Jenny and Comet (GA)
Member Since 2020
Hi, everyone. I first posted last month after Comet was diagnosed. Everyone here was so helpful and encouraging; I really appreciated it. I have been reading here when I can but have not been able to post. I thought I would try now.
We've had a challenging time. Comet was originally prescribed 1 unit of Lantus 2x day but reduced to 1/2 unit 2x a day after his food had changed. By late September, as per the vet, it was 1/4 2x day, but only if his glucose was at least 300 and he had eaten half a small can of wet food (Fancy Feast Classic pates or something else low carb). That amount drops him between 150-200 at a time, and the vet and I were worried about administering it any lower than 300.
On 9/26 I gave him a shot in the p.m. because he met those guidelines, and he hasn't met them since. We have been using a FreeStyle Libre sensor on the advice of his vet. (One difficulty we've had is that he absolutely will not let me do blood testing with his ears. He is a total sweetheart of a cat, and is an angel about shots, but will not will not will not let me work on his ears. I am still working on getting him accustomed to ear handling in the hopes that we will be able to move to that one day, but I am really discouraged. I see all the tolerant laidback cats in the blood testing videos, and that is not my guy when it comes to that!) He has ranged between 150-250 for most of the day, with dips to 100 or lower sometimes, and getting closer to 300 at odd times when I am not actively checking (like midnight) but that I find out about when I scan later.
His vet thinks that the change in food (pre-diagnosis, a mix of wet and dry; post diagnosis, we moved to low-carb wet exclusively) made a real difference and thinks he might be heading into remission. Another vet at her practice who saw him a couple of weeks ago said the same thing. That seems not right to me; he had insulin for so little time and with changing doses; would a depot even have had time to form? Plus, his glucose numbers seem too high still; what I have read on the forum suggests that they should be lower before thinking that remission might be happening. When I test his pee, the glucose level has never been lower than olive (ketones have always been negative). His hind legs still aren't as strong. He may still need some insulin, but what would be appropriate when he has often been between 200 and 250 when it is time to shoot, and when he drops so much from just 1/4 unit -- it doesn't feel safe.
We are headed to the vet tomorrow for a checkup, so hoping for more guidance from her. His sensor needs to be replaced. I feel terrible that we need to go that route. The vet said that she has a lot of cat patients that use it, and it doesn't seem to bother or hamper him, but I feel like a failure and bad person for not being able to get the ear testing to work. I just want so much for him to feel good.
It isn't the same as the Google spreadsheets, but a friend of mine put together a chart for me based on the FreeStyle Libre readings that I am including here.
I just want so much for him to feel well and good in his body, and to not cause him any harm. All the detailed and caring posts here make it clear that everyone here wants that for their little buddies.
We've had a challenging time. Comet was originally prescribed 1 unit of Lantus 2x day but reduced to 1/2 unit 2x a day after his food had changed. By late September, as per the vet, it was 1/4 2x day, but only if his glucose was at least 300 and he had eaten half a small can of wet food (Fancy Feast Classic pates or something else low carb). That amount drops him between 150-200 at a time, and the vet and I were worried about administering it any lower than 300.
On 9/26 I gave him a shot in the p.m. because he met those guidelines, and he hasn't met them since. We have been using a FreeStyle Libre sensor on the advice of his vet. (One difficulty we've had is that he absolutely will not let me do blood testing with his ears. He is a total sweetheart of a cat, and is an angel about shots, but will not will not will not let me work on his ears. I am still working on getting him accustomed to ear handling in the hopes that we will be able to move to that one day, but I am really discouraged. I see all the tolerant laidback cats in the blood testing videos, and that is not my guy when it comes to that!) He has ranged between 150-250 for most of the day, with dips to 100 or lower sometimes, and getting closer to 300 at odd times when I am not actively checking (like midnight) but that I find out about when I scan later.
His vet thinks that the change in food (pre-diagnosis, a mix of wet and dry; post diagnosis, we moved to low-carb wet exclusively) made a real difference and thinks he might be heading into remission. Another vet at her practice who saw him a couple of weeks ago said the same thing. That seems not right to me; he had insulin for so little time and with changing doses; would a depot even have had time to form? Plus, his glucose numbers seem too high still; what I have read on the forum suggests that they should be lower before thinking that remission might be happening. When I test his pee, the glucose level has never been lower than olive (ketones have always been negative). His hind legs still aren't as strong. He may still need some insulin, but what would be appropriate when he has often been between 200 and 250 when it is time to shoot, and when he drops so much from just 1/4 unit -- it doesn't feel safe.
We are headed to the vet tomorrow for a checkup, so hoping for more guidance from her. His sensor needs to be replaced. I feel terrible that we need to go that route. The vet said that she has a lot of cat patients that use it, and it doesn't seem to bother or hamper him, but I feel like a failure and bad person for not being able to get the ear testing to work. I just want so much for him to feel good.
It isn't the same as the Google spreadsheets, but a friend of mine put together a chart for me based on the FreeStyle Libre readings that I am including here.
I just want so much for him to feel well and good in his body, and to not cause him any harm. All the detailed and caring posts here make it clear that everyone here wants that for their little buddies.
