glad we found you!

My 15 year old cat UNCLE was diagnosed with diabetes about a month ago. When he was about 2 years old, I rescued him and his bonded little brother off the street. He's been through a lot! Had to have his leg amputated at 7 years because of a Rabies Vaccination induced sarcoma. Had P/U surgery at about 9 years. A year and a half ago he had the radio-iodine procedure done because we couldn't get his thyroid to regulate on any pharmaceuticals after trying for a year. His little brother died of heart disease 2 years ago and he hasn't quite been the same since. I am totally devoted to him and with your help, will try to be the best care giver I can while we are on this journey together.
Here's where we're at now.
When he was stabilized and released from the emergency vet I was told to give him 1 unit of Lantus every 12 hours. I brought Uncle to his vet and she went over a lot of things with me, including showing me how to use a Lantus Solostar pen with a syringe and getting me set up with an Alpha Track 2 for testing.
I have had some shockingly low numbers and am trying to figure out how much insulin he really needs.
Okay, I know that's a lot for now, but I also wanted to mention that he has been eating Darwin's Raw Food for 8 years!

 

You are an example of a totally devoted pet parent! Uncle is a lucky boy for sure. Your best bet is to re-post on the Lantus/Levemir forum to get specific advice. Generally, though, really low numbers suggest that 1 unit BID to too high a dose. It's a pretty standard starting dose for most cats though.

 

Thank you SO much for the reply and advice. The emotional support and knowledge from everybody is really going to help us get through this latest health challenge.
I will re-post on the Lantus/Lememir forum with some additional info regarding his numbers, etc.

 

You are definitely in the right place! There are knowledgeable people here on just about any feline health problem, not just diabetes. I'm glad I was able to help.

 

Welcome. I'm new here myself and learning so much from everyone here. It's a fantastic place. Poor Uncle sounds like he has been in the wars but he has you and is very lucky to have someone who is devoted to him.

 

Thank you, I feel better already!!!

 

Welcome Barbara and "extra sweet" Uncle!!

You're doing a lot of stuff totally right!!! You're feeding a low carb diet, you're going to home test and your vet has started you with a very good insulin for cats...You've got a lot of the battle won already!!

Just a quick note.....if you want to continue to use the AlphaTrak, that's totally fine, but most of us use human meters because the strips for the AT are so crazy expensive! Most of us test at least 4 times a day (and a lot of us test a lot more) so at about $1 per strip, it adds up quickly!!

If you'd like to consider a cheaper alternative, favorites around here are the Relion Confirm or Micro meters from WalMart.....they're about $15 and the strips are $35.88 per 100

All our protocols were developed using human meters too, so we're all very familiar with the differences in readings.

Look forward to seeing you and Uncle around!! Keep asking questions! The people here are great with sharing their time and experience!

 

Hi there, and thank you for all the encouragement! It's good to know there are people out there like you looking out for us.
After I get a little more comfortable with everything, I will definitely look into getting a human meter.
Also, I will probably be asking a lot of questions over on the Lantus/Levemer forum, so I'm sure we'll be crossing paths again!

 

If you live in the US, you can buy Freestyle Light strips at Amazon for about $35/ box. They work in the AT meter. They are both made by the same company.

They also have a new meter for pets with the same numbering system. The starter kit costs $21.99 and the strips cost $21.99. It's called Advocate. I ran side by side tests, using the same drop of blood and it was just as accurate as the AT. I bought it as a spare, but now I will probably use it all the time. I really like using a meter that uses the same numbering system as my vet.

 

Hi donnalea. Thank you for your telling me about the Freestyle Light test strips. I'm sorry I didn't thank you sooner, it's been kind of overwhelming!
I not only found the test strips, but the lancet refills are WAY cheaper than the AlphTrak ones as well. Really cool that you took the time to do the side by side tests.
Thanks again, REALLY appreciate it!