New Member 08/03/23

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Tedsmom

Tedsmom

Member Since 2023
Hi My cat Ted was diagnosed with diabetes June 29th. We brought him into the hospital because he started walking really weird. His back legs were sliding out from under him and that’s when we found out he had diabetes. He was put on 1 unit of glargine 2 times a day. I’ve been getting help from the Facebook feline diabetes support group since the start and they have me doing .75 now. I’m going against our vet who wanted me to raise his dose to 2 units. I’m scared to go against the vet but I’m understanding they don’t always make the correct calls when it comes to feline diabetes. Ted is 11 years old and is otherwise in good health. Except for his neuropathy. I’ve been giving him zoberline but so far it hasn’t helped. I’m new to message boards and it all seems so confusing to me. Hopefully it won’t take long to get the hang of it. My Ted is such a sweet boy and I hope I can help him to get better!
 
Hi and welcome to you and Ted.
Did you get a spreadsheet set up while you were on the fb page?
If not it would be a good idea to get one set up because then we can help you with dosing.
Also your signature
You will find the instructions how to do that in this link HELP US HELP YOU
Don’t be scared going against what the vet said. They have many animals and diseases to get their heads around and feline diabetes is not one of the things a lot of vets know much about.
The neuropathy will start to get better once the BGs come down to more normal numbers. My cat Sheba had it badly and it took about 6 months for it to get better. I gave her Zobaline as well.
Can you tell us what type of meter you are using?
And what food are you feeding?
Are you giving snacks during the cycles as well as the 2 main meals?
Ask lots of questions, we are happy to help.:)
 
Hi and welcome to the group! Yes, message boards can be quite weird and confusing when you are new! It's ok, we were all new once.

I highly suggest you get started testing your cat at home by getting a blood drop from an ear or paw so you know it is safe to administer insulin. When my boy Hendrick was diagnosed I thought this was a crazy idea, I never heard of it my entire life from anyone who had cats. I was certain it was not going to be possible to get a blood drop from my cat ever, let alone multiple times a day!! And it was tricky for me to learn how at first, took me a few weeks to get the hang of it but eventually it became very routine and it did not bother my boy one bit! He would actually go sit in the designated spot on the bed and hope it was test time. Cats can be conditioned with delicious treats, it turns out. He loves his freeze-dried turkey treats!

I know the learning curve is steep, not only are you trying to figure out this message board nonsense, but also how to help your kitty. Take it slow, take deep breaths, and give yourself a break now and then. We are here to help every step of the way.
 
Last edited:
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Hi and welcome to you and Ted.
Did you get a spreadsheet set up while you were on the fb page?
If not it would be a good idea to get one set up because then we can help you with dosing.
Also your signature
You will find the instructions how to do that in this link HELP US HELP YOU
Don’t be scared going against what the vet said. They have many animals and diseases to get their heads around and feline diabetes is not one of the things a lot of vets know much about.
The neuropathy will start to get better once the BGs come down to more normal numbers. My cat Sheba had it badly and it took about 6 months for it to get better. I gave her Zobaline as well.
Can you tell us what type of meter you are using?
And what food are you feeding?
Are you giving snacks during the cycles as well as the 2 main meals?
Ask lots of questions, we are happy to help.:)
Click to expand...
Hi. Thank you for welcoming me and my Ted! I do have a spread sheet set up on the Facebook group. I tried to set one up here but couldn’t figure it out. I was able to get the SS but the next step said to click on file at the top left and I don’t see that on my SS. Am I able to set it up with my apple phone or do I need a computer?
I did fill out some things on the signature and will finish tonight. I’m using the Reli On meter. My cat has been eating Fancy feast classic pate. Usually 1 can for breakfast or a little less and one can for dinner. During the day I’ve been feeding him when he’s hungry sometimes a whole can or 3/4 of a can through out the day. The FB group said that was too much so I started just giving him 1/2. - 3/4 a can just at lunch time plus his breakfast and dinner. I give treats after his ear pricks. Fancy feast savory treats or pure bites freeze dry treats. I’m glad to hear the Zobaline helped your kitty. It’s so heartbreaking seeing them struggle to walk. My cat has been laying down to pee, poop, eat and drink. I feel so bad for him. He’s so sweet and is always purring though! I’m sure I’ll have a lot of questions!
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
Hi and welcome to the group! Yes, message boards can be quite weird and confusing when you are new! It's ok, we were all new once.

I highly suggest you get started testing your cat at home by getting a blood drop from an ear or paw so you know it is safe to administer insulin. When my boy Hendrick was diagnosed I thought this was a crazy idea, I never heard of it my entire life from anyone who had cats. I was certain it was not going to be possible to get a blood drop from my cat ever, let alone multiple times a day!! And it was tricky for me to learn how at first, took me a few weeks to get the hang of it but eventually it became very routine and it did not bother my boy one bit! He would actually go sit in the designated spot on the bed and hope it was test time. Cats can be conditioned with delicious treats, it turns out. He loves his freeze-dried turkey treats!

I know the learning curve is steep, not only are you trying to figure out this message board nonsense, but also how to help you kitty. Take it slow, take deep breaths, and give yourself a break now and then. We are here to help every step of the way.
Click to expand...

Hi Thank you for welcoming me! I’m taking my time trying to figure out the message boards. There’s lot of info for sure! I have been testing my cat for about a month. I have a SS set up on the Facebook group and I’m trying to figure out how to do it here. I never thought my cat would get used to the ear pricks but you are right cats can be conditioned with treats! My cat hears me start getting the testing stuff ready and he comes right over! It’s amazing! I do feel bad though because he has little cuts around his ears. There is so much to learn and all the numbers and what they mean are still so confusing to me. Im hoping in time it will just click. I definitely need to remember to take it slow and I’m glad to be part of this group!
 
Tedsmom said:
I tried to set one up here but couldn’t figure it out. I was able to get the SS but the next step said to click on file at the top left and I don’t see that on my SS. Am I able to set it up with my apple phone or do I need a computer?
Click to expand...
I am going to ask @Bandit's Mom to help you with the SS. She will contact you.
We are here whenever you need us.
 
Welcome to the Board!

Most of us have experienced having to push back with a vet. One thing than may influence the vet's recommendations as to dose is that Ted's blood glucose (BG) levels may have been much higher at the vet's office than what you see at home. That's a pretty typical situation. Between the travel to the vet's office and the additional stress of being in a place that is noisy, smells weird (especially if there are dogs there) and strangers handling your cat, there's a good chance Ted's BG numbers skyrocket. As a result, the vet will suggest a big jump in dose. The problem is that Ted's numbers may be much less at home. If you were to follow the vet's suggestion, you could inadvertently overdose your cat.

The other issue is that we encourage a systematic increase is dose. We suggest that in most cases, doses are changed by 0.25u. It's a means of making sure you don't fly past what may be a very good dose for your cat. There may be instances when a larger increase or decrease is warranted but in general, we suggest a dose increase/decrease of 0.25u. If you decide to follow Tight Regulation with Lantus/glargine, we can share the journal article that supports the dosing strategy and you can share it with your vet.
 
Hi @Tedsmom! Welcome to ro FDMB :-) I can help set up your spreadsheet and signature.

Tedsmom said:
I do have a spread sheet set up on the Facebook group. I tried to set one up here but couldn’t figure it out. I was able to get the SS but the next step said to click on file at the top left and I don’t see that on my SS. Am I able to set it up with my apple phone or do I need a computer?
Click to expand...
Is this the FB group associated with FDMB? Could you share the link of the SS set up by the group?
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Welcome to the Board!

Most of us have experienced having to push back with a vet. One thing than may influence the vet's recommendations as to dose is that Ted's blood glucose (BG) levels may have been much higher at the vet's office than what you see at home. That's a pretty typical situation. Between the travel to the vet's office and the additional stress of being in a place that is noisy, smells weird (especially if there are dogs there) and strangers handling your cat, there's a good chance Ted's BG numbers skyrocket. As a result, the vet will suggest a big jump in dose. The problem is that Ted's numbers may be much less at home. If you were to follow the vet's suggestion, you could inadvertently overdose your cat.

The other issue is that we encourage a systematic increase is dose. We suggest that in most cases, doses are changed by 0.25u. It's a means of making sure you don't fly past what may be a very good dose for your cat. There may be instances when a larger increase or decrease is warranted but in general, we suggest a dose increase/decrease of 0.25u. If you decide to follow Tight Regulation with Lantus/glargine, we can share the journal article that supports the dosing strategy and you can share it with your vet.
Click to expand...

Hi. My vet is ok with me testing at home and sending in the numbers and curves which is good. My issue was that last time I sent my numbers in to them they told me to increase to 2 units ( I was at 1unit). But at the same time the Feline diabetes Facebook support group I’m in told me to decrease to .75. I was so confused about not knowing which was the right thing to do. Im SO scared to do the wrong thing! I trusted the group more but my husband is saying I should listen to the dr. It’s all just so stressful and confusing. Anyway I told the vet I didn’t feel comfortable going up that high and I told them what the group was saying. So the vet said let’s compromise and leave it at 1 unit for now. I panicked and i have been doing the .75 but in a week I need to give the vet another curve and they think I stayed at 1 unit. It’s just so overwhelming.
What is the alternative to following a tight regulation with the insulin? Is that what most people do? I just want to do whatever’s best for my cat. Could you please share the article with me. Thank you!
 
Tedsmom said:
Hi. Thank you for trying to help me. This is my SS from the feline diabetes support group page. I’m not sure if it’s associated with the message boards.
Click to expand...
The FB group associated with us is a different one. Not the FDSG. The FDSG SS format crashes when opened on some phones and tablets.

It's good that you didn't increase to 2U as per your vet's advice. Dose increases by whole units is too much for a cat. We use syringes to give insulin so we are able to make dose changes by 0.25U at a time. I'm sure that if your vet sees that Ted dropped to 90 on 0.75U, s/he will be okay with 0.75U.

There are 2 dosing methods we follow here:
Dosing Methods: Start Low, Go Slow (SLGS) & Tight Regulation (TR)

SLGS: You hold a dose for 7 days (unless a reduction is earned). You decrease the dose when the BG falls below 90 mg/dl. The aim of this protocol is to keep the cat in the 90-150 range. This is more suited for caregivers who can't test as much as TR requires. You do a weekly curve with SLGS but it's also recommended that you get in as many spot checks as you can.

TR is a more aggressive protocol with increases as often as every 3-5 days. Reductions are earned when the BG falls below 50 mg/dl (on a human meter). The aim is to keep the cat in the range of 50-100 (which is the normal BG range for cats). To follow TR, you would need to get at least one more test per cycle in addition to the pre-shot one i.e. 2 tests per cycle or 4 tests per day. You would also need to be feeding only LC canned food and no dry food.

 
Bhooma gave you the link to the information on dosing strategies that we use. I'd add a bit to her comments. With either method, you need to test a minimum of 4 times a day -- at your pre-shot times and at least once during each cycle. Many of us who follow(ed) TR test a lot more. In my case, I tested a lot because I had a cat who was prone to large, fast drops early in the cycle and because I like having data. It was a personal choice. There are also members who use SLGS who test a great deal. And these days, with the continuous glucose monitors like the Libre, people will post data from a 24 hour period since the monitor records the information automatically. (There are trade offs with using the Libre or other similar monitors.)

I would encourage you to get your spreadsheet set up and linked to your signature. We are really not able to offer much guidance without the results of your testing. Just like we discourage shooting blind, we discourage giving feedback without seeing the data. I can open your spreadsheet but honestly, I don't know what criteria the FDSG uses for dosing. Bhooma can help you if you need a hand with using our spreadsheet. This is the link to our post on helping us to help you which includes spreadsheet and signature instructions.

I suspect that there are many people here who empathize with you when it comes to whether or not to listen to your vet. There are absolutely any number of topics where a vet is more knowledgeable than we are. Feline diabetes may not be one of those topics. This message board has been around for 25+ years. We have an admirable record of getting diabetic cats into remission and for keeping cats safe. We do our best to stay on top of the literature -- several of us have access to veterinary and medical libraries. The primary difference is that all we focus on is feline diabetes. Vets have to treat a wide range of conditions and in many cases, treat those conditions across a variety of species. As an example, the Tight Regulation Protocol, which is the published method for treating feline diabetes with Lantus (and Levemir), specifies that dose changes (in most cases) are done in 0.25u increments.

The good news is that your vet didn't yell at you for listening to a bunch of "crazy cat ladies."
 
Bandit's Mom said:
The FB group associated with us is a different one. Not the FDSG. The FDSG SS format crashes when opened on some phones and tablets.

It's good that you didn't increase to 2U as per your vet's advice. Dose increases by whole units is too much for a cat. We use syringes to give insulin so we are able to make dose changes by 0.25U at a time. I'm sure that if your vet sees that Ted dropped to 90 on 0.75U, s/he will be okay with 0.75U.

There are 2 dosing methods we follow here:
Dosing Methods: Start Low, Go Slow (SLGS) & Tight Regulation (TR)

SLGS: You hold a dose for 7 days (unless a reduction is earned). You decrease the dose when the BG falls below 90 mg/dl. The aim of this protocol is to keep the cat in the 90-150 range. This is more suited for caregivers who can't test as much as TR requires. You do a weekly curve with SLGS but it's also recommended that you get in as many spot checks as you can.

TR is a more aggressive protocol with increases as often as every 3-5 days. Reductions are earned when the BG falls below 50 mg/dl (on a human meter). The aim is to keep the cat in the range of 50-100 (which is the normal BG range for cats). To follow TR, you would need to get at least one more test per cycle in addition to the pre-shot one i.e. 2 tests per cycle or 4 tests per day. You would also need to be feeding only LC canned food and no dry food.
Click to expand...
Hi. So are you saying I should not try to do the SS from my phone? If yes I will have to find a time to use my daughters laptop. Then I would just switch over all the info from my FB SS to the new one. Is that correct? What Facebook group is the message boards associated with?
I have been using syringes too. I bought a caliper but haven’t tried it yet because it’s a little intimidating. I have just been eye balling the .75 which is kind of hard because it only has 1/2 marks. I still don’t understand anything about the dosing so I’m just blindly trusting what people are telling me. I’m trying to figure it out but having a hard time.
I work from home so am able to test anytime so maybe the TR would be good for me to do or do you think it’s too aggressive because I’m a beginner?
I am only feeding low cal wet food for the meals but I do give freeze dry treats and FF savory bites treats after ear pricks. Is this ok?
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Welcome to the Board!

Most of us have experienced having to push back with a vet. One thing than may influence the vet's recommendations as to dose is that Ted's blood glucose (BG) levels may have been much higher at the vet's office than what you see at home. That's a pretty typical situation. Between the travel to the vet's office and the additional stress of being in a place that is noisy, smells weird (especially if there are dogs there) and strangers handling your cat, there's a good chance Ted's BG numbers skyrocket. As a result, the vet will suggest a big jump in dose. The problem is that Ted's numbers may be much less at home. If you were to follow the vet's suggestion, you could inadvertently overdose your cat.

The other issue is that we encourage a systematic increase is dose. We suggest that in most cases, doses are changed by 0.25u. It's a means of making sure you don't fly past what may be a very good dose for your cat. There may be instances when a larger increase or decrease is warranted but in general, we suggest a dose increase/decrease of 0.25u. If you decide to follow Tight Regulation with Lantus/glargine, we can share the journal article that supports the dosing strategy and you can share it with your vet.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply. I do think that’s what happened because his number was the highest the one time they did it at their hospital. My cat definitely was stressed. He hates the car! I work from home and can test anytime so I think I will be able to try the TR method. Where can I find the article? Actually I think someone might have already shared it so I’ll look back in all the posts. Thank you!
 
Hi I don’t see that Bhooma left me a post. Is it someplace else and not in this thread? I’m sorry I have never been on message boards before and it’s a bit overwhelming and confusing to me. I personally like to test a lot too. My vet had told me the more numbers I can get the better it is so I’m fine with that. I like having the data too. Is it ok to give treats after each test? If I text a lot that’s a lot of treats.
Im trying to figure out how to do the SS. Bandits mom is trying to help me. I think she said I need to do it from a computer not my phone. If that’s the case I need my daughters help and laptop.
About the vet.. I’m hearing more and more people saying what you are saying and it makes sense. I think if I could share that article with her it will be helpful. I think the only reason she didn’t yell at me was because I was crying in her office telling her how scared I was to do the wrong thing and that I was torn between mixed advice. I looked like a “ crazy cat lady” for sure lol!


Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Bhooma gave you the link to the information on dosing strategies that we use. I'd add a bit to her comments. With either method, you need to test a minimum of 4 times a day -- at your pre-shot times and at least once during each cycle. Many of us who follow(ed) TR test a lot more. In my case, I tested a lot because I had a cat who was prone to large, fast drops early in the cycle and because I like having data. It was a personal choice. There are also members who use SLGS who test a great deal. And these days, with the continuous glucose monitors like the Libre, people will post data from a 24 hour period since the monitor records the information automatically. (There are trade offs with using the Libre or other similar monitors.)

I would encourage you to get your spreadsheet set up and linked to your signature. We are really not able to offer much guidance without the results of your testing. Just like we discourage shooting blind, we discourage giving feedback without seeing the data. I can open your spreadsheet but honestly, I don't know what criteria the FDSG uses for dosing. Bhooma can help you if you need a hand with using our spreadsheet. This is the link to our post on helping us to help you which includes spreadsheet and signature instructions.

I suspect that there are many people here who empathize with you when it comes to whether or not to listen to your vet. There are absolutely any number of topics where a vet is more knowledgeable than we are. Feline diabetes may not be one of those topics. This message board has been around for 25+ years. We have an admirable record of getting diabetic cats into remission and for keeping cats safe. We do our best to stay on top of the literature -- several of us have access to veterinary and medical libraries. The primary difference is that all we focus on is feline diabetes. Vets have to treat a wide range of conditions and in many cases, treat those conditions across a variety of species. As an example, the Tight Regulation Protocol, which is the published method for treating feline diabetes with Lantus (and Levemir), specifies that dose changes (in most cases) are done in 0.25u increments.

The good news is that your vet didn't yell at you for listening to a bunch of "crazy cat ladies."
Click to expand...
 
Tedsmom said:
Hi. So are you saying I should not try to do the SS from my phone? If yes I will have to find a time to use my daughters laptop. Then I would just switch over all the info from my FB SS to the new one. Is that correct?
Click to expand...
The SS crashing on phones could be a problem for members who are accessing it on their phones/tablets when responding to your posts. If you are okay with it, I can convert it to our format and copy the data into the new format.

Tedsmom said:
What Facebook group is the message boards associated with?
Click to expand...
This is the FB group associated with FDMB:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/felinediabetes

Tedsmom said:
I have just been eye balling the .75 which is kind of hard because it only has 1/2 marks.
Click to expand...
Yes. Syringes do not come with 0.25U marks. So we use the ones that come with 0.5U marks and try to eyeball doses in between (0.25U, 0.75U etc)

Tedsmom said:
I work from home so am able to test anytime so maybe the TR would be good for me to do or do you think it’s too aggressive because I’m a beginner?
I am only feeding low cal wet food for the meals but I do give freeze dry treats and FF savory bites treats after ear pricks. Is this ok?
Click to expand...
If you can test and are feeding only feeding LC wet, you can follow TR - right from the beginning. Freeze dried treats are okay but I'm not sure if FF Savory bites are low carb - I'm not from the US. They could be...

Tedsmom said:
Hi I don’t see that Bhooma left me a post. Is it someplace else and not in this thread? I’m sorry I have never been on message boards before and it’s a bit overwhelming and confusing to me. I personally like to test a lot too. My vet had told me the more numbers I can get the better it is so I’m fine with that. I like having the data too. Is it ok to give treats after each test? If I text a lot that’s a lot of treats.
Click to expand...
Sorry for the confusion. Bandit's mom is my FDMB "avatar"/login name and Bhooma is my real name. :-)
Here is the link to the dosing methods:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...-low-go-slow-slgs-tight-regulation-tr.210110/

It's fine to bribe Ted with treats before and after tests - as long as they are low carb!
 
Bandit's Mom said:
The SS crashing on phones could be a problem for members who are accessing it on their phones/tablets when responding to your posts. If you are okay with it, I can convert it to our format and copy the data into the new format.

ohhh ok! Hi Bhooma!! See message boards are all so confusing to me. Will I get the same help if I join the FB group associated with this group? I’m much better at FB. Yes that would be very helpful if you could convert my sheet for me. Then would it just be in the same spot it was before? If no.. how do I get to it? Thank you for your help!

This is the FB group associated with FDMB:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/felinediabetes


Yes. Syringes do not come with 0.25U marks. So we use the ones that come with 0.5U marks and try to eyeball doses in between (0.25U, 0.75U etc)


If you can test and are feeding only feeding LC wet, you can follow TR - right from the beginning. Freeze dried treats are okay but I'm not sure if FF Savory bites are low carb - I'm not from the US. They could be...


Sorry for the confusion. Bandit's mom is my FDMB "avatar"/login name and Bhooma is my real name. :)
Here is the link to the dosing methods:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...-low-go-slow-slgs-tight-regulation-tr.210110/

It's fine to bribe Ted with treats before and after tests - as long as they are low carb!
Click to expand...
 
There is an internal communication system within this site. In the top right corner of the page (the lower of the 2 navy blue lines) are 3 links. One has your name (it will pull up your profile), the second is labeled Inbox and the third is Alerts. The latter two will show a number if someone has sent you a message. The Alerts tells you if someone has tagged you and if you click on the item, it takes you to the information where you were tagged. The Inbox is the equivalent of our internal email system. It allows you to have a private conversation with someone.

I suspect you've figured this out since you've been tagging people
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
There is an internal communication system within this site. In the top right corner of the page (the lower of the 2 navy blue lines) are 3 links. One has your name (it will pull up your profile), the second is labeled Inbox and the third is Alerts. The latter two will show a number if someone has sent you a message. The Alerts tells you if someone has tagged you and if you click on the item, it takes you to the information where you were tagged. The Inbox is the equivalent of our internal email system. It allows you to have a private conversation with someone.

I suspect you've figured this out since you've been tagging people
Click to expand...

I did see my profile and the alerts. That’s where i would check to see if someone replied to me. I got an email a few times too saying someone replied to me. I didn’t know that meant you could talk privately. Also sorry probably a really stupid question but is tagging someone just replying to them. I just hit reply when I I’m getting back to someone so if that’s not a tag then I don’t know how I tagged someone.
 
You can "reply" as you've been doing or you can use the "@" -- you type @and then the user name. So to tag me, you would type @Sienne and Gabby (GA). As you start typing, the system will pull up the possible members and you can select. It's helpful to know how to tag multiple people if you have a question.
 
Tedsmom said:
Yes that would be very helpful if you could convert my sheet for me. Then would it just be in the same spot it was before? If no.. how do I get to it? Thank you for your help!
Click to expand...
Hi Lori, I have converted Ted's SS to our format. You will find it at the same location as before. Let me know if you face any issues with it :-)
 
@Bandit's Mom Thank you so much! It looks great. Should I be continuing with the .75 dose for Ted? I will be able to do the TR method. How I was taught in my other FB group was to test at 6:30an then feed at 6:50 and shoot at 7:00. Is this the preferred method here too?
 
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