Feryl's Mama

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Kris K., Mar 23, 2016.

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  1. Kris K.

    Kris K. Member

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    Mar 23, 2016
    Hello Everyone,

    My name is Kris and I'm Feryl's "Mama".

    Feryl is an 11 year old Maine Coon mix that was diagnosed yesterday. This sweet, kind, giving baby is the love of my life~and I hope to find some much needed support and answers here with you all :)
     
  2. Larry and Kitties

    Larry and Kitties Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    Welcome. If y ohae any questions please post in the Health forum:
    http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/
    Here is some general information.

    Good insulins are the human Lantus and Levemir and the pet insulins ProZinc and BCP PZI. For those two human insulin it is best to get the 5 pack of 3 ml disposable pens via a 10 ml vial. Although per ml the vial is less expensive most cats will not use up a 10 ml vial before the insulin goes bad/becomes ineffective. The human insulin N/NPH is sometimes prescribed but only lasts 8-10 hours. Same for the pet insulin Vetsulin/Caninisulin.
    Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:
    http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
    What are you feeding? A low-carb canned is best. No reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb canned

    http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

    Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
     
  3. Kris K.

    Kris K. Member

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    Mar 23, 2016
    Hi Larry :)

    Thank you so much for the info!

    Our vet suggested 3 units of Glargine (Lantus) insulin twice a day along with a diet change. We went cold turkey off the Orijen hard food and straight to the Tiki cat and BFF that we were only using on weekends as "treats". Feryl is glad that his "treats" are now his every day meals!

    We do have an AlphaTrak II glucometer and have been testing him at home. Saturday was his first day on insulin and today (Monday) I worked from home to continue to monitor him. We were told to complete a Glucose Curve on him next Saturday (which would be a week on insulin), but this morning I had a gut feeling we needed to check his levels. After he ate and after his shot, I got a reading of 101. I thought that was too low, so I decided to check him again at 10:30 this morning and the BG level had gone down to 43 which was WAY low.(He was twitching while napping and then got up to go to his wet food left from earlier and just mopped up) I called the vet immediately and we put a little karo on the gums and then home tested 3 more times over the day. As of 1:45 MDT he was at 98. Our vet told us to skip the insulin tonight, and check levels in the morning. If they are above 200, we'll give just 1 Unit and keep it at that twice a day until we do our curve over the weekend. If they are BELOW 200, I'm supposed to call the vet. He said that Feryl seemed to be responding quickly to the Glargine which is good, but we really have to watch these levels. (Hence why we are dropping back to 1 unit) I'm working from home tomorrow as well and keeping a good eye on him and testing as well.

    Thank you again!
    Kris
     
  4. Critter Mom

    Critter Mom Well-Known Member

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    Jun 16, 2014
    @Kris K. - What weight is Feryl? It is possible that the starting dose of 2IU combined with the drastic reduction in dietary carbs contributed to the biochemical hypo. It will take a little while for the Lantus depot to drain so even with a reduced dose it would be wise to get spot checks mid cycle to ensure that Feryl's not going low again.


    Mogs
    .
     
  5. Kris K.

    Kris K. Member

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    Mar 23, 2016
    Hi, Mogs :)

    He is 13.7 lbs and the starting dose was 3 units~ we are definitely keeping an eye on his BG for sure. We had started feeding him his canned food twice a day along with his dry food about a month ago because we noticed he seemed a little lighter. He had been visiting his dry food less than normal because he was expecting the wet twice a day, so it wasn't as "super cold turkey" as I mentioned. (But cold turkey none the less)
    Kris
     
  6. Critter Mom

    Critter Mom Well-Known Member

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    Jun 16, 2014
    Oops! Mea culpa on the size of the starting dose. Three units Lantus BID - yikes! Unless there was some overriding medical reason to prescribe such a high starting dose for his weight the Tight Regulation Protocol would have set it at half that value. Thank goodness you're home testing. :)


    Mogs
    .
     
  7. Kris K.

    Kris K. Member

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    Mar 23, 2016
    I know, right? His BG was 417 on Tuesday afternoon and then when we took him back in to learn how to do the insulin and Glucose Curves on Friday at 3:30 it was 202 (He hadn't eaten since that morning) Hopefully tomorrow's home testing will tell me more....
     
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  8. Julia & Bandit (GA)

    Julia & Bandit (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    If 13.7 is his ideal weight (meaning he's not overweight at all), then his starting dose should have been 1.5u, not 3u. That's double the insulin! If he is carrying around extra weight, then the starting dose should have been even less. It's no wonder he dropped too low. I'm glad you're dropping the dose to 1u.

    If you can set up a spreadsheet (the link is up above in Larry's post), then it makes it much easier to post here on FDMB for dosing advice in the Lantus forum. You may want to get the advice of the people there before adjusting the dose again. I don't know if your vet knows how to properly advise the dose for Lantus with cats.
     
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  9. Kris K.

    Kris K. Member

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    Mar 23, 2016
    Thanks, Julia!

    Feryl has definitely been heavier in the past (17 lbs or so at his heaviest ) so what he's at now is ideal.

    We didn't give insulin last night, and this morning his BG was 365. We gave 1 unit at 6:30am and when we checked at 10:30am his BG was 259.

    I spoke with the vet and we are going to stay on 1 unit twice a day, do a curve this weekend, and go from there.

    Feryl has had a MUCH better day today (which helped my day as well) ~ I 'll take a look at the spreadsheet, thanks so much for your help!
    Kris
     
  10. scoobydoox

    scoobydoox Member

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    Mar 21, 2016
    Hello and welcome
     
  11. Kris K.

    Kris K. Member

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    Mar 23, 2016
    Thank you! We're happy to have found you all:cat:
     
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  12. Critter Mom

    Critter Mom Well-Known Member

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    Jun 16, 2014
    Great news. Delighted for both of you. :)


    Mogs
    .
     
  13. Lisa and Witn (GA)

    Lisa and Witn (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    I am glad you are home testing. Removing dry food from the diet can easily drop the BG levels by 100 or more. A recommended starting dose is 1 to 1 1/2 units twice a day. We also suggest using a BG of 200 or less as your "don't shoot" number. If once you understand how your cat responds to the dose, that number can be lowered.
     
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  14. Julia & Bandit (GA)

    Julia & Bandit (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    Lantus is actually dosed on the daily nadir (the lowest number of the cycle, usually somewhere between 5-7 hours after the shot but it can vary), not with once a week curves. With Lantus, you want to test at least 3 times a day--once before each shot to make sure it's safe to give insulin, and then a test somewhere mid-cycle to see how low the insulin is dropping his blood sugar. Weekly curves do not provide a good enough picture to adjust doses because unregulated cats experience something called rebound hyperglycemia--their livers will dump glucose into their bloodstreams when they reach a low (or normal number that their body thinks is too low), and keep their BG high for up to 72 hours. If you happen to do your curve on a cycle when you hit rebound hyperglycemia, you run the risk of raising the dose too much, too soon.

    Once a week curves are great to get a picture of how the insulin is working in your cat as you progress, but the daily nadir tests are more revealing when it comes to dose adjustements. I strongly encourage you to check out some of the stickys in the Lantus forum when you can, that explains the dosing protocols! There's a ton of great information there.
     
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  15. Kris K.

    Kris K. Member

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    Mar 23, 2016
    Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post! This is extremely valuable~I sincerely appreciate your help. Have a great day! :)
     
  16. Kris K.

    Kris K. Member

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    Mar 23, 2016
    Thanks, Lisa! :)
     
  17. Bobbie And Bubba

    Bobbie And Bubba Well-Known Member

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    Jun 15, 2015
    Hey and welcome to you and Feryl. he is a cutie pie! You have all ready been given some really good advise and I will see you over in the Lantus forum as that is what my boy is on also. Ask all the questions you need to as that is how we all learned. :)
     
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  18. Kris K.

    Kris K. Member

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    Mar 23, 2016
    Thank you! That sweet handsome little fur baby is the love of my life :)
     
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