Hello we are new here, my name is Michelle and my cats name is Cali, we are a bit

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Michelle G

Member Since 2022
Hello, I feel some relief just even finding this group ❤️ Cali was diagnosed with Diabetes beginning of December. The Vet had me change her food to Purina DM and started her on Insulin Glargine 2units 2x per day. They said her blood work numbers were about 500 at the time. Cali seemed confused and strange, kinda tipsy and hiding so we brought the dose down to 1unit for a couple weeks and brought her back in, they said her blood numbers were 400 and wanted her back at 2 units. Cali was back to the same strange behavior and it scared me. So of course all this is over the holidays so I couldn’t reach anyone but spoke to a nurse who said go ahead and take her down to 1 unit until I spoke to the Dr which I did and we compromised to try her dose at 1 1/2 units 2 times a day. But anything over 1 unit we are back to the same strange behavior. She’s hiding and this morning did not eat as much food, she did not even want catnip! And crying at the bathroom door because she’s trying to get out of getting the shot and I feel like my instinct is because she does not feel good on it?
My chest is tight, I already have anxiety and was literally crying a little while ago because I’m so worried to give her too much. She’s been really thirsty at any units and yesterday fell asleep with her head on the water bowl.
I’m wondering if just changing the food and one until could be enough for her? Maybe it just takes time? I believe she developed diabetes because I changed my cats from fancy feast to the z/d diet because my other cat had food sensitivity. There’s allot of carbs in that food ‍♀️
 
Yes, change in food can bring her numbers down and it may be that she doesn’t need that much insulin right now. Did they do a fructosamine test to determine the bg 3 week average? A spot check only can be very misleading. 2 units is also a high starting dose. We recommend starting at .5 units and then increasing from there as needed. The starting dosage shouldn’t be based on her bg numbers.

I think you should you should start testing her bg at home. Would you be willing to do that? You can get all the supplies you need at Walmart if there’s one near you and we can help guide you through it. Otherwise, you’re shooting blind right now and there’s no way to tell what’s going on for sure.
 
Ale & Minnie (GA) said:
Yes, change in food can bring her numbers down and it may be that she doesn’t need that much insulin right now. Did they do a fructosamine test to determine the bg 3 week average? A spot check only can be very misleading. 2 units is also a high starting dose. We recommend starting at .5 units and then increasing from there as needed. The starting dosage shouldn’t be based on her bg numbers.

I think you should you should start testing her bg at home. Would you be willing to do that? You can get all the supplies you need at Walmart if there’s one near you and we can help guide you through it. Otherwise, you’re shooting blind right now and there’s no way to tell what’s going on for sure.
Click to expand...
 
I’m not sure if I can do the at home testing but will continue to learn and open my mind to it. They did have me bring her back in after 2 weeks of being on 1 unit and her numbers did improve from 500 to 400. I think that’s pretty good but the vet said if I do not increase the dose she will get really sick. So now we are at 1 1/2 units for 2 weeks but if she is behaving strange and running from it I’m wondering if I should take her back to 2 unit. She doesn’t seem to mind the 1 unit.
 
I think it’s the opposite issue actually. If she’s behaving lethargic, chances are she’s being overdosed and a hypo incident can lend her in the er because it can kill. The fact she fell asleep on the water bowl is concerning to me and it’s not a sign of unregulated diabetes, it’s a sign of too much insulin. It’s much safer to be in high numbers than in low ones. That’s why we recommend home testing so that you can monitor how low a dose is taking her. I don’t understand what your vet is basing the “she’ll get really sick if you lower her dose” advice on to be honest. Without any data, the behavior you’re describing sounds to me like she’s on too high a dose. We also recommend 1/2 unit dose adjustments, not full units. I’m going to tag a few others here, but I strongly recommend you keep her at 1 unit and monitor the behavior closely @Sienne and Gabby (GA) @Bron and Sheba (GA) @Larry and Kitties
 
Welcome to FDMB.

One of the issues of having your cat's blood glucose (BG) tested at the vet's office is that the numbers may be artificially high due to stress. Most cats are pretty stressed out by having to travel to the vet's office to say nothing of all of the strange sounds and smells once there. Then there are all of those strangers handling your cat. Stress causes BG numbers to rise. Basing a dose on what the numbers look like at the vet's office can cause problems. Perhaps more importantly, initial dosing of Lantus (glargine) is based on your cat's weight and unless your cat is especially "fluffy," the typical starting dose is 1.0u or less.

We are strong advocates of home testing. It's the only way you have to be sure that Cali is in safe numbers. From your description, it's quite possible that the starting dose was too high. However, we have no way to know that for sure. And, your vet is correct in that you don't want to be giving too little insulin either. It could put your cat at risk for developing diabetic ketoacidosis. If you're home testing, it also means that you don't have to rely on your vet to test Cali. This is a link to information and videos on home testing.
 
Ale & Minnie (GA) said:
I think it’s the opposite issue actually. If she’s behaving lethargic, chances are she’s being overdosed and a hypo incident can lend her in the er because it can kill. The fact she fell asleep on the water bowl is concerning to me and it’s not a sign of unregulated diabetes, it’s a sign of too much insulin. It’s much safer to be in high numbers than in low ones. That’s why we recommend home testing so that you can monitor how low a dose is taking her. I don’t understand what your vet is basing the “she’ll get really sick if you lower her dose” advice on to be honest. Without any data, the behavior you’re describing sounds to me like she’s on too high a dose. We also recommend 1/2 unit dose adjustments, not full units. I’m going to tag a few others here, but I strongly recommend you keep her at 1 unit and monitor the behavior closely @Sienne and Gabby (GA) @Bron and Sheba (GA) @Larry and Kitties
Click to expand...
 
I’m going to do that, her behavior and instinct is telling me it’s too high. I’ll get the home testing kit, I’m trying to take it one step at at time because I have some anxiety and depression and can become a bit overwhelmed. I’m just being transparent. My chest is really tight right now. Would I have to test every day? Thank you so much for your time ❤️
 
It’s totally understandable to feel overwhelmed at first. I felt the same way until I knew enough and practiced enough that it became part of the routing. Still, if I’m being honest, no matter what, getting ready to test her always stressed me a little because there was always the, what if I just can’t get a result this time or she doesn’t let me? So, I’d always sing this lullaby I was sung to as a child while I was testing her and it calmed me and I think her too. Anyway, you can look at it as baby steps. You go a little further every day and at a pace that works for you. It’s a balancing act between what you can do and what they need.

To answer your question, yes, you need to test every day. At least before each shot so you know it’s safe to give her the insulin. Then, also two more times during each cycle, which is a 12-hour period. For now, I’d say focus on the pre shot tests and work your way up to the rest. If you go to Walmart, you want to get the ReliOn Primer meter, the test strips and lancets. In the beginning, lancets with a larger gauge will be easier so look for 26 or 28.
 
Ale & Minnie (GA) said:
It’s totally understandable to feel overwhelmed at first. I felt the same way until I knew enough and practiced enough that it became part of the routing. Still, if I’m being honest, no matter what, getting ready to test her always stressed me a little because there was always the, what if I just can’t get a result this time or she doesn’t let me? So, I’d always sing this lullaby I was sung to as a child while I was testing her and it calmed me and I think her too. Anyway, you can look at it as baby steps. You go a little further every day and at a pace that works for you. It’s a balancing act between what you can do and what they need.

To answer your question, yes, you need to test every day. At least before each shot so you know it’s safe to give her the insulin. Then, also two more times during each cycle, which is a 12-hour period. For now, I’d say focus on the pre shot tests and work your way up to the rest. If you go to Walmart, you want to get the ReliOn Primer meter, the test strips and lancets. In the beginning, lancets with a larger gauge will be easier so look for 26 or 28.
Click to expand...
I work and have a busy schedule I’m not sure I can do that everyday?
 
Michelle G said:
I work and have a busy schedule I’m not sure I can do that everyday?
Click to expand...

Testing even just before his shots would be a good start. You should be able to do that as I'm assuming you're the one giving him his shots? Some testing is better than none.

My cat sam had a similar problem. I wasn't testing, he was on 3 units twice per day against the advice of people on this forum. When I started testing we found that he was dropping dangerously low and bouncing back to super high levels. It averaged out via the fructosamine to be categorized as "excellent control". Take one look at his spreadsheet; he was not being excellently controlled. He's now on 1.25 units and doing far better. Home testing is the only way I was able to achieve this.
 
Hi and welcome to the best place on the internet to get help for you and your cat. I remember about a year ago when my cat Hendrick was diagnosed, I was positive I could never ever do home BG testing. Get blood from my cat's ear, what???? I never heard of such a thing and I was certain it was impossible! And it was -- at first. But thanks to all the help from people here, all the tips and tricks from @Diane Tyler's Mom after just a couple weeks I was home BG testing multiple times a day! You can do it.
 
If you live in the US you can pick up from Walmart The Relion Premier Classic meter and test strips

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-CLASSIC-Blood-Glucose-Monitoring-System/552134103. 9 dollars

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

Can you please tap on this blue link and fill out your signature, it's information we need about Cali, it's at the end of everyone's post in gray lettering
helping us to help you has a lot of good information for getting started.

Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
c2b8079a-b471-4fa6-ac36-9ac1c8d6dcca-jpeg.57072
fec17d29-5ab4-44a8-912b-3a91944c3954-jpeg.57073

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with

A video one of our members posted, she is using a pet meter ,strips too expensive plus you have to code it
A human meter is just fine, most of us use human meters ,that's what our numbers are based on
When you get your meter can you add the name of it to your signature and spreadsheet


VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

Here is another link to read
This is a link to one of our posts on home testing.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top