Hi, my sweet Ginger tabby has a recent diagnosis of diabetes.
Here is the background: He is a seven year old sweet purry boy adopted from Bide a Wee when he was two. Mom has been unemployed, temporarily employed or part time employed for the last three years. So he and I aren't on the regular check up schedule. At his last vet visit before all this, his vet told me in no uncertain terms he needed to lose weight. Now, Stewart loves dry food. He is a kibble fiend. So he was on a dry food diet. Despite the cost I was buying him expensive no grain dry food, trying to find the one that he liked that worked best. I've probably been through them all. A few months ago I changed litter boxes, and found myself fixated on his litter habits. And realizing he peed like a race horse, so to speak. That started the "Is this normal?" exploration, and I determined that he could be flirting with high blood sugar. There weren't any other symptoms, but I started reading and determined that I had to change his diet just to be sure. So we began the 'you will eat wet food battle'. I bought a wide variety of low carb canned cat foods (thank you, Binky and Dr Lisa). And I cut back on his latest no grain dry food mixing the two.
For various reasons, we have now had to visit the vet. First blood reading was over 500. But I knew that one was abnormally high due to the circumstances (stress and sneak eating of stuff not so good for him in the amounts he ate it). I knew it would take a couple of days to work out. So went back then and new reading 350. No doubt he needed insulin. My doctor prescribed 2 u-100 units of glargine twice daily Stewart and I are on a new adventure of injections and ear pricks - things I'm not real adept at yet. I do feel I have gotten better on the injections (muscle injections and fur shots are hopefully in the past), I have a very hard time pricking him to get blood - he's actually very patient and thankfully loves having his ears petted, but does now jerk when he senses I have my second hand close. Most certainly a mom failure.
He is now on wet food low carb fancy feast or nine lives with an occasional more expensive wet food (all 6 or under on the lists) with a few nuggets of dry Innova Evo as his insulin/test treat after I stopped mixing it into the wet food. (We have had only a couple of I'm only going to eat dry food, I'll go hungry show downs).
Unfortunately I also didn't take the best notes when I was reading up, and instead of NOT getting the trutrack glucose monitor, I got it. I managed to replace it with the arkray mini, using the link from this site, but the first week's readings are well probably about 80 points off (considering the comparison reading when I got my first arkray reading). The doctor had suggested one reading a day, 4 to 6 hours after his shot. And since I knew I was going to change monitors I stuck to that. And right now Stewart's numbers are ranging between 211 and 283 using the better monitor (it was 149 to 201 with the trutrack cat(2)_steam and even intellectually knowing it was probably off, I admit to hoping...). I'm currently trying to get a range of times with a couple of readings after every shot. Unfortunately yesterday was a no blood per prick day so my graph will probably be less then complete for awhile. I have to clean up my chart a little (add carb levels to the food, write them out), but both will be emailed to the vet in the morning.
I'm pretty sure we are going to have to up his dose somewhat, but I'll know better after tomorrow.
I just want to thank everyone here. Reading the posts and the information has been incredibly helpful. I'm sure I'll be asking for help and advice as this 'adventure' continues. Thank you all.
Here is the background: He is a seven year old sweet purry boy adopted from Bide a Wee when he was two. Mom has been unemployed, temporarily employed or part time employed for the last three years. So he and I aren't on the regular check up schedule. At his last vet visit before all this, his vet told me in no uncertain terms he needed to lose weight. Now, Stewart loves dry food. He is a kibble fiend. So he was on a dry food diet. Despite the cost I was buying him expensive no grain dry food, trying to find the one that he liked that worked best. I've probably been through them all. A few months ago I changed litter boxes, and found myself fixated on his litter habits. And realizing he peed like a race horse, so to speak. That started the "Is this normal?" exploration, and I determined that he could be flirting with high blood sugar. There weren't any other symptoms, but I started reading and determined that I had to change his diet just to be sure. So we began the 'you will eat wet food battle'. I bought a wide variety of low carb canned cat foods (thank you, Binky and Dr Lisa). And I cut back on his latest no grain dry food mixing the two.
For various reasons, we have now had to visit the vet. First blood reading was over 500. But I knew that one was abnormally high due to the circumstances (stress and sneak eating of stuff not so good for him in the amounts he ate it). I knew it would take a couple of days to work out. So went back then and new reading 350. No doubt he needed insulin. My doctor prescribed 2 u-100 units of glargine twice daily Stewart and I are on a new adventure of injections and ear pricks - things I'm not real adept at yet. I do feel I have gotten better on the injections (muscle injections and fur shots are hopefully in the past), I have a very hard time pricking him to get blood - he's actually very patient and thankfully loves having his ears petted, but does now jerk when he senses I have my second hand close. Most certainly a mom failure.
He is now on wet food low carb fancy feast or nine lives with an occasional more expensive wet food (all 6 or under on the lists) with a few nuggets of dry Innova Evo as his insulin/test treat after I stopped mixing it into the wet food. (We have had only a couple of I'm only going to eat dry food, I'll go hungry show downs). Unfortunately I also didn't take the best notes when I was reading up, and instead of NOT getting the trutrack glucose monitor, I got it. I managed to replace it with the arkray mini, using the link from this site, but the first week's readings are well probably about 80 points off (considering the comparison reading when I got my first arkray reading). The doctor had suggested one reading a day, 4 to 6 hours after his shot. And since I knew I was going to change monitors I stuck to that. And right now Stewart's numbers are ranging between 211 and 283 using the better monitor (it was 149 to 201 with the trutrack cat(2)_steam and even intellectually knowing it was probably off, I admit to hoping...). I'm currently trying to get a range of times with a couple of readings after every shot. Unfortunately yesterday was a no blood per prick day so my graph will probably be less then complete for awhile. I have to clean up my chart a little (add carb levels to the food, write them out), but both will be emailed to the vet in the morning.
I'm pretty sure we are going to have to up his dose somewhat, but I'll know better after tomorrow.
I just want to thank everyone here. Reading the posts and the information has been incredibly helpful. I'm sure I'll be asking for help and advice as this 'adventure' continues. Thank you all.
