rough start, much better now

My name is Denise and my Spook was diagnosed 9/7/15. We live in the Detroit Mi area. My vet actually referred me to this website initially, but I was so overwhelmed at the time, I did not do much poking around. I was blessed to be referred by a facebook friend to another gal who has been through this with her own beloved Kitty who has since crossed the bridge. She has been my lifeline over the last three weeks.

I have totally mastered the home testing, and giving Spook his injections, (on LEVEMIR from the start) although measuring those .25 units is a challenge. (He started out at 1 unit, but after his curve done one week ago, along with studying his numbers- we have done some dose adjusting with my vet's approval) I used an old magnifying glass for the first time this morning, and boy, what a difference! Definitely gives me more confidence.

I started out with the Alpha Trak 2, but also have the Relion Confirm which we are transitioning to due to obvious cost.

Spook's BG at time of DX was 489. He and my other three cats have switched over to Friskies Classics Pate and YAZC. I honestly had very little clue about this whole high carb dry deal and how dangerous it can be, especially if you free feed. Spook was over 20 lbs, now down to 15 lbs (he lost the weight over a period of a year and a half)

I will be getting his spread sheet done and attached to my profile hopefully today. I know this is needed to get proper advise from the board.

Thank you all and I am certainly not glad to be here, but very glad this forum exists!

Denise

 

Welcome. You seem to have things well under control.

 

Welcome Denise and Spooky! Spooky is so cute! I love black cats(have 7 of them myself!). It does sound like you're doing well. I just recently switched to Levemir from ProZinc and am learning the ropes. This forum has really helped me a lot and I'm sure they will help you too. Good luck!

 

Thank you Larry and Sharon. We are early in this, eager to keep learning, and feeling hopeful!

 

Here are a number of Secondary Monitoring Tools you may find helpful.

 

Thank you BJM. I've printed it out, along with the Human Glucometer and Veterinary Lab reference numbers and notes to add to Spooky's file.
There is so much to learn here.

 

Welcome Denise and Spook 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. Here is some additional information and some of it is duplicated from previous suggestions.

Denise - Since you are using a spreadsheet that indicates that you are using an AlphaTrak meter, you may want to change it to indicate a Relion meter. If you use the same SS, I would also draw a color line in your spreadsheet indicating when you "start" the Relion meter. We just started using the spreadsheet that indicates AlphaTrak so am not sure how folks here want to handle for those who transition to a human meter. Any advice anyone?

Signature: Currently your signature has your SS information. Could you also add additional information like your cat's name and age, dx date, insulin brand, any other illnesses that Spook may have, etc. Check out other signatures and you can determine what you think would be important to share.

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

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. Here 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. 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 it. 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. A

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 inwww.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.

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. 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. There is a link here somewhere that has a list of low carb treats but I don't have it right now.

Injections: Most folks here use one of these main insulins; Lantus, Levemir and Prozinc. 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

Note: Please check your insulins as there are some (the harsher ones like Humulin, Novlin, Vetsulin, etc.) that would be best to allow some time after your kitty has eaten before you shoot.

If you have any questions, please be sure to post in the Health Forum.

 

Welcome. Sounds like your off to a good start. I'm new here also and have had so much help and learned so much.

My Smokey is going to switch insulin in a few days. I don't post to much right now as there is nothing happening with Smokey. His numbers are all over the place. Once we start the switch I'm sure I'll be on here constantly, people are going to get sick and tired of me.

Good luck and keep us updated.

 

Cindi, thank you so much for all the information. Some of it I have learned, but much of it I am still learning, obviously. As there is so much to this. I am still working on figuring out my signature information and getting me and Spooky's profile and spreadsheet data set up correctly. It may not be until further into the week, things are still settling in with all of this, and having six animals and working full time leaves me little time for much else. You'll probably be hearing from me soon with more questions. Today was my 10 hour day and the dogs just got fed, now it's time to feed me... LOL

ps Spooky's numbers were great today- AMPS 123 no shot PMPS 204- gave him .25 unit

pss Thank you for the welcome Woodsywife, I just know our fur babies are gonna be ok are in the right hands!

 

correction to above:
AMPS today was 113, not 123

 

You really are getting some nice numbers...great job. A couple of things you might want to consider; 1) get a test in before you go to bed. Many kitties go lower at night so if you got a +2 or +3, it is a good indicator if they are going to be safe for the night. 2) I know that you are working during the day, but if you could get some mid-cycle (nadir) tests say on the weekend or at night, that would help to see how well the insulin is working.

You might want to consider posting on the Lantus/Levemir Forum. You could get dosing questions answered there. Also, you might want to consider U100 syringes. You can buy them at Walmart as well. It is smaller syringe but have half marks and you can easily dose as low as 0.20 instead of 0.50. Is your Levemir a U100 insulin? It should tell you on the bottle. If it is, no need for a conversion table but if it is a U40 bottle, then you will need a conversion table. Conversion chart

Here are some additional instructions for your signature (courtesy of BJM).
Editing your Signature

In the upper right corner of the screen, within the dark blue bar, you will see ID, Inbox, and Alerts

Click on your ID.

On the left, under Settings, Click on Signature.
This is where you will put information that helps us give you feedback. You are limited to 2 hard returns, so separate pieces by | or -.
This is where you paste the link for your spreadsheet, once it is set up.
Add any other text, such as
your name | cat's name | date of Dx (diagnosis) | insulin | meter
general location (city and state/province)
any other pertinent issues like if there are any food issues, history of DKA, hepatic lipidosis, pancreatitis, allergies, IBD, etc.
Click the Save Changes button at the bottom.

Always click the Save Changes button at the bottom when you have changed anything.

 

Hi Denise and welcome to the FDMB, the best place you never wanted to be. There are so many experienced and caring people here. It sounds like you are all ready to good start with managing Spook's diabetes. If you need any help setting up your SS just ask. Someone helped me and I was so thankful for that. Ask away if you have any questions. Someone is always around to help. And, I just wanted to say that I am so impressed with your Vet referring you!! My vet never had heard of FDMB. Kudos to your vet. See you around the forum.

 

Bobbie, where is Fountainville? I'm 12 miles north of Scranton.

 

Welcome Denise and Spooky! I also have a cat named Spooky, it fits her to a T. You have a good handle on things and Spooky's numbers are very promising! Your vet sounds like a keeper, first one I heard of that recommended this site! I can't imagine having a sugar cat and not being a member here, there are so many helpful links and people. You have come to the right place for sure!