Cat just Diagnosed. Need help with shots, etc.

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jennifero

New Member
Hello Everyone,
I joined the Message Board today because my cat, Barnyard, was diagnosed as diabetic last Thursday. I spent most of the weekend trying to learn what to do and where to get support. Barnyard is a female stray that showed up on our porch 6 years ago so I don't know how old she is since she was full grown then. She hasn't been well for several months. 4 months ago, I returned from vacation to find she had abcesses in her mouth and an ear full of fluid. She lost most of her back teeth due to the infection. Her head was tilted and three weeks of antibiotics and steriods later, she was better. I had changed her diet to Wellness canned food then not knowing she was a diabetic. But several weeks later her ear filled up again and she couldn't even walk upright. This when we found out she was diabetic. Her BG level was 456 and according to the vet, the infections were probably related to the high blood glucose level. After 5 days at the vets, I finally brought her home yesterday to start taking care of her along with vetsulin, Clavamox, and a bag of syringes. I hope she can forgive me for leaving her at the vet for so long. She much prefers my lap when she's feeling ill.

I was very glad to have found this message board and realized that if so many of you could do this, then so could I. I gave her an insulin shot this morning without problems, but I must have done something wrong this evening because, she howeled and scratched. Her coat is so think, I have a hard time finding the right spot to give her the injection. Her ears are still not right, so she's also on Clavamox to try and clear up the infection but I'm wondering if it might be fungal instead since I'm not seeing much improvement with her head tilt and walking. I did purchase a blood glucose meter as all of you have suggested. The vet didn't say anything about testing, just to give her 4 units 2x a day. It took at least 5 or 6 pokes before I got blood the first time. The meter doesn't need a lot of blood so that's nice.

Barnyard wasn't eating much at the vets, but today she started eating much more. She really needs to get her energy up because she hasn't had much to eat for about a week. Since she lost most of her back teeth, she prefers her food pureed. Thank goodness for hand blenders. I just puree some of the Wellness canned food with some water. She loved it.

I'm just glad I have a wonderful resource. What's the best way to keep track of Barnie's BG numbers? And how often do I test her? Do I feed her before or after her shot? So many questions...

Thanks!
Jennifer
 
In case your vet didn't clearly explain how to give a subcutaneous shot:
Pull up a fold of skin. This makes a small 'tent', with some space between the skin and underlying muscle. When you insert the needle, it does NOT point straight into the muscle; you are trying to get it into the little space you have pulled up. Thus, the syringe is at an angle to the cat's body - not parallel, nor perpendicular - an in-between angle. If you push into muscle, it hurts, plus the insulin stings and wasn't developed for injection into the muscle. There will be a slight springiness to the skin as the syringe fully presses against it.

Some cats really resist being restrained, so you want to do any testing or injecting as smoothly and swiftly as possible, with the least restraint you can use. If necessary, a thick towel may be placed on a couch near the arm, the cat placed on it, and then 'burrito wrapped' to reduce struggling and escape. Then proceed with the ear testing or injection quickly and release the cat.

The usual sequence is to test, feed, and give insulin. The frequency of testing relates somewhat to the insulin type, but always test before injecting.

Often, a blood glucose less than 150 means wait to give insulin or reduce a dose, but this depends on what kind of insulin you are using, how much testing history you have, what you have learned about how your cat responds to insulin, and whether or not your schedule can be shifted to continue regular insulin injections if you shift the time you give it.

There are notices posted at the beginning of all the forums; take your time and read through them, as they explain much of what you want to know.
 
If you look in my sig I have a spread sheet of Scruffy's BG readings, and notes, etc. It works great since others here can click and see what I see. It was a snap to set up. I also kept a more detailed log of daily observations for the vet.

Here is a link on instructions on how to set up a SS:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

Also, with my type of insulin it was safe to inject while he was eating. This offered a distraction and it worked great 98% of the time. However, I belive some insulin works better if you wait 5-15min after they eat. Check with others here or your vet so you know.

Read up on doing a BG curve. It really helped my vet determine what was going on with my Scruffy. Once you do a few ear pricks it will come eaiser for you. With the ear infection it is probably more of a challange right now. As that gets better it should be eaiser for you. Hang in there.
 
Welcome! Sorry you have to be here, but it is the best place for a diabetic cat.

I am concerned your vet started with Vetsulin. There have been some quality control issues with that insulin so very few people here use it: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=311 Having said that, you are presently using it so here are the tips for Vetsulin: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=302 Your vet also started you on a very high dose. Our protocol is to start low and go slow so as not to push the kitty into hypo. We usually advise to start at one unit twice a day. You can always increase over time, but if you start over the ideal dose, it is problematic. Especially since Barnyard has an infection and is on antibiotics. Sometimes infections raise bg levels and when the antibiotic starts working, the bg levels go down rapidly.

Glad you have changed to wet lo carb! Be aware that it can drastically change bg levels. When we changed Oliver over from dry to wet, his levels went down 100 points overnight. Thank goodness we were hometesting and rapidly lowered his dose or we would have sent him into hypo.

Which brings me to hometesting. You are wise to start this asap. Here is a good beginning site for info: http://www.sugarcats.net/sites/harry/bgtest.htm and a video to show you how: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8 Lots of people here like the ReliOn meter from Walmart. It is inexpensive and has the cheapest strips. You can use any human glucometer - you just want one that sips and takes a tiny sample - and sometimes they are free at drug stores. It is the strips that are expensive. Lots of us buy our strips on ebay for less than half the price of the stores.

I know it is hard to take advice over the internet, particularly when it may not jive with your vet's advice. All I can say is that everyone here has or has had a regulated/in remission cat, using our protocol of hometesting, wet lo carb and a good mild acting insulin started at a safe low dose. We like Lantus, Levemir or PZI. You can check those insulins out on our insulin support group site: viewforum.php?f=5

I have given you a lot of information. The beginning here is a steep learning curve, but soon becomes second nature to you and your cat. Your job is to read and reread and print stuff off and absorb. Then come back on with questions. You can do this; we will help (just like Home Depot!)
 
The steroids also might have contributed to the high BG readings. What antibiotics was Barnyard on before the Clavamox? Maybe Clavamox is not the right antibiotic? Can you describe better the ear problem? It may be more than a simple infections. There could be growths caiusng problems, including infection.
 
My cat also has very long fur and found a trick over time that helps. I try to part some of the fur with my hand around the back of his neck. When skin is exposed, I pull up the fur, which tents the skin for the shot and I can still see skin to put the needle in. For a while I felt like I was going in blind because I couldn't see any skin. He seems to feel it sometime, but its so quick it doesn't matter. You're doing better with the home testing than I am which is great! You'll get the shots down in no time.
 
Thank you everyone for the tips and tricks. I was finally able to give Barnyard her shots today with minimal fuss. She complained more about me pulling on her fur than about the shot! Only one meow. And only two tries to get a blood drop for testing. The vaseline and warming the ear, did the trick. I'm going to take a look at the spreadheets tonight and see what I can do with that.

I called the vet and asked about the Vetsulin. They were aware of the issues with it but he has had very good success with starting cats on it. He did say it may change later. I am suppose to give her the insulin either at the same time she's eating or right after.

The funny thing about the low carb food, is I started her on the Wellness before I even knew she had diabetes. I just wanted her on a healthier diet! I guess I did something right. My other two cats are on Wellness Core since they won't eat canned food. So hopefully they won't develop diabetes. Barnyard is actually eating much better now that she's at home. She really did not want to eat much during her 5 day stay at the vet.

Thank you again and I will keep reading everything and learning. I'm glad there are people around to talk to.

Jennifer
 
Fantastic! Welcome to the Vampire Club. (Secret handshake coming soon.....) It takes some newbies days to get blood. So glad you got it on the first go. What was the number?

There are 2 options re insulin. Since you are hometesting, you will be able to tell pretty fast how the Vetsulin works. With most cats, it hits fast and hard - 3 to 5 hours after the shot, and then wears out before the 12 hour cycle is up. You can try it for a few days, testing a bunch and then present the data to your vet and ask for another insulin. The danger here is that you have a limited window to heal the pancreas and if the vetsulin isn't working, you are wasting time. No idea how long you have - every cat is different.

The other option is to get firm with the vet. It's your cat. You're the customer. Tell him/her you are not interested in trying an insulin that has quality control problems. You'd like to go straight to the second choice.

You do need to have food in her stomach before giving Vetsulin. Since it is harsh and hits fast, you don't want to run the risk of having her refuse food after the shot or throwing up. IIWY, I would test, then feed, wait 15 minutes and then shoot.

Keep asking questions and reading. You're doing great!
 
Thanks Sue. I created the spreadsheet and posted it in my signature. I read through the Vetsulin information and it suggested a snack a couple hours after the shot. I told my vet that I was testing her blood at home and would report back to him in a week. This will give me time to work on a feeding schedule and routine for both of us since I work full time. I left some extra food out for her today and she ate it at some point in time. This will give me time to get numbers before and after shots.

Thanks again,
Jennifer
 
Those aren't bad numbers for a new diabetic. It is important to get some spot checks, around 3, 4, 5 and 6 hours after the shot. (Not all at once - you can get them when you can and put them on the spreadsheet. Good job on it by the way!) People who work during the day often take evening tests. If you shoot at 7, stay up a little late and get a test at 10 and one at 11. That will give you good data. The weekend is a good time to do a curve, when you test every 2 hours.

The nadir, or the lowest point the insulin takes Barnyard in the cycle is what you base your dose on. So if she is 280 at the preshot, but the insulin takes her down to 40 at the nadir, you may need to adjust the dose down.

It's a great idea to leave food out so if she goes down too low, she can eat to bring herself back up. I freeze the food in silicone cupcake pans, pop it out and leave it out to thaw.

You're doing well - sliding right down that steep learning curve!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top