Harold Johnson

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Stephboomer

Stephboomer

Member Since 2016
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10LuThnRX2m_yBY1VkFHNEvZylnhX4GqTbTzmvaXmR54
My name is Steph and Harold is my diabetic cat. He is 7 years old. He was diagnosed April 28th 2016. He went from weighing 22lbs down to 12.4 on the day of diagnosis. Took himself off dry food just before vet, I assumed it was his teeth. Was feeding friskies wet food now feeding FF pate. He was started on 1.2U caninsulin (with the whole 100U needle conversion) Harold went for dental work on May 12th and had 3 molars pulled and a dental cleaning. We continued with the Caninsulin and raised the dose gradually to 3.25. We have home tested since he was diagnosed. Using OneTouch Verio Meter. With his numbers barely getting out of the 20's or 400's I decided this wasn't working. June 4th I switched him from Caninsulin to lantus. Lantus brought him down to normal numbers eventually and I was slowly losing his dose as he would earn reductions. We went from great numbers back to very high. Not sure what it supposed to be posted in here but if anyone can help, give advice, anything would be appreciated. Gone from feeling like we can cure this to fighting a losing battle. Needing some hope.
 
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Ok I don't see the experts on right now but I want to encourage you not to lose hope. Harold is a young cat and I am sure there is a reason whether it be a medical condition or a diet issue. Food companies have up to 6 months to update the nutritional data.
Has he had any blood work done wince the dental? Kidneys ok? Many diabetics also have kidney issues that can be managed well once you know what they are if at all.
I am sure some experts will be on soon..... :bighug:
@Elizabeth and Bertie
 
Last time he had bloodwork was dental day. I got everything done and he said the only thing was high glucose and to give him vitamins as a supplement but tried to give me this high carb paste. He isn't the most experienced with diabetes as most vets aren't but good vet otherwise.
 
How could I find people near me ? Is there anyone near Orillia/Barrie area with a diabetic cat ? The closest I know is in Toronto area.
 
My vet is not either but if you look on the lantus forum I just posted a thread on a FD webinar it is free!

Lots can happen in 5 months with a diabetic--for me (and I am not a expert) I would want a more current blood panel done but lets see what the others say. Someone should be on soon:bighug:
 
Stephboomer said:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10LuThnRX2m_yBY1VkFHNEvZylnhX4GqTbTzmvaXmR54
My name is Steph and Harold is my diabetic cat. He is 7 years old. He was diagnosed April 28th 2016. He went from weighing 22lbs down to 12.4 on the day of diagnosis. Took himself off dry food just before vet, I assumed it was his teeth. Was feeding friskies wet food now feeding FF pate. He was started on 1.2U caninsulin (with the whole 100U needle conversion) Harold went for dental work on May 12th and had 3 molars pulled and a dental cleaning. We continued with the Caninsulin and raised the dose gradually to 3.25. We have home tested since he was diagnosed. Using OneTouch Verio Meter. With his numbers barely getting out of the 20's or 400's I decided this wasn't working. June 4th I switched him from Caninsulin to lantus. Lantus brought him down to normal numbers eventually and I was slowly losing his dose as he would earn reductions. We went from great numbers back to very high. Not sure what it supposed to be posted in here but if anyone can help, give advice, anything would be appreciated. Gone from feeling like we can cure this to fighting a losing battle. Needing some hope.
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Steph...
I think if you start a thread in lantus/lev forum and put the "?" icon in your title it will get more response as the most experienced people look for question or emergencies first...
when you go to thread tools it drops to to put the "?"
:cat:
 
As it's usually recommended for cats with a medical condition such as diabetes to have blood work run every 6 months, I would agree with @jayla-n-Drevon that running his blood work again wouldn't be a bad idea at all - it has been close to 6 months since it was last done. You might also want to have him tested for a UTI as infection can send glucose higher. And if you're taking him to the vet anyway, it would be worth having them take another look at his mouth - again, infection or pain can cause glucose to run higher and although he had a dental recently, some cats do seem to start up new dental issues fairly quickly especially when they're diabetic. As long as your vet is good at everything else and isn't fighting you on your choice of insulin etc, I wouldn't worry too much about them not being diabetic experts - very few vets are and the key to successful management of our diabetic kitties seems to be in finding a vet who is prepared to work with you on it even if they don't know all the details of FD.
 
Hi Steph and welcome. I am about to sit down to dinner, but saw Jayla's tag and wanted to respond.

Actually, we ask that you wait to post on the Lantus & Levimir page until you have your spreadsheet up and we get some basic info, so let's start with that.

Here is a link to the instructions for setting up the spreadsheet. Since you are in Canada, you'll want to use the one that has both a World page and a US page. You post on the World page and it will convert your numbers into mg for those of us in the US to see. If you have any problems getting it set up or understanding it, just ask. We have some people here that can help you or even set it up for you. Once it's set up, if you can fill in all the readings you have since starting Lantus, that would be great.

ETA: Oops! I was just pointed to your SS link at the top of your post, so ignore that part. :oops:

Next, some questions: What is your daily schedule - in other words, are you gone for work most days, etc. What other meds is Harold on, if any? I'll have more questions for you after you answer these and I've fed my husband. ;)

Have you had a chance to read any of the stickies at the top of the Lantus & Levemir page? If not, I highly recommend you do so, as they will answer a lot of questions for you, and make your head spin with all the info there. :joyful: Start with this sticky.

We're glad you found us. Ask us your questions! We love to help.
 
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HI there! Another hello from another diabetic cat on lantus Bean! You are in the right place here on the FDMB to get the help and support you need to dance this dance with Harold!
It's full of a ton of folks who can help it all make some semblance of sense!:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Okay, back from dinner. Hunger must have really impaired my brain. I've revisited your first post and see you already answered some of the questions I asked. :facepalm:

Had a look at the SS. I'm kind of impressed that you shot that 81 this morning. So here's my new question: have you picked a protocol to follow, between Tight Regulation and Start Low Go Slow? It looks to me like you're following TR, based on your dose reductions. I'm thinking there may be some drops we aren't seeing on the SS. You are testing at +4 pretty consistently. Most cats nadir at +4 to +7, so if it's possible, it would be good to see some tests a little later in the cycle. If it works better with your schedule, you could do a curve on a day you're home, which is testing every 2 hours for the entire 12 hour cycle. I'm thinking some of these high numbers are bounces in response to a low that you haven't caught. Just my observations.

I've asked some other veterans to have a look at your SS and weigh in, so hopefully you'll get some better input than I've given you.
 
Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey said:
Hi Steph and welcome. I am about to sit down to dinner, but saw Jayla's tag and wanted to respond.

Actually, we ask that you wait to post on the Lantus & Levimir page until you have your spreadsheet up and we get some basic info, so let's start with that.

Here is a link to the instructions for setting up the spreadsheet. Since you are in Canada, you'll want to use the one that has both a World page and a US page. You post on the World page and it will convert your numbers into mg for those of us in the US to see. If you have any problems getting it set up or understanding it, just ask. We have some people here that can help you or even set it up for you. Once it's set up, if you can fill in all the readings you have since starting Lantus, that would be great.

ETA: Oops! I was just pointed to your SS link at the top of your post, so ignore that part. :oops:

Next, some questions: What is your daily schedule - in other words, are you gone for work most days, etc. What other meds is Harold on, if any? I'll have more questions for you after you answer these and I've fed my husband. ;)

Have you had a chance to read any of the stickies at the top of the Lantus & Levemir page? If not, I highly recommend you do so, as they will answer a lot of questions for you, and make your head spin with all the info there. :joyful: Start with this sticky.

We're glad you found us. Ask us your questions! We love to help.
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Right now I'm home most of the week I work Friday Saturday and Sunday 5-830. I might be starting another job soon and pretty worried about our schedule. I wake up at 9:38 everyday and test Harold I feed the 3 cats and I do his needle for 10. He's so great with testing and his needle is really lucky. I usually feed them again at 12 and I like to try to test at 2. I feed again at 2 and if I can test for 4. Usually feed around then and again around 6 and finally again at 730 for cut off time (2 hours before needle) we test again at 9:38ish and needle for 10pm. So far I'm the only one to do his needle but my gf has tested him once. I usually split a can of FF pate between 2 cats and my other eats dry under supervision only. I've tried to switch her off dry and she starves herself, tried several different brands and nothing worked. Harold gets treats after testing and needle and I give him orijen treats. Harold isn't on any other medication.
 
Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey said:
Okay, back from dinner. Hunger must have really impaired my brain. I've revisited your first post and see you already answered some of the questions I asked. :facepalm:

Had a look at the SS. I'm kind of impressed that you shot that 81 this morning. So here's my new question: have you picked a protocol to follow, between Tight Regulation and Start Low Go Slow? It looks to me like you're following TR, based on your dose reductions. I'm thinking there may be some drops we aren't seeing on the SS. You are testing at +4 pretty consistently. Most cats nadir at +4 to +7, so if it's possible, it would be good to see some tests a little later in the cycle. If it works better with your schedule, you could do a curve on a day you're home, which is testing every 2 hours for the entire 12 hour cycle. I'm thinking some of these high numbers are bounces in response to a low that you haven't caught. Just my observations.

I've asked some other veterans to have a look at your SS and weigh in, so hopefully you'll get some better input than I've given you.
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Yes I have been following the TR for the most part. I have a friend who has helped me to this point and she had mentioned maybe posting for more eyes to see. He's proven to be difficult and doesn't hold reductions well. I thought the same thing that I could have missed him going low and I got bounce. Going to try to get some readings tomorrow. Also I saw an article about FF changing its ingredients and that some the of the flavours of pate are no longer under the 10% mark. Mind you the change is 10.75% so very minimal but has anyone noticed a change if they are still feeding those flavours ?
 
Hi
Did you say in the other post that you were feeding FF? There has been some discussion this week about some flavore of FF possibly causing higher numbers due to a formula change...
 
I justtttt asked about that in another post. I saw an article and I asked my friend she said to try to find if anyone's noticed a change and there was nothing at the time. The change isn't very drastic but others are noticing a spike in numbers ?

Okay it was this post I still have no idea how to work this :p
 
Stephboomer said:
I justtttt asked about that in another post. I saw an article and I asked my friend she said to try to find if anyone's noticed a change and there was nothing at the time. The change isn't very drastic but others are noticing a spike in numbers ?

Okay it was this post I still have no idea how to work this :p
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Hi yes, they were talking about it. I will try to find it and link you to it. Seems way to widespread to be coincidence
 
Stephboomer said:
Okay it was this post I still have no idea how to work this
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You're doing fine.

Yes, I've seen several people say they noticed an increase in BGs with FF lately. I see Leslie just posted the link. It was certain flavors, I believe. I have not heard anything about Friskies, but they are both made by Purina. Friskies is also low carb, but higher than FF. Have you ever tried Wellness? A good resource for finding low carb foods is Dr. Lisa's list. It's a bit old, but most of the info is still good. There are some people here that are trying to put together an updated list, but it's a lot of work and many manufacturers are not terribly helpful.

Stephboomer said:
thought the same thing that I could have missed him going low and I got bounce. Going to try to get some readings tomorrow.
Click to expand...

If you could get some more mid-cycle readings, that would be really awesome. We look at the spreadsheet as a jigsaw puzzle. The more pieces you fill in, the easier it is to see the picture. I have asked some of our most experienced people to take a look at your spreadsheet, so hopefully you'll get some more feedback soon.

On a housekeeping note, I want to ask if you can set up your signature block. It contains some of the info that helps people who want to help you, and keeps them from asking the same questions over and over. We like to see this kind of info: Name of member, location, cat's name, cat's dob, date of diagnosis, kind of meter, what you're feeding, which kind of insulin, and any other info you think important. You can look at some of our signatures to see what we include. It is also very helpful if you put the link to your spreadsheet there. That way you don't have to add it each day. To set up your signature, put your cursor over your name at the top right of the page. Choose Signature and you can set it up from there. If you need help, just ask!

We ask members to do a new thread each day and put a link to the previous thread in the first post of the day. Again, if you need help on how to do that, just ask.

We kind of have our own language here, lots of slang. To help new members understand our terms, we have a dictionary. You might want to take a look at it to familiarize yourself with our terminology. That way you don't have to keep wondering, "what the heck does that mean?"! ;)

 
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