Diabetic (again) - Advice??

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elledean13

Member Since 2013
Hi Everyone!

I have been reading this board off and on the past few years. My cat has been off and on diabetic for about that long.
She has recently become diabetic again, and I really feel like I could use some support/advice.

A little history: Meika is my 13 year old calico - she has hyperthyroidism (is on the tapazole ear cream 2x day), and metacam for her arthritis. She has been borderline diabetic and always seems to revert after a few months. She is now running a lot higher numbers.

I had bought a OneTouch meter a few years ago, but I found it took me like 6 strips to get a reading. (I'm obviously not great at the ear poke, thankfully my little girl is. She doesn't even fight. She's amazing). I just bought another machine thinking it was going to be better (didn't require a lot of blood). It's a Bayer Breeze2. I'm not sure if anyone has any reviews on these, but it just about gave me a panick attack. She ran a 0.7 (which is apparently mmol) and I think I'm used to seeing the mg/d? She wasn't on any insulin when this happened, so I couldn't understand how it could get so low. I re-tested her yesterday and she was 20.8 and 21.8 - so I'm thinking that other meter was full of it?

I fed her, and gave her 1 unit of Lantus and she was a 17.8 this morning (approx 12 hours later)

My question (after rambling so long! I'm so sorry) does anyone have any experience with different meters? Is there one that is "preferred"? And because of her history with reverting in and out, would Lantus 1 unit be a good starting point? (Typically this is the dose and insulin that works best). Any support or advice is really, really appreciated!! xo
 
Whenever you get a very unusaly test, test again. For 0.7 (12.6) this seems unlikely barring a major hypo event.

Multiply the numbers by 18 to get the values with which you are familiar.

It'll help us out if you would put your data into a color-coded worksheet on Google Docs. Instructions are here.

elledean13 said:
...A little history: Meika is my 13 year old calico - ... metacam for her arthritis...
Click to expand...

Not what you asked, but Metacam has this black box warning for cats.

"WARNING

Repeated use of meloxicam in cats has been associated with acute renal failure and death. Do not administer additional injectable or oral meloxicam to cats. See Contraindications, Warnings, and Precautions for detailed information."
 
Thank you for the warning!
I was terrified when my Vet mentioned Metacam - but from what I've read (and been told) - there is an approved version for Cats (in Canada at least); which I use.

I give her less then the recommended dosage and often skip days. She has responded really well to it - and has been a lot more active and happy!
 
Have you tried glucosamine for the arthritis? Some cats improve on it. It may further lessen the use of the Metacam ... and I'm not sure I would use it despite a version for Canada.

I've had cats with renal disease and it is heartbreaking to watch the cat be slowly poisoned by the kidneys' inability to filter waste from the body.
 
We tried the glucosamine at the beginning (when she was first diagnosed) - but it was in a liquid form? I was to add it to her wetfood - but she hated it. And would barely eat. So I stopped it. The vet didn't suggest a different variation? I could always look and see if I could get it prepared differently (pills? compound paste?)

I'm really sorry to hear about that, I can't even imagine how hard that would have been.
 
Cosequin (Glucosamine) on Amazon, our shopping partner - sprinkles and tablets are available.

Adequan (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan injection) is used by some although it is not labeled for cats yet. Some folks here use it and have had good results.
 
By the way - you might make a new post that say meter recommendations in Canada to get more feedback on meters. I think the AccuCheck is available and I believe it has had good reviews.
 
Canadians can get a free bayer contour USB meter and 25 strips if you go to http://www.bayerdiabetes.ca/BDoffer and use code "BDS 11-14" And then if you register the meter when it arrives, you get a free USB wall charger. Its a reliable meter. They ship it by courier so you will get it in a few days.

This offer was in the flyer comes inside the BD ultra fine 3/10cc syringes you get in Walmart Canada. I used a similar one six months ago and it worked great so bayer seem to run it a lot.

The strips are expensive in stores $75 for 100 in Shoppers for example but you can get them for half that price on eBay- I use shorefront medical. But of course if you get them in shoppers you can get points! I havent found a good meter that has strips cheaper than that - they all seem to be about the same price.
 
There are alternatives for the arthritis in Canada. I had a cat with arthritis in his hocks and spondylosis. He was on powered Recovery SA which I just mixed into food. No problems with the taste. In includes glucosamine and MSM. Cosequin, mentioned earlier, is sometimes available at Petsmart. I also added a couple of drops of salmon oil to his meals. Another thing my cat got was regular cartrophen injections at the vet, about once a month. They really helped. Some people I know do the injections at home. I believe cartrophen is similar to the Adequan mentioned above.
 
She has been on the Hills MD diet (dry) for the past 5-6 years? And she gets some Friskies wet food 2 x day. I've tried different diets for her over the years, but she stops eating and it creates even more issues.
 
Will she eat only the Friskies ... no dry? What type of Friskies? Pates are good. Reason i ask is that many cats go into remission or are better controlled when they are getting a low carb diet since high carb diets arent natural for them. Dry is high carb.

Wendy
 
She looooves the Friskies, normally they are pates (the occasional gravy ones). She has a history of being diabetic for a short period of time (a few weeks) then reverts out for months (even years) at a time. I worry a lot about taking away the dry.... She has been too low a few times (on Caninsulin and Lantus) and I'm not home during the day to check her.
 
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