BGs & behavior questions

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heather&giz

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I would really appreciate some feedback on this stuff, please. I feel so helpless...

I've been home testing Gizmo since the end of Jan when he started on PZI. The vet recommended 3u 2x/day to start, but we started him on 1u 2x/day instead based on some research done on my end. Since the insulin, his levels have been steady at 280-240 throughout the day. So I am thinking of bumping him up to 1.5u 2x/day. He is on a diet of Friskies canned food. What are people's thoughts? He is around 14 pounds.

Some days he seems to eat a lot/be hungry, getting into things, playful; while other days he sleeps more compared to his playful days and is not so hungry (he will still eat, just leave some in his bowl). Is this normal for him to have "good" days and "bad" days?

Before he was diagnosed, he was peeing on the floor. I put a litterbox where he was peeing, but it continued. Once we put him on the PM dry food the vet recommended & treated him for urinary tract problems, he stopped peeing. Then he started again, so we home tested him and found levels to be at 392. That's when we put him on the PZI and levels dropped to the 200's. He was not peeing on the floor, until the last 2 weeks, he does it once in awhile, but still uses the litterbox that is next to his pee spot. Last night he did it right in front of me! Does this mean something is wrong again, or since he peed there before, he wants to continue marking his spot? We have it all blocked off now with only that litterbox accessible in the spot. Other litterboxes are around the house for him to use.

His water drinking has lessened tremendously, so has the mulititude of peeing, but the clumps of litter are still much bigger than my civvie cats' clumps.

When he first started the PM food, his fur became really soft again and his dandruff was very minimal. After a couple weeks it reverted back to being coarse and very dandruffy and shedding more frequently. Like I said, we switched his diet to canned food, but there still has been no change with his fur. I'm not sure if that is a symptom or not.

When I am hometesting Gizmo, sometimes I can't get any blood drops on the ear. His ears are always warm, so I don't rub them. Should I be rubbing them anyway?

Any insight would be very helpful. I would just call my vet, but I'm hesitant to because I'm only giving Gizmo 1/3 of the dose he was prescribed and I'm not sure how he would take that news. Thanks!
 
I do not know the PZI protocol, because my cat was on Lantus.
With the Lantus protocol, with ranges in the 200's, you would increase by .25 at this point, rather than .50.

You might want to visit the PZI forum to ask this question.

Massaging the ears will help the blood to flow better when testing.
 
Sorry you are having some setbacks, Heather. I would have him checked out for a UTI, just in case. It's true that some diabetics will go outside the box, but sometimes it is an infection. That can also raise bg levels.

As far as getting blood, I would really recommend the rice sack. Particularly at first, they can need really warm ears, and rubbing may not be enough.

I would really help us if you would get a spreadsheet set up so we could see your history and help with dosing:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207
 
Dearest Heather -- sorry precious Gizmo, but this is definitely mom talk...

It's okay to feel helpless. This isn't just about Giz, it's also about you. He needs you to take care of him. So, we'll take care of you!

1. Remember, he's still your cat, he's just extra sweet...

2. Take a bubble bath or eat some chocolate or have a glass of wine... Or, perfectly orchestrated, all at once! Trays are helpful... A candle can be a nice touch...

3. Breathe. Breathe again.


And, sweetie, remember whatever goes in goes out. When he's drinking more, he'll pee more. When he's eating more, he'll probably poop more. It's a yin/yang pee/poop thing...

Giz is adjusting to a lot, too... Getting insulin... Dealing with your angst about him being extra sweet and getting insulin... Diet changes... New litter box rules...

Let's just say it, this sucks! It's okay, Heather, you can say, this sucks!






But, and sometimes buts are good, it won't always suck. Nope. There will come a moment when you will cherish being owned by an extra sweet cat... Trust me.

There will be a love and a bond you could never imagine. And, it will simply come down to an extra couple of minutes twice a day. Your collective lives will resume to normalcy. And, life can be lived greatly and wondrously, even in 12-hour intervals...!

You are so proactive, Heather. I believe in you. I do! And, forever and a day, I will believe in an extra-sweet cat named Gizmo, and a mom who thinks she's toast now, but will come to know her incredible strength. Because you are incredibly strong.

You are. I just know this to be true.





Do get Giz checked for a UTI. I like your thinking about bumping him up a half unit. And, yes, rub his ears whilst warming them...

Have a question though. What is PM food? Is that Purina DM?

And, since Black and FatBob taught me the word, manky is the word for well, a manky coat... I understood it completely with my Giz...





You can do this, dearest Heather. So can your precious Gizmo. You'll see...


Much love and countless encouraging hugs,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, forever whispering and dancing in my heart...
 
Heather I am new here so I do not pretend to know much. I do have a civie however that peed a lot outside the box. When it first started I took him in and it was an infection with crystals that we treated. It happened a couple times and every time, I took him in. Eventually I would take him in and it was negative. At the time he was on dry food. I knew infection was always a possibility so I kept taking him in.
Eventually my sugarcat ended up with IBS and we switched over to wet food part time and dry food for grazing. He peed less and less. Now he goes months without peeing but if the litter box is not pristine he will walk away. Mostly if he pees he comes up to me while I am on my computer, turns around and pees on me! I can't believe I am admitting that but for him it has become behavioral. We still check labs although not everytime especially if it is a frontal attack. One thing that helped for a while was feliway plugins for the bedroom. They are pheromones that are supposed to be calming. I also started feeding them on the bed since that is where he peed most often. They don't pee where they eat.
But please, please, please get him checked first and know that if it is negative then it could be stress from all he is going through and it will probably get better. Also they tend to go in repeat spots so hit the favorites with urine gone or some kind of enzyme spray. Good luck it will get better.
 
Yes I meant Purina DM.. DM/PM, almost the same :oops:

Thanks for the encouraging words. I will get him tested. And that is a good idea about putting the food where he pees! I'll keep you posted, thanks!
 
I got him tested and he was positive for an infection. Poor little guy... And his bgs went way up! But I want to get my spreadsheet together before I go into that mess.
 
Good that you confirmed the UTI - he should improve with antibiotics.

Norton peed outside the box when he felt miserable.

Regarding the blood -- after poking, I hold the base of the ear and "milk it" to increase the blood drop.

The main artery vein runs around the outside edge of the ears

The blood flows UP the ear from the center of the head, around the tip, and down the outside of the ears

So since I'm holding the vein on the lower outside -- the blood is flowing towards my fingers -- and it comes out the poked hole to make a nice blood drop.

Which meter are you using -- some meters require more blood than others.
 
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