just told my cat has diabetes

I just took my cat to the vet over the Christmas weekend. It was not my regular vet because mine was closed. She had a UTI and I was told that she also has diabetes. He did not want to start
treatment over the weekend when they were going to close and they also had to order the medicine. I have been reading a lot about feline diabetes and Im trying to find a good canned cat food to feed her. I understand now not to feed dry food. The vet gave me Purina DM dry and I also asked for a case of it wet because she dont like dry. I have read that it is not really a good choice. I gave away the DM dry and have only been feeding her the wet Purina DM. Every brand I read about is unavailable from the pet stores. Ive been feeding her the Purina DM and also Wellness however I could not get Wellness Core and I also bought a few cans of EVO 95% but the fat content is to high to continue to feed it to her on a regular basis. She is also ver overwight. I am hoping that with a better diet she may not need shots everyday and since treatment for the diabetes has not started yet Ive been playing around with the types of food Ive been feeding her. And advice would be sooo apreciated. Ive been freaking out all week!

 

You don't need to shop at the pet stores. You can get great low carb canned food at the grocery store. For starters look at any flavor of fancy feast "classics" and friskees pates.
Carl

 

Some of the best advice I ever got about feline diabetes was to breathe! It is a treatable disease and can be managed at home.

Lots of us feed Friskies and Fancy Feast. Here is the food chart we use: http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html We feed wet lo carb under 10% carbs.

Lots of cats won't eat the DM wet. It is liver based and they seem to get tired of the taste. You can take it back to the vet and say your cat won't eat it. Purina will refund the money to him.

 

Welcome!!!

It can be very overwhelming in the beginning but you are in a great place to get help and have questions answered.
Lots of cats will lose weight by just switching to any pate style canned food since it is so much lower in carbs...
Do you have a Petco near you? If so Merricks Cowboy Cookout is a favorite of alot of people cause it has low carb but also a higher protein - 52% protein, 42% fat and 5% carbs. A bunch of the merricks have low carbs and higher protein. I'm sure it's available other places but that is where I get it.

Are you home testing blood sugar? If no, we would suggest you start so you can keep track of your kitty's blood sugar without bringing him to the vet. Now would be the perfect time to start since kitty isn't on insulin yet and you can see how the different foods can affect the bg.

btw - what is kittys name??

This board is a great place with lots of wonderful people with lots a great advice
Good Luck!!
Sharon

 

Hi and welcome.

What did your kitty eat prior the diagnosis? Did the vet say what the blood sugar was or just that your kitty was spilling sugar in their urine? Is there anything else going on? Are the teeth okay? Any infections other than the UTI? Did the vet start antibiotics or any pain meds for the UTI?

 

As far as your kitty being overweight - when I switched all of my cats over to canned low carb food, the 2 'fat' cats each lost 2 pounds in 4 months. Wet food is less calorie dense for the volume, so it helps them lose weight without really noticing.

Another tip is to make the canned food a bit soupy by adding some warm water (warm makes it smell more).

Um .. since you cat is not immediately in danger of death, would you please edit your first post to remove th 911 icon? We like to use that for immediately life-threatening issues.

 

i won't add more advice because switching the food first, then learning to hometest so you can see what's actually going on are your best 2 first steps.

we can teach you to hometest. it's as easy as brushing your teeth once you get past the learning stage.

and welcome!

 

We buy our kitty "special kitty" from wal mart .. she just loves the turkey and giblet flavor .. We buy individual cans, 5.5oz each for I believe .43 ... They are either 3 or 4% in carbs, which is just right for mocha.

 

I feed all of my cats including the diabetics either Friskies or Walmart's Special Kitty canned foods. Try to look for the pate flavors - they usually have the less carbs. You do not need to feed your cat prescription food. Most of them do not like it anyway. If your cat does not eat it, take it back to the vet. They will give you a refund for anything you return including if it is opened.

 

Poopy and I welcome you to the best place you could be for you and your kitty! cat_pet_icon The folks here are not only friendly but very knowledgeable. They live with this every day. :smile:

Poopy and I are still new to this as Poopy was diagnosed 12/17, so I can totally relate to you feeling overwhelmed! It does get better. :smile: Why vets are convinced prescription food is better than a lot of the store shelf brands is beyond me, especially when you compare the protein/fat/carbs. The list shared with you in an earlier post gives tons of options for low carb, and dare I say much less costly, foods for kitty. While I see many feed their cats Fancy Feast and Friskies, I am on an extremely tight budget so we use Special Kitty, the ones under 10 carbs. The cats were already used to it as I would give them some as treats. Now, getting the non-diabetic cat to switch from 24/7 available dry to only two meals a day of wet was a bit interesting. But it only took a couple of days before she starting eating with gusto. :smile:

While Poopy and I are still in the hit and miss stage of home testing, I see the value in getting that process set in place. Poopy is even getting used to it...albeit grudgingly. bcatrun_gif

Good luck to you and your kitty, and keep us posted. :smile:

 

Thanks to everyone that has replied. I have learned so much from each one of you. I will attempt to edit my post and remove the "911" as I did not know that means a matter relating to death. So sorry!! I am lucky that whatever her numbers were they were not high enough to warrant a stay at the kitty hospital. If the vet told me what they were Im afraid I was so dazed that they did not register and I must admit I did not understand what I was being told. My cat (Chicken Little) is going back to the vet tomorrow for a follow up visit and I will be asking him tons of questions. I am also going to return the DM when I go as I did not know I could do that. Thanks for letting me know that. I really appreciate everyone giving me all the imput! I will post again as soon as we return from the vet. Thanks again!

 

Hi Terri,
First, welcome, sorry you have to be here but it is the best place you can be to help you baby.

The numbers do make a diference in how you can approach this.
Did they do a Fructosamine test? That is the number that is more important than the BG they got in the office. THAT number can be raised because of the stress of the vet visit. The Fructosamine shows the average over the last couple of weeks and is more important. It made the difference for me and my cat. At first, with the office BG, she wanted to start her on insulin, but I came here and learned, and asked for the fruct - and that came back borderlne. We switched her food from all dry to all wet, from Janet an Binky's list, the lowest carbs. I hometested her and in two weeks she no longer was having diabetic numbers, and we never had to start insulin.
It is possible to control this with a diet change if the numbers aren't too high. I hope you are one of the lucky ones too.

 

I will ask about that test when I go back to the vet again. I do not go back this time for another week. They have not shown me how to home test yet. I did change the food to nothing but wet. I used ALL the info I read on Catinfo.org before I purchased food. I came home with Purina DM from the vet but that was before I saw the Binkey Chart. I purchased Wellness and Merrick and also have been using the raw diet as well. On Saturday when I took her in her reading was
315 down 70 points from the week before when the reading was 385. However 3 days later when I took her in (on Wed) her reading was back up to 380. I had just fed her at 2 pm and he was reading her at 3 pm. The vet said that he wanted me to bring her back on a empty stomache - no food for 12 hours and read her again. He said that if her reading was not in the 200's on an empty stomache then I would have to give her shots. I guess eating a meal has something to do with the results of the test?

 

I'm not too experienced with this as Scooter was just recently diagnosed, but this is what I've gathered, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong -

Most vets are actually not keen on home testing, so you'll be lucky if they show you how to do it. There are lots of great demo videos on Youtube if you search though. It seems tough and it can be stressful for the first few times, but it gets better. Low carb treats after testing will make them come running to find you for poke time Scooter used to howl and try to run away and I'd have to wrap him in a towel to keep him still, but now he lays quietly on my lap and waits for treats when we're done. Maybe Newbie Kits can send you a testing kit so you can start at home :smile:

And - yes, food (even low carb) can influence BG readings, that's why it's recommended you don't feed for a few hours before you do your preshot tests, because you want to know true numbers before you give/decide on an insulin dose. Most tests at the vet are inaccurate anyways, stress can push a cat's BG up by over 100 points, and that can lead to your vet overdosing your kitty on insulin.

I think 12 hours is too much, though. Unregulated Diabetic cats are HUNGRY because they are already starving to death on the inside :cry:

 

I agree with Ry. Tests at home will accurately reflect where the blood glucose levels are. If they are inflated 100 points or more, it is possible that the numbers are much more near the normal range at home. And not feeding for 12 hours is cruel and unnecessary. We estimate that 2 hours after feeding is enough time to get an accurate measure.

I think at some point, you'll need to decide if you want to manage this disease at home. You can, of course, consult your vet for dose changes, but hauling your kitty back and forth to the vet for tests is expensive, stressful and unnecessary. We can teach you how to home test; you can get the equipment today and have a number by tonight. We would love to help you help your kitty.

 

I would never let either of my diabetic cats go for 12 hours w/out eating, or any of my other cats for that matter. A food spike in a diabetic usually shows in the BG #s for 2-3 hours, after that it starts to clear and if you do BG tests at say +1 & +2 that will probably show a food spike, but a +4, +5 or +6 will be what we like to call a "true #". That's a BG not affected by food.

Your first post says the vet had to "order the medicine." Are you talking about insulin? Depending on the cost, it may be a lot more expensive to get it from the vet than to just get a prescription and get it from any pharmacy. Also ask for a scrip for the pens, not a vial. Using the pens is much much cheaper than using a vial, and the pens last a lot longer.

Hopefully you won't have to use insulin and the diet change will do the trick. Tinkerbell and Tawny mostly eat Friskies Pate, they love the Turkey & Giblets (make sure you get the pate and not the one w/the gravy) and since Tawny has been sick she has also been getting Wellness Chicken, but she prefers the Friskies.

Also if you do have to start insulin, make sure you home test. In my experience it is true that most vets do not want you to home test, however ignore them and do it anyway. There is one vet here that after 3 years finally came around to my way of thinking and the last time I took Tinkerbell in along with a recent log of her BG's said, "I love that you are doing this!"

Remember to get some HC and Karo so you have a hypo kit on hand too just in case.

 

If the insulin is PZI or ProZinc, then the vet would have to supply it or a prescription to buy it from an online pet pharmacy :smile: You can't buy animal insulins at the Human pharmacy.

Lantus and Levemir are two Human insulins that work great for cats. Ask your vet about these if you haven't already.

 

I have to agree that taking her to the vet is stressful for her. She now runs everytime she sees the crate and I have to chase her down. I keep trying to trick her but she is one smart cookie. Or maybe she feels my "sad to take you in again" vibes. Its just as stressful for me as well because I feel so bad for her and I HATE making her do anything that she dont want to do. She sometimes pees as soon as I catch her and then she turns into terrified dead weight. I thought that she may be getting used to it because the last 2 times I caught her she did not pee.
I was going to have a hard time not feeding her. Like some of you said - she is always hungry. I would like to learn to do this at home. Im scared however I know that I can learn to do this. I will learn to do anything if it means my Chicken Little is happy and healthy.
I dont understand what the vet keeps talking about. He said that this stuff that he is trying to get is something new that he said has good results. He said that you did not have to use as much and it was safe and would also cost me less.
He said that it is hard to get for some reason. He said he learned about it at a confrence that he went to.
I dont go back until next Saturday. I will get the name of the stuff he is talking about and do some research on the stuff. I want to know every detail about something before I give it to my kitty. SInce my appointment is at 7 am I should be able to feed her at 4 am and get a true reading dont you think?

 

Scooter's like that with the vet too. You're not alone. When we packed him up in the crate to take him home from the vet, he unleashed the flood and got it all over himself, the vet assistant, the table, and the floor. I felt sooo bad for him, and even worse that I was the one putting him through that, but we do what needs to be done.

Talk to your vet about the fasting issue... you shouldn't be forced to do anything that you're uncomfortable with or that might harm your cat, especially without proper explanation. I can't see why she would need to go more than 3 or 4 hours without food before a test. If my vet told me to fast Scooter for 12 hours, my response would be something like "Sure, but only if you stay home with him - we'll see how long you can listen to him cry and howl and scratch at the carpet because he is unregulated and literally STARVING before you break down". Fortunately I think my vet knows better ;-)

Sounds like he's talking about an insulin, probably Lantus, but it could be another like Levemir or PZI. Lantus can be hard to get in the USA, I think lots of people buy it from Canada because it's sold OTC and much cheaper up here.

 

so just to be clear - you're not giving any insulin injections yet, is that right?

sounds like your cat is very timid, and a stressed out cat will not reflect accurate numbers at the vet's. you can request a newbie kit that includes a meter, some strips, a toy, a rice sock and i'm not sure what else. there's a post at the top of the page.

what numbers you see with a change to low-carb canned food and without the stress at the vet's may be entirely different. numbers also change throughout the day and are highest in the first 2 hours after a cat eats. so skipping food for at least 2 hours would be best before you test, but 12 hours is unnecessary. you might ask your vet directly how many diabetic cats he/she has worked with and what insulins he/she has had best success with. ProZinc, PZI, Lantus (glargine), Levemir (detemir) - those have been the subject of studies that rank them the best for cats. If you hear a different one, write it down and let the vet know you want to study it before you buy it. then let us know and we can give you feedback.

I would strongly encourage you to let us teach you how to hometest. if you want to wait for the newbie kit to be mailed, that's fine, but request it now so you can get blood sugar numbers before you have your kitter at the vet's next saturday. if you want to just do it, pick up a meter and strips and we will help you learn. it truly isn't bad, cats get used to it, and most importantly, it keeps them safe. if this were your child, and you were giving insulin shots, you would do it because you would be convinced it was critical for his/her safety.

if you're not giving shots, testing isn't a safety issue. but it will give you clear information so you KNOW what's going on, rather than trying to guess.

if you decide to pick up a meter, avoid any with the word "true" in the name - they have been rated by consumer reports as less reliable. the cheapest of the generally-considered-reliable ones is the Walmart Relion Confirm. you can get a meter and some strips for about $10. if you end up needing more strips, they can be ordered online for about 1/2 the cost of getting them in the store.

good luck! cats are notoriously difficult to regulate diabetes in, but we're here to help you in whatever direction you go.

 

No Julie & Punkin I am not giving any shots yet. I am going to order the newbie kit today. I will let you know when I receive it so that I can get further directions.
Thanks a bunch to all and have a great day!
:smile:

 

BTW Just in case you aren't fond of WalMart, the WalMart Relion is a branded version of the Glucocard 01, which may be purchased online at American Diabetes Wholesale, and the test strips, if you can buy them in bulk, are cheaper than WalMart.

 

i didn't know that, BJ - thanks!

here's a study that you may want to print out and give your vet, or email in, regarding choices in what kind of insulin to use in cats.

 

I received my newbie kit yesterday. I have a friend at work who has diabetes and he showed me how the meter works. I tested myself and another co-worker let me test her. It was a lot easier to do than I ever expected. I watched 2 videos of cats being tested and I understand how to do it now. The 2 cats in the video were willing to be tested and did not try to run away. My cat is not going to be so doctile. Now all I have to do is work up the courage to it. Any tips? Wish me luck! :shock:

 

Neosporin ointment with pain relief cuts down on the annoyance to the cat and helps the blood bead up so you can collect it.

Apply a small dab a few minutes ahead of testing.
Wipe off.
Test.
Apply direct pressure after testing to prevent bruising.
Treat with a low carb treat.

 

Bandit fought me tooth and nail the first few weeks, so I would put him in a basket and wrap him in a blanket while we tested. After getting a treat after each test, he soon learned tests=treats and became like those kitties in the videos. If you had told me the first week we tested that he was going to run to me when he hears the meter turn on, jump in his basket and start purring, I would have told you were crazy, but that's what happened.

One more thing--make sure you use a larger gauge lancet, like a 26-28g, and not the 30-33g lancets. While it seems like the thinner lancets would be better because they would hurt less, they actually make things worse. It's not pain from the ear pokes the cat hates in the beginning--it's being restrained while you do this new scary thing. So the quicker you can do it, the better, and the larger lancets make it more likely you'll only have to poke once instead of trying a whole bunch of times to get a drop of blood big enough to test.

 

Testing

I will have to get some Neosporin ointment with pain relief before I give it a try. I will also have to check the size of the lancets that came with the kit. Thanks for telling me about that because you are right - I dont want to have to stick her a
whole bunch of times! I just want to do it once and be done. I know that the faster I can do it and as pain free as possible that I can make it will be better on her and on me. I will also have to find some low carb treats for her. She loves cat treats and has not had any since we went to low carb diet. I have been researching them and all the brands recommended I cant find. I just know that if I have treats she will handle it a whole lot better. I am not going to try and test until I can get everything else that I need now. Thanks for the tips! Keep em comming!! :shock:

 

Terri, what city and state do you live in? Any chain pet store like PetSmart or PetCo will have low carb treats. Also, most medium-large sized towns have an independently owned pet food or farm supply store as well that usually carries them.

If you absolutely can't find anyplace that has them, you can give some boiled or grilled chicken or turkey instead. A spoonful of the Fancy Feast appetizers are also good to use as a treat--cats absolutely LOVE them and they're diabetic safe. They're a little pricy though.

 

A few things that really helped me:

Breathe
Shine a flashlight up through his ears to see the veins (when he'd hold his head still instead of following the light on the ceiling)
Warm the ear (a sock with rice warmed in the micro or a pill bottle with warm water)
Breathe
Hold his ear firmly against a folded paper towel or other product to give the ear firmness so it wouldn't ""bend" away from the needle
Scoop the droplet of blood up on the back of my nail to test from there
Breathe
Oh! And to breathe! :smile:

Low carb treats? I found mine in the dog treat aisle. Go figure. Freeze dried chicken = 0 carbs. :mrgreen:

 

i boil a couple of chicken breasts for punkin and make the rest of the package for us. chop up punkin's into small pieces (like 1/2" cubes) keep maybe 1/4 cup in the fridge and freeze the rest. bring out enough for 2-3 days at a time. a treat is a very small amount - 1 or 2 cubes.

i had to burrito punkin for 2 weeks, then he gave up fighting me. everyone told me about their cats coming to be tested - while i was pulling punkin out from under the sofa by his arm, hoping i wouldn't dislocate it! there was no way he would ever be one of those cats!

now he comes and asks to be tested because he wants the food and the treats. he yowls until we come to the test spot, where he wants us to be, then he starts purring. truly.

i slather the neosporin ointment with pain relief on at the end of every day and by morning he's good to go again. i don't think it is as bad as we imagine it to be, or i know punkin wouldn't ask for it.

if you end up needing to burrito - and i actually thought it reduced his stress once he realized he couldn't get away from me - i took a beach towel across his back, pulled it tight across his front legs so he couldn't worm his way out of the towel, then had him wrapped up tight. he was like a little U in that towel and while i was learning it was easier to have him still. it sounds kinda mean, but i don't think it was. he relaxed and let us do what we needed to do.

what kind of insulin are you going to be using?

let us know how else we can help you.

 

Need help

Im back!. After a many more visits to the vet I now have insulin!! The vet showed me how to give her the injection in his office yesterday. He thought it was a great idea that I do my own home testing. Well this morning I tried to home test for the first time. I wanted to see her number before I gave her a injection. It was a mess!! Needless to say it was like fighting a tiger. 30 minutes and a few scratches later it was a failure. It was not a positive experience for her thats for sure!! I followed directions to a T. Heated the sock, warmed the ear, applied Neo with pain killer, held a tissue behind the ear, the only thing that never happened was blood!! After 30 minutes and 5 pokes I finally gave up! I looked for a vein with a flashlight and I could even feel a vein with my finger (i think) I moved up and down the ear and then moved back towards the head some and no where I poked could I get any blood. I have no choice but to giver her a injection without a reading. I have to give it at 5 am and I dont leave for work until 6:30 so I have plenty of time to watch her after the injection. At least the first attempt is over and she seems fine now. Any advise please? :shock:

 

I did it! I did it!! The shot was a breeze!!! nailbite_smile

 

I am told you could wrap the cat in a blanket so she can't scratch? So far I haven't had to wrap mine. See the description from Julie (&Bandit) above. But your description of your first attempt is a really good description of my first few tries. I decided my cat was a miracle, bloodless.

Now I get blood, usually first time, but not always.
I needed to take the top off the lancet and just use the needle , that was a major improvement.
Second, Akbah started to pull / flick his ear just as I go for the jab, which means he pulls his ear off the needle, so no wonder it bleeds. It doesn't bleed a torrent, but enough to get a drop or two. This is by no means a recommendation nor even something you can try to duplicate.
Persevere?
I'm thinking that the comment from Julie about using a bigger lancet might be in order? "like a 26-28g, and not the 30-33g lancets." It sounds like it could work.

 

Oh my, does this bring back memories! And not that far off, either! LOL

Getting blood from Poopy was a trial, at first. Try to keep in mind that each poke you do is helping. Each poke is encouraging the ear to develop more capillaries, which means more blood for future pokes.

Treats after pokeys, even if no blood, for both kitty and momma bean.

Burrito kitty, if need be, to hold him still (I only needed to burrito Poopy for a few days before he'd quit squirming).

Most of the time I get blood with one poke. Sometimes I still have to do two pokes. It does get easier.

 

I thought I was using 26-28 size because thats whats on the package that came with the newbie kits however I think that there are two sizes because there are two diffrent colors in the bag. I dont know what kind of insluin I am using because its not written on the package. The vets office gave me the insluin already loaded in the needles and gave me just enough to last me until Saturday morning. He wants me to bring her back in on Saturday and see how things are going. He said that if all was well he would teach me how to load the needles myself and send me home with the whole bottle. I know that Im injecting a small amount. Only 2 ccs - I think thats what he said. I gave the injection at 5 am and I left for work at 6:30 and she was sleeping in her bed. She looked happy and content. I really wanted to stay home and watch her all day however there is no way I could. I have no one to call to replace me. (I answer the telephone) Its a really big deal for me to be off!! I do get off at 2 p.m. and cant wait to beat a path home to check on her!! nailbite_smile

 

Back home again. Chicken Little was perky when I came in the door. After I fed her she went and got back in her bed. I cant tell how she feels but I know that she was not as hungry as she usually is and the amount of pee she had today is the same as my other fur baby who is in excellent health. Im going to attempt to test again at 4:30 because her injection is due at 5 pm. I need someone to tell me what that dial is on the pen? I was told that most cats take it with the dial on 3 and then today I watched a video on a home test and the girl in the video said that her cat took it on 5. Well mine only goes to 4. Please Advise :?:

 

Hi Terri!

Start using it at the deepest setting, probably that 4. After her ears learn to bleed, you can back it off each time until you find the right setting to use. I still have to use the next to deepest setting for KT.

You got it goin' girl! Keep it up!

HUGS,

 

Thanks for the info. I'll put it on 4 before I try again. Ive watched a lot of videos today so Im ready to give it another go!! Thanks a bunch!!

 

Ok Chicken woke up and wanted to eat again so I thought Id just use that to my advantage and get the testing over with. So I got my stuff all ready and showed her the Fancy Feast appitizer Ive been using for treats. She did really well for a while. I poked her 3 times this time and they were all in the area of the "sweet spot" and still no blood! At least this time she did not try and run right away. For a while she was completely still and I could use both hands for ear warming, massageing the ear, neo ect. She did not try to get away until she heard my husband comming down the hall. From now on Ill test when he is not around or send him away. I have to give another shot at 5 without a reading again. I hate that!! How many times without blood is normal? Can I take blood somewhere else? My vet had a hard time getting it with a needle from her paw. Took them three times to get it. They said that she had old lady veins. Thoughts please nailbite_smile

 

I just had a whole series of attempts where it took 3-6 goes to get a drop of blood. Very confusing. How did you go lately with getting blood?
I have another set of tests to do today starting 11:30. We need a "praying for blood" emoticon. Strangely.

 

Terri,
You can try what Nat suggested - toss the device and just try using only the lancet part. The first time I tested Bob, I looked at that device and thought "no way I can see where I'm trying to aim", so I trashed it. I used just the lancet every test since then. I had trouble getting blood with the 33g lancets that came with my meter, so I used 26g, then the next box I bought 30g and by that time I was "skilled" enough to make those work. When I ran out of those, I went back to the original 33g and had no problems. The more you do it, the easier it is to get blood. You get better, and the ears "learn to bleed". Very frustrating at first though.

Just to reassure you though - Because Bob is in remission, I don't test too often any more. Last week I tested him for the first time in 2 or 3 weeks. Got out the lancet and meter (he still looks forward to the tests and treats), and using the 33g lancet, it took me 4 pokes to get blood! Way out of practice. He didn't really care, just patiently waited for his shrimp when I was done being incompetent! It was worth it to see that "50" on the meter though.

Also, have you tried both ears? Bob bled much better in the left ear than in the right for some reason. I think it is fairly common that one ear tends to bleed best.

Very odd that the vet just drew up the syringes and sent you home with them. Don't think I've read that before. It would be nice to know what type of insulin it is, because they all work a bit differently. Can you call and ask them?

Carl

 

really important to know what kind of insulin it is - they behave differently. if it's lantus (same thing as glargine) it begins to degrade very quickly after being put into syringes. i don't recall what the stat is, but it starts breaking down within an hour. we discourage people from ever pre-filling syringes with lantus.

fwiw, cats grow more capillaries where you've poked and within a couple of weeks you'll have blood every single poke. in the meantime, you just do the best you can and don't give up! someone suggested to me the "3 pokes you're out" idea - try 3 times and if you can't get any blood, give a treat and take a break. come back again later.

i burritoed punkin - wrapped tightly in a beach towel so he couldn't fight me. he relaxed, i relaxed, and after a couple of weeks didn't have to do it anymore. hang in there!

 

you know, i'm betting your insulin is not lantus or levemir because those are human insulins and i don't think you can get them from a vet.

 

Success and Failure!!!!

I cant belive it!! This morning BLOOD!! And I was able to get it twice! I'm still in shock and awe!!! Funny about what can make you happy. I still did not get a reading because I was using my meter wrong. Every demo I watched on testing the strip was only stuck in halfway until they got blood then they pushed it in for the reading. Well my meter dont work that way!!! I have to push the strip in the meter, get a verification of F4 wait for the blood icon and then put the blood on the strip and I only have 20 seconds after the blood icon shows to put the blood on the strip. Anyway Im one step closer to doing this thing!!! All I know about the insluin is that is is a new method that me vet heard about at a vet seminar that my vet went to. He said that you use less and it cost less and it had a much better success rate. I only have two injections left - one for tonight and one for tomorrow morning and I take her back tomorrow and he is sending the whole bottle home with me and showing me how to do the syringes myself. Ill let you know what it is tomorrow Have a great day! :RAHCAT

 

Woohoo! Welcome to the vampire club!

A trick I do is to scoop the blood up on the back of my nail, then I put the strip in the meter and test from the droplet on my nail. No more ear flicking, head jerking, meter timing out, or any of that stuff! Sometimes Poopy scoots off right after I'm done holding his ear (where I poked), sometimes he stays until I'm done telling him the results. Depends on how hungry he is! LOL

And if the droplet is large enough, and I get a weird reading, I can do it again without more pokes. Poopy likes that.

You'll get a routine down that works for you. :smile:

 

Sucess!

I finally got my first reading yesterday at approx 4:30. I fed Chicken at about 2:30 and at 4:30 her reading was 392 so at 4:50 I gave her her injection. I gave her some cooked chicken after the testing and also at the same time I gave her the injection. She was a little more stressed than before for some reason. For the rest of the night she kept running and hiding from me however this morining all was forgotton! I fed her at 3:30 am and Im going to test her at about 4:30 am and then shot at 5 am. I have to take her back to the vet at 9 am and I am going to take my meter with me so that I can test with the vet and see how our readings compare. Here is my schudle for Chicken from now on. Tell me what you think.
Feed every morning at 3-4 am testing at 4:30 am and then injection at 5 am. Feed again at 2 - 2:30 pm testing at 4:30 pm and then injection at 5 pm. Also, healthy treats or food with testing and injections? Im trying to figure at a good schedule that works for her and I can still get to work M-F and take care of the other 2 fur babies I have (another cat (george) and a dog (pomaraian named Little Dog) Gone are the days when I could just throw down some dry food and water and take off!! LOL!! Does that schedule sound good? Enough time between feeding, testing and shots? I'll be back later this afternoon with info about the insluin Im using. Thanks much and have a great day!

 

Re: Sucess!

Fantastic!

 

Hi Terri,

I'm a newbie myself, so I'm not too knowledgeable yet, but from what I understand, diabetic cats are similar to human diabetics in that it's best for them to eat several small meals a day. 10 hours seems an awfully long time for kitty to go without food. I've read, too, however, that it depends on what kind of insulin you're using. Hopefully an experienced bean will chime in.
I have to leave my house for 10 hours a day, too. I bought an automated pet feeder. It was around $25 and has two compartments with a timer, so I set out food for two snacks while I'm gone. I put the canned food I'm going to use in the fridge the night before and put it in the feeder when I leave in the morning so it's at room temperature when the compartments open.

 

It usually takes a few hours for food to not effect BG numbers. Normally we test, then feed, then shoot. Testing 1-2 hours after feeding will give you BGs food related.

If kitty must be fed, and it's too early for the shot, go ahead and test before feeding, then give the shot when it's due an hour or two later. :smile:

 

I wish I could use a feeder however with the doggie in the house its impossible!! He will eat the food and if I dont supervise he will take the food away from both the kittys. Its a little tough with 2 kittys and the dog. He stays inside with the kittys and he tries to be boss!! Im working on everyone around here but they sure dont like a change to their routine!! Im watching a lot of the Dog Whisperer and trying to make him a better dog and not so spoiled! He was the king of the castle until Chicken got sick, He dont even like me touching the cats!! Ill be home soon with the insluin and will let you know the name and I'll have to rethink my program and work something else out with it!! Thanks ever so much! :idea:

 

I wish I could use a feeder however with the doggie in the house its impossible!! He will eat the food and if I dont supervise he will take the food away from both the kittys. Its a little tough with 2 kittys and the dog. He stays inside with the kittys and he tries to be boss!! Im working on everyone around here but they sure dont like a change to their routine!! Im watching a lot of the Dog Whisperer and trying to make him a better dog and not so spoiled! He was the king of the castle until Chicken got sick, He dont even like me touching the cats!! Ill be home soon with the insluin and will let you know the name and I'll have to rethink my program and work something else out with it!! Thanks ever so much! :idea:

 

I wish I could use a feeder however with the doggie in the house its impossible!! He will eat the food and if I dont supervise he will take the food away from both the kittys. Its a little tough with 2 kittys and the dog. He stays inside with the kittys and he tries to be boss!! Im working on everyone around here but they sure dont like a change to their routine!! Im watching a lot of the Dog Whisperer and trying to make him a better dog and not so spoiled! He was the king of the castle until Chicken got sick, He dont even like me touching the cats!! Ill be home soon with the insluin and will let you know the name and I'll have to rethink my program and work something else out with it!! Thanks ever so much! :idea:

 

I have the same problem with my dogs, wanting to eat the cats' food. I made a special spot, just for the kitties. The cats know the counters and table are no-no's, so I cleared off the main shelf of the bakers rack. With the help of a nearby chair, both kitties can reach it easily, but the dogs don't stand a chance! Woot! Problem solved.

I'm also thinking of going with a timed feeder, to better control not just when Poopy eats, but to also be sure the BGs aren't food related. Just not sure if he will be a pig and not share with his playmate. Grrr.

 

Im back home from the vet and the insluin I have is ProZinc. If I test first can I feed immediatley after the test? Then how long will I have to wait to shoot? I have only about 3-4 hours in the am before I leave for work. Her shots are due at 5 am and 5 pm so what will be the best game plan for that window of opportunity? Please Advise
Thanks
Terri
:?:

 

Here's the rule of thumb that was shared with me.

Test - if 200 or over...
Feed
Shoot
(I can get it all done within 10 minutes since I know Poopy will eat a good amount) If Chicken Little is a slow eater, you can postpone shot until you think he's eaten enough to sustain the insulin. :smile:

If test is under 200...post on board for advice.

Easy peasy

And welcome to ProZinc! Be sure to post over in PZI sometime. We're a relatively small group but friendly.

 

Feel kind of dumb but I really want to get this right. If Im understanding right since her injections are at 5 at about a quarter to 5 I would test then feed and then shoot at 5? Both Am & PM? I dont know why I was thinking that I have to space everthing out like I was! Also at about what time would be good to give a small snack or small meal. I know that 12 hours apart is to long to go without food. Also Teresa what is the web address to join PZI? I would like to become a member.
Thanks so much Teresa & P you two have been such a help through all of this and I have felt like I've had you with me every step of the way! :dizcat ! I could not have made it this far without you!

 

Sorry if I missed your 5:00. :sad:

Yes, test, and if it looks good (200 or over) you can feed immediately and prepare the shot to do it while CL is eating. If I didn't add water to the food (Poopy likes the "gravy" it makes - silly cat), or have to prepare the shot, I could get it all done in 5 minutes or under! LOL

 

Here's the link to PZI. It's a group here, under the insulin support groups.

viewforum.php?f=24

 

Terri,
You can feed small meals or snacks between shots. The only time you really don't want her to eat is during the two hours just before her AMPS and PMPS tests. I used to stop by the house about 5 or 6 hours after Bob's morning meal and give him 1/2 can of FF classics. He got a whole can for breakfast and supper. Then just before I went to bed I'd give him another half can or a little less to hold him over till the morning.

Carl

 

Last night went good. She was hungry so I scooped her up at 4:20 and tested she was 455 then I fed her and by 5 she was in her bed so the shot was a breeze.
This AM was awful!! I set the alarm for 4 and got up and tested her. No blood today for some reason! After 4 pokes I went ahead and fed her. By that time she was running from me. After she finished eating she went and hid in a closet so at 5
I had to drag her out for her shot. Ive been trying to rotate the shots however she is so boney that the scruff of the neck has been the easiest. Well I was going to try on the side of her like I saw in a video. Well I must have done something
wrong because she could feel it and she jumped and turned around and hissed at me! When she jumped the needle came out and and I quickly pulled up the scruff of the neck and shot her and then took her back to the closet and let her go back in.
She does nothing now but run from me every time I come near. She has never been a cat who want to be touched or picked up and Ive never made her. She is 12 years old and has never even sat in my lap or rubbed on my legs! She has never wanted anything except to be left alone. I know this is hard on her and it makes me feel like crap!! Just wanted to vent~ grumpy_cat

 

CL not doing good today. She started peeing big again yesterday and is doing the same thing today. Found a pee outside the litter box this morning also found a upchucked blade of grass that I know is hers.
Cant be positive about the pee since I have two cats but my gut tells me it is hers. Today she is drinking a lot of water. I'll just bet that the UTI is back again. She is sleeping in odd places instead of her bed. Cant do anything about it with today being Sunday. On a positive note so far there is no sign of blood in the pee. If she is not better by tomorrow I'll take her to see the vet yet again! :sad:

 

Can you check for ketones? Thinking her peeing outside the box is a perfect opportunity.

Just trying to look at a bright side. ;-)

Keep up the good work on the home testing front! Remember, even "failures" are successes as each poke counts in helping make more capillaries. :smile:

 

Wanted to add about setting up a spreadsheet for Chicken Little. Here's the link to do so. :smile:

It will not only help you keep everything in one place, it helps those wanting to help you be able to peek at what is going on.

 

I dont have the test strips to do that however I just placed a order for supplies and I added that to the things that I ordered. I could not get lancets in 26-28 either and had to get size 30. I only ordered a box of 100 is case those wont work.
Very aggravating!!Thanks and have a great day!

 

Happy to be here

It took a while but I'm back! Nearly struck by the tornato that hit Center Point Alabama. Was without power for days and without Internet even longer however Im alive and still have a roof over my head and that is saying a lot!! So many people without homes and so many animals lost and found. Poor old Chicken Little who has already been through so much had a very hard few days and nights. The tornado hit at about 3 am on Monday morning and I at least had enough time to load the two cats into their carriers and get Chickens medication into the basement. I came back for the dog and woke up the hubby and told him to get into the basement. We just made it into the basemant when it hit. All I could hear was 2 howling cats and a barking dog!! The next few days without power were hard however we did manage to get a generator and I was able to keep the diabetes medicine cold and did not loose anything in the fridge. I was able to contine to do the home test and shoot her however I never got the strips for testing for ketones until this weekend. Praise be that the test was negitive!! The cats and dog have seemed to re-coop very well I however am still in shock. Helping many friends and family who lost everything! I also took a load of cat stuff that I was not using over to a vets office that is accepting donations. Its just so sad to see all the folks looking for their beloved pets!! Anyway, Im rambling do I guess I'll close this for now!

 

Sneakers is on Humulin the first month and a half and is now on PZI- but her pee didn't go down until almost the end of the first bottle. Her body was just getting used to the "new stuff". When I switched to PZI her peeing went back up but has gone down again- so there is some time before you can gauge by that I think.

Started with ketone testing myself yesterday. One thing I read is that PZI may give a trace dose- need to get over to the PZI group and check that out (I currently have a thread that has ketone in the title).

I think a good judge is how your cat is doing- perky and active or stationary and hissy. Normal or abnormal? Once you get the testing down- use the lancet by hand- the 5 on my pen didn't even go past the protective cover! You learn as you go. Mine still doesn't like it but she knows it is inevitable and doesn't fight it as much anymore.

I would suggest that once you can reliably get blood to get a day or two of curves and post it on the site so you can information. I only just did that and I should have gotten that done last year when she was diagnosed as her dosage may be high for her. Kick'n my self now for it and I am back to the beginning. It isn't so bad once you both get used to it.

Glad that you were missed by the tornado and your family is safe.

 

Re: Happy to be here

Oh my goodness! I am so glad to hear you and yours are ok!

 

So glad your family and furries are okay. What a frightening experience for everyone.

A number of people have trouble shooting any where except the scruff. IMHO, I don't think it is a big deal. Sometimes if nothing else is moving the numbers, we suggest a change, but in general, I would shoot where you are most likely to get the insulin in, especially at first. We shot Oliver in the scruff for 6 months and he went in remission, so I assume it is an ECID thing.

So now to get some numbers and get your spreadsheet set up. Then you will have a much clearer picture of how the insulin is working and what changes to make, if any.

To get the spreadsheet, sign on to Google, then Google docs. Then search Templates for fdmb spreadsheet. If you need help, just ask. It is a little tricky.

I would also suggest starting a new thread. This one is getting long and will draw fewer responses. Once you have some numbers and a spreadsheet, come on over to PZI and join our friendly group.

 

AOK. Will start new thread and work on spread sheet! Thanks bunches :razz: