Diagnosed 11/6, and feeling hopeless

[Lisaloowho13]

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure where to start, but things are very hard right now. In 2020 my 5 year old kitty Dendi was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, and he survived a year to the day after diagnosis. Five times a day everyday I had to give him different pill's to keep him going along with several er visits and monthly visits to his regular doctor for blood work and echo cardiograms . I did this until he let me know it was time, and my whole world came apart. A year and a half after his passing I took in a little street kitten that showed up on my porch. I had him tested for everything under the sun before I let him move into my house with my two senior cat's Harlow, and Loony both 11 years old now. I noticed something was wrong with the kittens nose (Randy), and long story short he was diagnosed with a condition called lymphomastic rhinitis, and need's an inhaler everyday. A few months later I noticed Harlow was sitting at his water fountain much more often, and was urinating in large volume's, but otherwise acting normal. Took him in for a check up, and received a diabetes diagnosis. The vet started him on Vetsulin 1 unit per day, and on Monday bumped it up to 1 unit twice per day. We attempted a curve at the vet,but it didn't go well. He refused to eat and his bg dropped to 60 mg/dl. I've been doing home testing everyday since then. I have no issues doing it, and he doesn't mind. His number's have been all over the place, but from what I read it takes a while for the body to adjust to the insulin. I've been reading on here the vetsulin is not good so now im scared im not doing the right thing. My vet didn't give me options on insulin. Harlow was eating a diet of dry, and wet food. Since the day of diagnosis he has been moved to all wet food. Started the wet food diet about 4 day's before starting insulin. Harlow weigh's 14 pound's, and the goal is to get him to 12 pounds. Harlow has been used to free feeding, but now is on strict schedule of every 12 hours, but he's not used to eating one meal all at once, and I don't want to under feed him, and have him drop weight to fast. I feel like im going to have a nervous breakdown. Any advice is very appreciated. I tried starting his spreadsheet my apologies if its not correctly done

I tried uploading his blood work, but its giving me a error message. I'll try to copy and paste below-






FeLV Antigen ELISA
FeLV Antigen ELISA NEGATIVE
Superchem w/SDMA
TOTAL PROTEIN 7.0 5.2 - 8.8 g/dL
ALBUMIN 4.2 2.5 - 3.9 g/dL
GLOBULIN 2.8 2.3 - 5.3 g/dL
A/G RATIO 1.5 0.35 - 1.5
AST (SGOT) 34 10 - 100 IU/L
ALT (SGPT) 71 10 - 100 IU/L
Alk Phosphatase 63 6 - 102 IU/L
GGT 1 1 - 10 IU/L
Total Bilirubin 0.2 0.1 - 0.4 mg/dL
BUN 33 14 - 36 mg/dL
Creatinine 2.0 0.6 - 2.4 mg/dL
SDMA 9.5 <15 ug/dL
BUN/CREAT RATIO 17 4 - 33
PHOSPHORUS 4.9 2.4 - 8.2 mg/dL
Glucose 359 64 - 170 mg/dL
The glucose concentration in this cat is >170 mg/dl. A fructosamine
level may be helpful in differentiating stress hyperglycemia from
early or sub-clinical diabetes mellitus. If you would like to add on
this test please call Customer Service. Please use test code 500016
for this additional testing.
CALCIUM 11.0 8.2 - 10.8 mg/dL
MAGNESIUM 1.5 1.5 - 2.5 mEq/L
SODIUM 147 145 - 158 mEq/L
POTASSIUM 4.2 3.4 - 5.6 mEq/L
NA/K RATIO 35 32 - 41
CHLORIDE 100 104 - 128 mEq/L
CHOLESTEROL 602 75 - 220 mg/dL
TRIGLYCERIDE 737 25 - 160 mg/dL
AMYLASE 748 100 - 1200 IU/L
PrecisionPSL 16 8 - 26 U/L
Acute pancreatitis is unlikely. Chronic pancreatitis is not excluded by a normal PrecisionPSL.
CPK 112 56 - 529 IU/L
Sample Conditions Lipemia 1+. No significant analyte interference.
Complete Blood Count
WBC 4.3 3.5 - 16 10^3/uL
RBC 9.4 5.92 - 9.93 10^12/L


Test Results Ref. range Unit
HGB 12.9 9.3 - 15.9 g/dL
HCT 38 29 - 48 %
MCV 41 37 - 61 fL
MCH 13.7 11 - 21 pg
MCHC 34 30 - 38 g/dL
Platelet Count 236 200 - 500 10^3/uL
Platelet Estimate Adequate
Neutrophils 70 35 - 75 %
Bands 0 0 - 3 %
Lymphocytes 18 20 - 45 %
Monocytes 3 1 - 4 %
Eosinophils 9 2 - 12 %
Basophils 0 0 - 1 %
Absolute Neutrophils 3010 2500 - 8500 /uL
Absolute Lymphocytes 774 1200 - 8000 /uL
Absolute Monocytes 129 0 - 600 /uL
Absolute Eosinophils 387 0 - 1000 /uL
Absolute Basophils 0 0 - 150 /uL
FIV Antibody
FIV ANTIBODY NEGATIVE
If recent infection cannot be excluded, retesting >60 days after last exposure is recommended.
T4
T4 1.3 0.8 - 4 ug/dL
Heartworm Antibody, Feline
HEARTWORM ANTIBODY NEGATIVE
Urinalysis-Complete
Collection Method Cystocentesis
Color YELLOW
Appearance CLEAR
Specific Gravity 1.035 1.015 - 1.06
pH 6.0 5.5 - 7
Protein 1+ Negative
Microalbuminuria testing is recommended (if sediment is inactive) to help determine the clinical significance of proteinuria.
Glucose-Strip 3+ Negative
Ketones NEGATIVE Negative
Bilirubin NEGATIVE Negative
Occult Blood 1+ Negative
WBC NONE 0-3 /HPF
RBC 4-10 0-3 /HPF
Casts NONE SEEN Hyaline 0-3 /LPF
Crystals NONE SEEN /HPF
Bacteria NONE SEEN None seen /HPF
Squamous Epithelia 0-1 0-3 /HPF
Fat Droplets 2-3 /HPF

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@Lisaloowho13
Welcome Lisa and Harlow
You couldn't have found a better group to join
Great job setting up the SS already
You can do your own 12 hour curve at home, cats get to stressed out at the vets

Vetsulin isn't the best insulin for cats, it's mainly used for dogs
I would ask your vet to give you a script for Lantus ,the generic version is much more affordable in the US

If you do switch just tag me and I can give you some information on where to buy it and you will need different syringes to use

We don't adjust the doses by full units of insulin, we adjust them by 0.25 units at a time.
We adjust the dose by how low the BG is dropping not by the AMPS or PMPS numbers

I'm not a Vetsulin user but I will tag a member that is
We feed our cats multiple times a day , we feed the bigger meal at AMPS then smaller snacks ( about 2 teaspoons of low carb wet ) maybe @+2 and @+4 , same with the PMPS cycle

Most of us use human meters such as the Relion Premier Classic , test strips are much more affordable , our numbers are based on human meters anyway
Just a suggestion

Most of us use the Relion human meter from Walmart
Here is the link for the meter and test strips so you don't have to search for them
Relion Premier Classic Meter at Walmart for 9 dollars
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-CLASSIC-Blood-Glucose-Monitoring-System/552134103

The tests strips are 17.88 for 100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-100-Count/575088197


Are you waiting 30 minutes after Harlow eats to give Vetsulin?
Do you have syringes with the half unit markings?

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

It would be help if you can set up your signature
Here is the link so you can set up your signature and spreadsheet
Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help
Just tap on your name up top and then tap on signature and add the following information
.

The signature is at the end of everyone's post in gray ,information about our cats

• Add info we need to help you:
  • Caregiver & kitty's name
  • DX: Date
  • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
  • Name of your meter
  • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
  • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
  • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
  • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
  • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
  • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.

Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.

Also almost all of us use human meters that's what our numbers are based on

Have you read about Vetsulin
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-caninsulin-vetsulin.231587/

68 is the “take action” number (HC food and/or karo syrup) for a pet meter.
Do you have a hypo kit set up?
Anytime your kitty drops under 90 you need to lower the dose by 0.25 units

For your Hypo kit
Med and High Carb food and some honey/karo
If you can get these where you live


Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Beef Feast in Gravy 20% High Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Chicken Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Turkey Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Chicken and Beef in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Good idea to mark the cans with magic marker how many carbs

Or any on the food chart. Doesn't have to be Fancy Feast just an example about the med and high carb foods


https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-

10% and under is low carb
11% -15 is medium carbs.

16- 24 is high carb.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure where to start, but things are very hard right now. In 2020 my 5 year old kitty Dendi was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, and he survived a year to the day after diagnosis. Five times a day everyday I had to give him different pill's to keep him going along with several er visits and monthly visits to his regular doctor for blood work and echo cardiograms . I did this until he let me know it was time, and my whole world came apart. A year and a half after his passing I took in a little street kitten that showed up on my porch. I had him tested for everything under the sun before I let him move into my house with my two senior cat's Harlow, and Loony both 11 years old now. I noticed something was wrong with the kittens nose (Randy), and long story short he was diagnosed with a condition called lymphomastic rhinitis, and need's an inhaler everyday. A few months later I noticed Harlow was sitting at his water fountain much more often, and was urinating in large volume's, but otherwise acting normal. Took him in for a check up, and received a diabetes diagnosis. The vet started him on Vetsulin 1 unit per day, and on Monday bumped it up to 1 unit twice per day. We attempted a curve at the vet,but it didn't go well. He refused to eat and his bg dropped to 60 mg/dl. I've been doing home testing everyday since then. I have no issues doing it, and he doesn't mind. His number's have been all over the place, but from what I read it takes a while for the body to adjust to the insulin. I've been reading on here the vetsulin is not good so now im scared im not doing the right thing. My vet didn't give me options on insulin. Harlow was eating a diet of dry, and wet food. Since the day of diagnosis he has been moved to all wet food. Started the wet food diet about 4 day's before starting insulin. Harlow weigh's 14 pound's, and the goal is to get him to 12 pounds. Harlow has been used to free feeding, but now is on strict schedule of every 12 hours, but he's not used to eating one meal all at once, and I don't want to under feed him, and have him drop weight to fast. I feel like im going to have a nervous breakdown. Any advice is very appreciated. I tried starting his spreadsheet my apologies if its not correctly done

I tried uploading his blood work, but its giving me a error message. I'll try to copy and paste below-






FeLV Antigen ELISA
FeLV Antigen ELISA NEGATIVE
Superchem w/SDMA
TOTAL PROTEIN 7.0 5.2 - 8.8 g/dL
ALBUMIN 4.2 2.5 - 3.9 g/dL
GLOBULIN 2.8 2.3 - 5.3 g/dL
A/G RATIO 1.5 0.35 - 1.5
AST (SGOT) 34 10 - 100 IU/L
ALT (SGPT) 71 10 - 100 IU/L
Alk Phosphatase 63 6 - 102 IU/L
GGT 1 1 - 10 IU/L
Total Bilirubin 0.2 0.1 - 0.4 mg/dL
BUN 33 14 - 36 mg/dL
Creatinine 2.0 0.6 - 2.4 mg/dL
SDMA 9.5 <15 ug/dL
BUN/CREAT RATIO 17 4 - 33
PHOSPHORUS 4.9 2.4 - 8.2 mg/dL
Glucose 359 64 - 170 mg/dL
The glucose concentration in this cat is >170 mg/dl. A fructosamine
level may be helpful in differentiating stress hyperglycemia from
early or sub-clinical diabetes mellitus. If you would like to add on
this test please call Customer Service. Please use test code 500016
for this additional testing.
CALCIUM 11.0 8.2 - 10.8 mg/dL
MAGNESIUM 1.5 1.5 - 2.5 mEq/L
SODIUM 147 145 - 158 mEq/L
POTASSIUM 4.2 3.4 - 5.6 mEq/L
NA/K RATIO 35 32 - 41
CHLORIDE 100 104 - 128 mEq/L
CHOLESTEROL 602 75 - 220 mg/dL
TRIGLYCERIDE 737 25 - 160 mg/dL
AMYLASE 748 100 - 1200 IU/L
PrecisionPSL 16 8 - 26 U/L
Acute pancreatitis is unlikely. Chronic pancreatitis is not excluded by a normal PrecisionPSL.
CPK 112 56 - 529 IU/L
Sample Conditions Lipemia 1+. No significant analyte interference.
Complete Blood Count
WBC 4.3 3.5 - 16 10^3/uL
RBC 9.4 5.92 - 9.93 10^12/L


Test Results Ref. range Unit
HGB 12.9 9.3 - 15.9 g/dL
HCT 38 29 - 48 %
MCV 41 37 - 61 fL
MCH 13.7 11 - 21 pg
MCHC 34 30 - 38 g/dL
Platelet Count 236 200 - 500 10^3/uL
Platelet Estimate Adequate
Neutrophils 70 35 - 75 %
Bands 0 0 - 3 %
Lymphocytes 18 20 - 45 %
Monocytes 3 1 - 4 %
Eosinophils 9 2 - 12 %
Basophils 0 0 - 1 %
Absolute Neutrophils 3010 2500 - 8500 /uL
Absolute Lymphocytes 774 1200 - 8000 /uL
Absolute Monocytes 129 0 - 600 /uL
Absolute Eosinophils 387 0 - 1000 /uL
Absolute Basophils 0 0 - 150 /uL
FIV Antibody
FIV ANTIBODY NEGATIVE
If recent infection cannot be excluded, retesting >60 days after last exposure is recommended.
T4
T4 1.3 0.8 - 4 ug/dL
Heartworm Antibody, Feline
HEARTWORM ANTIBODY NEGATIVE
Urinalysis-Complete
Collection Method Cystocentesis
Color YELLOW
Appearance CLEAR
Specific Gravity 1.035 1.015 - 1.06
pH 6.0 5.5 - 7
Protein 1+ Negative
Microalbuminuria testing is recommended (if sediment is inactive) to help determine the clinical significance of proteinuria.
Glucose-Strip 3+ Negative
Ketones NEGATIVE Negative
Bilirubin NEGATIVE Negative
Occult Blood 1+ Negative
WBC NONE 0-3 /HPF
RBC 4-10 0-3 /HPF
Casts NONE SEEN Hyaline 0-3 /LPF
Crystals NONE SEEN /HPF
Bacteria NONE SEEN None seen /HPF
Squamous Epithelia 0-1 0-3 /HPF
Fat Droplets 2-3 /HPF

I can tag a few members to take a look at the labs
@Suzanne & Darcy
@Wendy&Neko
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Good job starting testing and switching your kitty to an all wet food diet.

Your kitty's blood work looks pretty good for a senior kitty, other than the glucose. Which brand/type of wet food is he eating now? It's OK to spread the meals out some. Give the majority of his food before the shot, so you know he has some food in him, but you can feed him smaller meals later, preferably in the first half of the insulin cycle.

Don't be afraid that your vet started you on Vetsulin first. Many of us had that issue. Mine was started on Caninsulin (Vetsulin is the US name), before a locum vet switched us to Lantus three months later. Some cats do OK on Vetsulin, though it's not ideal. Are you giving two shots a day now? I see last night's units cell is empty.

 

[Lisaloowho13]

Good job starting testing and switching your kitty to an all wet food diet.

Your kitty's blood work looks pretty good for a senior kitty, other than the glucose. Which brand/type of wet food is he eating now? It's OK to spread the meals out some. Give the majority of his food before the shot, so you know he has some food in him, but you can feed him smaller meals later, preferably in the first half of the insulin cycle.

Don't be afraid that your vet started you on Vetsulin first. Many of us had that issue. Mine was started on Caninsulin (Vetsulin is the US name), before a locum vet switched us to Lantus three months later. Some cats do OK on Vetsulin, though it's not ideal. Are you giving two shots a day now? I see last night's units cell is empty.

Yes he gets 1 unit in the morning and 1 at night (I went back and fixed the sheet) I have a few different brands to change it up for him. I have open farm grass fed beef blend and wild caught salmon rustic blend, Origen tuna salmon and beef entree and weruva cats in the kitchen and fancy feast classic pate. At his vet appointment on 11/6 he weighed exactly 14 pounds now he’s 13.91 pounds does that seem ok?

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

what’s Harlow's ideal weight? A good rule of thumb is 20 times ideal weight to get the daily caloric intake

 

[Wendy&Neko]

You do want weight loss to be slow. More information on this website, including how to do a safe weight loss: https://catinfo.org/feline-obesity-an-epidemic-of-fat-cats/