Barney was diagnosed with diabetes in May of 1998, one month before his tenth birthday. He also had some major dental problems - the first round of dental work was in late May 1998. To treat Barney's diabetes, he was started on one injection a day of Caninsulin insulin. After a few trips to the vet for subcutaneous liquids, he started having that at home (100 ml every other day). He was eating prescription food - Medical Fiber Formula and his fluid intake was being monitored. Regular trips to the vet for glucose testing became part of Barney's routine - although, Barney definitely didn't enjoy the fasting or the weekly outings associated with the tests. After a time, we stopped doing spot glucose testing because of the stress Barney felt in going to the vet's office and switched to monitoring the effectiveness of his insulin with Fructosamine testing. Not that Barney found the trip to the vet's office any more enjoyable, but, the test was able to give a more accurate reflection of his blood sugar levels. Over the year, we started supplementing his food with Hill's a/d and switched him over to Hill's w/d and canned Medical Fiber Formula.

In March of 1999, Barney's insulin dose was split into 2 with a needle every 12 hours. His subcutaneous fluid was also changed to 50 ml daily. In May of 1999, while still being challenged to stabilize Barney's glucose levels, he started getting Ultra Lente insulin.

In late August of 1999, when Barney was in for a fructosamine test, Dr. Porostocky found a lump in his intestine during his check-up. Barney went for ultra-sound examination to see whether it could be identified and to check his heart in case he required surgery. A preliminary diagnosis of Cushings Disease was made and Barney went through a daylong test to see if this diagnosis was correct. It was not and another ultrasound examination was performed. Surgery followed in mid September of 1999. Barney recovered quickly from the surgery and was on his chair in front of the window sunning himself the next day. The results of the surgery were that Barney had Inflammatory Bowel Disease … the lump was a lymph node in his swollen intestines.

Barney's diet was switched to Medical Hypo-allergenic food, supplemented by CNM EN formula as we tried to get him to gain weight. He continued to receive twice-daily insulin shots and subcutaneous liquids with occasional glucose tests and Fructosamine testing.

In July of 2000, Barney was switched to Beef Insulin and his blood glucose has been far more under control. In order to help his bowels, we switched his food to Hill's z/d … his bowels seem to have cleared up and his weight started to increase.

Early in 2001, Barney went on a diet - his food intake was limited and supplemented with pumpkin and carrots, as he seemed to be hungry all the time. In mid April, Barney had a seizure, was rushed to the vet and given glucose via IV … once his glucose level recovered, he was taken off the diet, put back on insulin and once again is a happy cat (when at home), although his weight is still an issue. We switched his food back to Medical Hypo-allergenic food which is lower in calories … our next trip to the vet will measure the success of the food switch.

Barney's Mom

Barney in March 1999 .........and August 2001