Hello from newbies Jane and BonnieB

Hello, BonnieB (17 years old) was diagnosed 2 weeks ago yesterday and is on 2 units of ProZinc insulin twice daily and I'm happy to say she looks better, feels better and is more like her old self. Yesterday was her 2 week check up and her blood sugar was 155 which they said was good so the doctor said to continue the dosage and return in one month.
My concerns: The doctor was in surgery and didn't even meet with us. I'm worried that a month is too long. Shouldn't she be monitored a little more closely during these first few weeks? What is the normal for a newly dianosed cat? We were told to watch for signs of lethargy, staggering, disorientation and to use Karo syrup. We do have an emergency 24 hour pet hospital within 5-7 minutes of home so that has been my comfort should something happen. Should I not worry so much and just be glad she is responding well?
Thanks for listening.
Jane and BonnieB

 

Hello Jane and BonnieB (great name!),
Warm welcome to FDMB.

I'm sorry that BonnieB has been diagnosed with diabetes. But I'm really glad you found us.

I think your instincts are correct. Better monitoring at this point would certainly be of great benefit. But the good new is that - if you are willing - you can actually do that yourself...

Most of us here test our cat's blood glucose at home using glucose meters that human diabetics use.
'Hometesting' is, in essence, a quick, simple, and painless process. Though it may well take a few goes to get the hang of it.
Essentially, it involves pricking the outer edge of the kitty's ear to get a teensy weensy blood droplet, transferring that droplet to a test strip in a glucose meter, and waiting for the meter to count down and give the reading.
Hometesting shouldn't hurt the kitty, because the outer edge of the ear has very few nerve endings. And if the kitty is rewarded with a cuddle and/or a treat they can very soon come to look forward to being tested.

If you'd like to learn we can certainly help you with that.

That 155 was a lovely number. How many hours after the insulin shot was the test done?

And what are you feeding the gorgeous BonnieB at the moment?

Best wishes,

Eliz

 

Hello Elizabeth and Bertie,
Thanks for the quick answer. Her shot was given at 9:15 am and the test was at 1:15 p.m., about 5 hours later.
BonnieB has been on K/D dry food for about 3 years and before that she spent most of her life on W/D dry.
She was not always my cat as she once belonged to my father who died in 2003 after that she was mine so I continued
her same dry food. Then her kidney values were border line and indicated she should go to K/D which she accepted after
a while but still the dry.
Now I'm feeding her K/D canned food and she is slowly accepting it and even seems to look forward to it. So at the present
time she gets both canned and dry K/D with her very favorite baked chicken breast at injection time.
I watched the techs take a blood sample to test her yesterday. She has had ear problems forever and really squirms and resists having her ears touched. We've treated them at home for years so I think we might be able to do the testing.
After all we learned to do the shots even when terrified at first!
It's so great to find someone to talk to. I know we can't keep them forever but I'll fight to keep her "old age" as comfortable and pleasant as possible.
Thanks to you and your beautiful Bertie. I'm new here so may I ask how Bertie is doing?
Jane and BonnieB

 

While I understand your reasons for feeding prescription food, you might find it quite enlightening to read what Dr Pierson writes on her website Cat Info. She specializes in feline nutrition.
We recommend feeding low carb canned or raw food. In the case of cats with Stage 1 or Stage 2 renal disease, keeping the phosphorus levels low in the food also helps. For an excellent resource on CKD, pop over to Tanya's Feline CRF website. There is a food list, there, too, as prescription foods tend to break the budget without necessarily being better than some over the counter foods.

 

Hi and welcome

Here is a great link for tips on hometesting blood glucose

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

I would go and buy a meter and just spend the next day or two rubbing her ears, I personally warm the ear with a heated rice sock and so you could try holding that to the ear. Read through the links, watch some you tube videos the just give it ago.

This link on hypos is really helpful. I would print it out and keep it somewhere in easy reach

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/

This is what you need to have at the house in case of a hypo

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/jojo-and-bunnys-hypo-tool-box.2354/

If you are concerned at any point post a thread on main and put 911 in the title.

 

To all with my thanks for responding,
I've checked out all the links, read and re-read and hopefully have retained some of this valuable information. I'm sure I'll be referring back frequently. The General Rule of Thumb for Treating Hypoglycemia was most helpful and I've saved and printed the article. Certainly made the point about the importance of home testing. I intend to get going on that.
I am already working on transitioning BonnieB to canned food but she's totally adicted to dry. The last few days I've tried her on 10 or more flavors of Fancy Feast from the lower carb list. No go! As I mentioned canned K/D is all she will touch so far plus her treat of chicken breast. Even then I have to juice up the canned food with a little tuna juice and she mostly licks it. That's why I still feed the dry food because she needs to eat.
I'm not sure what commercial canned food to try next but I'll use the charts and choose from the low carb varities plus now I know
about keeping the phosphorus level lower.
Can't thank you all enough for being here.
Best from Jane and BonnieB

 

Be a little careful transitioning over to wet as it can lower blood glucose levels by up to 100 points. We tend to recommend that you do this once you start testing blood glucose at home so you can monitor her need for insulin which may also drop.

This link about transitioning over to wet might help when you are ready to do it

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/transitioning-your-cat-from-dry-to-wet-food.956/

 

Thanks again.
After reading that info I realize it's not the right time yet. She can still lick at
the wet food and nibble a bit but the main nutrition will be from dry she is used to eating.
No one has mentioned the baked chicken breast. She's liked that once a day as a treat for a long time.
I've continued to let her have that but now twice a day with each injection. I crumble it up and probably
give her about 2 Tbls each time. I hope you'll say that's ok because it's something she still enjoys.
I'm actually amazed that she is looking and feeling so well after only two weeks.
Is this a false sense of security?
I surely don't want to do any thing wrong and really appreciate this support.
My best to you,
Jane and BonnieB

 

I know what you mean about worrying even when they are acting fine. Almost like you are waiting for a hidden problem.

Re the chicken breast just be careful if your check there is no hidden added ingredients. Sometimes they inject sugars or add it to the top. I assume this is just raw chicken from the shop that you cook up at home? If so it sounds fine

My best advice would be go get yourself a meter and strips and just start having a go at testing.

 

Jane, it will probably be a very slow process moving Bonnie over the wet food, & you might never manage it completely , but it sounds as if you're doing fine ! Have you tried putting a little bit in with her biscuits ?

It's really good news that she's looking & feeling better, I noticed an improvement as well with Squiggles after just 2 weeks.

 

Maybe start by shifting over 20-25% a day to one of these low carb dry foods:
Evo Cat and Kitten
Epigen 90
Young Again 0 Carb - internet order only, pricey but they eat less

 

Thank you everyone for all the good suggestions. Had not thought of mixing a little wet with the dry.
I like the idea of low carb dry foods and didn't even know they existed. A couple of things to try for
sure!
Yes, I cook up the raw chicken breasts for her. I'm glad that's ok since it helps to have an incentive to keep
her from hiding at injection time.
She's definitely on to the schedule now!
Best to all. I'm learning a lot here and hope to be able to help others to return this great support.
Jane and BonnieB

 

You're doing very well Jane, I know it must be stressful for you. We've all been there & felt as nervous & unsure as you are doing at the moment *HUGS*

 

When you have a moment, could you add a few tidbits to your signature? It will help us give you feedback without having to go look in all your past posts.

Editing your Signature

In the upper right corner of the screen, within the dark blue bar, you will see ID, Inbox, and Alerts

Click on your ID.

On the left, under Settings, Click on Signature.
This is where you will put information that helps us give you feedback.
This is where you paste the link for your spreadsheet, once it is set up.
Add any other text, such as
your name,
cat's name,
date of Dx (diagnosis)
insulin
meter
any other pertinent issues like if there are any food issues, history of DKA, hepatic lipidosis, pancreatitis, allergies, IBD, etc.
Click the Save Changes button at the bottom.

Always click the Save Changes button at the bottom when you have changed anything.

 

Hi, I'll do that as soon as I have some time (and quiet) to figure it out! Thanks for giving me
directions. I wondered how you got the info to show below your posts!
Jane

 

Hi and welcome to Jane and extra sweet kitty BonnieB.

My Wink was a dry food addict and is still a member of DFAA (Dry Food Addicts Anonymous). I found this article by vet Dr. Lisa Pierson full of great tips and ideas for Transitioning Feline Dry Food Addicts to Canned Food.

I think I tried just about every trick in that article. Some ideas would work for one meal, other ideas for another meal. Sometimes a food will be rejected at first but then become one of your cats preferred foods. Once I figured out that Wink hated fish, it was much easier. His favorite is the Fancy Feast Turkey & Giblet flavor but it took weeks for me to figure that out. Guess I'm really slow on the uptake.

 

Hi Deb and Wink (how beautiful you are Wink)
Thanks for the link to a great article. Super ideas which I will try after we get more settled in a routine with the shots, testing and all the other changes in our lives. Will have to prioritize the best I can to keep some sanity in our lives.
DFAA, love it! When I was first offered canned food to BonnieB she sniffed it an literally jumped back with such a look on her face it was funny! Sweet girl must be wondering what in the world is going on around here lately.
Jane

 

Is BonnieB a snow shoe kitty?

 

Her coloring with the 4 white feet plus the blue eyes seem to be snow shoe.
She was found as a baby and we have no idea of her history. She's a sweetie.