trying this again

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Krista.K.S, Apr 5, 2015.

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  1. Krista.K.S

    Krista.K.S New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2015
    Hello all. I decided to join this for my cat Lucy. She was diagnosed with diabetes back in 2011. She is currently 12 years old. A week ago I admitted her to the animal hospital where she had to stay for four nights. What started off as an upper respiratory issue then turned into jaundice she had a liver biopsy done to find out that she is struggling with a fatty liver. So now I am assisting feeding her with syringe three times a day with high calorie food and her insulin has went from one unit to two units every 12 hours. It can be pretty intense and stressful I just want to see her get well!! I'm sure there are some people on here that can relate. I don't quite know how to use this site yet but I will take some time to figure it out if anyone wants to reply with any tips that would be much appreciated. Thank you. Kris
     

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  2. Larry and Kitties

    Larry and Kitties Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    Welcome. Most of use here test our cat's blood sugar using a hamd-helo human meter and reported the results in a spreadsheet that can be vied by others. See:
    http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
    The stress of the illness along with the syringe food which may be high carb is likely causing the increase in insulin needs.
    What are you now feeding? Could it be AD?
    What were you feeding before?
    What insulin are you using?
     
  3. Krista.K.S

    Krista.K.S New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2015
    Hi, I was using a AD but we upped it to veterinarian formula Max calorie for critical care. Quite substantially higher in calories than the A.D. She was on DM and fancy feast pate. The insulin she's been on since the beginning is Caninsulin. Which I've heard mixed reviews about I'm not sure if I will change that nothings been mentioned about that thus far. Food is made by Iams btw.
     
  4. Krista.K.S

    Krista.K.S New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2015
    Question, I see that there is a US a spreadsheet would there happen to be a Canadian spreadsheet?
     
  5. Elizabeth and Bertie

    Elizabeth and Bertie Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2010
    Hi,
    Folks outside the US use the 'World Spreadsheet Template' :)
     
  6. Vyktors Mum

    Vyktors Mum Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2011
    The world spreadsheet is great you just fill in the world page and it auto populates the U.S. page so others can understand the numbers. Lucy is gorgeous with those huge green eyes :)

    Caninsulin is not the best insulin for most cats because it doesn't last long enough but there is the odd cat it works for. Her BG numbers (are you testing?) will show whether or not it works for Lucy.
     
  7. Chris & China (GA)

    Chris & China (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 10, 2013
    The "World" spreadsheet automatically converts your numbers. Most of the people here are in the US and we use a different system, so if you use the World spreadsheet, you can enter the numbers like YOU see and we can check the converted numbers so we see them in the scale we're used to.
     
  8. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2010
    Instructions are here.

    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)
    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.

    It is merely a grid for storing the info; no math required.
     
  9. Larry and Kitties

    Larry and Kitties Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    Caninsulin is marketed as Vetsulin in the USA. It is really for dogs, not cats. Caninsulin only lasts about 8-10 hours in cats.
     
  10. Krista.K.S

    Krista.K.S New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2015
    Ok great thank you!! I don't suppose is really a point in doing her blood sugar curve until she is close to back to normal as far as her liver is concerned? She's not on her usual diet right now... So her numbers are going to be high with the amount of calories she has to intake for the next few weeks to come?
     
  11. BJM

    BJM Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2010
    It will help you monitor her recovery to track her numbers and help you decide if she needs to see the vet. You will want to monitor her insulin dose carefully, as it may need an increase to manage the higher calorie food.
     
  12. Wendy&Neko

    Wendy&Neko Senior Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2012
    Hi Krista - Hi to you and sweet Lucy from another Canadian. I fostered a kitty with fatty liver disease, and I was told that many smaller meals were easier on him. I fed him about 6-8 meals a day and it was easier trying to get smaller amounts in at one time. The Iams MaxCal is a good choice, it's considered low carb. At the time, I used the Royal Canin Recovery which is also low carb but not as many calories as the MaxCal. And also easy to syringe feed. Is she eating any food on her own, or only via syringe?

    My Neko also started out on Caninsulin - she's done much better on the longer lasting insulins Lantus and Levemir.
     
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