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symian277

symian277

Member Since 2020
Hello everyone. I got the cart before the horse but I wanted to introduce myself and my amazing girl, Skye.

My name is Carrie. My sugar kitty, Skye, is an approximately 11 year old I adopted about 11 years ago from the Humane Society (along with another kitty, Keiko) after I lost my previous kitty, Demosthenes.
Skye and Keiko were a pretty amazing pair. They weren't from the same litter but they got along perfectly from the start. Unfortunately I lost my Keiko last August to lymphoma, renal failure, and congestive heart failure. In true kitty style, I had NO idea Keiko was even sick until he started bleeding from his gums one night.
Skye seemed pretty depressed being the only kitty so I adopted Finnegan from a local rescue this past November. Finn is a little much for Skye at times. Her energy level was never particularly high and his is off the charts. During the day when I am not able to referee they are kept separate at this time. I am hoping with a little more training (and maturity) Finn will settle into the sweet boy he really is under all that energy. Along with my boyfriend that encompasses the entire household.
Skye began to drink and urinate quite a bit more a couple of weeks ago. I am not entirely sure how long it was going on but I believe I caught it very quickly. Fortunately we had a vet appointment for vaccinations coming up when I found it. Other than that she was her usual sassy self. She was Tentatively diagnosed with diabetes from a urinalysis on 09/01 and blood tests confirmed it 09/02. On 09/04 the vet started her on one Unit of Pro-Zinc.
Thankfully when I knew the diagnosis I had a friend that guided me to this group. I have currently been at this for 8 days and it has already been a roller coaster. The more I'm learning the more I see that the average veterinarian is just not up to date on all that latest information on cat diabetes.
When I went in for the training last Friday, the vet tech mentioned testing but really didn't emphasize it. Basically I would have been giving my cat insulin with pretty much no home testing. To be fair, the tech that was supposed to do my instruction had an emergency and the other tech preferred the old information sheet to the new one from the AAHA. I am not sure if the other tech would have provided more testing information.
Testing was so difficult for the first few days. I felt terrible that I wasn't super proficient at it and ended up having to poke my poor girl multiple times on a few occasions just to get a reading. She was ok. The mama was in tears every day.
The vet also put Skye on Royal Canin Glycobalance since she was already eating Royal Cainin Weight Control. Come to find out that is not the best food. :(
So on day 8 lots of things have changed! We are transitioning to Weruva pate (which my girl seems to LOVE). We have been regularly testing a minimum of four times a day. This weekend I am planning to get her curve so we can avoid the vet next week.
Thanks to everyone that has already helped me and looking forward to meeting everyone else!
 
Welcome Skye and Carrie to FDMB We are glad you found us! Your doing a great job so far lets see if we can fine tune that for ya!
You just may want to start here:
New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

You're staring with a good insulin but the lack of information the vet provided is sadly what we hear a lot. Here you will learn everything you need to know to get Skye feeling her very best and navigate this huge learning curve. YOU CAN DO THIS! And we will help!
We are dedicated to helping any and all that find our forums. Once we get your signature and spreadsheet up and running we will be able to see "at a glance" all Skye's particulars. so to set up your signature go to the dark blue bar at the top left of this page and click your name. From the drop box select "Signature" then fill it out. You only wet so many characters to work with so abbreviate wherever you can ;)
You want to add kitties name your name Skyes age and when she was DX'd type of insulin, food she eats, any other issues she has...All those little particulars that hold clues to diabetes management. Hold on I will find the list...;)
and Carrie?
WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY! :bighug: brb
 
Welcome!!!

You're already doing all kinds of things right, so well done! One thing I want to give you a heads-up on: from the notes on your spreadsheet, it seems like Skye has decided :rolleyes: that she wants to eat the low-carb Weruva now and is pretty much done with the high-carb kibble.

It is so good that you're testing now, because some kitties can have a really dramatic reaction to removing carbs, with blood glucose plummeting by 100+ points. So testing during this time is critical.

The other thing to watch out for is if the sudden change causes some digestive distress. That's usually temporary unless there's a food sensitivity mixed in, but it can be a pain if Skye decides she doesn't like that food any more because it made her feel yucky. So be on alert to make sure she continues to eat (from your spreadsheet notes, it seems like you are "one of us" in closely monitoring everything possible :woot:, so that won't be a problem).

Welcome again to the best place you never wanted to be!
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
Welcome!!!

You're already doing all kinds of things right, so well done! One thing I want to give you a heads-up on: from the notes on your spreadsheet, it seems like Skye has decided :rolleyes: that she wants to eat the low-carb Weruva now and is pretty much done with the high-carb kibble.

It is so good that you're testing now, because some kitties can have a really dramatic reaction to removing carbs, with blood glucose plummeting by 100+ points. So testing during this time is critical.

The other thing to watch out for is if the sudden change causes some digestive distress. That's usually temporary unless there's a food sensitivity mixed in, but it can be a pain if Skye decides she doesn't like that food any more because it made her feel yucky. So be on alert to make sure she continues to eat (from your spreadsheet notes, it seems like you are "one of us" in closely monitoring everything possible :woot:, so that won't be a problem).

Welcome again to the best place you never wanted to be!
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Nan would you please find and post all the things for a signature? I'm helping a fried manage an evacuation situation. I'm a bit rattled.
j
 
From one of your other posts ;):

jt and trouble (GA) said:
Signature
Go to the dark blue bar above the forums list. Click on your name from the drop down click signature then follow these instructions:
  • On the left, under Settings, Click on Signature. This is where you will put information that helps us give you feedback.
    • There is a limit of two lines which may include two links; you may separate pieces with commas, dashes, | etc. This is where you paste the link for your spreadsheet, once it is set up.
    • Add any other text, such as
    • Caregiver & kitty's name (optional)
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
    • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.

Thank you!
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Hi Carrie - just wanted to say welcome to the best support group ever that has people from the whole world just waiting to help (well I've definitely seen members from the USA, Canada & UK).
Yes there will be ups and downs - the odd fur shot here or multiple ear prick there but someone will always be on here to pick you up & reassure you (believe me I know this from experience) - Skye is very lucky to have such a caring mum.
Wishing you both all the best
Gill
 
Tagging @Deb & Wink and @Panic

From the Prozinc dosing stickie.

How to handle a lower than normal preshot number when following SLGS:

Until you collect enough data to know how your cat will react, we suggest following the guidelines in the FDMB's FAQ Q4.4:
Q4.4. My cat's pre-shot level was way below the usual value. Should I give the injection?
A4.4. There's no hard and fast rule, but if you don't have data on how your cat responds to insulin, here are some general guidelines.
  • Below 150 mg/dl (8.3 mmol/L), don't give insulin.
  • Between 150 and 200 (8.3-11.1 mmol/L), you have three options:
    • a.) give nothing
    • b.) give a token dose (10-25% of the usual dose)
    • c.) feed as usual, test in a couple of hours, and make a decision based on that value
  • Above 200 (11.1 mmol/L) but below the cat's normal pre-shot value, a reduced dose might be wise.
  • In all cases, if you are reducing or eliminating insulin, it's wise to check for ketones in the urine.
  • Above the normal pre-shot value, give the usual dose, but if the pre-shot value is consistently elevated, it's a good idea to schedule a full glucose curve to see whether a change in dose or insulin is appropriate. In most cases, the target "peak" value should not be below 100 mg/dl (5.6 mmol/L), and for some cats it might be higher.
Keep in mind these are general guidelines, and they should be personalized to your own cat's response to insulin once you have data and understand your cat’s cycles. If your experience is that your cat does not became hypoglycemic with a dose which is close to her usual, then personal experience should be your guide.

With experience, you may find that lowering these thresholds may work well for your cat. When you have reached that stage, the following guidelines are suggested for Prozinc users following the Start Low Go Slow approach:

If the preshot number is far below usual preshot numbers:
  • Do you need to stay on schedule? Then skip the shot.
  • Do you have some flexibility with your schedule? Then stalling to wait for the number to rise might be a good option. Don't feed, retest after 30-60 minutes, and decide if the number is shootable.
  • Repeat until the cat either reaches a number at which you are comfortable shooting, or enough time has passed that skipping the shot is necessary.
If the preshot number is near kitty's usual preshot numbers:

Look at your data to see what numbers you have shot in the past and decide what would be a safe, shootable number for your cat. Don't feed. Stall until kitty reaches the preshot number you've decided on and then shoot.

We usually don't suggest or recommend shooting a preshot number less than 90 mg/dL when following the SLGS Method. Remember that with SLGS, generally speaking, your goal is to achieve flat numbers that are greater than 90 mg/dL. However, let experience, data collected, knowledge of your cat, and availability to monitor help in making the best decisions for your cat.
 
Deb & Wink said:
We are answering her (Carrie aka @symian277 over in the Prozinc ISG group. Where I already suggested that she reduce the dose by 0.25U while the food transition is ongoing.

Thanks for the tag and connecting the threads.
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She is still at 201 mg/dL with no insulin and after having eaten (albeit only the Weruva out of the Glycobalance). I guess she picked a good night to do it. I was going to start her curve for the vet tonight anyway. This is going to be an interesting night.
 
Remember, if you skip the dose, please enter a 0 (zero) in the U (units) column on the SS.

Curve is testing every 2 hours, from one pre-shot test to the next.
Or a test every 3 hours, from one pre-shot, to the next pre-shot and for 6 hours more, for a total of 18 hours.

Are you are night owl? Or will you be setting an alarm to wake you every 2-3 hours?
 
Deb & Wink said:
Remember, if you skip the dose, please enter a 0 (zero) in the U (units) column on the SS.

Curve is testing every 2 hours, from one pre-shot test to the next.
Or a test every 3 hours, from one pre-shot, to the next pre-shot and for 6 hours more, for a total of 18 hours.

Are you are night owl? Or will you be setting an alarm to wake you every 2-3 hours?
Click to expand...

OK I fixed it :)
I will be setting alarms, alas... I just REALLY don't want her to go through all the poking at the vet. She is definitely not a fan of the whole experience.
I am completely in love with Wink. He reminds me so much of my Keiko.
 
Hi everyone...

I just posted a little bit ago in the Pro-Zinc forum on Skye's thread. We are coming up to shot time in an hour and 1/2 and she is at 160 mg/dL. I am so computer NOT savvy but there is a link earlier in this thread back to my other thread. If anyone could give me some guidance that would be awesome. :confused::confused::confused:
 
symian277 said:
Goodness am I EVER going to be able to sleep again?!?
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Yes, maybe, sometimes, just not for another hour or so.

Since you are new (less than a month), Skye has earned a reduction to 0.25 units by dropping below 90. Congratulations.

Please give Skye some of her regular food. Surfing the greens helps the pancreas heal.

I cannot stay up with you. I'm tagging @Bandit's Mom and @Elizabeth and Bertie and @Critter Mom to keep an eye out.
 
Skye is safe. Just in case she decides to drop lower.
If Skye drops below 50 or gets close to 50, go up to the top righthand corner of this thread. Click on "Thread Tools." Click on "Edit Title."
Change the title of the thread from "New Member" to "Help! Low numbers" and also change the prefix to 911.
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Red & Rover (GA) said:
Skye is safe. Just in case she decides to drop lower.
If Skye drops below 50 or gets close to 50, go up to the top righthand corner of this thread. Click on "Thread Tools." Click on "Edit Title."
Change the title of the thread from "New Member" to "Help! Low numbers" and also change the prefix to 911.
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View attachment 56325
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Thank you! I was wondering how to change the titles. :)
She is at 90 mg/dL on ReliOn and 137 mg/dL on AlphaTrak2. I like the numbers just not the drop.

If the vet didn’t like 0.5 she is going to HATE 0.25. Looks like we need to get some U100s.
 
She’s crashed out on me right now but let’s me know immediately what she thinks of me moving AT ALL. I’m just gobsmacked. She has gone from 500+ on a blood draw to 77 in under 2 weeks.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
@symian277 Skye seems past her nadir now and rising. I would stop feeding (other than any meals she usually eats during the cycle). If you can, get another test to ensure she is not dropping w/o food.
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She had a PureBites treat with her last poke but hasn’t eaten anything else for the past hour. I put her food up. She only had a few bites of the food I got out for her around midnight after that huge drop. She’s stressing me out being ALL OVER the place with her sugar.
 
She is such a picker. I fed her before she got her evening insulin and she ate a few bites. I gave her the injection and she ate a little more. At some point before the +4 she ended up finishing a 2.8 ounce pack. That was around midnight. At that point she was at 77. I tested her at +5 and it was 83. At +6 she was 90 on the ReliOn and 137 on the AlphaTrak2.
 
symian277 said:
She is such a picker. I fed her before she got her evening insulin and she ate a few bites. I gave her the injection and she ate a little more. At some point before the +4 she ended up finishing a 2.8 ounce pack. That was around midnight. At that point she was at 77. I tested her at +5 and it was 83. At +6 she was 90 on the ReliOn and 137 on the AlphaTrak2.
Click to expand...

So she is going up without food. That's good. At least she isn't dropping hard. She is in safe green numbers.
 
Of all the crap timing... My mother sold her house and we have the next two weekends to pack her up and move her totally out of the house. Of course with Skye and insulin and her unregulated blood sugar this is going to be a right predicament as my mom is over an hour and 1/2 away. Anyone have any advice?????
 
Well youre either going to have to do a LOT of driving or hire maybe a vet tech? Are you planning on staying there for 2 days?
Pet sitter / vet tech? I dont know what else you CAN do. Do you have a friend you trust?
 
Every Saturday I had to leave Panic right after getting her shot and didn't come home until 10 hours later. I'd set her autofeeder out but since she had to stay outside while I was gone (unless my dear brother happened to be home) I could never be sure if she was getting all her meals, so I did a lot of "chicken shots" if her BG was on the lower end. Of course at the time Panic didn't have a lot of blues or greens on her spreadsheet, we didn't get to see those until she switched to Lantus shortly before the pandemic started and everything shut down so no more 10-hr Saturdays for me. I was actually wondering myself what I was going to do once regulations lifted, unfortunately we never made it through.

I guess I can only provide the idea of lowering the dose while you're away if she's in low numbers. I think other people with 9-5 jobs would leave out MC/HC food if they felt kitty needed it.
 
She is all over the place and it is driving me nuts. I didn't give her the insulin this morning because she was at 118. I get home with not much food eaten and it is up to 387. The vet was pretty adamant that she get the full unit but after last night I am pretty freaked out about doing that. It was a lot easier to give the insulin and leave her when she was always higher. Now... I have NO idea what she is going to do. So that leaves me with the next two weekends and having NO CLUE how to get through them. If my mom was closer it would be great. As it is I'll end up driving at least 3 hours of the 10 I have after I check her post shot levels. :confused:
 
The lower dose (while you are helping mom) I think is your only option. Surely less insulin is better than none?

I wish you luck with this. sigh I dont know what I would do either.
j
 
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