Chloe's vet visit

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srk4cats

srk4cats

Member Since 2017
The vet said that when a cat is difficult to regulate and has DKA's, it means there may be something else going on, perhaps cancer. She also said it's better to shoot in the hip area rather than on the scruff because the scruff is more fibrous and doesn't absorb the insulin as smoothly. She told me that one of her cats went into remission after 4 years of being diabetic. She's a very nice vet, about my age. I wonder why I never see any other patients in her office, maybe because she treats only cats. She told me that if there are ketones at a time when she is open, to bring Chloe in to treat at the office, rather than the hospital.
 
srk4cats said:
She also said it's better to shoot in the hip area rather than on the scruff because the scruff is more fibrous and doesn't absorb the insulin as smoothly.
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I tried shooting in the hip/belly area... Chuck hated it. He would swat at me. I gave up on that area and use his chest/shoulder area. He doesn't notice the shot there.
Glad your vet is willing to help with Ketones. Would the bloodwork indicate cancer if she had it? Any type of infection or inflammation can help cause ketones.
 
StephG said:
I tried shooting in the hip/belly area... Chuck hated it. He would swat at me. I gave up on that area and use his chest/shoulder area. He doesn't notice the shot there.
Glad your vet is willing to help with Ketones. Would the bloodwork indicate cancer if she had it? Any type of infection or inflammation can help cause ketones.
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No, the abdominal ultrasound looked clear except for inflamed pancreatitis, but my vet said it could have been too small to see (cancer). She said that the 2 main natural causes of death in cats is cancer and kidney failure.
 
StephG said:
I tried shooting in the hip/belly area... Chuck hated it. He would swat at me. I gave up on that area and use his chest/shoulder area. He doesn't notice the shot there.
Glad your vet is willing to help with Ketones. Would the bloodwork indicate cancer if she had it? Any type of infection or inflammation can help cause ketones.
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The WBC would be elevated.
 
Teenuh said:
Is this a new vet? Perhaps I missed something.

Anyway, I'm glad you went to the vet. Keep up the good work!
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I took Chloe to this vet for the first time several months ago. She's a bit of a drive, but sees felines only. In the past year, I think I went through 3-4 vets, not including the hospital.
 
I really love my vet! Finally found a good one! She emailed me twice today! She got my spreadsheet, but I'm not sure if it automatically updates after I add data. I'm guessing yes, because it's a link, but she asked me to keep her updated anyway. She doesn't lecture or scold or tell me to do this or that. She just offers advice, like where to shoot. She suggested I stay on the Prozinc for now since the dose increase to 2.5 seemed to help. I had one day of all blues. Besides, the vial is only one month old. She did suggest that I not go so far past the expiration date, though. So, she told me about the different types of insulins, but wants to wait before changing.
btw, one vet wrote me a nasty letter that they were dropping me because I didn't bring in Chloe when they said and because I was 'emailing them too often'. Boo hoo.
 
@srk4cats please get a before bed test! 2 units on a 105 can be too much! (Edited to correct dose amount)
Keep testing for Ketones. Those red preshots could be caused by her going too low at night. Getting a before bed test and feeding her before bed if she needs a boost can help even out the preshots.
 
StephG said:
@srk4cats please get a before bed test! 2 units on a 105 can be too much! (Edited to correct dose amount)
Keep testing for Ketones. Those red preshots could be caused by her going too low at night. Getting a before bed test and feeding her before bed if she needs a boost can help even out the preshots.
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@StephG Yes, I was a bit uneasy about it, but I wanted to keep up the routine. This morning, she was too low, but she is eating now. I didn't get your message in time.
 
Before bed tests are important every evening. Just make them part of your bedtime routine. Do everything else, and then right before you climb in bed, give Chloe a test to be sure she's safe before you go to sleep.
 
Djamila said:
Before bed tests are important every evening. Just make them part of your bedtime routine. Do everything else, and then right before you climb in bed, give Chloe a test to be sure she's safe before you go to sleep.
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She went up over 400 points in just 3 hours!
 
I agree with Djamila about getting a before bed test every night. This is really important because you're away at work all day and the two PS tests alone aren't enough information.

ETA: What does the lime green 2.5 mean, Roberta?
 
Kris & Teasel said:
What does the lime green 2.5 mean, Roberta?
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I couldn't get the background of that cell to turn white. It means that, at +3, when she was in the 400's, I gave her 2.5u of insulin. I did that the other day, too. It screws up my schedule, but I don't like seeing her jump by 400 points.
 
srk4cats said:
315 at +3. She's been nibbling all evening. I need to go back to the 2.5 dose AM and PM. Haven't caught her peeing yet.
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That's where the before bed tests will help a lot.
I think she's bouncing from the 50 this morning. So, some people will shoot through the bounce. Give the full dose on a lower preshot because they know those high numbers are coming. BUT the problem with that is, they don't always bounce the same way.
With the tests you're getting, you will be able to see a pattern in her numbers. See what causes a bounce and when they might happen. It helps show how long they will last too.
Continue getting the tests so you can see the bigger picture and any patterns.
If she shows she always bounces after greens-- you can feel more comfortable giving the full dose on the next cycle if it's a blue PS.
If you decide to try this, testing before bed is an absolute must and it shouldn't be done if you won't be home to test.
If you insist on giving the full dose no matter what, you still need to get the tests so you can see the patterns and try to predict when she will need extra food to keep her from going too low and bouncing.
 
StephG said:
That's where the before bed tests will help a lot.
I think she's bouncing from the 50 this morning. So, some people will shoot through the bounce. Give the full dose on a lower preshot because they know those high numbers are coming. BUT the problem with that is, they don't always bounce the same way.
With the tests you're getting, you will be able to see a pattern in her numbers. See what causes a bounce and when they might happen. It helps show how long they will last too.
Continue getting the tests so you can see the bigger picture and any patterns.
If she shows she always bounces after greens-- you can feel more comfortable giving the full dose on the next cycle if it's a blue PS.
If you decide to try this, testing before bed is an absolute must and it shouldn't be done if you won't be home to test.
If you insist on giving the full dose no matter what, you still need to get the tests so you can see the patterns and try to predict when she will need extra food to keep her from going too low and bouncing.
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She was ravenous this morning. Do high numbers make it seem to her like she's starving?
 
Chloe likes the green kitty litter box, maybe because the sides are shorter (IKEA). Anyway, I emptied it and put it in the place where she's been peeing in the dustpans, and voila! I didn't see her pee, but there was a nice bit of urine in the litterbox to test. Negative for ketones, but her pH was slightly on the acidic side. She's so considerate!
 
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srk4cats said:
Chloe likes the green kitty litter box, maybe because the sides are shorter (IKEA). Anyway, I emptied it and put it in the place where she's been peeing in the dustpans, and voila! I didn't see her pee, but there was a nice bit of urine in the litterbox to test. Negative for ketones, but her pH was slightly on the acidic side. She's so considerate![/QUOTE

Good thinking on the litter box. Glad she is negative!

I didn't even know IKEA had litter boxes. :bookworm:
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I bought the litter box at IKEA over 10 years ago. It's not great if your cat likes to kick up a storm, but Chloe seems to like it.
@StephG @Djamila
Chloe just tested at 81 and is eating voraciously, as usual. I would like to give her the 2.5 u in a few minutes. Altering the dose seems to make her bounce.
 
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Sorry, I just got home. Did you already give her the dose? It's not safe to give a dose of Prozinc on an 81. If you have not already given the shot, I would recommend feeding and retesting until she is high enough to shoot safely.

I'm going to make another plug for switching to Lantus. On Lantus you can shoot lower numbers like that with greater safety, and it would help you to stay on schedule without having to fuss so much with feeding and trying to manipulate the cycle for her. It can be scary to make a change like that, but I think Chloe might do better on it since it lasts longer which may help her avoid ketones, and it would almost certainly be easier for you to manage with your work schedule.
 
If you did give her the dose on the 81, you absolutely must test tonight at +2, and at the very very least again at +4. Possibly more than that depending on the numbers you get. I'm very worried about her getting 2.5 with a starting number of 81. You can keep her safe, but you must test and be prepared to steer if she is dropping at +2.
 
Djamila said:
Sorry, I just got home. Did you already give her the dose? It's not safe to give a dose of Prozinc on an 81. If you have not already given the shot, I would recommend feeding and retesting until she is high enough to shoot safely.

I'm going to make another plug for switching to Lantus. On Lantus you can shoot lower numbers like that with greater safety, and it would help you to stay on schedule without having to fuss so much with feeding and trying to manipulate the cycle for her. It can be scary to make a change like that, but I think Chloe might do better on it since it lasts longer which may help her avoid ketones, and it would almost certainly be easier for you to manage with your work schedule.
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I second this suggestion! I know it must be stressful for you to have to worry constantly.

It sounds like you have a good rapport with your new vet. I would consider emailing her and ask about switching.
 
Djamila said:
If you did give her the dose on the 81, you absolutely must test tonight at +2, and at the very very least again at +4. Possibly more than that depending on the numbers you get. I'm very worried about her getting 2.5 with a starting number of 81. You can keep her safe, but you must test and be prepared to steer if she is dropping at +2.
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She went up a bit to 88 and I need to go to sleep for work tomorrow. I'll leave some food out for her and get up at 5 am.
 
Djamila said:
I'm going to make another plug for switching to Lantus. On Lantus you can shoot lower numbers like that with greater safety, and it would help you to stay on schedule without having to fuss so much with feeding and trying to manipulate the cycle for her.
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I agree. Chuck's been doing great on his new dose. If you look at his SS you can see that I shoot low on lantus. I have a ton of data so I know what to expect. With his dose increase he went a little crazy with it but this morning's cycle is a good example of "shoot low to stay low" with lantus.
Edited to add: I'm sorry, I didn't get the tag notification yesterday.
 
I don't know what @Djamila @Kris & Teasel @StephG thoughts are, but if you are insisting on giving her the regular 2.5 dose even when she is low--She will need a HC food first.

Step1: Test
Step 2: Evaluate number
Step 3: Based on PS numbers determine what kind of food to give Chloe. I think low carb is better, BUT if you are persistent on giving the same dose then I would give her the HC food to help offset.
Step 4: Retest and shoot (as long it is safe).


She requires a more monitoring than the average diabetic kitty right now.

I'm hardly home sometimes, and if Gracie was doing what Chloe was doing I would make the switch.Would I want to? No, as I dislike change, but I would want to do what is best for her. If it doesn't work--it doesn't work, but at least I could say I tried.

If ever in doubt POST!!!!!! and put 911 in the subject line. I would post in main. Prozinc tends to get quiet after a certain hour. It will grab attention.

Also, I'm not a fan of Facebook, but I noticed you are on the Feline Diabetes group. It is frowned upon if they give dosing advice on there. You can post on there and ask for help. You copy and paste your link to SS and post. Someone will help you.
 
I agree that she will need more carbs or more food. The spot tests will help figure out if she has a pattern and you can feed more or higher carb on the bounce breaking cycles to keep her safe and hopefully keep the bounce from getting so high.
 
StephG said:
keep the bounce from getting so high.
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high? I just tested her at 5:45 pm and she was 28! Well, I don't believe it because she was up yowling for dinner and I didn't get enough blood on the strip. I'll test again in 10 minutes.
 
I wonder if the meter is broken. I've been having problems with it the past few days, such as not taking a reading. I put in a new battery recently. Do these $9 Relion meter fail after about a year? I'll test her with the Everpaw next.
 
srk4cats said:
I wonder if the meter is broken. I've been having problems with it the past few days, such as not taking a reading. I put in a new battery recently. Do these $9 Relion meter fail after about a year? I'll test her with the Everpaw next.
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I had one that went bad before a year. I dropped it a lot though.
Please use the ever paw and see what her reading is.
 
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