New here - worried about dual health issues

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Christine and Bloo

Christine and Bloo

Member Since 2022
Hello. My 9 year old male was just diagnosed diabetic. He has been eating Hills C-D for most of his life due to issues with crystals in urine and blockages. How do I safely switch him from prescription dry food diet to a all low carb wet food diet and keep the urine issues away as well? I feel as if my baby will be battling uncomfortable issues every day with both issues and he will never be the same.
 
Hi and welcome to the site. Checkers is the same, he had crystals and was put in a prescription diet then became diabetic.

To feed for both issues you need a low carb wet food with low phosphorus. Here is a link to a food chart with carb content as well as phosphorus content listed.

If you are already giving him insulin, becareful because switching to a low carb diet will lower his blood sugar and potentially cause hypoglycemia.

It is okay once their blood sugar is under control they go back to being normal kitties. If you were to see Checkers right now you would never think he has any health issues. :cat:
 
I also want to add that cats can go into remission from diabetes. The hills CD food is actually very high in carbs and likely contributed to his diabetes. Switching to a low carb low phosphorus food will really help.

Also if you stick around, this site has helped over 500 kitties go into remission though it does require hometesting his blood glucose. Which is as scary as it sounds.
 
Chris and Checkers said:
I also want to add that cats can go into remission from diabetes. The hills CD food is actually very high in carbs and likely contributed to his diabetes. Switching to a low carb low phosphorus food will really help.

Also if you stick around, this site has helped over 500 kitties go into remission though it does require hometesting his blood glucose. Which is as scary as it sounds.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the very helpful info! The link is not working for me but I will try to find more info on Google. He has not started insulin yet. He was diagnosed by a vet who is not our regular vet. He will be seeing her hopefully tomorrow and we will get down to the real business with her. He has improved since I stopped feeding him the CD immediately and only feeding him low carb wet food. Fancy Feast and Friskies based on the list on this site. I need to be sure about the phosphorus for sure and hopefully vet can help with that.
 
FrostD said:
How often does he gets the crystals and blockages?
Click to expand...
Well he had a golf ball size crystal when it started 5 years ago. He has trace amounts since but none that have caused another blockage. He is more prone to UTIs now that happen about once a year. Those cause the most issues now.
 
Chris and Checkers said:
The link I use above goes straight to a pdf file, you can also find it here:

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/links-to-food-charts.174182/

There is this site too which lists carbs and phosphorus levels.

https://felinecrf.org/canned_food_usa.htm
Click to expand...
The second link is overwhelming!! Phew! My head is spinning now. I started him on Fancy Feast Classic Pate. I see many many people on other sites stating that they prefer it for their diabetic cats. My dad did as well. My biggest concern is that I don't see that food type on either list. I hope my vet can help me figure out to determine that and that she won't try to sell me on some other prescription diet. I won't do it again. This poor boy has been through so much already.
 
Some of the fancy feast canned foods are higher in phosphorus than you would want. HERE is a link to suitable low carb and low phosphorus foods. Look for foods that are 250-200mg phosphorus/100 kcals or less.
Don’t let the vet talk you into using a prescription food. They are all too high in carbs for a diabetic cat. Most vets do not have a great knowledge of cat food diets except what they get from the big food manufacturers who manufacture all the prescription foods!
We have had several cats here who have swapped to a wet diet from a dry food diet because of blockages.
You want to be using carbs that are 10% or under. Most use around 4-7% carbs canned food.
Or you could look at using a raw food diet.

If he needs insulin, I hope the vet will give you an insulin such as Lantus. Don’t let the vet start him on vetsulin to Novolin N …..both are not suitable for cats.
Please let us know how you get on at the vet. Remember you are your kitty’s advocate and you are paying the vet ….so you get to decide.
 
With weruva foods
You want the metabolizable energy profile percentage of carbs to be less than 10%, and the phosphorus which Weruva lists in Minerals to be less than 250 mg per 100 cals. So you have to look at two different places in the Weruva charts.
https://weruva.com


When you go to the weruva site and click on one of the pic of the food , click on Detailed Nutrition information that is under guaranteed analysis to the left Detailed Nutrition Information Tap on that
YOU WANT CARBS UNDER 10% AND PHOSPHORUS IDEALLY LOW 200's OR LESS

Go to this thread , there are a lot of weruva foods listed here in post #3 , post numbers are to the left
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/kidney-disease.262271/#post-2940026

@Christine and Bloo
 
Some people choose to feed slightly higher carb wet food that has the S/O in it for the crystals. It is my understanding the DM pate has it (6% carbs) but most cats don't like the DM pate.the DM Savory Selects also have it, but that food is 10%.

I'm not quite sure why everyone is recommending low phosphorus? That's for CKD not crystals/blockages if I understand correctly.

Does he have a UTI right now?
 
FrostD said:
I'm not quite sure why everyone is recommending low phosphorus? That's for CKD not crystals/blockages if I understand correctly.
Click to expand...
Hi Melissa now that you said that I now wonder why, I gave her the weruva site only because I saw other members mentioned to look for low phosphorus foods ,
Wonder if I should delete it. :cat:
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Hi Melissa now that you said that I now wonder why, I gave her the weruva site only because I saw other members mentioned to look for low phosphorus foods ,
Wonder if I should delete it. :cat:
Click to expand...
Please don't delete yet. I have my vet appointment at 5pm tonight and I will ask my vet about this. She is wonderful and I trust her but it will be a firm no on the prescription food from now on. I'm pretty sure she will understand but I'm not holding my breath.

Thank you all so much for your help! I will post an update after my appointment. Please keep your fingers crossed that this is not diabetes and that his issues are just severe stress related. The last vet was not very kind to him and he absolutely hates any and all vet offices due to the trauma he has been through these last 9 years.
 
FrostD said:
Some people choose to feed slightly higher carb wet food that has the S/O in it for the crystals. It is my understanding the DM pate has it (6% carbs) but most cats don't like the DM pate.the DM Savory Selects also have it, but that food is 10%.

I'm not quite sure why everyone is recommending low phosphorus? That's for CKD not crystals/blockages if I understand correctly.

Does he have a UTI right now?
Click to expand...
From what I understood, he did not have a UTI but that did not make sense seeing as he could not pee. I will have all tests run again by my regular vet today.
 
Christine and Bloo said:
Please don't delete yet. I have my vet appointment at 5pm tonight and I will ask my vet about this. She is wonderful and I trust her but it will be a firm no on the prescription food from now on. I'm pretty sure she will understand but I'm not holding my breath.

Thank you all so much for your help! I will post an update after my appointment. Please keep your fingers crossed that this is not diabetes and that his issues are just severe stress related. The last vet was not very kind to him and he absolutely hates any and all vet offices due to the trauma he has been through these last 9 years.
Click to expand...
Don't worry I won't delete it :cat: Yes let us know how the appointment goes
In your first postve above you said he was just diagnosed diabetic, what vet said that
You might want to ask your vet to run a fructosamine test

It’s a 3 week average on the blood sugar level so you rule out it being a misread at the vet
If she just does an ear prick his BG might be high because of stress

I'm sorry the last vet was not very kind to him!
I have a few choice words for her !
Bloo is such a handsome kitty? He has such a precious face

Depending on the outcome if you want to start home testing we can suggest glucose meters to get and post a pic on how to do them. Just let us know :cat:

Edit if you do have to start do not get vetsulin or Novolin N
Not very good for cats

Either Lantus or Prozinc preferably Lantus it's expensive in the US but they do have generics , I can give you a few links on where to get it cheaper

Lantus is one of the brand names for glargine. It is now available in generic/biosimilar forms that are much less costly
Some have their vet write the prescription as insulin glargine

Basaglar is also Insulin Glargine, it acts the same way.
 
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Low phosphorus is that only necessary if the cat has CKD (chronic kidney disease) . That would diagnosed through bloodwork like BUN, creatine, SDMA, and phosphorus.

If he has a UTI I am hesitant about a potential FD diagnosis, so do double check. I've seen too many FD misdiagnoses in my time here because a cat had a UTI that elevated BG for a few weeks, especially if it's an antibiotic resistant one. Even if the vet ran a fructosamine, that could be elevated from the BG effects of a UTI. I wouldn't string your hopes to a misdiagnosis, but I always like to double check for the ~5% of the time that it happens (again purely anecdotal from my time here).
 
Okay so blood glucose went up from 298 to 355 over 2 days. Urine glucose went down from 300 to 100 but KET went up to 15 and I'm not sure what that was initially. He is dehydrated. She is running the fructosamine test and I will have those results tomorrow. She thinks we can manage this with a change to his diet and more exercise. No insulin for now. She said he can come off the CD prescription and recommended ProPlan Weight Management dry food (he likes a bit of crunchy every now and then and Bloos sisters will not eat wet food). She also suggested Petcos brand of wet food of shredded chicken or turkey in broth. Otherwise, no signs of infection in bladder, white blood cell counts are good. This could all change tomorrow after the test results come in but by everything else, we are insulin free for now. Any thoughts on her recommendations? Oh and she said Fancy Feast is okay. She's not too worried about the crystals in the Urine since they haven't been a problem for a long while. Just protein him up and take away carbs and hopefully we will be good.
 
I would not listen to any of that advice :confused:

That level of ketones is considered above trace, and normally we'd be sending you to the vet for that. So he is currently at serious risk of DKA, especially if another UTI crops up. That BG is FAR too high to go without insulin, and it's beyond just caused by stress. The change in diet really isn't even a change in carbs so isn't going to do much - if anything the wet food might.

The Young again brand, Dr Elsey's, and Wysong Epigen 90 are the only low carb dry foods.

Since he is throwing ketones he absolutely needs to be started on insulin ASAP. They also need to find the source of the ketones (infection, inflammation, etc). In the meantime I'll tag @Bron and Sheba (GA) to help with things you can do at home to keep ketones at bay
 
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I agree that advice to not start insulin is terrible!

If your kitty has ketones above trace, he needs to start on insulin NOW. And if he is dehydrated she needs to be giving him some fluids to correct the dehydration NOW.
Please get back to your vet immediately and tell her you need to start insulin straight away and ask for some IV or sub Q fluids to be administered.
I don’t know what the vet is thinking.
A diabetic cat that is showing ketones needs insulin to be started ASAP otherwise as @FrostD said, you are risking DKA.
In the meantime make sure your kitty is eating as much food as possible as food can help prevent ketones. Let him eat whatever he will eat at this point as food is very important . Also lots of fluids.

If your vet will not start insulin straight away I would go to the ER or another vet if it is normal business hours.
Please do not leave this until tomorrow thinking it will be OK
 
@Christine and Bloo
Please listen to Bron and Melissa
If the vet said he's dehydrated why didn't the vet give sub fluids?
I think you should set up your signature and our spreadsheet so you can enter your cats BG readings
To set up your signature which you will see is at the end of everyone's post in gray, click on your name up top and then tap on the word signature and add this information
  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • 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.

If you need help setting up the SS just ask ,we have a member that can do it for you in no time
Here is the link if you want to give it a go
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

Are you even home testing?
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
c2b8079a-b471-4fa6-ac36-9ac1c8d6dcca-jpeg.57072
fec17d29-5ab4-44a8-912b-3a91944c3954-jpeg.57073

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
You can also put a thin layer of vaseline on the ear ,to help the blood bead up
A video one of our members posted
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

I see you live in the US Go to Walmart or order on line
The Relion Premier Classic Glucose human meter our numbers are based on human meters
It's 9 dollars
17.88 for 100 test strips make sure you buy the ones for that meter
26 or 28 gauge lancets any brand to poke the ear
Cotton rounds
Testing your cat is the only way to keep him safe
I'm sorry but your vet has no clue about diabetes
 
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I appreciate everyone's input. I am going to try to attach a picture of the labs because I feel like I may have gotten something wrong. She did say ketones were up but I could be stating the number wrong. I've been with this vet for 30+ years now and I would pray that she wouldn't stear me wrong. She did say that she wants to wait for the fructosomine test to come back tomorrow morning before making the insulin decision. She isn't opposed to it but just wants to be sure there is no other underlying issue here. She did say he is sick. There is no doubt.

From my standpoint, I am terrified. He is acting like his normal self again after taking him off the CD dry and starting him on wet only. He isn't giving me any signs that he is uncomfortable or feeling ill. How he was acting this weekend was awful but I did what I could by reading up on what to feed him and I think that is helping and I also think the antibiotics that the emergency vet visit gave him are kicking in and doing something to help as well.

I do not doubt anything everyone is telling me. I can't even begin to thank you all for taking in a stranger and guiding me. I wish we could all meet in person and talk because i feel like words can seem argumentative or harsh in writing and I swear I am not trying to come off that way at all. I know most of you are seasoned FD moms and dads and know what you are talking about from experience.

I'm going to wait to see what the test results are in the AM. I will bring up all of your concerns to her and see how she responds. At this moment my baby Bloo is laying on my bed and chirping at me as I walk past him with big loving eyes and he is following me around.like my shadow and it makes me hopeful because he hasn't done that all weekend.
 
Is it possible to attach a picture? I don't really understand any of this yet and I feel if I share the labs it will be easier for all of us.
 
Christine the ketones are showing as 15 which is one above trace……sorry this shot off and posted. I’m going to add more to this post.
First I want to say, I am sure your vet is a very good vet, but a lot of very good vets do not know much about feline diabetes. It is not like dog diabetes.
The trouble with ketones is they can multiply very quickly in diabetic cats and lead to the deadly diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in a short period of time. I am saying do not wait too long because you might run into a lot of unnecessary trouble and expense.

***What you can do now for Bloo is make sure he is eating 1 and a half times as many calories as he normally eats. And mix some warm water…about a teaspoon into all the snacks you give him.
The reason I want you to do this is because ketones appear when there is not enough insulin and not enough food for the cat’s needs and then he starts to break down the Protein/ fats in his body to compensate and that causes ketones.
Then the electrolytes get out of kilter and then you are in real trouble. I don’t want to scare you but make you aware of what will happen.
So make sure he eats every couple of hours until you see the vet tomorrow. and encourage drinking water.
If he gets lethargic, refuses to eat, vomits, has diarrhoea, seems depressed, breathing fast or starts drinking excessively then I would take him to the ER because things will have got worse.

information about ketones and DKA
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...oacidosis-dka-and-blood-ketone-meters.135952/
 
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Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Christine the ketones are showing as 15 which is one above trace……sorry this shot off and posted. I’m going to add more to this post.
First I want to say, I am sure your vet is a very good vet, but a lot of very good vets do not know much about feline diabetes. It is not like dog diabetes.
The trouble with ketones is they can multiply very quickly in diabetic cats and lead to the deadly diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in a short period of time. I am saying do not wait too long because you might run into a lot of unnecessary trouble and expense.

***What you can do now for Bloo is make sure he is eating 1 and a half times as many calories as he normally eats. And mix some warm water…about a teaspoon into all the snacks you give him.
The reason I want you to do this is because ketones appear when there is not enough insulin and not enough food for the cat’s needs and then he starts to break down the Protein/ fats in his body to compensate and that causes ketones.
Then the electrolytes get out of kilter and then you are in real trouble. I don’t want to scare you but make you aware of what will happen.
So make sure he eats every couple of hours until you see the vet tomorrow. and encourage drinking water.
If he gets lethargic, refuses to eat, vomits, has diarrhoea, seems depressed, breathing fast or starts drinking excessively then I would take him to the ER because things will have got worse.

information about ketones and DKA
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...oacidosis-dka-and-blood-ketone-meters.135952/
Click to expand...
Thank you for the very clear info! I am happy to say that Bloo is LOVING the constant wet food diet as it was only given as a treat before. I have been feeding him can after can and he can't wait for it! So, I don't see any trouble in getting him to eat alot. I have also been putting water in all of it as he has always liked it soupy. I am keeping a very close eye on him and will be certain to rush him to the ER if God forbid needed.
 
Hi and welcome, I just wanted to chime in because my cat Hendrick went into DKA and needed to be hospitalized for two days ($4800) and almost died. All because he didn't get insulin in time. My vet had an appt setup for the following week to show me how to give the insulin and also to provide me with the actual insulin. That was 1 week too long and Hendrick went downhill so fast, within about 48 hours he was not eating and just sitting by the water dish kind of zoning out. He would take a few drinks now and then, sit back and wobble back and forth just a tiny bit. Ugh I can't even type it out, brings it all back so clear in my mind.

My vet also did not even raise the possibility of DKA or give me any instructions on how to keep ketones down as you have read here, above (150% of normal calories, extra water, insulin insulin INSULIN)


I am glad to hear your Bloo seems to be taking to the wet food. The dry food suggested by your vet is a terrible idea, agreed with others.

The folks giving you advice in this thread such as Bron, Diane, Melissa (FrostD) and Suzanne are amazing and they saved me and Hendrick. Literally angels walking this Earth, giving their time and energy to help strangers and their kitties. You are in good hands.

Lastly -- Bloo is soooooooooooooooo adorable omg!!! More pics please!! :D :D :D

:woot:
 
lol, I had no idea. I had to google. I have no offspring, just wasn't in the cards for my wife and I --- so I am not familiar with many children's shows.

thankfully we have six cats to keep us busy!
 
I have a brand new teenager on my hands (he turned 13 in November) and I have to say, I think I like the cats alot better. Lol! My first son was a beautiful fur boy named Beast. My heart has never recovered from his loss and its been 16 years since he crossed the rainbow. Bloo is so similar to Beast and I am not ready to let him go so I will fight whatever it is he has going on with all my might.

Your baby in the picture is so precious! I love Siamese cats and their adorable pampered faces.
 
FrostD said:
Hmm. She didnt say anything about the proteinuria or the blood in the urine?
Click to expand...
The blood in the urine could be from the extraction as they used a needle to get the sample. That's what it's from 99.9% of the time. Fructosamine level came back as 419. I asked about the ketones and she said he is high but the glucose went down and she believes as long as I feed him as much protein as I can and low to no carbs, he should be okay and we will test again in 2 weeks. I will be picking up sub fluids today to administer myself as I have experience. Bloo is acting much much better today and even woke me up at 6am for food and pets. I put out 2 cans for him overnight and he decided he was done with those flavors and wanted new choices. I will have an eye on him at all times. My son is home and checks on him constantly and when I get home, Bloo is my shadow and is always next to me.

If anyone can give me ideas for really good high protein low carb canned food that picky eaters like, I would appreciate it. I need dry food for his sister's and as long as Bloo is eating wet food, he really doesn't touch the dry. I need affordable options as well because we are struggling and the vet bills took everything extra we had. I like the lists posted but the are overwhelming. Suggestions welcome!
 
So we started insulin today. I thought we were doing well with the food switch to wet and a no grain, high protein dry. He has been acting like his old self and I was positive we halted the diabetes but his blood work came back bad today and he is high in both glucose and fructosamine levels. Starting him at 1 unit and taking him back in 2 weeks to be checked. She thinks he will need to be on 2 to 3 units over time. First shot was given tonight without a hitch so I guess the rest is wait and see. I picked Wellness Core for dry food. Seems like a winner for the other cats who have to eat it and Bloo just nibbles on it for a snack between his cans. I am still floored by this diagnosis and it seems to be an epidemic since this is the 4th animal in my entire family to have diabetes.
 
Sorry about the results! Did they check ketones again? That's my main concern right now.

The wellness core dry will be too high in carbs for a diabetic. Any chance you could do a low carb kibble like Dr Elsey's, Young Again, or Wysong Epigen 90? You would want to be home testing before changing diet again though.

What insulin?
 
Well I was in Petco for an hour looking at every kind of food. This one says it is no grain. What should I be looking at to see if it's high in carbs? I couldn't find the brands you mentioned in my store. I also don't want to feed him any food with potato or things that cats don't eat in the wild like pumpkin.

Insulin is Novolin. Now I know you all say not to use it. I did not know she was giving me this brand. I don't even remember what she said to me. I was in shock that his numbers were worse than last time and this is added on top of troubles I have going on at home. I just shut down. Is it okay for him to be on this insulin until I can get back for his follow up in 2 weeks? I don't have much money and I think that's why she gave me this brand as it was only $23.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
If he needs insulin, I hope the vet will give you an insulin such as Lantus. Don’t let the vet start him on vetsulin to Novolin N …..both are not suitable for cats.
Please let us know how you get on at the vet. Remember you are your kitty’s advocate and you are paying the vet ….so you get to decide.
Click to expand...


Christine and Bloo said:
Insulin is Novolin. Now I know you all say not to use it. I did not know she was giving me this brand. I don't even remember what she said to me. I was in shock that his numbers were worse than last time and this is added on top of troubles I have going on at home. I just shut down. Is it okay for him to be on this insulin until I can get back for his follow up in 2 weeks? I don't have much money and I think that's why she gave me this brand as it was only $23.
Click to expand...

@Bron and Sheba (GA)
 
Please listen to Bron and Melissa
If the vet said he's dehydrated why didn't the vet give sub fluids?
I think you should set up your signature and our spreadsheet so you can enter your cats BG readings
To set up your signature which you will see is at the end of everyone's post in gray, click on your name up top and then tap on the word signature and add this information
  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • 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.

If you need help setting up the SS just ask ,we have a member that can do it for you in no time
Here is the link if you want to give it a go
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/


Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
c2b8079a-b471-4fa6-ac36-9ac1c8d6dcca-jpeg.57072
fec17d29-5ab4-44a8-912b-3a91944c3954-jpeg.57073

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
You can also put a thin layer of vaseline on the ear ,to help the blood bead up
A video one of our members posted
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

I see you live in the US Go to Walmart or order on line
The Relion Premier Classic Glucose human meter our numbers are based on human meters
It's 9 dollars
17.88 for 100 test strips make sure you buy the ones for that meter
26 or 28 gauge lancets any brand to poke the ear
Cotton rounds
Testing your cat is the only way to keep him safe especially since you are using Novolin


Here is the BEGINNERS GUIDE TO NOVOLIN
This is part of what it says With an insulin with an early onset, it is important that your cat has eaten before you give a shot. Generally, you want to feed your cat and give a shot an hour after your cat has eaten. The order for this process is:
(1) test, (2) feed, (3) wait 60 min, (4) shoot
 
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FrostD said:
Sorry about the results! Did they check ketones again? That's my main concern right now.

The wellness core dry will be too high in carbs for a diabetic. Any chance you could do a low carb kibble like Dr Elsey's, Young Again, or Wysong Epigen 90? You would want to be home testing before changing diet again though.

What insulin?
Click to expand...
They could not check his ketones. Unfortunately Bloo has had enough of the vets office and he was out of control yesterday. He almost attacked me 3 times. They tried to squeeze his pee out and to take it out by needle but he was not having it. I think the people in the neighborhood heard him screaming. I'm so frustrated with this whole process. I don't know how we are going to get this straight if he doesn't cooperate. Sedatives don't work unless he is completely sedated. He's a sweet heart at home so if only vets in my area did house calls.
 
See if you can afford
Check this out also
https://www.goodrx.com/insulin-glargine?dosage=five-3ml-prefilled-pens-of-100-units-ml&form=carton&label_override=insulin glargine&quantity=1
The 5 pens will last about a year
Its generic lantus

Or this one
https://www.goodrx.com/insulin-glargine?dosage=five-3ml-prefilled-pens-of-100-units-ml&form=carton&label_override=insulin glargine&quantity=1

Or this one also

I see some members will call CVS, Rite Aid, Costco, Walgreen's, to get the price for 5 pens

You will need U-100 syringes with half unit markings for lantus , just insert the syringe into the pen and draw out the insulin.
13.47 for a box of 100 Here is the link to buy them from
If they say you need a script from you vet they will call the vet to fax it over 'ask for refills and give your vets office a heads up . I know that some member didn't need a script at all ,I did I live in N.J. So I guess it depends on where you live

https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/1316/surecomfort-u100-syringes-half-unit-31g-3-10cc-5-16in-100ct



We use the pens just like a vial , just stick the syringe in the gray rubber stopper and draw out your insulin
Just take the cap off the pen and use a U100 syringes and pull the insulin out of the pen!
syringe-in-pen-pic-jpg.45006


Posted by another member
One members posted this
. I paid $175 for a box of 5 pens at Walmart pharmacy, but GoodRX coupon says you can get it for around $90 if you have a Rite Aid pharmacy near you.

The reason we don't use the needles that would go in the pens is because you can only dial the pens by whole units
With the U-100 syringes with half unit markings we can adjust by 0.25 units at a time
 
Christine and Bloo said:
They could not check his ketones. Unfortunately Bloo has had enough of the vets office and he was out of control yesterday. He almost attacked me 3 times. They tried to squeeze his pee out and to take it out by needle but he was not having it. I think the people in the neighborhood heard him screaming. I'm so frustrated with this whole process. I don't know how we are going to get this straight if he doesn't cooperate. Sedatives don't work unless he is completely sedated. He's a sweet heart at home so if only vets in my area did house calls.
Click to expand...
I’m sorry, sounds like a rough go.

Getting him onto the wet low carb/phos is a good start.

Learning how to home test is your super power! Testing will tell you so much about what’s happen on that dose.

Novolin, is a very fast acting insulin, so you want to be sure you’re able to test to catch that drop so if you need to you can intervene. If you can move to one of the long acting insulins like Glargine or prozinc, that would be best as sticks around for the durations of the cycle (I know you’re looking into this)

For ketones, you can pick up ketostix from any human pharmacy, they’re about $10 usually. You’ll just have to follow him around until he pees - I personally would just stick the strip under him while he was going. Some use litter specially made that pools the urine, some use a ladle or plastic wrap to catch it. The most important things so that you get the timing right when using the strip - so check the instructions before using. The strip will continue to change as it goes over the specific time so we don’t want to worry for nothing.
 
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