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Jeanne & Dottie

Jeanne & Dottie

Member Since 2016
Hello :) My name is Jeanne.

A few days ago, I found out that my Dottie has diabetes. The prospect of managing a 13 year-old, nine pound cat with such a tricky diagnosis is terrifying, but after doing some reading online, I hope that life will become easier on us both if we can make some friends on this forum, and pay attention to the advice of Those Who Have Been There. I am scared out of my socks.

Nice to meet you. Here's to a hopefully long and successful relationship.

Hugs :)
 
Welcome.
Good insulin are the human Lantus and Levemir and the pet insulins ProZinc and BCP PZI. For those two human insulin it is best to get the 5 pack of 3 ml disposable pens via a 10 ml vial. Although per ml the vial is less expensive most cats will not use up a 10 ml vial before the insulin goes bad/becomes ineffective. The human insulin N/NPH is sometimes prescribed but only lasts 8-10 hours. Same for the pet insulin Vetsulin/Caninisulin.
Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
What are you feeding? A low-carb canned is best. No reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb canned

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
 
Thanks for the Welcome

For some reason my vet wants me to start with the urine strips. Perhaps he was afraid we were thinking a meter would be too expensive for us? Not sure. Dottie just went through dental surgery to remove all her teeth, and she hasn't done well at all with anesthesia in previous surgeries. We were warned she was going to be in for a rough time of it. So perhaps he's adopting a Wait and See attitude as to her recovery. After a previous surgery she wobbled around for several days, seeming dazed. She has a bad reaction to several families of medications.We were worried back then, about possible brain damage..and I'm pretty sure her IQ slipped a bit. She hasn't been totally the same since..and now this.

She is taking food, although not nearly as much as I'd like...only about a third of what she should be eating. I have her, (and Gizmo, our other cat), on wet food...Purina One Smartblend..the classic chicken recipe. I did check the proportion of carbs to other nutrients, using the Carb Calc for cats, that can be found on Google play. Starting her on insulin (PZI) only one day after surgery...I'm pretty scared for her. She's not drinking much, so at the vet's suggestion I gave her some Ringer's solution by IV, I've had to keep some on hand for emergencies. He taught me how to keep her hydrated when she gets dried out. And right now her fur suit looks about three sizes too big.

I haven't slept straight through a night for several days. Just an hour here and there. I'm afraid she'll try to get up and stagger around. She's skinned up her nose pretty bad bumping the door to her crate, so I didn't want to crate her. Instead, I put a harness on her, and leash, slipped the leash around my ankle, and lay in the recliner, with her in a warm basket on the floor. It worked. Every time she shifted about she woke me up with her tugging. Going to do the same in a bit, but I will try to see if she has enough in her to urinate so I can call the vet at 9am, and then I will catch some Z's.
 
Hi Jeanne, welcome to you and Dottie! Great idea using the harness! Another way to get some moisture into Dottie is to add water to her food. What was her BG reading at the vet? Often numbers are higher at the vet due to stress. Another thing that can raise BG's is dental infections. Since Dottie just had the dental surgery, it's possible her BGs will decrease so home testing would be a good idea. Also what were you feeding her before diagnosis? If it was a higher carb food the food change too could lower her numbers. Meters don't have to be expensive. Any human meter will do. Check the price of the strips as that will be the biggest expense in the long run. Also since she's not eating very well it would be good to test for ketones. Strips are inexpensive and can be found at any pharmacy. Good luck and please keep asking questions!!!
 
You sound like a great mama, and the purpose of this board is to help you replace that fear with knowledge.

Sorry to hear about difficulty with anesthesia and meds. Poor Dottie!

Regardless of what your vet recommends, he can't stop you from getting a meter and testing at home ;-). And it may be possible that he recommended urine strips because a lot of vets are not used to cat parents that are actually willing/able to test at home, rather than it being a consideration of cost.

Do you know Dotties blood glucose levels from when she was at the vet? If they were *really* high, then I would be concerned about the wait and see approach, regardless of the testing method he suggested. Dottie might benefit from insulin sooner rather than later. And you probably have read that levels can be higher at the vet than they would be at home, but still, if her levels were say in the 500s, that is a concern regardless. If in the 200s, then not as much.

I am not experienced enough to give specific medical advice, but I'm wondering if the old-timers here have concerns about the stumbling. Perhaps not because of her past history, but knowing her blood glucose levels and whether she has any ketones in her urine would be very helpful I would think.

Thoughts, anyone?

Welcome, and best wishes to you both!
Sandi.
 
p.s. I think that our Miss Poe is Dottie's long lost sister. Poe's "hat" is tipped down over her right eye as well. Does Dottie also have a black tail? She's a cutie!
 

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[QUOTDottie has a black taikandi & Whisper, post: 1576827, member: 13596"]p.s. I think that our Miss Poe is Dottie's long lost sister. Poe's "hat" is tipped down over her right eye as well. Does Dottie also have a black tail? She's a cutie![/QUOTE]

Yes! Dottie does have a black tail! And the spots on her back are positioned to look like the Mickey Mouse Disney logo.

Her BG level was 445 and I am hoping that pulling her teeth will get her eventually back in balance. ☺
 
Hey Jeanne ~ First Welcome and take a deep breath! We will try and help and support you and Dottie.

Sounds like she had stomatitis to have had all her teeth removed. My friend's cat had that also and she adapted nicely with wet food which is what we recommend anyway, low carb under 10%. I am linking the chart that we use so you can check you food to see how it rates.
foodchart


Also, home testing is very important, for reason that Sharon mentioned above but mainly to make sure that before you shoot, she is in a safe number. You would not want to shoot 200 or below for a new diabetic cat. If you get that , you can stall without feeding for 20-30 and then retest and if you get a higher number, you can shoot. Here are some links for good videos on how to home test.
http://s106.photobucket.com/user/chupie_2006/media/testingear/sweetspot.jpg.html

http://www.felinediabetes.com/bg-home-test.htm



Meters: There are many meters. There is a pet meter called the Alpha Trak2 and human meters. Some use the pet meter because it is what the vets use so the numbers will match up. The meter and strips are expensive though. Most use human meters that can be purchased at any pharmacy. It typically reads a little lower than the pet meter but we have ways of compensating it. Many use Walmart's brand, Relion Micro or Relion Prime, because it only needs a tiny drop of blood. The Prime testing strips are ½ the price of the Micro.

Lancets: These are used to poke the ear to get blood. There are many different sizes (gauges). It is recommended when you are first starting out to use a 26-28 gauge. Also, it would be a good idea to pick up Neosporin WITH pain reliever to apply on the edge of the ears and don't forget to alternate ears.

Keep asking questions as that is how we all learned. You can also introduce yourself in the ProZinc Forum and those peeps will help you with dosing questions.
 
PS, your signature is very funny about the "bald head and tearing your hair out" We have all been there! In your signature, could you add some other information that will help us help Dottie. For Instance, date she DX, what insulin, which meter you use (when you decide which one) and what brand food you are feeding her. Thanks!
 
I put a harness on her, and leash, slipped the leash around my ankle, and lay in the recliner, with her in a warm basket on the floor. It worked. Every time she shifted about she woke me up with her tugging.
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This just reminded me of traveling with my cat. J.D. was diabetic for 9 years. Every year for 8 years, he flew with me from where we live in New Jersey to California on my vacation to visit my Dad. He was such a big kitty, I would open the front door to his crate while the plane was in the air and he would be able to lay down stretched out, or more likely slowly creep further and further out of the carrier until he was sleeping almost all the way out of it (with maybe one paw or tail still inside). I would bring treats and stuff to keep him from being bored on the long flight. Often he would sense or know the second I fell asleep and go wandering under the seats. I always had him on a tight fitting harness and leash while traveling (both plane and car), and would wrap the leash around my wrist, so hopefully he would wake me up when he tugged on it. At least once, I had a stewardess wake me up letting me know that J.D. was visiting the row of seats behind us. And that time, I was in the line for the bathroom, and the lady sitting in the row of seats in front of us asked me about my cat and said that he had been up visiting the row in front of us too o_O It is not recommended for cats to have sedatives while on flights (although he did get some Rescue Remedy), but I think I needed some stimulants so I could stay awake the whole time to watch him.

You have come to the right place for help. Keep posting, and let us know how Dottie is doing and ask all the questions you need to. We're here to help.
 
Hi Jeanne and welcome to you and Dottie.

I'll write more tomorrow, but right now I just wanted to send you some of these ...

:bighug::bighug::bighug:

Dottie is beyond blessed to have such a loving and devoted mom.


Mogs
.
 
Dottie was solidly diagnosed on 01/07/16, when she went to the vet because her stomatitis was kicking up really bad. The vet said he'd need to remove all her teeth immediately, since stomatitis has been an ongoing issue before. She'd had several surgeries to have teeth removed, and she didn't have many left, so the complete tooth removal was a good thing. Hopefully the stomatitis will completely go away now.

When she was DX, she had a BG reading of 445, and my vet started her on PZI, only two days ago...the day after her surgery..or was it two days ago...I'm really tired so I'm getting my times and dates mixed up. Anyway, he started her on 5 units of PZI, once a day.

Yesterday I finally got a urine sample just after we woke, and after she'd eaten. It was absolutely fine..but urine tests show the BG levels that are several hours old, right? So I decided upon advice from folks here, to just go ahead and get a meter. She's so thin at 9 pounds, and hasn't eaten but about a third of what she normally does, so she keeps getting dried out. She is recovering from surgery VERY slow..she has problems with anesthesia and pain meds...but I guess the Diabetes doesn't help that either, since it slows wound healing:banghead:.

I'm still getting the hang of ear sticks.:nailbiting: My initial attempt was rough. She wasn't happy with me. Her veins are VERY tiny, like fine silk threads. I watched a YouTube video about doing ear pokes, but I guess practice makes perfect:p I will alternate ears, but is this the only place most of you use for lancet pokes? I do know that it's possible to get a good reading out of the pad at the back of the foot, the pad kitties don't actually step down on...but she's so good with my trimming her nails, that I'd hate to muck that up by poking her feet. Still, if it's gotta be, it's gotta be.:confused:

I see that some treats are allowed, but I'd better get Dottie stabilized before I venture into that territory. When she does get a treat it will be fresh chicken, pork or beef.

I'm using PurinaOne Smartblend chicken pate to feed her now, and only using Friskies Classic Chicken and Tuna pate as an emergency measure if she gets stubborn, because it's high carb. I just read in another post that a pinch of Parmesean cheese can help poor eaters, so I might try a dash of it on her POSmartblend.

Dottie and I are both sleep deprived right now.:facepalm: Neither of us has slept for more than an hour or two at a time for the past few days. I'm betting a good sleep will do wonders for her mouth..but I keep checking her to make sure she isn't going to crash and burn. I guess that's Diabetic Newbie Syndrome. We'll get there with some help from friends :D Thank goodness for this forum, and your help!
 
Here are some of the things that have worked with Merlin when he wasn't interested in eating. Cats cannot go to long without eating otherwise complications can arise very quickly. Also here are additional links to read.

Persuading your cat to eat (tips from Tanya's Site - 'sleepy eating' is a good one)
Suggestions on How to Stimulate Kitty's Appetite (from FDMB's Feline Health FAQs)

How to get Kitty to Eat

1) Chicken Broth or Beef Broth (no sugar added); could be made from bouillon cubes
2) Tuna or tuna broth/juice
3) Parmesan cheese sprinkled on food
4) Bonita Flakes sprinkled on food (get from Asian Market or possibly some local food stores)
5) Pepcid AC 1/4 tablet - may have to crush and syringe feed; wait 20 minutes and try feeding again
6) Boiled chicken shredded or pureed
7) Baked/broiled/boiled Salmon, White fish, etc.
8) Warm up regular food in microwave
9) Florti-Flora sprinkled on food (get from vet)
10) Plenty of exercise prior to meal time (chasing a string, etc.)
11) Last resort to eat give Medium or the high carb, wet food

Additonal Information:

Treats: It is always nice to have treats available for your kitty especially when testing or when they decide not to eat. I like using Pure Bites. I have found it at Petsmart and other pet stores. It is freeze dried and the only ingredient is the meat i.e. chicken, duck, etc. If your cat likes it, then I would go to the dog section where it is cheaper than the cat package. It is bigger chunks but no problem in breaking it up. Another option is to use Bonita Flakes where you can find at your local Asian market. There is a link here somewhere in this site that has a list of low carb treats.

Lancets: Lancets are used to poke the ear to get blood for the meters. There are many different sizes lancets (gauges). It is recommended when you are first starting out to use a 26-28 gauge because it is a larger size and will make a bigger hole, hence easier to draw blood. Also, it would be a good idea to pick up Neosporin WITH pain reliever to apply on the edge of the ears and don't forget to alternate ears. It is a bit scary at first to start poking the ear, but eventually it will become easier for both you and your kitty. Some people even draw blood from the paw pad.

Another great source of reading is this 18 page document written by a resident vet: www.catinfo.org

Testing: Many of us have picked out a special place where we test in our homes. We make the testing a routine so your kitty will become comfortable. Lots of love, hugs, scritches and treats are given before and after the tests. You want to be confident when approaching your kitty even though you are not at first. I know some here serenade to their kitties during testing. If the ear is cold and needs warming up, we just get a thin like dress sock and put a handful of rice in it and tie it up. Then place in microwave for about 15-20 seconds. Then test it to make sure that it is not too hot and place it surrounding the ear. Some take the sock before and after the test and massage the kitty with it...they love the warmth. Soon, your kitty will look forward to testing. Merlin would know when I would test him and he would go running to our place in the bedroom and turn himself around for me to pick him up and put him on the box.

Spreadsheets: 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. To further my knowledge on diabetes, I would make it a habit to read other kitty’s postings and spreadsheets. Even though they are all different and will be different than your kitty, it was still invaluable information.

Just holler if you have any additional questions.
 
Jeanne Skadowski said:
Anyway, he started her on 5 units of PZI, once a day.
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That's a problem, right there. No insulin lasts 24 hours, so dosing only 1 time a day means she is out of control for roughly half the day. It would be better to give half the dose every 12 hours.

Also, 5 units is a very high dose to be giving in 1 shot and runs the risk of sending your cat into possibly fatal hypoglycemia. Because of this, here are our guidelines on recognizing and treating hypoglycemia.
 
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I agree with BJM that 5 units of insulin for a starting dose is extremely high, and that shooting only once a day for a cat, only gives them insulin help for 12 hours of each day.
Also, you mentioned that you save Friskies Classic Chicken and Tuna in case she won't eat and said it was a high carb food. I think it is only 9% carbs. Please have something that is over 20% carbs, the more the better in your hypo tool box along with some syrup or honey.
I hope she is recovering well from her anesthesia and surgery and eats much better for you soon.
I always fed the freeze dried all meats treats, and sometimes boiled some chicken breast, or broiled some steak, or thawed out some cooked frozed shrimp, for J.D.'s testing treats. Best Of Luck to you and your girl Dottie.
 
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