Bast Home- Need help getting ducks in a row

Bast came home today. Not happy abou the extra charges on my bill but i will iron that out after coffee- LOL

The vet told me he was 2000 glucose this morning (so I am not sure how to convert that) and they gave him 1 unit about 7:30am. I made him call in a lantus pen scrip to target I can pick up tonight before i come home from work.

i am to shoot 1 unit 2 times a day. Use a ketodiastix strip once a day to check for ketones ( he had DFK- whch is why he was at the vet so long). I asked AGAIn about monitering and ear pricks. He keeps saying- no don't have to. Just give the shoots and watch for hypo.... GRRRRRR and bring him in in 2 weeks for a curve.

I am also giving amixocillyn for the last of the UTI (no biggie- I have done that before)

I asked about food, collecting pee and numbers we are aming for. He was not very forthcoming. He said we are aming for 180-300. No hints for collecting urine with 2 cats. Said if he doesn't eat just give him a half dose.

I don't think we will be back.
I have a meter coming (mabe today) I will have the solostar pens tonight and a friend gave me a box of seringes. They are 28/29 gauage but i think they will be ok till I can get smaller ones. I know i want to home test. With multiple cats getting a ear prick is easier than seperating bast for urine (plus i read that is not a good way to tell glucose).
I just just put down wet food for him with ice cubes for when i go to work. My SO is home to give hime more later today.

questions-
Do I need to test urine every day? Twice a week? do I need the glucose/ketone strips or just the ketone strips?

i will be starting monitering in the next day or so when the meter gets here. In the meantime I plan to keep the 1 unit dose as long as he is eating for this week. i think I can do a curve next week when i have 2 days off.

I plan on letting him feed little bits all day till about 2 hours before he should get a shot. Then give him a meal and the shot. (when i get my meter I will test, feed, shoot). I read some people feed, wait an hour, and then shoot.

Is there a graph that can be filled in manually rather than on the computer- when my mom comes to help when i am gone for a week a christmas- I know she will not use the computer.

Thank You all so much for helping me.
Misty & Bast

 

A couple times of week testing urine should be fine unless he stops eating or acts off. You need the ketone strips since you'll be using the meter to test his glucose.

One unit twice daily sounds like a good starting dose. While you are waiting for your meter, you can get him used to the process:

First pick a place where you want to test. Some people use the kitchen counter, a blanket on the floor, between your legs while sitting – whatever works for you. Take the kitty there and give him/her lots of praise while you play with his/her ears. Give a treat and release. Next time, add the rice sack (thin sock filled with raw rice, heated in the microwave until very warm but not hot) or a prescription pill bottle filled with very warm water. Lots of praise, treat and release. Finally add the lancet so he/she will get used to the noise. The hope is that when you finally poke, they will be used to the process and know a treat is coming!

The spreadsheet will be invaluable, for you and your new vet and for us. (When you ask for dosing help, we want to see a history of your doses and numbers at a glance. ) Have your mother keep the numbers and you can add them when you return. Here are the directions:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207
It's a little tricky; if you need help, just ask.

 

You said "The vet told me he was 2000 glucose this morning " That sounds like a urine glucose value. Since the urine glucose is an average it is really not that useful if you also test blood glucose level.

 

that sounds right- they seem to have an issue with blood testing.

I am ticked right now because I called target to make sure it was ready and the vet hasn't called the script in. He was suppossed to do it at 9am. My cat needs a shot in an hour.
*(^&_%^)%_%_% R*&^R^*R^)$R%) ohmygod_smile

 

well, i got the vet to talk to target and they pulled it quickly - i love my target,
i run home and ask my SO if the cat has eatten. He is still sleeping. So we wake him and put him in the bathroom with food. Since I don't have my meter yet- i am not going to give him his unit until I KNOW he ate. I would rather skip one shoot than chance hypo. I was thinking a half dose but am really leary without a test.

Does this sound right?

So I was panicing for nothing- LOL
Misty & Bast

 

i would make sure he eats before giving a shot too. buttttt, given the DKA, i wouldn't want to go too long without both food and insulin sooooo, 1. what he eats isn't as important as him eating right now so if he's hesitant to eat any new food, let him have his old stuff if he'll eat it. or, you could syringe feed him wet food if he won't eat and you are up to that. you should be able to get a large feeding syringe from the vet but if not, i've got a couple of them i could share if need be.

2. when do you think you'll get your meter? if it's not within the next day or so, again given the dka, i'd either consider picking up one of the Relions at walmart or i've got a few extra name brand one's you could have one of. you'd have to pick up a few strips for one of them but i think a small pack of strips wouldn't be too much......oh, now that i think about it i think i've got an extra Relion meter, i think it might be the Confirm. I'll go look in case you need to do that.

 

Misty:

I posted in your thread on the Lantus board. I wanted to make sure you saw this information.

I think you received poor advice on the Lantus board regarding not shooting. You need to get food into Bast in whatever way you can. Both food and fluids are critical in a cat that is recovering from DKA. Insulin is even more critical. There is an assist feeding group on Yahoo that has helped many people whose cats are recovering from an illness and need to get nutritional support through syringe feeding. If Bast won't eat on his own, please look into this resource.

When a cat is just recovering from DKA, there is a real potential for ketones to start developing again. The basic recipe for ketones is: ketones = infection + not eating + not enough insulin. Frankly, if Bast will eat high carb food, vanilla ice cream, etc., that's OK for now. He's got to eat. You need to get calories into him. And, you've got to give insulin.

If you've not yet gotten a meter, please use the Ketodiastix to both test for ketones and to get an approximate reading on glucose levels. The problem with urinary glucose testing is that is does not give you any idea how low the glucose levels are. So, if you see that you've got high readings, please give insulin. Also, test for ketones whenever you can stalk Bast to the litter box. Ketones are dangerous. If he is showing more than trace levels of ketones, you really need to be in touch with your vet. It's very difficult to manage more than trace levels at home.

 

he is eating- small amounts Like a 1/4 cup when i set the plate down. I gave him the antibiotics last night. but not the shot.
this morning he ate 1/4 cup again - so I am going to put down some of his dry food and give hime the shot. he is not lethargic. He is running around and purring at night. We just have a weird scedule and he is used to sleeping during the day

I am going to get him to eat more then get him to pee for me. I will get a meter today one way or the other for tonight. I think I just may have been too panicy last night

 

It's OK to be panicky! We've all been there. I would just be very vigilant about ketones. They can develop with an astounding speed. Any of us that have had a cat recover from DKA know just how dangerous (and expensive) ketones can be. Right now, food, water, and insulin are your best friends.

 

I think I figured it out. My only experience with wet food is my mothers 5 cats. when I go to feed them when she is gone twice a day they SCARF the food. They eat at least a half cup of wet each. I am used to seeing that reaction.

I started thinking about the sze of the fancy feast cans that many here feed for a meal before a shot. Those are about 1/3 a cup? Almost 2 of those cans go into the frinskies cans I bought. If i put down a half can and he eats most of it- that is a meal! He just is not a scarfer like my mom's cats. He eats most of it and comes back later.

I watched my other cat (who is not really thrilled at the missing kibble- even if i am "garnishing" the wet food with it) eat about the same 1/2 can and wander off. So I guess that is normal for my cats.

So- new thoughts- 1/2 can of friskies mornign and night and leave smaller amounts in a timer or frozen for the day.
He really likes gravy on his food - so I have been mixing the flaked tuna with sauce with a pate style.

I did the first shot today and it was quick and easy! I don't even think bast noticed. I just have to really look at that 1 unit line- When i gave it I was not sure I did it and had to look at the siringe to make sure it was plunged (such a tiny movement - I better not sneeze!)

thanks everyone!

 

Yu can print a blank spreadsheet template and have your Mom fill in it when she does bg tests. Make sure to explain what the columns are for. When you get back, you can go into the online version of your SS and enter the numbers into your SS.

Or, just have her write down the bg numbers in a notebook and include the date and time. I think your Mom can do that :smile: It might be a PITA for you later as you enter the numbers in your SS but at least you know that your Mom wrote the bg numbers down.

FYI, even a tiny bit of gravy can mean high bgs. But for a recovering DKA cat who may not be eating much, you do whatever you need to do to get food into the cat's tummy. When your cat has fully recovered, instead of gravy you can add extra water to the canned food to make a sort of gravy/sauce. Or use a bit of water from a can of tuna or salmon (the kind for people, like Bumble Bee brand). Or soak some freeze dried meat treats or freeze dried raw food in water and mix it in with the canned food.