Well, that was a terribly vague and unhelpful and non-responsive answer. Sounds like he has no idea what meter was used to take tests for Georgies's curve. And yet, he refused for the second time to use your glucometer for the curve. Sounds like something "fishy" is going on there.
Caninsulin only lasts 8-10 hours in a cat. If you only give the insulin once a day, then Georgie will be without insulin for 2/3rds of the day. Not a good idea. Insulin needs to be given 2 times a day, roughly 12 hours apart.
It's not you, it's him. I don't think your glucometer is malfunctioning, I think your vet is malfunctioning.
Vets that have heard of our group. Wish there were more of them. How generous of the head vet to "allow" you to do your own curves at home. Where they will be more accurate anyway, since Georgie will be relaxed and in his familiar surroundings of home.
Well, those 2 different opinions from 2 different vets is not very helpful for you.
Please don't drive and text. Your answer can wait until you are safely home. I was waiting for your reply before sending this post.
Ok Nancy. I see that you have updated the SS. Thank you for doing that.
Forgot that you worked night shift, even though it's right there in your signature.
Agree, he definitely needs insulin. I'd still give him the 2 U of Caninsulin you are using now.
Well, those 2 different opinions from 2 different vets is not very helpful for you.
Did the vet clinic vets at least suggest a dose?
I see you have a question mark after the 2 unit dose last night 3/4/2020, for PMPS. Was that because you thought you did not get all the insulin into Georgie? Did you do what we call a "fur shot", where some or all of the insulin gets into the fur and not inside your cat?
By the way, never give more insulin if you think that is the case. Because you can never tell how much insulin did get in, and you do not want to over dose your cat.
The Ascencia Contour line of meters are good ones. (Bayer changed name and is now Ascencia Diabetes. You'll still see the old Bayer name in places.) Your Contour Next One meter is a good one for testing a cat's blood glucose at home. It gets good reviews and ratings from most of the websites I checked this morning. The second chance sampling feature is a very useful one, if the blood drop is not big enough on your first try, you can add more blood within 60 seconds to the same strip.
I'd trust it to give you enough information to gauge Georgie's BG levels at pre-shot and to do other mid-cycle testing and to do a curve at home.
A question mark after the dose in the U column is perfect! You should also make a comment in the Remarks column that says something like "Fur shot?"
Or have a friend that can ship them to you. Some members close to the border even got a post office box in the US and had shipments sent there. Drove over once a month or so.
So what is Georgie's ideal weight? Too skinny now? Too fat? Just right?
Should have checked the Amazon Canada website for you. Sorry. Yes, test strip prices in Canada are much higher, even on the Amazon.ca website. Too bad you don't live close enough to the border to shop in the US for test strips.
Ebay? but check the expiration dates?
Food labels in the US don't show carb content either. But a wonderful vet has put together a chart, link is here for you >>>>Food Chart that lists the carb content of many foods. The list is a bit outdated, 2017 but it's the best we have right now. I know all these foods may not be available in Canada, or may have slightly different names. So ask if in doubt. You want to look in the 3rd column for appropriate lower carb options.
There is an ever older list that has a very limited list of cat foods in Canada. Food Chart
Really old, hasn't been updated since 2015. It was also compiled by someone that did not like particular ingredients in the food such as artificial colors or carrageenen.
Only canned/wet/pouched foods are listed as well as the foods sold only at vets, "veterinary prescribed". Newer foods are not on the list. Cat food manufacturers come out with new products all the time, to tempt cat owners to buy them. Not necessarily better. Simply marketing to consumers. So are those "veterinary prescribed" foods, and you'll see when you look at the food chart, how high in carbs many of those foods are.
You want to look for foods that are lower in carbs. Here, <= to 10% is recommended. (2018) AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. AAHA diabetes guidelines say <= 12 %. Some cats actually do better on a bit higher carbs than the absolutely lowest carb foods available. ECID Every Cat is Different.
How much to feed. In general, 6.8 to 9 calories per kilo (15 to 20 calories per pound) of ideal weight. Hopefully I did the conversion to kilos correctly.
Weighing your cat once a week or so, holding him in your arms and stepping on a scale with him is close enough to judge. Weigh the both of you, note the weight, let Georgie down, note your weight, subtract first number from the second number to get a rough idea of Georgie's weight.
p.s. As you can see, I like to be thorough. Succinct I am not.
Oh good lord no! Bedtime for me is 8:30 EST. Brain starts to get tired by 6:30 pm or so, and fuzzy thinking can set in.
Anything you get from me is NOT medical advice, it's a generalization mostly meant to give you hope. It's not that I don't care but we've all learned from our own practical experience and most of all no two cats are EVER the same. You're not killing him and what the medical community says comes from a few hours of vet college. Diabetes is uncommon and not well taught. Dinner is waiting, Deb will stay up with you ALL night, it's what she does.
Boil some chicken thighs in water. The darker chicken meat has more flavor. Cut cooked chicken into smaller pieces. Or any other type of meat/fish. Pork, beef, fish, sushi if your cat likes raw, fresh shrimp, bits of cheese, bits of egg.
Absolutely. We are lay people that have lots of practical experience with managing feline diabetes for our own cats. We'll never know "everything", since that is simply impossible.
Within reason.
Yes.
Speak for yourself Earth Woman.
