Introduction, seeking advice and a dose of courage for me!

[Carrie Arrowsmith]

Hello I am Carrie and my sugar baby is Bianca. She is 15yrs old - February 2021 - diagnosed diabetic or more so pre-diabetic. Bianca has never been on insulin, she was in diabetic range from long term steroid use - depo medrol for allergies. I got her off depo and on triamcinolone and started working with a new dermatologist. Her numbers went down to pre-diabetic ranges and we were able to control it with food. This was tricky because she has food allergies. She was in remission for just under 2yrs. Aug 2023 she had a UTI - her first ever in 15yrs, that clears and she gets another UTI in November 2023 - but at this visit we discover she has a broken tooth. I believe this tooth was broken in August but we didn't discover it and it is what has taken her out of remission. We had the tooth extracted in December, and waited to see if her blood glucose would return to remission numbers. I was not testing at home, I was just monitoring her urine output and water intake. The end of February 2024 she gets another UTI - her BG was 320 so we talk about insulin. The vet gave me a prescription for Lantus, 1 unit per day in the morning - these were her instructions. I have waited far too long to come here for help - I have been paralyzed with fear over testing and administering, throwing into the mix my 7yr old daughter having some minor health issues that I am trying to get a handle on as well. Bianca has been a bit spicy since her allergies onset at age 3 - lots of roid rage and she is a dilute calico so that comes with its own touch of spice. I don't know how I am going to test her and give her the shots. I need help, I need my hand held and if I could right now I would hire a vet tech or experienced person to come to my home and teach me or do it for me while I watch over and over again. She has developed neuropathy in her hind legs, so I need to find my courage and need help please. I have a human monitor, a vial of lantus and syringes. How do I start testing - the idea of poking her sends my anxiety through the roof.
How do I even start? Thanks for having me and helping me.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
It is very normal to feel overwhelmed in the beginning but you have made a great start coming here. We can help you.
You have a great insulin and a human meter and have her on low carb food and have set up the signature and spreadsheet. That is amazing and so helpful.
Have you started the insulin yet?
With the neuropathy it sounds as if she does need that insulin started now.
I will give you a couple of links at the bottom to help with testing the BGs and how to manage things moving forward.

With Lantus you test the BG first to see it is safe to give the dose. Then you feed the meal and then give the dose of insulin. As long as you think Bianca will eat the food, I would give the dose while she is eating.
Then I would give a couple of low carb snacks (1 or 2 teaspoons of low carb food) during the first half of all the cycles.
Then if you can get a test in around +4 to +7 (4 to 7 hours after each dose) that will tell us how well the dose of insulin is working for Bianca.
Try not to stress about giving the insulin. Most cats don’t even react to it and especially if they have their head in a bowl of food.
With the testing the BG have a look at the hints and tips in the link I give you. There are links within the link.
It might take a week or two for you both to get used to the testing but if you give a treat every time you test, whether it is successful or not, she will soon start to associate the testing with treats. My Sheba used to come racing from all over the house when she heard me at the testing equipment.
Can you tell me what syringes you have please? You can post a photo of them by copy and pasting it. It’s important we check you have the correct syringes.
Keep asking questions

HELP US HELP YOU

HOMETESTING HINTS, TIPS AND LINKS

Bron

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

I need my hand held and if I could right now I would hire a vet tech or experienced person to come to my home and teach me or do it for me while I watch over and over again.

Where are you? I think you're in Indianapolis according to your profile and I believe you're also a member of the Feline Diabetes group on Facebook that's associated with this board. I am SO happy to see you here!! The group is fine for getting basic information, but the real magic happens here!

We have a list of people in the Files who have indicated they are willing to help a newbie. The closest one I can find is in Greenwood which looks like it's only about 20 miles. The person is still a member, but had joined over 4 years ago so I'm not sure how active she is or if she's still willing/able.

I'd be happy to try to see if I can help you to contact her. I sent you a message on Facebook but it probably went to your "Message Requests" instead of your Inbox and maybe I can help get you some help to give you a "hands-on" demonstration.

Chris Ronkoski on Facebook and I'm an Admin in the Facebook group.

Hang in there! Bianca didn't become diabetic overnight and it's going to take time to make progress, but you can do it!!

 

[Carrie Arrowsmith]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
It is very normal to feel overwhelmed in the beginning but you have made a great start coming here. We can help you.
You have a great insulin and a human meter and have her on low carb food and have set up the signature and spreadsheet. That is amazing and so helpful.
Have you started the insulin yet?
With the neuropathy it sounds as if she does need that insulin started now.
I will give you a couple of links at the bottom to help with testing the BGs and how to manage things moving forward.

With Lantus you test the BG first to see it is safe to give the dose. Then you feed the meal and then give the dose of insulin. As long as you think Bianca will eat the food, I would give the dose while she is eating.
Then I would give a couple of low carb snacks (1 or 2 teaspoons of low carb food) during the first half of all the cycles.
Then if you can get a test in around +4 to +7 (4 to 7 hours after each dose) that will tell us how well the dose of insulin is working for Bianca.
Try not to stress about giving the insulin. Most cats don’t even react to it and especially if they have their head in a bowl of food.
With the testing the BG have a look at the hints and tips in the link I give you. There are links within the link.
It might take a week or two for you both to get used to the testing but if you give a treat every time you test, whether it is successful or not, she will soon start to associate the testing with treats. My Sheba used to come racing from all over the house when she heard me at the testing equipment.
Can you tell me what syringes you have please? You can post a photo of them by copy and pasting it. It’s important we check you have the correct syringes.
Keep asking questions

HELP US HELP YOU

HOMETESTING HINTS, TIPS AND LINKS

Bron

I had help with the spreadsheet, one of the admins from the FB group helped me. My syringe -is a BD safetyglide insulin 1ml 29g x 1/2 (0.33 x 13mm), it has numbers on both sides of the syringe. Your step by step helps thank you so much. I will try the treats with testing, but she is no fool - that is what I used to have to do to give her allergy injections. She hated that - it was 10yrs ago but still she remembers - so it makes me anxious. She is the worst to give any meds too - that is why I feel like I don't know how to give her an injection. She may not eat if I am pinching her skin or fussing with her at all. Do I have to withhold food for 2hrs before I give insulin or test BG? I put a can of fancy feast out for her at 11 or 11:30pm and she eats it through out the night - but I think it's completely gone by 3 or 4 am - that is when she starts her catwalk all over me.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

That syringe is not the correct syringe. They are too big and it is almost impossible to measure out small amounts of insulin safely.

This is the syringe you need. This syringe only goes up to 30 units. The one you have now goes up to 100 units.
U100, 3/10 ml, 30 or 31 gauge, 6 or 8 mm insulin syringes with 1/2 unit markings.

yes, you need to withhold food for the 2 hours before the preshot BG.

These are the syringes you need. There are other brands you can choose from but the size needs to be the same these.

 

[Carrie Arrowsmith]

These are the syringes the vet wrote the prescription for...so will I need a prescription to get the type I need? I see I can purchase on Amazon. Until I can get a box I will go to the pharmacy and see what I can get.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

These are the syringes the vet wrote the prescription for...so will I need a prescription to get the type I need? I see I can purchase on Amazon. Until I can get a box I will go to the pharmacy and see what I can get.

Good idea. The vet should have known they were too big for cats. Most places you don’t need a script for them.

 

[Carrie Arrowsmith]

Good idea. The vet should have known they were too big for cats. Most places you don’t need a script for them.

This is what has me so nervous - how would I have even known what one unit is on this syringe - and quite frankly even with the other syringe. I knew not to expect real help from the vet because I didn't get much when she had issues in 2021 and being in the facebook group for so long. But now that I have to actually give her injections - I need real support from her medical team. I have to not get caught up in my anger at the vet - easier said than done. I do have on hand some syringes for injecting B12 - they are small and I have 30g needles for them. Could I use those while I wait for Amazon delivery? If not I will get something today after work. I bought a lancing device that seems to be quiet. My husband agreed to let me test his BG so I can get used to it. My meter is one my parents gave me - my Dad is type 2. I have been clicking the lancing device near her ears without testing to see if she reacts to that - so far she doesn't care - I was also rubbing her ears while doing it she was annoyed with me about the ears. I appreciate the help here in the forum - allowing me to talk through my fears has helped tremendously. I am not as paralyzed as I was 3 days ago.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

do have on hand some syringes for injecting B12 - they are small and I have 30g needles for them. Could I use those while I wait for Amazon delivery?

No you can’t use those.
You They must be the insulin syringes.

I bought a lancing device that seems to be quiet. My husband agreed to let me test his BG so I can get used to it. My meter is one my parents gave me - my Dad is type 2. I have been clicking the lancing device near her ears without testing to see if she reacts to that - so far she doesn't care - I was also rubbing her ears while doing it she was annoyed with me about the ears.

That is great. Well done.
It sounds as if you are making good progress. Just take one step at a time.
We need to get the insulin started though. Do you think you will be able to get the syringes today?
Have you been testing for ketones in the urine at all? If not I would suggest getting a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart of a pharmacy and getting a urine sample from Bianca and reading the result exactly 15 seconds later. The reason for this is because diabetic cats that are not getting insulin can sometimes get ketones and this can be serious. If there are any ketones the insulin much be started straight away.
Make she Bianca is eating plenty of food in the meantime.
I live in Australia and am heading to bed so won’t be around for the next 10 hours but I will tag @Bandit's Mom and @tiffmaxee for you and you can tag them if you run into any trouble.

At a pinch, you could use the syringes you have at the moment but we would need to make sure you are only drawing up 1 unit.
Also the insulin needs to be given am and pm, 12 hours apart.
Can you confirm that you have not started the insulin yet? I am a bit concerned she has not started as she has had a UTI and it’s important you don’t wait before starting the insulin.

 

[Carrie Arrowsmith]

No you can’t use those.
You They must be the insulin syringes.

That is great. Well done.
It sounds as if you are making good progress. Just take one step at a time.
We need to get the insulin started though. Do you think you will be able to get the syringes today?
Have you been testing for ketones in the urine at all? If not I would suggest getting a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart of a pharmacy and getting a urine sample from Bianca and reading the result exactly 15 seconds later. The reason for this is because diabetic cats that are not getting insulin can sometimes get ketones and this can be serious. If there are any ketones the insulin much be started straight away.
Make she Bianca is eating plenty of food in the meantime.
I live in Australia and am heading to bed so won’t be around for the next 10 hours but I will tag @Bandit's Mom and @tiffmaxee for you and you can tag them if you run into any trouble.

At a pinch, you could use the syringes you have at the moment but we would need to make sure you are only drawing up 1 unit.
Also the insulin needs to be given am and pm, 12 hours apart.
Can you confirm that you have not started the insulin yet? I am a bit concerned she has not started as she has had a UTI and it’s important you don’t wait before starting the insulin.

I have not started insulin yet. I found some on amazon that will be delivered today but not for a few more hours. She is eating very well. I will run out to Walmart on my lunch break and get the keostix. I appreciate all of your help.

 

[tiffmaxee]

Welcome to the FDMB. While we need an RX for syringes where I live you can get 10 I believe at any pharmacy without one. There are some mail order pet pharmacies that will sell without an RX. I needed some t give fluids lad year and I’ll look and see where I bought them. I am blanking out on that right now.
See if Walmart will sell you some.

 

[Carrie Arrowsmith]

Welcome to the FDMB. While we need an RX for syringes where I live you can get 10 I believe at any pharmacy without one. There are some mail order pet pharmacies that will sell without an RX. I needed some t give fluids lad year and I’ll look and see where I bought them. I am blanking out on that right now.
See if Walmart will sell you some.

I have some arriving from Amazon today - in the next few hours. I am just watching testing videos and hoping for the best because she has the potential to not let me test. It's going to be rough.

 

[tiffmaxee]

I thought Max would not let me but I was wrong. Freeze dried 100% protein treats really helped. He was not a foodie so that was a surprise too. Good luck.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Welcome Carrie and Bianca
You couldn't have found a better group to join
As Bron insulin needs to be given twice a day , 12 hours apart
The experienced members here helped me get Tyler into remission with me following their advice. He's been in remission for 3 years and 3 months now ( knock in wood)
I know you are anxious but you will do fine and it will get easier ,promise
Are the syringes you are waiting for have the half unit markings?
We adjust the dose by 0.25 units at a time and these make it easier to do that

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 getthe 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.
So ignore that
I have always used a human meter
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar


If you ever need the syringes asap you can get them at Walmart
As long as the box has the purple stripe, they are the correct syringes.

Get Bianca used to you rubbing her ears ,take her to the same spot to test her . Maybe give her a low carb treat before you test her and after even if you are not successful with the tests as a reward , so she will associate getting a treat with testing.
You can give her any freeze dried treat they are low carb. I'll give you a link for them

Click on this link and look at post #6. Numbers are to the right
You can get any freeze dried treats ,information is there
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/brand-new-many-questions-3.255627/#post-2878703

Freeze dried treats that only contain one ingredient (the meat or fish) is zero carb and fine to feed to a diabetic

 

[Carrie Arrowsmith]

Treats will be tricky for us because she is an allergy cat - she is allergic to a lot of things. So we really don't have treats. I will find something for her. Chicken and fish are major triggers, and her ears are the first thing to get scabs when she has an issue. I appreciate all the info and help from the group. the syringes are half markings - the vet told me to give her 1unit per day in the morning so I guess I need to adjust that to .5 units twice a day. We are waiting for an appt. with internal med - I know they will be more helpful getting us regulated and dosing. I appreciate all of the help from the group - I am more comfortable with the idea and feeling much braver in trying.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

the vet told me to give her 1unit per day in the morning so I guess I need to adjust that to .5 units twice a day

Yes I would do that for now
By the way Bianca is so adorable
Just tagging Bron to let her know about the dose since she commented that insulin should be given twice a day, 12 hours apart
Good luck with getting an spot with an internal specialist
@Bron and Sheba (GA)

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Yes I would start on 0.5 units twice a day.
If you follow one of our two dosing methods I think you will have more luck with getting regulated than relying on an internal medicine specialist to be honest. They don’t always have a lot to do with diabetic cats and dosing.
How are things going today? Any luck getting the Ketostix and the insulin and syringes.
I’m very glad she is eating well!
In relation to treats…it can be something you can cook if that works and you can cut it into small pieces and freeze and being out as needed.

 

[Carrie Arrowsmith]

Yes I was able to get all things. I couldn't get her test done but my husband was able too - she was at 51 - I don't know how. The only thing I can come up with is that I did a red light therapy treatment 90 mins before we tested her. I haven't been able to test her urine yet. She will still need to see internal med for some other things, I don't expect miracles from them but internal med has always done better than the regular vet but I do know the forum will help us the most. I wouldn't have been able to even get this far without it. I appreciate you checking on us again.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Are you saying her BG was 51?
Had she had any insulin before that?
Can you get a recheck of the BG?
If the BG is in fact 51, I would not give any insulin as that is the bottom end of normal.

 

[Chrispooky12]

Where are you? I think you're in Indianapolis according to your profile and I believe you're also a member of the Feline Diabetes group on Facebook that's associated with this board. I am SO happy to see you here!! The group is fine for getting basic information, but the real magic happens here!

We have a list of people in the Files who have indicated they are willing to help a newbie. The closest one I can find is in Greenwood which looks like it's only about 20 miles. The person is still a member, but had joined over 4 years ago so I'm not sure how active she is or if she's still willing/able.

I'd be happy to try to see if I can help you to contact her. I sent you a message on Facebook but it probably went to your "Message Requests" instead of your Inbox and maybe I can help get you some help to give you a "hands-on" demonstration.

Chris Ronkoski on Facebook and I'm an Admin in the Facebook group.

Hang in there! Bianca didn't become diabetic overnight and it's going to take time to make progress, but you can do it!!

@Carrie Arrowsmith @Chris & China (GA) I am in Greenfield please reach out to me on here or on the FB group if you need help! I would put my FB user name on here, but I'm not sure if it's allowed Chris knows me on there so you can message her on there if you can't get a hold of me on here. I never thought I would be able to test my boy, but he is an absolute angel for me, he even purrs through it the whole time sometimes. Also if you look at my spreadsheet you will see that I test alothugs from me & Panzer.

 

[Carrie Arrowsmith]

Are you saying her BG was 51?
Had she had any insulin before that?
Can you get a recheck of the BG?
If the BG is in fact 51, I would not give any insulin as that is the bottom end of normal.

I didn't give any insulin. I had to change the batteries in the meter yesterday and did not have the solution to calibrate - so I am going out shortly to get solution or a new meter. I'm sorry I wasn't able to respond again last night - I had to get to bed.

 

[Carrie Arrowsmith]

@Carrie Arrowsmith @Chris & China (GA) I am in Greenfield please reach out to me on here or on the FB group if you need help! I would put my FB user name on here, but I'm not sure if it's allowed Chris knows me on there so you can message her on there if you can't get a hold of me on here. I never thought I would be able to test my boy, but he is an absolute angel for me, he even purrs through it the whole time sometimes. Also if you look at my spreadsheet you will see that I test alothugs from me & Panzer.

Thank you, my husband was able to test her - she actually really really well. Eventually I will be able to do it...I hope I appreciate you being available for help. I will ask Chris to let me know your FB name - or you can search my name in the group for my posts and send me a message.

 

[Finnegan]

I am so sorry for what you and yours are going through. I can't say anything more than what others have already said but sometimes being told repeatedly that you are not alone helps.

Finn and I have been doing this for 2 years now. I was beyond terrified at the beginning, but the people and info provided on this site helped more than I can express. Finn has always been a volatile cat and the thought of giving him shots sent me into a state. Turns out, though, he actually doesn't mind the shots.

The testing, though, was and remains an entirely different matter. We do it, though not very often these days (vet approved!) as his levels do not change. But, if it helps - I am far older than I should be (!) and alone and have severe arthritis in my hands. But I have managed to do the ear piercing/testing, so if I can - with a reluctant cat - anyone can! One gets used to it. Sort-of.

You will do fine. I hope Bianca does too. Trust me. As they say - been there, done that. Was a wreck to start, but learned to breathe.

 

[Chrispooky12]

Thank you, my husband was able to test her - she actually really really well. Eventually I will be able to do it...I hope I appreciate you being available for help. I will ask Chris to let me know your FB name - or you can search my name in the group for my posts and send me a message.

That's great that he was able to test her & you will get it down eventually to, it becomes a routine for them. My boy gets in his box sometimes way before test time, he knows he gets chicky(boiled chicken breast)treats for testing Lol I will look you up on the FB page & send you a message my name is Christina

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I'm tagging another member for spreadsheet help in case Chris doesn't get your message: @Bandit's Mom

If testing was going to be a problem, these days there's also the option of a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) like the Freestyle Libre. There's a sensor that is attached to your cat's skin and you can read your cat's glucose level off of your phone. The sensors need to be replaced every 2 weeks. There are pros and cons to the Libre. Frankly, being able to test manually may be a good solution and it's what all of us did until the CGMs were an option.

You may want to take a look at Stella & Chewy's dinner morsels. They are freeze dried raw food and are available in novel proteins (e.g., rabbit). I'd also take a look on Chewy's website. PureBites is a freeze dried treat that is pure protein. There are any number of options as far as the protein source. If you filter Chewy's for freeze dried, dehydrated, and jerky style treats, you will find a lot of options.