| Winnie:Feline | |
|---|---|
| Male Black/White/Gray Tiger | |
| Born | Unknown-2005 |
| Dx | Jul-Unknown |
| Oral meds | : |
| Regulated | Not-yet |
|
Regulated between 100 and 250 | |
|
We never really regulated--we made the diet change incl no dry and end of November and the rest is history. Since we were on dry for so long, it was difficult to truly regulate. | |
| Remission | Dec-2005 |
| Insulin | PZI Vet |
Seven years ago, Winnie came into my life--and not because I wanted him to. Winnie needed a home while my in-laws house was being built and since my husband was the one who originally found Winnie, they figured we could take him in until their house was finished. Winnie and I didn't get along at first and I was so angry he was at our house. I think a lot of it had to so with I never grew up with pets and my house was new, too, and I didn't want him to scratch and ruins things. Eventually, my in-laws house was finished and by then a lot had happened and I wouldn't give Winnie back--I fell in love with the little guy and now I can't imagine life without him.
Winnie was diagnosed in May 2005 with CRF when he crashed and had to spend 3 days in the animal ER w/fluids and antibiotics. I asked the vet on call that night if I should consider putting him to sleep--he said 'No' and to give Winnie a chance. I figured I owed it to Winnie for all he has done for me. That was 8 months ago and just the beginning of our story. I thought Winnie wouldn't be around that long and was afraid of taking him home from the vet for fear he would crash again and I would lose him forever. He came home and wasn't himself for a few days wasn't my Winnie--it took a few days for him to get back to his old self and believe me, Winnie has fight and lots of life in him and pretty soon things were OK again.
A few months after that, on a routine check of levels for his CRF, his blood glucose was 638! And now our CRF kitty was also a super sweet kitty! And now we began testing, shooting, curving, etc--I got pretty good at everything. I felt Winnie and I really bonded with all of the together time with the committment of taking care of a diabetic cat. A lot of people thought I was crazy, and wouldn't it have been easier to put him to sleep! People would just say some really awful things.
We were originally feeding dry K/D for the CRF and wet DM for the diabetes. This went on until November 2005 when I really starting listening and learning a lot more from the FDMB that ever before. Everyone kept telling me to take away the dry and that there are better things for Winnie than the DM---well, everyone was right--there was a better way. With the help of the wonderful people on the board, especially Holly and Spader, I was armed with alternative food choices for Winnie. We switched to Wellness and Nature's Variety and within 2 weeks, we were on honeymoon. There were a number of hypos on the way to the honeymoon as the days went on, he kept needing less and less insulin, and finally none at all. Hard to believe that was a month ago.
I know there are a lot of things I wasn't able to tell but I will tell you this--I don't have any regrets of the choices I made regarding Winnie's care and I couldn't have done it alone. I have a wonderful vet and a caring support system at FDMB. Despite having two conditions, Winnie can hang with the best of them and shows no signs of giving up any time soon.
Winnie has given me so much and has made me a better person for having had him in my life and for all we have been through together. Each day with Winnie is truly a gift.