New Diagnosis - starting Caninsulin

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Zephre

Zephre

Member
Hi everyone,

Wow, thank you for such a fantastic forum. I've spent two full days digesting this, crying, getting on it with, ordering supplies.

Background
I am based in London, UK
My vet gave me Caninsulin, told me to inject 1ml x 2 per days after only two meals p/d.
We made a 2nd appointment in 4 weeks to check on him.

Now
After reading this forum, oh wow, do they just give the basics! I have bought:
Alphatrack kit
He is eating Meowing heads pouches twice a day (within the low carb range, ok for now)
I have stopped all biscuits

Help
I have read you advise to monitor his glucose ... as my vet has told me nothing, I am working with this forum only.

1/ is there a link that shows a chart of how to monitor & how to interpret glucose pls?
2/ i read i need to take a blood sample even 2 hours, for 12 hours:
- Question: is this testing in 12 hours to establish a curve, then from this info you can somehow work out how much insulin he needs?
3/ my vet prescribed Caninsulin ... I will ask for ProZinc next week
4/ will the vet be able to tell me how much insulin to give him using my chart? or can I work it out myself somehow? (again is there a chart or link you have pls)
5/ Also I have bought keynote test strips on amazon uk (as ketostix arrive too late) (Seba Nutrition - Keto Urine Test Strips - is any brand Okay?
6/ how do you interpret this info, again is there a chart? and what do you do?

Sorry to ask obvious questions, I searched around and couldn't find the links.

Much much love to you caring angels and cat lovers

Emma
 
Zephre said:
Hi everyone,

Wow, thank you for such a fantastic forum. I've spent two full days digesting this, crying, getting on it with, ordering supplies.

Background
I am based in London, UK
My vet gave me Caninsulin, told me to inject 1ml x 2 per days after only two meals p/d.
We made a 2nd appointment in 4 weeks to check on him.

Now
After reading this forum, oh wow, do they just give the basics! I have bought:
Alphatrack kit
He is eating Meowing heads pouches twice a day (within the low carb range, ok for now)
I have stopped all biscuits

Help
I have read you advise to monitor his glucose ... as my vet has told me nothing, I am working with this forum only.

1/ is there a link that shows a chart of how to monitor & how to interpret glucose pls?
2/ i read i need to take a blood sample even 2 hours, for 12 hours:
- Question: is this testing in 12 hours to establish a curve, then from this info you can somehow work out how much insulin he needs?
3/ my vet prescribed Caninsulin ... I will ask for ProZinc next week
4/ will the vet be able to tell me how much insulin to give him using my chart? or can I work it out myself somehow? (again is there a chart or link you have pls)
5/ Also I have bought keynote test strips on amazon uk (as ketostix arrive too late) (Seba Nutrition - Keto Urine Test Strips - is any brand Okay?
6/ how do you interpret this info, again is there a chart? and what do you do?

Sorry to ask obvious questions, I searched around and couldn't find the links.

Much much love to you caring angels and cat lovers

Emma
Click to expand...

Hi Emma and welcome!

you know, I wanted the same thing when i started testing because I’m all about data and instructions. We have guidelines and the importance of testing is to gather the data so you know how your cat reacts and how to dose him. Every cat is different and that’s why there are guidelines but nothing is 100% set in stone. It also depends on the insulin you’re using. I’m happy to hear you’re going to ask for something else because caninsulin is made for canines hence the name and really not the best option for cats. So the links I can give you depend on the insulin. There are also forums for each. There’s a prozync forum and a Lantus forum. Let me link you with the prozync one since that’s what you’re thinking of going with and I’m also tagging @Deb & Wink who has experience with prozync

also, please start here as it gives you instructions on the basics like setting up your signature and ss and so forth:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/

as far as the curve, you only have to do it about once a week or so and you can share the info with your vet and us here. To be honest, I trust and follow what this group says. Most vets want to increase/decrease dose too fast by full units and we recommend .25 only so you don’t miss the ideal dose by moving too fast. We will help you with dosage until you know enough to be able to interpret the numbers yourself. The important thing with testing daily is the pre shot tests in the am and pm before giving the insulin so you know if it’s safe to shoot. Then you should also try to test mid cycle like at +5,+6,+7 to start to get a feel for when your cat’s nadir (lowest point in the cycle) happens. Deb will suggest other times because I think prozync works faster and may have an earlier nadir. And in the evening, we also recommend doing a +2 test after the shot so you can have an idea of where the BG levels are headed overnight.

It’s normal to feel lost at first, but you’ve come to the best place for feline diabetes and to learn more than you ever thought you’d need to. Congrats on being off to a great start and getting ready to test and knowing what insulin to ask for! :bighug:
 
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Zephre said:
Hi everyone,

Wow, thank you for such a fantastic forum. I've spent two full days digesting this, crying, getting on it with, ordering supplies.

Background
I am based in London, UK
My vet gave me Caninsulin, told me to inject 1ml x 2 per days after only two meals p/d.
We made a 2nd appointment in 4 weeks to check on him.

Now
After reading this forum, oh wow, do they just give the basics! I have bought:
Alphatrack kit
He is eating Meowing heads pouches twice a day (within the low carb range, ok for now)
I have stopped all biscuits

Help
I have read you advise to monitor his glucose ... as my vet has told me nothing, I am working with this forum only.

1/ is there a link that shows a chart of how to monitor & how to interpret glucose pls?
2/ i read i need to take a blood sample even 2 hours, for 12 hours:
- Question: is this testing in 12 hours to establish a curve, then from this info you can somehow work out how much insulin he needs?
3/ my vet prescribed Caninsulin ... I will ask for ProZinc next week
4/ will the vet be able to tell me how much insulin to give him using my chart? or can I work it out myself somehow? (again is there a chart or link you have pls)
5/ Also I have bought keynote test strips on amazon uk (as ketostix arrive too late) (Seba Nutrition - Keto Urine Test Strips - is any brand Okay?
6/ how do you interpret this info, again is there a chart? and what do you do?

Sorry to ask obvious questions, I searched around and couldn't find the links.

Much much love to you caring angels and cat lovers

Emma
Click to expand...

Welcome!!! You've come to the right place!!!! We are happy to help. Sorry about the diagnosis. I remember crying 12 hours straight when my cat was diagnosed.... That was 4 years ago. Your cat can live a long healthy life with the right care. :).

A starting dose of 1 unit (not ml!!!! That would be 40 units) is a great starting dose. It's really just a few drops.

Good job switching to low carb wet food. :).

Great you are going to start home testing. That's really key to keeping your cat safe and finding the right dose. You will want to test before each shot, and when possible a mid cycle number. Every so often is not a bad idea to do a curve, which is a test every two hours for 12 hours. It's too figure out how your cat responds to the insulin. To see when he tends to go lowest and how far he's dropping. I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.


Some cats do fine on canisilun.... My cat did the first few months (vetsulin actually but pretty much the same). I did switch to ProZinc because I needed higher doses (my cat is a high dose kitty because of a pituitary tumor which causes acromegaly) and ProZinc doesn't sting at high doses like vetsulin does.

We can help you with dosing advice if you need it. That's why we add the spreadsheets to our signatures. The main key is you don't want her to go under 3.7 on a pet meter or 2.7 on a human meter. There's no chart that says if your cat is this number give this amount... And that's because every cat reacts differently, and why you want to do all dose increases gradually. Most vets want to raise in whole unit increments.... We always recommend not to raise by more than 0.25-0.5 units at a time. We can help with all of this.
 
JanetNJ said:
Welcome!!! You've come to the right place!!!! We are happy to help. Sorry about the diagnosis. I remember crying 12 hours straight when my cat was diagnosed.... That was 4 years ago. Your cat can live a long healthy life with the right care. :).

A starting dose of 1 unit (not ml!!!! That would be 40 units) is a great starting dose. It's really just a few drops.

Good job switching to low carb wet food. :).

Great you are going to start home testing. That's really key to keeping your cat safe and finding the right dose. You will want to test before each shot, and when possible a mid cycle number. Every so often is not a bad idea to do a curve, which is a test every two hours for 12 hours. It's too figure out how your cat responds to the insulin. To see when he tends to go lowest and how far he's dropping. I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.


Some cats do fine on canisilun.... My cat did the first few months (vetsulin actually but pretty much the same). I did switch to ProZinc because I needed higher doses (my cat is a high dose kitty because of a pituitary tumor which causes acromegaly) and ProZinc doesn't sting at high doses like vetsulin does.

We can help you with dosing advice if you need it. That's why we add the spreadsheets to our signatures. The main key is you don't want her to go under 3.7 on a pet meter or 2.7 on a human meter. There's no chart that says if your cat is this number give this amount... And that's because every cat reacts differently, and why you want to do all dose increases gradually. Most vets want to raise in whole unit increments.... We always recommend not to raise by more than 0.25-0.5 units at a time. We can help with all of this.
Click to expand...

I love how in sync our responses were Janet! :p
 
The next thing you can do is set up a signature. This includes basic info so we don't have to keep asking the same questions repeatedly. Go up to your name at the top right corner and choose signature. Add info such as your pets name, date diagnosed, insulin type, food you're feeding, meter you use, and any other health concerns and medications. Once you get the spreadsheet set up you will add a link to that as well. We use Google Sheets because it will update in real time when you add info.
 
Thank you for your fast replies - a quick Q

As he's on a low carb diet already, should I start him on 0.5 of a unit and not 1 (as vet suggested)?
- also this morning he ate his usual meal fast (this is odd) - I then gave him 1/2 more after insulin which he ate fast (super unusual)
- this evening he's eaten only half his usual portion (not given him insulin yet as he's not finished it)

Not sure if to inject him or not (as the meter hasn't arrived yet) - what would you do ?
 
Zephre said:
Thank you for your fast replies - a quick Q

As he's on a low carb diet already, should I start him on 0.5 of a unit and not 1 (as vet suggested)?
- also this morning he ate his usual meal fast (this is odd) - I then gave him 1/2 more after insulin which he ate fast (super unusual)
- this evening he's eaten only half his usual portion (not given him insulin yet as he's not finished it)

Not sure if to inject him or not (as the meter hasn't arrived yet) - what would you do ?
Click to expand...
1 unit is usually pretty safe. Do you have any higher carb food just in case you need it? What were his numbers at diagnosis? When do you think you will get the meter? BTW, when you see Americans talk about numbers we use a different system then most of the world (what else is new). So if you take our numbers and divide by 18 you'll get the numbers you will be using. So if we say 300, that would be like a 16.7 on your scale.
 
Zephre said:
Thank you for your fast replies - a quick Q

As he's on a low carb diet already, should I start him on 0.5 of a unit and not 1 (as vet suggested)?
- also this morning he ate his usual meal fast (this is odd) - I then gave him 1/2 more after insulin which he ate fast (super unusual)
- this evening he's eaten only half his usual portion (not given him insulin yet as he's not finished it)

Not sure if to inject him or not (as the meter hasn't arrived yet) - what would you do ?
Click to expand...
Use your intuition. If your gut is saying give 1/2 unit then that's OK until the meter arrives. It's also ok if they don't eat all the food at once. My cats are all grazers. They eat a little then go back to it throughout the day. As long as your cat had an appetite and eats SOME food you're good to go. Have you read our section on what to do in case of hypoglycemia?
 
JanetNJ said:
Use your intuition. If your gut is saying give 1/2 unit then that's OK until the meter arrives. It's also ok if they don't eat all the food at once. My cats are all grazers. They eat a little then go back to it throughout the day. As long as your cat had an appetite and eats SOME food you're good to go. Have you read our section on what to do in case of hypoglycemia?
Click to expand...
Yes I read it, this made my cry, as my vet said nothing ... but i'm ok now, I kept reading and buying what I need ...it was just a shock

I wanted to print out one of the 'print outs' but the website seems down :
Q1.4. What is hypoglycemia, and how do I handle it?

A1.4. Your vet should have warned you about hypoglycemia, which is dangerously low blood sugar brought on by too much insulin. Hypoglycemia can kill your cat or cause blindness or other permanent damage, so you must always be on the alert for the symptoms. Read the hypoglycemia page at Pets with Diabetes to familiarize yourself with the problem. Then print out Melissa & Popcorn's hypoglycemia page and post it on your refrigerator, because hypoglycemia can come on suddenly, and you don't want to be running around trying to find this information. You should always have a bottle of Karo or other sugar syrup handy in your cupboard.
 
Zephre said:
Yes I read it, this made my cry, as my vet said nothing ... but i'm ok now, I kept reading and buying what I need ...it was just a shock

I wanted to print out one of the 'print outs' but the website seems down :
Q1.4. What is hypoglycemia, and how do I handle it?

A1.4. Your vet should have warned you about hypoglycemia, which is dangerously low blood sugar brought on by too much insulin. Hypoglycemia can kill your cat or cause blindness or other permanent damage, so you must always be on the alert for the symptoms. Read the hypoglycemia page at Pets with Diabetes to familiarize yourself with the problem. Then print out Melissa & Popcorn's hypoglycemia page and post it on your refrigerator, because hypoglycemia can come on suddenly, and you don't want to be running around trying to find this information. You should always have a bottle of Karo or other sugar syrup handy in your cupboard.
Click to expand...
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/

Print this out
 
There was a Prozinc shortage in the UK a few months ago. Not sure if that is still the case. Tagging @Elizabeth and Bertie who signs on occasionally. She may have updated info on that situation.

A couple of links specific to the UK and Europe for you.
Food, Insulin, and Other Supplies which I think is also included in the links below. So there may be some duplication.
UK Diabetic Cat Food Info (includes some supplies) and UK Cat Food List

From the RVC (Royal Veterinary College) in London, Feline Diabetes Guide.

Many vets in the UK still believe that Caninsulin is the best insulin for cats. There used to be some specific rules in the UK, that vets HAD to prescribe Caninsulin as the first choice for insulin. I do not think that is true any longer, but many vets do not realize that is the case.


 
Deb & Wink said:
There was a Prozinc shortage in the UK a few months ago. Not sure if that is still the case. Tagging @Elizabeth and Bertie who signs on occasionally. She may have updated info on that situation.
Click to expand...
No update on the Prozinc situation, Deb. The manufacturer is still saying there is a "temporary supply issue"...

Zephre said:
Does anyone know a good vet in London?
Click to expand...
Hi Emma, I'm in Surrey and currently use a mobile (cat-only) vet service that also covers some of S/W London. I know, given the size of London, that it's 'unlikely' you'll be in their catchment area, but will post the link below anyway.
They charge more for consultations than a typical vet, but they spend a long time with the kitty and are very thorough. And their medication prices are really good; they don't make a profit on those.
https://thecatdoctor.co.uk/

Eliz
 
Welcome to FDMB.

You can pick up a glucometer at any pharmacy. I realize you have on on order but it never hurts to have a back-up meter.

As for dosing, if your kitty is already eating a low carb diet, you should be starting at 0.5u every 12 hours. Caninsulin can drop numbers quickly. Your description of your cat "starving" in the morning could have been due to higher numbers as an unregulated diabetic is hungry all the time since glucose if floating around in the blood stream versus getting into the cells to provide nutrition. Alternatively, when a cat's numbers drop into lower ranges, they also become quite hungry. (If you've ever gone too long without eating and are a bit hypoglycemic, you know the feeling.) This is why home testing is so important.

To be honest, I'm thinking your cat's numbers were lower when he was inhaling food. Chances are that his numbers zoomed up to a much higher range as a result of being low. (We refer to this as a "bounce.") Many cats feel a bit off if they bounce.

Here's the link for getting started. It includes information about setting up your spreadsheet, a hypo toolkit, and other links/information for helping you navigate FDMB.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Welcome to FDMB.

You can pick up a glucometer at any pharmacy. I realize you have on on order but it never hurts to have a back-up meter.

As for dosing, if your kitty is already eating a low carb diet, you should be starting at 0.5u every 12 hours. Caninsulin can drop numbers quickly. Your description of your cat "starving" in the morning could have been due to higher numbers as an unregulated diabetic is hungry all the time since glucose if floating around in the blood stream versus getting into the cells to provide nutrition. Alternatively, when a cat's numbers drop into lower ranges, they also become quite hungry. (If you've ever gone too long without eating and are a bit hypoglycemic, you know the feeling.) This is why home testing is so important.

To be honest, I'm thinking your cat's numbers were lower when he was inhaling food. Chances are that his numbers zoomed up to a much higher range as a result of being low. (We refer to this as a "bounce.") Many cats feel a bit off if they bounce.

Here's the link for getting started. It includes information about setting up your spreadsheet, a hypo toolkit, and other links/information for helping you navigate FDMB.
Click to expand...


Valuable advice thank you - he is looking much perkier since starting his insulin.

- I have been giving him 1 unit, he settles down to digest and looks very peaceful for about 3 hours,
- then he looks himself from 3-8 hours.
- After that I can tell he is feeling hungry, but is waiting for his 12 hour shot.

So far he looks much better than without it - his fur looks soft and bouncy in only a few days!

I hope this stability lasts

Do you think I should still reduce to 0.5? or keep, as he looks ok?
 
Zephre said:
Valuable advice thank you - he is looking much perkier since starting his insulin.

- I have been giving him 1 unit, he settles down to digest and looks very peaceful for about 3 hours,
- then he looks himself from 3-8 hours.
- After that I can tell he is feeling hungry, but is waiting for his 12 hour shot.

So far he looks much better than without it - his fur looks soft and bouncy in only a few days!

I hope this stability lasts

Do you think I should still reduce to 0.5? or keep, as he looks ok?
Click to expand...
Actually he is eating faster than normal ... and wants more (probably as he's not having his accompanying biscuits)
I will reduce to 0.5
 
Zephre said:
Valuable advice thank you - he is looking much perkier since starting his insulin.

- I have been giving him 1 unit, he settles down to digest and looks very peaceful for about 3 hours,
- then he looks himself from 3-8 hours.
- After that I can tell he is feeling hungry, but is waiting for his 12 hour shot.

So far he looks much better than without it - his fur looks soft and bouncy in only a few days!

I hope this stability lasts

Do you think I should still reduce to 0.5? or keep, as he looks ok?
Click to expand...
If he's hungry, feed him. Most of us feed several smaller meals per day. Just when you get your meter, no food 2 hours prior to the preshot test. Other then that, let him eat. :)
 
Zephre said:
Actually he is eating faster than normal ... and wants more (probably as he's not having his accompanying biscuits)
I will reduce to 0.5
Click to expand...

do you have your ss set up yet? We recommend going up or down by .25 increments not .5 but we need to see some data to be able to answer your question correctly. You shouldn’t change the dose based on behavior alone :cat:
 
With the elimination of the dry food, the biscuits, that should drop Cheema's BG levels. That drop could be 100 points mg/dL (5-6 points mmol/L) or more that the BG levels decrease. So be cautious, and test before every shot of insulin, and then again in the middle of the cycle, around +4 to +5. Post and ask for help if you get a BG pre-shot that is lower than 200-250 mg/dL (11-13.8 mmol/L). If you can get a test mid-cycle, and that is lower than 90 mg/dL (5 mmol/L), Cheema earns an automatic reduction in the dose. Post for help if the numbers get low and people will talk you through how to bring the BG levels back up safely with food.

Don't know what dry food (aka biscuits) that Cheema was eating, but they were probably high carb. Actually, giving Cheema access to food after the middle of the cycle will cause his BG levels to shoot back up. So no food, UNLESS his BG levels drop too low, after about +6.

Since Cheema is on Caninsulin, the duration may not be the full 12 hours between insulins shots. So don't be surprised if his BG levels shoot back up after +8 and are high at pre-shot test time. Usually 8-10 hours is a more typical duration for Caninsulin (called Vetsulin in the US).

Do get that spreadsheet (SS) setup, since we really rely on that to tell us what is going on with Cheema.

Here are the 2 links, how to setup the SS and what the columns mean.
 
Zephre said:
Does anyone know a good vet in London? I go to Goddard Vets as they are close, but I'm not sure if he needs better care - as they didn't give me very much information other than inject him, bring him back in 4 weeks.
Click to expand...
Whereabouts in London are you? If you give us a place name or postcode that might get useful responses...London is a big place and what is handy for one Londoner may be totally out of reach for another!
 
  • Im in Brixton SW9
  • Cheema weighs 4.5kg currently (was 5.2kg 6 months ago)
  • He was eating Applaws biscuits (grain free 80% animal protein), but I don't give them any more.
  • He eats Meowing Heads (approx 9% carb) 1 pouch a day (100g) and some plain chicken as treats.
  • (soon moving to Hunters Pouches (approx 4% carb) by Natures Menu)
  • (He doesn't move about a lot so encouraging him to move more now).
  • Gave 0.5 unit caninsulin for the last two shots
The glucometer arrived today, so I will just get my head around it and then start to make tests ... gulp!
 
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You
Zephre said:
  • Im in Brixton SW9
  • Cheema weighs 4.5kg currently (was 5.2kg 6 months ago)
  • He was eating Applaws biscuits (grain free 80% animal protein), but I don't give them any more.
  • He eats Meowing Heads (approx 9% carb) 1 pouch a day (100g) and some plain chicken as treats.
  • (soon moving to Hunters Pouches (approx 4% carb) by Natures Menu)
  • (He doesn't move about a lot so encouraging him to move more now).
  • Gave 0.5 unit caninsulin for the last two shots
The glucometer arrived today, so I will just get my head around it and then start to make tests ... gulp!
Click to expand...
can do it!!! There's a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home
 
Ok so you’re in SW9... I know it very well, there are lots of residents and presumably lots of pets and therefore lots of vets! I’ll have a think and see if I know someone who can recommend a good vet around there... but also, what I’d suggest is working out how far you’re prepared to travel and then doing a Google search for vets within that distance... find maybe two or three that you can get to easily and phone them, say you have a diabetic cat and ask what treatment plan they would recommend, or ask them a few specific questions. A good vet practice won’t be averse to this (you are simply being a responsible owner and want to do the best for your kitty).

I think you’re right to be thinking about a new vet if you’re not happy with your present one. Many of us have switched vets after the diabetes dx and finding that many vets do not unfortunately have as much knowledge about the disease as we would wish. Some vets don’t like being challenged on their “instructions” and are very wary of advice from people on the internet. But, a decent vet should be prepared to work with you and learn together. There are vets like that out there and it can be done. But if you can’t find one that you’re happy with, carry on coming here and asking questions, there’s not much this community of cat-lovers can’t help with :)
 
I noticed above you were cutting dry food out - we did the same and were previously feeding Monty Applaws dry food. My other cat (not diabetic) likes it so we're going to finish what we bought with her but put them both on the same diet after she's eaten all of it.

If your cat is a dry food lover like mine, I'd recommend Ziwi Peak Air Dried Lamb Recipe as a food topper. It's low in carbs but also higher in fat than most wet foods. I feed Monty primarily wet (Thrive Chicken) but top with Ziwi peak to raise his fat intake. I get the best deals on bulk food orders from Zooplus (a £2.50 annual membership gets you 3% discount on all orders, plus you can collect points for free stuff like treats or cat toys).

How are you getting on with injections? We live quite close-ish (I'm in E16), happy to help out if you need practice or guidance on injections sites / technique or just moral support.
 
bcat said:
I noticed above you were cutting dry food out - we did the same and were previously feeding Monty Applaws dry food. My other cat (not diabetic) likes it so we're going to finish what we bought with her but put them both on the same diet after she's eaten all of it.

If your cat is a dry food lover like mine, I'd recommend Ziwi Peak Air Dried Lamb Recipe as a food topper. It's low in carbs but also higher in fat than most wet foods. I feed Monty primarily wet (Thrive Chicken) but top with Ziwi peak to raise his fat intake. I get the best deals on bulk food orders from Zooplus (a £2.50 annual membership gets you 3% discount on all orders, plus you can collect points for free stuff like treats or cat toys).

How are you getting on with injections? We live quite close-ish (I'm in E16), happy to help out if you need practice or guidance on injections sites / technique or just moral support.
Click to expand...


Cheema isn't a big dry food fan, so that's good! He loves wet food

Thank you for your offer of support : ) - the injections are fine, he does' mind and I'm getting used to it ...
but today I have the glucometer and so far this is the hardest thing ...

- I tried once, but no blood came ... and kitty doesn't like his ears touched at all!
- I'm following the video on getting them calm and treating them, after touching the ear.
- I will try to puncture closer to the edge next, to see if I can get any blood!

- felt a bit distressed today, but will pull myself together again after I've digested this first attempt

He is quite sleepy today after reducing his insulin ... I read somewhere on here, that level can go low at night, so I'm wondering, until I get used to the glucometer, would you recommend 0.5 in the evening and 1 unit in the day (since he's sleeping a lot). Also I'm not able to monitor him at night.

Will do a search for vets and see if any of them have more experience than my local - good point

Thank you for all your replies
 
Yes testing is a challenge but trust me once you get that first drop of blood and KNOW where your kitty is at BG wise? Its the best feeling in the world. Good for you for not giving up! :);):coffee:
 
Zephre said:
Cheema isn't a big dry food fan, so that's good! He loves wet food

Thank you for your offer of support : ) - the injections are fine, he does' mind and I'm getting used to it ...
but today I have the glucometer and so far this is the hardest thing ...

- I tried once, but no blood came ... and kitty doesn't like his ears touched at all!
- I'm following the video on getting them calm and treating them, after touching the ear.
- I will try to puncture closer to the edge next, to see if I can get any blood!

- felt a bit distressed today, but will pull myself together again after I've digested this first attempt

He is quite sleepy today after reducing his insulin ... I read somewhere on here, that level can go low at night, so I'm wondering, until I get used to the glucometer, would you recommend 0.5 in the evening and 1 unit in the day (since he's sleeping a lot). Also I'm not able to monitor him at night.

Will do a search for vets and see if any of them have more experience than my local - good point

Thank you for all your replies
Click to expand...

did you warm the ear well before? Also just know it takes a few days for the ears to learn to bleed so don’t be discouraged. You’ll get this I promise! :bighug:
 
Zephre said:
He is quite sleepy today after reducing his insulin ... I read somewhere on here, that level can go low at night, so I'm wondering, until I get used to the glucometer, would you recommend 0.5 in the evening and 1 unit in the day (since he's sleeping a lot). Also I'm not able to monitor him at night.
Click to expand...
It's best to give the same insulin dose for both AM and PM cycles. A cycle is 12 hours.

Why can't you monitor at night? Maybe we can help you figure something out.
 
JanetNJ said:
Negative on ketones, right?
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This is his Ketones
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Deb & Wink said:
It's best to give the same insulin dose for both AM and PM cycles. A cycle is 12 hours.

Why can't you monitor at night? Maybe we can help you figure something out.
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At the moment I have to leave him around 11pm and back at 8am, as he lives in my art studio and I sleep down the road.
But I'm with him all day from 8am - 11pm.

I've tried to get a blood sample, but he's getting very wary of me, so I'm trying to desensitise him gradually
Also get him used to me touching his ears - by rubbing them and trying to get the capillaries up
Also I need to watch more videos on where best to prick to get the blood

I might go back to 1 unit for now, as he looked better on it, the vet said he probably needed 2 units, but to start him on 1
 
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Zephre said:
At the moment I have to leave him around 11pm and back at 8am, as he lives in my art studio and I sleep down the road.
But I'm with him all day from 8am - 11pm.

I've tried to get a blood sample, but he's getting very wary of me, so I'm trying to desensitise him gradually
Also get him used to me touching his ears - by rubbing them and trying to get the capillaries up
Also I need to watch more videos on where best to prick to get the blood

I might go back to 1 unit for now, as he looked better on it, the vet said he probably needed 2 units, but to start him on 1
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anywhere along the edge, on either side.
 

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