Diabetes in Animals is Not a Death Sentence
Part Three
So, you've discovered that you can afford to treat, using some great money (and life!) saving methods. Good for you! But... there's still another problem. Do you really want your friend to suffer? I'm here to tell you that treating a pet for diabetes is not subjecting them to any form of suffering at all. In fact, the reality is quite the opposite.
Treatment
Based on information given to me by the members of the Feline Diabetes Message Board (http://www.felinediabetes.com/fdmb/frames.pl) and Sweet Talk (http://pub107.ezboard.com/bventboard), many people see signs of improvement in their pet within two weeks of starting treatment. The needles used to administer insulin are very small and your pet will not feel the needle at all, if the injection is being given properly. If you are queasy about needles - don't worry! So was I! For the first home shot, I had everything ready for the shot, positioned and all, and suddenly handed it over to my husband! However, the next day, I couldn't get him out of bed to do it, so I had no choice. Now, it doesn't bother me at all to stick her. And I still don't like needles! Here's a picture of a syringe used to administer insulin, so you can see for yourself just how small the needle is. This is BD 3/10 CC syringe with half unit markings, with a 5/16 inch long needle.
Guess what? Most of our pets don't fight the glucose testing, either! Some do, at first, but get used to it over time. Kimber's Bunny (GA) used to call her when it was shot time. Pauline's Wee Felice comes to her food area and sits patiently while Pauline administers the blood test. Karen sets alarms for Rambo's test times... when the alarm goes off, he sits by his testing equipment and waits for Karen to show up! Deanie's Boo, the host of this page, often has other plans for what he'd like to be doing during test time, but he's a good boy during test time. Many other pets do not struggle at test time, either. Here are two pictures of Iris waiting for me to finish taking pictures of her supplies (for this page) so I could get her test done. Can't you just see her saying, "Dang! If you're going to take this long, I might as well lie down for awhile!"?
Untreated Diabetes
If you're worried about a few pricks for blood testing and shots, what do you think happens when an owner choose not to treat diabetes? First, your pet may develop diabetic ketoacidocis and die. (See above for info on DKA.) If this doesn't happen, neuropathy may set in. A pet with diabetic neuropathy experiences pain and numbness in its legs. A pet may walk on his/her hocks because their legs are so weak. They may only be able to take two steps at a time before having to sit down and rest. Using the litter box or going outside becomes near to impossible. They often sleep right next to their food and water dishes. This is pitiful to watch, however, with treatment, neuropathy is curable.
Finally, untreated diabetes results in your pet ultimately starving to death, if DKA doesn't set in first. Insulin carries nutrition... without usable insulin in the body, your pet begins to starve. This is not a "humane alternative" to treating your pet's diabetes. With treatment, Sue's Tuppy lived with diabetes for eight years after diagnosis! Countless other pets and their owners have been living with diabetes for anywhere from a year to five years or more! If humans can treat diabetes and live a full life, why can't your pet?
If you're thinking about giving your pet up for adoption because you don't want to treat, there's something you should know. Being away from home and family will most likely create stress for your pet, which raises blood glucose levels and can create more problems. In addition, various Humane Society websites claim that adult cats have a hard time being adopted. Most people want a kitten. So, if an adult cat has a hard time getting adopted, an adult cat with special needs is near to impossible. More likely, your pet will sit behind the bars of a cage, day in and day out, until his/her time runs up and the shelter has to euthanize. Is THIS fair to your friend? There are some cases where a diabetic pet has been successfully adopted, but those cases are, sadly, few and far between.
Still not convinced that treatment is the way to go? Take a look at these before and after pictures and tell me that treatment doesn't work!
Iris:
Before treatment, Iris did little more than sit on our laps all day. She was tiny and frail looking, though it is hard to see from this picture of her in her daddy's lap. However, after treatment, she loves to climb and play!
Boo:
Here is the host of your site, Boo. Deanie took this before picture because she was unsure if Boo was going to make it. His legs were shaved from where they gave him injections, and his coat is unkempt because he didn't feel well enough to groom. But look at Boo now! He's never been better and loves patroling his territory... which means bugging Mom to go outside first, of course!
Rambo:
The two before pictures are classic examples of diabetic neuropathy. In the first, Rambo is splay legged because there was nothing for his feet to grip into. In the second, you see Rambo walking on his hocks. His fur is shaved because of the mats that formed due to his inability to groom himself. Rambo's mom tells me that Rambo is now fine, after treating his diabetes! Take a look at that third picture! "Moo-om, do you have to flash that thing at me again!?"
Zelda:
Lara:
Doesn't Lara look so much happier? You can read her story at http://www.petdiabetes.org/personal_technique/lara.htm. Before treatment, Lara developed cataracts and was so thin you could see her bones. Today, Lara is healthy again, thanks to her parents, who refused to give up on her.
On September 24th, 2003, when my husband and I learned that our new kitten was diabetic, we were also concerned with money problems and how much Iris would have to suffer. However, I did my research and found the Feline Diabetes Message Board, whose members helped me discover the methods of treatment I've just introduced to you. With those methods, we have made treatment affordable and as painless as possible for Iris. For the first time in her young life, she has the energy to chase a ball around the house. I'm glad I chose to treat. I hope that you do, too.
I'll leave you now with three pictures of Iris climbing down from her tree perch - to me, these three pictures are proof that treatment works. There is no way she'd have had the energy or ability to do this before treatment.
On October 8, 2004, my husband and I helped Iris over the Bridge. She was very sick and was rarely happy anymore... having had diabetes since such a young age took a toll on her health. She also probably had Cushing's disease on top of that. We opted not to do surgery to remove her adreanal glands due to the fraility of her health. She had a wonderful year that she wouldn't have enjoyed without treatment of her diabetes... many cats live much longer than that after diagnosis. Iris will be greatly missed.
