I'm in over my head, please help! | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

I'm in over my head, please help!

Sammy and Tiny

Sammy and Tiny

Member since 2024
My cat, 11 yrs old was diagnosed with diabetes and put on 1.5 units of Prozinc 2x day ( now on 6th day) He's 13 1/2 pounds and is fairly thin, though. $700 vet visit for x-rays and extensive bloodwork - High glucose, everything else was okay. My vet told me to feed him canned purina dm (I was feeding him FF pate in the morning 9 which he loves) and dry kibble throughout the day (So mad at myself, I didn't know better).
Bought the Libre sensor $98, Vet put it on $95, SENSOR FELL OFF AFTER 3 DAYS (Was sent a new one, not applied yet - terrified to do it myself).
Have an Alpha track but it's impossible to get readings, he won't let me prick his ear.
Transitioned him to Purina DM pate that the vet told me to but can't afford it since I'm supposed to feed him 1-1/2 cans to 1-3/4 a day according to Purina. My vet told me to stop the FF and only feed him twice a day but he wines constantly for food so I'm breaking up the wet...I'm going crazy, it's so hard to keep all of this in order....
I'm giving him the insulin with his food at 7 am/pm but unable to prick his ear. The 3 days I had the sensor, it was reading HIGH in between insulin and then would go down to the 300's and 200's. Vet said 150 - 250 but didn't explain, huh? I can't afford this, I'm crying. My vet wouldn't give me details for food macros/weight, libre human glucose readings. I want to go to another vet but can't afford it. I don't now what to do.
 
Sammy and Tiny said:
vet told me to feed him canned purina dm (I was feeding him FF pate in the morning 9 which he loves) and dry kibble throughout the day (So mad at myself, I didn't know better).
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You are right. Feeding him the Fancy Feast classic patés is just fine for low carb food. He should have wet food preferably so if he likes it, I would keep feeding him that. His blood glucose will be lower on the FF pates.
 
Sammy and Tiny said:
My vet told me to stop the FF and only feed him twice a day but he wines constantly for food so I'm breaking up the wet
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If he is underweight, you should feed him enough calories. Right now, I would not worry about feeding him too much since you say he needs to gain weight. Diabetic cats do much better when fed multiple small meals during the cycle. Feeding this way helps to prevent steep drops in blood glucose which also helps prevent bouncing (which I will explain later — don’t worry about ot now because you haven’t even started testing yet.). The bottom line is that he should eat at shot time amd them be fed some more small meals at about two, foir and six hours after his shot (if he is still hungry- this schedule can be modified as we go along.)
 
If you were seeing readings in the 200-300s with the Libre sensor, then that’s high and you need not worry about it — although soon we can hopefully start to get some data and be able to get the numbers down into a normal range.

Hang in there. We have all been new at this before and we remember the confusion and anxiety and worry!
 
Lots of tips and videos in this post to help you with testing with the AT. Hometesting Links and Tips Remember to breathe and relax while trying to test, and above all, he gets a treat after every attempt. You will get there. The foot pad is an alternative site to ears.

By the way, you don't need to use the AT - though many vets push it. Most of us use human blood glucose meters because the test strips are so much cheaper, are easier to obtain, and our dosing methods were written with human meter values well before AT's were a thing. The Relion meters are a popular one in the US.
 
There's info and tips on using the Libre meter here: https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...ucose-monitors-cgms-for-diabetic-cats.301950/

There's a FB group, too. @Staci & Ivy can point you to that.

A baby t shirt or something similar will keep the Libre meter on. You do need to know how to test from the ear as a back up. A Libre can fall off or malfunction and if blood glucose levels read as just "Lo" you need to test from the ear to see how exactly low.

Normal blood glucose levels for a cat is roughly 60 to 150 mg/dl. You want your cat to be within this range as much as possible with diet and insulin. It won't happen overnight so have patience :)

FF pates are fine. Ignore the vet about food. Return the DM to the vet for a refund. Just say your cat won't eat it anymore. There are many other suitable commercial brands of canned foods you can feed: Friskies, Weruva, Tiki Cat, etc. WalMart's Special Kitty brand and many other store generic brands are similar to FF and costs even less. Feed your cat likes and you can afford. It's ideal to feed a cat multiple small meals spread throughout the day. A programmable timed feeder works best for this.

Many people just use their vet for annual check ups, vaccinations, and a prescription for insulin. They just manage the cat's diabetes on their own with the help from FDMB members.
 
squeem3 said:
There's info and tips on using the Libre meter here: https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...ucose-monitors-cgms-for-diabetic-cats.301950/

There's a FB group, too. @Staci & Ivy can point you to that.

A baby t shirt or something similar will keep the Libre meter on. You do need to know how to test from the ear as a back up. A Libre can fall off or malfunction and if blood glucose levels read as just "Lo" you need to test from the ear to see how exactly low.

Normal blood glucose levels for a cat is roughly 60 to 150 mg/dl. You want your cat to be within this range as much as possible with diet and insulin. It won't happen overnight so have patience :)

FF pates are fine. Ignore the vet about food. Return the DM to the vet for a refund. Just say your cat won't eat it anymore. There are many other suitable commercial brands of canned foods you can feed: Friskies, Weruva, Tiki Cat, etc. WalMart's Special Kitty brand and many other store generic brands are similar to FF and costs even less. Feed your cat likes and you can afford. It's ideal to feed a cat multiple small meals spread throughout the day. A programmable timed feeder works best for this.

Many people just use their vet for annual check ups, vaccinations, and a prescription for insulin. They just manage the cat's diabetes on their own with the help from FDMB members.
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Hello, yes you have been given excellent information here about using a Libre.
Please consult the link given to our document page on this website, which gives a lot of very good information on using a Libre.
As mentioned earlier, it’s quite important to be able to test via an ear poke, especially when Libre reads LO, to verify how the dose is actually taking your cat.

I highly recommend joining the Facebook group Freestyle Libre for dogs and cats. It’s a very very good resource for information.

And using an inexpensive human Relion meter (Walmart) with accessible and inexpensive test strips is a great idea, instead of using the pet meters which cost about a dollar per strip. Way too expensive.
 
Sammy and Tiny said:
My cat, 11 yrs old was diagnosed with diabetes and put on 1.5 units of Prozinc 2x day ( now on 6th day) He's 13 1/2 pounds and is fairly thin, though. $700 vet visit for x-rays and extensive bloodwork - High glucose, everything else was okay. My vet told me to feed him canned purina dm (I was feeding him FF pate in the morning 9 which he loves) and dry kibble throughout the day (So mad at myself, I didn't know better).
Bought the Libre sensor $98, Vet put it on $95, SENSOR FELL OFF AFTER 3 DAYS (Was sent a new one, not applied yet - terrified to do it myself).
Have an Alpha track but it's impossible to get readings, he won't let me prick his ear.
Transitioned him to Purina DM pate that the vet told me to but can't afford it since I'm supposed to feed him 1-1/2 cans to 1-3/4 a day according to Purina. My vet told me to stop the FF and only feed him twice a day but he wines constantly for food so I'm breaking up the wet...I'm going crazy, it's so hard to keep all of this in order....
I'm giving him the insulin with his food at 7 am/pm but unable to prick his ear. The 3 days I had the sensor, it was reading HIGH in between insulin and then would go down to the 300's and 200's. Vet said 150 - 250 but didn't explain, huh? I can't afford this, I'm crying. My vet wouldn't give me details for food macros/weight, libre human glucose readings. I want to go to another vet but can't afford it. I don't now what to do.
Click to expand...
Please see the link to our document on using Libres. We also discuss getting Libres at better prices.
I pay around $37 at my local pharmacy and we also link a coupon from Abbott for $20 each.
I installed them myself so I have no cost from a vet and don’t have to take my cat to the vet. They’re very easy to install. You just have to follow the instructions very closely.
And it’s very important to have several on hand in case one should fail.
 
Hi Sammy, Oh how I know how you feel, It is extremely stressful to find out that our cat was diagnosed with FD, but do not despair, it does gets better, I had no idea about Diabetes, never mind in a cat, Corky was 9 1/2 years old at the time weight 16.5lbs, he's quite a big cat, he is now 12, I started seeing him glued to the water bowl, and even crying in front of it, other than that he was himself, with the exception that he allowed me to pick him up one day, he felt like a feather, I weight him, and he had lost 8.5lbs, when I couldn't figure it out, I immediately took him to an emergency hospital to find out 9 hours later waiting in the lobby he had Diabetes 650BG, he was hospitalized for 8 days, we left with all these foreign supplies in a bag, insulin, syringes, antibiotics a sensor and monitor, and told a diabetic cats needed to be between 200-300 BG, I was given simple instructions, at night the sensor falls off, when I went to give him the insulin the next morning, after I filled the syringe, I turned the bottle around and fell out of my hand, I was frantic, balling, I ran back to his regular Vet for 9 years, and refused to even look at him he was not interested, but did give me a bottle of ProZinc which was what he was prescribed, for month I had to learn things by trial and error, with sensors that stopped working after 4-8 days, falling off, the monitor will start ringing the low BG as 49-50, I would run around the house like a chicken without a head. So Yes! I hear you, not until by coincidence I found this Forum,
It was like breathing again, Zuzanne has coached me till today, and all these knowledgeable members dedicated in saving our loved fur babies, today Corky is as regulated and healthy as any normal cat, although he will be a lifetime diabetic, this Forum saved his life, and perhaps even mine! So, It Does Gets Better,
Like Squeem3 expressed, Wet canned food, low carbs between 0-10% Home Testing, and lots of cuddles, He will be fine, as for you I will tell you what Suzanne said to me " Take a step back, breath in, breath out, Cats are very sensitive to stress, you stress, they stress" and it really worked . Keep posting, vent, we are here for you. Also, if you have a financial situation there are many Foundations that can assist you with supplies and insulin, the Link is below, DCIN Foundation is very quick at qualifying, also in the main menu forum there is a Supply Closet link of members that sell at a low price, free, or pay postage.
🤗 :bighug::cat::cat:

Financial Help Links
 
Just let me know when you catch your breath and are ready for some help with your ProZinc dosing. I don’t want to overwhelm you all at once with too much of a fire hose approach. Poke around the sticky notes at the top of the ProZinc forum. Ask questions as they arise. A Libre can be a handy tool for some people for a variety of reasons— as long as you have a way to check it with a handheld meter when it is giving you a lower number. Normal blood glucose for a healthy cat is about 50-120 with most of the time being in numbers below 100. It can take time to get them back to that range and some cats are more challenging than others, but you can do a lot to get your baby more healthy along the way.
 
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