New Member -- Am I doing this right??

[Rae's Family]

Hi everyone, my name is Lili, mom to an almost-9-yo tortoiseshell girl (spayed) who was just diagnosed in the new year.

I'm very grateful to have found FDMB within a couple weeks of my baby girl's diagnosis (started insulin 1/14/25). It has been very, very stressful but I finally feel, after 2 1/2 weeks, that my husband and I are getting better at this...

We're doing home monitoring with an AlphaTrak, and Rae just absolutely hates it. Any advice or encouragement that getting blood gets easier would be appreciated. We're currently pricking her ears because we can't get her paws to bleed as easily. We warm them up first by using a warm rag or just petting her to get the blood flowing. We're currently doing the lancet manually (rather than with the little device that came with the meter) because we were having such a hard time hitting the vein with the device. However, I'm a little worried because the first few times we did it this way, we obviously didn't really know what we were doing, and now it looks like she has some blood pooled under her skin in her ears (I'll try to take a picture at some point if anyone wants to see).

While I feel like we're getting better at testing her, I still wonder if we're doing this right. She's still so mad at us about poking her! I wouldn't dare try to get blood more than twice a day because it makes her so upset.

History: We were told in May 2024 that Rae was overweight and showed high triglycerides, so she "needed" to be put on a prescription diet -- Hill's w/d. We opted for the dry food, honestly because the wet food was so much more expensive, but we were told it would be fine. Over the course of the past 6 months or so, Rae did lose a lot of weight (down from 15lbs to about 10 now)... but after finding this forum I'm starting to think the food may have triggered her diabetes and caused the weight loss. We finally took her back into the vet when I noticed excessive water intake. After the diagnosis, we realized some other things about her behavior that were probably symptoms we didn't know were related to diabetes: fur losing its sheen, general grumpiness, and food obsession (she has never been particularly food-motivated, and in the past 6 mos she started stealing food right off our plates). We have two other cats, boys, who annoy her sometimes, but she was getting way more p*ssed off at them, especially around mealtimes.

Please feel free to look at her spreadsheet and let me know what you think. I didn't know to track her shot time separately from her BG check time until about 01/23, so the BG times prior to that are my best estimate.

Thank you everyone for such a wonderful community!!

 

[Tim & Pookey]

Welcome Lili! Looking at your spreadsheet, are you really shooting 5 units at each shot time? That’s a rather large dose to be starting on.

Edit: I see now you’re on Vetsulin, a lot of folks here are on Lantus or Prozinc. Maybe dosing is different for Vetsulin.

As far as the poking goes, what gauge lancet are you using?

 

[Rae's Family]

I just posted this to another thread I was reading, realizing that that is quite different from what I'm seeing most others doing: "Looking at all of your spreadsheets, I'm shocked to see most of your kitties on <3u of insulin... My vet said most cats are on ~8u. I've just started giving Rae 5u this week and she's still in the pinks. Am I not understanding the spreadsheets right?? I can't wrap my head around getting greens and blues with 1.5u..."

We did 1u for a week before getting the home testing meter. When we went back in for the AlphaTrak, vet suggested going up to 3. Then, the day she hit 615 I called the vet, panicked, and he suggested going up to 5 then. We've been doing 5 since Monday night and she seems to be JUST coming down... We're getting consistently mid-300s where we were getting anywhere from 400-500 the last couple weeks, with 360 being her absolute lowest.

Pretty sure we're using standard 28 gauge

 

[Tim & Pookey]

You could potentially try a larger needle, but 28 AWG should be fine. Just to clarify - you shouldn’t be hitting the vein when you poke. Aim for the area between the vein and outer edge of the ear. The lancet tip is slanted if you will, you want to use the longer pointier side.

@Diane Tyler's Mom GA has some introductory information on home testing, maybe she will stop by later. I believe her Tyler was on Vetsulin at one point too.

 

[Rae's Family]

I see now you’re on Vetsulin, a lot of folks here are on Lantus or Prozinc. Maybe dosing is different for Vetsulin.

Hmm, maybe I'll take a look in the Vetsulin thread and see if anyone there knows if there's a difference in dosing...

 

[Rae's Family]

Okay, after reading the intro to vetsulin post, it says we should be waiting 30 min after feeding to shoot... Our vet told us to shoot as soon as she finishes eating, and we've even done it while she's taking her last couple bites before! We did a mid-cycle test on 1/24 because we had forgotten to give her the shot and gave it ~45 after feeding... and that test was the lowest we've ever seen her so I wonder if that's why her BGs are still so high, if it's fast acting and we're giving it too soon....

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB!

I'm glad you found us so soon after Rae was diagnosed. And thank you for getting your signature and spreadsheet set up so quickly!

I'm going to make a few observations.

Rae is on a whopping dose of insulin. We do not start cats out at that large of a dose and do not increase doses by 2 units. The reason for being conservative with dosing is just what you saw when you tested at +5 on 1/24. The insulin is rapidly dropping Rae's blood glucose numbers.

Many vets still prescribe Vetsulin. It's an insulin that is also called Caninsulin and if your reaction was, "That sounds like it's for dogs." you would be correct. It was developed for treating diabetic dogs. The American Animal Hospital Assn (AAHA) stopped recommending it for treating cats in 2018. They recommend either glargine or Prozinc. Vetsulin acts quickly, drops numbers hard and fast, and doesn't last for the 12 hours between shots. Please talk to your vet about a different insulin. I'm linking the guidelines for treating diabetes from the AAHA so you can have them handy to discuss with your vet. And can you add the information that you are using Vetsulin to your signature?

If you aren't able to speak to your vet soon, this is a link to our Beginner's Guide to Vetsulin. I'm hoping that your vet told you that after you test at shot time, you need to feed your cat and wait 20 - 30 min before giving a shot. Vetsulin acts quickly and numbers can plummet. You want to have food on board to prevent numbers from dropping like a rock. (FYI - I rewrote the Guide a few years back. The info that Tim provided is accurate.) We're cross posting and it looks like you saw the information on the sequencing.

What you are likely seeing with only testing twice a day are what we refer to as bounces. When numbers drop (like the blue you saw a couple of days ago), the liver and pancreas release a stored form of glucose along with counterregulatory hormones. As a result, numbers spike upward. This is a protective reaction since Rae is likely not used to being in lower numbers. These bounces can last for 3 days. Since you are only seeing pre-shot numbers, you don't really have a way to know for sure if numbers were lower earlier in the cycle. I'm guessing that they were. So, you get a higher than desirable pre-shot number, the Vetsulin drops the numbers by around +4 or so, Rae's liver and pancreas "panic" and numbers spike which is what you are likely to see at the next shot time/test. Because it's hard to know how well insulin is working based only on pre-shot numbers, we strongly encourage a minimum of 4 tests per day -- your two pre-shot tests and one test during both the AM and PM cycles. Those mid-cycle tests will help you know if numbers are dropping. Without that information, you don't know if you need to reduce the dose.

The best advice I can give you for getting Rae accustomed to testing is one word -- treats! There are low carb options like any freeze dried protein. The pet food stores usually have several different options but chicken is popular. If Rae like human food, cooked chicken is also popular as is cheese, or whatever she likes as long as it's very low/no carbs. She gets a treat no matter if your test is successful or not. And, like Tim noted, don't try to poke the vein. You want to poke between the vein and the outer edge of the ear. It also takes a while for the capillary bed to get built up so the ear will bleed more easily. If you've not already seen it, this is our info on home testing.

Please let us know if you have questions. We like questions and we're here to help.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Also, I've been here for a lot of years. Your vet is incorrect. "Most" cats are not on a dose of 8.0u. They may be on that much insulin in his practice most likely because he's not telling caregivers to get their cat on a low carbohydrate diet. The "prescription" diabetic diets, especially the dry food, is categorically not low in carbs. Even some of the canned prescription food is high in carbs. In addition, using Vetsulin, due to the wide swings in numbers that leave cats at a high blood glucose level for much of the day, means that their fructosamine results will be skewed. Or if people are bringing their cat to the vet for a curve, the stress of being at the vet's office artificially elevates numbers. The vet then suggests a dose increase.

If you look at the spreadsheet in my signature, Gabby was never at that kind of dose. She was diabetic for 6.5 years.

 

[Laurie&Petey]

While I feel like we're getting better at testing her, I still wonder if we're doing this right. She's still so mad at us about poking her! I wouldn't dare try to get blood more than twice a day because it makes her so upset.

Petey is disgusted with the poking too! I felt so awful about it and now we have a decent rhythm. Luckily for me he is very food motivated, so I smear some wet food on a little plate so he has to work at it and it buys me a little more time. I started at 6 with the pen and now we are using the 3 so I think he is much happier about that! I also alternate ears and shoot for the outside edge, sometimes it takes a sec. It's also super easy to do when he's sleeping... and the blood flow is already primed and ready. The more I can do without restraining him, the happier he is. I also had to buy stronger reading glasses to do all the things! Glad you found the forum, you're doing great and she's in good hands!

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Pretty sure we're using standard 28 gauge

I think the AT3 come with 28g lancets. Walmart does sell 26g lancets used by humans for alternate (other than finger tips) testing. Two of my cats use 31g lancets and the other 26g.
For Vetsulin you need to get BGs about 5 hours after shot since that is where BG should be lowest. For longer lasting insulin it is about 6 hours.

 

[squeem3]

Is that 8 units once a day or twice a day? Either way, that's way way too much insulin to start a diabetic cat on.

Try the "rice sock method" to warm up the ears: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/first-hypo-attack.297427/

More testing tips and tricks: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

Hematomas are common and ok Just hold the pricked spot wit a tissue to minimize bruising. Ears do eventually learn to bleed. And you're not aiming for the vein, just the space between the vein and the edge of the ear. If you do hit the vein and get a gusher, no big deal. Get what you need onto the test strip and hold a tissue to the ear to stop the bleeding.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Looking at the spreadsheet I am seeing 5 units twice a day. For a cat who was diagnosed 2 1/2 weeks ago, that is far too much insulin.

Was Rae tested for ketones at diagnosis?
I think the W/D dry food you are feeding her at the moment is probably saving her from dropping too low, because it is high carb food. So don’t stop feeding that just yet.

Can you test 4 and 5 hours after giving the doses of insulin please so we can see how low the dose is taking Rae?
Vetsulin hits hard and fast so she could be dropping low then bouncing up high.
I am going to talk to a couple of other people about Rae and the dose.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@Rae's Family
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 10 or 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand notthe lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with

From a member
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@Rae's Family
Do you have the U-40 syringes with the half unit markings
You can get them from Amazon Here is the link
https://a.co/d/hEhbvSZ

 

[Rae's Family]

Hi all, thank you so much for the help

We're going to start looking for another vet to get a second opinion from.

We cut her dry food in half (so about ~1/16 of a cup) after PMPS was 324 and DID NOT shoot. I really want to get her off the dry food asap. +3 and she's at 293 now.

Do you guys think I should stay up to get her +5 or +6 BGs? We didn't give the insulin because I was worried cutting the food would make her go too low. Based on the numbers I have right now, her nadir is somewhere around 150 with dry food and shot. Also, will I be okay to go to sleep after that? (Because it's my understanding that that should be the lowest she gets, so after that she'll only go back up until AMPS)

I'm thinking we'll cut back more on the dry food after AMPS tomorrow morning, depending on how she does throughout the night, and possibly go down to 3u. I did a lot of reading on the vetsulin page today and I didn't see any SS with higher doses than that. I also feel way more comfortable going down in dose than staying at 5u.

Also, thank you so much for all the tips on poking!!! Her last couple BGs were soooo much easier. We got her freeze dried treats and are aiming for the sweet spot now I've been trying the warm water in a pill bottle trick, too, but she's a little too squirmy for it still. But the last two times I got blood on the first try!! So thank you times a million!!

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@Rae's Family
Hi Lili, whenever you don't give insulin we would like you to put NS meaning no shot in the unit cell

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Lili please don’t rush into removing all the dry food. It needs to be done slowly and we really need to be looking at the dose of insulin as well.
Did you see my post above when I talked about not removing all the dry food yet and I asked about ketones as well?
If you are going to start skipping doses and there were ketones at diagnosis you could run into trouble. So we need to establish whether there were ketones present and also I would recommend you go out and buy a bottle of Ketostix from a pharmacy today so you can test for ketones daily if the dose of insulin is reduced.
This all needs to be done in an orderly manner not just taking a stab in the dark as to how much to reduce the dose or food etc.

As I said above I am talking to a few other experienced people about Rae and what would be the best plan moving forward. So if possible could you not make any more changes to anything until we get back to you.?

Of course if the BG is low, please post and ask about the dose.

 

[Rae's Family]

Lili please don’t rush into removing all the dry food. It needs to be done slowly and we really need to be looking at the dose of insulin as well.
Did you see my post above when I talked about not removing all the dry food yet and I asked about ketones as well?
If you are going to start skipping doses and there were ketones at diagnosis you could run into trouble. So we need to establish whether there were ketones present and also I would recommend you go out and buy a bottle of Ketostix from a pharmacy today so you can test for ketones daily if the dose of insulin is reduced.
This all needs to be done in an orderly manner not just taking a stab in the dark as to how much to reduce the dose or food etc.

As I said above I am talking to a few other experienced people about Rae and what would be the best plan moving forward. So if possible could you not make any more changes to anything until we get back to you.?

Of course if the BG is low, please post and ask about the dose.

Hi Bron, understood. Is this something I'm going to have to wait until we see a new vet to do? I know they tested for ketones in her last panel, I'll have to look and see what the results were. I'll put the lab results in her SS this morning.

Do you suggest going back up on food and giving the full 5us for the AM meal? I'm home all day today, so I can monitor her closely.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Hello and welcome. My girl got up to 5 units of Caninsulin, over a period of 2 months though, then we switched to Lantus, where she eventually got to 8.75 units. Some cats need more insulin, mine did because of some secondary endocrine conditions. But it took us many months to get that high, increasing by small amounts and testing enough to know how low a dose was taking her. She eventually turned around and ended up on smaller doses.

Do you suggest going back up on food and giving the full 5us for the AM meal?

How much dry vs wet are you giving now? If you are giving less dry food, she will need less insulin. I saw one kitty here on 13 units!! of insulin on WD. And he was getting fat from stuffing his face to keep his blood sugar numbers up. When his new foster started him on wet food, he needed 1.5 units.

I also noticed you are giving only two meals a day. When the Vetsulin is at it's strongest and taking her numbers the lowest (nadir), she will be very hungry. I suggest saving a bit of her regular meal to feed a few hours later. That may be why she has been trying to steal your food, she needs food to keep her safe.

Ketones you can test anytime and should if skipping doses. Levels can go from trace levels to dangerous levels in the span of a day. Tips to catch and test a urine sample

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

I’m glad Wendy has joined the conversation.
I can see the BG dropped to 70 at +4 today so you will need to reduce the dose.
How much dry are you feeding today? And how much wet food?
Remember to give snacks as suggested.
Any word yet on ketones?

 

[Rae's Family]

I’m glad Wendy has joined the conversation.
I can see the BG dropped to 70 at +4 today so you will need to reduce the dose.
How much dry are you feeding today? And how much wet food?
Remember to give snacks as suggested.
Any word yet on ketones?

Vet did not test for ketones. I'm not super confident about being able to get a urine sample (thanks for the tips @Wendy&Neko !), but I'll pick up some keto sticks on my way home tomorrow.

They may be on that much insulin in his practice most likely because he's not telling caregivers to get their cat on a low carbohydrate diet.

Vet also said "most of my diabetic cats are on dry food diets," so yes, seems like Sienne was right on the mark. He was also very wishy-washy about switching her insulin, so I'm going to be looking at getting a second (veterinary) opinion next week.

We give 1/8 cup dry food per meal (one AMPS, one PMPS), and about 1/6 of a can of Nulo Freestyle. I fed the normal amount this morning, but would like to give a tiny bit less dry this evening and more wet if you guys suggest it.

My vet said with her shockingly (to me) low nadir today, I can go back to 3u (or even 3u once/day, or 1u if I'm going to reduce her dry food. He was kinda all over the place). What do you all think?

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Compared to when she was started on insulin, what percent of her calories are now wet food vs. dry food? What are you planning to do with food proportions the next few days? Typically we start cats eating some dry food on 1 unit.

Vetsulin doesn't last 12 hours in the cat (why Lantus and Prozinc are better cause they do), so shooting once a day would be no good.

 

[Rae's Family]

Compared to when she was started on insulin, what percent of her calories are now wet food vs. dry food? What are you planning to do with food proportions the next few days? Typically we start cats eating some dry food on 1 unit.

Vetsulin doesn't last 12 hours in the cat (why Lantus and Prozinc are better cause they do), so shooting once a day would be no good.

I tried to tell him that about the Vetsulin but he wasn't really hearing it

Right now, we have kept the same diet as when she started on insulin. 70% dry, 30% wet. I'd like to, over the next few days, do 60/40, 50/50, etc. until she is off the dry.

Would it be safe to go back down to 1u when she's been on 5 twice/day for the last week? (I'm still totally flabbergasted by that amount of insulin )

 

[Wendy&Neko]

You could try 3 units if you are maintaining the same portions of wet/dry in the diet. Especially if you are going to switch the diet. But please test for ketones as you lower the dose.

 

[Rae's Family]

You could try 3 units if you are maintaining the same portions of wet/dry in the diet. Especially if you are going to switch the diet. But please test for ketones as you lower the dose.

Thank you I'm going to try 3u tonight and pick up ketone tests tomorrow

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@Rae's Family
Lili if you are now going to use the Relion Meter from now on you need to note that in your signature. After you have Alpha Trak put a / then Relion as of 1-27 so
AlphaTrak/Relion as of 1-27
You also need to put it up top where you have Alpha Trak 3 underneath where you have your dosing method
The last 2 color codes up top need to be charged to reflect a human meter. I'm pretty sure you can change it yourself
The dark green has to be 50-99
The lime green has to be BG<50

If you can't do it yourself let me know and I'll ask someone to change it for you

 

[Rae's Family]

@Rae's Family
Lili if you are now going to use the Relion Meter from now on you need to note that in your signature. After you have Alpha Trak put a / then Relion as of 1-27 so
AlohaTrak/Relion as of 1-27
You also need to put it up top where you have Alpha Trak 3 underneath where you have your dosing method
The last 2 color codes up top need to be charged to reflect a human meter. I'm pretty sure you can change it yourself
The dark green has to be 50-99
The lime green has to be BG<50

If you can't do it yourself let me know and I'll ask someone to change it for you

Thank you for bringing that up, my husband and I were trying to figure out the difference between the human/feline meters and could not figure it out for the life of us. I think I fixed everything as necessary (changed the conditional formatting on the cells as well), would you mind glancing at it when you have a moment and letting me know if I missed anything?

Thank you!

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Thank you for bringing that up, my husband and I were trying to figure out the difference between the human/feline meters and could not figure it out for the life of us. I think I fixed everything as necessary (changed the conditional formatting on the cells as well), would you mind glancing at it when you have a moment and letting me know if I missed anything?

Thank you!

@Rae's Family
Looks perfect , just one thing
put Relion 1-27 up top where you have Alpha Trak 3 underneath where you have your dosing method
So it's
Alpha Trak 3/Relion 1-27
Great job putting the tan line on your spreadsheet above switching to the Relion. Best of luck with the new dose , I'm glad you switched to the Relion ,I don't like the pet meter

 

[Rae's Family]

@Rae's Family
Looks perfect , just one thing
put Relion 1-27 up top where you have Alpha Trak 3 underneath where you have your dosing method
So it's
Alpha Trak 3/Relion 1-27
Great job putting the tan line on your spreadsheet above switching to the Relion. Best of luck with the new dose , I'm glad you switched to the Relion ,I don't like the pet meter

Unfortunately the switch wasn't intentional... We went through so many strips so fast that I didn't have time to order more but I've heard great things about ReliOn here, so I'm not too upset by it!

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Unfortunately the switch wasn't intentional... We went through so many strips so fast that I didn't have time to order more but I've heard great things about ReliOn here, so I'm not too upset by it!

@Rae's Family
I used to use the Alpha Trak in the beginning , but then switched to the Relion . Couldn't afford the price for the Alpha Trak strips.
I got Tyler into remission for 3 years and 4 months before he passed from cancer last August. If it wasn't for the experienced members here and taking their advice I don't think I would have gotten him into remission. He probably would still be in remission if it wasn't for the cancer . Most of us use the human meter since that's what our numbers are based on
Tyler was on Vetsulin in the beginning then I switched to Lantus .
Lantus also comes generic which a lot of members use

 

[Rae's Family]

Just an update because things got kind of scattered (along with my brain )

PMPS was 332. Fed 40/60 wet/dry (she is used to 30/70 and we don't give her a whole lot to begin with, so it amounted to maybe 7-10 pieces of kibble). Gave 3u after dinner. +2 is 126 (just a little bit ago). Going to test again at +4 unless I get guidance otherwise.

I won't be able to get ketone tests until after work tomorrow, but it's my first priority.

I think that's everything everyone has suggested, but if I missed anything please let me know.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi Lili, I would keep testing until Rae’s BG starts to go back up. Remember you can give snacks during the cycles. They can help the BG to surf and not drop further. (not always but often do!)
The BGs are looking better!

 

[Rae's Family]

Hi Lili, I would keep testing until Rae’s BG starts to go back up. Remember you can give snacks during the cycles. They can help the BG to surf and not drop further. (not always but often do!)
The BGs are looking better!

We've been giving a freeze dried treat after every test like @Sienne and Gabby (GA) suggested (works great, btw, she loves them), would that be enough of a "snack"? Or does it need to be wet food or higher carb?

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

We've been giving a freeze dried treat after every test like @Sienne and Gabby (GA) suggested (works great, btw, she loves them), would that be enough of a "snack"? Or does it need to be wet food or higher carb?

A snack is a teaspoon or two of low carb food.
The treat Sienne is talking about is for after the test as a reward..
They are two different things.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

If your vet is going to be stuck in his ways, there's nothing like handing a vet the guidelines for treating diabetes from the American Animal Hospital Assn -- a veterinary professional's association. The link to the guidelines is in the post that I linked. The AAHA recommends either Lantus (glargine) or Prozinc. (Your vet may need to take a continuing education class on treating feline diabetes.)

 

[Rae's Family]

Hi all -- just did the PM +2. It's not as low as some of her mid-cycle numbers have been the last few days... Does that mean she's bouncing less? (Lili says hopefully)

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Let’s see what she is at +4.
Did you give a snack?

 

[Rae's Family]

No, not yet. I gave a snack at +4 in the AM cycle and it looks like she did good. Unfortunately my husband and I were both at work from +5-10 so we couldn't test at all as she came back up. I'm hoping tomorrow to do her AM shot a little earlier and my husband will be home a little earlier.

The only way I was able to get the +4 today is because I left work during my break to come check on her. Is this something I should keep doing? My job has been pretty understanding, but I obviously can't do that forever.

She's only peed once since I got home,and it was while we were eating, so no ketones yet. Did I understand the previous posts correctly, that we should be reducing dry food by 10% every 2 cycles? Or do we need to do more than 2 cycles at the same level?

Celebration! She's been very affectionate today and laying out in the open more!! Overall she just seems like she's feeling at least a tiny bit better I'm a big believer in celebrating 1-yard gains, so I'm happy for her

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

If you could come home to check on her for a while that would be good until at least we can get the dose and food sorted out.
Regarding the dry food … just keep reducing it slowly for two reasons. 1. We don’t want to cause tummy upsets and 2. By doing it slowly we will be able to see if the dose needs adjusting

 

[Rae's Family]

If you could come home to check on her for a while that would be good until at least we can get the dose and food sorted out.
Regarding the dry food … just keep reducing it slowly for two reasons. 1. We don’t want to cause tummy upsets and 2. By doing it slowly we will be able to see if the dose needs adjusting

I'm just wondering how slowly... I don't give her dry for snacks, so should I be doing a little less every big meal or every 2 or 3 big meals or...?

She did really great for her +4! 159. My husband and I have both been reading up on Marje's testing tips so she's a little less angry every time we do it.

Still no pee though /:

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

I would give just a little bit less dry food each day. Make it consistent.
So tomorrow give a little bit less for both main meals. And the next day make that a little bit less again.
So make the change once a day. Does that make sense ?

 

[Rae's Family]

I would give just a little bit less dry food each day. Make it consistent.
So tomorrow give a little bit less for both main meals. And the next day make that a little bit less again.
So make the change once a day. Does that make sense ?

Yes it does that's what I thought you had suggested earlier, I just wanted to double check.

What about her overnight BGs? Should I be waking up to test?

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

I myself would get a +2 and a +4 with Vetsulin to be sure Rae is not dropping to low
See what Bron has to say

 

[Rae's Family]

Got an appointment with another vet for Friday! (One who specializes in cat care, even) Fingers crossed we can get her off the vetsulin

 

[Rae's Family]

Ketostix came back negative!!!!! YAY
Her numbers seem to be flattening out, too. She's been such a trooper.

We're now at 60/40 wet/dry