Benny could use your help!

Margicats

Margicats

Member
Hi Everyone! this is my first post. Benny (picture) is a Turkish Van of unknown age, but certainly a senior, who has been diagnosed with diabetes for over a year. I first put him on Vetsulin and after 2-3 "crashes" on 1cc, the Vet recommended that I take him off completely. Much later, after carefully getting his diet under control (wet food carbs 2% or under) and some dry food (but he doesn't eat it much), the Vet said to try it again. 1cc put him into hypoglycemia once again after the first month. I give up. I never want to see him like that again! He is going to a specialist Vet next week, because I don't want him to have unmanaged diabetes, but in the mean time, here's my dilemma: I live alone and I am 74 y/o with diabetes and other health problems myself. I have NOT been able to test Benny at home, no matter how hard I have tried. It's like trying to be an octopus. Plus it began to ruin Benny and I's relationship, which is very close. I don't want him running from me either scared or angry. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? I took this question to my previous Vet and he had two of his assistants "show" me how to do it, but when I told them it was only me, they had no suggestions for me and said "yeah, that would be tuff!". ( In other words, "it sucks to be you!")
 
Welcome , we are here to help you a the one of our most knowledgeable member to assist you on the Vetsulin, any concern of yours is our so keep posting yours, I am sure some one will plug in soon
 
In the meantime, below are a couple of links for you to create your signature and spreadsheet, we are very numbers oriented, we hope you vet guided you into home testing, and low carb foods, a diabetic cat should have a diet preferably wet can food between 0-10% carbs, the more we know about your cat that better we can help you, like what do you feed, how many time during the day the glucose numbers during the cycle, any other health issues, if you are home testing what monitor are you using, where do you live is also important so we can send you the correct information. like food list and other, and if you are not in US. we can also plug you in with members in your area, may you need assistance :cat: :cat:
Sticky - New? How You Can Help Us Help You!
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/spreadsheets-tech-support-testing-area.6/
 
Welcome to FDMB!

First, Vetsulin is not a great insulin for cats. Its name outside of the US is Caninsulin. If it's not obvious, it's an insulin that was developed for dogs. Cats have a much faster metabolism than dogs and the result is that cat's blood glucose numbers respond much more dramatically with them dropping hard and fast into a low, potentially hypoglycemic range. The two insulins that are recommended by the American Animal Hospital Assn are either Prozinc or Lantus (glargine). Prozinc was developed for animals. I suspect if you're diabetic, you're familiar with Lantus. This is the link to the AAHA guidelines for treating diabetes. You might want to look this over in advance of your upcoming vet appointment.

With regard to diet, it's great that you've switched your cat over to a low carb diet. We consider low carb as less than 10%. That said, not every cat does equally well on a very low carb diet. Benny's blood glucose numbers may be more stable if you increase the carbs. If you're planning on restarting insulin, you may want to increase the carbs to 5% or even 7 - 8%. We have links to food charts. Please let us know if you need that information.

As a diabetic, I doubt we need to convince you regarding the value of home testing. If you've converted to a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), you may be happy to learn that vets have been recommending the use of the Freestyle Libre with cats. There's an entire Facebook group devoted to supporting people who use the Libre with their cat or dog. For cats who strenuously object to getting poked on their ear, the Libre has been of huge value. As an aside, I managed my cat's diabetes entirely solo. It's possible to do so. We do encourage members to learn to use a glucometer with their cat since the sensor from a CGM can fall off or fail and the CGMs tend to give a falsely low reading if numbers are in the lower end of normal range. Having a hand held meter is a useful back-up. I'm tagging one of our members who has been using the Libre for quite some time and can answer any questions you may have. @Staci & Ivy

Please let us know if you have more questions. We're here to lend a hand.
 
Can you clarify the dose you were giving on Vestulin. You wrote "1 cc". That is a massive overdose of insulin for any cat. Hopefully you meant 1 unit of insulin. 1 unit is a teeny amount, barely a drop. See the red arrow I put in the edited image below to show where the 1 unit line is on a U40 0.3 ml (max 30 units) syringe.


Half-Unit-Marking.jpg


Are you using U40 insulin syringes? Vetsulin is a U40 insulin and requires U40 syringes. There is a way to use U100 syringes but you need to convert the dose to avoid an overdose.

As mentioned, Vetsulin is not a good insulin to use. There are much better choices. Some vets are old school and haven't kept up with new treatments. You need to advocate for your cat and be a little pushy to get a vet to consider other options.

If your cat doesn't eat much of the dry food, there's no reason at all to feed it. Save your money and use it to buy canned food or syringes or other things your cat needs.

Do you have relatives or friends or neighbors who could help you test, at least initially until you find a routine that works for you and your cat? Or maybe hire a pet sitter to help out? Many vet techs also pet sit on the side or do other things for extra money so you can try asking the vet techs at the vet office.
 
Hi and welcome to you and sweet Benny!

I see Sienne asked me to jump in here to discuss using a Libre CGM sensor.
I’ve used one continuously on Ivy for about 2.5 years now. I use a Libre 3 and she has her own phone which stays at home with her at all times and sends the glucose readings to my personal phone 24/7.
By the way, the cat’s phone can be an older model and does not require a data plan so you don’t have to pay for any service for that phone.

Below is a link we have created with information on using a Libre on your cat.
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...ucose-monitors-cgms-for-diabetic-cats.301950/
Please let us know if you have any questions. We are happy to help 💞
 
Oh Dear! I was using 1 UNIT, not 1cc, of Vetsulin and was using U40 syringes. Sorry about that. Thank you for all the work you did putting in that illustration! I do believe my Vet has not kept up with the new treatments. I did mention to him about the new glucose tester that goes on the cat's neck/back, but he didn't seem very interested. In any event, I will be going to a new Vet this next Thursday (8/27) who is only a CAT Vet, and the secretary whom I talked with, gave me much hope that she could be of help and that she knows everything there is to know about cat diabetes. Unfortunately, she is quite a drive away, maybe half an hour, and it is 103-110 degrees here every day (Las Vegas). I just noticed, within the last couple of days, that Benny has a cataract in one of his beautiful emerald eyes too, so I hope that she might be able to do something about that as well. (different fish to fry). With regard to help, I have no living relatives, I have lost my parents and my son, so I am alone. Folks on one side of me are older than me with no cats and the other side has renters who I wouldn't ask even for a potato. Ha! I thought of getting someone to come in to help, but doesn't the monitoring need to be done twice a day, every day? I'm on Medicare so money is tight and I'm spending a bundle on my own diabetes medicine that Medicare won't cover.
Benny is a gentle cat, it's just that I cannot hold him, grab an ear, grab the ear prick thing (which I have never quite learned how to use correctly), prick his ear, squeeze his ear for blood and get it onto the test strip. Usually around step 2 or 3, Benny is long gone! It doesn't help that I often use the ear prick thing and it doesn't prick his ear at all or it pricks his ear and into my finger. I manage my diabetes with Jardiance, just a pill. Why or why can't we have just a pill for our babies?
 
Margicats said:
Oh Dear! I was using 1 UNIT, not 1cc, of Vetsulin and was using U40 syringes. Sorry about that. Thank you for all the work you did putting in that illustration! I do believe my Vet has not kept up with the new treatments. I did mention to him about the new glucose tester that goes on the cat's neck/back, but he didn't seem very interested. In any event, I will be going to a new Vet this next Thursday (8/27) who is only a CAT Vet, and the secretary whom I talked with, gave me much hope that she could be of help and that she knows everything there is to know about cat diabetes. Unfortunately, she is quite a drive away, maybe half an hour, and it is 103-110 degrees here every day (Las Vegas). I just noticed, within the last couple of days, that Benny has a cataract in one of his beautiful emerald eyes too, so I hope that she might be able to do something about that as well. (different fish to fry). With regard to help, I have no living relatives, I have lost my parents and my son, so I am alone. Folks on one side of me are older than me with no cats and the other side has renters who I wouldn't ask even for a potato. Ha! I thought of getting someone to come in to help, but doesn't the monitoring need to be done twice a day, every day? I'm on Medicare so money is tight and I'm spending a bundle on my own diabetes medicine that Medicare won't cover.
Benny is a gentle cat, it's just that I cannot hold him, grab an ear, grab the ear prick thing (which I have never quite learned how to use correctly), prick his ear, squeeze his ear for blood and get it onto the test strip. Usually around step 2 or 3, Benny is long gone! It doesn't help that I often use the ear prick thing and it doesn't prick his ear at all or it pricks his ear and into my finger. I manage my diabetes with Jardiance, just a pill. Why or why can't we have just a pill for our babies?
Click to expand...
We are both in the same boat sailing alone, but if you need financial assistance since you are I’m Medicare in the main forum you will find several foundations for diabetic cats like DCIN, Diabetic cats in need, they as well as others can assist you with syringes, monitor, strips and insulin
 
To test the ear, find a small sock fill the end with rice knot it and this way you can cup the the ear while holding his between the ears, and you will have better support to prick it
 
Oh good. 1 unit is a much more reasonable dose than 1 cc (aka 100 units).

Some people find it easiest to put the cat on a table or on a chair for testing. Have you tried that? Have the cat face away from you. You can use one arm to hold the cat in place while you warm the ear and poke with the other arm and hand. You may need both hands briefly.

What brand of meter do you have? Some have lancet devices that may not work well. Some people don't use the device at all and just carefully freehand the lancet to poke.

There are testing tips here: Hometesting Links and Tips
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Welcome to FDMB!

First, Vetsulin is not a great insulin for cats. Its name outside of the US is Caninsulin. If it's not obvious, it's an insulin that was developed for dogs. Cats have a much faster metabolism than dogs and the result is that cat's blood glucose numbers respond much more dramatically with them dropping hard and fast into a low, potentially hypoglycemic range. The two insulins that are recommended by the American Animal Hospital Assn are either Prozinc or Lantus (glargine). Prozinc was developed for animals. I suspect if you're diabetic, you're familiar with Lantus. This is the link to the AAHA guidelines for treating diabetes. You might want to look this over in advance of your upcoming vet appointment.

With regard to diet, it's great that you've switched your cat over to a low carb diet. We consider low carb as less than 10%. That said, not every cat does equally well on a very low carb diet. Benny's blood glucose numbers may be more stable if you increase the carbs. If you're planning on restarting insulin, you may want to increase the carbs to 5% or even 7 - 8%. We have links to food charts. Please let us know if you need that information.

As a diabetic, I doubt we need to convince you regarding the value of home testing. If you've converted to a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), you may be happy to learn that vets have been recommending the use of the Freestyle Libre with cats. There's an entire Facebook group devoted to supporting people who use the Libre with their cat or dog. For cats who strenuously object to getting poked on their ear, the Libre has been of huge value. As an aside, I managed my cat's diabetes entirely solo. It's possible to do so. We do encourage members to learn to use a glucometer with their cat since the sensor from a CGM can fall off or fail and the CGMs tend to give a falsely low reading if numbers are in the lower end of normal range. Having a hand held meter is a useful back-up. I'm tagging one of our members who has been using the Libre for quite some time and can answer any questions you may have. @Staci & Ivy

Please let us know if you have more questions. We're here to lend a hand.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the quick reply! I made the signature and template and linked it successfully. Don't know how to use it yet, but at least it's there! Thank you! I'm aware of that Freestyle Libre, although my Vet was not interested in pursuing it. My up-coming appt. with the new Cat Vet should be more beneficial. I'm wondering though if it is not cost-prohibitive for me. I am not poor but I manage all my own expenses and my diabetes medication (Jardiance) which is very expensive and not covered by Medicare. Alot of my medications, actually, are not covered by Medicare. Anyhow, I am open to anything, and if I can manage it, I will try anything for him!
 
squeem3 said:
Oh good. 1 unit is a much more reasonable dose than 1 cc (aka 100 units).

Some people find it easiest to put the cat on a table or on a chair for testing. Have you tried that? Have the cat face away from you. You can use one arm to hold the cat in place while you warm the ear and poke with the other arm and hand. You may need both hands briefly.

What brand of meter do you have? Some have lancet devices that may not work well. Some people don't use the device at all and just carefully freehand the lancet to poke.

There are testing tips here: Hometesting Links and Tips
Click to expand...
Margicats said:
Thank you for the quick reply! I made the signature and template and linked it successfully. Don't know how to use it yet, but at least it's there! Thank you! I'm aware of that Freestyle Libre, although my Vet was not interested in pursuing it. My up-coming appt. with the new Cat Vet should be more beneficial. I'm wondering though if it is not cost-prohibitive for me. I am not poor but I manage all my own expenses and my diabetes medication (Jardiance) which is very expensive and not covered by Medicare. Alot of my medications, actually, are not covered by Medicare. Anyhow, I am open to anything, and if I can manage it, I will try anything for him! I have an AlphaTrak3. After many, many attempts in June, I finally got a day's reading which I have attached here. I don't know anything about it, but it looks radical to me!
Click to expand...
 

Attachments

CORKY said:
To test the ear, find a small sock fill the end with rice knot it and this way you can cup the the ear while holding his between the ears, and you will have better support to prick it
Click to expand...
What a great hack! Benny's ears are badly damaged though, either through frost-bite or rescue orgs. Don't know which. (see attached). I got him as an adult and I "heard tell" he had been feral at one time. This makes it extra difficult to get an ear and try to prick the right place.
 

Attachments

  • Benny Ears.jpg
    Benny Ears.jpg
    218.5 KB · Views: 8
Margicats said:
What a great hack! Benny's ears are badly damaged though, either through frost-bite or rescue orgs. Don't know which. (see attached). I got him as an adult and I "heard tell" he had been feral at one time. This makes it extra difficult to get an ear and try to prick the right place.
Click to expand...
Right along that outer vein which is quite visible and his hair is white you will have no problem, in a week or so the capillaries will swell and you’ll feel it by touch, I also have another small trick, I have a small flashlight, tge side of my palm, I place it in my mouth to prick and see the droplet of blood, Corky’s hair is dark, so it’s easier for you, you might want to find a white sock so the vein reflects in the light! As both of you get use to testing it becomes easier, you may want to offer a treat afterwards to relate
 
On the top of the spreadsheet you want to fill in the slots, this way all members that refere to assist have all the information at hand when reviewing the SS, good job! We are here to help you in this journey, know you are not alone, we have also been scared and stressed, its very hard to find out our fur babies can also have diabetes, I had no idea! I almost lost Corky without this forum and the amazing dedicated members he would’ve lost the fight so any concerns please post us some one will alway be able to plug in to help you, You are not alone:cat::cat::bighug:
 
Staci & Ivy said:
Hi and welcome to you and sweet Benny!

I see Sienne asked me to jump in here to discuss using a Libre CGM sensor.
I’ve used one continuously on Ivy for about 2.5 years now. I use a Libre 3 and she has her own phone which stays at home with her at all times and sends the glucose readings to my personal phone 24/7.
By the way, the cat’s phone can be an older model and does not require a data plan so you don’t have to pay for any service for that phone.

Below is a link we have created with information on using a Libre on your cat.
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...ucose-monitors-cgms-for-diabetic-cats.301950/
Please let us know if you have any questions. We are happy to help 💞
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! The link is very, very helpful! I am going to a new cat-only Vet on Thursday and I hope she will be more helpful than my previous Vet. I like the idea of the Libre monitor, although it seems unlikely that Benny will wear anything at all. I will share as soon as I have more information and direction from her. Thank you again!
 
Maybe this will help
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
c2b8079a-b471-4fa6-ac36-9ac1c8d6dcca-jpeg.57072


fec17d29-5ab4-44a8-912b-3a91944c3954-jpeg.57073



6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capillaries it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 10 or 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets any brand
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with

Try putting a thin layer of Vaseline on the ear so the blood will bead up

You also need to add your signature
Tap on your name up top then tap on signature and add this information you will see it in my signature in gray letters
  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Bexacat or Senvelgo (if applicable) and dates
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
    • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.
You would add this under Benny's spreadsheet

Thank you!
 
Last edited:
If you want to safe money most of us use a human meter
Most of us use the Relion Premier Classic from Walmart
Relion Premier Classic Meter at Walmart for 9 dollars
ReliOn Premier Classic Blood Glucose Monitoring System HSA/FSA Eligible - Walmart.com

The tests strips are 17.88 for 100
ReliOn Premier Blood Glucose Test Strips, 100 Count HSA/FSA Eligible - Walmart.com
At least if you need more test strips you can run into Walmart and pick them up or if you're running low you can just order them from Walmart on line.
 
IF YOUR VET DOES PRESCRIBE LANTUS
Which I hope the vet does

You can definitely get 5 pens of Lantus or the generic Glargine

You can Check
CVS, Rite Aid, Costco, Walgreen's, to get the price for 5 pens either Lantus or the generic Glargine , plenty of members use the generic
Just call around and see who has the cheapest price , it's really not that expensive
With the pens just keep them in the fridge middle shelf , they all have the expiration date on them .

Also
The 5 pens will last about a year, we use the pens just like a vial, you would just insert the syringe it the gray rubber stopper on the pen and draw out your insulin
Its generic lantus

If you use the Good Rx
GoodRX has a 1-800 number to assist you in using their services to get your pets prescriptions filled if the pharmacy gives you any issues.

I think I found it for you
GoodRx / Customer service

1 (855) 268-2822


GoodRx coupon.
https://www.goodrx.com/lantus?label...d-pens-of-100-units-ml&quantity=1&slug=lantus
Make sure that the Match your prescription pull down menu says generic glargine 1 carton of 5 3ml pens.


Also
A membersaid she followed this prescription info exactly and it worked perfectly. Hope this helps!
Then go to the Lantus site to generate the coupon as in second image.
upload_2023-12-1_6-57-52-png.68163






upload_2023-12-1_6-59-16-png.68164



Found this also posted by another member
finally got the pharmacy to honor the 5 pens for $35 coupon. I had my vet write the prescription as 8 to 25 units twice a day and that seemed to do the trick.
 
CORKY said:
On the top of the spreadsheet you want to fill in the slots, this way all members that refere to assist have all the information at hand when reviewing the SS, good job! We are here to help you in this journey, know you are not alone, we have also been scared and stressed, its very hard to find out our fur babies can also have diabetes, I had no idea! I almost lost Corky without this forum and the amazing dedicated members he would’ve lost the fight so any concerns please post us some one will alway be able to plug in to help you, You are not alone:cat::cat::bighug:
Click to expand...
Thank you! I will report back after my visit with my new Vet. You all have been so helpful already!! 😽😽
 
Diane Tyler's Mom GA said:
If you want to safe money most of us use a human meter
Most of us use the Relion Premier Classic from Walmart
Relion Premier Classic Meter at Walmart for 9 dollars
ReliOn Premier Classic Blood Glucose Monitoring System HSA/FSA Eligible - Walmart.com

The tests strips are 17.88 for 100
ReliOn Premier Blood Glucose Test Strips, 100 Count HSA/FSA Eligible - Walmart.com
At least if you need more test strips you can run into Walmart and pick them up or if you're running low you can just order them from Walmart on line.
Click to expand...
Wow! Thank you!
 
If the new vet will give you Lantus you will need U-100 syringes with the half unit markings since we increase or decrease by 9.25 units at a time.
CORRECTION WE INCREASE OR DECREASE BY 0.25 UNITS AT A TIME

copied and pasted this from another member's post from earlier today.

If you are by a Walmart, you can get U100 insulin syringes with half unit marks for $12.58/100.
You need to go into the store to get them
I don't know if you need a vets script though

Either of these 2 boxes are the ones you want (with a purple stripe). You have to go into the store , can't buy them on line
upload_2024-4-22_23-37-23-jpeg.69946



This was posted by a member and copied it for you
If you're going to Walmart, ask for Relion 3/10ml, 31 or 30 gauge insulin syringes. (Don't mention half unit marks because this tends to confuse them and they think you don't know what you want and will try to convince you that you need 1/2ml syringes---you DON'T)

ALL of the 3/10ml Relion syringes at Walmart have half unit marks. Trust me on this. You will want one of these boxes of syringes (the difference is the needle length...blue box are shorter needles than white box but both work fine). As long as the box has the purple stripe, they are the correct syringes.

I don't know if you will need a vets script though
You can get them from Amazon without a vets script for U-100 syringes for Lantus
half unit markings without a vets script
Amazon.com: UltiCare VetRx U-100 Pet Insulin Syringes, Comfortable & Accurate Dosing of Insulin for Pets, Compatible w/Any U-100 Strength Insulin, Size: 3/10cc, 31G x 5/16’’, w/Half Unit Markings, 60 ct Box : Health & Household
 
Last edited:
Margicats said:
I made the signature and template and linked it successfully. Don't know how to use it yet, but at least it's there
Click to expand...

The AMPS means the first test in the morning , withhold feeding 2 hours prior to testing so it's not food influenced You would put that number in the AMPS cell that means AM pre shot
If you test him 2 hours later after giving insulin that BG number goes in the +2 cell
and so on

Same thing with PMPS withold feeding 2 hours before that test then test and put that BG # in the PMPS cell if you test 3 hours after giving insulin that goes in the +3 cell and so on

The U column means how many units of insulin you are giving
 
In the Main Forum there’s a thread called Supply Closet, you will find members that they have extra and unused supplies like syringes insulin that they give away for free by paying only the shipping is good to check often, it has helped me a lot
 
Margicats said:
Thank you so much! The link is very, very helpful! I am going to a new cat-only Vet on Thursday and I hope she will be more helpful than my previous Vet. I like the idea of the Libre monitor, although it seems unlikely that Benny will wear anything at all. I will share as soon as I have more information and direction from her. Thank you again!
Click to expand...
I also wanted to let you know about a recent coupon for purchasing a Libre for only $19.99 each (an excellent price!)
(It may expire 12/31/25, still not sure) but at least i was able to use it last week at my pharmacy and they got it to work.
Here's more information below:

Freestyle Libre CGM Abbott Coupon $19.99 Each!!! Please Read
 
Hi Everyone! Benny and I are so glad to have found people who care!!! Like I mentioned previously, I will be going to the new Vet Thursday and I will keep you all posted afterward. However, in the meantime, I am putting together the "toolbox" items that someone sent me here. Do you think I can find it again?? Can someone point me in the right direction to locate it? Also, I have given Karo syrup to Benny (on his gums) during an attack, but it seems to do nothing at all. I saw somewhere, someone say to give a high carb wet cat food. Benny is famished during these attacks, so I think this would work and last longer. I was just giving him the regular low carb wet cat food. He can eat a whole 3 ounce can, like he has never eaten before! Any suggestions? I would like to say it will never happen again, but I will be prepared just in case. BTW, Benny's signs of hypoglycemia are these: head constantly turning from side to side, wild looking eyes, constant movement, must walk following corners and purposely goes behind open doors where he scratches to get out hysterically, even though he could turn around easily or back up.
 
The toolbox I think you're referring to is in this post on helping us to help you. It's Jojo's hypo toolbox. There is also instructions in that same post regarding setting up your signature. We need some basic information about Benny.

Either high carb cat food (e.g., Fancy Feast gravy type food) or adding Karo syrup to his food will help. It can several minutes for his blood glucose system to respond. Remember, he needs to digest what you're giving him.

Are you giving Benny insulin? I thought you'd stopped the Vetsulin. If you're not giving him insulin, he can't be hypoglycemic. He may be ravenous from the diabetes, though.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
The toolbox I think you're referring to is in this post on helping us to help you. It's Jojo's hypo toolbox. There is also instructions in that same post regarding setting up your signature. We need some basic information about Benny.

Either high carb cat food (e.g., Fancy Feast gravy type food) or adding Karo syrup to his food will help. It can several minutes for his blood glucose system to respond. Remember, he needs to digest what you're giving him.

Are you giving Benny insulin? I thought you'd stopped the Vetsulin. If you're not giving him insulin, he can't be hypoglycemic. He may be ravenous from the diabetes, though.
Click to expand...
Yes,,,, that's it! Thank you! Seems the Karo syrup never did help him. No I'm not giving him insulin at this time. I'm just getting the toolbox prepared for an emergency after the new Vet decides what to do and what to put him on. I did set up my signature and up-loaded his spreadsheet, but there is nothing on it because I only tested him once at home over a year ago. I up-loaded that pdf too. The other occasions where he was tested, I took him to the Vet and he read the results to me over the phone, or at least his summary of them.
 
Margicats said:
I did set up my signature
Click to expand...
I don't see your signature
Here is the information we need for your signature
Just click on your name up top and then tap signature and add this information. It's at the end of everyone's post in gray letters
  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Bexacat or Senvelgo (if applicable) and dates
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
    • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.


Do you see mine about Tyler, if you aren't giving insulin yet you can put , no insulin yet

@Margicats
 
Margicats said:
Okay. Now I got it. I thought the profile meant the spreadsheet. Unfortunately, my information and knowledge is considerably sketchy. Might not be of much help. Sorry.
Click to expand...
It looks fine when you do start insulin you can just add it to your signature.
You just tap on your name up top and then tap on the word signature and add it then tap save @Margicats
 
Margicats said:
Thank you. You are too kind. And sorry about your kitty.
Click to expand...
You're very welcome 🤗
Thank you for your condolences for my kitty Tyler. His brother Perry passed away also in 2019
When you do start insulin you will need a hypo kit set up in case Benny BG drops too low
Just wanted you to know on Dr Pierson's food chart

the Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Beef Feast In Roasted Beef Flavor Gravy (which. Dr Pierson’s list says is 20%
Comes back with 14%

These are correct for med carbs
Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Chicken Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs



Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Turkey Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Chicken and Beef in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

You can even look at the Friskies for high carbs and med carbs.
So buy a few cans of each


https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-

10% and under is low carb
11% -15 is medium carbs.

16- 24 is high carb.

Since Benny gives you a hard time testing him did you read post #7 from Staci , the numbers are to the right of each post
Also what Sienne said in her post #5
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top