Amiral is 13 and diagnosed with diabetes 2 weeks ago. He stayed at the vet for 5 days and came home on 3 units of ProZinc twice a day and eating Purina DM canned food. On his 3 day return visit to the vet his BG was at 120 about 2 hours after his shot and eating well. Then 2 days later about 3 hours after his shot he had a hypoglycemic crisis and my husband thought we were going to lose him. We reduced the insulin to 2 units. He seemed fine for a couple of days, then this morning about 2 hours after his shot he was extra lethargic and walking stiffly. We gave him honey and some treats to get him back to normal. I plan to see the vet again tomorrow afternoon, but have been perusing this site and thought perhaps I could get some advice from your experiences.
? 2 weeks of ups and downs
- Thread starter CathyB
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Sue and Oliver (GA)
Member Since 2009
Testing him at home is the best way to keep him safe. We test before each shot, to be sure the dose you are planning to give is safe. And a test 5-7 hours after the shot will let you know how low he is going
Can we help you learn how to test?
We put together a protocol for ProZinc. It's in my signature in blue
Can we help you learn how to test?
We put together a protocol for ProZinc. It's in my signature in blue
BJM
Member Since 2010
Welcome to the message board, the best place you never wanted to be.
There are 4 things you'll need to manage your kitty's diabetes:
- You - without your commitment, the following won't work.
- To keep your cat safe, we strongly advocate home blood glucose monitoring with an inexpensive human glucometer such as the WalMart Relion Confirm or Target Up and Up (the pet ones will break your budget!). This saves you the cost of going to the vet for curves and done regularly, removes the need for a fructosamine test, and most importantly, if he is going low, lets you identify that in time to intervene with some Karo or other syrup. All of our insulin guidelines use human glucometer numbers for reference.
- Low carb over the counter canned or raw diet, such as many Friskies pates. See Cat Info for more info. If already on insulin, you must be home testing before changing the diet. Food changes should be gradual to avoid GI upsets - 20-25% different food each day until switched. There are 2 low carb, dry, over the counter foods in the US - Evo Cat and Kitten dry found at pet specialty stores and Young Again 0 Carb found online.
- A long-lasting insulin such as ProZinc, Lantus, BCP PZI, or Levemir. No insulin lasts 24 hours in the cat, so giving it every 12 hours is optimal for control.
There are 4 things you'll need to manage your kitty's diabetes:
- You - without your commitment, the following won't work.
- To keep your cat safe, we strongly advocate home blood glucose monitoring with an inexpensive human glucometer such as the WalMart Relion Confirm or Target Up and Up (the pet ones will break your budget!). This saves you the cost of going to the vet for curves and done regularly, removes the need for a fructosamine test, and most importantly, if he is going low, lets you identify that in time to intervene with some Karo or other syrup. All of our insulin guidelines use human glucometer numbers for reference.
- Low carb over the counter canned or raw diet, such as many Friskies pates. See Cat Info for more info. If already on insulin, you must be home testing before changing the diet. Food changes should be gradual to avoid GI upsets - 20-25% different food each day until switched. There are 2 low carb, dry, over the counter foods in the US - Evo Cat and Kitten dry found at pet specialty stores and Young Again 0 Carb found online.
- A long-lasting insulin such as ProZinc, Lantus, BCP PZI, or Levemir. No insulin lasts 24 hours in the cat, so giving it every 12 hours is optimal for control.
Thank you. I've been looking at the info on testing and realize I need to learn how to do it. Sounds a bit complex with warming the ear and finding the sweet spot. I'm wondering how longs this takes, but I'm willing to learn.
Sue and Oliver (GA)
Member Since 2009
So you've seen this thread?
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
You could start with picking a place where you want to test - some people like the counter, some like sitting on the floor with the cat between their legs. So take him there, play with his ears, give him a favorite treat, lots of pets and praise and let him go. Then add the warming of his ears, praise, treat and let go. Hopefully by the time you add the poke, he will like being there.
Also, I think it really helps to be confident with the lancet and meter. Try it on yourself or a friend first so you are confident when you try it on your kitty.
And know that every cat doesn't sit like the ones in the video. We poked our Oliver all weekend before we got a drop. But, if you are having trouble, be sure to post and ask for help.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
You could start with picking a place where you want to test - some people like the counter, some like sitting on the floor with the cat between their legs. So take him there, play with his ears, give him a favorite treat, lots of pets and praise and let him go. Then add the warming of his ears, praise, treat and let go. Hopefully by the time you add the poke, he will like being there.
Also, I think it really helps to be confident with the lancet and meter. Try it on yourself or a friend first so you are confident when you try it on your kitty.
And know that every cat doesn't sit like the ones in the video. We poked our Oliver all weekend before we got a drop. But, if you are having trouble, be sure to post and ask for help.
Merlin
Member Since 2014
Most vets do not support home testing. Most vets do no know what food is good for a diabetic kitty. Your vet will probably suggest a curve done in the office or fructosamine test. No need for these tests because you can perform a curve at home while home testing. If you got the Purina DM canned food from the vet, take it back and say that your cat doesn't like it and they should refund it. BJM gave you a link to www.catinfo.org - read this 18 page article thoroughly. It is written by a vet and it also includes a list of food that you can try. Be sure to pick food that is below 10% carbs. Since you are transitioning to a lower carb food, you will need to test as it may lower the BG number by 100 or more points.
Good job in reading some of the info here. I read almost everyone's posting and learned a lot from everyone. Looks like you have a hypo kit established. You will want to add medium and high carb food to your kit as well as extra testing strips. If you have any other questions, holler.
Good job in reading some of the info here. I read almost everyone's posting and learned a lot from everyone. Looks like you have a hypo kit established. You will want to add medium and high carb food to your kit as well as extra testing strips. If you have any other questions, holler.
Merlin
Member Since 2014
One more thing - it would be soooo helpful if you can set up a spreadsheet and your signature. Our spreadsheet instructions are here. If you look at the signatures of the members here, you will see a link to their kitty’s spreadsheets. We keep track of all our tests. This is basically a place to collect data and help you to determine patterns, doses, etc. It also aids those that may be helping you to better understand your kitty. Your signature would have information like your cat's name, dx date, age, insulin brand, meter brand, syringe size, illnesses and anything else you think would help.
BJM
Member Since 2010
In addition to blood glucose testing, here are some Secondary Monitoring Tools you may find helpful.
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I bought my glucometer and my vet is going to work with me on using it. I will let you know if I need more advice. Thank you for the link.
What foods do you use for medium and high carbs?
Merlin
Member Since 2014
Medium carb food is like 10-17% carbs and high carb food is above 18% (at least that is my guideline). The high carb food usually has "gravy" in the name. I find that if Merlin goes low, I typically can bring him up with low carb food. But if drops fast or I just caught him at a low number, then I start off with medium carb food before I give the gravy. He usually responds very well and very quickly.
I was looking at the foods you feed your cat - Evo and Merrick. It looks like Evo has discontinued a lot. I found the catinfo page with the breakdown of protein, fat, and carbs. The best Merrick food (low carb) is the BG 96% chicken ,etc. but I only see the 96% food for dogs on the Merrick website. The pate seems to be the next best. Which Merrick and Evo foods do you use? Do you order online or does Pet Smart carry them? Thanks
Merlin
Member Since 2014
I find mine at a place called Pet Club. They are stores much like Petsmart but also have ranch supplies AND they are cheaper than Petsmart. Here is the link: http://www.thepetclub.net/
Looks like they are AZ, Colorado and Texas.
Looks like they are AZ, Colorado and Texas.
And which canned foods do you use?
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