New Member 19.11.2024 So confused and at my wits end

I have a 8yr old Maine Coon that just over two weeks ago was diagnosed with diabetes from steroid medication that the vets prescribed for an ear infection he nearly died had ketoacidosis.

Since then he's been back home with me with a libra tag and I inject him twice a day with Prozinc. The problem I'm having is one I have zero faith in the vet as she did this to him and didn't do the necessary checks whilst on that medication and the dosages she changing them wildly he started off 5iu then down to 0.5iu then 1 then 2 then 2.5 at the minute she's telling me to give 2iu morning and night ...I don't think this is right on Saturday just gone he went very very low 2.9mmol I battled for 4 hours keeping his levels above that... the Friday before I told her there's been a change in the pattern he tanks at night his numbers go down fast... she's told me to carry on but I've not slept in 5 days because every time at night i have to intervene last night he ate so much food to stop his numbers going too low I was giving it him every hour... I can't carry on like this and neither can my poor cat Amos... weirdly in the day the same dose barely moves it and he is not an active cat he sleeps all the time and has always been that way... they tried to say its down to activity or sensor issues but its neither ...the sensor is showing both the lows and the highs and he's on his 4th one and they've all reported the same... tested his urine this morning he has no Ketones so thats good but I'm wondering if I should change vets now ...its like the insulin doesn't work well enough in the day he stays high teens and too well in the night drops very rapid... I'm so confused and scared feel completely abandoned to making these life and death decisions to keep him going and I'm exhausted.

 

Hi and welcome! Im so sorry things are so stressful—it seems like we’re handed insulin, told doing things right are life and death for our beloved cat, then shown the door. I’ve gone through cases of Kleenex.

I’m new also and I’m sure someone experienced will be by soon to help but while waiting, one thing I know they will ask you to do is fill out a spread sheet …here’s the info on it and if you haven problems there are members who will set it up for you
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

I also want to say that human meters (including the libre) give numbers that are slightly lower than a cats actual number if tested in a lab —if that’s any comfort. Also while I can’t use one for Methos, other members use them and say they are positional—if kitty lays on them it affects the number. I’m tagging them and I think at least @Heike & BInie is awake now and maybe @Staci & Ivy to discuss how to interpret a Libre.

this isn’t to say your kitty isn’t going especially low—how low is low btw? But just more info for you.

You might want to consider getting a meter (human or pet) to use if the libre reads especially low, to double check it. Also in case the libre fails

I’m sure someone experienced will be by soon to help. Hang in there.

 

Welcome Victoria and Amos, you are in the right place, it is unfortunately that many of us have had similar situations with Vets, many Vets are not familiar with Feline Diabetes, or diabetes at all, and they treat it like dog diabetes, it is not the same, We would love to help you below you''' find several links for you to follow, it would be great if you could create your signature and spreadsheet, so we can all be on the same page,
It is important that a diabetic cat consumes a wet can diet between 0-10% carbs, cats cannot digest carbs, below is a Dr's Food list, this one is from USA, but we can send you a list from where you live, for you to choose from, the third column contains the amount of carbs for each food
For your sanity and Amos health, you need to create what is called a HYPO KIT, this contains, KARO syrup or Honey some medium carb foods between 11-15% carbs and some High carb food between 16-24%, this is used so when the BG get to be 50 or lower, you did great by slow feeding as you did to raise Amos numbers,
I do have to make you aware although, the Libre, is convenient, but it has issues reading the low numbers, I remember exactly what you went thru when my Corky left the hospital with that sensor, I was insane with lack of rest, it The sensor tends to make things more difficult, the changing of dose constantly it does not sound correct, my Corky is on ProZinc as well and he takes the same dose 1.25 every 12 hours every day, when the treatment starts it takes several cycles to know how is affecting him, I recommend a hand held Human meter and strips, we can send you information on how to test, we are here to help but we need more information on Amos, I will also tag a ProZinc expert to help you with dosing, hang in there, it is overwhelming especially when you have a Vet with such inconsistency, I would change Vets, and you should find out if they have experience on FD, there are many sticky notes in the Mani Forum with many valuable information, to get your feet wet on what to expect, open the links as soon as you can and create your signature, so we can help you get Amos on the right track with dosing etc.
no question is ever small, ask, ask, ask, we are here for youPS: and I am crazy over Main Coons!
@Suzanne & Darcy
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-chart.174147/
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

 

Also, I do not know if your Vet instructed you the ProZinc Protocol, is" Test, Feed, Shoot" Amos stomach must have food in order to shoot insulin, you do not want to give insulin without knowing his numbers, especially right now that his all over the place from so much insulin chages

 

Welcome Victoria! I am sorry you are going through all this. The diagnosis and especially the start is very confusing and stressful. I hope someone comes soon to give qualified advice regarding the right dose.

I am also a libre user and it is a great tool. Maybe you already did but I would highly recommend youi learn to test with blood too. So you can always make sure, the libre is showing you the right numbers. My cat is not a fan of ear tests but if it is just one or two tests a day she allows me to do so. Especially when you are seeing lower numbers, the libre can be inaccurate and might measure too low. Would be good to double check that with an ear test, so you can make informed decisions. You will find lots of information here how to start with testing.

You are in the right place and you will get help. Don't worry.

 

"SmallestSparrow, post: 3221531, member: 39917" Thank you so much it’s just such a steep learning curve I’m scared to death I’ll do the wrong thing I have a prick test kit but haven’t used it yet and that is a comfort to know that the Libre reads slightly lower just want to get him stable he’s going from very high to low at the minute

 

It's unfortunate, but that is the Libre's specialty, reading low numbers much lower than they are, on a previous post I explained about the Hypo Kit, also if it reads lower than 60 you can start by giving 1 teaspoon of low carbs every hour after you test, continue this protocol until the BG reaches at least 90-100, if 50 or lower you can give 1ml of Karo Syrup or honey, this is just a quick fix, if you have medium carbs or any gravy food you can do the same protocol, but not too much or the BG will spike very high, below is a link on how to test on the ear, your kitty will get use to it quickly and the capillaries in the ear will start swelling and it will become easier to draw blood, we are here if you need us
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

in order for us to help you better you need to create your signature and spreadsheet, we need to have more information, with the spreadsheet we can monitor his numbers and advise you properly on dosing, also what are you feeding how many times what dose is being given at this time, I sent you the links, the sooner you create your signature and give us more concrete data the quicker we can help, you do not need to do this alone we are here to help you, the link on help us help you is first then the spreadsheet links on post #1

 

Thank you "CORKY, post: 3221538, member: 38368" for the links. I have Honey and some maine coon biscuits that are high in carbs that I used to stabilise him the few times he went too low... I'm from the UK been looking at diabetic food and trying to get some direction on this... Amos is not a grazer he likes to eat two meals a day but the vet says to see if he'll graze... he's currently on 2iu twice a day but like today his numbers went down to 6.3 after nadir then slowly started to rise again so she said to give him 1.5iu. I always test first and make sure he eats well before giving his insulin but he still seems to go on a very steep curve down in the night its very scary watching the numbers fall so I'm not sleeping at all in case he needs me to give him food... its so stressful

 

]Hi and welcome! Im so sorry things are so stressful—it seems like we’re handed insulin, told doing things right are life and death for our beloved cat, then shown the door. I’ve gone through cases of Kleenex.

I’m new also and I’m sure someone experienced will be by soon to help but while waiting, one thing I know they will ask you to do is fill out a spread sheet …here’s the info on it and if you haven problems there are members who will set it up for you
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

I also want to say that human meters (including the libre) give numbers that are slightly lower than a cats actual number if tested in a lab —if that’s any comfort. Also while I can’t use one for Methos, other members use them and say they are positional—if kitty lays on them it affects the number. I’m tagging them and I think at least @Heike & BInie is awake now and maybe @Staci & Ivy to discuss how to interpret a Libre.

this isn’t to say your kitty isn’t going especially low—how low is low btw? But just more info for you.

You might want to consider getting a meter (human or pet) to use if the libre reads especially low, to double check it. Also in case the libre fails

I’m sure someone experienced will be by soon to help. Hang in there.[/QUOTE]

"Heike & BInie, post: 3221596, member: 39470" Thank you I'm looking into the prick tests I have one but not sure its any good or not but it would be a comfort to have an accurate backup I'll fill the spreadsheet

 

here is a food Chart recommended by Drs and Forum for UK
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...-including-link-to-low-carb-food-list.137376/

 

"Heike & BInie, post: 3221596, member: 39470" Thank you I'm looking into the prick tests I have one but not sure its any good or not but it would be a comfort to have an accurate backup I'll fill the spreadsheet [/QUOTE]

Perfect! Just keep on trying with the ear test. It takes some time for both of you to get comfortable with it but you will manage! If you have any questions about the libre, feel free to contact me. I can also highly recommend the facebook groupr freestyle libre for cats and dogs. They can also teach you to put on the libre yourself. But maybe that is the next step. Take your time to get comfortable with this new situation and all the diabetes basics. We have been all overwhelmed in the beginnen - and I sometimes are today. And you will get excellent expert advice here about how to use the insulin. All the best!

 

Perfect! Just keep on trying with the ear test. It takes some time for both of you to get comfortable with it but you will manage! If you have any questions about the libre, feel free to contact me. I can also highly recommend the facebook groupr freestyle libre for cats and dogs. They can also teach you to put on the libre yourself. But maybe that is the next step. Take your time to get comfortable with this new situation and all the diabetes basics. We have been all overwhelmed in the beginnen - and I sometimes are today. And you will get excellent expert advice here about how to use the insulin. All the best! [/QUOTE]
Very true you do not need a Vet and pay to place the Sensor, is very easy to do the instructions a elementary, at first I was paying $98.00 to the Vet for placing the sensor, if you do decide to keep the sensor, besides hand test ask your vet to give you a PRN prescription, is for a year, this way you do not need to spend money to get one

 

Perfect! Just keep on trying with the ear test. It takes some time for both of you to get comfortable with it but you will manage! If you have any questions about the libre, feel free to contact me. I can also highly recommend the facebook groupr freestyle libre for cats and dogs. They can also teach you to put on the libre yourself. But maybe that is the next step. Take your time to get comfortable

Perfect! Just keep on trying with the ear test. It takes some time for both of you to get comfortable with it but you will manage! If you have any questions about the libre, feel free to contact me. I can also highly recommend the facebook groupr freestyle libre for cats and dogs. They can also teach you to put on the libre yourself. But maybe that is the next step. Take your time to get comfortable with this new situation and all the diabetes basics. We have been all overwhelmed in the beginnen - and I sometimes are today. And you will get excellent expert advice here about how to use the insulin. All the best! [/QUOTE]

with this new situation and all the diabetes basics. We have been all overwhelmed in the beginnen - and I sometimes are today. And you will get excellent expert advice here about how to use the insulin. All the best! [/QUOTE]
Heike & BInie, post: 3221658, member: 39470" I’ll definitely check that Facebook group out I’ve fitted the Libre on him he’s actually on his 3rd one the first few didn’t last long and they was fitted by the vet after I just did it myself and it’s working ok so far… but yes there seems to be so many things to learn and variables to get your head around just don’t want to mess anything up

 

with this new situation and all the diabetes basics. We have been all overwhelmed in the beginnen - and I sometimes are today. And you will get excellent expert advice here about how to use the insulin. All the best! [/QUOTE]
Heike & BInie, post: 3221658, member: 39470" I’ll definitely check that Facebook group out I’ve fitted the Libre on him he’s actually on his 3rd one the first few didn’t last long and they was fitted by the vet after I just did it myself and it’s working ok so far… but yes there seems to be so many things to learn and variables to get your head around just don’t want to mess anything up[/QUOTE]
the sensors are guaranteed when they fall off or stop working before the 14 days, you can call the customer service number on the box( do not throw the box until the 14 days) they are replaced, but make sure you do not say is for your cat or it will not be replaced, you should always have an extra one handy, this issue also occurs often, and they are expensive

 

Hi Victoria and Amos.
I’m sorry you have had so many problems getting sorted and settled.
If Amos recently had DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) it is really important he eats lots of food as food helps keep ketones away so please offer snacks during the cycles and well as the 2 main meals. Snacks are just normal low carb food.
And testing for ketones after DKA is also very important, so if it is only a 2 weeks since his diagnosis, I would recommend testing for ketones every day at the moment.
Insulin is also very important after DKA so I’m glad you have a libre attached. Please think about learning to hometest as that will be cheaper for you moving forward. E don’t want you skipping any doses of insulin. If the preshot is too low, stall, dont feed, and test again in 20 minutes to see if the BG is rising. And post and ask for help.
If you could get the spreadsheet set up and the signature as well, that will allow us to help you a lot more. I can ask @Bandit's Mom to help you with this if you think you might have trouble with it.
The main things we need to be concentrating on is the insulin dose is the best dose, you are giving enough food, and you are testing daily for ketones. And if Amos will let you add a teaspoon of warm water to each snack and meal, that will help with getting some extra fluids into him.
I am going to tag @Suzanne & Darcy about the dose as she is a Prozinc user.

 

You are doing so amazing for you cat but i cannot stress enough how important it is for you to take care of yourself! Getting sleep and not being in a state of anxiety all the time will not only make you feel better, it will make your brain function improve so you can take care of your cat better. Lack of sleep is sometimes as bad as alcohol when it comes to driving, and the last thing you need right now is a car accident, or giving the wrong insulin dosage, etc. New diagnosis is stressful but not sleeping makes everything so much worse, i guarantee you things will be easier to handle when you have recovered from lack of sleep. Here is a copy of a post i wrote to someone else who was very anxious:

I want you to take care of yourself and calm your system down, not just for your own benefit, but because science has proven that being less anxious makes your mind work better so you can respond to the current situation better.

If you have just 30 seconds, or even while you are doing something else:

Take at least 3 deep breaths in this way:

-Inhale slowly for about 4 seconds
-Short pause
-Exhale slowly for about 8 seconds
-Short pause
-Repeat

When you have more time:

-Make sure you're basic needs are met. If you can't eat or sleep much, try to have some water and a little food and sit down.

-Ask for help. A friend or family member in person or on the phone can help you talk things over, help watch kitty, distract you, etc.

-Release tension in your body. Stand up/sit down, roll your shoulders, shake out hands and feet, etc. Or look up "body scan" or "progressive muscle relaxation" on youtube. If its too hard to release tension, doing something physical first may help, like jog in place or walk around the house etc

- Relax your mind. Listen to relaxing music or search "guided meditation" on youtube. Even just something that will engage your mind like a tv show or hobby you like. Laughter also helps relax your body so find a funny podcast or video.

Keep giving updates and asking for help, we're here for you <3

 

Love this! This is exactly what I was told to do, take axstep back breath in and breath out, cats are very sensitive to feelings and they also become stressed, that causes for their BG to hike up

 

Oh my! This sounds crazy (the dosing). Can you get a spreadsheet set up and put in however many numbers that you can for the recent past (at least going back to the recent low numbers.) It sounds like you should reduce the dose at this point, but that is hard to say without spreadsheet data. A 2.9 in and of itself is above the hypoglycemic level and is a normal number for a non-diabetic cat. For a cat on insulin, however, we don’t want them going below 50 (2.8) on a human meter. What did you have to do to keep his numbers up? What did you feed and how frequently, etc. I am trying to get an idea of how difficult it was to keep his BG up.

Many cats will drop into lower BG at night, so we will need to know his evening nadir as well.

My Libre people are usually able to fill in every cell on their spreadsheets. Many Libre users find that their Libre sensors read much lower than normal in the lower range - so they use a handheld glucometer to check low numbers before making decisions on dosing. I would be really happy to help you and to hopefully get some sanity back into your life.

 

By the way, I agree with everything Bron has said about getting food and hydration into him and to be vigilant about testing for ketones.

 

Thank you Suzanne for stepping in on the dosing, you said it it’s crazy, I have been helping her in everything I could, thank you are great, she and her kitty will be in great hands with dosing just as you have been for my Corky

 

Thank you, Maria. Bron asked me to stop by this thread and see if I could help. I am happy to do it.

 

Great I was a bit worry under the circumstances and you’re my dose Guru

 

You know I love you and Corky, Maria. ❤️ Sometimes I wish I didn’t care as much about the people and cats on this Board… but I do. I can’t help it.

 

We love you too, just seeing Corky’s SS, is enough to see that without you and all the tear I shed at the beginning and sleepless nights you were there with me all the way even till 4:30AM until Corky stabilized and my panic attacks would stop, that is way I welcome the new members with open arms and also try to be there for them to the best of my ability, because I know the fear and helplessness of not knowing what to do, and I have thank all the other members as well that kept me sane thru this journey, I love you all so much for saving Corky’s life, I always get sentimental about it