donnahc
Very Active Member

Hi kids:
Hope all is well out there in sugar kitty (and doggie) land.
I wanted to post last night, but yesterday was a bad day topped off with a vet visit that stresses me as much as it stresses Asher. We blasted in the door last night, had to test and feed and shoot for pmps right away, and naturally he was over 400. More stress. Then this morning was over 300 and we had to fly out of here for work right away.
We went to the vet yesterday to test all of our meters against the vet’s bench top machines, to get a fructosamine taken, and also just a general checkup and game planning session for Asher.
This was planned after we discovered he probably wasn’t regulated once we got the info that Freestyle meters can read too low. He was showing no clinical signs of diabetes, but once checked with and Alpha Trak meter, we needed to get to the bottom of this.
We tested all the meters at the vet. The Relion Micro was the closest to the benchtop machines the vet uses (Idexx vet test, and Kacey Diagnostics). It was closer than the Alpha Trak, by 13 points. Our vet said he was happy with the numbers from the Relion Micro and we should use that meter for sure. He also drew blood for the fruc test and we should have that info in a few days.
The freestyle meter isn’t even worth discussion of keeping. It read 197 points lower than the vet’s machine! In all our tests at home and now at the vet, we can determine the FS isn’t bad at low numbers (like the 80s) , but once the real reading is over 2-300, it is awful. It’s going in the bin.
We decided we will let Asher settle in at 3.8 for a couple days, if he’s still high, we will move to 4 units. The vet doesn’t think these doses are too high and that we should continue with ProZync.
The tougher news is first off, Ashers teeth are bad again. He just had a dental in April of last year, but he has one loose molar, and all his teeth need to be cleaned. No infection yet, but soon if we let this go. So, we have to march back to the vet next Wednesday. I was really disturbed by this. Never thought this would be an issue so soon. Hate to have to stress him again, probably around the time we’ll get his numbers in line. It is very frustrating. But the teeth are bad enough that we can’t put it off, so that is the decision. The thought of two hours (there and back total) in the car with him crying sends me into a panic. Not to mention the worry again of anesthesia.
Secondly, Asher went from 19 lbs last Jan to 21 this Jan. The vet would like him to loose 5 lbs. So he has suggested we cut his foot intake by 1/3 and we play laser more often. The food thing is going to be hard. Today I have already substituted catnip for treats. He has come to ask us a few times since we got home after lunch. He is a hoover kitty and wants food all the time. It’s going to take some patience. He is not going to be happy with us.
So we are going to try to get his numbers down as soon as possible. And then start over again after next Wednesday. We’ll need some prayers for Asher, and our pocketbook too. Timing is just never good on any of this stuff. But, this too shall pass. So we are taking it one day at a time, or trying to.
Thanks again for all your concern and support.