Newly Diagnosed- Worried

Hi Everyone,

My name is Kristi and my kitty is Bijou. I've had her for about a year now and I guess I'll tell you that story to start.

I just went through a break up and was feeling quite alone in my new apartment. I desperately wanted a pet, but my landlord refused over and over again. I happened to be visiting a friend who lives near the local shelter. As many people don't want to pay the drop-off donation, they will simply drop them off "near" the shelter. She ends up rescuing many of them and always has a revolving variety of dogs and cats at her house. I was visiting and had to step outside for a work call. While I was on the porch this cat came to me and loved on me like I was her long lost best friend. (Guess I was...) I thought it was another of her cats, but it wasn't. I decided then and there I wanted *this* cat and I wasn't going to take no for an answer from my landlord. My friend said she'd keep the kitty for me and I went back to my apartment- determined he would let me have her. I drove up and he was outside working. I marched up to him and before I could say a word, he said "Hey, we talked about it and decided we didn't want a dog in there, but that you could have a cat if you wanted." I was stunned. He had been resolute against *any* pets. After a short stay at the vet for shots and a spay, she came home and became my tabby-colored shadow. She even slept with me the first night! She lifted my heart and brought me out of the depression I'd been in for months. I can honestly say she saved my life.

A year later- she stopped eating, drinking excessively, lethargic. Just not herself- no vocalizations (she's very talkative) and she doesn't knock me down getting to the food bowl. I took her to my regular vet this morning. I asked about diabetes (my father and mother are, so I know the signs) and he didn't think it was likely because she's not overweight and is less than 2 years of age. Well, she was dehydrated and he tested her blood. Glucose was 400. (I don't have to describe how I felt. I'm sure you all have similar stories.) He prescribed Glipizide (sp?) and said it was likely it wouldn't work, but wanted to try it first. I asked him about home-testing and he was against it. He basically gave me a prescription and the # for the 24 hour emergency hospital 2 hours away. (I live in a very rural area.) He sent us on our way.

It's about 10 p.m. and this is where we are. I've given her two doses. She's had a little water, but won't touch food. She's not thrown up anymore, but has had diarrhea. She's still not herself and I'm worried sick. I hate to take her 2 hours away to this hospital that I fear will likely do the same thing, maybe give her more fluids, and send us home again. Plus I fear this would stress her out even more. I took the rest of the day off work and have spent it alternately checking on her like a new mother and obsessively reading everything I can find. I've tried to tempt her with anything I thought she might eat: her regular food, canned Science diet, chewy treats, scrambled eggs, tuna. No go- she's not a picky eater, so this is new territory for me.

I guess my questions are... At what point, do I go back? How long should I give these pills to work? How do I get her to eat? How do I go to sleep tonight when I'm worried she won't be here when I wake up?

 

First let me welcome you and your baby to the site, hang in there because there are some wondeful people here to help you. You are not alone.
I think you should home test if your ok with it. I was not but had to decide if my boy needed it then I would do whatever I had to for him.
What kind of food is Bijou eating? How were her keytones at the vets? I am going to bump this so others more experienced then me can give you some ideas.
Hang in Ok.

 

Hello the and welcome to the forum!

Bijou sounds like a great cat, that needed you as much as you needed her.

I am not impressed by your vet, it doesn't sound like he put a lot of effort into seeing what the issues was. Many cats have high blood glucose at the vets due to stress and you cant be sure unless you run a diabetic blood "fructosamine" test. We have even kittens on here that are diabetic although its not common, and they were not overweight. Plus home testing is key to safety managing your cats diabetes.

I don't know much about glipizide and will ask some more experienced members to take a look.

However I am concerned about her not eating. Can you smell nail varnish/acetone from her breath? If so, you need to take her back to a vet immediately.

We should work out if she is truly diabetic. If you go to any pharmacy including Walmart you can get urine testing glucose strips. You can use those to test her pee to see if there is sugar in it, and if there is, she is diabetic.

Meanwhile here are some tips to get her to eat..

 

Hi Kristi. First of all, breathe. It will be alright. You're in the right place. There are so many good, experienced people here who will help you. OK? Her symptoms were very classic. 400 is a high number, but not a "horribly" high number and most likely, her blood glucose level was higher at the vet's office due to stress (stress can raise blood glucose levels by 80-100 points!!!). What is the name of the insulin (is it on the bottle)? How much is the dosage? What are you feeding her? You said your parents are diabetic, so then they have a glucometer? You need to test her blood--are you able to do that? It really is pretty easy; just takes a little bit of practice. They are insulin PILLS? Pills are not a good choice for cats. You need a second opinion. Your vet sounds like he/she knows next to nothing about feline diabetes. If your kitty is diabetic, kitty needs to be on a good, injectable insulin (like Lantus which is administered every 12 hours) and a low-carb diet. And you need to start home-testing immediately. I am going to see if a friend of mine is on-board who can also help....

 

Hi Mimi,

Thanks for answering me so quickly.

He didn't test her ketones. At least I don't think he did. I got a copy of it in case I had to seek emergent care for her after hours. Here's what we've got:
Glucose: 383
Bun: 44
Crea: 1.0
Phos: 6.4
Alt: 81

He gave her some fluids subcutaneously and sent us home with a prescription and some new food. The vet sent us home with Science Diet m/d. I got the canned and dry just in case. She hasn't eaten it. She's not eaten anything in two days. At this point, if I can just get her to eat a little something, I would quit worrying so much. Will her appetite come back when her glucose level goes down?

After everything I've read this evening, I decided to go against him and home test. Seriously? What can it hurt? I'm going to pick up a glucose meter tomorrow morning.

 

Two days?? You should give the emergency vet a call. I am very concerned about ketoacidosis.

Also have you tried syringe feeding?

 

hi and welcome.

i have to admit, i'm with Wendy on this, high glucose, no insulin basically and no food and you're looking at possibly some serious complications.

smell her breath, does it smell like nail polish remover at all like someone asked above? if so, that's ketones/ketoacidosis and she needs a vet sooner than later.

look closely at her ears, gums, eyes.....do they look yellow at all? if so, that's a sign of hepatic lipidosis and same thing, needs a vet sooner than later.

if no to either, she needs food and water. do you have any needless syringes of any kind? if so, you need to syringe feed her both food and water but in all honesty, she probably needs a vet sooner than later if she hasn't eaten in 2 days. can you pull up some skin at the nape of her neck, the scruff area and release it and see if it snaps right back into place or if it goes back slowly? if slowly, she's dehydrated.

the glipizide is not gonna do her much if any good. she needs insulin. the sooner she can get started on insulin and get back to eating and drinking the better chance she has.

can i ask your general location? i'm assuming if you're very rural that you can't go get testing supplies, include ketostix, tonight?

 

Hi,

I'm in no position to give any diabetic cat care advice yet.I did want to tell you though that everyone on this website has been so kind and helpful with all their help and advice.Its probably the best thing you could have done for your cat so far.
I came back here looking for help after my cat became very sick again this past December.
My cat is still sick and I'm still in the process of learning how to treat him... but its great to know that you can come here and get the information and advice you will probably need to treat your cat.
i didn't have very good luck with taking my cat to the vet.and after alot of money and many different vets I realized I would have to do most of the diabetic cat care myself. I'm Still learning and still asking questions.
Hang in there.

Chuck

 

Thanks to all of you. I appreciate the support, especially at this hour!

I took her to the vet earlier today. He knew that it had been two days since she'd eaten, but didn't seem real concerned about that. (Guess that's just par for the course huh?) I read quite a bit about hepatic lipidosis today and am worried about it as well.

Yep, pills. We're both unhappy about the pills. She scratched the mess outta me earlier when I gave her the last one. No, I'm not able to test it right now, but I'm gonna go to the pharmacy and get a meter in the morning. My parents live in TX and I live in KY, so borrowing theirs is not an option. :/

I tried to smell her breath, but it smelled like cat food. I tried to tempt her earlier by putting a little taste of it in her mouth. Still smells like cat food in there and she's getting increasing ticked off at me for prying her mouth open. No, I've not tried syringe feeding. Should I water the canned food down for that?

She was dehydrated at the vet today. He gave her subcutaneous fluids and she seemed to feel better for a little while, but at this point, I feel like we're back to square one.

I'm in very eastern Kentucky. Way up in the Appalachian Mountains. The closest 24 hour vet is 2.5 hours away. The pharmacy here keeps testing supplies behind the counter and they're closed.

 

yes, water the food down to soupy enough it can go thru a syringe smoothly. don't want it chunky and spurting into her mouth. that will make her madder than she's going to be to begin with.

anything else she might eat? cook up a piece of chicken for instance? all meat baby foods are good too.

we have to head home now from work but i'll check back in when we get there, especially if i think of more that might help

 

He said we would try the pills to start and if they didn't work, he would give her insulin. I'll go back in the morning and ask him to go ahead and give us the insulin. She likes to graze and I work long hours, often far from home, so would the long-acting insulin be better? (That's a big part of why I was worried, because he said "if they don't work". That scares me because he said a few weeks and if it's not working, I doubt she'd be here for a few weeks.)

Her gums are pink. No yellowing in the eyes or ears.

Thanks Lynn. I'm going to look for a syringe and see what I can get down her. I'll post again here in a bit. Thanks again.

 

Your kitty needs insulin. Very few cats respond to glipizide and while you are waiting to see if they will (because it can take up to a month), they can become insulin resistant. That means it takes more insulin then it might originally have to bring down the numbers.

I am extremely worried that she hasn't eaten. Typically a diabetic cat will be ravenous and you can't keep enough food in them. If you can't get her to a vet or ER tonight, I would be at the pharmacy first thing tomorrow and buy some ketostix. You would need to get a fresh sample of her urine and dip the stick in it for 15 seconds exactly and then compare it to the chart on the bottle. This checks her ketones. If she is positive, she needs to be in the hospital.

Diabetic ketoacidosis can kill and it can happen quickly. If it were my kitty, I'd make the drive to get her to the ER now. regardless of whether she has DKA or not at this point, she needs fluids and food and insulin. I'm really concerned that she is not eating. That is not normal for an unregulated diabetic cat unless there is something else going on. DKA cannot be treated at home.

I wish you the best with your girl and hope you can get her to a vet who knows what he/she is doing.

 

Get the Keto-diastix that test for both glucose and ketones. We need a confirmed diagnosis of diabetes. The urine strips will help.

 

Hi Marje & Wendy

Thanks for the great advice. I'm gonna head out here in a few minutes. I'll go to the pharmacy in the next town over and see what I can get. Any advice on getting that urine? (I have a feeling she's not gonna be happy about it...) I don't have a syringe, so I've gotta go out and get that too.

 

You can try and put a ladle under her bum to catch the pee. Or take the litter out and replace with fish tank gravel which is non absorbent. Or get non clumping litter (test 1 tablespoon of clean litter with same amount of water and if that is negative retest with peed on litter)

You want a big syringe that doesn't have a needle on the end.

 

Or..

You could try putting the wrap and sprinkling some litter on top.

 

Welcome.

Hang in ther, its a bit of a bumpy ride at first.

See my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for tips on urine ketone & glucose testing, plus some other tactics for monitoring your cat.

 

I was always able to get a sample by covering the litter box with a trash bag.... there was always enough of a puddle to get a sample
and put it in a container and refrigerate it....

 

I just make little foil trays and as she squats, I slip it under her bottom and she pees in the tray. You don't need much.

 

Hi Kristi and Bijou!

I have a kitten diabetic and can vouch for their rarity. Usually in cats so young, there's other factors at play and she has a much higher chance of going into remission once the underlying cause is cleared up. Did your vet check her for any infections like pancreatitis, dental, or kidney problems? Was she ever on steroids? If so, is she currently on steroids?

I agree that it is not good she isn't eating. Is there another vet you might be able to take her to?

 

Hello and welcome,

Here is a page of pics and info about how to test your cat's urine for ketones and glucose using Ketodiastix:
http://www.sugarpet.net/urine.html

 

Good Morning Kristie ,

Were you able to get to the pharmacy? Can you give us an update as soon as you get a moment? I'm extremely worried about her. I hope you've gotten some food in her and got at least a keto test done. I know what it's like to live in the boonies bcatrun_gif and have to drive a long way (sometimes) to get places (I used to live in SE Ohio...Appalachia but no where near as remote as you...). A trip to a decent doctor meant a trip to Columbus, OH which was a good 1.5 hour drive (or more, depending on the traffic in Columbus!). Please keep us updated nailbite_smile

 

Good morning, worried here too, anything new? Is your kitty and yourself OK? Let us know.

 

Hi everyone,

She would not let me feed her last night, so I quit trying figuring I'd just end up stressing her more. I got up early this morning and she was looking at me bright-eyed from her bed. My heart jumped a little. I was hopeful. She jumped out of her bed and started "talking". It was the sweetest sound. (She hasn't done that in days.) She obviously feels much better. She's eaten about half a can of food and drank normal amounts of water. She's been roaming around the house and following me from room to room as usual. Oh my goodness, when she ate this morning, I was on top of the world. I sat in the floor the entire time rejoicing at every bite.

Thanks for all the great tips for testing her urine. We'll try some out and see what works for us!

She's going back to the vet Monday morning to stay for the day and have her BG tested so he can see how it changes throughout the day. I feel so much better about going back and talking to him about treatment. That's due in large part to you folks. I feel so much more informed and feel as if I will make better more informed decisions regarding her treatment.

Again, thanks so very much for all the advice and, honestly, for just being there. Y'all helped me feel no quite so helpless in all this. I'm still learning how to best take care of her, but we've got a much better start now. She's laying on the floor vent soaking up the heat, but watching me while I type. I'm sure she's sending her thanks too.

 

Thought I would post a picture of my girl!

 

Has your Vet done a fructosamine (probably spelled that WAY wrong) test to confirm diabetes? I SURE hope so. :/

jeanne

Edited to add: Your kitty is BEAUTIFUL! Welcome to the best site on the planet for you to help your kitty.

 

Do you realize that the "all day vet visit" is just your vet (probably a tech) doing a curve? I'm sure the price won't be pretty. You can do that yourself--save a ton of money--and many of us do that ourselves all the time. All it is, is taking a blood glucose every 2 hours and writing it down, and it usually done for 12 hours (which means only 6 tests!!!)....just my 2 cents...

 

Just an idea here. Is there a day your home all day? If so do the curve at home. I just myself learned how because at $74.00 for each Fructosamine test or spending the day away at the vets (which stresses Loki out terrible) is not a good choice for me. If you need help while doing the curve post away every 2 hours to let us see how it is and then the more experienced members can help you.
Also did I miss if you did a Spreadsheet on her yet? If not start one so it's easier for you to keep track and we can see it.
BTW- your baby is beautiful, love her face. I also wanted to tell you her name fits her perfectly she is a jewel. ;-)

 

Yep, y'all are definitely right about the expense. Shew...my bill the other day was $143. Plus medication cost, now the meter, strips, food. (I'm preaching to the choir here.)

Latest update- I went back out again and looked for Keto-diastix. None of our pharmacies had them. :\ Got lots of other stuff too. Tested her BG and it was 47. I know that's low, so we tried to get her to eat, but no go. (I'm hypoglycemic so I know you get nauseous when your BG is low. Kind of a catch-22 situation.) My partner rubbed some corn syrup on her gums and we're gonna check again in a few minutes. How can her BG be so low now? She had her pill early this morning and ate pretty good.

I don't think he did the fructosamine test. What he showed me said "Glucose". He drew her blood and tested for the 4-5 things I listed above. He came back in with the test results said she was diabetic and discussed options.

Good idea about the spreadsheet. I'll start that now.

Mimi- I'm home all day tomorrow, so I can do that then. Good suggestion. I'll start a spreadsheet and post in a bit. Thanks again y'all.

 

47! I dont know anything about that glipizde but thats low. Can you tell me when you gave the pill and how many hours after that you measured 47? And what is she measuring now?

 

:RAHCAT Yeah! Good luck with your SS & Curve :RAHCAT

 

Wendy, correct me if I'm wrong--doesn't a fructo test have to be sent to a lab? If so, then her vet may not have done a fructo test...

 

Yes but they might have one onsite.. I am suspicious though.

 

Wendy- I gave her the pill this morning around 7 a.m- *after* she ate. I read that the pill can cause nausea, so I wanted to make sure she ate. At that point, getting some food in her was the most important thing. She ate about 1/2 of what I offered. I gave her the pill and she ended up grazing a couple more times today. (She's always been a grazer.)

Once she'd eaten (and I felt like I could leave her for a bit) I went to the pharmacy to pick everything up. I checked her BG around 3? I waited until my partner got home to help me.

Just checked it again and it's down to 45. Well, I guess I shouldn't give her the evening pill right? Especially since she's not eaten in awhile. She's in there sniffing the food, but not eating. What do y'all think?

 

Hello

Glipizide is not recommended for use in cats. I would stop using it is I were you. I would also find another vet. Please Google the use of Glipizide in cats. As everyone has said test at home. Taking your cat to the vet can also cause BG levels to rise.

Terri

 

Do you have any higher carb food or dry that she might eat? 45 is getting down to a dangerous level; she really needs to eat. If she won't eat, I would put some honey on her gums and test again in 20 minutes.

 

Please do not give her the glip tonight or even tomorrow. The glip may have been what set her off feeling bad in the first place and cats can hypo even on glip.

 

If your still on I would not give her a pill this evening. Let her eat and see where it goes from there. I would do my best to find another vet if possible. For one he should have been concerned that you kitty had not eaten for two days, yes they can go into liver failure I lost one that did after not eating for two days. Another thing is he is not up to date on feline diabetes as he gave you Glipizide which is not used for cats.
I know you are in east Kentucky, are you close you any major citys? How close to Huntington WV are you? Maybe that might be an option for a better vet.

 

Did you test again? Has she started back up?

 

Sue

Don`t know if she is still on

Terri

 

Hope- No, I'm not going to give her one tonight. I'll check her before I give her another one even tomorrow.

Terri- I'll check into another vet. Both vets here aren't great. The one I've been using has the better reputation of the two.

I'll check her BG again in an hour and see where it's at.

 

Kristi:

First, welcome to FDMB.

Only a small percentage of cats respond to an oral medication like glipizide. The cat has to have a working pancreas in order for the drug to work. That's the up side. The down side is that glipizide increases the secreation of pancreatic proteins. These proteins can cause deposits in the pancreas which further impedes its function and can make remission difficult if not impossible. You might want to read this information on glipizide. Essentially, glipizide can "burn out" the pancreas.

You'll note from the link and your experience that glipizide can cause nausea. The link has a big warning about calling your vet if your cat stops eating. I would encourage you to call your vet, let him know, and ask for injectible insulin. Lantus, Levemir, and PZI are the insulins that are routinely recommended for diabetic cats. Do NOT let the vet prescribe Humulin N (also called Novolin). It's a good insulin for dogs -- not so much for cats.

If Bijou's numbers have not appreciably risen, I don't know that I would be comfortable with your giving her more insulin. I've not used glipizide so I can't advise you on dosing. With insulin like Lantus, a BG of 47 would warrant a dose reduction. I don't know how you reduce the dose of a pill (since I also don't know if it's safe to cut glipizide).

Also, I'm not entirely sure why it was suggested you get Ketodiastix since you don't need to test for urine glucose if you're testing blood glucose. Ketodiastix test for both ketones and urinary glucose. Ketostix test for ketones only.

It sounds like Bijou is eating. Although, from what you posted, it doesn't sound like she's eating her usual amount of food. While hepatic lipidosis is a concern, it can take several days of no food for this to develop. I would keep a close eye on how much your cat is eating and speak with your vet or see if there's another vet in your area that may be more knowledgeable regarding feline diabetes.

I agree with Sue -- see if she'll eat some higher carb food to bump her numbers up a bit.

 

I agree, I would not give her the pill tonight, or tomorrow morning, and I would suggest testing her blood sugars regularly to see if she's really diabetic. Sometimes cat's blood sugars can rise for other reasons, and one of them is just having stress from being at the vet.

For now, try to give her some wet food that has gravy in it. Don't give her a lot, maybe 2 or 3 teaspoons. You don't want her to get too full, in case you need her to eat again later. If you can go to a store and buy some wet cat food that says "with gravy". The Friskies Prime Filets and the Fancy Feast flavors that start with the word Grilled are all high in carbs. Test her again about 30 minutes after she eats a little high carb food.

 

I would insist that they give you a prescription for insulin Lantus or Levemir. My cat was on Lantus and that is what most people have experience with here, But I do think Levemir is good insulin as well. Glipizide is not good and as I said I would not give it to her again, it can cause more problems than it does good.
You must get her to eat for sure. How close are you to Lexington? I know how you feel my cousin lives in southern Ohio, and it is in the boonies too, it takes me and hour and half to get there for here. Just saw that Dyana and Sienne posted they are are some of the most experienced members here so please their advice.

Terri

 

Thanks for the great advice. I'm not going to give her the evening dose and will check her before I give another- period.

We have some of the Fancy Feast Grilled! Sadly, she wouldn't touch that. We also tried the Prescription Diet (wet and dry) and her old dry food. We even tried turkey. She has some soft kitty treats and we got her to eat 4 of those. (Not real substantial, but it's something I guess.) We're going to test her again in a few minutes.

 

Just keep trying to get her to eat, put out kitty buffet if you have to, even dry food she must eat.You can`t have a cat is not eating period when your out in the boonies thats for sure. Your don`t want to be driving those mountain roads at night to the ER vet for sure.

Terri

 

Did you do another test? Where is she sitting at now?

 

She's up to 57.

I really suck at the testing. There's just so little blood that's coming out. The meter requires very little, but she's not giving up much blood. After the third try, I finally got enough blood. She's been patient with me, but I know her ears have got to be sore.

 

Good that she is coming up, but I would still monitor - a few more tests. The combination of the glyp and not eating makes things a little complicated and you don't want her dropping back down.

You can put a small smear of Neosporin with pain relief on her ears to help with the soreness. And hold the spot for a few seconds to minimize bruising.

Has she been drinking? Is she eating? Is there anything she loves that you could try? Tuna fish or chicken or heating the wet till stinky? (sometimes if they have felt nauseous, they are reluctant to start back up with food)

 

Has she at eaten anything? You have not give her any pills since this morning is that correct.

Terri

 

Sue- we've tried everything we have at this point. We dug in the back of the cabinet and found some sardines in oil. She was not interested, but the dogs about lost their minds. I think because her sugar's low, she's likely nauseous. That's what happens to me anyway- the last thing I want is to eat, even though I know I need to!

Terri- That's correct. Here's how the day went. She ate about half of what I offered early this morning. I gave the glipizide after she seemed finished. She nibbled a couple more times during the morning, but hasn't touched anything (except a couple of treats since). I didn't give the evening dose. We've offered the following: Fancy Feast grilled, her prescription diet- wet and dry, canned turkey, canned tuna, sardines, Whisker Lickin's (treats). We put some corn syrup on her gums. My partner even took one of my glucose tablets, dissolved it in water and gave it to her with a syringe. I smeared a little peanut butter on her gums- hoping that the combo of sugar and protein would be better than straight sugar. Since all of that- she's back up to 57.

We have systematically called every vet in a 50 mile radius. Not one of them has called us back. We called the 24 hour place in Lexington. They were awesome. The vet told me to keep doing the syrup on her gums until she's back up in the 100's. **DO NOT GIVE THE GLIPIZIDE** Test every 2-3 hours until she stabilizes.

Can y'all give me some tips for taking a blood sample? Are there any other areas I could test? My partner is a groomer. Would it be okay to shave a small area (maybe on her belly) to test?


Again, I want to thank you all. You all saved her life. If y'all hadn't encouraged me to do home testing, I wouldn't have known her BG was so low and likely given the evening pill.

 

i test my cat from his back paw pads sometimes--just be sure to put triple antibiotic on pad afterwards

 

Do have a KFC in the area? I have heard sometimes they will eat that when they won`t eat anything else.
Yes I do know the vet will sometime test from the pads but I don`t know how it is done, possibly you could go online and look for a video.

Terri

 

Are you warming her ears before you test? Many of us use a rice sock. It also helps to briskly rub the ear to get blood flowing. Be sure to apply pressure afterwards to prevent bruising and keep ears from getting too sore.

 

The ear is easiest. Are you sure you are heating it til nice and warm? Do you have something to poke against? (small folded kleenix). Where are you poking? ( get a flashlight and look at her ear. You can see the vein running down it. You are aiming for the capillaries that run off that vein toward the edge of the ear. (but in emergencies and since she may be dehydrated, you could hit the vein. It may give you way too much blood and is not good general practice, but if you need a number, you need it)

This sounds ridiculous but sometimes if you put food on your finger and offer it, she will eat off your finger. You could try syringe feeding. Water down the food till nice and thin. Put in a needless syringe and squirt a teeny bit into the side of her mouth. If you try it, take it nice and slow. You don't want her to choke or vomit.

 

you might find some of the tips in this link helpful: Hometesting Links and Tips.

good luck!

 

Huntress- Thanks, I'll try that next time and give her poor ears a rest.

Terri- LOL@KFC! I may try that if all else fails. I'm hoping her appetite will come back once we get her sugar up to normal.

Amanda- I wasn't at first, but read earlier that might help. I used a warm rag, but will make a rice sock for future use.

Sue- The flashlight is genius. I will definitely try that. I tried offering it on my finger earlier. I even dabbed a little on her nose to give her a taste. She seemed interested, but like something was stopping her- nauseous I guess. If she's not eaten by 10, I'll try the syringe.

Jill- Thanks! I'll check that out!

I'll post again when we take another reading.

 

Yes she could be have upset stomach form the the Glipizide, I just hopes she eats something soon. If she does not start eating by morning I would not give any more pills and take her to the ER. Do not take back to your vet.

Terri

 

We also sometimes give 1/4 of a 10mg Pepcid AC for nausea. (not Pepcid Complete)


Edited to fix mistake.

 

KFC........so many that won't eat will eat KFC. Also, do you have any Pepcid A/C on hand? Has to be A/C not Pepcid Complete. If you do, you can give her either 1/4 tab b.i.d. (twice a day) or give her a 1/2 now if you have the 10 mg tablet. Helps settle the tummy but do not forget to syringe a little water, carefully, down her throat after dry pilling her.

 

i find the back paw testing easier, with my cat at least. he never has flinched or made a fuss about it. i doubt he even feels it. here's my method: i sit on the floor and put Gobbles on my lap, belly up and then grab hold of one of his feet, vigorously rub for about 15 seconds, and poke with lancet in the middle of back paw pad (i don't find the need--but you may want to warm his paw pad first with a rice sock, warm washcloth). once poked, i hold the paw pad between 2 fingers and gently squeeze for the drop of blood to form...sometimes, i don't get a big enough "bead", so i just poke again..... after testing, i apply pressure for 15 seconds, then a coating of triple antibiotic creme...

 

Here's a video showing paw pad testing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdUqsCUAyKU

 

We've been unable to get enough blood for another test. We've tried 4-5 sticks and just cannot bear to do it anymore tonight. She's miserable and we're frustrated.

She's eaten on and off a few times since 9:30 and is eating now. It's gotta be up with what she's eaten and the corn syrup I put on her gums since I checked last.

We're going to figure something out to test in the morning. We are considering shaving a small patch on her belly and doing it that way. Her ears are sore and her foot pads are likely sore now. We used the rice sock and in fact, she was sitting on the vent before we tried her feet, so they were nice and toasty. Not enough blood and when we did get enough blood, she pulled away and smeared what we had.

We're gonna go to bed and start over in the morning. Will keep y'all posted.

Also, if someone can post a link on how to read the spreadsheets I'd really appreciate it. Looks like Greek to me.

 

It's good that she has eaten a little. You might leave food out overnight so she can eat if she wants.

The spreadsheet: amps=morning preshot number before eating
+3 = the number 3 hours after the shot
+6 = the number 6 hours after the shot
Pmps= evening preshot number before eating

I am hoping that when you can get some numbers, they will be non diabetic. Just for a reference, we consider a cat in remission if they range between 40-120 ( without insulin) with the majority of the time in double digits, for 2 weeks.

I don't think you can get a blood glucose reading on her belly. (I have never heard of anyone doing that) You'd have to be able to hit capillaries and I don't know how you would do that. Tomorrow, come on and tell us exactly how you are testing, all the steps. Maybe we will have some modifications you can try.

 

With numbers that low from the glip (I also recommend not giving her any more), dry food, and her young age, I'm not even sure if she should go on insulin just yet. That is something to worry about later.

Right now, make sure she's eating. Once that's out of the way, I suggest transitionig her to low carb, wet food ONLY. She may have had an infection that spiked her BG numbers, it may have been vet stress, but without a fructosamine test and daily monitoring, there's no way to *definitively* state she is diabetic just yet. I'm really concerned about those low numbers on just the glip.

 

Good news that she's eating, even if its just a little - hoping the nausea is starting to wear off (maybe as the glipizide is leaving her system??)

 

Hi Kristi, welcome to FDMB.

I wanted to offer a suggestion for testing -- you can take a sock and fill it with some uncooked rice, tie a knot, and heat it up in the microwave for 10 seconds. If you press that to Bijou's ear for a few seconds before you test, it should help draw the blood to the surface. As someone else mentioned, you can use Neosporin ointment with pain relief after. A little dab before you test might also help the blood drop form and might reduce some discomfort. I wish you and Bijou all the best.

 

Kristi

I would not recommend testing on the belly area. That is a very senstive area on a cat, it could be very painful and might cause an aversion to testing altogether. I would stick to the ears if at possible or paw pads. Hope she is eating this morning and feeling better.

Terri

 

Morning everyone,

We made it through the night! In fact, she woke me up like always (before all this started) making biscuits on my chest. She apparently ate the rest of what I had out for her during the night and was hungry this morning! She's back to her old affectionate, very vocal, self this morning. She drank some water and has taken up residence in her favorite spot- the floor vent. (This is how she was before the glip yesterday.)

She's been eating the wet food since last night. Until I did all this reading the past few days, I was under the impression that dry food was better for cats. :/ She's always preferred wet. Sure wish I'd listened to her a long time ago. Between last night and this morning, I'd say she's eaten an entire can of the Fancy Feast.

A different local vet called me back last night about 1 a.m. (He'd just gotten my vm. Service is spotty in this area.) He agreed with everything I told him and was really nice. One thing he offered to do was to check her BG at the office and see how it compares with the readings I get on the meter. Basically, he'll draw blood give a bit for the strip and test the rest himself. That way we're both sure that my meter is good and accurate. He agreed though that either way it sounded like she definitely was hypoglycemic yesterday and what I did was right. (Thanks y'all)

He's not a fan of the glipizide either and suggested a few types of insulin we could try. First though, he wants to make sure that she actually *is* a diabetic, but said that 383 (her original BG on Friday) is pretty high and he's inclined to think she is or it could be an underlying issue combined with vet stress. He's got a hospital about 40 minutes away and said if anything happens today to call him and he'd meet me there. I think I found a new vet!

As for testing, I'm going to leave her alone for awhile today. If she appears to be *not herself* at all, I'll whip it out and we'll go from there. As for right now, she's enjoying the vent and waiting on the dogs to come in so she can smack them around.

 

Kristi

Things sound much better this morning and it sounds like you have it under control. I am glad you might have found a better vet that will listen to you.I think that is a very good idea to compare the meters to see how accurate yours is so you know what your readings are. Fancy Feast is very good to feed her, most here feed that but they feed mostly the pate style. Dry food for diabetic is not good.
I would not give her any more Glipizide. Hopefully you can work with the new vet to get on her on injectable insulin which should work a lot better if she really is diabetic. Some cats can be diet controlled just by removing dry food and feeding only canned foods.
Glad to hear she better this morning, what a scary night.

Terri

 

The vet you spoke with sounds like a keeper.

 

Important note on human glucometers: at the low end, they may read about 30 points lower than the vet's lab equipment or a pet-specific glucometer.

This is OK - you use different number ranges depending on the type of meter.
Ex
You don't want a new diabetic cat going lower than:
50 on a human glucometer
80 on a pet-specific glucometer

Also, the FDA allows glucometers to read +/- 20% of the 'true' value
Thus
50 -> 40 to 60
100 -> 80 to 120
200 -> 160 to 240
400 -> 320 to 480
Notice how the range of values gets wider as you go higher. This is OK as it won't change what you do.

 

Glad to hear this morning, this vet sounds like a good one, so a 40 minutes ride is worth it. I am sure you agree. Keep us updated and great work last night with your baby. ;-)

 

joining in late, but wanted to welcome you and let you know we all get how you feel. just remember to breath stay calm. your in the right place. we are here for you

 

Hi Kristi, Just checking in to see how you and Bijou are doing. Have you been to the new vet? Have you started insulin?

 

Hi y'all,

We're scheduled to go to the vet today. I had a work trip yesterday that I couldn't get out of. My partner could've taken her, but I feel like I need to be there, so we're going today.

I'm hoping against all hope that she's *not* a diabetic. She's been fine for two days. Appetite is good. Bathroom business is all good. She's active, alert, and up to her mischievous ways around the house. My heart is glad every morning she trips me to get to the food bowl.

I'll update this evening after we've seen the doctor! Thanks y'all!

 

Smacking dogs around = good. hee hee...Yes there are others following this journey not posting. Wishing you all the best.
jeanne

 

Sending (((((healing vines))))) & Best Wishes for Kristi & Bijou!!! :razz: Good luck @ the new vet's office....wish I could find someone who's in the vet field that would listen to me :roll: Luckily we have the FDMB forums & all good advice from people more experienced than us newbies! :thumbup Cindy & Sabrina cat_pet_icon

 

Plenty of vines coming from Ohio And yes, Luckily we all have eachother :YMHUG:

 

following but not posting often, but healings vines heading your way from little ri
fdmb best place on earth, has officially topped disney land for me. :razz:

 

Hi Y'all!

We're back from the vet and settling in. We actually went back to see the other vet. The new vet wanted me to go back and see him first. We had a much different visit this time!

He couldn't get over how great she looks: "She's good and hydrated. Her coat looks good. She's bright-eyed and alert." They weighed her- 0.5 pound increase! (Probably mostly fluid.) He just went on and on. I told him about the testing I did and he was impressed. He couldn't believe I actually did it. Ha! He tested her glucose (drum roll please) it was 97.

Yes, you read that right 97!! He was amazed and baffled. I asked "So no diabetes?" He said "No, doesn't look like it." He asked me to keep an eye on her and test her from time to time just to make sure. Other than that, we're good.

So so glad I found you all. This MB saved my sanity and my kitty's life. If not for y'all, I likely would've given her the glip on Saturday night and don't know if she would've made it. Thank you all a million times. I just can not begin to express how much I appreciate what you did for us. Much love and many blessings to you and your kitties.

 

:RAHCAT cat_pet_icon