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Hello, my cat Buddy was just diagnosed with diabetes about 6 weeks ago. He's 10 years old and had been vomiting in small amounts several days in a row. Overall, he's healthy except overweight. The vet started him on 1 unit twice per day. He also started Glycobalance (dry). After about two weeks and a high reading, the dose was increased to two units twice per day. A week later a fructosamine test showed he might have gone into spontaneous remission. The dose was lowered again because she was concerned about hypoglycemia. He began drinking more water again. On follow-up test, his number was really high again and dose increased to two units again. He still seems to be drinking a lot of water (a little over 2 cups per day) this is telling me he's probably still not fully regulated on this dose (been on it again about a week).
Looking for some advice, is this normal, blood sugars bouncing around like this, considering he is still newly diagnosed?

 

Welcome! The only way to really know is for you to start hometesting Buddy glucose. It’s easy to do and we’ll be glad to help you learn. Here is a link to some info. Check it out then come to the Main Health forum and ask any questions.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

Thanks. I haven't discussed home testing with his Dr. yet since she's been doing bi-weekly fructosamine testing. I will probably bring it up to her next week. I was hopeful when he started to remit. But, then levels went up and the increased water consumption and urination.

 

Welcome! I second what Sharon said, home testing is the way to go. Fructosamine tests give you the average for the previous 1 to 2 week period, but they do not show the details of what is going on. You could, for example, have a cat who is swinging from very high to very low numbers due to an incorrect insulin dose, yet the fructosamine would look okay since it is just an average. If you are still seeing the clinical signs, like excess drinking, that is a red flag that things are not under control. You mentioned that you feed him Glycobalance dry food. That is pretty high in carbs. There was someone here who was able to drop his cat's insulin dose by half after moving from that food to a low-carb wet food. So, that may be something else you want to consider. Catinfo.org has a lot of information about feline nutrition that could be helpful to you.

Please post any specific questions/concerns that you have on the Main Health Forum.

 

Hi and welcome!

Getting them regulated can take a long time, sometimes months, so you will need to be very patient but once you start home testing and knowing how he's really doing it becomes easier.

 

You are in the right place! You do not need your vets permission to start home testing. It seems scary at first. It took me three days after I bought the supplies while I was waiting to get insulin before I got up the courage to do it. Now it’s easy peasy. My 13 yr old son tests now too. Most of us use a human meter. ReliOn micro and ReliOn Confirm are popular. The test strips are probably the cheapest. A pet meter is not necessary. Plus those test strips are about $1 each. You will be able to find all the info you need to get started by reading the yellow stickys.

 

It's not so much about permission from the vet as it is training. I just looked at the Youtube video and you're right, it looks a little intimidating. About how much does the meter and the strips cost? And, I'm assuming that with the increased water consumption, the at-home testing will tell me if he's having lots of high readings.

 

A lot of people use human meters because the strips are cheaper. The cost is made up for in not needing fructosamine tests and extra vet visits. You can also drop the expensive food for something lower in carbs and less expensive. Testing seems overwhelming at first, but it becomes much easier surprisingly quickly.

You can post your questions about meters, strips, testing and anything else on the Main Health Forum, and they will get more attention than here in the welcome forum.

 

The at home testing will definitely tell you what his glucose levels actually are, and you can then adjust the dose to what he really needs in order to be ok.

The testing is actually easier that it seems once you establish a routine with your cat, pick a nice confortable location, have some rewards at hand to give him as soon as you finish ( something he really really likes so that he looks forward to getting them )

 

Welcome! Home testing is totally worth it. It's challenging at first, but with practice you and Buddy will be pros. If a blood squeemish human like me can do it, anyone can.