New member

Any help or suggestions is appreciated. Here's some info about my boy Rocky. He's 13, weighs 16.5, and was just diagnosed on 1/28. I took him to vet because I noticed that he was drinking a lot, but I didn't know that was a sign of anything, so we waited a while to take him. So he was drinking a lot, urinating more and once I noticed he was walking funny with hind legs is when he went to vet. Now he had to be sedated at vet because he's very high strung when he goes, hissing like crazy. So vet told me that his numbers were in the 550s, no sugar in urine. I started him on wet food that day because I had looked around on internet about cat diabetes. I was finally able to take blood yesterday. Vet wanted to start him out on 2 units and told me about testing but said it would be fine if I didn't. Glad I like to look stuff up on the internet. Any suggestions on testing BG and insulin dosages would be helpful.

"Vet wanted to start him out on 2 units and told me about testing but said it would be fine if I didn't."

Gahhhh!
Thank goodness you found us here. I'm sure others will be along shortly to point you in the right direction.
We will help you to help Rocky.

MJ

welcoming you onboard. glad you found this forum at early stage of Rocky's diabetes.
I would highly suggest that you do home testing. here is a video that helped me a lot with that when I first start treating Noni and home testing her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8

I don't know about the vet suggestion to start with 2 units. please read on the protocol it's in the sticky notes but I think they usually start with a lower dose 2 units is too much to start with as my vet had me to start with 0.5 unit at first. but lets wait for someone with more experience here to give you a better advice.

(((Rocky))) welcome home

Hey you found us! Welcome to Lantus Land!

FYI, Rockpea has been posting in the main forum and was invited over here. They have gotten in some hometesting and are working on the basics. Here is a link to their condo in Main: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=88426

Hi guys just wanted to welcome you to the board!! You have found the best place to get all your questions answered. I have no dosing advice but most cats are started out with 1u. Home testing is the greatest way to monitor your cats numbers. Good luck and welcome again!

Welcome to LL (LantusLand)! It's great that you are testing already. Be sure to give Rocky a treat every time you try to test, successfully or not. They soon come to associate testing w/ treat and it becomes a lot easier. I think on the Health Forum you said you will test again at +5 or 6 (5 or 6 hours after the shot)? be sure to update you SS as well as letting us know here. When you do include it in you subject line so we can keep an eye on Rocky.

If you look through the list we have a few conventions that make it easy to locate Rocky's post. Every day we start a new post (we call them condos, 'cause we live here! :roll: ) The subject line usually reads: date cat's name AMPS~# Throughout the day we keep the subject line updated w/ any additional tests. You do that by going to your first post of the day, click the "edit button and add the new info to the subject line. You can also add a brief note like the new member you put in todays subject. For the change to show up on the boar list it has to be made in the first post of the day.

So today your subject line would read 2/5 Rocky AMPS~221 new member

During the day post additional comments in a 'post reply" Every time a reply is posted the post is moved to the top of the list. This helps if you need attention, so don't just edit the text body of the first post. People tend not to reread that if they have already seen it.

There are a ton of permanent posts (starred Stickies) at the top of the board. The amount of information can be over whelming, but start reading and ask questions! Don't worry if everything doesn't sink in at once, it didn't for any of us! :YMHUG: :YMHUG:

Welcome to Lantus land!
I am guessing you didnt get another test in today? Do you have a preshot test tonite? I know the board has been down so just wanted to know how he was doing.

I tried both times and no luck. I would manage to get a good stick and then wouldn't get the blood on the stick and when I did get blood on the stick, it wasn't enough. Switched to other ear and got not blood. I finally left him alone after several bad pokes. Don't want to run him off from the whole process since he's doing way better than I expected. I did get a preshot reading tonight with my husband's help. It was 106. I didn't do insulin because it was lower, right?? I was just trying to figure out what to name my new post with that info.

Wow ok cool. Tomorrow morning if he gets insulin you really need to try and get a test in during the day. Sometime between 4-7 hours after the shot would be good. We want to see how low he is going. This 1 unit might even be too high but we wont know without a test. So keep practicing..

FYI if he is not bleeding a lot ..

1. try two small pokes right beside and almost on top each other
2. hold the ear immediately below the pokes and across the vein, to dam the blood
3. apply neosporin beforehand to stop the blood soaking into the fur
4. try milking it

Wendy

Thanks Wendy. You've been so helpful. I'll get it tomorrow.

You can also scrape the drop of blood onto your fingernail, if that's easier in the beginning.

What size lancet are you using? Using something like a 28 gauge lancet which is relatively thick, may help you to be more successful with poking. It can take a little while to "train" your cat's ear to bleed. Usually one ear bleeds better and the more you poke, the more you end up building up the capillary bed in the ear. That makes the process much easier. Once your cat's ears bleed a bit easier, you can shift to a 30 or 31 gauge lancet.

I'm using a 28. The right ear bleeds fine. The left seems to refuse to bleed. I want to switch up because his right ear looks a little red from the poking or maybe it's just blood on his fur.

I would keep on the right ear if its working for you.
It's probably a little bruised but apply the neosporin and maybe just try and find a spot that's around there that doesn't look so bad.

It will heal up and a little bruising is normal until you get the hang of it. Just make sure you apply pressure to the wound for 15-20seconds to help prevent bruising and to help close the wound.

Wendy