No rules being broken here! Bocephus is young so I'd say you're a saving angel.
Believe me, my little girl was 4 lbs of just bones and she did a 180 once we got her on the right insulin, food, and started testing. If I left it up to my vet she was going to be giving her 5 units of dog insulin 3 times a day, she would have killed her!
If I ever forget to say thank you always know I can never express my gratitude for this group and your calming me in my time of complete break down. Thank you
First off that 517 isn't anything shocking. Stress affects BG and a vet visit is VERY stressful. Most new diabetics are in the 500s for a long time before they get under control, there is nothing unusual about that.
I feel much better about it now.
I don't know anything about being under a certain BG number to be well enough for surgery ... being below 300 at a doctor's office even for a regulated cat doesn't sound easy to achieve. BG can go up 200 points from a vet visit alone soooo a non-diabetic cat could easily be near 300.
@Wendy&Neko do you know anything about cats not being allowed in laser surgery if BG is over 300? Seems a lot to expect out of a new diabetic.
She didn't specify a reason just stated she'd like to wait until he's under 300 being better controlled before putting him under (honestly I'm ok with waiting for surgery.. praying the doxy heals it and we can avoid another major procedure and anesthesia. I'm sure his numbers weren't that high if stress elevates them because he absolutely hates the cat carrier and trip over there. He pants, paces, claws the carrier and cries the entire 30 min trip.
Wait until this evening to shoot so you're not off-schedule okay? Remember what I said about the waiting 30 minutes after food. I'm going to list some items and info for you to sort through so you can have some homework and actually start taking charge of everything and getting him better, okay?
I did hold off on that dose so I can stick to regular schedule and this time I will wait the 30 min after he eats.
Insulin:
You are going to have a terrible time on Vetsulin unfortunately. It's designed for dogs, doesn't last very long at ALL (so I really don't know how the vet expects you to get him under 300 for surgery). and makes a lot of cats feel cruddy because of the wide swing in BG it causes. Show your vet the
2018 AAHA Diabetic Guidelines for Dogs and Cats, something ALL vet clinics should know about, and say you want to switch him to a species-appropriate insulin, Prozinc or Lantus. Lantus is gold-standard and actually cheaper than Prozinc or Vetsulin in the long run. We purchase it from
Marks Marine Pharmacy out of Canada, buy them in 5-packs of pens. Get a script and order from them, it's much too expensive to buy in the US. The pens are $165 + overnight shipping and will last you 1-2 years. Much cheaper than Vetsulin or Prozinc, and has the highest remission rate.
(I love vets and respect everything they do.. but such a shame to need to point out AAHA guidelines or be left feeling uncertain but I learned years ago when my beloved Angel Max dog had renal failure that sometimes they are not up to date on what is the best treatment and sometimes they forget each patient is different so I don't mind discussing the change with her. I will go ahead and put a call in but it will probably be Monday before she responds for a change in type. Thank you for the detailed explanation and pharmacy info.
Hometesting Kit:
Hometesting Tips and Tricks
ReliOn Prime glucometer - $9
ReliOn Prime test strips - $18 for 100
ReliOn Lancets 26 G (or 28 if unavailable) - $1-2 for 100
ReliOn Lancing Device (optional) - $5
Travel-size Vaseline - $1
Neosporin Ointment + Pain Relief (ointment only, NOT cream) - $6
Cotton Pads (optional) - $2
Rice Sock or Pill bottle w/ warm water (optional) - homemade
You can use any kind of human meter, however the one listed above is Walmart brand and has the cheapest strips available. Same goes for lancets. You do not need a lancing device if you prefer to poke freehand, it's just personal preference. Vaseline is for helping the ear to bead up, neosporin is for helping the ear to heal/prevent bruising after the poke. Just a little dab of each. Cotton pads are optional, some people like to use them as backing so not to poke themselves, then to hold the ear a moment after to prevent bruising and stop bleeding. You can use a paper towel or your fingers if you prefer. Rice socks can be used in the microwave a few seconds to heat up and rub on the ear to draw the blood to the ear; it can also be used as backing when poking the ear. A pill bottle with warm water in it is another alternative to warm the ear, whichever thing you prefer to use.
Hypo Kit Supplies:
Hypo Kit Toolbox
Karo Syrup - $3
(On hand and in date)
Ketone Test Strips (Ketostix) - $6 (
Ordered)
A few cans of Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Marinated Morsels/Sliced in Gravy/Grilled in Gravy varieties - $0.60 each (these are your medium-carb cans)
Always on hand (it's what my other two cats eat.. is that terrible
A few cans of Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers/Medleys Tuscany/Medleys Gravy in Sauce varieties - $0.60 each (these are your high-carb cans)
Always on hand (it's what my other two cats eat.. is that terrible
Medium Carb is 11-15%
High Carb is 16%+
You can also search through the
catinfo chart while you're at the store to check which cans available are the ones you need. They don't HAVE to be Fancy Feast but they're fairly easy to find.
That was when I cut in and said how about we try a different insulin because no way.
so fast forward all is sorted out and we finally got to test before he ate dinner and currently waiting the 30 minutes to shoot. He was 
so now to figure this out.
he starts panting, crying, and clawing as soon as he is in the carrier and definitely in the car and doesn't stop until he's out.
at worse case I board him despite not loving the plan or worse we drive 6+ hours with a screaming cat/litter box/ and 3 dogs
oh my
