Rachel & Rocco (GA)
Member Since 2018
Hi!
We just started home testing Rocco's glucose levels today, after not seeing much improvement since starting him on Lantus (1u/2x daily) on March 9th.
The first week and a half, everything seemed to be going well - he started drinking and urinating less - but then, the thirst came back in full swing. A few days later, we took him in for his scheduled curve. Unfortunately, we weren't 100% sure we got the shot in that morning, and when I picked him up at the end of the day, the vet said he was in the 600s all day, and that it was likely because we were not getting the shot in regularly. He shaved a bit of Rocco's neck and sent us on our way. It has definitely been easier getting the shot in now that we can see the skin, but his thirst has been staying pretty high. Finally, in order to get some answers, we decided to try home testing. We got our AlphaTRAK2 yesterday, and attempted to test his levels shortly before his insulin shot last night. Unfortunately, I didn't get enough blood for the sample and figured it was better to wait until today before trying again - I'd rather not get him all worked up and then have it be a battle every time!
Around 11:30 this morning, we decided to try again. He was SUCH a good kitty - he sat next to me and didn't struggle at all. After reading tons of advice on this forum, I was able to draw enough blood to test, and the reading was 516. He had not eaten since we'd given him his shot at 8:15am. I ended up testing him again at 3:30pm and he was 524.
Rocco is a free feeder and eats dry Purina DM. He has always eaten dry food (and I suspect that's what caused the diabetes in the first place, since he is not overweight - last checked, he was 10.4lbs and hasn't been heavier than 11lbs in 2+ years) and has thrown up every time I've tried to give him wet food in the past. Ideally, I know we would want him eating wet food, but I'm not sure how his stomach would take it.
My plan is to call the vet tomorrow as we don't have another appointment with them until 4/12 to let them know we've tested and that his BG is still high. Do you think doing a curve at home, later this week, would be a good course of action? In my non-veterinary opinion, I feel like his dose is too low and I can see daily that his hocks are getting closer to the ground and that he's struggling to get in the litter box. I hate to watch him suffer, and just sitting here, doing nothing about it, is killing me!
Any advice is much appreciated, and just let me know if you need any additional information!
We just started home testing Rocco's glucose levels today, after not seeing much improvement since starting him on Lantus (1u/2x daily) on March 9th.
The first week and a half, everything seemed to be going well - he started drinking and urinating less - but then, the thirst came back in full swing. A few days later, we took him in for his scheduled curve. Unfortunately, we weren't 100% sure we got the shot in that morning, and when I picked him up at the end of the day, the vet said he was in the 600s all day, and that it was likely because we were not getting the shot in regularly. He shaved a bit of Rocco's neck and sent us on our way. It has definitely been easier getting the shot in now that we can see the skin, but his thirst has been staying pretty high. Finally, in order to get some answers, we decided to try home testing. We got our AlphaTRAK2 yesterday, and attempted to test his levels shortly before his insulin shot last night. Unfortunately, I didn't get enough blood for the sample and figured it was better to wait until today before trying again - I'd rather not get him all worked up and then have it be a battle every time!
Around 11:30 this morning, we decided to try again. He was SUCH a good kitty - he sat next to me and didn't struggle at all. After reading tons of advice on this forum, I was able to draw enough blood to test, and the reading was 516. He had not eaten since we'd given him his shot at 8:15am. I ended up testing him again at 3:30pm and he was 524.
Rocco is a free feeder and eats dry Purina DM. He has always eaten dry food (and I suspect that's what caused the diabetes in the first place, since he is not overweight - last checked, he was 10.4lbs and hasn't been heavier than 11lbs in 2+ years) and has thrown up every time I've tried to give him wet food in the past. Ideally, I know we would want him eating wet food, but I'm not sure how his stomach would take it.
My plan is to call the vet tomorrow as we don't have another appointment with them until 4/12 to let them know we've tested and that his BG is still high. Do you think doing a curve at home, later this week, would be a good course of action? In my non-veterinary opinion, I feel like his dose is too low and I can see daily that his hocks are getting closer to the ground and that he's struggling to get in the litter box. I hate to watch him suffer, and just sitting here, doing nothing about it, is killing me!
Any advice is much appreciated, and just let me know if you need any additional information!
I feel like a terrible cat mom) and he was at 530. Administered the shot and two hours later... still 530. Calling the vet today to let them know my plan.
. If I see equally high numbers tomorrow with the AMPS, should I go ahead and raise the dose then? I'm about to check his levels again.
