Hello, scared newbie here. Dosing / Eating Questions

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Pasquale's Mom

Pasquale's Mom

Member Since 2013
Hello to all,

My real name is Donna. I’m new and so confused / overwhelmed. Sorry about the length of this post, but I’m trying to give the back story best as I can.

Pasquale 9Y, has just been diagnosed with diabetes 9/17. Just a month earlier (8/17) he’d had a whole “senior wellness” profile done and showed a BG of 175. I noticed him drinking / peeing more and brought him in for testing again. Only a month later, it was now up to 442 :cry:

9/17 The vet did not advise home testing, in fact advised against it. He wanted to send me home with ProZinc and start him on it at 4 units 2x a day. Good thing I did some snooping around on the internet- from what I’d read on this board, that number seemed really high to me, especially starting him out not knowing how he'll react to it. On top of practically doing it blind without home testing! I am at work 11 hours a day and do not have the luxury of being home to monitor him. The idea of injecting him with that dose, not knowing how it would affect him and going off to work terrified me. I also had just taken him off Hills wet / dry CD and switched him to canned Purina DM and wanted to wait- since I read here how much lowering carbs in diet can dramatically change insulin requirements. No injections that night.

9/18 - There are 4 vets in this practice, so I voiced my concerns about the dose to another vet who seemed more cautious and understanding of my concerns. I requested that if he be started at any dose, he be monitored just to see how he does at first. Vet took his BG which was 270, much lower than before - I think started to agree with my point about the dosing. I left Pasquale over night to be monitored to determine the dose.

9/19 they monitored him all day, no injections, but just BG levels in the 400’s – 300’s all day.

9/20 still at the vet - first dose of 4 units at 7am brought him down to 68 by 2:30, then he’d only gone back up to 120 by 6:30pm, so they didn’t give the second. Imagine if I had just listened and blindly followed the first instructions at home? I could have killed my baby.

9/21 They gave him 3 units at 7am, and his BG stayed in the 300’s throughout the day. I picked him up and they advised me to inject 3.5 at 7pm. He wasn’t eating though, and I had bought a Relion confirm meter and learned quickly how to use it. His BG said 95 – even if adding 30 = 125, I am so confused with how my reading was so far off from what they said they were getting all day. Anyway, between the not eating and lowish reading I got, I wasn’t about to inject him.

My boy was on Hills CD wet and dry before all this happened, and even before his diagnosis always loved to eat. I was prescribed Purina DM wet and dry. After hearing about how awful dry food is, I opted to only give him canned. He ate it at first, but now more and more is turning up his nose at it.

9/22 He had eaten enough morning of day #3 where I injected him 3.5. But then he threw up about 20 minutes later. I took him back in to the vet where they worked him up again. I also kept home testing his BG levels & they hadn’t dipped that low – went to 143 then back up to 268. This was a Sunday and thankfully I was able to be around all day. 7pm I injected him 3.5 as directed (he had eaten enough) and his BG at that time was 311. He was okay, but a little sleepy / mopey. I nervously watched him, wondering if there was something wrong or he’s just being a cat trying to sleep.

9/23 Vet had me bring him in the next morning to observe him. He didn’t eat a thing, no matter what I tried to feed him. Of course I didn’t give him a shot. Vet called me and said his morning BG was 98, so no shot from them either. At this point, they advised me to give him 24-48 hours off the juice and only when he starts eating to give 2 units twice a day.

9/24 no injections for now, my big worry is getting him to eat. He ate very little last night and hardly anything this morning. I am at work, and didn’t test his BG this morning, but plan to when I get home. He seemed to meow and want food, but once I put it down, he turned up his nose. I gave him some plain broken up rotisserie chicken so he’d have something.

My questions are – how much insulin do most people start their cats off? Do you start low and adjust higher if needed? I’ve been doing this the other way around. Other big concern is the food. Obviously, I need my boy to eat before I resume any insulin at all. I know it’s common for these guys to hate the DM cat food, and could his not eating also be from his dosages constantly changing / BG’s swinging all over the place?

Any help you can provide would be so appreciated. I am so grateful for this board.
 
Welcome to FDMB!

Did they check for ketones? Were they negative? Ketones are a by-product of fat breakdown for calories. Too many may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially fatal, expensive to treat complication of diabetes. You can check for ketones in the urine following the tips in my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools.

For a general upset stomach, Pepcid AC, 1/4 tablet about 20-30 minutes before a meal can help. Ask your vet if that'd be OK to try.

Three things will help you manage his diabetes

1) a good insulin - ProZinc is. If the cat is on a low carb diet, 0.5 to 1.0 units is a safe starting dose.

2) home testing for safety - An inexpensive human meter such as the ReliOn Confirm (see our shopping partner, WalMart, link at top of page) aka Glucocard 01 (see our shopping partner ADW, link at top of page), 2 or more packages of testing strips (always have a spare package), 27-28 gauge lancets (to start), and folded tissue or cotton balls to brace the ear and blot excess blood.

Vet stress may elevate glucose 100-180 mg/dL at the office and it may persist several hours after coming home.

3) low carbohydrate food - Inexpensive, over the counter, canned or raw, low carb foods include Friskies Pates and Fancy Feast Classic pates in the US. pop over to Cat Info to read more than you every thought you'd need to know about feline nutrition.
Since he's not eating for you, I'd try offering some Fancy Feast - mine have liked any of the poutry flavors - as the calories from carbohydrates are less than 10%.

If you start giving insulin again, note that glucose levels may drop 100 mg/dL from a diet change alone, so don't change the food then UNLESS you are testing!
 
Hi Donna. Don't be scared. You can get lots of help here and can do most things, including monitoring his blood glucose at home.

You need a human meter and test strips. Walmart sells several and I like the Relion Micro. It works well and the test strips are reasonably priced.

Here is a link for another newby with the basic information you need. It includes food recommendations and shopping list.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=104600

The amount of insulin you start with is based on the cat's weight.

What kind of insulin are you using? Where are you? I am in Portland, OR.

donaleen
 
Hello Donna and welcome to the FDMB!!

How wonderful that you're already doing some home testing!! That's so very important to keep Pasquale safe, as well as figuring out dosing!! Since he seems to be picky about eating the DM, here's a list of wet foods you can feed...just keep your choices to under 10% carbs (column C on the chart) Hopefully he'll find some he's more interested in eating!

We do suggest to always start low...no more than 1 unit twice/day to start and then hold the same dose for several days to see how they do. You can always go up...you can't take it out once it's been given.

As for the BG levels...just being at the vet can cause BG levels to go up to 200 points higher, so tests done at the vets office are pretty useless. If you can home test, you'll get a much better idea of where he's really at.

Here's a shopping list of things you will need to have at home:

Getting started shopping list
1. Meter ie Walmart Relion Confirm or Micro or Prime..Prime has the cheapest strips, $9 for 50..the Confirm/Micro are about $18 for 50 but take the smallest blood sample
2. Matching strips
3. Lancets - little sticks to poke the ear to get blood . new members usually start with a larger gauge lancet such as 28g or 29g until the ear learns to bleed. Optional - lancing tool.
4. Cotton balls to stem the blood
5. Neosporin or Polysporin ointment with pain relief to heal the wound
6. Mini flashlight (optional) - useful to help see the ear veins in dark cats, and to press against
7. Ketone urine test strips ie ketodiastix - Important to check ketones when blood is high
8. Sharps container - to dispose of waste syringes and lancets.
9. Treats for the cat - like freeze dried chicken
10. Karo syrup/corn syrup or honey if you dont have it at home - for hypo emergencies to bring blood sugar up fast
11. A couple of cans of fancy feast gravy lovers or other high carb gravy food- for hypo emergencies to bring blood sugar up fas

Good luck to you and Pasquale, and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!!
 
Thank you so much for your quick replies. You are wonderful, it's so nice to meet you all. I am in Plano, TX and work in Dallas. I'm so tired and overwhelmed, I am close to tears. Been at the vet almost every day and am having such a hard time knowing what to actually do, especially after the first vet just casually telling me to dose him at 4 units 2x day like that. The other vets seem better, and one I felt listened to my concerns was at least willing to lower his dose to 2 units.

I am quickly learning more about all of this than I ever wanted to. Pasquale has been given Pro Zinc and weighs 15.5 lbs.

I am wondering - when I do begin dosing him again if I should just start him at 1unit, instead of 2u as prescribed. I would so much rather stay safe. You know, I asked how much stress levels can impact his BG and the vet didn't think any more than 20 points.

Yes, I went out and got the Relion Confirm meter, test strips and lancets / stick on Saturday (after lurking here and reading). Tried it on myself a few times...what a chicken I was to use it, but it wasn't that bad. Moved on to Pasquale's ears, and I use the sock with rice heated in the microwave. He is so good about it (better than I was) and so far, I think I'm on the right track and will always test now before giving any shots.

On 9/17, testing showed no ketones. I asked about testing for ketones Sunday after the vomiting / no eating. The vet couldn't get urine from him to do it. Vet I spoke to yesterday didn't think it was necessary since his BG was 98. Guess I should be buying ketone test strips and doing that too?

Just worried about my baby eating again and hoping that will get sorted soon. Thanks for that great cat food list - I think I'm going to get him some Wellness and see if he eats it. Tried some Fancy Feast pate- he didn't like it. I got plain rotiserrie chicken and gave him some of that. Even after a while he doesn't eat that. I don't want him to go too long without eating... I am so tempted to see if he eats any of his old CD wet or dry, just to get him to eat- but I know that will mess with his BG levels.
 
We've tons of tips on encouraging the inappetant cat; here are some.

Warm up the food to "fresh killed" temperature; it'll smell more, which may trigger appetite.
Sprinkle with Forti Flora, or grated parmesan, or dried fish flakes (try an Asian market).
Do some active play to trigger the hunt, catch, kill, eat behavior cycle.
Offer the food on your finger, it must taste better that way (right?)
Pick up the plate, stir the food around, and put it back down. Voila! Its new food.
 
Donna, it would be really helpful for both you and us if you'd get a spreadsheet set up and start entering your test results. This way you (and us) can easily keep track of how Pasquale has been doing.

Here's the link to Setting up a spreadsheet

We always recommend starting at 1 unit and holding it for several days, just so you can see how your cat responds. You can go down to 1 unit at your next shot time if you like. It's important for you to give shots as close to 12 hours apart as possible.

The most important thing you can do now is to get that diet down to under 10% carbs, and continue home testing. There are at least 4 tests we highly recommend per day.
1 at AMPS (AM Pre-shot) and 1 at PMPS (PM pre-shot)...it's VERY important that you get Pre-shot tests done..You don't want to give insulin if his numbers are too low
1 somewhere mid-cycle during the AM cycle..somewhere between +5 and +8 ...this is to help find his nadir (the point where the insulin is working it's best)
1 "before bed" ...most cats go lower at night, so getting this one is important to get in case it's low and you might need to set your alarm to get up again later

As for Ketone testing...I think most of us do it if we get a really high BG number, if our kitties are acting sick, and/or once a week or so.

Here are some other tips to entice a cat to eat
 
Wow, you guys are so helpful. I will try heating the food and have also printed out that list of ways to entice a cat to eat. This morning, I did put some on my finger and he ate some off.

I'll get that spreadsheet set up and start testing tonight. No insulin until my guy can eat right, but I think I will only give him 1 unit of that when I do.

I won't be able to test him 4 times a day straight away. I commute from Plano to Dallas and work full time. But I will try to get that full day of testing on the weekend.

He looked great last night and this morning otherwise. Walking around, purring, interacting with my other guys...
 
Wanted to update.

Pasquale ate okay tonight, he was meowing at me as I was at the sink with the water running (they all know that's their time to be fed). I broke down and gave him a small amount (about 1/5 of can) of his former wet CD food. I know that's not ideal, but know he really likes that and if he doesn't eat that, we're really in trouble. Well, he ate that, plus some Fancy Feast chunky chicken and some Beechnut chicken baby food.

I tested his BG about 15 mins after that and got 103 (Relion). Even in Alpha Track speak, isn't that only 133? Tested my own finger for wonkiness and got 101 on the Relion, which is about right. This is with no insulin since Sunday, but very little eating too.

Thanks again to everyone who read and provided such great advice and suggestions.

Oh yeah, let me add that he is back to chasing around my other cat, Chico. Poor Chico, Pasquale terrorizes him to the point I separate them when I'm not at home. Well, this week Pasquale didn't even care about doing that until now. Wondering if I should take that as a sign he feels better and is acting like his old self?
 
No insulin needed with that low number! And it sounds like he's feeling better. When the pancreas is producing enough insulin for the food eaten, the calories can be used, so he won't have a ravenous appetites. Just keep track of the volume or weight of what is put down and what is left from feeding to feeding - maybe add 2 columns to the spreadsheet to help you track that, and/or a column for weight monitoring.
 
That's a good idea. Gave my guy a bit more food at 9pm, since he hadn't eaten in so long. Heated (thanks for that tip, BJM) Fancy Feast chunky chicken 1.75 oz, low carb and the kind "allowed" on the wet food sheet. He ate (and I was so glad) and left a little, so it wasn't gobbled up.

Took another BG at 10pm and he was 166 Relion.

I'll test him again tomorrow morning.

I did the spreadsheet, but I think I need to learn better how to use it...
 
On the spreadsheet, you put the number you get when you test before each shot...so there's an AM Pre-Shot (AMPS) and a PM Pre-shot (PMPS)

Those are the most important tests of the day so you aren't giving insulin when the Blood Glucose is too low...then in the "U" column, you put how much insulin you gave..If you don't give any, put "No shot" or just NS

As you get tests at different times during each cycle, you put those results in the column they belong in..so if your shot times are 6am/6pm, you'd first get your Pre-shot tests in, give the insulin, and feed....and the clock starts.....if you get a test at 8am, it would go in the +2 column.....if you got a test at 3pm, that result would go in the +9 column.

At 6pm, you start the clock over with your Pre-shot, insulin, feed cycle, and then you're back to +1,+2,+3, etc...

If you look in my signature, you can see China's spreadsheet...that will help explain it some

Over in the "Remarks" column, you can put whatever you feel is important...I keep track of how much and when China eats...any medications she's on...anything unusual that happened during the day...the "cells" will expand to fit whatever you want to say in them.

I hope this helps with your understanding of the spreadsheet!
 
I got that part down about entering the information, I'm just not all that familiar with Google Docs....I'll get it eventually, lol. Do you just re-publish it and copy and paste into your signature each time?

Pasquale is doing well so far...he ate this morning, not ravenously, but enough- and I tested his BG again - 112 Relion

That list of cat foods is incredibly helpful and I had it on my phone when I was in the store. I've also shared this information with friends with cats. It's such a much better diet than the dry food. No doubt in my mind this is related to the Hills CD dry food he used to gobble up. I fed my cats both the wet and dry, but Pasquale especially loved his dry. Pasquale and Chico were both on CD when I had adopted them. It was the shelter where I used to volunteer, and they had a whole room full of CD cats. Many of those cats were on the hefty side (we used to nickname them The Turkeys) and quite a few went diabetic. Wish I had really paid attention and read up more on dry food much earlier...
 
Once you have a link to the published, shared version, you put it in your signature once and leave it alone.

To actually edit your entries in Google Docs, you must login to it, NOT click on the link in your signature, which is a read-only view so others may see, but not change, the entries.
 
Hello and welcome to the board!!

Are those BG levels on your spreadsheet with the Alphatrak or Relion?

Reason I ask is that 50-130 (relion) or 80-160(Alphatrak) are normal non-diabetic cat blood glucose levels. As you are a newbie I wouldnt be shooting under 200 (relion) for now.

You can see the blood sugar rose as an impact of giving him the CD - and I suspect if you can get him off it (CD is way too high in carbs at 22%) he might well go into remission at this rate!

Heres a list of low carb foods you can try if he doesnt like fancy feast: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=94685

Wendy
 
If you have any pairs of test using both the AlphaTrac and the ReliOn, let me know - I'm collecting them for analysis!
 
Thanks Wendy & BJM :) (and everyone)

I only have a Relion meter, not an Alpha track.

My understanding is that you add 30 to get Alpha Track numbers, right?

Which #'s should I be entering in my spreadsheet, the ones I get on the Relion or the converted ones? Being new to all of this, I hope I'm not doing anything confusing.

Nonetheless- I was so happy yesterday and this morning to see those nice, normal looking readings. Hoping it keeps up, but trying not to get my hopes up too high. He's been without juice since Sunday. I'd never shoot anything under 200, but he was well under that.

I was wondering myself if that evening spike was caused by the CD food- and then Wendy took the words out of my mouth. I am stocked up on safe Fancy Feast, Friskies, Wellness, Tiki, and Hounds and Gatos. He really seemed to like the FF chunky chicken, esp after I heated it a bit. It looks and smells a lot like the Hills CD.
 
Pasquale's Mom said:
...My understanding is that you add 30 to get Alpha Track numbers, right? ...
Click to expand...

Sorry, no. At the low end, around 50 mg/dL you can add roughly 30 mg/dL, but the relationship between human and pet-specific meters is a percentage, not a fixed amount. The differences I've found so far range from 30 % to 40 %, and it may shift as the numbers get higher, ie, if you plot them on a graph, the lines are not parallel.

Just report the actual numbers you get.
 
Donna, when we look at your spreadsheet, we also look at your signature...since your signature says you're using the Relion, those are the numbers we'd expect to see on your spreadsheet.

We need to know the numbers you get on the Relion because if you "convert" them to AlphaTrak numbers, and (for example) put 65 on your spreadsheet, when the REAL number was 35...and that's an emergency situation....everyone could think you're getting a wonderful healing number (which 65 is) when actually, Pasquale could be very close to seizures, coma or worse.
 
Hi Donna and sugarkitty Pasquale and welcome.

Looks like you are already getting lots of great help. Keep those questions coming. We have lots of experience here with the day to day management of diabetic kitties.

How is Pasquale's appetite doing today? How are the 5 P's? peeing, pooping, purring, playing, preening. Those tell us a lot about how he's feeling.
 
Hi Deb! Thanks for checking in. All of you guys are amazing and I am so glad to have found you.

Pasquale is doing great so far. He last had juice Sunday. I have begun testing him regularly since Tuesday - now I do first thing in the morning, evening when I get home, and before bed. I'm at work all day, but will get a day of 4 readings this weekend. Anyway, since Monday and no juice, his readings have been nice and normal looking. Today is day #4 without. Trying to not get my hopes up too high is so hard, I am so pleased and happy to see these. (see my spreadsheet - link below...haven't figured out how to just make the link read "Pasquale's SS")

Since Tuesday, he's been eating great. Not ravenous hunger, but eats his food, leaving just a little in the bowl when I feed him 2x a day. He now seems to really like FF chicken (chunky). No more dry and no more carbs over 10%. I am used to shelling out so much $$$$$$ for Rx food and am so glad he can eat this instead.

Five P's so far are good. 1. Peeing - normally (what a difference) 2. Pooping - Yes 3. Purring - YES Preening 4. Very well 5. Playing - he's a pretty mellow, lazy guy, but acting normal- jumping on furniture, interacting with my other guys.
 
Thats great - if he can sustain 50-130 for 14 days then he is officially in remission. Meanwhile you can help the pancreas healing process by feeding many mini meals instead of 2 bigger ones. And obviosuly no dry or high carb treats or anything.

Keep us updated!

Wendy
 
Thank you, Wendy! I sure will!

I got 62BG tonight and tested again just to be sure. Day 5, no shot. Numbers seem to keep going down. Sure hope this keeps up.

ETA: Tested 9:41and got 56???? It was very hard this time to get that little ear to bleed, and my boy tolerated my numerous tries like a champ.

In the mean time, he went gaga over the FF fish and shrimp feast flaked (0 carbs). I'm amazed this stuff even looks way more appetizing, while his old prescription food looked like...well...crap.

I actually started feeding smaller portions when I can - one at dinner and then another later on. He just got another bit of the FF tuna. Wish I could do this in the morning. Wondering if I should try freezing some and leaving out to thaw for mid-day while I'm at work?
 
donna, you are a lucky woman. and Pasquale is lucky to have YOU!! you've informed yourself about how this works, asked questions, found the Mecca of Feline Diabetes sites, and your sweet Pasquale looks like he is responding to the change in his diet. as long as you are seeing BG numbers less than 120 on the Relion, you are seeing normal non-diabetic numbers.

so no insulin on those numbers.

in the meantime, the easiest thing on a "sputtering" pancreas is to give low carb food multiple small meals per day. the catinfo.org site list is current and great. under 10% for sure, maybe even under 6% if he likes the food. you don't have to do 0%, however, and fish should be kept for a treat. boys can get urinary tract problems from too much fish. keep him active - exercise helps the cells be more accepting of the insulin that that pancreas is producing. do the BG tests before he eats - after another few days of once a day, i'd probably gradually drop back to once a month. if you see any diabetic signs returning, test him immediately.

if he stays in the normal range (and after the past 5 days he's looking pretty good!) - have a party! although no cake for him - for the rest of his life you'll need to consider him diabetic, just diet-controlled. also, in the back of your mind hang onto the knowledge that he needs to not have steroids unless it is some kind of life-threatening condition. steroids can induce diabetes, so you want to keep him from that unless you haven't got a choice.

congratulations! and woo-hoo for Pasquale!
 
Aw!! Thank you so much, Julie!

I am so grateful to have found this website, it really has been by far, the BEST resource of information and help, as well as the most amazing people here. I really am blown away with how helpful and incredible all of you are. In fact, I don't know what I'd have done, had I not found this site. I may have even overdosed my boy had I not learned more here and questioned / re-questioned my vet.

My guy is continuing to get low readings.... 51 BG at 7am then 48 (??!) at +4

Thank you for telling me about the fish causing UTI's ...I wasn't aware of that! I will definitely not give him that more than occasionally. If I'm lucky enough to be really able to control this by diet, I'll always remember he's still diabetic, so no steroids unless it's under dire circumstances. See- this advice is invaluable....thank you :)

I'll be keeping you posted.
 
i've tested non-diabetic cats and gotten numbers in the 40's - so you're still good.

i'm so happy for you! :-D

you can probably go to testing every other day for another 2-3 times, then spread it out. just enjoy this remarkable event!
 
Thanks Juile. I'm getting readings this morning 48, then 43 a few hours later. He ate this morning too...at what point should I worry? The dropping, dropping has me a little concerned.

I'm sure hoping this also has to do with Relion numbers being lower? Were the 40ish readings you got from non diabetic cats on pet glucometers or people glucometers?
 
Thanks so much for checking in, Wendy. I can't help but get excited. It's 14 full days off juice and good readings for remission, right? Today is day 8 for my boy. Couldn't help but feel a little panicky when I saw my meter say 40 this morning, but have to keep remembering there's no juice in him to get worried.

He's otherwise much livlier with more energy, bright eyed and eating well. Litterbox and water bowl look fine. Even his fur feels softer!

I have told so many people what I have learned already on this wonderful website, and also Lisa Person's site. This information is so eye opening... You'd think it's a no-brainer that diet has so much to do with health, but how shocking when you then find out that many of those expensive "prescription" foods are terrible. I am also hoping to eventually get my other civilian guy off the CD (at least he's no longer eating the dry, none of my guys are). In the mean time, Pasquale is separated from Chico (not only because he's not very nice to him, but also to keep him away from his food.)
 
Congratulations on day 8!! Looks like Pasquale is going to be one of those kitties that only requires a diet change to manage and that's great!!

I'm with you on how great this site is, and China and I are lucky to have found them too. My vet wanted me to start at 3 units...and she's gone to 22 on .75. I'm really lucky I didn't lose her, but if I'd followed his directions, I know I would have!

Take care of that extra sweet kitty of yours and we'll look forward to his OTJ party!!
 
Wow, your vet did this too, Chris? I just don't get how so many can be so eager to dose high (especially to start off) while not mentioning testing or even sometimes discouraging it... 22 with just .75.......... yikes! Thank goodness China is okay (she is a beauty, by the way.)

Crazy the difference food is making. What could also be working in our favor is we seem to have caught this way early. I got a 39 reading when I got home from work, but then tested again 1.5 hrs later and got 54. I kept wondering if I was doing something wrong to get such low numbers...I re-read the instructions and this time, held the lancet pen down for 5 seconds on his ear and kept it down for a few seconds before releasing & sucking up the blood drop with the strip. Who knows if that made the difference? He also had eaten.

This evening, it was so wonderful seeing him run and tear around the house with my other cat, Monkey. He hasn't done that in a while! I can't thank everyone here enough for being so supportive. Thanks so much BJM, Wendy, Chris, Deb, Julie & Donaleen. :-D
 
unless there is some medical thing going on that's very unusual, a cat can't become hypoglycemic if you're not injecting insulin.

so you can relax and just enjoy. everything under 120 is normal. meters have a legally allowed variance of 20% to consider when looking at any blood test.

i don't think the OTJ trial applies to Pasquale - that's really for cats that have been on insulin for more than a few days! you've simply lucked out. :RAHCAT
 
wendy just posted this nice little bit of advice for a cat that's diet-controlled and i thought i'd copy it for you.

Tips to stay OTJ

We say a cat is in remission if the cat can maintain BG levels for 14 days between 40-120 with most of that spent under 100. However, please keep in mind that once a diabetic always a diabetic.

1. Never feed dry - not even treats. If you change wet food types, be 100% sure the new food is also low carb and same low carb % as your current food. Some cats are very carb sensitive and an increase from 3-6% to 8-10% can spike the BG’s. Don’t feed if you aren’t sure!
2. Weigh every 2 weeks to 1 month to watch for weight changes. Too much of a weight gain can cause loss of remission.
3. Measure blood once a week, indefinitely. You want to catch a relapse quickly.
4. No steroids or oral meds with sugar - remind your vet whenever giving you any medication. Always double check.
5. Monitor food intake, peeing and drinking. If increasing, a sign of losing remission.
6. Regular vet checks for infection such as dental , ear or UTI. And get them treated quick!

If she does fall out of remission you need to be more aggressive and resolve issues/ back on insulin as soon as possible as the window for a second remission is tight if any.
Click to expand...
 
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