Help me to help Vader

Hi Team,

I got my kitten's (16 yo) diagnosis Saturday. I am trying to pull it together and get her into a treatment that keeps her happy and around. The vet said she was not terrible- her BG was 301 then. I've already switched her to all FF pate, reduced her treats until the low carb ones get here tomorrow, and I finally found a place (Mark's Marine) that I could afford insulin. I feel like I am on the right track for my Squeaker and this site has been AMAZING. I'm trying to read and learn at warp speed. There's a lot to digest and learn. That being said, what is the number one tip/advice/piece of wisdom you would offer a newbie? ANY help is appreciate more than you know. TIA!!

 

Welcome! Get a human blood glucose meter and learn how to test her BG at home. Pet meters are great but the cost of their test strips is very high. Many people use one of the Walmart ReliOn types - Micro or Confirm are two that need only a tiny blood drop.

Here are some good resources: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

Learn to home test and do it often!!

Home testing keeps kitty safe as well as knowing how well they are responding.

Most of us use either the Relion Confirm or Micro from WalMart…..the strips are affordable and take the tiniest sample size

Once you start testing, keep your test results on our spreadsheet. We are very data-driven here and will want to see it before offering much in the way of advice on dose changes.

Here are the Instructions on setting up the FDMB spreadsheet

 

I second what they've said, start testing at home that will not only help you regulate his diabetes, it will also keep him safe, shooting insulin without knowing his blood glucose levels can be very dangerous since it could cause his levels to go too low and get yourself a lot of patience because this is not something that can be controlled fast

 

+1000000000000000 on the home testing. Stress can make BG numbers higher, so if kitty doesn't travel well, BG will always be higher at the vet. The meter vets use often runs higher than human meters, so you need to take your testing supplies with you and when the vet tests BG, you do a test too, so you can compare the two meters, at least once.

I use the ReliOn Prime because the meter and (most importantly) the strips are cheap. The strips are the expendable supply that makes the manufacturer money because they cannot be reused.

Start and maintain a BG chart with your results (attach to your signature).

Find some zero-carb treats kitty likes...

Watch kitty's teeth and brush them often because wet food doesn't clean teeth like dry food does

 

I am also just learning and beyond testing, I highly recommend reading the following, which is truly insightful, especially considering Vaders lower starting number and your switching to FF low carb pates.

Feline Diabetes- treatment and prevention in cats
Lisa A. Pierson, DVM
https://catinfo.org/feline-diabetes/

 

WOW- that article was really great. Thanks for sharing! I pick-up insulin this week, but we made it through week 1 on strict canned food and freeze dried chicken treats. I really hope I can get her into remission. The insulin arrives tomorrow and I am meeting with my vet this week.

Thank you everyone for the support. This site has been amazing to this cat mom!

 

Update. I got the insulin on Tues and talked to the vet. We are giving her two weeks on the low carb diet to see if we can get her in remission. I will take her for a BG curve at the end of two weeks and then the Dr. will reevaluate her needs then. I am feeling a lot better about the diabetes. This group is so fabulous.

 

Have you started testing yet to see how the diet change is affecting Vader? You can set up a spreadsheet to record those numbers and have the data in an easy to read format. Then, if you do start the insulin, you are all set up to record those pre-shot BGs and the other measurements to track the effect of the insulin. Here's a link to the spreadsheet information:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/suggestions-tech-support-testing-area.6/
Idjit responded to the diet change and a very short period of insulin support before remission (Off The Juice) I hope this will be your outcome also. If it does work, (the lowering of the BG numbers) please keep in touch with the members in the Lantus/Levemir forum for the proper way to reduce the insulin dosage gradually, and get to the OTJ trial period. We bumbled our way through it and I wish I had listened harder to the members here about gradually reducing, and less to other advice.