Hi! Advice Needed

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Little Bit’s Mom

Little Bit’s Mom

Member Since 2020
Hi, everyone! My name is Olivia, and my sweet boy is Little Bit. LB’s journey started last year after noticing lethargy, weight loss and fur loss. The vet attributes his diabetes to about 3 years of daily prednisolone for feline asthma. Since, we have switched over to an inhaler to manage his asthma. I have been extremely optimistic (which is unlike me) that his diabetes would go into remission when his body “regulated” again after getting the prednisolone out of his system. He is on 2 units of Prozinc twice daily. But, lately, I’ve noticed very dry and fragile skin along with perhaps a touch of weight loss. He still seems to have a great amount of energy and otherwise acts like himself. Here is the problem, I backed off his insulin dose to about 1.25 units daily (being 100% honest here) because I thought he was doing well. Now I can tell that these are most likely signs of high blood sugar. I will also be honest with the fact that I do not (can not in the past) check his BG. The only times he’s been checked were at the vet. I know I’m going to have to start checking it at home to ensure he is getting the correct dosage of insulin. It has been impossible the times I have tried. He gets upset and so do I. He is on Hill’s rx diet—m/d wet & dry; however, he mostly eats his siblings’ wet fancy feast pate instead of his own wet food. He takes a few bites of the hills and stops eating.

I am really beating myself up over possibly messing up his sugar levels. I am sick to my stomach and a ball full of anxiety at the moment. Please tell me how I can help him and get him regulated. He is my heart and I just want him to be well. Thank you.
 
Little Bit’s Mom said:
Hi, everyone! My name is Olivia, and my sweet boy is Little Bit. LB’s journey started last year after noticing lethargy, weight loss and fur loss. The vet attributes his diabetes to about 3 years of daily prednisolone for feline asthma. Since, we have switched over to an inhaler to manage his asthma. I have been extremely optimistic (which is unlike me) that his diabetes would go into remission when his body “regulated” again after getting the prednisolone out of his system. He is on 2 units of Prozinc twice daily. But, lately, I’ve noticed very dry and fragile skin along with perhaps a touch of weight loss. He still seems to have a great amount of energy and otherwise acts like himself. Here is the problem, I backed off his insulin dose to about 1.25 units daily (being 100% honest here) because I thought he was doing well. Now I can tell that these are most likely signs of high blood sugar. I will also be honest with the fact that I do not (can not in the past) check his BG. The only times he’s been checked were at the vet. I know I’m going to have to start checking it at home to ensure he is getting the correct dosage of insulin. It has been impossible the times I have tried. He gets upset and so do I. He is on Hill’s rx diet—m/d wet & dry; however, he mostly eats his siblings’ wet fancy feast pate instead of his own wet food. He takes a few bites of the hills and stops eating.

I am really beating myself up over possibly messing up his sugar levels. I am sick to my stomach and a ball full of anxiety at the moment. Please tell me how I can help him and get him regulated. He is my heart and I just want him to be well. Thank you.
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I had a rocky start with my girl and the insulin I was using and not testing enough at home. It will take practice but you can absolutely get used to it and so can your cat. You can reinforce with treats. Purebites makes freeze dried treats that are low/no carb. My cat loves the duck and beef liver ones.
Don’t beat yourself up though, just get back up and try again! :) You can handle this. I was terrified at everything and now I can test blood glucose like a boss, administer insulin, and even give fluids subcutaneously! It gets easier.

It is super important to home test so that you can not only get the dose right and keep kitty from being too high, but also so that you can be sure it’s safe to shoot. Sometimes we can’t outwardly tell if a cat’s blood sugar is too low.

I’m going to tag @Wendy&Neko and see if she can give you some veteran support and advice.
 
Are any of the pates ok? I have also looked at the fancy feast naturals pates—wondering if I should give them a try since they’re zero carb, but also don’t want him to go hypo with the zero carbs.
I have an alphatrak BG meter and am going to try my hardest to test him at 2:30 CST (6 hours from his morning dose). Going to put rice in a sock and try that method. I am praying I can get a sample and that it is an acceptable BG level. I will report back. Thank you all!
 
Thank you! Would you think that I could stop the hill’s m/d wet after I go through what I have? Then feed FF pates for his wet twice daily, then he sort of free feeds (if his 3 siblings don’t eat it first) the Hill’s m/d dry, perhaps?

How many cans per day are recommended for an approximately 12 lb kitty?
 
Yes and definetely get rid of the dry but you need to be home testing because any change in food, especially removing dry, can cause his BG to go down significantly, and you may need a lower dose so you don’t risk a hypo. Wendy’s suggestion of trying the libre first, if you can afford it, is a very good one. Here’s a list of pretty much all the foods out there and their carb content. Honestly, the only thing special about vet prescribed food is the price tag. Most are not even human grade :nailbiting:

A good rule of thumb for daily calorie intake is 20 times ideal weight. So if he should be 12 pounds, he should be getting 240 calories a day at least. More if he needs to gain. Diabetic cats lose weight because they can’t process the nutrients in food well so they eat but are still constantly hungry and lose weight. They also burn calories just by peeing since there’s sugar in their urine.
 
That’s with Prozinc 6 hours ago—almost 2.0 units (a little less since that’s a bit higher than what I’ve been giving him). He has had some dry food since his shot, but not in the last couple hours.
 
Glad to hear it might just be the dry food. He loves it, but I’ll slowly taper off if that’s what’s best for him.

So only feed him a can of FF wet twice daily (will try to mix it with m/d since I still have some)? I have always worried he might get too low if he didn’t have something in between. I will test again this evening 6 hours post shot. Please send him prayers/good vibes that we can quickly get him in a normal range and stay there.
 
Little Bit’s Mom said:
Glad to hear it might just be the dry food. He loves it, but I’ll slowly taper off if that’s what’s best for him.

So only feed him a can of FF wet twice daily (will try to mix it with m/d since I still have some)? I have always worried he might get too low if he didn’t have something in between. I will test again this evening 6 hours post shot. Please send him prayers/good vibes that we can quickly get him in a normal range and stay there.
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sending prayers and positives! Most cats are grazers they eat small amounts throughout the day.
 
Little Bit’s Mom said:
We did it!!!!! But, my suspicions are confirmed—it is 358.
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I just wanted to say well done!!! :D


Little Bit’s Mom said:
What do you all recommend for letting him graze since I need to taper off the Hill’s m/d dry? Some dry LC food or no dry at all?
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LC wet food is fine for grazing. If you have to leave the house for long periods of time you can freeze some into ice cubes so they thaw slowly, otherwise just a small snack here and there is great. :)
Edit, sorry I see you’re asking what dry food to use for grazing, and since we don’t recommend dry food typically, I can’t really say. You could try a spoonful of wet food with a few kibble on top as you are transitioning off of it, perhaps.
 
You said he is around 12 pounds, as Ale saidche should be getting 240 calories a day, more if he needs to gain.
Most of the Fancy Feast Classic Pates are about 100 calories per can
You should at least feed him 2-1/2 cans a day
The larger meals at AM and PM what's left over use as snacks
Pick up the food 2 hours before you test him in the AM and PM before giving the insulin
 
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tap on your avatar ( the pic of Diesel )where it says your name ,then hit profile page ,tap on that ,then go up to the very top, upper right hand side and tap on your name ,it will bring down a drop box, tap on signature, the signature will be under settings, tap on the signature then and you can start to add what I posted above, make sure you hit save ,
Welcome to the best place you could ever be and an awesome group of people
 
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Diane Tyler's Mom said:
  • It would be helpful if you can set up your signature

  • On the left, under Settings, Click on Signature. This is where you will put information that helps us give you feedback.
    • There is a limit of two lines which may include two links; you may separate pieces with commas, dashes, | etc. This is where you paste the link for your spreadsheet, once it is set up.
    • Add any other text, such as
    • Caregiver & kitty's name (optional)
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
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Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.


tap on your avatar where it says your name ,then hit profile page ,tap on that ,then go up to the very top, upper right hand side and tap on your name ,it will bring down a drop box, tap on signature, the signature will be under settings, tap on the signature then and you can start to add what I posted above, make sure you hit save ,
Welcome to the best place you could ever be and an awesome group of people
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Ugh Diane I didnt even notice:facepalm::rolleyes:
 
Do any of you have advice for his dry skin? I understand it is due to his body not processing nutrients correctly, but curious if I can do anything externally to help him while getting his BG regulated.
 
Little Bit’s Mom said:
Glad to hear it might just be the dry food. He loves it, but I’ll slowly taper off if that’s what’s best for him.

So only feed him a can of FF wet twice daily (will try to mix it with m/d since I still have some)? I have always worried he might get too low if he didn’t have something in between. I will test again this evening 6 hours post shot. Please send him prayers/good vibes that we can quickly get him in a normal range and stay there.
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What’s his ideal weight? See what I posted above about daily calorie intake. You also don’t have to restrict food to twice a day only. Cats are grazers and do better with smaller meals throughout the day or snacks. It’s also easier on their pancreas. We try to feed the bulk of the meals around shot times and then not a lot after +6 but other than that, he can have smaller portions divided up and snacks as well throughout the day
 
Little Bit’s Mom said:
Do any of you have advice for his dry skin? I understand it is due to his body not processing nutrients correctly, but curious if I can do anything externally to help him while getting his BG regulated.
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Ugh its awful isnt it poor kitty kitty. Troubles cleared up after a few injections of insulin. Seriously it was like night and day. I dont know why it happened so quickly but it was a relief . Sending positives this happens soon for Lil Bit (LOVE that name btw:bighug:)
 
Little Bit’s Mom said:
H


Our vet has said his ideal weight is around 12 pounds. He hasn’t been weighed since we were last at the vet. I pick him up frequently and I feel like he has lost a little weight. Not a whole bunch like he did before his diagnosis.
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Do you have a human scale at home? You can weight yourself then go on it carrying him and subtract the 2 amounts to get his weight now
 
LOL that’s why I don’t have one—ignorance is bliss when it comes to my weight. LB was sooooo excited that I actually gave him FF tonight. He looked at me like—oh she did a whoopsie but I’m not going to tell her. Haha.
 
6 hours past PM shot—378. I *did* give him one Hill’s glucose management treat beforehand to make him more comfortable for the stick. I am feeling pretty down as I was hopeful we would have a better number than earlier. I will continue tapering him off his dry food and hope that will get him to a healthier BG.
 
Little Bit’s Mom said:
6 hours past PM shot—378. I *did* give him one Hill’s glucose management treat beforehand to make him more comfortable for the stick. I am feeling pretty down as I was hopeful we would have a better number than earlier. I will continue tapering him off his dry food and hope that will get him to a healthier BG.
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You are making great progress just by testing. Testing is what will give you control over his treatment. Don’t let a higher number disappoint you, each number is more data to help you. :bighug:

Well done!
 
We are between 5-6 hours post AM shot and he is at 416. Thoughts or ideas to help get it lower? I made his ear bleed more than the past times and I am afraid I did something wrong. :( it stopped after applying pressure with a clean cotton round. He is eating his FF snack reward now.
 
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