7.24 Kitty pmps 262 +1 331

Discussion in 'Lantus / Levemir / Biosimilars' started by Samantha - Kitty, Jul 23, 2021.

  1. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2021
    Hello there! I have a wonderful cat named Kitty. At the end of April 2021, I noticed she was starting to drink a lot of water. At first I didn't think much of it till the large urine clumps showed up. Off to the vet we went. Her blood work came back normal except her Retics were 102.8 K/ul (normal 3.0K/ul-50.0K/ul) and then her glucose was 534 - we diagnosed her diabetic. The vet I was seeing said let's try a diet change first. For 30 days I tried to feed her Young Again Zero Carb and wet cat food. She was dropping weight quickly. She typically averages 9 lbs but on May 5th she was around 8lbs. Everything kept getting more stressful. I didn't know what to do or how to manage this situation. I didn't even know I was foolish for thinking I could walk out of the vets office with a number of 534 and think that was normal and a diet change was the right choice. Regardless, 30 days passed as they recommended and we saw no change. We returned June 24th with the same high numbers. We started Vetsulin after that at 1 unit and slowly increased to 2. There was zero changes at all. We returned on July 1st to check her thyroid. The TT4 came back 1.4 ug/dL - normal. That's not the issue. The vet told me her kidney's were failing (without testing her blood and her blood work in May showed ZERO signs of kidney or any other type of failure) and our options were probably going to be euthanasia. My heart sank. I decided I was done with this vet as I had to told them what to test, what to do and I'm completely blind to this. Have no idea what I'm doing. I switched that Friday July 2nd to another vet who wouldn't let my cat leave till we lowered her numbers. She was at 400+ then. She went out on a whim and decided to try Novolin. Her numbers sank to 167! The lowest they have ever been. We went home and continued to give her insulin twice a day. I was not home testing at this time.
    Out of nowhere about a week in, she became insulin resistant (at least that's what I'm told) so I did my research and found out that Lantus is the best for cats so we started that Sunday evening, July 18th. Her readings were 500+ and I found out that it was my fault more than likely. I was feeding her as much food as she wanted because she dropped down to a measly 5lbs and weighed 6lbs the week of July 12th. She also was eating Friskies shreds with gravy, her favorite and very high in carbs!
    Last night, July 19th, I switched to FF classic pate and her numbers have been much better now! But they are still high. My question is, do I need to lower her insulin or raise her insulin? See attached spreadsheet as to where we are at. A few other things, yesterday she became much more active FINALLY! She peed outside the litter box between the hours of 6pm-12am but then before 7am used the litter box to pee. She didn't pee outside the litter box yesterday at all between 6am-6pm but did have 2 poop accidents but zero last night.

    Also - please see this thread for all of my updates over the past 48 hours or so. Thank you in advance for all your help!! It's much appreciated!
    https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-to-managing-diabetic-cat.250123/
     
  2. tiffmaxee

    tiffmaxee Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2013
    Welcome to LLB. I’m going to read your attached condo.
     
  3. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2021
    Thank you!!!! I'm so thankful I have found these message boards. I already feel so much more confident my kitty cat can find the healing she needs!
     
  4. tiffmaxee

    tiffmaxee Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2013
    I got to the point where your vet said to give more insulin each hour and thought how glad I am that you found us. Wow!

    With SLGS you will do a curve on the 7th day on a dose to decide if the dose needs to be adjusted. So stick with 1.75 unless before curve day her bg is ever under 90. Whenever that happens you reduce by .25 and the count begins again.
     
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  5. Liz & Minnie

    Liz & Minnie Well-Known Member

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    Feb 4, 2021
    Welcome! What a stressful few weeks you've had. You are in good hands here.
     
  6. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2021
    Thank you! I will continue that! Has anyone ever noticed the accidents like she has in other threads? Honestly it seems behavioral. Almost like she's angry at me I won't feed her on her time! LOL she's always been a feisty "old lady" ;)
     
  7. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2021
    You have no idea! This has been by far the most emotional journey I've had. I was terrified I would be putting my best friend down this year. I've spent most days researching and learning but then when I found this forum, I knew it would be the help I needed! It will save me time by finding the answers I need and advice from other parents that have already been through this! The stress is finally starting to reside and now I know we are moving in the right direction. :)
     
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  8. tiffmaxee

    tiffmaxee Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2013
    I actually think it’s likely she has the accidents because she’s not feeling well. My sister had a diabetic cat that did that. I don’t think her cat ever was properly regulated as she didn’t test at home. The same was true of a friend I had. I hope it stops as she starts to feel better.
     
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  9. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2021
    I'm glad to know it's not just her acting out! I'm hoping it will too. Actually, I'm almost 100% positive it will. She's never been one to go to the bathroom outside the litter box. It's almost like she can't hold it or holds it too long then has to go RIGHT NOW and then has an accident. Obviously, I would imagine that happens because she doesn't feel well!
     
  10. tiffmaxee

    tiffmaxee Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2013
    They urinate a lot when too high. It will get better.
     
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  11. Heather82372

    Heather82372 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    Welcome! Did they check for a UTI? That often times causes them to pee outside the box. Also, is the stool loose? Feeding Young Again can sometimes cause that. This group is going to HIGHLY recommend you transition to wet food only. What about vomiting?
     
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  12. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2021
    Hey all! She's at 76 this morning. What should I give her for insulin? :)
     
  13. Red & Rover (GA)

    Red & Rover (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2016
    Have you fed her yet?
    And can you get another test?
    I'm leaning towards no shot.
     
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  14. Red & Rover (GA)

    Red & Rover (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2016
    @Samantha - Kitty – please let us know if you shot or not.

    It is recommended for new people that you do not shoot under 150.

    And congratulations! Kitty has earned a reduction. Tonight shoot 1.5 units.
     
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  15. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2021
    I did not give her a shot! I fed her half a can and have another half in case. I'll test her quick!
     
  16. Red & Rover (GA)

    Red & Rover (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2016
    Great. That will tell if her numbers are continuing to go down or up.
    If the numbers are roughly the same or lower, feed the other half of the can.
    If the numbers are higher, you likely won't need to test again until shot time tonight. A bit of forewarning: her numbers will be high tonight but only shoot 1.5 units.

    The next time you see a low number, do not feed and test again in 20 minutes to see if Kitty is on her way up or not. And ask for help in deciding.
    You can change the title of your thread by going to the upper right hand corner of the page. Click on Edit title. This also allows you to add a 911 to the thread title.

    So glad you changed vets. Adding a harsh insulin to the mix and dosing it willy nilly is incredibly dangerous.
     
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  17. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

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    Jul 20, 2021
    113 +1 of when her shot would have been and after half a can of food!
     
  18. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2021
    We have 4 cats in total so wet food only won't work lol one cat refuses wet food no matter what! No vomiting and her poop used to be runny but now it's a bit more solid. We haven't tested for UTI
     
    Heather82372 likes this.
  19. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

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    Jul 20, 2021
    Yay for the reduction!!
     
  20. Red & Rover (GA)

    Red & Rover (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2016
    Glad you did not shoot this morning.
    @Bron and Sheba (GA) wrote an excellent piece on what to do in these situations.
    And just in case:




    Be sure to test again 2 hours before the next shot (at +10) tonight and ask for advice regarding the new dosage.
     
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  21. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2021
    Her numbers went up about 30 points. Not too shabby for a half a can! I do need to feed her though because she is so under weight. I can feel every bone in her back yet and she's just so hungry to eat in the mornings and evenings. After 20 minutes can I still feed her? What's your thoughts? I'm just happy I have found you all! I'm presently not using any vet for advice simply because they said no more home testing and if I would have stopped, she would probably be dead right now.
     
  22. Heather82372

    Heather82372 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    Ya, I hear ya. I have 3. Since my diabetic is so fat (18 lbs) he can't jump up high. So I have a mix of Dr. Elsey's & Young Again Zero in a bowl on a counter that they can jump up to. He can hear and see them and I feel bad sometimes but he's used to it now. lol He doesn't cry about it.

    Glad to hear there's no vomiting and poop is better. If Kitty keeps peeing outside the box I would definitely have her checked for a UTI.

    Btw, great numbers this morning. Don't be surprised if she bounces back up for a few cycles. They'll come back down. :)
     
  23. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2021
  24. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2021
    Thank you! I'll work on collecting a urine sample and bringing it in this week! Sadly my cat is capable of jumping! I'll send more updates later today! Thank you again!!
     
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  25. Red & Rover (GA)

    Red & Rover (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2016
    Feeding only at shot times is old school. It is now considered best with insulin to feed a meal sized portion at shot times (to make sure there is enough food on board to give insulin). Then you can feed snacks throughout the cycles up until +10 (2 hours before the next shot) because you do not want the test number at shot time to be food/carb influenced.

    Unregulated diabetic cats cannot process their food properly. That is why they are hungry most of the time. Feed her.
     
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  26. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2021
    Thank you for the info! I'm still so new to this so I'm not entirely sure what everyone for sure wants me to do ;)
     
  27. Samantha - Kitty

    Samantha - Kitty Member

    Joined:
    Jul 20, 2021
    Good evening all! Sorry to not send a lot of updates throughout the day. We are a bit higher now than earlier today as expected but not as bad as I would think! I do know for a fact I got a partial fur shot tonight. SHOOT! Bummed about that because I had a gut feeling I should have re tented her fur but decided against it. Lesson learned! For not receiving insulin this morning, her mood and numbers are pretty decent I would say today. She jumped into the window to look outside! Each day we get a tad bit more normal.

    Again I can't express how thankful I am for everyone here! Also remember that when you reply/read my posts! <3
     

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