Cat Vomiting

[Ann & Sister]

Sister is newly diagnosed. On Lantus, one unit twice a day. Resumed insulin yesterday a.m. (missed two injections because she has URI, an inner ear infection and stopped eating) and everything went well. This morning after the 7 a.m. shot, Sister vomited all of her breakfast at 8 am. Vet advised offering small amount of food around noon and then resuming normal dinner and shot this evening. Would you concur with this advice?
PS Sister vomited clear water at 9:30 am. after consulting with her vet. Does insulin cause nausea? I thought she just ate too much. I'm going to give her Cerenia.

 

[Katherine&Ruby]

Insulin does not cause nausea. Since you're not testing yet, it's hard to say but it could be due to hyperglycemia. If a cat is regurgitating food, it's usually because it ate too much too fast. My cat who is on Lantus eats 6 small meals a day. It's easier on her stomach and her pancreas.

This site has some great recommendations for dealing with nausea in cats: https://www.rawfeedingforibdcats.or...es-slippery-elm-bark-powder-instructions.html

I have been trying to manage my Ruby's nausea and vomiting issues for a long time because of her complex conditions so it's a problem I know well and try to manage.

It's hard for me to advise you about giving the shot since you're not testing and Sister isn't eating reliably. But I blind shot my cat for 5 weeks before joining this board, only testing her pee for glucose and ketones using Ketodiastix as recommended by my vet, and you also want to avoid ketones building up. Everyone here uses the Relion meter from Walmart if you want to get started.

 

[Ann & Sister]

Insulin does not cause nausea. Since you're not testing yet, it's hard to say but it could be due to hyperglycemia. If a cat is regurgitating food, it's usually because it ate too much too fast.

Thanks, appreciate the info. The vet called for a status and when I said she had vomited all her breakfast, the advice was to reduce the insulin this evening, that maybe the dose was too high. That gave me the idea that the insulin can make you nauseous. I went on to say I had joined this group where everyone has glucose meters and pee strips and asked if she would have me testing at home soon. She said, no, not right away. This vet wants to try to get remission first, if possible, with testing at her clinic.

 

[Sarah&Soph]

Thanks, appreciate the info. The vet called for a status and when I said she had vomited all her breakfast, the advice was to reduce the insulin this evening, that maybe the dose was too high. That gave me the idea that the insulin can make you nauseous. I went on to say I had joined this group where everyone has glucose meters and pee strips and asked if she would have me testing at home soon. She said, no, not right away. This vet wants to try to get remission first, if possible, with testing at her clinic.

I had a vet who also felt this way. Never once mentioned home testing and when I did ask, told me that it was useless and “couldn’t tell me anything”, and this was AFTER my cat had already had a severe hypo. I spent an outrageous amount of money and over a year doing it the vet’s way and my cat did not even get regulated, let alone make it into remission. Within two months of starting home testing and joining this board, she was in remission. The decision is ultimately up to you, that is just my two cents as someone who went through it

 

[Katherine&Ruby]

@Sarah&Soph I'm so sorry you had that experience, but sadly that seems to be the norm.

Home testing will keep your cat safe and save you a lot of money from doing curves at the vet. I was really afraid of going against the advice of my vets, and my DBF could not believe I would follow the advice of a bunch of strangers on the internet over someone who spent four years at vet school. But the FDMB is the best thing that ever happened to me and my cat. My vet saw her spreadsheet and said, "Whatever you're doing, keep doing it!" and has essentially let me manage her diabetes, which I do with daily input from everyone here.

 

[Sarah&Soph]

I started with the AlpaTrak and it is a great little meter, the main issue is convenience and cost. You have to order the strips online, they cannot be bought in store, which can be a problem if you suddenly run out and your cat is having a low blood sugar situation. The strips are also $1 each. On the other hand, you can go to just about any Walmart and get the prime strips and they only cost 17 cents each!

 

[Ann & Sister]

I started with the AlpaTrak and it is a great little meter, the main issue is convenience and cost. You have to order the strips online, they cannot be bought in store, which can be a problem if you suddenly run out and your cat is having a low blood sugar situation. The strips are also $1 each. On the other hand, you can go to just about any Walmart and get the prime strips and they only cost 17 cents each!

I have been on line shopping for a glucose meter. Reviews say Relion not that accurate or needs more blood. Good reviews on AlphaTrak. On the strips, are these what get used with the meter or are you speaking of pee strips? Thx.
And if the strips are for the glucometer, the WM ones fit, too?

 

[Sarah&Soph]

I have been on line shopping for a glucose meter. Reviews say Relion not that accurate or needs more blood. Good reviews on AlphaTrak. On the strips, are these what get used with the meter or are you speaking of pee strips? Thx.
And if the strips are for the glucometer, the WM ones fit, too?

The relion prime does need more blood than the AlphaTrak. The AT needs 0.3uL while the Prime needs 0.5uL. But to be honest, we are talking microliters, it is only a very tiny amount of blood. I was also very skeptical about switching to the Prime after I read the reviews, but it is a perfectly good meter.

Yes, the strips are what are used with the meter. Each time you take a blood sugar reading, you will have to put a new strip in the meter and use that to stick into the blood droplet to get the reading. So the price of the strips really adds up! Right now I am doing at least 5 tests a day. That is 85cents/day with the Relion Prime, but would be $5/day with the AlphaTrak! When shopping for a meter (whichever you choose), you will need to buy the meter, the matching test strips, and lancets. You only have to buy the meter once, the test strips and the lancets are reoccurring costs.

 

[Katherine&Ruby]

I have been on line shopping for a glucose meter. Reviews say Relion not that accurate or needs more blood. Good reviews on AlphaTrak. On the strips, are these what get used with the meter or are you speaking of pee strips? Thx.
And if the strips are for the glucometer, the WM ones fit, too?

AlphaTrak is a pet meter and the numbers are different from a human meter which is what the Relion is. Many people use the pet meters on this forum but the preferred meter is a human one. It's what the protocols that form the backbone of the forums are based on and the strips are a less expensive than an AlphaTrak. Glucometer strips are proprietary and are not transferable from meter to meter.

Another human meter you might want to look into is the Freestyle Lite, made by Abbott who is the manufacturer of the AlphaTrak for pets. The sample size is also small, and the strips are less expensive than the AlphaTrak's.

 

[Ann & Sister]

AlphaTrak is a pet meter and the numbers are different from a human meter which is what the Relion is. Many people use the pet meters on this forum but the preferred meter is a human one. It's what the protocols that form the backbone of the forums are based on and the strips are a less expensive than an AlphaTrak. Glucometer strips are proprietary and are not transferable from meter to meter.

Another human meter you might want to look into is the Freestyle Lite, made by Abbott who is the manufacturer of the AlphaTrak for pets. The sample size is also small, and the strips are less expensive than the AlphaTrak's.

Thanks! Great input.