cashy
Member Since 2017
We have been treating our ancient old cat for diabetes now going on 7 years. The first six months were a nightmare he was on up to 12u of vetsulin and typical sugars were in the 400+ range. We learned and switched his diet to Young Again zero Mature. Boy that worked. After a few days we had to stop insulin for about a year. Went along like that until one random spot check he was back to 400. Oops. Back on vetsulin and continued the YAZM diet.
In the last year or so he started losing ground He quit grooming and seemed to hide out. That went on for the better part of a year. We felt like we were doing everything and he was fading away. His big problem was that he was getting nauseated about once a week and would remain so for about a day almost every week.
For several years he was on about 4-5 units of vetsulin. It seemed like it had a duration of about 12 hours. I keep a spreadsheet and would slide the scale a bit.
I thought that perhaps a change in insulin might be worth a try. Went to walmart for Novolin N. I approached it with kid gloves, starting with a half unit It took probably 3 weeks before he started getting predictable values. Being U100 vs U40 you can't use very much. He was still bothered with nausea But he complains way less with the shot. Perhaps it has a better ph or something.
We had been supplementing his dry food which he seemed to like with canned tuna and Fancy Feast (no grain added) pate`. Occasionally he will he will eat what we treat our other cats eat Friskies classic pate` It has some rice in it so more carbs.
One of our dogs is sensitive to his blood sugar apparently, if we see her following Cash around, it is time to do a spot check Otherwise we follow him 3 or 4 times a day.
We decided to stop the YAZM about a month ago. To see how he does on his catfood and fish. He is very picky If he won't eat them we give him some of the Friskies wet food. If he gets down under 70 he can have Friskies Dry. That is close to pure carbs. He gets maybe 10-12 kibbles of that rarely if needed and he going to go up.
As he has washed the Vetsulin out of his system the amount of Novolin N has changed. Doses range from .5-2.5u Mostly about 1-2u. Some days 1.2 units will hold him until the next day. I had read that Novolin N was way more short acting than Vetsulin It started off that way but now is the same or longer acting.
The big rub with Novolin N. The amounts are so low that I try and measure to the nearest 1/4th u I use .3ml syringes and 31ga needles, a steady hand, a flash light and sometimes a magnifier. If I could get .1ml (10u) needles it would be golden. If you are giving 1u an error of 1/4thu is a 25% change. That part is a headache.
If you are still reading this The best part! Since using only wet high protein wet food
He is much more active doesn't hide out. will sit on our laps and purrs. Actually grooms himself. He looks better now than in the past few years.
His eating is occasionally erratic and I think that affects the blood sugar. If he won't eat what we want him to we move down the list to the other food. We can bring his blood glucose down, but not up.
We changed vets for our 6 dogs and 5 cats. After discussion amongst ourselves We don't want to put him through any heroic care. What are labs going to prove? Maybe that he has impaired renal function, Yeah sure you bet ya, being 23 and a diabetic.
In the last year or so he started losing ground He quit grooming and seemed to hide out. That went on for the better part of a year. We felt like we were doing everything and he was fading away. His big problem was that he was getting nauseated about once a week and would remain so for about a day almost every week.
For several years he was on about 4-5 units of vetsulin. It seemed like it had a duration of about 12 hours. I keep a spreadsheet and would slide the scale a bit.
I thought that perhaps a change in insulin might be worth a try. Went to walmart for Novolin N. I approached it with kid gloves, starting with a half unit It took probably 3 weeks before he started getting predictable values. Being U100 vs U40 you can't use very much. He was still bothered with nausea But he complains way less with the shot. Perhaps it has a better ph or something.
We had been supplementing his dry food which he seemed to like with canned tuna and Fancy Feast (no grain added) pate`. Occasionally he will he will eat what we treat our other cats eat Friskies classic pate` It has some rice in it so more carbs.
One of our dogs is sensitive to his blood sugar apparently, if we see her following Cash around, it is time to do a spot check Otherwise we follow him 3 or 4 times a day.
We decided to stop the YAZM about a month ago. To see how he does on his catfood and fish. He is very picky If he won't eat them we give him some of the Friskies wet food. If he gets down under 70 he can have Friskies Dry. That is close to pure carbs. He gets maybe 10-12 kibbles of that rarely if needed and he going to go up.
As he has washed the Vetsulin out of his system the amount of Novolin N has changed. Doses range from .5-2.5u Mostly about 1-2u. Some days 1.2 units will hold him until the next day. I had read that Novolin N was way more short acting than Vetsulin It started off that way but now is the same or longer acting.
The big rub with Novolin N. The amounts are so low that I try and measure to the nearest 1/4th u I use .3ml syringes and 31ga needles, a steady hand, a flash light and sometimes a magnifier. If I could get .1ml (10u) needles it would be golden. If you are giving 1u an error of 1/4thu is a 25% change. That part is a headache.
If you are still reading this The best part! Since using only wet high protein wet food
He is much more active doesn't hide out. will sit on our laps and purrs. Actually grooms himself. He looks better now than in the past few years.
His eating is occasionally erratic and I think that affects the blood sugar. If he won't eat what we want him to we move down the list to the other food. We can bring his blood glucose down, but not up.
We changed vets for our 6 dogs and 5 cats. After discussion amongst ourselves We don't want to put him through any heroic care. What are labs going to prove? Maybe that he has impaired renal function, Yeah sure you bet ya, being 23 and a diabetic.
