Smokey

Status
Not open for further replies.
Tbarry

Tbarry

Member Since 2019
Looking for a vet in Flint Michigan. Am trying to find a vet. Smokey(17 pounds b/g 400) diagnosed 12/11. Like Sydneys Mom, I am very overwhelmed. Am still giving some dry food because Smokey has been on Urinary SO since we got him 8 years ago. Have been using Royal Canin Glycobalance only because of the SO in it. Its lesser of two evils because carbs are lower. Ordered and waiting to get wet Glycobalance. Still a little high but not as bad as dry. Have not given insulin yet, buying lantus Monday. Very expensive, but I don't think Novolin (vet wanted me to give 4 units 2X a day) is good choice ( I had already bought it).Have changed wet food to fancy feast and friskies . pate. Will buy meter Monday with insulin.
Feel his brother Toby is headed that way too! Have noticed just from changing food not drinking and urinating as much. So many glucometers mentioned. Which one is easiest and takes least blood? Can they go hypo just from changing diet?
 
Last edited:
Tbarry said:
Looking for a vet in Flint Michigan. Am trying to find a vet. Smokey(17 pounds b/g 400) diagnosed 12/11. Like Sydneys Mom, I am very overwhelmed. Am still giving some dry food because Smokey has been on Urinary SO since we got him 8 years ago. Have been using Royal Canin Glycobalance only because of the SO in it. Its lesser of two evils because carbs are lower. Ordered and waiting to get wet Glycobalance. Still a little high but not as bad as dry. Have not given insulin yet, buying lantus Monday. Very expensive, but I don't think Novolin (vet wanted me to give 4 units 2X a day) is good choice ( I had already bought it).Have changed wet food to fancy feast and friskies . pate. Will buy meter Monday with insulin.
Feel his brother Toby is headed that way too! Have noticed just from changing food not drinking and urinating as much. So many glucometers mentioned. Which one is easiest and takes least blood? Can they go hypo just from changing diet?
Click to expand...

With regards to glucometers many here use Relion. Hope more chime in.
 
Ann & Scatcats said:
With regards to glucometers many here use Relion. Hope more chime in.
Click to expand...
Have even more questions! How much and how often can I feed wet food? Have totally taken away the Royal Canin Urinary SO Moderate calorie. I have almost taken all of the Glycobalance away (started it Wednesday before I found this site) They are getting FF pate and friskies pate. 3 oz. each at 4:30am, 12 noon and 8pm. This morning around 2am had feet twitching. So I fed them a tablespoon each of friskies turkey pate. These were feral cats that in 8 years have never gotten the concept of leaving some for later. I am so afraid of them getting blocked without the SO. Help please
 
The first signs of hypo is that the eye whiskers, nose whiskers, eye lids, head e.t.c start to twitch. But you weren't giving any insulin yet as I understood. So the feet twitching there I am not sure of why then.

I have always given my 4 cats what they have wanted to eat in amount. But Simba changed his eating schedule to be during 4 times a day.
 
Ann & Scatcats said:
The first signs of hypo is that the eye whiskers, nose whiskers, eye lids, head e.t.c start to twitch. But you weren't giving any insulin yet as I understood. So the feet twitching there I am not sure of why then.

I have always given my 4 cats what they have wanted to eat in amount. But Simba changed his eating schedule to be during 4 times a day.
Click to expand...
Thank you, trying to do what is best, will start home testing as soon as I get my meter.
 
Tbarry said:
Looking for a vet in Flint Michigan. Am trying to find a vet. Smokey(17 pounds b/g 400) diagnosed 12/11. Like Sydneys Mom, I am very overwhelmed. Am still giving some dry food because Smokey has been on Urinary SO since we got him 8 years ago. Have been using Royal Canin Glycobalance only because of the SO in it. Its lesser of two evils because carbs are lower. Ordered and waiting to get wet Glycobalance. Still a little high but not as bad as dry. Have not given insulin yet, buying lantus Monday. Very expensive, but I don't think Novolin (vet wanted me to give 4 units 2X a day) is good choice ( I had already bought it).Have changed wet food to fancy feast and friskies . pate. Will buy meter Monday with insulin.
Feel his brother Toby is headed that way too! Have noticed just from changing food not drinking and urinating as much. So many glucometers mentioned. Which one is easiest and takes least blood? Can they go hypo just from changing diet?
Click to expand...


Here I found something helpful for you in buying a fair priced gluco meter.
http://main.diabetes.org/dforg/pdfs/2018/2018-cg-blood-glucose-meters.pdf

You want one that requires from 0.7 size blood drop to 0.3. And which is both cheap to purchase at the same time as it have low test strips cost.
 
Hi there! I'm just here to send you and Smokey some encouragement. We also have not started insulin yet. I found that my vets were arguing over the type of meter I am using, and also were having some issues about dosing, so I went ahead and ordered the AlphaTrek2 (I think that's the name) and will use that to start. I'm waiting for that to be delivered. Likely Tuesday, which probably means we are starting insulin Wednesday. In the meantime, I'm feeding FF pates with lots of added water, and testing for ketones once per day with Ketostix to be safe.
I also have the Freestyle Lite meter, and both that and the AlphaTrak 2 only take the smallest amount of blood, which is 0.3 I think.
I know how overwhelming this is. It's just so stressful. But I want to send you and Smokey all the best. Hopefully before you know it, we'll be giving shots and testing like pros, and our fur babies will be on the path to better health! <3
 
We use the relion prime meter; doesn't cost much, and the strips (which are really the main cost of testing) are very inexpensive. All the best to you; of course you'll be testing like champs very soon indeed. M'row used to fuss at testing, BTW, but he gave that up right away: cuddles and treats right after did the trick!
 
Thank you. I'm really having a rough time. Seems Smokey wants to eat at 2 AM now after eating at 8PM. So thought it was a fluke. But here I am up at 4 because he vomited up a little ( it did have a little hair in it). My stomach is just churning. I'm going to pick up a meter today and some more ketone strips. . I also ordered Alpha Trek 2 and same as you should be here tomorrow. You are already so far ahead of me! You are doing a great job!
 
I free feed M'row, so there's usually some food in the bowl. Sometimes he pukes; spring& fall, maybe cos of seasonal shedding .Otherwise, sometimes he gets all excited and bolts his food, then pukes. However, free feeding doesn't work well for obese kitties. I was sooooo stressed for the first two months after M'row's diagnosis it was awful. Then one day I realized we'd made it that far, he was gaining weight, acting friskier, and so forth. One day at a time, and don't forget your best is good enough and there are so many of us here to help you.
 
Hang in there, Tbarry. It's a lot to deal with. I appreciate the kind words, but I feel a mess too. It's so much to take in, isn't it? Make sure to take some time to do something for you, because sitting here and worrying, I realize isn't changing anything. It's just making me crazy. How has Smokey been today so far? We will get the hang of this and soon be on the right path. We just have to keep moving forward and doing the best we can, with what information and resources we have.
 
Tbarry said:
Thank you. I'm really having a rough time. Seems Smokey wants to eat at 2 AM now after eating at 8PM. So thought it was a fluke. But here I am up at 4 because he vomited up a little ( it did have a little hair in it). My stomach is just churning. I'm going to pick up a meter today and some more ketone strips. . I also ordered Alpha Trek 2 and same as you should be here tomorrow. You are already so far ahead of me! You are doing a great job!
Click to expand...

What color was the vomit? Was it clear or yellowish? It could be that going from 8pm to whenever you feed him in the morning is too long and might be causing him to throw up stomach bile. I feed my cat at around 10pm when I go to bed and she gets breakfast at 6:30am. For a solid week she threw up stomach bile between 3 and 5am, and after I started giving her a small snack at 3:30am the vomiting pretty much completely stopped
 
Sarah&Soph said:
What color was the vomit? Was it clear or yellowish? It could be that going from 8pm to whenever you feed him in the morning is too long and might be causing him to throw up stomach bile. I feed my cat at around 10pm when I go to bed and she gets breakfast at 6:30am. For a solid week she threw up stomach bile between 3 and 5am, and after I started giving her a small snack at 3:30am the vomiting pretty much completely stopped
Click to expand...
It was very little, brown with a little hair it. Some of the conflict with myself is he needs to get his weight down. Have changed his diet to FF and friskies pate, so he is getting a lot less carbs. just got some ketone sticks. Watching for him to use litter. Discontinued his Royal Canin Urinary SO. Praying he doesn't get blocked.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top