newly diagnosed furbaby

Status
Not open for further replies.
storm

storm

Member Since 2017
my boy isn't on insulin as of yet but plan to home test, I can do the home testing with no issue .. I'm not squeamish with needles or blood, the only issue I can see I would have is testing his urine if that was needed as Cinnamon is a private kitty and will not pee if anyone is around, not even the other cats .. As a former stray, when I first started bringing him indoors, during winter months when it was very cold, he wouldn't pee at all inside, he held it until he was let outside or would go someplace outside the litter box, like a closet, if you didn't let him out. Even outside he would go hide under the back or front porch just to pee. Is there a solution to this if the need arises? I know there is a special litter box I can get but is there other ways around using a different littler box?
I am making lists and notes of everything I could possibly need for him as well as all kind of questions I need to ask of my vet.
 
The easiest method is to put some saran wrap in the litter box in the area he typically aims for, then push down a little to make divets. Then as soon as he goes you get him to leave before kicking litter over it, and you get the test from the little pool. It doesn't take much urine at all to do the ketone test.

Another option is to make a litter box for him with aquarium gravel. Clean the gravel well first, then you can just dip into the litter box and get the test that way. Wash the gravel, dry, and it's ready to re-use for the next time you need to test.
 
issue is with getting him to urinate in the litter box in the first place .. he poops in it but since he adopted me, whenever he was inside he held it until he was let out or went in some hidden location on the floor .. with being in my new place for 1-1/2 years now .. my bedroom and closet which have bare floors, are covered with plastic sheeting with area rugs and carpets remnants on top so he doesn't ruin the hardwood floor .. when he got really sick last week he was not even using the litter box at all but since bringing him home from the vet Friday, he has been kind of back to normal but still not urinating in the litter box either at all or just when he feels like it .. i use WBCL and my litter boxes are actually 66 qt plastic totes to keep my cats from throwing the litter across the rooms
 
Bronx's dad said:
There are blood meters for ketones you could use. A lot of folks use this one: https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/3400/nova-max-plus-glucose-ketone-meter-kit
Click to expand...

Thank you .. was reading the description and such .. is there 2 different strips that are used or does the strips that come with it, read both glucose and ketone at the same time and how accurate is this? .. I have been reading up and hearing human meters can be off for glucose levels with pets but how off can/are they for ketones?

also how many times a day is glucose tested and when ( before, during or after each meal)? .. my concern is the hours during the day when I'm at work .. with some work days that could last 12 + hours plus up to an hour to hour and half drive home, I'm concerned about the time gap between shots being longer than 12 hours if/when the vet puts him on insulin.
 
Bronx's dad said:
Yep, just have to convert the #s for what is normal for kitties. I think readings under 2.4 is ok. The strips aren't as cheap as blood sugar strips though.
Click to expand...
Yeah but I can't tell the difference my eyes are going I guess, so this would make me feel much more secure about it. Ty is there a conversion chart?
 
storm said:
Thank you .. was reading the description and such .. is there 2 different strips that are used or does the strips that come with it, read both glucose and ketone at the same time and how accurate is this? .. I have been reading up and hearing human meters can be off for glucose levels with pets but how off can/are they for ketones?
Click to expand...
There are just plain ol' ketone test strips. There isn't much (if any) variation for ketone readings like the meters.

storm said:
also how many times a day is glucose tested and when ( before, during or after each meal)? .. my concern is the hours during the day when I'm at work .. with some work days that could last 12 + hours plus up to an hour to hour and half drive home, I'm concerned about the time gap between shots being longer than 12 hours if/when the vet puts him on insulin.
Click to expand...
With a full time job it can be hard to make sure he (I think I typed she in the other posts, I'm sorry Cinnamon!) doesn't eat 2 hours prior to PS (preshot). But at minimum you want to test before shot time, to make sure he is safe to receive insulin. On the spread sheet this is AMPS and PMPS numbers. If you can do a test before bed, possibly 2-4 hours after shot, can help too. On days you are off, you can try to get some more mid-cycle range numbers. Also, if your vet decides to put him on insulin, if diet alone does not result in sufficient progress, you may want to ask about Prozinc. I'm not biased because I use it! lol. :D I'm basing it more on your schedule and long work hours. Lantus / Levemir really prefer 12 hour cycles with a 15 minute window. Vetsulin, Novolin, Caninsulin, usually only last about 8 -10 hours in most cats, Every cat is different (ECID). Prozinc likes 12 hour cycles but if you have to be late, most of us have been able to shoot up to an hour after first shot with little impact.
 
Yong said:
Also, if your vet decides to put him on insulin, if diet alone does not result in sufficient progress, you may want to ask about Prozinc. I'm not biased because I use it! lol. :D I'm basing it more on your schedule and long work hours. Lantus / Levemir really prefer 12 hour cycles with a 15 minute window. Vetsulin, Novolin, Caninsulin, usually only last about 8 -10 hours in most cats, Every cat is different (ECID). Prozinc likes 12 hour cycles but if you have to be late, most of us have been able to shoot up to an hour after first shot with little impact.
Click to expand...

I'm definitely not biased because I've never used ProZinc ;), but I'd agree that it'd be the one to ask your vet about here. Lantus/Levemir are less forgiving about deviations from the 12hr schedule-- you could do it if you had to, I'm sure, but given the choice and given your schedule, I think ProZinc would be the one to start with. The others (Vetsulin, Novalin, Caninsulin, and some others like NPH) have the disadvantage that they not only often have relatively short durations in cats (so they'd wear off well before the next shot), but they have a tendency to drop numbers very fast and hard. For someone with long work days, that's not ideal-- you'll often be giving your cat a shot and then having to leave for many hours pretty soon afterwards. "Gentler" insulins like ProZinc and Lantus are a better choice there, with, again the edge given to ProZinc because of the flexibility.
 
ok thanks for the heads up .. ill add Prozinc to the list

with the glucose/ketone meter seems like they don't come with a lot of strips like other strip meters use .... a box of 10 strips sounds like it would only last for a few days and while I could buy extra boxes, I didn't see that there is a discount if purchasing multiple boxes all at once versus buying the 18 box package
 
I think people that use the blood ketone meters generally have a separate glucose meter they use for everyday testing, and then do occasional ketone checks with the blood ketone meter (due largely to the strip costs). For blood glucose testing alone, many folks here use Walmart's Relion meters-- strips are cheap, and if you have a Walmart near you, available at all hours. In general, what you're looking for in a meter is: cost/convenience of strips, and a small size blood droplet needed.
 
ok thanks ... Walmart's around here are not open 24/7 like in the bigger cities .. around here everything closes up about 10-11pm except the local gas station/convenience store type places lol
 
Nan & Amber said:
I think people that use the blood ketone meters generally have a separate glucose meter they use for everyday testing, and then do occasional ketone checks with the blood ketone meter (due largely to the strip costs). For blood glucose testing alone, many folks here use Walmart's Relion meters-- strips are cheap, and if you have a Walmart near you, available at all hours. In general, what you're looking for in a meter is: cost/convenience of strips, and a small size blood droplet needed.
Click to expand...
Yep, ReliOn is the way to go cost-wise for Blood Sugar testing. Found the strips even cheaper on eBay than Walmart.
 
found this glucose meter on the site I usually get my horse's supplies from .. has any one ever used it before? it has a 400 test result memory, 7, 14, and 28 day species specific results, 4 daily alarms
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/advocate-pettest-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-kit ..... test strip box sold separately, only contains 50 strips and is a bit pricey.

they also have syringes made for insulin for pets 29 gauge needle .. not sure if the price is good or not for 100 of them or if they can be purchased cheaper some place else
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/insulin-syringes
 
The meter looks good except for the price ($45/50 strips) of test strips.
Unless your vet requires use of a pet meter I would get a human meter like Walmart's Confirm. Strips are a lot less.
The syringes are just human syringes (for U100 insulin). As you said you can get them cheaper from other places
 
You can get the u100 syringes at Walmart too, or at https://www.adwdiabetes.com If you decide to get Prozinc, you will need to use the conversion chart since Prozinc is a u40 insulin. If you don't want to use the conversion chart, you can get cheap u40 syringes at ADW too. Either way you'll want ones with half unit markings. Let us know when you find out what insulin you'll be using and we'll help you choose syringes.
 
for lancets any specific brand or gauge I should be looking for?

has anyone had good luck with using insulin pens versus the shots? would a pen be more cost effective? depending on the dosage he is put on, i would think it could last a month or so .. when i was trying to get an idea on insulin prices, i found 2 glargine based insulin's (my vet told me to look for that type as that is what they would prescribe if he needs it) on the site www.goodrx.com .. 1 was lantus ... solostar pen (3ml) of Lantus 100 units/ml which I could purchase pens individually, in sets, by the carton or by vial or the second choice is Toujeo and comes as 3 pens to a carton or 5 pens to a carton which are 1.5ml pens 300 units/ml
 
ok thanks .. so either way a pen would be more cost effective as its costs less than a vial
 
For Lantus, yes because you will probably use most of the pen up where as most people have had to throw away the vial before using it all. Prozinc only comes in a vial, my first one lasted 3 months and I have some left as a backup :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top