Booboo and I

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redcleo

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Booboo is my rescue kitty we've had for about 8 years now. I found this beautiful friend at my boyfriend and I's first apartment complex after moving to Dallas, two bright green eyes peering out from under a deck. He's been a part of our home and hearts ever since.
Boo, or Bubba as we nicknamed him, was diagnosed diabetic a year and a half ago. We got him on Prozinc and got his diet on track. He's been stable for a year and four months. Until last week.
Bub had a Hypo attack. I rushed him to the emergency vet who stabilized him and sent me to a new vet near my home. His current dose of insulin had been too high. My old vet had some experience with diabetics, but I'm aware now that it wasn't nearly enough. After a day on fluids and some critical care food, he perked up a lot and I was able to take him home. He was doing okay over the weekend and a trip to the new vet on Monday had his glucose a little high due to no insulin prescribed over the weekend. A new lower dose recommended, some different diabetic food and a trip scheduled Tues. Tuesdays visit, he was a bit lethargic, but his levels were spot on. He hadn't eaten much that day, he'd been drinking water though, and the vet was able to get him to eat some at the clinic. Today has been ups and downs. He's not eating much again and is shying away from me, and what he did eat he threw up about 30 min later.
I've got a trip scheduled tomorrow morning, but he's got me very scared right now. I don't want to lose him, and I'm so afraid of doing something wrong again. :cry:

I've frequent this board several times over the last year, just reading and looking for advice. This is just something I am really out of my league on, so I'm reaching out to this wonderful community. I have the honey and emergency vet on standby, what else can I do?
 
One of the very best things you can do for BooBoo is learn to test him yourself at home. It is a bit of a learning curve but it will give you a lot of peace of mind, because you can know at a moment's notice where his blood sugar is at. Any human meter will work just fine as long as it fits in the budget and takes a small sample of blood...In fact if you have a Walmart close by they have a housebrand meter called the Relion that is like $9 and 50 test strips for around $20.

I can help with the dosing of his insulin since my diabetic that is still insulin dependent is on Lantus, but lots of folks here use Prozinc and can help with that end of things.

I know a few questions that folks are going to be asking are:

What dose is he now on and how often is it being given?
What is he eating?
And what has been his readings at the vet's? Since it sounds like you haven't been testing him at home.

It may be a little slow around here right now but hang in there others will be along..Just try to breathe..and if you think he is in real trouble head off to the ER Vet, much better to take him in for nothing than to worry about him all night.

I, myself am just turning in for the night since it is nearly 1am for me, I was just up to test my little diabetic girl one last time before heading to bed.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
His current dose is 2 units twice a day right after eating(U40 syringe). The vet has given me both Hill's prescription M/D and Purina DM wet foods to try, with an option to try dry food a little later, but for now just the wet food, half a can (if I can get him to eat that much) at each feeding before injection. He turned his nose up at the Purina, so I've been working with the Hill's MD. Still have a little of the Hill's Critical Care left from his weekend trip in case he turns his nose up at the "Peas and carrots" MD food, as the vet calls it.
Mondays check was at 330.
Tuesday he was at 189.
Today he was the same as Tuesday.
I don't have a home monitor yet, but the vet will be ordering me one once we get a little closer to a point where I won't be taking him there every day. Thank you for the tip on a human meter, that's much more in the current budget since I've earmarked this weeks paycheck to his visits, and I think the vet said the cat/dog meter was closer to the $100 range. The Relion will get me going and I can breathe easier knowing instead of wondering. The only concern I have is with his ears, he has "crinkle ears". The vet said he most likely was in a few fights before we found him and the damage caused them to fold. I'm hoping this won't be a problem for testing.
I'll talk to the vet about ketones too. Will probably need some blood work redone tomorrow also.
Thank you both.
 


If you click on the pic, it will enlarge. Vinnie came to me from a shelter in RI and is in remission but I still test every now and then. If you look at his ears, the one is especially bad....totally crinkle and thickened. I have no trouble getting blood because you only need a tiny piece of EDGE of the ear to test.

Also, if your kitty isn't feeling well, please don't wait to ask your vet about ketones. Buy some Ketostix at a pharmacy and test his urine for ketones. If they only have KetoDiastix, they are fine also and test urine for both glucose and ketones.

There is no need to spend a fortune on the meter from your vet.......plus the test strips for that meter are very expensive. Just buy a ReliOn from Walmart as others have suggested and start hometesting.

Food wise a lot of use FancyFeast and Friskies. No need for the expensive food from the vet.
 
The vet has given me both Hill's prescription M/D and Purina DM wet foods to try, with an option to try dry food a little later, but for now just the wet food, half a can (if I can get him to eat that much) at each feeding before injection. He turned his nose up at the Purina, so I've been working with the Hill's MD. Still have a little of the Hill's Critical Care left from his weekend trip in case he turns his nose up at the "Peas and carrots" MD food, as the vet calls it.
Click to expand...

As far as the "option to try dry food later".... I would definitely not choose that option for two reasons.
Dry food tends to be higher in carbohydrates, and low carbs is one of the most important requirements with a diabetic cat.
Dry food is just not good for cats, period. Here's a link to a site detailing all the reasons for that. Dr. Lisa is an expert on feline nutrition, and please feel free to share her website with your vet.
http://catinfo.org/?link=felinediabetes

You can also save yourself a lot of money, and help Boo out a great deal by finding a better (and lower carb) food than the two prescription foods the vet gave you. A "good" low-carb food would be one that contains 7% or less of its calories from carbs.
While Purina DM is not terrible at 7%, the problem often is that cats won't eat it, which is something you have seen first hand. The Hill's m/d however comes in at 14%, so it is not an ideal choice. Here are two links to food charts that will help you out. You will see (if you look at the % kcal from carbs) column that there are dozens of better choices that can be found at the grocery store or from pet stores that are 7% or less AND are much cheaper than prescription food. Most of us use brands such as Fancy Feast, Friskees, Special Kitty, Sophiticat and 9-lives for instance.
http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html
http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodOld.html

And you can do just fine using a human meter and strips, the relion is a good choice and is the one I use. If you do get a human meter, bring it to the vet next visit and run a test alongside their meter. The relion may read a little lower than there meter, but that is not a problem as long as you and the vet are aware of the variance from the beginning. Using a human meter will save you big bucks, and it will enable you to always know where Boo's BG is at, and how much a dose of insulin is doing over the course of a cycle. It will also give you the data to know if a dose is too high or too low. With the numbers you posted, it is likely that the 2u dose might be a little bit more than Boo needs. It depends on when those 180's were taken in relation to when the shot was given, but those are not terribly high numbers.

Carl
 
I thank you all for your time and responses. I am terribly broken right now, I lost my baby today. He took a massive turn for the worse this morning. Got him to the vet as soon as he started going downhill, gave fluids and checked levels, but there wasn't much they could do. The doc said cancer after the new blood work, it had set on quickly and was sending his levels into craziness, and his poor system couldn't take it. He had lost control of his body. My boyfriend and I along with our wonderful new vet clinic had to make the hardest decision ever.
We said goodbye to him this afternoon. I miss him horribly, there is a barren spot on my lap, but he's not hurting any longer. Our other two kitties are missing him too. I hope he's running and playing again, and headbutting my departed family to give him some cheek rubs. He was such a special and unique friend and he will always have a huge place in my heart.
I miss you buddy.
 
Oh I am so sorry and so sad for you. You did what in your heart you knew needed to be done for Booboo and that was to help him leave for the Bridge. Sometimes there isn't much we are given knowledge wise to help them no matter how hard we try and all the tests run and cats are so good at hiding illness. You have my deepest and most heartfelt sympathy wings_cat
 
I am so sorry for your loss but you gave BooBoo the last and greatest act of Love that we mere humans have to give our precious fur babies...You set him free from his pain and took it into your own hearts. He will always be alive in your heart and memories. May those wonderful memories of the life you shared together comfort you in this sad time.

Fly Free BooBoo on angel wings and land ever so softly back in your momma's heart. wings_cat

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
So very sorry for your grief.

land softly, BooBoo.

all four of us lighting candles for your baby-

celi, binks, smudge & annie

Candle.gif
 
Thank you all. Your words have been a big comfort to us. We still have two wonderful kitties in our home, and someday after some time we may start fostering again for a local shelter.
I know he's smiling again.
2eex105.jpg
 
I am so sorry for your loss; I know the sadness can be overwhelming at times. Try to take comfort in knowing you did all you could for him and I pray that soon you will be able to enjoy your memories of him with more laughter than tears.

Libby
 
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