New Member, Bit Overwhelmed (To say the least)

[KenzieSharp]

Hi everyone!

My baby Mr Nub (depicted below (grey) on the windowsill) was diagnosed with diabetes three weeks ago. He has been on insulin since, though he still seems rather unwell at times, so much so that I recently visited the ER (03/02/24). I am deeply deeply hoping for remission, as I am for all of your special friends mentioned in the chat.

I am looking for emotional support and guidance as to how to maintain a healthy relationship with Mr. Nub as we go through this process. Important to mention is that he was a previous asthmatic (which is now controlled without steroids) and during his treatment regimen he became so ill that he required oral steroids as well as an inhaler. Because of his deep distaste for oral steroids, our relationship deteriorated, he became depressed and untrusting of me. This lasted for over a year. I don't feel as though our bond was ever fully restored following this, though I love him more than words can possibly describe.

As I look to the future, it would seem that I have a lot of opportunity for this distrust to recur. Despite his tolerance of the insulin injections, I fear performing his glucose testing, as I know this requires me to draw blood via the AlphaTracker. Can someone please let me know if this is likely to bother him, and how they mitigate their pets dislike for this process? I just want him to be happy over everything, I owe him so much and would do anything to make him better.

My thoughts and prayers are with all of you,
Kenzie

 

[squeem3]

Welcome You've come to the right place

Aim for well regulated blood glucose levels first. That's an easy enough goal but may take some time and patience. Some cats don't ever reach remission even with diet and insulin and that's ok. It's just how the cat is even if you're doing everything right Just my two cents which some may disagree.

Some people feel that treating their cats diabetes have actually improved their relationship. There may be some initial hiding from being poked and prodded but cats eventually learn to at least tolerate it as long as they get a yummy treat.

To get blood for testing, you just poke the edge of the ear to get a small drop of blood. The meter comes with a lancet device with lancets. You can use that or freehand the lancet. Find what works for you. Warming the cat's ear first helps to get the blood flowing. Follow up every poke and test with a yummy low carb treat.

Many of the insulin tips and suggestions here on FDMB are based on Human blood glucose meters. There's nothing wrong with a pet meter like Alpha Track other than the expensive price of the test strips which you can't buy in stores.

Read through the general Health topic links here while you wait for more responses and : https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/health-links-faqs-about-feline-diabetes.14/ There's a thread with tons of hometesting tips and videos which you may find helpful and reassuring.

What insulin is your cat on and the dose? What food are you feeding?

 

[KenzieSharp]

Thank you for your kind response

He is getting 2 units of Prozinc, and he is getting canned food (Kirkland Chunks, as well as Fancy Feast Classic Patte). At the current moment, there is also dry food out because I am still brainstorming how to remove that option from them. I have read up on the dangers of dry food so my goal is to have that removed within the week. I also have two cats so with the automatic feeders, I worry that one of them would end up eating most of the food before the other arrived We are visiting our vet today, which is lucky because Mr. Nub spent the night throwing up again. This is the third time in a week this has happened, so we are looking for further counsel and a referral to an internist.

I should also mention, that shortly after posting this I did try to perform the glucose testing. I got nowhere, because as soon as I pricked his ear he cried out and looked at me with betrayal so I quickly gave up. I know this is not sustainable and I will have to find a way to test him. I will try again today.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

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

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 10 or 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with
Here is a video one of our members made testing her kitty
She's using a pet meter that has to be coded ,with a human meter you don't have to code it.

I have always used a human meter that's what our numbers are based on anyway. At least if you use a human meter you can always run to the store and pick up more test strips. They are way more cheaper than the Alpha Trak test strips . Just keep asking questions
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

More tips on testing
The hometesting tips and videos are here:https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Welcome Kenzie and Mr Nub
You couldn't have found a better group to join. It does get easier
Tap in this blue link and give us some information about Mr Nub
Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help
It will also explain how to set up our spreadsheet and how it works, if you need help setting it up just ask
The pic if your 2 kitties are adorable
Keep asking questions

Let us know how the vet visit goes today

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB!

If you are concerned about manual glucose testing, there are now continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) such as the Freestyle Libre that have a sensor that is attached to your cat (note I said attached, not glued) and you can get readings via an app on your phone. No poking involved! The sensors are supposed to last for 2 weeks. There is a Facebook group (Freestyle Libre for Cats and Dogs) that has a great deal of information. There are also quite a few members here who use the Libre system. Your vet may or may not know about using this method for glucose testing.

While most of our cats are not huge fans of needle sticks, they do seem to learn that despite the use of sharp objects, they start to feel better. Providing treats after every poke may help your cat to associate the poke with something yummy.

 

[squeem3]

Thank you for your kind response

He is getting 2 units of Prozinc, and he is getting canned food (Kirkland Chunks, as well as Fancy Feast Classic Patte). At the current moment, there is also dry food out because I am still brainstorming how to remove that option from them. I have read up on the dangers of dry food so my goal is to have that removed within the week. I also have two cats so with the automatic feeders, I worry that one of them would end up eating most of the food before the other arrived We are visiting our vet today, which is lucky because Mr. Nub spent the night throwing up again. This is the third time in a week this has happened, so we are looking for further counsel and a referral to an internist.

I should also mention, that shortly after posting this I did try to perform the glucose testing. I got nowhere, because as soon as I pricked his ear he cried out and looked at me with betrayal so I quickly gave up. I know this is not sustainable and I will have to find a way to test him. I will try again today.

I would go very very slow with eliminating the dry food with the diabetic cat. Removing even a little dry food can have a big impact on blood glucose levels and the 2 units of insulin may be too much. Definitely learn how to home test or look into the Libre meter before you attempt to remove the dry food. What dry food are you feeding? There are some dry foods that are lower in carbs and better for diabetics. Ideally, no dry food is best but there are people who have to feed some dry food because of dry food addicts, multiple cats, etc.

See this thread on a microchip timed feeder suggestion: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/microchip-timed-feeder.286576/unread You could put the dry food in this set up and only allow the non-diabetic in.

Don't feel bad about not getting blood on the first try Not everyone is a pro with the first attempt. See the post above that has the info on where to test, how, etc.

If your vet is unfamiliar with the Libre meter, here is an article published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery that you can share: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1098612X221104051