New member from France

[Mousse]

Hello everyone, my name is Nicolette and I live in France with my two fur babies, Mousse and Woutertje. Mousse is diabetic, he was diagnosed in July. Mousse is reacting really well to me treating him, he's such a sweet boy, I test him standard 2 times a day, and I try to get more but because of work I can't always plus I hate bothering him, but I know it's good for him so I try. I've been on the feline diabetes Facebook group and they're such a big help, but I do find Facebook a bit annoying because of the algorithm that shows you what it wants and even in my own posts its hard to find the answers for some reason. And I'm a forum girl, been active in a horse forum for 22 years now and as your forum popped up often while googling I thought I'll register and come here as well. There is no such thing as to much information about this, am I right?

Mousse has had dka or almost at least (2.9 at the highest) a couple of weeks ago and was hospitalized with a drip and he got out of that, last time I tested they were 0.1

I know from blood tests that his liver is inflamed, for Mousse all of this started with a steroid injection when he had feline herpes in Mai and I'm guessing his body did not tolerate this well and has messed with his organs. I'm currently giving him supplements to hopefully heal his liver and get his glucose levels stabilized. I'm giving him MSM, milk thistle, vitamin b12, I put in a sprinkle of taurine and a bit of berberine. I seringe feed him this with some of that creamy treat stuff what should be low in glucides, but I really don't know. I did put it through a calculator and it seemed to be

I did get the food list from the guides in the group, the UK one, but as it only has names and no pictures it's hard to know if I take the right wet foods for him, it's also called differently here but sometimes I'm quite sure it's the same as mentioned in the list. I have to change it up for him because if I give the same thing every day he'll go off it, and he needs to eat...

He has some freeze dried meats and before mentioned wet food and also Feringa cold pressed kibble, that should be low in glucides, but I did not find it on your list, next I will try thrive, which is on your list and a whole lot cheaper then Feringa... I need to have kibble because I have two cats and they've only ever ate kibble and the other one doesn't eat anything else

Are there members here that live in France that can give me some wet food options that are available in supermarkets? I'm not 100% sure I'm giving the right choices for him, he keeps bouncing, it's not really bad but it still worries me. I know gravy options aren't good, so I don't buy them

I've had some really weird veterinary experiences, I've gotten fired from the first one, they wanted to put him on senvelgo the day of the diagnosis but his glucose was to high, so they sent me home with prozinc on Friday and I had a follow up appointment on Monday and over the weekend I've googled senvelgo and it didn't really convince me, plus the notice says to not give it to cats that have previously been given insulin and the cat needs to be thoroughly checked before this can be given, and that didn't happen. So when I came back on Monday I had some questions, and the vet that I saw on Friday wasn't available for us so I was with a sweet young girl that had to go out and 'ask the doktor' many times and when she pricked him to get a drop of blood her hands were trembling, so at some point I asked if I could see the doktor because she didn't seem very experienced and she started crying... I'm an easy cryer so I started crying as well, and telling her so so so sorry, and I didn't mean to make her cry, it was a whole scene. She really wanted me to leave with senvelgo but I was so unsure I decided to stay on insulin and left with that. I've paid the bill and left. The next day I had a voicemail from the vet saying that the way things went the day before, with me having lack of confidence (yes absolutely) and lack of respect (that's not true) they've decided not to see us anymore

So that's how I came to the Facebook group and they've really helped us a lot! Until his ketones went up and he was unwell and that's where you need to go to an actual vet, which I did and this led to a new experience. I've been fired again... A different, but equally weird story. Luckily this was after he was hospitalized and they did pull him through and I'm really thankful for that. I'll spare you the story but I will tell you that they disliked the Facebook help, they told me to stop testing and to just give him insulin without testing, and they gave some food advise with not one low glucose option on the list. They've told me over and over 'not to believe everything you read on the internet' (thanks, I didn't know that..!)

So we're without vet again, so annoying, and I can only hope whe won't need one any time soon because we have to drive further and further because we live in the middle of nowhere in France

Mousse is on 1.50 unit of prozinc now, but I do feel he stays high and I don't like it, last night I've tested him and he was reasonable in the yellow, but this morning he was in the red, and I don't understand why this happens. The days that are empty are the days he was hospitalized

We are handicapped in the 12 hour cycle, I work in shifts in a factory and I do have to walk him back and forth often, and I think that doesn't help in stabilizing him, but I live alone and this can not be changed unfortunately

I've attached his test sheet and I'm open to any information you can give me and will answer any questions you might have

Thanks to all you lovely people and my heart goes out to everyone who's going through this with their sugarbabies, it's not easy...

Mousse (Nicolette Prenen) 's Sugar Sheet

 

[Tim & Pookey]

Welcome! You seem to be doing a great job caring for your boy and I’m glad you trusted your gut and did your research on some of those decisions. I cannot believe those stories… sigh.

 

[Mousse]

Thank you, I'm trying, I love him so much... More and more actually, it's unbelievable how close you get in this journey, we are closer then ever

I know this doesn't happens for everyone, cats are a fickle species, and if it doesn't happen it can make it so much harder, but that's not your fault, that's just what happens with some cats, and I'm very sorry you have to deal with that as well

 

[CORKY]

Welcome to FDMB, this time you are in the right place, so sorry about your experience with the Vets, and I also was fired by my 10 years of vet visits, it is unfortunate that many vets are not knowledgeable on Feline Diabetes, I command your persistence though, you know your cat better than your vet, and yes ProZinc is a great insulin for cats, as you already know it is a 12 hour insulin, it is also true that you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet, but I can assure you that this Forum has saved and stabilized almost every member's cats, staring with my Corky, this Forum has literary saved him, I trust it blindly. I will tag a member that can assist you with dosing and any concerns you may have, your baby knows you love him, Corky and I are stuck like glue, since he was diagnosed, it's like he feels safer next to me,, You have been doing a great job with home testing as well, is imperative to test before shooting insulin, to avoid hypoglycemia, so you are on the right track, I am sure Suzanne will plug in with you soon, she has the outmost knowledge on ProZinc, my Corky is also on ProZinc, she saved his life
@Suzanne & Darcy

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB!

I'm so sorry that the vets who you have worked with have been so challenging. Not all vets support home testing despite it being the only way to keep your cat safe. When I first started out here, my vet assumed I was interacting with a group of crazy cat ladies on the internet. I pointed out that since she wasn't available 24/7, unless she wanted to give me her personal phone number, especially since I could be up until 2 AM with my cat and I would call her then, I was going to consult with FDMB. Once she became comfortable with how my cat was progressing, she never said anything else.

I'm going to check with a few other people who may recall who the members we have had in France are. I can think of one but she's no longer active on this message board.

There is information about Prozinc on that particular insulin support group page. I'd encourage you to read the sticky notes at the top of the page. In particular, there's information on dosing that I suspect you will find very helpful.

We tend to keep a very close eye on cats that have been diagnosed with DKA. DKA occurs if there's an underlying infection or inflammation + not enough calories + not enough insulin. So, as you noted, it's important that your cat eats. We typically suggest that a post-DKA cat consumes about 1.5 times the typical amount of food he's used to eating. It's also helpful if you can get as much water as possible into Mousse. Fluids help to dilute ketones. It sounds like you're testing for ketones which is very helpful. I'd encourage you to test at least once a day. This is information on DKA and ketones.

It looks like you're not using our spreadsheet that's set up to have a page for "World" numbers where you enter your data. There's second page that is set up to convert the world numbers into the US numbers. Most of us are in the US and we would have to manually convert any of your readings into the system we use. The information for the spreadsheet along with information for your signature is in this post on helping us to help you. Setting up a signature will allow you to include basic information about Mousse so we don't keep asking you the same questions over and over again.

I would encourage you to get at least one test during the PM cycle. Without any tests at night, you're missing half of your data. You also don't know if Mousse's numbers are dropping lower at night. There's not a great deal of difference between those yellow numbers and what you're generally seeing when you test. Your cat was at 16.6 at PMPS which is at the top of the "yellow" numbers.

You asked about why Mousse's numbers have changed from last night to this morning. Many cats experience what we refer to as a "bounce" if their blood glucose tests drop lower than what their body has become used to. When numbers drop into a lower range or if they drop quickly, the liver and pancreas release a stored form of glucose along with counterregulatory hormones. These cause the numbers to jump upward. It can take several cycles for the bounce to resolve. As Mousse become used to being in more normal numbers, the bouncing will lessen.

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

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Welcome to FDMB! I’m sorry for your experience. Where do you live in France? I have a very dear friend (French) whose husband is a veterinarian and owns several clinics around the country. I could see if one of his is near you but the issues you had are ones we often have here in the US as well.

I’m going to send you a private message so please check your inbox shortly and I will be able to convert the SS you have to one we use.

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

@Daphne and Aida used to live in France but recently moved to Greece. If she sees this tag then perhaps she can help with foods.

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

And of course, what am I thinking, my friend @Astra&Purrfect lives in France! Astra, would you be able to help Nicolette with some information on food for her diabetic cat Mousse? See the first post above.

 

[Mousse]

I'll have to work the nightshift in 2 hours so I'll reply to everyone tomorrow, thank you so much for taking the time to answer me

I will say that I do test 2 times a day, I have the spreadsheet from the US feline support group on Facebook, and to see the pmps you'll have to scroll to the right

I have to get ready to go to work now, I'll be back tomorrow!

 

[Astra&Purrfect]

I'll have to work the nightshift in 2 hours so I'll reply to everyone tomorrow, thank you so much for taking the time to answer me

I will say that I do test 2 times a day, I have the spreadsheet from the US feline support group on Facebook, and to see the pmps you'll have to scroll to the right

I have to get ready to go to work now, I'll be back tomorrow!

Bonsoir, Nicolette! Je vais vous répondre! I'm going to get back to you very soon with some suggestions for food available here in France.

 

[Astra&Purrfect]

And of course, what am I thinking, my friend @Astra&Purrfect lives in France! Astra, would you be able to help Nicolette with some information on food for her diabetic cat Mousse? See the first post above.

Hi, Suzanne! I'm on the case and am going to prepare a reply for Nicolette with suggested food available here in France.

 

[Mousse]

Merci beaucoup, that's going to be very helpful

 

[Astra&Purrfect]

Merci beaucoup, that's going to be very helpful

Bonsoir, Nicolette,
Premièrement, enchantée de faire votre connaissance! Et bravo pour tout ce que vous faites déjà pour Mousse. Je pourrais vous répondre en français mais vu qu’on est sur un forum anglophone, je vais écrire en anglais -- I could reply in French but as we’re on an English-speaking forum, I’ll write in English.

We're very sorry to hear about your bad experiences with vets. In general, they know very little about feline diabetes. You’re doing the right thing to test at least before every injection, like with humans. This means Mousse will be safe. Ideally, you need some tests at nadir to make sure the blood glucose level is not too low. Also, so-called prescription ‘diabetic’ food from big brands recommended by vets includes croquettes which are high-carbohydrate (beaucoup de glucides!)

FOOD:
A great food combination is fresh meat interspersed with wet sachet food/pâté. For example, you can buy a chicken (poulet plein air) in the supermarket, roast it and keep it in the fridge wrapped in alu foil. You can slice small pieces for 25g. portions. Your cat will love it! It’s totally healthy and low carb. Freeze dried tends to be rather tasteless.

Wild-caught salmon steaks 3,19€, colin d’Alaska 2,50€ from Aldi are good too. Best to poach small pieces in milk, then chop up for Mousse. Do you have an Aldi supermarket near you? I recommend Aldi for wet food, for example, the new-look Juliet brand not the old one. (See photos.) The best Juliet sachet is “emincés en gelée” (super because they have no sugar and no cereals, 12 sachets 3,65€) and you can see if Mousse likes the Juliet Premium tins 400g. 0,99€ (only the Premium ones without sugar or cereals). Juliet Snacks Liquides are nice too. A good supermarket food is Felix – yes, it does have some added sugars but no cereals and it’s pretty low-carb. It’s a regular favourite of our cats (see Campagne and Original in photos). Other supermarket options include Purina One, Purina Stérilisé, Gourmet Perle, Gourmet Filettines and sachets Ultima. These don't have cereals but again some added sugars. They are more expensive than Felix but give variety (si besoin).

ZOOPLUS.FR is indeed great. Feringa ‘cold-pressed’ in theory is very good but we find our cats didn’t like the Purizon cold-pressed version! (ils le boudent!) If your cats insist on kibble, I recommend Purizon standard, full of good ingredients. It does have more carbs than cold-pressed but not too many at 15% (see photo).

SOME MORE TIPS: Des conseils :

For ear tests, I recommend filling a sock (une vieille chaussette quoi!) with some rice and warming it for 30 seconds in the microwave (not too hot!) and placing it on Mousse’s ear before the test to warm the vein. (See photo.)

We use Freestyle lancettes 28g 12,90€ for 200 (see photo above).

I use a disque de coton – cotton pad inside the ear to support it when pricking with a lancet between the edge of the ear and the vein (see photo with Felix).

I recommend Sol-Vet syringes which are very fine and are more comfortable for the cat (see photo). These can be bought from Compagnie des Animaux (100 for 24,99€ +postage
https://www.lacompagniedesanimaux.com)

I recommend you test Mousse’s urine jet when he’s in his litterbox every day (si possible) with a bandelette (strip) Ketodiastix (7,77€ from your pharmacy) for ketones and glucose levels.

Nicolette, do you have a long-lasting prescription (ordonnance) for the next bottle of Prozinc? You will need a prescription. Perhaps it’s best to be discreet and not mention forums and the internet to your next vet. They can be offended! We have never mentioned the internet to our vet. Luckily, our vet is very good and she has given us a prescription for Prozinc 10ml to last for 6 months (3 flacons). Price 104€ from the vet and 77€ from the pharmacy! It takes up to 5 days to arrive at the pharmacy.

You’re using the Freestyle Neo – mg / dl? We (my family) are not familiar with mmol. Your spreadsheet needs to match your glucometer.

Nicolette, I do hope this information is useful to you and Mousse. Si vous avez des questions, n’hésitez pas!
Je vous souhaite une excellente soirée.
Astra & Felix.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Let me clarify. We recommend testing at least 4 time a day.Test at your AMPS and PMPS like you're already doing. Getting a minimum of one test during both the AM and PM cycle can also be important. You want to know how low the insulin is taking your cat's blood glucose level so you know if you need to reduce or increase the dose.

That may be a challenge with your work schedule. Getting more tests may be difficult depending on your work schedule. I was my cat's only caretaker, I ended up testing at 5:00. This gave me time to get at least one test before I left the house (at around +2) which gave me an idea if Gabby's numbers were dropping. If so, I left higher carbohydrate food out for her.

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Bonsoir, Nicolette,
Premièrement, enchantée de faire votre connaissance! Et bravo pour tout ce que vous faites déjà pour Mousse. Je pourrais vous répondre en français mais vu qu’on est sur un forum anglophone, je vais écrire en anglais -- I could reply in French but as we’re on an English-speaking forum, I’ll write in English.

We're very sorry to hear about your bad experiences with vets. In general, they know very little about feline diabetes. You’re doing the right thing to test at least before every injection, like with humans. This means Mousse will be safe. Ideally, you need some tests at nadir to make sure the blood glucose level is not too low. Also, so-called prescription ‘diabetic’ food from big brands recommended by vets includes croquettes which are high-carbohydrate (beaucoup de glucides!)

FOOD:
A great food combination is fresh meat interspersed with wet sachet food/pâté. For example, you can buy a chicken (poulet plein air) in the supermarket, roast it and keep it in the fridge wrapped in alu foil. You can slice small pieces for 25g. portions. Your cat will love it! It’s totally healthy and low carb. Freeze dried tends to be rather tasteless.

Wild-caught salmon steaks 3,19€, colin d’Alaska 2,50€ from Aldi are good too. Best to poach small pieces in milk, then chop up for Mousse. Do you have an Aldi supermarket near you? I recommend Aldi for wet food, for example, the new-look Juliet brand not the old one. (See photos.) The best Juliet sachet is “emincés en gelée” (super because they have no sugar and no cereals, 12 sachets 3,65€) and you can see if Mousse likes the Juliet Premium tins 400g. 0,99€ (only the Premium ones without sugar or cereals). Juliet Snacks Liquides are nice too. A good supermarket food is Felix – yes, it does have some added sugars but no cereals and it’s pretty low-carb. It’s a regular favourite of our cats (see Campagne and Original in photos). Other supermarket options include Purina One, Purina Stérilisé, Gourmet Perle, Gourmet Filettines and sachets Ultima. These don't have cereals but again some added sugars. They are more expensive than Felix but give variety (si besoin).

View attachment 74145 View attachment 74146
ZOOPLUS.FR is indeed great. Feringa ‘cold-pressed’ in theory is very good but we find our cats didn’t like the Purizon cold-pressed version! (ils le boudent!) If your cats insist on kibble, I recommend Purizon standard, full of good ingredients. It does have more carbs than cold-pressed but not too many at 15% (see photo).

View attachment 74147
SOME MORE TIPS: Des conseils :

For ear tests, I recommend filling a sock (une vieille chaussette quoi!) with some rice and warming it for 30 seconds in the microwave (not too hot!) and placing it on Mousse’s ear before the test to warm the vein. (See photo.)
View attachment 74148
We use Freestyle lancettes 28g 12,90€ for 200 (see photo above).

I use a disque de coton – cotton pad inside the ear to support it when pricking with a lancet between the edge of the ear and the vein (see photo with Felix).
View attachment 74149
I recommend Sol-Vet syringes which are very fine and are more comfortable for the cat (see photo). These can be bought from Compagnie des Animaux (100 for 24,99€ +postage
https://www.lacompagniedesanimaux.com)

View attachment 74150
I recommend you test Mousse’s urine jet when he’s in his litterbox every day (si possible) with a bandelette (strip) Ketodiastix (7,77€ from your pharmacy) for ketones and glucose levels.

View attachment 74151
Nicolette, do you have a long-lasting prescription (ordonnance) for the next bottle of Prozinc? You will need a prescription. Perhaps it’s best to be discreet and not mention forums and the internet to your next vet. They can be offended! We have never mentioned the internet to our vet. Luckily, our vet is very good and she has given us a prescription for Prozinc 10ml to last for 6 months (3 flacons). Price 104€ from the vet and 77€ from the pharmacy! It takes up to 5 days to arrive at the pharmacy.

You’re using the Freestyle Neo – mg / dl? We are not familiar with mmol. Your spreadsheet needs to match your glucometer.

Nicolette, I do hope this information is useful to you and Mousse. Si vous avez des questions, n’hésitez pas!
Je vous souhaite une excellente soirée.
Astra & Felix.

Great info. Thank you Astra!

 

[Astra&Purrfect]

You're welcome, Marje. I hope Nicolette gets to see it soon when she gets back from her night shift.
Have a pleasant evening.
Astra & Felix.

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

Bonsoir, Nicolette,
Premièrement, enchantée de faire votre connaissance! Et bravo pour tout ce que vous faites déjà pour Mousse. Je pourrais vous répondre en français mais vu qu’on est sur un forum anglophone, je vais écrire en anglais -- I could reply in French but as we’re on an English-speaking forum, I’ll write in English.

We're very sorry to hear about your bad experiences with vets. In general, they know very little about feline diabetes. You’re doing the right thing to test at least before every injection, like with humans. This means Mousse will be safe. Ideally, you need some tests at nadir to make sure the blood glucose level is not too low. Also, so-called prescription ‘diabetic’ food from big brands recommended by vets includes croquettes which are high-carbohydrate (beaucoup de glucides!)

FOOD:
A great food combination is fresh meat interspersed with wet sachet food/pâté. For example, you can buy a chicken (poulet plein air) in the supermarket, roast it and keep it in the fridge wrapped in alu foil. You can slice small pieces for 25g. portions. Your cat will love it! It’s totally healthy and low carb. Freeze dried tends to be rather tasteless.

Wild-caught salmon steaks 3,19€, colin d’Alaska 2,50€ from Aldi are good too. Best to poach small pieces in milk, then chop up for Mousse. Do you have an Aldi supermarket near you? I recommend Aldi for wet food, for example, the new-look Juliet brand not the old one. (See photos.) The best Juliet sachet is “emincés en gelée” (super because they have no sugar and no cereals, 12 sachets 3,65€) and you can see if Mousse likes the Juliet Premium tins 400g. 0,99€ (only the Premium ones without sugar or cereals). Juliet Snacks Liquides are nice too. A good supermarket food is Felix – yes, it does have some added sugars but no cereals and it’s pretty low-carb. It’s a regular favourite of our cats (see Campagne and Original in photos). Other supermarket options include Purina One, Purina Stérilisé, Gourmet Perle, Gourmet Filettines and sachets Ultima. These don't have cereals but again some added sugars. They are more expensive than Felix but give variety (si besoin).

View attachment 74145 View attachment 74146
ZOOPLUS.FR is indeed great. Feringa ‘cold-pressed’ in theory is very good but we find our cats didn’t like the Purizon cold-pressed version! (ils le boudent!) If your cats insist on kibble, I recommend Purizon standard, full of good ingredients. It does have more carbs than cold-pressed but not too many at 15% (see photo).

View attachment 74147
SOME MORE TIPS: Des conseils :

For ear tests, I recommend filling a sock (une vieille chaussette quoi!) with some rice and warming it for 30 seconds in the microwave (not too hot!) and placing it on Mousse’s ear before the test to warm the vein. (See photo.)
View attachment 74148
We use Freestyle lancettes 28g 12,90€ for 200 (see photo above).

I use a disque de coton – cotton pad inside the ear to support it when pricking with a lancet between the edge of the ear and the vein (see photo with Felix).
View attachment 74149
I recommend Sol-Vet syringes which are very fine and are more comfortable for the cat (see photo). These can be bought from Compagnie des Animaux (100 for 24,99€ +postage
https://www.lacompagniedesanimaux.com)

View attachment 74150
I recommend you test Mousse’s urine jet when he’s in his litterbox every day (si possible) with a bandelette (strip) Ketodiastix (7,77€ from your pharmacy) for ketones and glucose levels.

View attachment 74151
Nicolette, do you have a long-lasting prescription (ordonnance) for the next bottle of Prozinc? You will need a prescription. Perhaps it’s best to be discreet and not mention forums and the internet to your next vet. They can be offended! We have never mentioned the internet to our vet. Luckily, our vet is very good and she has given us a prescription for Prozinc 10ml to last for 6 months (3 flacons). Price 104€ from the vet and 77€ from the pharmacy! It takes up to 5 days to arrive at the pharmacy.

You’re using the Freestyle Neo – mg / dl? We are not familiar with mmol. Your spreadsheet needs to match your glucometer.

Nicolette, I do hope this information is useful to you and Mousse. Si vous avez des questions, n’hésitez pas!
Je vous souhaite une excellente soirée.
Astra & Felix.

Thank you, Astra.

 

[Mousse]

You're welcome, Marje. I hope Nicolette gets to see it soon when she gets back from her night shift.
Have a pleasant evening.
Astra & Felix.

I'm up! Didn't want to quote the long post, but that is indeed fantastic info, thank you so much! Thank you for taking the time to write such a extensive post, that's so thoughtful of you! I go mainly to Lidl and super u, Aldi is a bit out of the way, but I will make a run there in about a week. For now I have other foods, that I'm not sure of...

The pure taste one from Lidl seems to be okay, I'm guessing the coshida mousse is okay as well, the gourmet gold one I have doubts, and the super U tins are the only ones at super u that doesn't have sugar in the ingredients. I had another no grain tin but I don't remember where I bought that, I think Lidl but I'm unsure. Could be super U, I will go get groceries tomorrow and have a look

I do the warm sock to warm his ear, and I have safety lancets from my life, 28G, they work well for us. I've been wanting to look into AliExpress test devices and strips, they are a lot cheaper, even ketone strips are not expensive and the ones for the neo cost an arm and a leg... My friend had one, for herself, and she says it works just as well. Can test it on myself if I'll get one to compare with the neo. The urine test strips I am hesitant to get, this is all so invasive for him, if I'm going to disturb his bathroom routine he has no privacy left I feel, but that can be just in my head. I am sort of scared also that when I try to get in there he'll step of the litterbox while peeing and create a whole new problem were he'll go and pee anywhere and that's something I really don't need...

Thanks so much for the link of the seringes! These were the first ones I had but I couldn't find them anywhere after that, and I got them from the vet that fired me, so, you know... Couldn't get them there...

As you can see on my spreadsheet I was advised rather quickly to give a smaller dose, at that time I didn't have to dose him two times per day because he was in the blue, and the general idea, what I've understood of it, was that this wasn't good and I should lower the dose so I'll prick him every 12 hours. The weird thing is that I've found him so much better when this was the case, so when I've only had to prick him in the morning and in the evening he was in the blue numbers. But I followed the advice, because well, what do I know, not much... But somewhere in my gut it didn't sit right. I did ask about dosing advice many many times, but they've told me to stay on microdose and then he went into ketoacidose. That night, when I tested him (2.8 ketones) I've given him 1.5 without asking anyone, and I've stayed up all night with him seringe feeding him till the next morning (2.3 ketones) when I took him to the vet and he was hospitalized

The vet said to give 1.0 but he doesn't come down anymore, I've made the decision to go to 1.50 but the experts in the group said to go to 1.25, so I did, but he still didn't go down and so they said 1.5 on what he is now and he's still not coming down. He can be occasionally in yellow but that is rare, and this is really worrying me. At the vets they did a blood test and his liver values where high, not sky high but to high anyway, so the inflammation should be that. At the first vets they did a blood test as well but there I can't find the liver so I don't think it was included and so I don't know if this was already the case in July or if this is recent. I think I said he had a cortisone shot for feline herpes in Mai, so did this cause his liver to be inflamed, I have no idea...

I would so like him to come down, would love to see some blue numbers on that sheet, he was so much better when that was the case. For my part I'd love to up his dose a bit, but I don't know if that is wise?

I don't really know how inserting photos work on this forum, I'll take a look if I find some sort of notice somewhere with explanation, my usual forum works a little different but I'll figure that out, I think the pictures will be attached, but I'd like to put them we're I want and I don't see how to do that, I'll just post this and see what happens...

Thanks so much to everyone, you're the best!

 

[Mousse]

Let me clarify. We recommend testing at least 4 time a day.Test at your AMPS and PMPS like you're already doing. Getting a minimum of one test during both the AM and PM cycle can also be important. You want to know how low the insulin is taking your cat's blood glucose level so you know if you need to reduce or increase the dose.

That may be a challenge with your work schedule. Getting more tests may be difficult depending on your work schedule. I was my cat's only caretaker, I ended up testing at 5:00. This gave me time to get at least one test before I left the house (at around +2) which gave me an idea if Gabby's numbers were dropping. If so, I left higher carbohydrate food out for her.

I only have some days I can do this, as I said I work in shifts and that is very tiring and I'm sleeping on weird times, plus my work is very fysical, I'm moving the whole 8 hours I'm there plus lifting and bending down, this together means that if I don't rest I'm going to break. Even the days I don't work I sleep a lot, just to get rested, and I really need that. I can't put an alarm to get up to test him because if I break my sleep I might not be able to get back to sleep and then the whole thing just isn't possible anymore... I have a shitty job that I do in the strangest hours but it pays really well and as my live has become very expensive lately (I've gone through all my savings) I really do need to be able to do that, can't afford to get sick, my income would decrease so much I could not survive, and with this job it is very easy to get sick, many many collegues can't keep up and just leave or go on sick leave...

So I do try, and I for sure test him when I prick him, and I do try to get in more, but it's just hard...

 

[Mousse]

And of course, what am I thinking, my friend @Astra&Purrfect lives in France! Astra, would you be able to help Nicolette with some information on food for her diabetic cat Mousse? See the first post above.

Hi! I found this post of yours in another topic and I find this so worrying... So is he insulin resistant now? Oh my... He has or had (I hope) an inflamed liver, but it can be anything of course

Hi there. I am so sorry you are going through this with your cat. How frustrating and confusing. I can’t tell a whole lot of specific numbers from those graphs, but I can see that you first at least got a response to the insulin and now it seems like it’s not lowering his BG at all. Oh my gosh, I remember that feeling.

Has anything changed with his health? Oftentimes tooth problems can cause insulin resistance. Other things are things like urinary tract infections, ear infections, constipation and any sort of infection or inflammation — recently I even saw high numbers in a cat from an infected anal gland. Has he been checked out thoroughly? I will come back in a bit.

 

[Astra&Purrfect]

I'm up! Didn't want to quote the long post, but that is indeed fantastic info, thank you so much! Thank you for taking the time to write such a extensive post, that's so thoughtful of you! I go mainly to Lidl and super u, Aldi is a bit out of the way, but I will make a run there in about a week. For now I have other foods, that I'm not sure of...
(...)
Thanks so much to everyone, you're the best!

Il n’y pas de quoi, Nicolette. You’re welcome. Yes, we go to Super U too! Those tins Paté et Morceaux are good – we’ve tried boeuf and rognons flavours. Lidl is a little further away from us but we do go there sometimes and know Coshida well. These German brands are great because they don’t have cereals or sugar. Sticks (bâtonnets) Coshida or Juliet are nice because they are meaty. It looks like you have a super selection. The Gourmet Mousseline (very appropriate for a cat called Mousse!) has some sugars but no cereals, so is ok. When you look at the ingredients, just make sure there are no cereals or potatoes and, if possible, no sugar.

Quickly using a urine strip to check for ketones is less invasive than an ear prick test and bandelette. It should be easy if your cat raises his bottom when he does a pipi in his box and with a torch you discreetly place the strip under his urine jet for one second. It all depends on your cat’s attitude! Our Felix is very tolerant (Ça ne le dérange absolument pas! ) An alternative would be to put those special plastic beads in his litterbox which do not absorb his urine. Then, when Mousse gets out, you can dip the Ketodiastix strip in his pipi.

You communicate very well in English -- a couple of things, when you say ‘dose’: “at that time I didn't have to dose him two times per day because he was in the blue » do you mean inject him with insulin?

“So I'll prick him every 12 hours” Do you mean inject with insulin or prick the ear for a test (en français “dosage”)?

We say in English, numbers for “valeurs”, test for “dosage de la glycémie” and dosing for “posologie.” In the U.S. they say shot for injection.

I’ll defer to other members of the forum for dosing advice. (Je préfère laisser les autres membres du forum donner leur avis sur la posologie.) But advice on this forum says increases should be only .25 of a unit because Prozinc is effective and strong. Only change the dose when you can test the cat throughout the first day to make sure he does not drop too low. Please read the SLGS dosing advice on the Prozinc forum.

As for inflammation, this causes higher numbers and insulin resistance. Have you considered MP Labo Agepi Omega 3 capsules? (Also available from La Compagnie des Animaux.) These help reduce inflammation and can lower blood glucose numbers, so start low and monitor carefully. You will have to prick the capsule to squeeze out a few drops into an eggcup (coquetier) and conserve the capsule in cling film (étirable). Mix the drops with some milk and give with a needleless syringe in the mouth.

As for inserting images, click in the place you want to add a photo, then click on the little mountain

and then click on the words: “(or click here)” and then choose a file on your PC.​

Hope this helps!
Have a great evening.
Astra & Felix.

 

[Astra&Purrfect]

An addendum! Nicolette, I think you mean inject when you say "prick" but this could be confusing because we say prick the ear with a lancet to get a drop of blood when we do a test (dosage). However, don't worry, your English is very good.

 

[Mousse]

My prick is a test and my dose is an injection I always test before injecting so they come together anyway for my part

I've bought some Felix food that you posted and he loved it, some of the mousse again also because Mousse indeed loves the mousse! You have Felix and felix so that's fun

I will look into the omega 3 you mentioned, I give him lots of supplements, sometimes omega 3 from fish oil capsules I have for myself. I'm mixing it into the creamy treats from super U, but I'm not 100 % happy with that, I don't think milk would be a good carrier though, lactose and sugar, but I'm guessing you only give a tiny bit? I give the supplements as you do with a needleless syringe, I'm thinking about trying cream, that doesn't have that much sugar and lactose, Atkins and all that...

I have to tell you I'm not french, I do for a large part live a French live of course, work and all that, but I'll never watch french television, almost everything I watch is English, and my online life is mainly in English, but is also a mishmash of these two plus Dutch, cause that's where I'm originally from, the Netherlands. My Google searches will be in all of the above, depends on what it is and the context. I should have a preference for Dutch, but I don't, my phone's language is English ...

Little pic to try out... Yes it works! This is my other baby and Mousse's best friend, Woutertje (kaboutertje) and that's a Dutch name, so as you see I've mixed it up there to. And I mostly speak Dutch to them

Thank you so much, you were really very helpful! And so sweet taking the time to respond to me

 

[Astra&Purrfect]

Thank you so much, you were really very helpful! And so sweet taking the time to respond to me

Graag gedaan, Nicolette! Yes, we have visited the Netherlands many times and played there as a trio! A really lovely country.

I am familiar with the Creamy treats from Super U. Felix was not so keen on them. However, Aldi do their own at a very reasonable price (7 x 15g. for 1,79€). They're called Snacks Liquides in the petfood section. They include poulet & foie and saumon flavours. 3 can be given a day! Felix adores them best.

I'm so glad Mousse likes the Felix! Giving supplements such as in a creamy treat is a great idea. We generally give crushed pills and supplements in a little milk. Cream could be a bit tricky for the tummy but if it's in very small quantities it should be ok.
Woutertje looks very content!
Good luck with Mousse.
Astra & Felix.

 

[Mousse]

Graag gedaan, Nicolette! Yes, we have visited the Netherlands many times and played there as a trio! A really lovely country.

I am familiar with the Creamy treats from Super U. Felix was not so keen on them. However, Aldi do their own at a very reasonable price (7 x 15g. for 1,79€). They're called Snacks Liquides in the petfood section. They include poulet & foie and saumon flavours. 3 can be given a day! Felix adores them best.

I'm so glad Mousse likes the Felix! Giving supplements such as in a creamy treat is a great idea. We generally give crushed pills and supplements in a little milk. Cream could be a bit tricky for the tummy but if it's in very small quantities it should be ok.
Woutertje looks very content!
Good luck with Mousse.
Astra & Felix.

I'll go to Aldi in about a week, and have a look, Mousse isn't such a big fan of them either I think. But the syringe doesn't help of course, there is a natural barrier between cats and 'you have to' (eat this, go out, stay in) they no likey...

Don't you think cream would be better than milk? Milk had sugars and lactose, cream doesn't?

You are a multi lingual person aren't you dank je wel!!

What do you play by the way?

 

[CORKY]

Mousse is Beautiful!!!