Help for Cali?

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beclt

beclt

Member Since 2011
Hi Everyone,

Happy Thanksgiving (weekend)!

Because of the holiday, we are not at home. We have my mother and a pet sitting taking care of the two shots a day. It appears that Cali has caught onto everything and is becoming increasingly difficult for them to "catch" to give a shot. This morning, after a lot of trying, my mother was unsuccessful and Cali was unable to get her morning shot. Cali didn't want anything to do her with food because she knew what was to come. It was too hard It is the first one I've missed but the pet sitter has also had trouble and now we are terrified that they won't be able to get her either. OR, eventually, say she is too difficult and turn away our business.

She only got like this this week. She was fine for everyone until then. If she doesn't come out to eat, then it is incredibly difficult to get her to be in one place at one time. Any suggestions? What if she misses more doses???

Lastly, her numbers are still in the mid 200s to low 300s. This past week we increased to 1.5 units a day of ProZinc in hopes that would show some change, but no luck yet. How long do we wait until we make another move? Does it take very long to get it to a more normal number? What range are we looking for?

Appreciate your help. I am terrified that our cat won't be as easy to take care of anymore...:(

Thank you!
Becky
 
Hi Becky,

When will you be home? I am sure this is hard for you to deal with long distance and for your mom and petsitter to have the responsibility at home.

I assume they are not testing. While it may not be the case, sometimes if the cat is going too low with the insulin, they start to fight the shots because they make them feel bad. Has she had any other hypo type symptoms while they were shooting her regularly - any hiding,yowling, disorientation?

It is so scary to give shots without testing. Especially if she was running in the 200-300 range which is relatively low. But if she is not eating, the combo of no food and no insulin can also cause problems.

If it were me, first I would try to get her eating again. They can try putting her in a room with the food and leaving her alone. If there is a treat she especially likes, they can sprinkle that on top of the food. Some cats like tuna juice on top; some like parmesan cheese.

If she starts to eat again, they might stop the shots until you get back if it will only be a day or two. She may be high when you return, but if she is eating, that can be safer than hiding and not eating. If they can get a ketone test, that will keep her safe also. ketones The strips are cheap. If they put a piece of saran wrap on the part of the litter where she usually goes, they may be able to swoop in and get a sample.
 
We are due to come home tomorrow afternoon, so we still have two more shots.

There is absolutely no way the pet sitter or my mother would be testing, so no, that isn't happening.

200-300 is low? I thought that was high, given the normal range which I understood to be around 100?

She is eating, the issue is that she doesn't want to come out for the new food when people get there because that means a shot is coming. She eats, but not at that moment.

So you are suggesting no more shots until we get back?
 
Becky, why was there a sudden jump from 1unit to 1.5 a few days ago?
Ya know, if mom is having trouble testing and your not going to be gone for too long, and with the numbers you are currently showing, I think it would be safe to not test and shoot a reduced dose.
Better than not shooting at all.
If she will eat.
Are you saying she is going alll day long without eating?
If she eats than maybe mom can give her a skinny unit to err on safety.
None of her numbers look like she is in danger of going to low.
But this goes against everything I and everyone always say about never shooting without a test.
I personally would just drop the dose down.....but of course it is up to you.
Hope I will not get slammed for this opinion of mine.
Hugs,
Lori
 
Again--she is eating. There is food in her bowl left but she is eating. She gets two cans of food a day and eats it throughout the day. She is not going all day long without eating.

To be completely honest, we are 100% confused. Her numbers haven't gotten much better and from what I could gather from reading, we are to adjust the dosage until it gets to a normal number--while testing throughout. Our cat is not cooperative, so having anyone other than my husband and I test is not an option.

It would be great to give her a lower dose, however, she cannot even be caught by my mother to be given a shot of any type. this is the current issue. If we could get her, giving her a normal dose is not a problem. But she cannot get a hold of the cat to be able to give her anything--this is where my original concern came from.

To my knowledge, she isn't showing other behaviors, other than being really stressed and pissed by the situation. She acts the same way if she has to go to the vets.

So I have one person saying not to test and another to say give a smaller dose--but if we can't get her to give any does--do we just let it go until we are back? We are so confused--there are a lot of different opinions.

Sorry to sound frustrated--its because we are. We just want to do what is best but feel like everything we are doing is wrong.
 
200-300 is not an especially high range. High numbers are in the 400-600 range. Having said that, in an ideal situation, you would certainly be testing and giving shots in the 200-300 range.

You can try a reduced dose like Lori said. If she is eating but just not when they are there, that is much safer than not eating at all. I was concerned that giving the shot was keeping her from eating at all and that can be dangerous. Sorry to give conflicting advice. We are both suggesting possible choices - neither of which are not as good as a normal test and shoot situation. Your job is to pick the one that sounds safest to you and possible for your caregivers.

One idea is to have them put her down on a towel and wrap her up until only her head and neck is showing. (A Kitty burrito) Then they could shoot a reduced dose into her scruff.
 
When you get back, post here or on the PZI forum and get some advice re your numbers and dose. This process is a lot easier if you have some advice from people who have used your insulin and had success dosing with it. You may need to increase the dose when the numbers are high, but it is more complicated than that (of course :mrgreen: ) It depends on the midcycle numbers and whether the overall cycle is flat and high or the kitty dips low at mid cycle. Once you get a few weeks of dosing under your belt, you will feel a lot more confident about the numbers and doses.
 
What do you mean by "giving shots in the 200-300 range?" Can you clarify that point?

Going back to the current situation, I dont think a kitty burrito is an option either. I'm very serious when I say that currently she doesn't want to be handled nor can she be. Here are my options as I see them:

1.) If the pet sitter can get her tonight, to give her a dose...but what kind? reduced, or normal?
2.) Wait until we are back tomorrow afternoon, meaning she misses this evening and tomorrow morning's dose.

I honestly don't know what is best here. My concern also lies in the future--if she is this difficult, what do we do when we have to go away for Christmas? Can she really go 4 days with no insulin??

Thanks!
 
If the cat is in the 300 range at preshot and 200 at midcycle, then the dose might be 1 -1.25 - 1.5 units, depending on how she has reacted to those doses in the past. If she is 200 at preshot and 100 or lower at midcycle, then a reduced dose would probably be needed. When you post and ask about dose, people will look at your spreadsheet and give advice based on the history of doses and numbers.

IMHO, if a dose is given, I would give a reduced dose since you really have no idea where she is in terms of numbers and how the 1.5 impacted her numbers. So maybe .5 units? I don't think skipping a dose is a bad choice either if she is definitely eating. This would be best if your caregivers can get a ketone test.

One of our tried and true sayings is better too high for a day than too low for a minute.....

Unfortunately for you, there is no perfect advice that fits your situation - it will have to be your choice. If you were at home and testing and asked what to give, we would have a fairly standard answer because you would be there to test and be sure the dose was safe.

When you get back, you can ask for advice on your Christmas situation. Lots of people deal with difficult cats and traveling and they will have suggestions for you. The way we solved it was to take him along - we stayed in pet friendly hotels and handled his insulin needs while on the road and at our destination.
 
beclt said:
200-300 is low? I thought that was high, given the normal range which I understood to be around 100?
Click to expand...
200-300 preshot is not bad for a newly diagnosed diabetic, especially one who was in the 400-500 range just a a week or two ago. You have been doing ok, by you are being impatient. I think you need to step back and understand that you and your diabetic cat are probably in this for the long haul.

Are you still on humulin?
 
Debby, up top she said prozinc...
I would go with the no stress option. Easiest for you, kitty, and the sitters. Make sure she is eating well, and don't shoot until you get home. Once there, test her BG, post her number on PZI forum, and we can help you start fresh. Don't let it spoil your last day of vacation...
Carl
 
We decided to see if the pet sitter could try with Cali, but no luck. So rather than stress her out further, we are letting it go until we come back.

Now, I am concerned about this type of attitude when we go away for the other holidays or any other trips. We can't take her with us. I just feel like she can't be given her shot by someone other than my husband and I. I don't know what this is going to do to her in the long run.
 
Good call. As far as the next trip, plenty of time to figure that out. We can help you figure that one out in the next couple of weeks. Safe trip!

Carl
 
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