bettyandhank
Very Active Member
Hi-
We have been lurking on the board a little while. Can catch you up on our backstories later but need guidance on a more immediate situation now.
Hank was diganosed just over 2 weeks ago. I was not clear on many things including how far along he was. He looked pretty good and I mistakenly thought he was responding to some diet alterations (he was already on some pretty good low carb canned food, but eating dry as well) while I was trying to sort through things, educate myself, figure out the financial aspects, maybe change vets, etc... Meanwhile, he was not and was continuing to lose weight and get weaker.
I wasn't comfortable with the first vet, communication was lacking. They would have done a curve first before prescribing. While i was looking around for where to go instead, he started not looking so good. He was increasingly not interested in food. When I tried to get him back in there just to hurry to get him some treatment, there were some access issues, calls not returned, and lost a couple days. We found someone else to take us last Wednesday.
Counts at the vet's office that day were 440 (One touch ultra mini) 388/404 THEIR meter (the Animal One) so a 40-60 point difference. Not sure who is high/low.
I don't believe he had eaten ..not much if so. Likely there was some stress, but wasn't outward or obvious. He seemed fairly comfortable.
He was however losing weight, nearly 1 lb in under 10 days. i think he had lost 2+ lbs before we went to the first vet. His BG at diagnosis 10 days earlier was 375.
I did ketone test the night before this last visit and showed scant amount. I am new at this and there is most defiantely margin for error. They stick tested and got slight amount in blood but not in urine.
They put him on 1U Lantus twice a day to start. He did not recieve a dose there as I had to fill RX, get all the supplies, and get on our 'schedule' for that night.
I have been completely overwhelmed, lost and unsure a million times over since then. I am on sucgh a learning curve and amd unsure and don't know what I'm doing most of the time.
I began writing here several times before, but there is never enough time. This has all become my full time job. I just kept messing up, doubting, wasting syringes, and test strips. Will save for another conversation...so I can get to the point.
I have obviously now figured out how to test. I have only been doing it PS AM/PM. We got on insulin Wednesday night, so it's day 4.
Because he hasn't been feeling great for awhile, his appetite isn't great. He is eating, but modestly. I usually have to coax him to take bites. We are on good food. I may have tried to transition him too quickly off his dry initially and upset his stomach.
He was already eating Wellness canned before all this, we just made it more the primary food and rotated in other new low carb canned as well. Much of it he hasn't liked..I am now sprinkling some Evo dry on the wet on occasion to try and get him to eat.
The vet was very concerned that he EATS now. He is overweight, but has been losing too rapidly. She was worried about fatty lipidosos.
I have a million questions at any moment and don't have the judgement to know what to do yet. It is a foreign language and I am on a learning curve. The vet gave me VERY few instructions. Just the shoot 1U 2 times once a day. I had never given a shot in my life and have worried if i was doing it right, did get it, too much/little, I don't want to harm him. Target ranges weren't discussed...when NOT to do it, etc..
I am too new and not comfortable enough to alter dosing instructions.
So after the BG read at the vet on Wed. (noon), I was unsuccessful in the next several attempts to test. ( I know i hurt his little ears trying)
I got a 414 PM/ PS on Thursday night.
277 AM/ PS Friday
355 PM/PS Friday
373 AM/PS Sat.
349 PM/PS Sat.
159 10:13 AM/ Sunday! Questioned giving dose I call emergency clinic- nurse advises against- tells me to re-check and call back in 45
188 11:10 AM appx. 1/2 hour after food- emergency vet (nurse) says still don't give it. They say to ignore schedule. Cat is not
regulated. His counts too low to give the shot. he is still in normal range. I would Hypo him.
The (main) vet office instructions were for right now just to give it. They said ideally 12 hours apart, but up to 2 hour window either way worst case. They said NOT to alter the dose. I have been within 1/2 hour windows on time so far. Today we were running a little late. His shot last night was 10:17 PM. it has now been 14 1/2+ hours.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER TO GIVE THE DOSE, SKIP THE DOSE, ALTER THE DOSE (makes me nervous).
I have skimmed the site but there is too much info. to absorb all at once.
He seems ok, is not acting sick. I don't want to test him to death. He is too new to this all, is clearly not regulated.
He will have been on over 2 weeks of diet change, and as mentioned, was already on good food so won't get the monumental change as if he were coming off the really bad stuff.
I got him to eat a little.... a few bites, of some Instinct canned between the 2 BG checks.
** Any suggestions? Do we just skip this dose? i don't want to mess things up, lose any progress, etc.. I know it takes several days to adjust. we are right in that crucial period. I don't know how to proceed. Why on a Sunday when I can't call them.???
Oh, the nurse at the emergency vet left me with the impression that even if it is hours from now and you give the shot, you just change the schedule accordingly.(ie: next one 12 hours form then) That is contrary to how I understand it. Plus it would likely then be the middle of the night. Even beyond whether or when to give THIS dose... How to we adjust for the subsequent dose and to get back to schedule??? (appx: 10AM / 10PM)
Thanks you for any words of wisdom.
betty & Hank
We have been lurking on the board a little while. Can catch you up on our backstories later but need guidance on a more immediate situation now.
Hank was diganosed just over 2 weeks ago. I was not clear on many things including how far along he was. He looked pretty good and I mistakenly thought he was responding to some diet alterations (he was already on some pretty good low carb canned food, but eating dry as well) while I was trying to sort through things, educate myself, figure out the financial aspects, maybe change vets, etc... Meanwhile, he was not and was continuing to lose weight and get weaker.
I wasn't comfortable with the first vet, communication was lacking. They would have done a curve first before prescribing. While i was looking around for where to go instead, he started not looking so good. He was increasingly not interested in food. When I tried to get him back in there just to hurry to get him some treatment, there were some access issues, calls not returned, and lost a couple days. We found someone else to take us last Wednesday.
Counts at the vet's office that day were 440 (One touch ultra mini) 388/404 THEIR meter (the Animal One) so a 40-60 point difference. Not sure who is high/low.
I don't believe he had eaten ..not much if so. Likely there was some stress, but wasn't outward or obvious. He seemed fairly comfortable.
He was however losing weight, nearly 1 lb in under 10 days. i think he had lost 2+ lbs before we went to the first vet. His BG at diagnosis 10 days earlier was 375.
I did ketone test the night before this last visit and showed scant amount. I am new at this and there is most defiantely margin for error. They stick tested and got slight amount in blood but not in urine.
They put him on 1U Lantus twice a day to start. He did not recieve a dose there as I had to fill RX, get all the supplies, and get on our 'schedule' for that night.
I have been completely overwhelmed, lost and unsure a million times over since then. I am on sucgh a learning curve and amd unsure and don't know what I'm doing most of the time.
I began writing here several times before, but there is never enough time. This has all become my full time job. I just kept messing up, doubting, wasting syringes, and test strips. Will save for another conversation...so I can get to the point.
I have obviously now figured out how to test. I have only been doing it PS AM/PM. We got on insulin Wednesday night, so it's day 4.
Because he hasn't been feeling great for awhile, his appetite isn't great. He is eating, but modestly. I usually have to coax him to take bites. We are on good food. I may have tried to transition him too quickly off his dry initially and upset his stomach.
He was already eating Wellness canned before all this, we just made it more the primary food and rotated in other new low carb canned as well. Much of it he hasn't liked..I am now sprinkling some Evo dry on the wet on occasion to try and get him to eat.
The vet was very concerned that he EATS now. He is overweight, but has been losing too rapidly. She was worried about fatty lipidosos.
I have a million questions at any moment and don't have the judgement to know what to do yet. It is a foreign language and I am on a learning curve. The vet gave me VERY few instructions. Just the shoot 1U 2 times once a day. I had never given a shot in my life and have worried if i was doing it right, did get it, too much/little, I don't want to harm him. Target ranges weren't discussed...when NOT to do it, etc..
I am too new and not comfortable enough to alter dosing instructions.
So after the BG read at the vet on Wed. (noon), I was unsuccessful in the next several attempts to test. ( I know i hurt his little ears trying)
I got a 414 PM/ PS on Thursday night.
277 AM/ PS Friday
355 PM/PS Friday
373 AM/PS Sat.
349 PM/PS Sat.
159 10:13 AM/ Sunday! Questioned giving dose I call emergency clinic- nurse advises against- tells me to re-check and call back in 45
188 11:10 AM appx. 1/2 hour after food- emergency vet (nurse) says still don't give it. They say to ignore schedule. Cat is not
regulated. His counts too low to give the shot. he is still in normal range. I would Hypo him.
The (main) vet office instructions were for right now just to give it. They said ideally 12 hours apart, but up to 2 hour window either way worst case. They said NOT to alter the dose. I have been within 1/2 hour windows on time so far. Today we were running a little late. His shot last night was 10:17 PM. it has now been 14 1/2+ hours.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER TO GIVE THE DOSE, SKIP THE DOSE, ALTER THE DOSE (makes me nervous).
I have skimmed the site but there is too much info. to absorb all at once.
He seems ok, is not acting sick. I don't want to test him to death. He is too new to this all, is clearly not regulated.
He will have been on over 2 weeks of diet change, and as mentioned, was already on good food so won't get the monumental change as if he were coming off the really bad stuff.
I got him to eat a little.... a few bites, of some Instinct canned between the 2 BG checks.
** Any suggestions? Do we just skip this dose? i don't want to mess things up, lose any progress, etc.. I know it takes several days to adjust. we are right in that crucial period. I don't know how to proceed. Why on a Sunday when I can't call them.???
Oh, the nurse at the emergency vet left me with the impression that even if it is hours from now and you give the shot, you just change the schedule accordingly.(ie: next one 12 hours form then) That is contrary to how I understand it. Plus it would likely then be the middle of the night. Even beyond whether or when to give THIS dose... How to we adjust for the subsequent dose and to get back to schedule??? (appx: 10AM / 10PM)
Thanks you for any words of wisdom.
betty & Hank