Our update

I haven't posted much lately due to various reasons and mostly to do with my schedule and energy levels due to my own health issues. I have been reading others' posts and updates though I haven't posted much. Lucy is well and we saw the vet last week as she had some diarrhea and lack of appetite and that is unusual though when I say lack of appetite it was only for half a day and I rushed her to the vet. This is because my Lucy loves her food so much and I panic a bit when she won't eat but it was just a tummy upset possibly food related the vet said and by the time we got home from the vet she was meowing for food. The vet examined Lucy's teeth and she needs another dental done in the next few months and at this time it looks like just a clean is needed. Lucy had a dental done at the start of this year and had a clean and two teeth out and her glucose levels improved after the dental was done. I think that Lucy's teeth and gingivitis might be one of the reasons her glucose levels seem to be more raised again as well as her arthritis too. I give Lucy PAWS Osteosupport and this has helped her arthritis symptoms but I think we probably do need some medication now too. I think attending to her teeth cleaning and some medication for her arthritis as well as some more weight loss will improve her glucose levels as well as possibly an increase in dose. I have not been able to dose consistently every twelve hours lately due to my own often unpredictable schedule but I am doing the best I can so this is one of the reasons I have held the dose at 1.75 units for a while now. In addition we have had some unpredictable very low glucose levels in the past few months of 1.7/31 that make me anxious to increase the dose. My sense is that Lucy's teeth and arthritis are elevating her glucose levels as well as occasional constipation as I have noticed that when she has a good poop her glucose levels can come down very fast. So I am going to add pumpkin to her food more often on the advice of the vet. Thank you for reading my post and I hope everyone and their kitties are well too.
My previous post:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dose-advice-needed.146141/#post-1517729

 

I was going to say add pumpkin and when I got to the end of your post you already are planning it

I need to take my girl in to the vet but due to unexpected financial issues it's going to have to wait a bit. We do what we have to do.

Hope her dental and arthritis meds help her levels!

 

Thank you Suzi. All the best to Snickers and you too. I understand about financial issues so we have to wait a little for the dental too. We do our best and that is all we can do. Hugs to you.

 

Hi Voula! So good to see you.
It must be hard for you trying to juggle your health issues and looking after Lucy. I think you are doing a really good job.
I worry if Sheba doesn't eat as well, as she is a good eater and if she is not eating, I know she is sick.

I am sure that pain raises Sheba's blood sugars. She has pain meds twice a day and it makes a difference. She is also on PAWS like Lucy. Did you look into cartrophen? It is very good. it can be hard finding the right pain meds for cats as there is not that much choice really but I am sure you will find what is right for Lucy.

I also give Sheba pumpkin 1 teaspoon twice a day for roughage as she is on a home prepared diet. I cook up about half a pumpkin then mash it and freeze it in small portions and get it out of freezer as needed. Lasts for ages.

I hope you can get Lucy sorted out with her teeth and arthritis. Hugs to you both

 

Thank you so much Bron. Yes the vet and I discussed cartrophen as well as options for pain medications. We decided to leave that for a week or so until we were sure that Lucy had no more diarrhea or tummy upset so I will make another appointment soon to discuss options further and get some medication to try. Thank you for letting me know that you give Sheba pumpkin. I have found pumpkin excellent for constipation. The vet thinks it might also bulk up Lucy's low carb food a bit without increasing the carb content too much in order to help her feel fuller as I have noticed when I feed her low carb food she wants to eat more of it than when she eats higher carb food.

 

Voula --

Please take care of yourself. You can't take care of Lucy if you are ill or overwhelmed. Adjusting a shot time is not the end of the world and we've all had to do the best we can given circumstances we have little or no control over.

I think you're wise to only change one thing at a time. From your post, I wasn't expecting Lucy's SS to look as good as it does.

 

Thank you Sienne. Lucy doesn't have any obvious diabetes symptoms. She seems happy in herself so that is the main thing so whilst her glucose levels could be lower overall I am okay with how she is at the moment and I think with more consistent dosing every twelve hours this dose would produce better glucose levels and in one way I am more concerned about her arthritis than her diabetes. It isn't easy trying to balance everything with insulin dosing, medical appointments and procedures for the both of us and trying to do a little work to help pay for all our medical needs. On top of my Crohn's disease and the many challenges that presents it seems I need my varicose veins treated soon as they have been causing me issues lately too. So I am doing the best I can as we all do. Thank you again.

 

Have you tried Cosequin for her arthritis? If not, it's available online -- it's not prescription. It's a glucosamine and chondroitin combination. It works for some kitties (and humans -- although not as Cosequin) and not for others. It may be worth investigating.

 

Thank you Sienne. We can't get Cosequin here but we can get Joint Guard and that is similar and made by the same company that makes Cosequin. I think @Vyktors Mum has experience with Joint Guard. I chose the Osteosupport because our vet said it is similar but because it is green lipped mussel powder and that is known to be good for diabetes in people it seemed to be a good first choice to try and in addition our vet has had good success with the Osteosupport. But I would be open to trying the Joint Guard. I think though that Serryn had some concerns about glucosamine increasing Vyktor's glucose levels though the company that makes Joint Guard says it is made for cats and wouldn't cause increased glucose levels or affect diabetes.

 

Γεια σου Βούλa! τι μου κάνεις?
Black kitty is in example of the importance of dental health. I never imagined that five months after eight extractions and a serious cleaning he would need another dental but he did. After that it was straight to the falls.
Να 'σαι καλά

 

Γιάσου Σάντη! Thank you so much for your reply and good wishes too. Thank you also for reminding me of Black Kitty's dentals and the positive effects you had from them. Yes as you said I also didn't think that my Lucy would need another dental so soon after the last one. Before Lucy developed diabetes her teeth were pretty good. I think other health issues certainly impact on teeth as I well know from my own experience too as I visit the dentist regularly. My Rosie had very good teeth all her life until she developed lymphoma and then the vet said she needed a dental done though it was not urgent at the time. Best wishes to you and Black Kitty and thank you again for the reminder about your positive experiences about the impact that dental work can have on diabetes. More hugs.

 

It was a dental that pushed Vyktor into remission the first time around too and I've got a horrible feeling we may need to go there again

I do have concerns about glucosamine with Vyktor but I think that he has a particular sensitivity that I don't think would apply to all kitties - I figure we would know about it if it did! Vyktor responds to it within days instead of the weeks it is supposed to take and a bit of googling showed that they use excessive glucosamine doses to push rats and mice into an insulin resistant state for medical research (the b@$&t@$d$) so my thoughts are that a regular dose for Vyktor acts like an excessive dose. I have a half finished tub here that I am happy to send you if you'd like to try it for Lucy (just PM me your address) - you might want to check with your vet first though, to make sure that giving both supplements together is okay.

 

Just wanting to say hi to you, Voula, and your sweet Lucy. If she's feeling good, that's everything, isn't it?!

Take care of yourself! It's great to see you.

 

Thank you Serryn. I asked the vet about what more natural options there are a while ago and she said to only give one or the other as the Osteosupport green lipped mussel powder has natural elements in it very similar to the Joint Guard. Given that green lipped mussel is also thought to be beneficial for diabetes and because I think overall Lucy's glucose levels seem to be better since starting it I am a bit anxious about stopping it. I just bought a big bottle of it too so I would like to use that first but thank you so much for the offer. I might take you up on it later on. It sounds like Vyktor might be sensitive to glucosamine as you said. It is interesting that the Joint Guard website or the Cosequin website mention that their product is suitable for cats with diabetes or something like that so they must be aware of the potential for glucosamine to impact on diabetes. The Osteosupport seems a little different. I buy the Osteosupport for dogs as it is exactly the same product but it is cheaper and our vet gives the Osteosupport for dogs to her cat and the clinic cat too. Here is a description from the website. https://www.pawbyblackmores.com/products/osteosupport-joint-care-powder-cats
"Natural green lipped mussel powder (Perna128®) manufactured using lower temperatures for a highly concentrated product;

• With high levels of Omega 3 (EPA, DHA & ETA) for joint pain relief for cats.
• Includes a natural source of glycosaminoglycans (Chondroitin 6 Sulfate) that are key nutrients required for cartilage production to aid joint care."

 

Thank you Julie. Yes my Lucy is good and to be honest I am a bit more concerned about her arthritis and teeth than her diabetes at the moment but yes feeling good is everything for sure. Because Lucy shows no diabetes symptoms even with glucose levels above normal I sometimes think she may have had diabetes for longer than I thought but she is having insulin now so that is the main thing. Thank you again.

 

Voula, I was very interested to read that you give the doggie version of the PAWS osteo support to Lucy.
I give the cat version to Sheba but the dog one is cheaper. It looks like it is the same product. What did your vet say about it? Thanks

 

Hi Bron. I emailed the company and the vet there said it is exactly the same product and exactly the same dose and all that is different is the container the capsules are in. Our vet confirmed this too. The vet from the company said initially the company sold one product and then apparently consumers wanted a dog and a cat version and they repackaged the product into dog and cat capsules but they are exactly the same ingredient and dose. Maybe the dog version is cheaper because a big dog needs more capsules and it would be too expensive if it was the same price as the cat version of the product so it is all marketing.

 

Thanks Voula for that information. I think I will swap over to the dog version.

 

Hi Bron. Our vet only stocks the dog version and sells it for cats and dogs and uses the dog version for her cat and the clinic cat too. There is only one ingredient in the capsule and that is green lipped mussel powder and as I said I confirmed that with the vet who answers questions for Blackmores who make the product as I was concerned maybe there were fillers in the dog version that might not be in the cat version and he said no it is just the green lipped mussel powder in both and they are exactly the same.

 

Well I didn't need to increase the dose as we had a good couple of cycles and Lucy enjoyed the snacks every few hours when I did the glucose tests. Though I earnt the BOS a while ago I don't feel confident dosing close to 2.8/50 so I waited a little to make sure the BG was holding steady as Lucy sometimes has dropping glucose levels into the next cycle with or without insulin sometimes.