Newbie

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Sue L, Oct 25, 2015.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Sue L

    Sue L New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2015
    Am new to this forum. My 16 year old kitty was diagnosed as diabetic, and we have started him on Lantus. He got really sick right after diagnosis and before we had a chance to treat him. He was dehydrated and electrolytes were very out of balance. After a week in the hospital, we have him home, but we are all traumatized by it all. Am happy to meet some other people that can share experience and tips!
     
  2. Larry and Kitties

    Larry and Kitties Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    Welcome.
    Lantus is a goo insulin. What is the dose of insulin?
    Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
    What are you feeding? A low-carb canned is best. No reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb cannedhttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

    Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
     
  3. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2010
    Welcome to FDMB.
    In my signature link is Secondary Monitoring Tools, a list of other assessments you may find helpful to make.
     
  4. Sue L

    Sue L New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2015
    I have a human meter, but the vet recommended one specifically for pets. I have ordered it, but haven't gotten it yet. Does anyone know how different the 2 meters are regarding results? He was on 1.5 u 2x per day, but he went really low so it was adjusted to .5 u 2x per day. I have been testing him before every meal, and numbers seem to be all over the board. Hopefully once he is on a steady dose for a couple of weeks it will even out. He is eating purina DM dry food. He would starve before he would eat canned food :). I had looked at the spreadsheet, but didn't really understand it or how it worked. Is it web based? I also didn't know what AMPS and PMPS meant.
    All of the tests that the vet did just kept giving us more bad news. Lump in his lung, bladder stones, heart murmur and some sort of elevated levels of kidney indicator (but this one keeps bouncing around, and he has been dehydrated)
     
  5. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2010
    The pet meter will provide numbers more like what the vet is used to seeing. It generally reads somewhat higher than a human meter at low numbers.
    All of the guidelines here, however, have numbers for use with human meters.
    Also, all home meters read with +/- 20% of what a lab would get.


    The cost of test strips can be quite high for pet meters - over $1.00 per strip. Testing before every shot, plus at least 1 mid-cycle test per week to make sure the glucose is safely above at least 50 mg/dL runs to over $15 a week ... and most folks here test more often than that, to help keep the cat safe.
     
  6. Merlin

    Merlin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2014
    Welcome to FDMB! You have come to the right place for support. There are a lot of caring and experience folks here. You will be given a whole lot of information and at first, it will seem very overwhelming however in a couple of weeks, things will start falling into place.

    Good Reading: This is a must read. It is an excellent 18 page informative document that covers feline health and nutrition. Don't take short cuts and read it all. www.catinfo.org

    Also read other postings and their spreadsheets. You will learn a lot more from others.

    Home Testing: Here, we all home test. It is mandatory to understand how your kitty is reacting to the insulin and the dose. You will want to test before each shot and some additional test in between the 12 hour cycle. Another reason to home test is to keep your kitty safe. Find a place in your home where you will always perform the test and give lots of hugs before and after testing. There are many videos showing you how to test. Hometesting Links and TipsHere is a picture of where you test on your kitty. http://s106.photobucket.com/user/chupie_2006/media/testingear/sweetspot.jpg.html

    Here is another good link on Home Testing:http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-home-test.htm

    Meters: There are many meters. There is a pet meter called the Alpha Trak2 and human meters. Some use the pet meter because it is what the vets use so the numbers will match up. The meter and strips are expensive though. Strips are typically around $1 each and you can't just go down to a store and buy it so planning is definitely needed. Most use human meters that can be purchased at any pharmacy. It typically reads a little lower than the pet meter but we have ways of compensating those lower numbers. Many use Walmart's brand, Relion Micro or Relion Confirm, because it only needs a tiny drop of blood. They cost around $15 and the strips are around 35 cents each.

    Lancets: These are used to poke the ear to get blood. There are many different sizes (gauges). It is recommended when you are first starting out to use a 26-28 gauge. Also, it would be a good idea to pick up Neosporin WITH pain reliever to apply on the edge of the ears and don't forget to alternate ears.

    Spreadsheets: Our spreadsheet instructions are here. If you look at the signatures of the members here, you will see a link to their kitty’s spreadsheets. We keep track of all our tests. This is basically a place to collect data and help you to determine patterns, doses, etc. It also aids those that may be helping you to better understand your kitty.

    Food: There are many reasons why we are here but one is due to feeding dry cat food which is high in carbs. You will want to consider changing your food to wet, low carb food. It is recommended to feed food that is under 10% carbs. Here is a list of cat food to choose from food chartyou will note that the food with fish are lower in carbs however it is recommended that you only give fish once a week due to its mercury content. Many use Fancy Feast, 9 Lives, Friskies, etc. This list can also be found in www.catinfo.org If you are already giving insulin and you have not transitioned to wet, low carb cat food, be sure to test while you are transitioning. This is because by changing to low carb food, it could decrease your kitty’s number by 100 points or more. One last thing, many of us add water to the wet food so your kitty is getting plenty of water to flush out the toxins and to keep them hydrated.

    Hypo Kit: Always good to be prepared for possible hypo events which means that your cat has reached dangerously low numbers. It can be fatal, hence, the importance of home testing and collecting data in a spreadsheet. In each of the Insulin Forums are stickie’s labeled Hypo Links. Here is one: How to Handle a Hypo. Please print and post on your refrigerator so everyone in your household is aware of hypo symptoms. You will want to create your hypo kit that would include and not limited to; extra testing strips, honey/karo/maple syrup, high carb food, medium carb food, vet information, etc.

    Ketones: Diabetic cats are susceptible to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). It is best to buy testing strips that will measure (if any) ketones in the urine. One brand is Ketostix which can be found at Walmart or any pharmacy. You will want to test periodically unless you continue to get high numbers, then it is suggested to test more frequently. Ketostix typically costs around $10.

    Treats: It is always nice to have treats available for your kitty. Some use it after they have tested to reward. I like using Pure Bites. I have found it at Petsmart and other pet stores. It is freeze dried and the only ingredient is the meat i.e. chicken, duck, etc. If your cat likes it, then I would go to the dog section where it is cheaper than the cat package. It is bigger chunks but no problem in breaking it up. Another option is to use Bonita Flakes. There is a link here somewhere that has a list of low carb treats but I don't have it right now.

    Injections: Lantus is a very good insulin. Two hours prior to your insulin shot, you will not want your kitty to eat. Then you will test and then feed. It is best for your kitty to eat a little before your shoot. I shoot while he is eating. The reason why you do not want your kitty to eat two hours prior to your test is because food elevates BG numbers. So you do not want to dose based on a food influenced number. Here is a link on how to give injections.http://www.felinediabetes.com/injections.htm

    Just holler if you have any questions.
     
    SpecklesandMe likes this.
  7. SpecklesandMe

    SpecklesandMe Member

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2015
    Welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear about your kitty's issues. Is he on meds for anything else?
     
  8. Sue L

    Sue L New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2015
    At this point he is only on the Lantus. He started out at 1.5 units twice a day, then .5 units 2x per day. Because the numbers have been coming down, he is now just on .5 units in the morning. The vet suggested that if his count was less than 150, to skip the injection, and today was one of those days. He hasn't been on it that long, but am hopeful that his system is getting back to normal. We are using the Alphatrak2 meter as of a couple of days ago.
     
  9. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2010
    It is important to get tests around the nadir, toe lowest glucose post-shot to make sure the cat remains safely above 68 mg/dL on a pet meter and 50 mg/dL on a human meter.

    Also, we eyeball 0.25 unit doses so that insulin may be given twice a day, as it doesn't last 24 hours.
     
  10. Sue L

    Sue L New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2015
    We haven't done a curve on him yet. He hasn't been on a steady dose long enough for him to be somewhat level. Also, he won't eat all of a meal in one sitting. His was so ill, we are still getting him back to routine, and feeling well enough to eat his full allotment for the day. We check him before the injections, and a couple of times during the day to get an idea of where he is at. Hopefully doing a curve soon. and we are having enough trouble just measuring the .5 units. :) We did get the syringes with the half unit mark which makes it a little easier, but is still hard for us to see.
     
  11. Merlin

    Merlin Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2014
    If you could, setting up a spreadsheet will be most helpful to you and to all here. It is helpful to see pattern, collect data and most of all, if you find your self needing some dosing advice, the helpers here can help you out so much better. Our spreadsheet instructions are here.
     
  12. Sue L

    Sue L New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2015
    I am baffled. I do not understand the spreadsheet. I don't know what AMPS and PMPS stand for. And I followed all the instructions, but don't see why I need a google account. It never asked me for user id or password. I saved it on my hard drive, but what I copied in is the url? I really don't get this.
     
  13. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2010
    Understanding the spreadsheet/grid:

    The colored headings at the top are the ranges of glucose values. They are color-coded to clue you in as to meaning.

    Each day is 1 row. Each column stores different data for the day.

    From left to right, you enter
    the Date in the first column
    the AMPS (morning, pre-shot, test) in the 2nd column
    the Units given (turquoise column)

    Then, there are 11 columns labeled +1 through +11
    If you test at +5 (5 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +5 column
    If you test at +7 (7 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +7 column
    and so on.

    Halfway across the page is the column for PMPS (evening, pre-shot, test)
    To the right is another turquoise column for Units given at the evening shot.

    There is second set of columns labeled +1 through +11
    If you snag a before bed test at +3, you enter the test number in the +3 column.

    We separate day and night numbers like that because many cats go lower at night.

    The nadir is the lowest glucose between shots. There is a general period when it will happen which is specific to the insulin being used and testing then helps make sure your cat doesn't go too low.

    It is merely a grid for storing the info; no math required.

    When you save the spreadsheet to your PC, you must then have and log into a Google Drive account and upload it.
    Alternatively, if you have Google drive open, and click on the linked Google Drive spreadsheet, you should be able to File, Make a Copy to save it directly into Google Drive.
    Because the file is stored on the internet, and only shared as you set it, it allows you to record the glucose tests and insulin given, and share it with viewers here so that you can get feedback on how the diabetes management is going.
     
  14. Sue L

    Sue L New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2015
    Thanks, I put some numbers in so let me know if you can see them. Also, if I check his bg at 7.5 hours after the dose, should it go in +7 or +8?
     
  15. Brashworks

    Brashworks Member

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2015
    I can see them fine.

    If I take a +7.5, I usually put it in either +7 or +8 with a comment under the COMMENTS column, OR type in 120 @ 7.5 in the block and then manually put the colour in.

    Nice job getting it set up. And wow does Bart have a great face!!
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page