Hello from Alyssa & Marbles

Hello! I am new to the FDMB and look forward to all that I can learn about living with feline diabetes from the members. My 12.5 year old male rescue was just diagnosed last week (2/28/17) . His blood sugar was 400 and his fructosamine was 616. Our vet put him on 1 unit of Lantus (Glargine) twice daily. The poor guy also has congestive heart failure which was diagnosed in 2013. His scripts for that are Plavix, Atenolol, Benazepril.
As soon as Marbles started receiving the insulin, we could see an improvement. He has lost a lot of weight the past few months and we are finally seeing his appetite come back. So far, he's doing well with the shots. He goes back to the vet on Friday 3/10/17 for a blood sugar cycle test.
I spent a few hours this past weekend reading the various threads and forums. The advise you all give and knowledge you share is just amazing. I am so very grateful to have found this site to help us through this journey.

 

Welcome!

Just a quick note, most of us do home testing on a daily basis and for our curves. The curve is likely to be more accurate at home where there isn't as much stress on the kitty. If you are interested in home testing, you could see if your Vet is ok with you calling in or e-mailing the numbers to them. Stress at the Vet's office can cause a BG (blood glucose) curve to be off as much as 100 points.

Most people use a Human BG meter, ReliON micro / confirm (Walmart brand) is a popular one. Some of us also have the Alpha Trak 2 (Pet meter) that we use for curves because the test strips are expensive, around $1 per strip.

Post any questions on the Main Health forum!

 

Thank you for the advise. I have been dreading the home testing but have read how much more accurate the readings are. I also want to transition Marbles to a low carb diet and will want to monitor his levels during the transition. But I figured I'd better first get used to the shots before I start drawing blood! I'll speak to my vet about it on Friday.

 

Yes, definitely only change one thing at a time and it will be best if you are home testing when changes are made. Everything can seem overwhelming at first (I've only been doing this for 2 months) but I'm so glad I home test . You will find lots of support and information for Marbles and YOU here

P.S. Marbles is adorable

 

You will only need a small drop of blood for testing. Most of us use human glucose meters for testing instead of the "animal" meters. It is easier to find the strips for the meter and also less expensive to use. A lot of us use the Walmart Relion brand meters.

 

Welcome