets easier over time.
Hmm, the website was felinediabetes.com. Apparently they did tests comparing glucometer results with veterinarian test results, and that one was the most accurate and easy to use? I’m not sure. I’ll look in their forum and see if they have any advice for cheaper methods, but I want to make sure to stick with one that’s known to work well in cats.
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Zafra on September 4, 2008 5:21 pm | Link
I was also curious what needles you were using. I use the short-needle version. I would assume you would be, as well, since there’s not much to the cat! Right now I am going cheap and just using the store brand, but I was using BD 3/10cc short needle w/ 1/2 unit markings. They had marks for the 1/2 units, which in the beginning was awesome for me. Then you don’t have to do so much guessing!
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rusty-halo on September 4, 2008 5:29 pm | Link
Huh. I guess I’m using short needles? They seem pretty short. I know they are “U40″ instead of “U100″ but I have no idea what that refers to.
Half unit markings would be AWESOME. Where do you get those?
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Zafra on September 4, 2008 10:11 pm | Link
You are in the US, right? :)
I think I use the U100 ones, so not sure what you are using. You can tell the difference between short and long – the long ones look like they’ll go through the other side of my daughter’s arm! LOL (they won’t but it’s scary)
I’ve only had good luck finding them at Target, of all places. In this state, I needed a prescription to get them (which I assume you have) but then they know me and I don’t need to keep getting one. Several of the other pharmacies looked at me crazy when I went around trying to find them. http://www.bddiabetes.com/us/main.aspx?cat=2&id=407
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