9/15/2024 Max, vet/meter issue need advice

[MaxsMom74]

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/8-31-2024-max-dosing-advice.293614/

So Max appears to be in remission. He has maintained low numbers, including very low numbers for a week and a half so far. The vet had me bring him in during the first few days to run tests. His urin is completely free of glucose and ketones and his Fructosime level test was normal. She asked me to bring him in again a week later to see how he was doing. I told her he has been eating well, getting lots of exercise, and feeling great. She saw his spreadsheet and that he has numbers mostly in the 50-60 range with some 40's. She was then worried that he might have a turmor on his pancreas. She wanted to do a blood test to see if he was producing too much insulin himself. She took him to the back and did a blood glucose test and came back to tell me that her reading on said 159. Now keep in mind he had been sitting in the vet for 2 hours stressing before she took her test. She then asked about the meter I am using and when I told her it was a human metere she roller her eyes and said they dont' work for cats. I told her that everyon on her uses them. That I had tested it's calibration and had even tested my own blood to see if it was giving weird readings. All came back normal. She wants me to bring him back in a week for them to do a curve.

Here is my concern, I think my meter is performing normally. I think Max's numbers are consistantly in the same range. I don't want to keep spending hundreds of dollars at the vet for them to do a curve that then could be falsely high because Max is stressed from being there. What do you guys think?

 

[jillnc1]

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/8-31-2024-max-dosing-advice.293614/

So Max appears to be in remission. He has maintained low numbers, including very low numbers for a week and a half so far. The vet had me bring him in during the first few days to run tests. His urin is completely free of glucose and ketones and his Fructosime level test was normal. She asked me to bring him in again a week later to see how he was doing. I told her he has been eating well, getting lots of exercise, and feeling great. She saw his spreadsheet and that he has numbers mostly in the 50-60 range with some 40's. She was then worried that he might have a turmor on his pancreas. She wanted to do a blood test to see if he was producing too much insulin himself. She took him to the back and did a blood glucose test and came back to tell me that her reading on said 159. Now keep in mind he had been sitting in the vet for 2 hours stressing before she took her test. She then asked about the meter I am using and when I told her it was a human metere she roller her eyes and said they dont' work for cats. I told her that everyon on her uses them. That I had tested it's calibration and had even tested my own blood to see if it was giving weird readings. All came back normal. She wants me to bring him back in a week for them to do a curve.

Here is my concern, I think my meter is performing normally. I think Max's numbers are consistantly in the same range. I don't want to keep spending hundreds of dollars at the vet for them to do a curve that then could be falsely high because Max is stressed from being there. What do you guys think?

I agree with you. You are keeping an eye on it testing weekly. She is just probably just not used to a pet owner being so educated and involved in treating their pet.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Politely decline the vet's suggestion. Save your money. Of course if he starts looking worse, that's the time for the vet visit.

Before pet meters were invented then marketed heavily, vets used human meters too. Back in the day, my vet and I used to compare cheapest places to buy test strips for our human meters. She liked how close her Onetouch compared to the lab values, but it needed a larger blood drop than I wanted so I used a different brand.

As for numbers, it's not uncommon for cats off of insulin to test in the 40's. My current kitty has done just that. We just don't want cats ON insulin to test in the 40's as it leaves no room for margin of error.

I think Max has just two days left in his official OTJ trial - he's rockin' it so far. Here are the official instructions, there are some tips about afterwards too. You can ignore the 1st instruction, he's on day 12 now.

• Start the trial on the next green pre shot.

• If he/she is green at your normal test times, no need to test further until the next "PS" time; just feed small meals and go about your day. If he/she is blue at your normal "PS", feed a small meal and test again after about 3 or 4 hours. If his/her number is lower 3-4 hours after a meal, then the pancreas is working!
  
  
• Post every day so we can monitor your progress and see if any tweaks are needed. He/she may have a sporadic blue number. Don't panic but post before you decide whether to shoot so we can have a discussion.
  
  
• After 14 days of no insulin, we have a party!

Sometimes the trial doesn't work the first time and we have to give a little more support in the form of resuming insulin. It's not the end of the world if that happens; we just give him/her the support needed. Our goal is a strong remission and it's better to take our time to get that than to rush into remission just to have it fail later on.

Once he/she is through the trial successfully, you enter a new phase. Your cat is still diabetic but has now become diet-controlled. Continue feeding low carb food in the manner successful for your kitty. If you decide to change his/her feeding schedule, let your meter be your guide to the best times to feed. Avoid medications with sugar in them and steroid medications unless they are medically essential. Continue testing blood glucose weekly for the first month and then monthly forever. It's a good idea to weigh him/her monthly. Weight should remain stable. If he/she seems "off" or sick, or is showing signs of diabetes (excessive drinking, eating, urinating, weight loss), test his/her blood glucose right away. Keep the teeth and gums clean and healthy; dental issues can bring a cat out of remission. If you see rising blood glucose numbers, it's time for a visit to the vet!

Good luck with the trial!!!