Really don't know where to start. Confused. Tiggy was on Lantus 1 unit 2x a day. We bought Young Again Zero Carb dry kibble cat food and the paper in box said stop insulin if you cannot test daily. Ok. We made a switch from Purina Pro Plan Kibble with hopes his number would be better. Fast forward so since August 6th we stopped insulin. Tiggy was Tested Sunday and number was 364. He hides and hates the tests it is absolutely stressful for us and him. He was and has acted fine . Yesterday he went out on patio and apparently ate grass when he came in he was coughing and threw up . The rest of the day and evening he was fine. This morning I ran out of Young Again( it arrives tommorow) and have him Friskies Pate he overate it and threw it up. I am upset and worried. The vet technician is coming to test him at 6 pm. But we gave him a few treats that are Fron Young Again Zero Carb line he gobbled them and again threw up. Called vet they want me to take him to emergency. I am financially exhausted. This May when he relapsed back we spent 6400.00 and 1239.00 . for a 3 day emergency urgent center. I have anti nausea pill the one that ypu give a half of pill. My question is should we begin insulin again. Do we give the nausea pill with food? Should we start insulin tommorow morning. He is behaving like normal except the vomiting. Please help. I just cannot afford any further vet visits right now. I am very confused and upset about his care. I will watch vet technician tonight and my husband and I will have to begin testing I understand this fully at this point. Please no judgement I have been working alot to pay for Care Credit Pet Sitter and I am a wreck.
Emotional and Need Urgent Advice
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Nan & Amber (GA)
Member Since 2016
Oh, I'm so sorry....
First off, on the vomiting: it's very good that he's otherwise behaving normally. That kind of thing, vomiting repeatedly, can be a sign of something serious, like a blockage, which is why you were advised to take him to emergency. It can also just be an upset tummy from the food change-- no way to tell without an exam. As long as you already have a vet tech coming today, and as long as he's acting normally otherwise, in your situation I think I'd just keep watching him for a few hours. But again, repeated vomiting is potentially a sign of something really serious, so if he takes a downturn at all, I would definitely take him in. In the meantime, it doesn't sound like nausea, specifically, is a problem, so I'm not sure the meds you have would be helpful-- do you know the name of the meds?
It does sound like he needs insulin. The YA folks give that advice because some cats are so carb-sensitive, their insulin needs plummet as soon as they go onto low-carb food. We've seen that here, too, which is why we always tell people not to change the diet without home-testing.
Speaking of which, I'm glad you will be starting to home-test! Among all the other advantages, it's a whole lot cheaper than multiple vet visits! We can give you tips to help make it less of an unpleasant experience for Tiggy, but one step at a time.
First off, on the vomiting: it's very good that he's otherwise behaving normally. That kind of thing, vomiting repeatedly, can be a sign of something serious, like a blockage, which is why you were advised to take him to emergency. It can also just be an upset tummy from the food change-- no way to tell without an exam. As long as you already have a vet tech coming today, and as long as he's acting normally otherwise, in your situation I think I'd just keep watching him for a few hours. But again, repeated vomiting is potentially a sign of something really serious, so if he takes a downturn at all, I would definitely take him in. In the meantime, it doesn't sound like nausea, specifically, is a problem, so I'm not sure the meds you have would be helpful-- do you know the name of the meds?
It does sound like he needs insulin. The YA folks give that advice because some cats are so carb-sensitive, their insulin needs plummet as soon as they go onto low-carb food. We've seen that here, too, which is why we always tell people not to change the diet without home-testing.
Speaking of which, I'm glad you will be starting to home-test! Among all the other advantages, it's a whole lot cheaper than multiple vet visits! We can give you tips to help make it less of an unpleasant experience for Tiggy, but one step at a time.
The pill pack says Cerenia. How long should I wait to try and offer food? He threw up ag 2:30 pm and should I give the anti nausea with food ? Or still wait on that and see if he throws up. Also the insulin Should I begin treatment with it tommorow morning. I absolutely cannot afford to take him back to vetrinarian. I can post the vet bills from May and tou can see how much we have spent. We are trying to now manage him as best we can. Uts heartbreak for me. This catis like a child.
Nan & Amber (GA)
Member Since 2016
Cerenia is a good medicine. It might help with the vomiting.
If you don't have any food on-hand that he is (currently) used to eating, try giving just small amounts at a time of what you do have and see if that stays down.
When he was hospitalized, was it for ketones and/or diabetic ketoacidosis?
If you don't have any food on-hand that he is (currently) used to eating, try giving just small amounts at a time of what you do have and see if that stays down.
When he was hospitalized, was it for ketones and/or diabetic ketoacidosis?
Lisa and Witn (GA)
Member Since 2009
I am glad to see you plan to start home testing. That is the only way, other than a vet visit that will tell you he needs insulin. You can use any human glucose meter for testing. If you have a Walmart nearby, the Relion brand meters are good and the test strips are not expensive. You do not need a "pet meter" for testing. They are no more accurate than human glucose meters and the test strips are expensive.
" We bought Young Again Zero Carb dry kibble cat food and the paper in box said stop insulin if you cannot test daily. " I have very big concerns about a company telling customers to stop giving insulin. Every cat is different and may still require insulin when on low carb foods. I understand why there may be a reason for that statement - it is to lower the risk of hyperglycemia. However if a cat still needs insulin, stopping insulin raises the risks of Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which also can be deadly.
We are not judging you, but are concerned for your cat's health. If you need help learning to test there are some links for home testing here http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
There is also a spreadsheet you can set up to keep track of your readings. By keeping your readings here and a link to the spreadsheet need help, we are able view it to assist us in answering your questions. Here are the instructions http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
Also if you have any questions, please ask. That is the reason this board is here, to help others to care for their cats.
" We bought Young Again Zero Carb dry kibble cat food and the paper in box said stop insulin if you cannot test daily. " I have very big concerns about a company telling customers to stop giving insulin. Every cat is different and may still require insulin when on low carb foods. I understand why there may be a reason for that statement - it is to lower the risk of hyperglycemia. However if a cat still needs insulin, stopping insulin raises the risks of Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which also can be deadly.
We are not judging you, but are concerned for your cat's health. If you need help learning to test there are some links for home testing here http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
There is also a spreadsheet you can set up to keep track of your readings. By keeping your readings here and a link to the spreadsheet need help, we are able view it to assist us in answering your questions. Here are the instructions http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
Also if you have any questions, please ask. That is the reason this board is here, to help others to care for their cats.
CandyH & Catcat
Member Since 2019
not sure if this is helpful, but could you give him a little bit of plain broth (chicken probably better than beef) with no additional spices nor salt -- just a tiny bit and let him lap it up
sometimes liquid will stay down where solid food won't, and he'll eat it much more slowly
this is off the wall, but I found that water with just a drop of apple cider vinegar added, seemed to calm queasy stomachs in cats
if that stays down, a tiny bit of canned food well diluted with water or broth might be the next step
yes, you get to train him, accustom him to testing, by giving treats -- with the vomiting you're having, possibly bonito flakes would be gentler to his system, or cumbled up freezedried chicken
however there are members here with FAR more experience than I have, listen to them
sometimes liquid will stay down where solid food won't, and he'll eat it much more slowly
this is off the wall, but I found that water with just a drop of apple cider vinegar added, seemed to calm queasy stomachs in cats
if that stays down, a tiny bit of canned food well diluted with water or broth might be the next step
yes, you get to train him, accustom him to testing, by giving treats -- with the vomiting you're having, possibly bonito flakes would be gentler to his system, or cumbled up freezedried chicken
however there are members here with FAR more experience than I have, listen to them
May 5th. The regular vet said diabetes wasn't back 1200.00. Then she sent us to urgent care. There the vetrinarians took him away and a woman came back into room and showed us a mock up bill. For treatment for Pancreatitis. Including many hyperbaric treatments. Two days they called and said come get him. I said on the phone we would like to speak with the vetrinarian they said ok she will be there when ypu arrive to pick up the cat. She left. We were sent out with a prescription for insulin and needles. And have been struggling with everything ever since. He has not been sick once since May not until the grass and now Friskies wet food this morning. Litter box is normal water consumption is good the bowls aren't drained empty like before. I should of NEVER taken him off insulin like the YA paper stated. It like no one cares. Even our vet out home vet didn't want us to test at home. Everything is stressful. When he is sick I am sick also.
Vet tech showed me how to test .. My husband helped we wrapped him. Nunber was 324. He has been off of insulin since August 6. We held off on the anti nausea and I waited until 6 pm to give him 10 pieces of kibble. Put him in a isolated room and checked on him at 8 pm. He kept kibble down. Gave another 10 pieces of kibble that has also stayed down so far. She mentioned he has never eaten Wet food and it could of just been food indiscretion I think that was the term. We own a Alpha Trak 2 and wipp be testing. I will have the insulin beginning tommorow morning as long as he doesnt lose any of the kibble in a throw up event. He seems alert playful and loving. Im hopeful it was the wet food. He dislikes it and refused to eat it years ago.
Nan & Amber (GA)
Member Since 2016
I'm glad he's able to keep a bit of the kibble down. That, plus the fact that he is acting OK-- really really good signs.
We can definitely help you manage the diabetes diagnosis here, hopefully without any more long-term ER stays. As a side note, just from what you have said, I think I would be looking around for other ER options in my area. Those folks do not seem like the ones I would want to work with on my cat's care. I hope your regular vet is more responsive.
Questions for you:
1) What kind of insulin was prescribed? Is it Lantus again?
2)At what dose? Still 1U 2x day?
I know you are anxious to start insulin again after a gap, but I'm going to ask you to wait just a little bit longer, as long as there is no history of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). (you would definitely know if there were).
Assuming no DKA in the past, let's back up a bit and start from scratch. If you can get a little practice on home-testing before starting insulin, to get a baseline (and be ready for "game time"), that would be great. Here are a few tips to get started:
-- pick a spot in your house as the "testing spot". Start off by bringing Tiggy to that spot, giving him a treat, and letting him go. Then move on to bringing him there, playing with his ears for a bit, giving him a treat, and letting him go. The idea is to gradually work your way up to doing the actual ear poke and test, always associating the process with treats and attention. Eventually, most of our cats come running to the testing spot to get their tests!
-- for the pokes, you want to start off with a bigger-gauge lancet, 26 or 28. Often these are sold as "alternate site" lancets. Later, once extra capillaries have grown in the ears, you can move to the thinner 31-gauge, but if you start with the thin ones, it can be hard to get blood out.
-- sometimes vet techs will tell you to aim for the veins in the ear. That makes it easy to get blood, but it's also a more painful spot and is easily bruised. So, instead, aim for the "sweet spot" between the vein and the edge of the ear. It'll be a little harder to get blood at first, but Tiggy's ears will thank you (and he'll be less likely to associate testing with pain, and just concentrate on all the treats he's getting!)
-- to stop bleeding and help prevent bruising, apply a little pressure to the poke site for several seconds. I have a little piece of tissue or a cotton round at the ready
Others will have other tips as we go along. Once you are comfortable with hometesting, then you and Tiggy will be ready for insulin. You'll want to test before each shot to make sure he's safe to shoot.
You can do this. Post with any questions you have!
We can definitely help you manage the diabetes diagnosis here, hopefully without any more long-term ER stays. As a side note, just from what you have said, I think I would be looking around for other ER options in my area. Those folks do not seem like the ones I would want to work with on my cat's care. I hope your regular vet is more responsive.
Questions for you:
1) What kind of insulin was prescribed? Is it Lantus again?
2)At what dose? Still 1U 2x day?
I know you are anxious to start insulin again after a gap, but I'm going to ask you to wait just a little bit longer, as long as there is no history of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). (you would definitely know if there were).
Assuming no DKA in the past, let's back up a bit and start from scratch. If you can get a little practice on home-testing before starting insulin, to get a baseline (and be ready for "game time"), that would be great. Here are a few tips to get started:
-- pick a spot in your house as the "testing spot". Start off by bringing Tiggy to that spot, giving him a treat, and letting him go. Then move on to bringing him there, playing with his ears for a bit, giving him a treat, and letting him go. The idea is to gradually work your way up to doing the actual ear poke and test, always associating the process with treats and attention. Eventually, most of our cats come running to the testing spot to get their tests!
-- for the pokes, you want to start off with a bigger-gauge lancet, 26 or 28. Often these are sold as "alternate site" lancets. Later, once extra capillaries have grown in the ears, you can move to the thinner 31-gauge, but if you start with the thin ones, it can be hard to get blood out.
-- sometimes vet techs will tell you to aim for the veins in the ear. That makes it easy to get blood, but it's also a more painful spot and is easily bruised. So, instead, aim for the "sweet spot" between the vein and the edge of the ear. It'll be a little harder to get blood at first, but Tiggy's ears will thank you (and he'll be less likely to associate testing with pain, and just concentrate on all the treats he's getting!)
-- to stop bleeding and help prevent bruising, apply a little pressure to the poke site for several seconds. I have a little piece of tissue or a cotton round at the ready
Others will have other tips as we go along. Once you are comfortable with hometesting, then you and Tiggy will be ready for insulin. You'll want to test before each shot to make sure he's safe to shoot.
You can do this. Post with any questions you have!
Nan and Amber
In May 2019 with the urgent care hospital they said ketones had resolved and he had pancreatitis. This is after we came to retrieve him. He was on Lantus 1 unit twice a day. Until we purchased the Young Again Zero Carb dry kibble cat food. I thought the Zero Carb would naturally assist him. But This past Sunday his afternoon number was 364. He is a big Tabby about 16 pounds large build.
In May 2019 with the urgent care hospital they said ketones had resolved and he had pancreatitis. This is after we came to retrieve him. He was on Lantus 1 unit twice a day. Until we purchased the Young Again Zero Carb dry kibble cat food. I thought the Zero Carb would naturally assist him. But This past Sunday his afternoon number was 364. He is a big Tabby about 16 pounds large build.
Chris & China (GA)
Member Since 2013
First....we've had cats that didn't react well to the YAZ either …..their blood glucose stayed high. I know they say it's low carb but every cat is different and I've seen several cats here that it caused spikes in.
On the Friskies....any chance it was a "scarf and barf" (this can also happen with dry food)...they eat fast and then it comes right back up?
If it was possibly that, try spreading his wet food out on a flat plate instead of piling it in a bowl...it forces him to slow down when he eats.
If you want to continue using the AlphaTrak, that's fine, but with the amount of tests we do here (at least 4 per day), that can run into some pretty serious money. It sounds like at least some of your stress could be lowered by reducing the costs.
All our protocols were written with human meters in mind so we're very familiar with using them. I'd strongly suggest getting the Relion Prime from WalMart...strips are only $17.88/100 instead of almost $1.00 each!
Here's something I wrote up for others for testing...maybe it'll help you too!
It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you.
Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!
You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!
It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well
For new kitties, using a heavier gauge lancet is also really helpful. A 25-28 gauge lancet pokes a bigger "hole" than a 31-33 gauge lancet does, so look for "Alternate Site testing" lancets that are usually a lower number
Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!
On the Friskies....any chance it was a "scarf and barf" (this can also happen with dry food)...they eat fast and then it comes right back up?
If it was possibly that, try spreading his wet food out on a flat plate instead of piling it in a bowl...it forces him to slow down when he eats.
If you want to continue using the AlphaTrak, that's fine, but with the amount of tests we do here (at least 4 per day), that can run into some pretty serious money. It sounds like at least some of your stress could be lowered by reducing the costs.
All our protocols were written with human meters in mind so we're very familiar with using them. I'd strongly suggest getting the Relion Prime from WalMart...strips are only $17.88/100 instead of almost $1.00 each!
Here's something I wrote up for others for testing...maybe it'll help you too!
It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you.
Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!
You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!
It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well
For new kitties, using a heavier gauge lancet is also really helpful. A 25-28 gauge lancet pokes a bigger "hole" than a 31-33 gauge lancet does, so look for "Alternate Site testing" lancets that are usually a lower number
Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!
Maybe it was a scarf and barf .. I essentially fed him the wet food my husband passed by and said wow thats alot of food around 9:15 am . Everything was ok until i thought he wanted more and offered more about 10:15 The time span between initial feeding and me offering more was about 1 hour. That's when he got sick at 12:30. Then on top of that I again felt bad because he is a begger and gave him a handful of treats (about 30 minutes after he vomited)about 1:00 pm . Bad idea. Because that's when he vomited those as well. Skip from 1:30 pm to 6pm- he had the bg test number was 324 . Put him downstairs and gave a small amount of dry. Like 10 pieces. He held that fine. Checked in at 8pm . Gave 10 pieces. Held fine. Put him to bed at 9:30 with about 15 pieces of kibble. I will see in morning if it stayed with him. I hope so.
CandyH & Catcat
Member Since 2019
if scattering the food on a plate doesn't work as well for a cat that gobbles, I've found that putting a wide-bowl spoon IN the food dish, and adding water to the wet food also, slows them down since they have to eat "around" the spoon -- someone once told me that cats are happier if they have to work a bit to get their food -- I know Catcat really enjoys having to tear his dry sardine treat into pieces to eat it -- uses some of his predator behavior
Dusty Bones
Member Since 2013
Almost sounds like a normal cat... eat grass vomit, eat too much vomit, change his food vomit. You need to get him on a normal feeding schedule, stick to one food, and not so many treats.
Karen&Rocket
Member Since 2019
This isn’t quite right - we’ve tried YA Zero before, and while the food does come with a ridiculous amount of feeding instructions, it doesn’t say to stop insulin. It does say that if you don’t test, you shouldn’t feed their food:
“Household 3:You have a diabetic cat that receives regular insulin but blood glucose levels are not monitored at home. If your cat is already receiving insulin when you start using our food, you must always test BG levels before each injection. If you do not test blood glucose levels before each injection of insulin you cannot use our food.”
Their real point is that some cats go on remission based on diet changes alone, and that if you change your cat’s diet you should be testing. Not stopping insulin.
I hope things get better for you and your kitty soon. Sorry you’re going through this.
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