New Diabetic kitty, multi cat household

Hiya,

Been reading this site and thought I'd come to the board before I got anymore confused.

Monday I took Dagger to the vet to have his ear checked out. He'd been in a fight and of course we found the injury on Saturday night. Now, we're used to our 10 year old coming home like this. He doesn't get along with his brother Hunter to well, also an indoor outdoor cat. We'd also noticed he had also started not using the litter box. Since we weren't sure if it was due to the change in litter, I asked our vet to do a full senior blood panel on him. Needless to say, it was then that we found out that we had a sugar kitty. The vet also suspected and later confirmed he did have a urinary tract infection. We left Dagger with the vet that night so she could monitor him and get him started on diabetic food. The next day, I dragged hubby to the vet so he could get his lesson, along with me, on how we were to treat Dagger. She sent us home with a can of wet food, a bag of purina diabetic dry catfood and told us she'd called our insuline in to Kroger.

I guess I should introduce the rest of the cast that are being effected by this little change to our life. There's Dagger, our 10 year old sugar kitty. Hunter, Dagger's full sib and on Science Diet U/D. Both of them have been indoor/outdoor cats all their lives. Almost lost him 5 years ago to kidney falure. Dion, huge 5 years old indoor only cat. Then there's the two once feral kittens, Herra and Ghost, we took in that are about 5 months old and are tearing the house apart. All are spayed, free fed kibble kitties.

We'd just adjusted the feeding routine to include kitten food twice a week since the vet told us if we fed the kittens just U/D it would stunt their growth and two days a week of a good quality kitten food wouldn't hurt Hunter. Now, we're trying to adjust a household to accommodate Dagger's new requirements. I've got 5 pissed off cats because they can't eat when they want to. The kittens have now taken to getting on the counters and cleaning out anything that smells like food.

As it stands now, we lock Dagger up in a room give him a 1/4 cup of the purina Diabetic dry 30 minutes before we give him a shot. The store gave us NovoLin N and the vet said to give him 2 units. The other cats we put down a bowl of Iams kitten and a bowl of U/D for Dion, then we have to lock up Hunter to make sure he eats. We leave the food out for the others for 30 minutes then we take it up and give Dagger his shot. Which he takes very well.

I guess I'm afraid we're using the wrong insulin and wrong food. OH and just for laughs, I dropped the first bottle of insulin on the floor and it broke...can we say stress! Dagger is a die hard kibble kitty. He pushed the wet food out of his bowl the first night so he could get to just the kibble. Then I don't want to stunt the kittens growth. I'm confused and overwhelmed. Hubby is trying to help as much as he can. Dagger is being a good sport about it, as long as he doesn't see the kittens. He just can't seem to accept them.

Also, as a side note, we're going to be moving into a new larger home in about 30 days. So, more stress for everyone in the house hold!

Kim/Benton, AR

 

You do have a lot of things going on! Hope we can help you make this sugar dance a little easier.

No, we don't recommend N insulin. It tends to be harsh and short lasting. We prefer milder, longer lasting insulin like Lantus, Levemir or ProZinc.

We feed wet low carb food. This vet's website explains why: www.catinfo.org

Keep reading and ask questions. We would love to help you with Dagger. Let us know how we can help.

 

Hiya,

Thanks, I'm trying to slowly absorb as much as possible.

My vet did tell me that diabetes in cats isn't hereditary. Is that true? Do I need to start watching Hunter for signs?

I don't think we'll have this issue anymore, but just in case. How much food does he need to eat to safely get his shot? He's getting 1/4 cup of Purina DM kibble twice a day. We will start to convert him to a wet food. I'm expecting a huge battle with this. Dagger absolutely HATES wet food.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

Hi and welcome to FDMB.

I have had a multicat household for years and there has always been at least one diabetic cat. Some of these cats I adopted knowing they were diabetic. It is easy to take care of all of them. First, you do not need to feed any type of prescription food for diabetics. Most of it is not great anyway and cats usually become tired of eating it. If you will switch all of your cats over to a canned food diet and remove the dry, it will make your life easier. I have 8 cats, so I know it can be done.

If you have to include dry food during the transition, look for high protein/low carb dry food. Evo kitten chow is a good choice. One trick I used to get my cats to become canned food eaters is to put some of the dry food on top of the canned food and slowly reducing the amount as they begin eating the canned.

 

Some cats end up diabetic because they ate nothing but high carb dry food their entire life. Carbs puts a huge strain on a cat's pancrease. Other cats end up diabetic because of the long term use of a steroid to treat some health issue. Sometimes diabetes shows up as a result of another health coniditon, like Cushing's disease.

There are tips on how to transition your cats to a canned food diet here: http://catinfo.org/docs/Tips for Transitioning PDF 1-14-11.pdf The key is to have lots of patience and to be firm. I think too many people give up the minute their cat refuses canned food and cries pitifully for dry food. It migh take months to get a dry food addict to eat canned food.

 

HIya,

I used to raise exotic parrots and would have to switch birds from an all seed diet to pellets and fresh foods, so I know stubbornness. I suspected it would probably be the same method, just a test of wills. The three youngest shouldn't be an issue with moving to wet food.

Can anyone point me to information on Hunter's condition with a urinary track issue and switching him to a wet food diet or is it even possible. Right now he's on Science diet U/D.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

Here's a vet's take on UT issues and diet:
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=urinarytracthealth

 

Hello Kim- in Benton, AR! I'm over here in NLR, so if you need me to come help show you how to test or anything let me know.

No ideas on the transition as my cat looked at the bowl of kibble, looked at the can and turned her back on the kibble. And currently she doesn't have any problems with her kidneys. She is an acro cat which means she guzzles insulin like Perrier though :lol: .

If you can get your vet to prescribe a better, long lasting insulin- Lantus or Levemir that would be helpful. Send me a PM about either and I might be able to hook you up with a pen instead of a 5 pack- CHEAPER!!!

 

Hiya,

Thanks Susan! I'll be printing out this list of cat foods that website recommeded for both my problem kitties. Here's to a quick and successful change to wet food!

Kim/Benton, AR

 

DON'T change the food until you start testing at home. When we switched Oliver from dry to wet, he came down 100 points overnight. If we hadn't tested him and instead just gave the usual dose, he would have hypoed.

 

Hiya,

Gotcha! Me and Dagger have a vet appointment in a few hours. I'm going to ask to watch how they test his blood sugar level. Then see if I can salvage any of my old diabetic equipment. I admit it, I'm a type 2 diabetic that doesn't check her own sugar levels. I absolutely HATE testing myself. I just can't use the lancets. With that being said, I'm not sure I can do this to Dagger and my husband's even worse about needles.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

Well, daggers levels were higher then when we first got the diagnosis. So he's up to 3 units of insulin until next week. Vet thinks it's still unregulated since we just got him on the correct insulin a day before his visit. We'll know more next week. Vet said that new research in vets is to not home test. It can cause stress in the cat and scar tissue to the point that if they do need to get blood they can't. Not entirely sure how I feel about this. Dagger still has a UI so he got another antibiotic shot. There is NO way I can give this cat oral meds at all and keep my fingers. Otherwise, he's doing great.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

First, WELCOME to our extra sweet family! You've found the best place to help your sweet boy and rest of them too!

HOGWASH!!!!! Just plain HOGWASH!!!

* If my vet needs blood, he'll go to a vein, not in his ear

* KT's so stressed by testing that he sometimes doesn't even wake up...
* He's so stressed by testing that he comes running when his meter beeps or I shake his strip container
* He's so stressed by testing he REMINDS ME when I'm late for AMPS, +3, +6, +9 and PMPS
* He's so stressed by testing he PURRRRRRS thru it all

Yes he has some slight thickening of the tissue but we've been testing for over a year in the same general area of his right ear. His left ear is a turnip. We don't have a problem getting blood thru that thickening tissue tho'..

HUGS!

 

Wow--I would demand to see this "research" from your vet. I guarantee your vet will not provide it to you because it simply doesn't exist! The current American Animal Hospital Association Diabetes Guidelines state on p. 218: "Home monitoring of BG is ideal and strongly encouraged to obtain the most accurate interpretation of glucose relative to clinical signs. Most owners are able to learn to do this with a little encouragement, and interpretation of glucose results is much easier for the clinician."

Here's a link to many, many, many articles that completely contradict what your vet is saying: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2508. I would print these out in addition to the AAHA guidelines to give to your vet and point out the two passages I've quoted.

I've been testing my cat's ear (the same one, too--I always had trouble getting blood out of his right ear) for 3 years now, and there is no scarring or bruising, and blood comes out MORE easily than it did in the beginning (frequent testing creates more capillaries, which means more blood). Some cats might struggle the first week or so, but if you give a treat after every test they learn to tolerate or even like testing, so it's definitely not stressful for the cat! When Bandit hears the glucose meter beep on, he runs to me, lies down, and starts purring like crazy until the test is over.

On the other hand, it has been proven that stress does cause numbers obtained at the vet's office to be inaccurate. See p. 219 of the AAHA guidelines where it states: "In-clinic blood glucose curves (BGCs) are more likely to be affected by stress hyperglycemia than BGCs generated at home. Veterinarians should be cautious of high glucose results and subsequent overzealous increases in dose."

That a cat would be more stressed out from home testing vs. vet testing makes no sense whatsover. What do YOU think will stress your cat more--being kept in a strange office with strange people all day once a month so that he doesn't ever get used to it or learn what's going on, or being at home with his trusted and loved owner testing him in a familiar way daily so that he soon acclimates to it? Cats have less nerve endings in their ears than people do in their fingertips, so it's not the pain that they hate about testing. It doesn't hurt them at all. It's doing something new and unfamiliar with them while they are likely restrained and sensing how nervous and scared their owner is. Once the cat gets used the routine (and treats), they are perfectly fine!

Your vet either simply hasn't done his homework and is fudging reasons that support his opinion, or he is purposely ignoring the research so that his office can make more money on office curves. Either way, if a vet ever outright lied to me about something I would leave that vet and let them know exactly why.

 

Hi Kim,

I'm a newbie here too, but I just wanted to reinforce the importance of home testing. My vet told me to check "periodically" at home, which I was doing, and Benjamin's numbers were looking good on the days and times that I tested. Then a week ago, with Benjamin looking perfectly fine, purring and rubbing against my legs, I had the syringe in hand ready to feed him and then give him his insulin. Something told me to test him, and his BG was 27! I'm pretty sure had I given him that dose I would have killed him. So I'm not trying to scare you, but this cat so far has acted exactly the same whether is BG is high or low. Now, I don't have a history with him since I just started fostering him after he was diagnosed, but he gets tested before every shot and several times in between. Thankfully all these wonderful people on this board have gotten me on the right track. I'm here to tell you the information you will get here is much more accurate and up to date than what you will here from the majority of vets.

Hang in there! This will get easier!

 

There are way too many red flags here.

First of all, infection can raise blood glucose. So here's a cat with an ear injury and a UTI. How did your vet determine the diabetes diagnosis? Did you see any symptoms beforehand? How high was his blood glucose and what did the urine results look like?

Second, you do not raise insulin doses on a random glucose level. Levels will change throughout the day in response to food and insulin. A single check gives you almost no information to work from. Now you have a cat on a high dose of a harsh insulin--who may or may not even be diabetic. This is really poor management of a diabetic cat. Discouraging home testing is not good news either.

Finally, kittens do not need kitten food. I also looked up Hill's U/D because I hadn't heard of it. All I can find is Hill's U/D Canine diet. I even went back to google and typed in Hill's U/D feline and again, all i got was the canine diet. I couldn't even find it on Hill's website. Now if the kittens were just eating dog food, then yes, they would have health issues. They would have cardiac issues (eyesight too?) from a lack of taurine. Please look at the food and make sure it is meant for cats.

This vet scares me. I'm worried for the safety of your cat (all of your cats, really!) if he continues to be treated in this manner.

 

Wait, I missed another red flag: antibiotic shot. That would be Convenia, which is not only not appropriate for urinary tract infections but also has the possibility of severe side effects.

 

Regarding the pills, have you tried pill pockets? Another thing that worked for me because my other cat didn't like pill pockets was molding a small piece of cheese around the pill, and rolling the whole thing in canned tuna or salmon.

 

Have you seen my PM to you? I am close and can help you learn to test.

And I have access to better insulin for a cat than what your vet, in all of his "wisdom" said was good enough to use.

 

Hiya,

Sorry been a while since I've posted, been a little busy.

As a type 2 diabetic, I know I'm supposed to occasionally test my sugar, if not every day, but I'm really needle phobic so I just flat refuse to do it. I don't eve have a working test kit for ME in the house.

As for Dagger, yeah, it just didn't sound correct NOT to test him before injections, but I'm not the expert. Unfortunately, I just found out that the vet I normally use at the office is not coming back due to medical reasons. I'm devastated since he's treated Dagger since he was a kitten and knows him. I have finally befriended him on facebook, but just don't feel right talking to him about how his colleague is treating him, especially if, well, he's got something terminal.

We did go back Tuesday for another test. Ear infection has long been healed. No sign of UT infection this time and his blood sugar was 230. Half of what it was last week which was 450. I originally took Dagger to the vet because of the ear and the fact he was peeing on the bathroom rugs. There was also a lot of shedding and dandruff. I'd told the vet to do a full work up on him since he was 10 and we hadn't done anything like that yet. His blood sugar was up and his white blood cells were also elevated. There may have been something else, but I don't remember it. He was given a shot for the UT which was to last a week, no idea what it was. I'm hoping I've address the questions in the other messages.

AS for U/D, its a science diet food, not Hills.

Yes, I did get your message, and I do appreciate it. I may need your help in learning to take blood from Dagger.

Today, I could tell Dagger wasn't feeling well. I think it was due to Issac starting to come through and he was hurting. Since he's been an indoor/outdoor cat all his life, I'm sure he's got arthritis. He also didn't want to eat, but daddy got him eating. So he got his shot. However, tonight has been better, he actually played for a short moment, which is unusual for him. Play is to undignified for him. His appetite is also back. He's chasing us to the room we put him in to feed him.

Sigh....I hate getting conflicting information and the fact that the vet I really want isn't available. This vet says she's treated diabetic cats before and this is how she treats them. Yes, we do have other vets in our town, but I've been going to this clinic for over 10 years. I have used the other vets in the office and they've never been wrong in treating my animals if the one vet wasn't there.

I may just call another vet Monday and find out how they treat their diabetic cats.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

The 230 at the vet is a low number for a vet number. Do you know how soon it came after the shot? We tell new diabetics not to shoot under 200. We think that cats are stressed at the vet and stress raises glucose levels. So I would start testing your kitty at home asap. It may have been that the UTI was the reason for his initial higher numbers and that his diabetes could be diet controlled. I would get some home numbers to base his dose on and I would find a wet low carb food to feed.

Please take Heather up on the hometesting help. It is so much easier to have someone demonstrate the first time. Does Heather know a vet in your area that is knowledgable about FD?

 

Hiya,

Yeah, Dagger got his shot at 11:30 right after he was done eating and his vet appointment was 4:45. So a little over 5 hours. I would love for his diabetes to be diet controlled. I haven't tried switching him to wet since someone said not to just switch him unless he was regulated. The vet wanted 3 tests in a row to come back low before she'd consider Dagger regulated.

I need to look into getting a test kit. Heather is about 25 minutes away from me....maybe a little more.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

I will send you a PM with my phone number so you can call me.

While Saturday/Sunday is best because I work full time and go to school, with Monday being a holiday I am off and could do something then.

 

There is a link above to request a free testing kit --

 

Hiya,


I got your e-mail Heather! I'm likely to be really busy this weekend too. My mother-in-law is coming back from vacation and she's well....a little needy.

I just read the link on getting a free kit. I can get free meter at my pharmacist so will probably drop by either Kroger, Walgreens or mine tomorrow and pick one up. Though, I don't feel right doing it unless I can see a video or watch someone pull blood. I'll go explore the website some more for this info.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

Here's my favorite video:

Video for hometesting

The ReliOn meter from Walmart is the cheapest and has the cheapest strips. Others might be free with a special offer, but be sure to look at the price of the strips. They can be quite high. You can order them through ebay at a big discount.

 

Hiya,

I'll see if I can get that meter from a different company. Me and hubby boycott Walmart. I'd rather spend 5 times the amount somewhere else then give them jerks any of my money.

Kim/Benton, AR...no not Bentonville, the home of Wallyworld.

 

The Relion brand is sold only at Wal Mart. It's often recommended here because it's cheap and there's a Wal Mart store pretty much everywhere these days.

But your local pharmacy, even the one at Target, sells blood glucose meters. Big name brands include AccuChek, OneTouch, Bayer, and Nova Max. Do not buy the FreeStyle brand or any generic brand that contains True or Tru in the name. These give inaccurate readings.

Here's a meter comparision guide: http://forecast.diabetes.org/files/images/v65n01_BG_Meters_0.pdf You want a meter that uses 0.3 ul of blood, a teeny tiny amount. Anything larger is often too hard for a newbie to get from a cat.

The test strips are the huge expense since you have to buy them monthly or so depending on how often you test. Some people choose a meter that has inexpensive test strips. Test strips are not interchanagble between different brands and sometimes not even interchangable within a brand that has several meters. Most test strips cost in the $20 to $30 for a box of 50. Some brands of test strips cost more.

 

I just wanted to jump in and welcome you!

Also, my family and I have been using the same vet clinic for over 25 years. I've been using the same vet at the clinic for six. My brother and I still keep any new critters we get on our parent's account since we've been going so long and to keep that client connection. Unfortunately, my diabetic is still not stable after over a year. My vet isn't comfortable switching insulin from Humulin N saying shes regulated many critters on it. Manny keeps urinating everywhere and keeps dropping weight - an overweight 32lb cat when I adopted him 5 years ago to 22lbs 3 years ago to 15.5lbs in May to 11.3lbs yesterday. I DID just go to a new "kitty specialist" vet yesterday. We're on the same page, he's all for home testing, gave me a different insulin prescription, and even recommended this site (even though I joined back on the original diagnoses). I'm so happy I did and excited to tackle the new treatment plan. When I called to fax over my records, I told them that I'm not switching everyone but because of Manny's special needs, I felt a specialist was a better option at this point. I feel like if your vet truly does care about your critter, especially when you explain you're not moving everyone, then they should be supportive. If not, time to flounce everyone.

Good luck!!

 

Hiya,

Talked to a friend of mine that uses the same vet for his cats that I do. He had a diabetic cat, and they never tested theirs either. His cat lived another 6 years. Now, talked to my Mother-in-law, who's a nurse, says it's crazy not to test BG before injecting insulin regardless if it's a human or an animal.

Can I ask, once you got your cat regulated did he stop peeing everywhere? I'm having to keep an eye on Dagger since he's still giving us troubles with litterbox use. I even bought another litter box and put it in the room he gets fed in so if he has to go he has it available. There are 4 others in the house though. Not sure if we're having litterbox territory issues.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

Hiya,

Actually found an emergency test kit that my MIL used a few months ago. So, I have the strips and kit to test Dagger. However, my lancets are expired....really? They expire? One expired in 2005 the other unopened box 2008. What do you think, usable?

Kim/Benton, AR

 

Hi -

Lancets should be fine. Many of us freehand the lancets.

Wow on the vet. DEFINITELY take up Heather's offer. I had someone to show me and it was much easier as a result of her help!

I started out with a ReliOn Ultima meter from Walmart. The Relion Contour is made by another manufacturer, and most people like it. Mine required more blood, and Grayson is a little turnip! I now use an Accu-Chek Aviva and like it much better. I order strips from American Diabetes Wholesale (ADW - link on home page here) and it's about $34/50 strips (compared to $60 at Walmart).

The first time I came home to shoot Grayson, who was usually in the 400s at shot time, and saw a 128 - I was SOOOOOO glad I was testing! No telling how low he would have gone or if he would've survived had I shot without knowing where his BG was. I just read a post on health where a kitty was started at a high dose, hypo'd, and didn't make it, despite the owner doing everything right. There's a really good reason people here advise you to start low (.5 or 1 unit) and go slow. Too much insulin can be detrimental to your kitty.

Grayson is also a convert from dry Kitt-N-Kaboodle. He's still sell me for a bowl of dry kibble, but has transitioned to Fancy Feast Classic pates. It took a little while, but as Sue said, some cats can drop 100 points by changing food alone.

I have a foster kitty that was getting 3 units of insulin and not being tested. Since she's been here, her BG has not been over 100 except once. That's NON-diabetic. She probably spiked from an antibiotic. Had I not tested, it would have put her into dangerous numbers. I can't tell you how important it is to test before shooting!

Please heed the advice from others here - learn by our successes, experience, and by our mistakes. You don't have to re-invent the wheel... folks here have been doing this successfully for years.

Best of luck,
Lu-Ann

 

Kim,
I know you have been getting LOTS of information and sometimes it can be overwhelming. I just wanted to chime in on a few things. I have two cats that are litter mates. Missy is extra sweet and her brother isn't. I imagine there could be a genetic predisposition towards diabetes, but Phoenix is on the same lo carb wet food as Miss and will be for the rest of their lives. So, one having FD doesn't mean the other will get it.
As for the urinating, Missy is not regulated, but she stopped the inappropriate urination as soon as the UTI was treated. She even went off insulin and back on it with out anymore inappropriate urination. He will most likely stop when the antibiotics start to work.
On the dry vs wet food.....my two were die hard dry food addicts. They wouldn't even eat moist food or people food! It took a bit to transition them and several different brands, but eventually they made it to 100% wet. If you can get some FortiFlora (online) and sprinkle it over the wet, it might encourage them to eat it. Or even Freeze dried chicken crumbled over it. Mine go whacky over it.
On testing, I had the same experience as others, where I did a spot check and found Missy very low. I still shudder to think what would have happened had I shot her! THAT taught me the importance of home testing.
Home testing gets easier and easier. I did not like it at first, but that low number convinced me it was necessary. I found if I get all my testing supplies together in a Tupperware container, my rice sock to warm her ear, and some freeze dried chicken to crumble for her while warming her ear, she is more than happy to let me do my thing while she scarfs her FDC. It might be easier to test in a separate room (Phoenix, Missy's brother can become a pest because he likes FDC, too). Just like Squeaky and KT said, Missy purrs through the whole thing and she reminds ME that is time to test, if I am
late at test time. I figure if she come looking for me, it can't be TOO bad, certainly worth putting up with for a treat.
Ok, that is my two cents.....I know there is a lot to digest, but it does get easier with time.
Good luck with Dagger....wishing you all the best!

 

Hiya,

Well, if you guys don't think the lancets are "bad" I'll try testing him. I've watched a couple of video's on youtube so I"m hoping I get this right. Which means I need to get off the computer and gather all my stuff together. It's about time to feed the herd.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

Hiya,

Okay, after stabbing myself twice with the dang lancets, testing my OWN BG to make sure the unit still worked, I finally got enough blood out of his ear to get a reading. His BG is 136...so we're going to reduce to 2 units instead of giving him his full 3 units.

Tomorrow, I'm going to get alcohol pads so I can do his feet. He'll handle that much better then his ear. Plus I'm really afraid of stabbing myself through his ear. NOT a fun experience for either me or Dagger.

Kim/Benton, AR...with two sore fingers.

 

Hiya,

Couldn't get any blood this morning from his ear. Even with hubby holding onto him. He just won't stand for it, he thinks he's being medicated and starts to really fight us. Hadn't had time to get alcohol swabs for his feet. Someone needs to post a video on testing a cat's blood sugar that's never been tested before. One that struggles.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

We certainly have plenty of those! :lol: It does take a while for them to get used to it- give it a good week (to month for the persistent ones...) Eventually they do get the idea that it is going to be a reoccurring event and will at least tolerate it if not wait for it so they can get their treat.

Just let me know when you want me to come over. Weekends are the best.

 

Here's a good one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXyrKSJTlYA

 

Hiya,

Ry....that video does NOT instill any confidence in myself and taking blood from Daggers ear. I still think I'll try his foot tonight. He lays down outside the door waiting to be fed. I think that might be the best time to take blood.

Heather, I'm going out of town for a week this weekend. So, it'll be up to my hubby to take care of Dagger. If I can get the foot sticking working, then hubby should be able to do it.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

Hiya,

Okay, either stress or wackie BG, but it was 311 by the time I got blood out of his pad. Way different from the 136 two nites ago. I need to do a blood curve, but I don't have any time to do one in the next two weeks. Tonight, I'm going to give him the full 3 units. Tomorrow, I'll get blood from him. Dagger wasn't happy about it, but he tolerated it much better then the ear.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

No one got the hang of home testing over night. It takes a few weeks for the cat to get used to it and the humans to get over their nerves and perfect their technique. It's not something to stress over a lot - trust me, in a few weeks you'll be wondering what you were so upset about. If you don't get it the first time, give him a treat and try again in a bit. If the paw works for you by all means go for it, but most people find the ear the easiest and least stressful. Please continue to monitor him tonight - 3u is a fairly high dose of N. :smile:

 

Don't give up on the ear. Bandit fought me tooth and nail the first week or two of testing, and now he comes running and purring when he hears the glucose meter beep on.

Cat's ears have very few nerve endings (less than people have in their fingertips), so it's really the best place to test them. It's going to hurt more to test the cat's paw, which may extend an adverse reaction to testing.

What I did the first two weeks was get a basket a little larger than Bandit, and several small fleece blankets. I lined the basket with a blanket, plunked Bandit it it, and then wrapped him up like a burrito with the other blanket so only his head was showing. I'd test his ear, and then give him a low carb treat after EVERY test, whether I got a drop of blood or not. Bandit is a difficult cat when it comes to ANYTHING I need to do to him (trimming his claws, baths, getting him in his crate for the vet, etc.), but within two weeks he tolerated the tests without fighting me, and within a few months he was running, jumping in his basket, lying down and purring.

If you're not already, make sure you're using a larger gauge lancet (26-28g) and not the small 30-33g ones that come with the meter. Like I said, it doesn't hurt them to test their ears, it's being restrained that they don't like, so the quicker you can get the drop of blood, the better they will tolerate and get used to it.

 

Well, Dagger was a little off this morning when it was time to feed him. Usually he runs to the door to be locked up, but instead, I had to wake him up and carry him to the room. Once in he stood on his own and ate most of his food. Didn't test his BG since he was due for a vet check later. I did reduce the dose to 2 units and went back to work.

When I got home this afternoon, I couldn't find Dagger and I started to panic since he didn't seem to feel well this morning. I was afraid maybe he did go hypo on me. So after searching our 960 sq.ft. house with three other cats following me around, I walk into the living room and there's Dagger, laying on the floor. I could tell he still wasn't feeling well though.

Well, got to the vet and tested his BG and it was 132. The vet was pleased with it, but I expressed my concern that he had been feeling off today. She's still not a big fan of testing all the time, but I did get her to agree spot testing him might not be a bad idea since we're seeing his sugar come down the last two weeks. Last week it was 233. She's thinking maybe the change in diet may be kicking in. So, I'll be watching him tonight and if he's still a little off, I may just not give him his shot. He still has another 6 hours to go before he gets fed so his sugar may go up.

I am a little worried about me going on vacation this weekend for a whole week. Hubby isn't taking it as seriously as I'd hoped he would. He's the same mind as the vet...no BG testing needed just give him the injection. The two of us have got to sit down before I go and have a heart to heart about this.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

Sorry Dagger seems to be a little unwell- do you have keto stixs? That at least gives piece of mind about possible DKA.

Maybe it could be the extra heat we've had these last few days- oh, man! This weekend we have possibility of storms, so that's a toss up as well :lol: .

Yes, first vacations are a teeth-grinder. I hope your visit went well last weekend.

 

Until you've got the blood glucose testing going well, there are some alternative, supplemental monitoring options listed in my signature link. They do not replace blood glucose testing.

And he may have been slightly hypo from too much insulin; without the mid-cycle tests to show his glucose levels, we'll never know.

 

Hiya,

Oh, my gosh, but I've got to share I'm sooo happy! Dagger actually played tonight. It may have only been a few seconds each time, but he played!!! I bought a new batch of toys for the others to play with since they've lost/destroyed them all. I bought one of those packs with about a doz different one's in it and opened it up and dumped it on the floor. Dion, the middle cat and the two kitten siblings all came into the room, examined the toys and then grabbed one and the game was on.

Dagger came wandering into the room and found a mouse on the floor and started rubbing on it. The bag had a pole toy in it so I dangled it infront of Dagger and he went nutts! He finally got tired of that, took a break and all of a sudden he comes dashing across the room and slide into a pile of shoes, scaring the crap out of Herra. After another short break he tried to join the other three in a game of chase the stuffed mouse. Well, all three of them jumped back and just stared at him. They didn't know what to do about Dagger! For the last month, every time one of them has come near him he's either hissed, yowled, or swatted at them.

Now he's laying on my computer table next to my compute watching the fun and just being Dagger, master of all he survey's.

Hopefully the wet food trial will go just as well as the first part of this night has.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

Hiya,

Back from vacation and Dagger is looking and acting great, even with Hubby not testing BG. I just couldn't get him to test. He's been giving him 1 unit twice a day. Tomorrow I'm going to start testing his BG before we shoot. I'm hoping we can start taking him off the insulin all together. We'll just have to wait and see what his BG is. Oh, finished off his purina diabetic kibble today. Hubby said Dagger doesn't care for the pate's much, but he eats it. Also, no peeing in places he's not supposed too!

Kim/Benton, AR

 

It is good news to hear about the playing, that he is using the lb better, and that the dry is finished!

Three praises/cuddles for Dagger!

 

I am a newbie here with a multi cat household. Max never ate wet food, but once he was diagnosed, he loved it. All 4 of my cats are huge dry food eaters. I weaned them off the originial dry food onto a high protein, no grain dry food (Blue Buffalo) until I can figure out the best way to go just wet food.

I'm trying to figure out the whole home testing thing too.

 

Hiya,

It is very overwhelming at first with the whole testing thing and all the information out here. I've found this site really helpful.

Dagger is pretty much a wet food kitty now. Which has brought a question to mind. Has anyone found that certain types of wet food effect BG levels? We're feed classic friskies right now.

Last night I tested Daggers BG before food and it was 98. I was really excited! So, no shot for Dagger. This morning, I actually got DH to help with the testing, BG was 168 so gave him 1unit. Now, I'm wondering if I should have skipped it. Usually he's eager to eat whether it's time to eat or not. Today when I got home from work he was curled up on the chair in the room we feed him. Granted I didn't find him until several hours later, been busy trying to get the house back into shape from vacation. He woke right up when I poked him. Didn't act like he wanted to eat though.

Sigh....I really hate to test his BG again since he really hates it so. Even knowing he'll get to eat afterwards doesn't improve his disposition. We've got an appointment tomorrow afternoon with the vet for another check up. If this comes back good, then we won't need to go back for a while. I'm almost of a mind not to give him any insulin until his check tomorrow.

Any opinions?

Kim/Benton, AR

 

Hiya,

It is very overwhelming at first with the whole testing thing and all the information out here. I've found this site really helpful.

Dagger is pretty much a wet food kitty now. Which has brought a question to mind. Has anyone found that certain types of wet food effect BG levels? We're feed classic friskies right now.

Last night I tested Daggers BG before food and it was 98. I was really excited! So, no shot for Dagger. This morning, I actually got DH to help with the testing, BG was 168 so gave him 1unit. Now, I'm wondering if I should have skipped it. Usually he's eager to eat whether it's time to eat or not. Today when I got home from work he was curled up on the chair in the room we feed him. Granted I didn't find him until several hours later, been busy trying to get the house back into shape from vacation. He woke right up when I poked him. Didn't act like he wanted to eat though.

Sigh....I really hate to test his BG again since he really hates it so. Even knowing he'll get to eat afterwards doesn't improve his disposition. We've got an appointment tomorrow afternoon with the vet for another check up. If this comes back good, then we won't need to go back for a while. I'm almost of a mind not to give him any insulin until his check tomorrow.

Any opinions?

Kim/Benton, AR

 

Hiya,

Took Daggers BG tonight. It was 102, so no shot for him tonight. I think I'm going to not give insulin tomorrow morning and let the vet check it later in the day.

Kim/Benton, AR

 

Glad to hear his numbers are in the 100s!

 

This is going into three pages! Time for another topic :lol:

Yes, for new cats shooting under 200 is NOT recommended so you did fine and dandy.

Yes, different carbs will effect BG level differently. Sneakers is a carb hog. Her body was so sensitive to the least little % change it was unbelievable. I feed under 5%- once I switched to canned that was all I bought. But I would by all carb % available under 5% and her numbers were wonkier than a deer path in Rogers. To stop the swinging I just fed ONE carb % for a month. I bought the whole three kinds of FF she would eat for 2%, stacked them up in threes and just fed her that. It finally leveled her off.

Now, 6 months later, she can eat different %'s and not go wild in the levels like before. but we kept up that 1% carb only for about 3 months until she showed that improvement.