In Memory Of
Pets
Written by; Libby Benson
Copyright ©
2000
Permission given to Miss Minnie
to use this song. Thanks so much, Carole!
WHERE CAN I GET ANSWERS TO MY QUESTIONS?
When Miss Minnie was diagnosed with Diabetes, I was devastated. I felt alone and needed answers to a lot of questions. I have accumulated a listing of some helpful sites on this subject and have them listed on this page. I hope you find them helpful! Note that I have written here like you would write in a diary. I should have put dates down and then corresponding entries. Nevertheless, perhaps some of the information will help someone.
People often ask me how I thought she had Diabetes. Well, I noticed that I had to refill the kitty water bowl a lot faster.
Then I saw where it was Minnie who was
drinking a great deal of water.
I knew that was a sign in adults and hoped my guess was wrong. However, she had
lost a lot of weight
as well.
I could feel her bones now on her back just above the tail.
She also
didn't appear steady on her back legs.
I am glad I brought her to the Vet fairly soon after seeing all these signs. I think she was quite overweight before all this. So it's
not really a good idea to let your pet get "fat".
I'm afraid that since she's been on her insulin, she seems to be getting pudgy again. Okay, then.... we almost lost her. Some dingbat vet said she no longer needed insulin and took her off it all together! Take it from me, NEVER DO THAT!!! Thank God, we snatched her from death after about $3,000 worth of care.
Miss Minnie now gets two shots of insulin a day (Humulin-L, a little over 5 units/each). You have to try to give the shots as close to 12 hours a part as possible. It's tough when you work, etc. It sure has made a difference in my life. I used to "sleep in" on the weekends since there are no kiddies...just kitties! However, now I have to get up to at least give her the shot at 8:00 a.m. She's worth it. I bring her to the Vets periodically to have her blood tested so we can be sure she's getting the right amount of insulin, etc. I know I should get all the instruments, etc. to perform the home testing myself, but I just can't seem to do that yet.
Finally, when I just learned from the Vet that Miss Minnie had diabetes, he said kitties with diabetes usually last up to two years. I almost passed out when I heard this....hey, we're talking about my Miss Minnie here! I pray he was giving me the "worse case" scenario. I have read where A LOT of kitties with Diabetes live a lot longer than two years. This is giving me a lot of hope, and I hope it helps anyone reading this who might be going through the same thing. I frantically looked for sites that discussed their Diabetic kitties and how they were living to ripe old ages and I did. Miss Minnie turned 13 on 03/25/05. I pray she lives many, many more years.
Note: We are, unfortunately, "back to the drawing board". We went on vacation and left the
cats in the vets for a few days. I asked that Minnie have a Glucose Curve done (blood testing for
Diabetes). The numbers were not what I hoped for.
Acceptable readings are between 100 and 300.
Minnie had numbers that ranged from as high as 342.6 to as low as 66.5. Perhaps it was due
to the fact that she was stressed from being at the vets. For this week we will now give
her 3 units twice a day and bring her in for another test on Friday.
Well, after more tests it looks like we're sticking with 3 units twice a day for now.
Okay...since my last writing we went up to 5 units (twice a day) and now we're at 3 units (twice a day)...sure wish I could get my "Sugar Baby" regulated.
Well, here is the latest. It is now 2005. She will be 13 years old in only a matter of days...my sweet kitty. It's so hard to believe. It seems like only yesterday I was up in New York and she was delivered to my home as a little baby calico. She was so afraid coming out of the cat carrier. Time goes way too fast...especially when it comes to our dear pets. Their lives are way too short. What joy they can bring into a person's life. Anyway, I had
brought Minnie in to have dental work done. I also had her get her yearly vaccinations while I was there (I am wondering if this years vaccinations were problematic).
I always wanted to have someone come in and take care of my kitties the very few times we went away in the past. (I haven't been away in quite some time now). However, I was always afraid to ask anyone to give Miss Minnie her shot.
My poor baby has lost SO much weight since this last vist to the vet, and is constantly digging at herself. Her belly is raw. The vet thought it might be allergies. I believe she has gone down hill only after her last vaccination. Miss Minnie continues to be losing weight and dwindling away before my very eyes. I found some cream to put on her stomach. It seems to help for a little while. We are giving her a little over 1 unit of Insulin daily. Her weight was so low, and I really had to keep an eye on her. It's only a few months after her 13th birthday and I am giving her one capsule of something called 4Life Transfer Factor Plus. I decided to giver her a capsule while I was giving Miss Mickey one. It's supposed to help detoxify pets. This did help some diabetic cats that I read about, so I decided I would see if it could help Minnie.
Unfortunately, by now you know my sweet girl left us on August 22, 2005. She
lived five years with diabetes. The Vet said she would only live for two years.
~ DIABETIC KITTY LINKS ~
© 1998-2005 Susan D. Mahr
All Rights Reserved (Last updated 11.01.05)
~ DIABETIC KITTY LINKS ~
