Hello, again, Imogen's Mom!
I'm glad things are going well, so far. Even if Imogen is not yet on insulin, it's a good idea to start learning to hometest, as soon as possible. The urine testing is not accurate, though it's better than nothing. It took me a while to get Calliope into hometesting because she was less than cooperative, but we got it done and the first number I got was in the 40's. This didn't show up on the urine testing, so I was darn glad I got the hometesting accomplished. If I hadn't, I would have never known that it was time for a decrease on the dose.
I know things can be confusing when the vet tells you one thing and the folks here might suggest something else. I was in that boat. I like my vet, but nearly everything I did for Calliope was contrary to her advice because I decided to go with the suggestions given here. They were more conservative, in nature, and I found that to be logical. It was just that simple.
My vet first suggested I put Calliope to sleep because her blood sugar was at 500 and she was a sweet kitty, but not at the vet. My vet didn't think I could shoot or test her. I didn't either, at the time. I came here, posted and read and instead of bringing her to the vet for the last time, I got the insulin and testing supplies and started the journey.
At first, I bought the dry prescription food, but after learning here that low carb wet food was better, I returned all the dry food to the vet's office, must to my vet's disgust. She was certain that the dry was better. Well, now she calls me for the list of the foods I fed Calliope to give that list to other clients.
My vet told me to start with 4 units of lantus. I was thrilled that she used lantus since I'd read here that it was a good insulin, but not thrilled with the dose. I started at 1 unit rather than 4 with all kinds of warnings from my vet. I tested the urine for ketones, regularly, though, which you should do also. Good thing I listened to the folks here to start low on the insulin because it wasn't long before I had to reduce that dose. The wet low carb foods made a big difference with Calliope. Also, her blood sugar readings were lower at my house even though she was completely stressed out by the hometesting. We had very dramatic moments, but I knew the testing was for her own good, so I didn't let her drama queen tendencies get the best of me. It got better as time went on. The vet stress was much higher than at home, so the vet's numbers weren't even close to being accurate. My vet recognized that. To my surprise, I had no problems giving Calliope the shots. I did it while she ate and I don't think she ever knew she got a shot.
So, what happened was that Calliope was off insulin completely, in less than 3 weeks. The reason this happened was because I listened to the suggestions from the folks here. It doesn't happen in all kitties. Every cat is different. We were lucky, but the chances of a better result are higher with the protocols followed here. There's no doubt about that. All cats don't regulate immediately. All cats don't get off the insulin. However, there are plenty of things to try as you move toward regulation, which is really the goal. The folks here gave me another year and a half with a happy Calliope. She was 16 when she passed away due to causes unrelated to the Feline Diabetes. It was just her time to leave.
Well, that's the VERY SHORT version of my story. Remember that Imogen is YOUR kitty and YOU are the person who makes the decisions, whatever they may be, not your vet and not the folks here. Your vet works for you. You don't have to agree with everything a vet tells you.
My suggestions, for now, are:
Start low and go slow with the insulin doses.
Check for ketones. (You can get the strips to test the urine for these at the pharmacy.)
Start hometesting, immediately.
Feed low carb wet foods and watch how Imogen handles those. (Calliope loved them and we had some scarfing and barfing, so I had to feed smaller amounts at a time, at first. As her blood sugar levels decreased, she went back to her grazing habits of a little at a time, all day long.)
Keep a spreadsheet of the sugar readings you get when you test. Someone here can tell you how to stet that up, if you need help.
Introduce yourself on the lantus forum when you start the insulin. So much help there.
Read and educate yourself because when you do, all of the suggestions make a lot more sense and you can feel more comfortable in whatever decisions you make.
Love on Imogen! You will find that your relationship will become closer than you could have as you embark on this journey together and that's the silver lining in this cloud of feline diabetes. As Imogen feels better, she will know that you are the reason. It's special.
