New Here - Update on Kitty

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Julie and Kitty

Julie and Kitty

Member Since 2020
My girl Kitty (in profile pic), who is 14, suddenly became ill at the beginning of December.

I noticed she was urinating and drinking more than usual, and occasionally straining to urinate. I took her for a check up and my vet thought she was fine, as I'd brought her in only a month prior for a check up and she was healthy. He did a urine analysis which showed blood in the urine. I was sent home with nothing and told to wait for results. She quickly deteriorated over the next few days and I could tell something was very wrong when she fell trying to get off the couch, so took her to the Emergency Animal hospital near me. At first the vet accused us of poisoning her or giving her marijuana as she was panting and her heart was racing.

I was adamant that she wasn't poisoned, there had been blood in the urine and I suspected an infection, so they gave her a shot of antibiotic and told to come back if no improvement. Over the next 24 hours she deteriorated further and was clearly in pain, so hauled her back in and the vet realized she was extremely dehydrated and when he palpatated her abdomen she cried out in pain. She was hospitalized for 3 days and long story short, they found she had severe pancreatitis. We had to get an esophaegal feeding tube inserted and have been giving her meds (pain killers, anti-nausea, anacid and antibiotic) and food (recovery liquid) through it since (about 1 month now).

She started getting better over the next week or so and eating a bit on her own, and then actually started deteriorating again so we brought her back to the vet in and ran blood tests and urinalysis again and it showed she was a bit aenemic and diabetic (blood glucose over 30 mmol and glucose in urine, no keytones). We also did a fructosamine test which was 420.

We saw a different vet that time and found someone reasonable who seems to know what they're talking about.

So we started her on 1 u of Lantus 2x daily, on December 28th, and have been since going through this forum and learning about feline diabetes. She is definitely getting better since starting insulin, jumping on the bed and couch (with difficulty but she wasn't at all before). I've purchased the Countour Next glucometer and am learning how to check her blood glucose, using her back paw pad as I've had no luck with the ear.

She eats dry food exclusively (i/d digestive care) so I'm trying to get her eating some lower carb dry for now (i picked up Go FIT + FREE Chicken, Turkey, and Duck), and will try getting her over to wet food but she's never liked it so I'm not sure it's going to be an option for us.

Anyway sorry for this huge wall of text but I guess I'm just looking for advice / guidance and/or affirmation that what I'm doing is the right thing or if any of you experts have experience with this. It has all been extremely overwhelming but I feel like she's actually getting better so I want it to continue trending that direction. I just want to do what's best for Kitty to get her well and have already spent 1000's trying to do so.

Also we have another vet visit on Saturday so I'm trying to get as many glucose readings as I can so we can bring that info in, so the spreadsheet has been really helpful, I wasn't able to link it in my signature as it was telling me it was spam, so I've linked it here. Also i accidentally deleted the U.S. page so I'll have to re-create it another day, so sorry about that. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Buep2Sc48uWMDH916tdedB99smdHKDnJLLVOsGB4teY/edit?usp=sharing
 
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Hi and welcome Julie. I too am from BC. Good for you on getting testing, the spreadsheet going, and thinking about switching food. I can see your spreadsheet now.

For hard core kibble addicts, there are a couple low carb options for us. One is freeze dried raw, the other is the Ziwipeak air dried food. Can you tell me why Kitty was on digestive care food?

And Grrr on that animal emergency hospital. Definitely one to avoid!
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Hi and welcome Julie. I too am from BC. Good for you on getting testing, the spreadsheet going, and thinking about switching food. I can see your spreadsheet now.

For hard core kibble addicts, there are a couple low carb options for us. One is freeze dried raw, the other is the Ziwipeak air dried food. Can you tell me why Kitty was on digestive care food?

And Grrr on that animal emergency hospital. Definitely one to avoid!
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Hi Wendy, thanks for the welcome! My vet recommended that food when I took her in a few years ago when she had some problems with diarrhea. She's been otherwise a pretty healthy cat up until now. I had her eating dry kibble for a long time now as that was also recommended by the vet for her teeth to remove plaque... and just being young and dumb and not knowing how to care for a cat properly. I've had Kitty for 13 years and got her when I was only 19 so I realize I was pretty stupid then!
 
Also wanted to add I got some strips to test her urine for keytones and it checks for a bunch of other things including blood (just got it today so haven't used them yet). She's been off the antibiotics for a couple of days now and that was round 2 of antibiotics so I'm worried the infection might return. The last urine analysis showed no bacteria but she was on antibiotics when they took the sample, so we will do another sample on Saturday to check that.
 
Julie and Kitty said:
as that was also recommended by the vet for her teeth to remove plaque...
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I see, old fashioned vet. :rolleyes: Not your fault. Even the Petsmart literature no longer supports dry food as a way to clean teeth.

When you do change foods, in case she still has some GI sensitivities, make sure you do the change slowly. You might also want to add a bit of probiotic to her diet.

Typically a urine culture is a good idea when there is a infection. You culture to find out what type of bacteria is present, so you can give the right antibiotic that will target that type of bacteria. Sounds like you got ketodiastix instead of plain old ketostix. That's fine, might be good to have if she gets UTI's often.
 
they found she had severe pancreatitis.
Did they do an f pli test? Before the invention of that test, many vets used pancreatitis kind of like a catch all when they couldn't figure out what was wrong.
If your cat does have pancreatitis then you certainly have to change foods to a grain free or raw diet. I suggest you check out Dr Lisa's site and learn about feline nutrition as that is what is causing all of these problems.
Wishing you the very best.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I see, old fashioned vet. :rolleyes: Not your fault. Even the Petsmart literature no longer supports dry food as a way to clean teeth.

When you do change foods, in case she still has some GI sensitivities, make sure you do the change slowly. You might also want to add a bit of probiotic to her diet.

Typically a urine culture is a good idea when there is a infection. You culture to find out what type of bacteria is present, so you can give the right antibiotic that will target that type of bacteria. Sounds like you got ketodiastix instead of plain old ketostix. That's fine, might be good to have if she gets UTI's often.
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Thank you, we are giving digestive enzymes at the moment mixed with the liquid food we are still using to supplement her feedings through the esophageal tube, which is supposed to help with her digestion since the pancreas is still inflamed. She's also on pain killers for that. She's had several urine cultures since this all started, I got the strips so I could catch an infection early and get antibiotics started so I don't have to wait 4-5 business days for the results :rolleyes:, and also to check for keytones and blood in the urine. The ones I got on Amazon are called Areta. She's never had UTI's in the past but since her blood glucose is so high I was reading it can trigger infection.
 
Ken and Sneakers said:
they found she had severe pancreatitis.
Did they do an f pli test? Before the invention of that test, many vets used pancreatitis kind of like a catch all when they couldn't figure out what was wrong.
If your cat does have pancreatitis then you certainly have to change foods to a grain free or raw diet. I suggest you check out Dr Lisa's site and learn about feline nutrition as that is what is causing all of these problems.
Wishing you the very best.
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Thank you so much, yes the vet did a specific pancreatitis test, I can't remember what it was called but it was confirmed that way, and also via Ultrasound which showed it was very inflamed.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Hi and welcome Julie. I too am from BC. Good for you on getting testing, the spreadsheet going, and thinking about switching food. I can see your spreadsheet now.

For hard core kibble addicts, there are a couple low carb options for us. One is freeze dried raw, the other is the Ziwipeak air dried food. Can you tell me why Kitty was on digestive care food?

And Grrr on that animal emergency hospital. Definitely one to avoid!
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Is it the Freeze Dried Raw by Stella & Chewys? The problem for us right now is getting her to eat enough food on her own so we can get the tube removed, so I'm afraid of switching her and then she doesn't want to eat again due to the pancreatitis
 
I'm guessing you may have deleted a page from your spreadsheet -- the page that converts the numbers from mmol/L to mg/dL or simply put, the numbers from Canadian/International to uS.

@Marje and Gracie -- can you help with the SS?

You may find this primer on pancreatitis helpful. In all likelihood, the test was either a Spec or Snap fPL. The former is sent out to a lab and the latter is done in the vet's office. (It looks like a pregnancy test in that you get either a + or - result.)

Stella & Chewy does have a freeze dried raw line of food. The ZiwiPeak looks like jerky treats. My cats love the stuff (but they will eat anything).
 
Deb & Wink said:
Won't let me look at your ss, (wants me to log into your google account), so I don't think you did the permissions right. Tagging @Chris & China (GA) and @Marje and Gracie who help people with Spreadsheet set up issues.
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If you are in British Columbia, doesn’t your meter read in mmol/L like the rest of Canada? If so, your World sheet is missing, (which is going to cause issues with the US SS you have as the formatting there is dependent on the World sheet) and would have allowed you to enter the mmol/L numbers on the World sheet which then auto convert to the US sheet. If you are using a meter that reads in mg/dL, you have the wrong SS.

Your SS link goes in the signature block where it is always there so you don’t ache to post it each time.

if you will send me a private message, I can fix all of this for you. Just click on “Marje and Gracie” to the left and “start a conversation”. Thank you!
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
I'm guessing you may have deleted a page from your spreadsheet -- the page that converts the numbers from mmol/L to mg/dL or simply put, the numbers from Canadian/International to uS.

@Marje and Gracie -- can you help with the SS?

You may find this primer on pancreatitis helpful. In all likelihood, the test was either a Spec or Snap fPL. The former is sent out to a lab and the latter is done in the vet's office. (It looks like a pregnancy test in that you get either a + or - result.)

Stella & Chewy does have a freeze dried raw line of food. The ZiwiPeak looks like jerky treats. My cats love the stuff (but they will eat anything).
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Thank you, yeah I realized I screwed up the spreadsheet and was going to re-do it tomorrow. I believe the vet conducted both pancreatitis tests, the in-vet test showed Yes for Pancreatitis and the one they sent out showed a level of 30 which the vet said was extremely high. I have seen that Stella & Chewys at my local pet store so I will give it a try to see if she eats it, Kitty is very picky unfortunately. I have seen that pancreatitis article and will read through it again as I've been digesting a lot of info over the past few weeks!
 
Marje and Gracie said:
If you are in British Columbia, doesn’t your meter read in mmol/L like the rest of Canada? If so, your World sheet is missing, (which is going to cause issues with the US SS you have as the formatting there is dependent on the World sheet) and would have allowed you to enter the mmol/L numbers on the World sheet which then auto convert to the US sheet. If you are using a meter that reads in mg/dL, you have the wrong SS.

Your SS link goes in the signature block where it is always there so you don’t ache to post it each time.

if you will send me a private message, I can fix all of this for you. Just click on “Marje and Gracie” to the left and “start a conversation”. Thank you!
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Pm'ed, thanks, yes my meter reads mmol.
 
Julie and Kitty said:
s it the Freeze Dried Raw by Stella & Chewys?
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Primal also makes some.

If you read the primer on pancreatitis, you will see that anti nausea meds like Cerenia or ondansetron (Zofran) should also be given. Tip, ondansetron is outrageously expensive here, make sure you get the generic if you get it.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Primal also makes some.

If you read the primer on pancreatitis, you will see that anti nausea meds like Cerenia or ondansetron (Zofran) should also be given. Tip, ondansetron is outrageously expensive here, make sure you get the generic if you get it.
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Thank you, yup we are giving her Cerenia once per day at the moment. Also Gabapentin for pain but was giving buprenorphine before. It's expensive and really sedative so they recommended the Gabapentin but I can't tell if it's working or not, she doesn't really seem to be in pain so it must be, but hard to tell obviously.
 
It seems that what pain medicine works for each cat is ECID, each cat is different. Gabapentin just made my girl sleepy, bupe was what she needed. I got Buprenorphine compounded into a vial of chicken flavoured liquid, so much cheaper and tastier. Your vet needs to use a special prescription book as it is a controlled substance. It is dosed in quite a range based on weight of cat, so you might have to back off the dose. Easier to do when you have a vial of your own.
 
Wow! A lot going on with your Kitty right now. We can tell how much you love her, with all the care you are giving her.

Nothing to add here, except when Marje and Gracie get your spreadsheet (SS) fixed, some comments in the Remarks column showing the meds she is on would be good to see on the SS. Also, if you put info in one of the rows in the SS to show that Kitty has a feeding tube right now to feed her. ("Feeding tubes save lives!" yeah for feeding tubes) Then when the feeding tube is removed, put a new row when that is done and note the date. Those would be helpful to us to see. Yes, we really do go look at your SS before commenting. It's like having your vet take a quick look at your cat's chart.

We don't want you to have to enter the data twice, so wait to put in those Remarks.

Let us know what else might help you. Don't want to overwhelm you with info.
 
Deb & Wink said:
Wow! A lot going on with your Kitty right now. We can tell how much you love her, with all the care you are giving her.

Nothing to add here, except when Marje and Gracie get your spreadsheet (SS) fixed, some comments in the Remarks column showing the meds she is on would be good to see on the SS. Also, if you put info in one of the rows in the SS to show that Kitty has a feeding tube right now to feed her. ("Feeding tubes save lives!" yeah for feeding tubes) Then when the feeding tube is removed, put a new row when that is done and note the date. Those would be helpful to us to see. Yes, we really do go look at your SS before commenting. It's like having your vet take a quick look at your cat's chart.

We don't want you to have to enter the data twice, so wait to put in those Remarks.

Let us know what else might help you. Don't want to overwhelm you with info.
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Thank you, I've added that additional information on my spreadsheet.

I do really care for Kitty and hope I can get her better so I can spend a few more years with her, I feel like 14 isn't too old for a cat.
This has all been extremely difficult, and my Dad actually just had a triple bypass surgery at the same time Kitty was at the vet for the 3 nights and I thought she might die, so I've been a wreck for about a month.
I am feeling like everything is my fault and I should have done a better job of taking care of her, feeding her better food etc. instead of just listening to the vet.

My hope is if I can switch her to a better diet and get the pancreatitis under control that eventually she can get off the insulin and back to a somewhat normal healthy Kitty, but only time will tell. I'm really concerned about the high glucose readings I've been getting, over 30 mmol especially. But otherwise she seems OK, purring and wanting cuddles, using her box as normal (except for the big pees), but some days she seems more lethargic than others which may be the pancreatitis flaring up.

I can tell the feeding tube is bothering her neck since she's scratching at it a lot, I've had the bandages changed multiple times and will again on Saturday. Hopefully we can get it out soon but it's easier with all the meds and stuff to keep it for now. Also I'm going away for work next week so my boyfriend will have to care for her alone and he also finds it easier with the tube.

I'm totally ok with being overwhelmed with info, I've been trying to read everything available. Thanks for all your help and suggestions, the support here is really great!
 
Please be kind to yourself at this difficult time. The past is in the past and you can not change it. You need to move forward from where you are now.

Worrying about your dad at the same time as Kitty's diagnosis must have been stressful in the extreme, plus the holidays, plus work, plus so many other responsibilities and every day stuff like doing the laundry, grocery shopping, cooking. We learn how to re-prioritize life to what is most important for right now. This day, this week, this month. And that can change rapidly.

We learn to cope with life's difficult moments in so many different ways. Hope you did plenty of stress relieving activities like going for a walk, deep breathing exercises, yoga, mediation, had an extra cup of hot cocoa or a decadent desert, watched the sunrise or whatever you do that helps you to relax for a bit. We need to remember to take care of ourselves so we can take care of others.

Many cats here have lived for years after a diabetes diagnosis. I hope that is a little bit reassuring for you. Some cats needing insulin always, some cats being diet controlled. Once diabetic, always diabetic. Wink lived for 4 and a half years after the diabetes diagnosis. Severe end stage heart disease took him in the end at 16.5 years old.

If you want to read more, check out the Health Links/FAQS forum under Feline Health & FAQS. There is a Sticky index at the top that will point you to so, so many documents. If you are interested in some of the current vet journal articles on Feline Diabetes, let me know and I'll add links to 2 good ones. There is too much information here to take it all in at once. Take it slowly and re-read as needed.
 
Deb & Wink said:
Please be kind to yourself at this difficult time. The past is in the past and you can not change it. You need to move forward from where you are now.

Worrying about your dad at the same time as Kitty's diagnosis must have been stressful in the extreme, plus the holidays, plus work, plus so many other responsibilities and every day stuff like doing the laundry, grocery shopping, cooking. We learn how to re-prioritize life to what is most important for right now. This day, this week, this month. And that can change rapidly.

We learn to cope with life's difficult moments in so many different ways. Hope you did plenty of stress relieving activities like going for a walk, deep breathing exercises, yoga, mediation, had an extra cup of hot cocoa or a decadent desert, watched the sunrise or whatever you do that helps you to relax for a bit. We need to remember to take care of ourselves so we can take care of others.

Many cats here have lived for years after a diabetes diagnosis. I hope that is a little bit reassuring for you. Some cats needing insulin always, some cats being diet controlled. Once diabetic, always diabetic. Wink lived for 4 and a half years after the diabetes diagnosis. Severe end stage heart disease took him in the end at 16.5 years old.

If you want to read more, check out the Health Links/FAQS forum under Feline Health & FAQS. There is a Sticky index at the top that will point you to so, so many documents. If you are interested in some of the current vet journal articles on Feline Diabetes, let me know and I'll add links to 2 good ones. There is too much information here to take it all in at once. Take it slowly and re-read as needed.
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Thank you, yeah it was a very stressful time and luckily my Dad seems to be recovering well so I don't have to worry about that so much anymore for the time being. I have been trying to make some time for myself and remember to relax when I can.

It's good to know she can still live a long life with this disease. Sorry to hear about your kitty though.

My plan of action going forward I guess is to:
1. Keep her pain free, fed and medicated to help with the pancreatitis.
2. Get her eating more food on her own so we can get the tube removed soon.
3. Get her blood glucose under control with insulin and
4. Switch her food over to lower carb dry and then low carb/wet options if possible.

Any suggestions or revisions to my plan?
 
Julie and Kitty said:
My plan of action going forward I guess is to:
1. Keep her pain free, fed and medicated to help with the pancreatitis.
2. Get her eating more food on her own so we can get the tube removed soon.
3. Get her blood glucose under control with insulin and
4. Switch her food over to lower carb dry and then low carb/wet options if possible.

Any suggestions or revisions to my plan?
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Sounds like a good plan to me. Although switching to a lower carb wet food might help bring the blood glucose under better control, there are no guarantees when that would happen. Plus, you have to help the pancreatitis first and get the feeding tube removed. I think that with everything that is going on right now with Kitty, I agree that you need to leave the change to wet food til later.

Since you said Kitty is a dry food addict (remember that well), you may find this article on Transitioning Dry Food Addicts to Wet Food helpful. I think I used every tip and trick in there to get Wink off the dry food. Took time and patience and 1 step back 1 and a half steps forward sometimes. I had a smorgabord out for him every morning and evening. Free feeding was not going to work with him, needed to let his natural hunger kick in a bit to get him to realize that wet food was actually something he liked and it could be yummy.

I don't know of any low carb dry foods available in Canada. Wendy&Neko have already given you some suggestions so you might try those.

p.s. I just hug Wink differently these days - with my heart. It's because of him that I am here, helping other people. Paying it forward so to speak. I learned a lot here and if I can help 1 other cat with what I know, it's worth it. When you see that GA in someone's user name or in the SS after a cats name, it means guardian angel or gone ahead and it's one way we honor our pets that have pre-deceased us.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Unfortunately, they do not exist.
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What I meant was some of the freeze dried raw foods that were mentioned by other posters previously in this thread. Stella and Chewy's, Primal, Ziwipeak where the 3 I saw mentioned. Not dry cat foods, but the freeze dried raw foods have the texture of dry food and can appeal to a cat that only likes or is only used to eating dry food.

Sorry for the misunderstanding and confusion.
 
Deb & Wink said:
What I meant was some of the freeze dried raw foods that were mentioned by other posters previously in this thread. Stella and Chewy's, Primal, Ziwipeak where the 3 I saw mentioned. Not dry cat foods, but the freeze dried raw foods have the texture of dry food and can appeal to a cat that only likes or is only used to eating dry food.

Sorry for the misunderstanding and confusion.
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Thanks, I found a local store that carrys both the ziwipeak and Stella's so I'm going to go get some samples! I also picked up some freeze dried chicken treats called pure bites which she has been eating so maybe she will actually eat the freeze dried food.

Also today I'm attempting to do her curve so we can show it to the vet tomorrow!

Unfortunately my glucometer seems to max out at 33.3 so it gives me a reading saying above 33.3 please re-test. So I've no idea how high she's really going.

Otherwise she seems to be doing ok today other than just finding the tube collar annoying on her neck.
 
Just put HI in your SS when you get a reading that is too much for your meter to measure. High is high, and does it really matter if it's above 600 mg/dl (>33.3) ? Besides knowing you need to bring those BG levels down, I don't know of any short term issues with really high BG. Vet might though.

Yeah for success on finding the Ziwipeak and Stella & Chewy's freeze dried foods.

Pure Bites are good treats for cats. Be careful, too many at once can cause constipation. Same with the freeze dried foods.
 
Deb & Wink said:
Just put HI in your SS when you get a reading that is too much for your meter to measure. High is high, and does it really matter if it's above 600 mg/dl (>33.3) ? Besides knowing you need to bring those BG levels down, I don't know of any short term issues with really high BG. Vet might though.

Yeah for success on finding the Ziwipeak and Stella & Chewy's freeze dried foods.

Pure Bites are good treats for cats. Be careful, too many at once can cause constipation. Same with the freeze dried foods.
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Thanks, I'll keep that in mind! The vet did give us some laxative but I think it was too strong, made her poop a lot. So I'd rather not give it to her again!

Do people usually give the freeze dried food as a supplement to wet then? Not as a whole diet?
 
Julie and Kitty said:
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind! The vet did give us some laxative but I think it was too strong, made her poop a lot. So I'd rather not give it to her again!
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Plain canned pumpkin can sometimes help with constipation. I think 1 teaspoon to start and see if it helps. Pumpkin can both help with constipation and diarrhea, as it is adding more fiber to the food. My vet had me start with 1/8 teaspoon of Miralax and work up from there if needed. Miralax is drawing water from the intestinal tract to add more water to the stool.

Julie and Kitty said:
Do people usually give the freeze dried food as a supplement to wet then? Not as a whole diet?
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@Hillary & Maui (GA) was using the freeze dried food as the main diet. Not sure if she will see the tag, since she was last on the message board back in October 2019. Hoping she can help you with that question. She no longer has a diabetic cat so may not see this. I'll try to get her attention over in the facebook group (I'm really bad at navigating around over there) so hope this works.
 
Hi

I don't have a diabetic, but I feed all mine as if they are.

I use the following:

purebites chicken ( which is freeze dried) that is a great

stella and chewy freeze dried dinners - I tell the cats it's kibble and they love it. I serve it dry, but it is intended to be water added. Can be used for meals, food toppers and treats.

There is also Primal and Nature's variety.

All are diabetic friendly.
 
Thanks @Hillary & Maui (GA) and @Deb & Wink for the food tips! I picked up some Stella & Chewy's freeze dried raw and will see if she eats it. Kitty seems to be feeling a lot better today, roaming around and climbing things, almost like her old self again!

I completed her first curve yesterday and we had a vet visit this morning for more testing. The vet suggested increasing her insulin to 1.5 u from 1.
 
It's good you are working so closely with your vet. Team effort there and very necessary with all that is going on with Kitty.

Did the vet say anything else at your vet visit this morning?

P.s. I see a couple of cells on your SS that say #VALUE, but only on the US version. I see that the World version of the SS has those listed as HI. Not sure if anyone can fix that. It's the coding behind auto-populating the US version that has an issue. Maybe put a post in the Suggestions, Tech Support & Testing Area to see if someone can fix that. We'll look at the World version for now. No worries.
 
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Typically with dry food in the picture, and you having spotted that yellow (256) yesterday - great catch by the way - we would only increase by 0.25 units to 1.25 units. If you have half unit syringes, you would eyeball the difference between 1 and 1.5 units.

What does Kitty think about the freeze dried raw?
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Typically with dry food in the picture, and you having spotted that yellow (256) yesterday - great catch by the way - we would only increase by 0.25 units to 1.25 units. If you have half unit syringes, you would eyeball the difference between 1 and 1.5 units.

What does Kitty think about the freeze dried raw?
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Hi, thanks for the responses, I'm traveling today for work and have left Kitty with my boyfriend who is capable of giving her insulin and checking her glucose levels.

We got some test results back today, fructosamine at 520 and glucose 39.
Some more results will come tomorrow. The previous fructosamine test was 420 two weeks ago.

I wasn't able to source the correct food yet I realized I bought the freeze dry raw coated kibble by accident. Which is still carb heavy but lower than her current food.

But I've found the freeze dried raw morsels on amazon so I'll be placing an order tomorrow most likely, but in the meantime were still just trying to get her to eat more on her own, shes definitely feeling and acting better and eating a little more than before.

The vet recommended increasing to 1.5 but I'm with you on being conservative so I advised SO to increase by .25 only and see how it goes for the week until I get home and will do another curve on the weekend.
 
I found the freeze dried S&C food at Bosleys/Pet Valu, should you have one near you.

It's great you have a backup caregiver in the house!
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I found the freeze dried S&C food at Bosleys/Pet Valu, should you have one near you.

It's great you have a backup caregiver in the house!
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Good to know, thanks! And yes she still has the feeding tube, still giving meds and supplementing her food intake at the moment. It's also easier for boyfriend to do it by himself with the tube! Hopefully we can have it removed soon though!
 
We're a little concerned and confused as to why the fructosamine is higher now than it was before we started insulin though. 420 two weeks ago and now 520
 
Same thing happened when I started. My vet said it was not unusual to have the fructosamine go up at first.
 
Put the results of the lab work in the Labs tab. You can look at Neko’s SS as an example. You want name of test, reference values, and results by date. You have to change the lab reference values to whatever your lab uses. Neko started with Idexx but switched to Northwest later on, so I have two columns of reference values. The default reference values on the Labs tab are US measurements, so you will have to change most of them. I find the Labs tab good for trends, even have them set up for the non diabetic cats.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Put the results of the lab work in the Labs tab. You can look at Neko’s SS as an example. You want name of test, reference values, and results by date. You have to change the lab reference values to whatever your lab uses. Neko started with Idexx but switched to Northwest later on, so I have two columns of reference values. The default reference values on the Labs tab are US measurements, so you will have to change most of them. I find the Labs tab good for trends, even have them set up for the non diabetic cats.
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Thanks for the explanation, I will start recording those soon.
 
We typically have the reference range column in the second to the left beside the names of the tests, but otherwise looks like you've gone a great job entering the data.

Huge improvement on the Spec fPL. Is she feeling better now?
 
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