3/5 Fitzy +3 474 | consistently in the 400’s

[Sophie & Fitzy]

We’ve been at this a month already. So worried about Fitzy since his numbers don’t budge. Currently working on adjusting diet slowly (From Blue Buffalo Wilderness Weight Management to Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein, Chicken). Like changing out 10 pieces of kibble slow at meal time. I also am trying to find a wet food he might like, have Weruva Classics. All very slowly. I called the vet following his little dip the other night and he said it was clear the insulin dosage is not correct but was okay with staying at 4, and also suggested a half dose increase instead of straight to 5. Also said because I am testing, a diet change will help also. Next call with the vet is in three days, to discuss how 4 has been, I am sure we will talk about an increase.

Previous thread for reference:https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/intro-and-first-blue-5-107.244017/

I am not sure what to do now. Have ketone strips but having the hardest time getting urine, I am trying though. Also nicked his ear pretty bad so I am testing less often. Also he is so hungry by meal time it is impossible to get him to sit still for a test so I try to test around +10. Both cats have a case of tapeworms, applied Profender two days ago so those should be on the way out.

Would love some support or feedback! He isn't feeling great and I hate seeing him like this.

 

[tiffmaxee]

The full unit increases were definitely too much. After dropping under 68 on a pet meter a reduction is earned so I’m glad you took one. Cats typically bounce after that and it can take up to 6 cycles to clear. When feeding any dry food we don’t increase sooner than every 7 days. We also reduce if under 90. It takes time to get a good beginning dose and increasing too rapidly won’t change that. You are getting dosing advice for now from your vet and home testing so that’s great.

Switching to an all wet low carb diet will really help. As you switch even more cautious dosing is needed as some cats go into remission with just a diet change. Hang in there. For most it’s a marathon rather than a race although at some point many race down the dosing scale. He will start to feel better soon.

 

[Sophie & Fitzy]

The full unit increases we’re definitely too much. After dropping under 68 on a pet meter a reduction is earned so I’m glad you took one. Cats typically bounce after that and it can take up to 6 cycles to clear. When feeding any dry food we don’t increase sooner than every 7 days. We also reduce if under 90. It takes time to get a good beginning dose and increasing too rapidly won’t change that. You are getting dosing advice for now from your vet and home testing so that’s great.

Switching to an all wet low carb diet will really help. As you switch even more cautious dosing is needed as some cats go into remission with just a diet change. Hang in there. For most it’s a marathon rather than a race although at some point many race down the dosing scale. He will start to feel better soon.

Thank you so much for the encouragement. I just tried a spoonful of the wet food for them as an afternoon snack and they loved it, which was nice to see.

 

[Liz & Minnie]

We’ve been at this a month already. So worried about Fitzy since his numbers don’t budge.

I am not sure what to do now. Have ketone strips but having the hardest time getting urine, I am trying though.

Hi! Looks like you joined only a couple of weeks after I did and oh how I can relate to your story! Fitzy's colours are a lot like Minnie's so don't be discouraged. The experts here will help you. I can offer empathy, moral support and pass on some tips I've picked up here...

• I was paranoid about ketones. First tip I got here was to give several meals throughout the day instead of am/pm and mix water in (I think that was from @tiffmaxee and I'm soooo grateful for that one simple change. I'm pretty sure that would have avoided the last hospital stay)
  
• My unorthodox way to do the urine test was to leave not too much litter in the tray - her pees were like lakes, so the litter didn't absorb it and I would dash in with the strip. I got stressed struggling to tell the difference between the color for -ve vs trace (Walmart Relion strips were not only the cheapest but colors were easiest to read) and then I learned here that it shows up in the blood first (and I was testing on 'stale' urine) so I bought the Novamax meter
  
• Novamax reads both glucose and ketone with different strips. Glucose only needs 0.3microL blood, same amount as Alphatrak and the smallest you can get. Novamax glucose strips are cheap. Ketone strips are more expensive but you don't need to test that as frequently. Ketone test needs more blood (0.9?). I'm still struggling with consistently getting decent amounts of blood but occasionally get a big blob so will do the ketone test when I can
  
• Especially if you are testing a lot, you might want to consider swapping to a human meter anyway. Those AT strips add up $$$ and I can't count how many people here recommended I switch to a human meter.
• I just started using a human Freestyle Lite meter which also takes 0.3 for glucose and has the same design of strips as the AT but quite a bit cheaper (but you can't mix and match Freestyle strips with the AT meter). I'm waiting for Novamax glucose strips to arrive and may switch to the that later since those strips are even cheaper

The first few weeks I was stressed because Minnie's numbers weren't changing and the dose seemed so much higher than most of the others I was seeing. I scoured the board for messages with high numbers like ours, for moral support! We fiinally started to see some progress in the last week and I got stressed at dropping numbers. Clearly I need to find a way to handle the stress! .

Good luck! I will be following your progress on Fitzy's journey.

 

[Sophie & Fitzy]

Hi! Looks like you joined only a couple of weeks after I did and oh how I can relate to your story! Fitzy's colours are a lot like Minnie's so don't be discouraged. The experts here will help you. I can offer empathy, moral support and pass on some tips I've picked up here...

• I was paranoid about ketones. First tip I got here was to give several meals throughout the day instead of am/pm and mix water in (I think that was from @tiffmaxee and I'm soooo grateful for that one simple change. I'm pretty sure that would have avoided the last hospital stay)
  
• My unorthodox way to do the urine test was to leave not too much litter in the tray - her pees were like lakes, so the litter didn't absorb it and I would dash in with the strip. I got stressed struggling to tell the difference between the color for -ve vs trace (Walmart Relion strips were not only the cheapest but colors were easiest to read) and then I learned here that it shows up in the blood first (and I was testing on 'stale' urine) so I bought the Novamax meter
  
• Novamax reads both glucose and ketone with different strips. Glucose only needs 0.3microL blood, same amount as Alphatrak and the smallest you can get. Novamax glucose strips are cheap. Ketone strips are more expensive but you don't need to test that as frequently. Ketone test needs more blood (0.9?). I'm still struggling with consistently getting decent amounts of blood but occasionally get a big blob so will do the ketone test when I can
  
• Especially if you are testing a lot, you might want to consider swapping to a human meter anyway. Those AT strips add up $$$ and I can't count how many people here recommended I switch to a human meter.
• I just started using a human Freestyle Lite meter which also takes 0.3 for glucose and has the same design of strips as the AT but quite a bit cheaper (but you can't mix and match Freestyle strips with the AT meter). I'm waiting for Novamax glucose strips to arrive and may switch to the that later since those strips are even cheaper

The first few weeks I was stressed because Minnie's numbers weren't changing and the dose seemed so much higher than most of the others I was seeing. I scoured the board for messages with high numbers like ours, for moral support! We fiinally started to see some progress in the last week and I got stressed at dropping numbers. Clearly I need to find a way to handle the stress! .

Good luck! I will be following your progress on Fitzy's journey.

Thank you so much for all your tips and encouragement! I looked so hard for a numbers like ours too! One of the many things I’ve been mourning the loss of is how snuggly Fitzy used to be. We used to have a routine, I’d pull up his favorite blanket on the couch and he’d take up his favorite spot in the crook of my arm. I really hope we can get back to that, I miss it so much. Had a high 200 tonight so there is hope! Thanks again for the encouragement! Wishing you and Minnie the best, give her a little chin scratch from us!