Aj newly diagnosed please help

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Excellent. Been watching for an update. I am at the blood bank right now, not on my laptop, so I can't bring up my file of info and links. When I get home...about another 1-1 1/2 hour, I will find info on how to try to get the urine sample and post. So very happy AJ is doing better..
 
Idjit's mom said:
Excellent. Been watching for an update. I am at the blood bank right now, not on my laptop, so I can't bring up my file of info and links. When I get home...about another 1-1 1/2 hour, I will find info on how to try to get the urine sample and post. So very happy AJ is doing better..
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Okay, i’ll be looking out for that! Thank you :)
 
KoltAJ said:
Thanks everyone! I’m glad i came here when i thought something was off about what the vet was recommending. I went and got the meter and tested him this morning at home and his blood glucose was 291 the lowest its ever been!
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Most likely, you saved your cat's life. Well done. Take a bow.

Feed him more if he's hungry. Just (during this start over) pick up the food 2 hours before shot time so that the preshoot reading is not food influenced and you get a proper read of his numbers.

From the Yellow Stickie for Novolin: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-novolin-humulin-nph.186097/
The sequence for Novolin is:
  • It's a good idea to feed your cat an hour before giving insulin. This is to ensure there is food in the cat’s system for when the insulin starts to work, and to help ensure that the BG doesn’t drop too fast or too low. Not all cats will experience a fast BG drop with N/NPH, but until your testing data shows otherwise, it is wise to assume that this may be the case with your cat.
  • The sequence should be: 1. Test BG. 2. Feed. 3. Wait for an hour. 4. Give the shot.
  • If your cat is known to sometimes regurgitate her food, waiting that hour will also give some assurance that she is likely to keep her food down.
1. Test - to see if the number is high enough to shoot
2. Feed - to make sure your cat will eat and has enough food on board to handle the Novolin
3. Wait an hour - to make sure the food stays down (no scarf and barf)..
4. Shoot.

According to the Yellow Stickie for Novolin, you do not want to see the cat's numbers drop below 100. That is the take action number. The hypo links are in post #13 of this thread.

I suggest you read through the thread I mentioned above. It is chock full of good information. I'm going to take @MrWorfMen's Mom for you. She has a better understanding of how Novolin and Vetsulin works.
 
Idjit's mom said:
He can have small frequent meals or snacks if you're doing two main feedings. He's probably going to stay pretty hungry until the BG is regulated.
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I’ve been letting him snack on dry food between the two meals too. What would you recommend to give him as a snack inbetween though?
 
Red & Rover (GA) said:
Most likely, you saved your cat's life. Well done. Take a bow.

Feed him more if he's hungry. Just (during this start over) pick up the food 2 hours before shot time so that the preshoot reading is not food influenced and you get a proper read of his numbers.

From the Yellow Stickie for Novolin: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-novolin-humulin-nph.186097/
The sequence for Novolin is:
  • It's a good idea to feed your cat an hour before giving insulin. This is to ensure there is food in the cat’s system for when the insulin starts to work, and to help ensure that the BG doesn’t drop too fast or too low. Not all cats will experience a fast BG drop with N/NPH, but until your testing data shows otherwise, it is wise to assume that this may be the case with your cat.
  • The sequence should be: 1. Test BG. 2. Feed. 3. Wait for an hour. 4. Give the shot.
  • If your cat is known to sometimes regurgitate her food, waiting that hour will also give some assurance that she is likely to keep her food down.
1. Test - to see if the number is high enough to shoot
2. Feed - to make sure your cat will eat and has enough food on board to handle the Novolin
3. Wait an hour - to make sure the food stays down (no scarf and barf)..
4. Shoot.

According to the Yellow Stickie for Novolin, you do not want to see the cat's numbers drop below 100. That is the take action number. The hypo links are in post #13 of this thread.

I suggest you read through the thread I mentioned above. It is chock full of good information. I'm going to take @MrWorfMen's Mom for you. She has a better understanding of how Novolin and Vetsulin works.
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I followed that sequence this morning and will continue to do so, thank you! Will look into the novolin stickie :)
 
Sarah&Soph said:
So glad you were able to test him! It took about 3 weeks to get to the point where Sophie wouldn’t try to tear me apart, so you’re doing awesome!
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Oh wow! i’m glad he is very good with shots and everything as long as i’m petting him and saying he is a good boy, he sits really still. I hope that means he understands that i’m only trying to help.
 
anything that is pure protein -- PureBites is one brand, Cat Man Doo is another, you may find the protein snacks in the dog aisle instead of cat aisle -- you can get bonito flakes at an Oriental grocery (human food so cheaper and bigger bag), some may also carry small dried fish (sardine, herring, anchovy) -- you can also stew chicken at home in your crockpot with no additional seasonings, I get boneless skinless thighs, after cooking I separate them into small containers and freeze, so I can defrost one helping at a time -- or let it defrost by itself overnight as the cat licks or bites at it
 
What is the lowest number that i should give him insulin at if he shouldn’t go below 110?
 
CandyH and Catcat said:
anything that is pure protein -- PureBites is one brand, Cat Man Doo is another, you may find the protein snacks in the dog aisle instead of cat aisle -- you can get bonito flakes at an Oriental grocery (human food so cheaper and bigger bag), some may also carry small dried fish (sardine, herring, anchovy) -- you can also stew chicken at home in your crockpot with no additional seasonings, I get boneless skinless thighs, after cooking I separate them into small containers and freeze, so I can defrost one helping at a time -- or let it defrost by itself overnight as the cat licks or bites at it
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Okay i’ll look out for those snacks! Really wish we had an asian grocery market around me
 
ECID -- every cat is different -- so it depends on how AJ has reacted in the past -- how much of a food spike there is after he eats, when the insulin first starts working and how low it goes, when in the cycle is the lowest BG reading, when does the insulin effect appear to wear off ...

since you don't have a spreadsheet that we can look at, only you would know the answers here -- unfortunately there's no manual to go by, and if I know cats, if there WERE a manual, they wouldn't follow it anyway

what they generally tell us, as newbies, is -- don't shoot if the test is under 200 -- that gives a generous cushion to keep the cat out of a danger zone, when we're first gathering the information about how the cat responds -- yeah ECID -- you get to know YOUR cat really well
 
glad you saw that -- we started out on Vetsulin which reacts much like Novolin, but there ARE differences and I just found out from you, about one :):bighug:
 
Like CandyH and CatCat, I offer poached chicken breast or thigh meat, but Idjit gets breakfast, lunch, dinner and a bedtime snack. Just a routine we got into at dx and eliminating grazing on dry food at will. I feed Idj three meals of 2 ounces of raw meat with supplement, then the bedtime snack is a couple of TBLS of Friskies. I want him to remember that canned food is still ok, just in case for some reason he is only provided with canned food. He's much bigger/heavier than AJ, though and won't need nearly as much food.

Idjit is a creature of habit and insists on a midmorning snack and gets some chopped up chicken, or a raw chicken wing piece to help keep his teeth clean. He also goes in the kitchen between 9 and 9:30 PM and just sits there waiting for his bedtime snack. He does go outside and gets exercise so I don't worry so much about a few extra calories.

You are going to be working to get the dry food out of his diet..gradually, so maybe offer some canned food or chicken bits instead of one dry food snack. Then in a few days, replace another dry snack with wet food. Then, less dry in one meal and more wet, until he is on all wet food. If you want you can feed him 3-4 times a day, and if you are gone during the day, use a timed feeder or freeze canned food in an ice cube tray, put the frozen meatsicles in a freezer bag.. and leave a cube or two (if small) out to thaw for him. Testing is going to show you any lowering of BG and I bet you will see some gradual differences with the change in diet.

Is AJ eating well today?

Urine testing for Ketones:
Here are some tips on how to do urine ketone testing (VERY important if BG is high and kitty isn't eating well!):
put the end of the test strip right in his urine stream as he's peeing
slip a shallow, long handled spoon under his backside to catch a little pee - you don't need much (or a shallow lid)
put a double layer of plastic wrap over his favorite part of the litter box and poke some depressions in it too catch pee.
Most test strips have to be dipped and allowed to develop for 15 seconds before viewing the color change in very good light.
 
Idjit's mom said:
Like CandyH and CatCat, I offer poached chicken breast or thigh meat, but Idjit gets breakfast, lunch, dinner and a bedtime snack. Just a routine we got into at dx and eliminating grazing on dry food at will. I feed Idj three meals of 2 ounces of raw meat with supplement, then the bedtime snack is a couple of TBLS of Friskies. I want him to remember that canned food is still ok, just in case for some reason he is only provided with canned food. He's much bigger/heavier than AJ, though and won't need nearly as much food.

Idjit is a creature of habit and insists on a midmorning snack and gets some chopped up chicken, or a raw chicken wing piece to help keep his teeth clean. He also goes in the kitchen between 9 and 9:30 PM and just sits there waiting for his bedtime snack. He does go outside and gets exercise so I don't worry so much about a few extra calories.

You are going to be working to get the dry food out of his diet..gradually, so maybe offer some canned food or chicken bits instead of one dry food snack. Then in a few days, replace another dry snack with wet food. Then, less dry in one meal and more wet, until he is on all wet food. If you want you can feed him 3-4 times a day, and if you are gone during the day, use a timed feeder or freeze canned food in an ice cube tray, put the frozen meatsicles in a freezer bag.. and leave a cube or two (if small) out to thaw for him. Testing is going to show you any lowering of BG and I bet you will see some gradual differences with the change in diet.

Is AJ eating well today?

Urine testing for Ketones:
Here are some tips on how to do urine ketone testing (VERY important if BG is high and kitty isn't eating well!):
put the end of the test strip right in his urine stream as he's peeing
slip a shallow, long handled spoon under his backside to catch a little pee - you don't need much (or a shallow lid)
put a double layer of plastic wrap over his favorite part of the litter box and poke some depressions in it too catch pee.
Most test strips have to be dipped and allowed to develop for 15 seconds before viewing the color change in very good light.
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I will get different food to start to transition him off the dry tomorrow, thank you for the tips :) he is eating perfectly today even running around, it’s amazing. Did the ketone test and it came back negative so all good on that!
 
Having some trouble with the relion meter~ this morning’s test went super smooth but i went to test again to check where he was at and it read 50 glucose and i was shocked because he has tons of energy and is eating and read 291 this morning. So i tested it on myself and it read 20 for me so something is definitely up but I don’t understand what it could be. Anyone have any advice or ran into this problem before?
 
KoltAJ said:
Having some trouble with the relion meter~ this morning’s test went super smooth but i went to test again to check where he was at and it read 50 glucose and i was shocked because he has tons of energy and is eating and read 291 this morning. So i tested it on myself and it read 20 for me so something is definitely up but I don’t understand what it could be. Anyone have any advice or ran into this problem before?
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The battery says it is at half life and i just bought it this morning.
 
Hmmm, I think I would get a new battery for it. It’s a bummer that it was sold with a weak battery , but that it what it appears to be. It shouldn’t be much more than 6 bucks and I think I would take it back to Walmart and see if they would pay for the new battery or replace the meter.
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Hmmm, I think I would get a new battery for it. It’s a bummer that it was sold with a weak battery , but that it what it appears to be. It shouldn’t be much more than 6 bucks and I think I would take it back to Walmart and see if they would pay for the new battery or replace the meter.
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Oh i see darn. What battery would i need for the meter?
 
I don’t see your SS attached to your signature so I don’t what his dose has been so i can’t comment on dosing. Could you link your SS to your signature and start a new thread tomorrow with his name , AMBG = xxx. We start a new one each day otherwise it gets too long. I’m sorry, I have to take care of my 92 year old mom and I can’t go through all the post on this thread.
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
I don’t sse your SS attached to your signature so I don’t what his dose has been so i can’t comment on dosing. Could you link your SS to your signature and start a new thread tomorrow with his name , ANVS= xxx. We start a new one each day otherwise it gets too long. I’m sorry, I have to take care of my 92 year old mom and I can’t go through all the post on this thread.
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Sorry someone is working on getting the SS set up for me still. I will start a new one tomorrow. I understand.
 
KoltAJ said:
Sorry someone is working on getting the SS set up for me still. I will start a new one tomorrow. I understand.
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Oh good! Glad someone is assisting you. I needed help too.

Since I can’t see you me SS and you are concerned about the dose since the meter is doing wacky things, I would err on the side of being conservative with the dose.

Could you add the diagnosis date for your baby and his name?


I look forward to seeing more post from you. :)

Keep asking questions as that’s how we all learn.
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Oh good! Glad someone is assisting you. I needed help too.

Since I can’t see you me SS and you are concerned about the dose since the meter is doing wacky things, I would err on the side of being conservative with the dose.

Could you add the diagnosis date for your baby and his name?


I look forward to seeing more post from you. :)

Keep asking questions as that’s how we all learn.
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Okay i’ll do that then thank you for the help! I have his name: AJ and diagnosis date: 8/5/19 in the signature :) unless you mean add it to title of my next forum?
 
Ok, signature updated..good! Who is helping you with the spreadsheet? Marje or Chris? I ask because Marje said she might not have time today or tomorrow, and Chris said she would be happy to help out.
 
Idjit's mom said:
Ok, signature updated..good! Who is helping you with the spreadsheet? Marje or Chris? I ask because Marje said she might not have time today or tomorrow, and Chris said she would be happy to help out.
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I contacted chris and they said they would if i gave them my email but haven’t updated me on it as of yet
 
KoltAJ said:
Okay i’ll do that then thank you for the help! I have his name: AJ and diagnosis date: 8/5/19 in the signature :) unless you mean add it to title of my next forum?
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I see it now, I totally missed it :rolleyes: You’re good, I’m blind! LOL.

I’m sure Chris will get your SS up and going ASAP. :)
 
Ok, that's good. She will do it as soon as she can, I'm sure. Until you have that set up and data entered, you should state BG readings in your message so we know what's going on.
AMPS is morning preshot
then use +1, +2 etc to indicate how many hours from the shot
PMPS is evening preshot
and so on.

So, today : AMPS 291
Were you able to get any other tests during the day today? Will your BF be there and can get replacement meter or batteries so you can keep testing?
 
Idjit's mom said:
Ok, signature updated..good! Who is helping you with the spreadsheet? Marje or Chris? I ask because Marje said she might not have time today or tomorrow, and Chris said she would be happy to help out.
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Do you have an opinion on what i should do about the dosing? He was at 291 blood glucose at 10am this morning after giving him the 1 unit dose last night at 10pm. My boyfriend is going to grab a battery for our meter on his way home from work since the meter isn’t working now but won’t be able to test until he is home at 1030-11pm. Should i wait to give insulin until i can test him even if waiting until 11pm? Or give him 1 unit at his regular 10pm time and test him after to make sure he is okay? I’m thinking i should maybe just wait until 11pm when we can test him and give the shot late. But wanted to ask anyway to be sure.
 
Idjit's mom said:
Ok, that's good. She will do it as soon as she can, I'm sure. Until you have that set up and data entered, you should state BG readings in your message so we know what's going on.
AMPS is morning preshot
then use +1, +2 etc to indicate how many hours from the shot
PMPS is evening preshot
and so on.

So, today : AMPS 291
Were you able to get any other tests during the day today? Will your BF be there and can get replacement meter or batteries so you can keep testing?
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I tried to test him again around 530pm but the meter wasn’t working anymore unfortunately so just the one test today
 
@Bobbie And Bubba in a nutshell, AJ dx in July, BG 480 started Novolin at 2 U, vet has increased up to 7 U 2X day as of yesterday. BG tested at vet every 3 days, 380, then 420, then 630 she reports. She posted yesterday and we told her to take it down to 1 U 2X a day and start testing.
 
you mentioned you were going to get some different food..like what? The Fancy Feast classics are fine, but more expensive than the Friskies pates (not Indoor variety though). You mentioned some financial issues, is why I ask. You can get regular chicken thighs, legs or breast on the bone, less expensive than boneless/skinless and cook in the crock pot or in water on the stove like for chicken soup, but not as much water. Lift meat out, pull off skin and toss that, pull meat off the bone and use that for testing treats and/or snacks. Freeze up small portions in freezer bags. Let the broth cool if cooking on the stove, put in fridge then skim off the layer of fat, toss that. The broth can be frozen in ice cube trays and you can let some thaw and mix a bit in his food. Extra moisture is good for him, and that broth is very tasty. I thaw a cube or 2 in a small dish in the microwave and give it to Idjit when he's begging for food and it's not a meal time, or if it's very hot out and I want him to have more water.
 
Idjit's mom said:
you mentioned you were going to get some different food..like what? The Fancy Feast classics are fine, but more expensive than the Friskies pates (not Indoor variety though). You mentioned some financial issues, is why I ask. You can get regular chicken thighs, legs or breast on the bone, less expensive than boneless/skinless and cook in the crock pot or in water on the stove like for chicken soup, but not as much water. Lift meat out, pull off skin and toss that, pull meat off the bone and use that for testing treats and/or snacks. Freeze up small portions in freezer bags. Let the broth cool if cooking on the stove, put in fridge then skim off the layer of fat, toss that. The broth can be frozen in ice cube trays and you can let some thaw and mix a bit in his food. Extra moisture is good for him, and that broth is very tasty. I thaw a cube or 2 in a small dish in the microwave and give it to Idjit when he's begging for food and it's not a meal time, or if it's very hot out and I want him to have more water.
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Oh not for me, i’ll be sticking with the fancy feast. i made that post for my sister and her bigger cats because they are from same litter as AJ and she wants them to lose weight and prevent them from getting health problems in the future like AJ has~ one cat is 13lbs but very long and big boned and other is 11lbs but normal proportion. Wanted to know if there were cheaper healthy options for her for prevention because she is in college with limited budget and with her big cats they’d eat through $200 in fancy feast per month
 
Idjit's mom said:
you mentioned you were going to get some different food..like what? The Fancy Feast classics are fine, but more expensive than the Friskies pates (not Indoor variety though). You mentioned some financial issues, is why I ask. You can get regular chicken thighs, legs or breast on the bone, less expensive than boneless/skinless and cook in the crock pot or in water on the stove like for chicken soup, but not as much water. Lift meat out, pull off skin and toss that, pull meat off the bone and use that for testing treats and/or snacks. Freeze up small portions in freezer bags. Let the broth cool if cooking on the stove, put in fridge then skim off the layer of fat, toss that. The broth can be frozen in ice cube trays and you can let some thaw and mix a bit in his food. Extra moisture is good for him, and that broth is very tasty. I thaw a cube or 2 in a small dish in the microwave and give it to Idjit when he's begging for food and it's not a meal time, or if it's very hot out and I want him to have more water.
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How much chicken would they need to eat per day to lose weight? And do you think her buying the chicken thighs and boiling would be cheaper than the fancy feast? Or is fancy feast/friskys cheapest option after all? Just trying to help her out because i know she wouldn’t be able to care for her cats if they did become diabetic sadly :(
Edit just heard chicken is not a viable option other than for treats darn
Edit again she’ll do the 13oz cans of friskies since that’ll be a lot cheaper than the small cans, problem solved :) sorry for the confusion
 
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2032 batteries are really common, glucometers are not the only products that use that model -- -- just check to see if your meter needs 1 or 2 of them, some meters do need 2 -- but most any pharmacy or big box store will have them, even Dollar Tree does ... check in the watch department if the battery isn't on the display with the AA, AAA, C, D, and 9volt ones
 
CandyH and Catcat said:
2032 batteries are really common, glucometers are not the only products that use that model -- -- just check to see if your meter needs 1 or 2 of them, some meters do need 2 -- but most any pharmacy or big box store will have them, even Dollar Tree does ... check in the watch department if the battery isn't on the display with the AA, AAA, C, D, and 9volt ones
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will do! Thank you!
 
KoltAJ said:
How much chicken would they need to eat per day to lose weight? And do you think her buying the chicken thighs and boiling would be cheaper than the fancy feast? Or is fancy feast/friskys cheapest option after all? Just trying to help her out because i know she wouldn’t be able to care for her cats if they did become diabetic sadly :(
Edit just heard chicken is not a viable option other than for treats darn
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Correct about the plain chicken, I mentioned the Friskies pates, they are low carb too. Bigger cans, less per ounce cost. Lots of flavor varieties. That's what Idjit gets for his bedtime snack.

I know it's hard to see things on the cell phone small screen, but we have access to a food chart with lots of canned food brands and flavors with % of protein, fat, phosphorus, carbs and calories-per-can. For diabetic cats you want carbs below 10%, less is better.
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
The Friskies is available in grocery stores and Walmart, so we recommend that and FF at first because it's so readily available. There are many other brands that are good, but are available at pet stores and online.
Tell sister to visit www.catinfo.org. It's a feline nutrition site and that vet did the food chart too. She can transition them from dry to wet like you are going to do, and then just bit by bit, reduce the amount of food to help them lose weight if they need to.
 
Idjit's mom said:
Correct about the plain chicken, I mentioned the Friskies pates, they are low carb too. Bigger cans, less per ounce cost. Lots of flavor varieties. That's what Idjit gets for his bedtime snack.

I know it's hard to see things on the cell phone small screen, but we have access to a food chart with lots of canned food brands and flavors with % of protein, fat, phosphorus, carbs and calories-per-can. For diabetic cats you want carbs below 10%, less is better.
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
The Friskies is available in grocery stores and Walmart, so we recommend that and FF at first because it's so readily available. There are many other brands that are good, but are available at pet stores and online.
Tell sister to visit www.catinfo.org. It's a feline nutrition site and that vet did the food chart too. She can transition them from dry to wet like you are going to do, and then just bit by bit, reduce the amount of food to help them lose weight if they need to.
Click to expand...
I will make sure to check it out and send it to her as well! Thanks again :)
 
If you have Amazon Prime, you can get cheap 2032 batteries there. Take the battery out and rotate it. It might not be making good contact. The battery in my meter was about 50% as well. I was surprised because with such a popular, inexpensive meter I would have thought they would not have been on the shelf for a long time.
 
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