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Bebe Kaye

Member Since 2013
Hi everyone. I've been living with my cat's diabetes for a year now, we are plodding alone slowly but surely with a few hick ups here and there. He got sick out of the blue one Friday night, having problems urinating...my first thought was kidney crystals or diabetes, and after running him off to spend the night at an emergency animal hospital he came home the next day with no answer, no signs of infection and his sugar was fine. Then again on Saturday night it happened again...$5000 later he was diagnosed with diabetes (and a none too happy and broke mumma) and we were sent home with very little information, prescription cat food and some insulin (Lantus). I also went out that day and bought a glucose monitor, they told me to just bring him back to my local vet to test his sugar once a month but I wasn't happy with that, so started testing before his meals, and then four hours after in the hopes of getting a good record and keeping a closer eye on his health. I worked out pretty early on that the perscription cat food wasn't all they told me it would be, in fact it was causing his sugar to make huge upward spikes, so I moved him to a cereal free, lower carb grocery store wet food mixed with some fresh meat. My boy is 16, and the love of my life (just don't tell my husband), and I like him more than my kids (they already know this lol), he's a big old browney-black ball of love who has seen me through a lot and I'm not sure what i'll do when he's gone.

I'm hoping someone with more knowledge on cat diabetes can help me. Is the way that I test at the moment okay or should I be testing at different times? Is Lantus the best insulin or would the cat specific variants be better? Food...help! I'm not sure if what i'm doing is okay or not. My boy has all of a sudden gone off his food, had a huge sugar spike it got up to 20 (eek, not sure on the sugar measurements, i'm in Australia and know they measure it differently in other parts), and i've had to double his insulin and keep a closer eye on him. Since the huge spike, he's hungry but not very interested in food. Sorry for all the questions, any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance for any of this you can help me with.
 
Hello, and welcome to FDMB!

It sounds like you are already doing a great job with your cat's diabetes. He is really lucky in having such a pro-active caregiver. :smile:

How was your cat actually diagnosed with diabetes initially? What tests were done? It seems very odd to me that his sugar was fine one day and then he was deemed to be diabetic the next......
confused_cat

Anyway...regarding testing, the most important time to test is before each insulin shot. That's because it's important to know whether our cats' blood glucose is high enough to warrant that insulin shot at all (or whether they might need insulin but at a lower dose).

The next most important tests to get are probably those taken when the insulin activity is at it's peak (which means the blood glucose level of the cat will be at it's lowest). This varies from insulin to insulin (and can vary from cat to cat too...) but for many cats that will mean between 5 and 7 hours after the insulin shot (or what in FDMB-speak we'd call '+5' to '+7').

Regarding the blood glucose numbers themselves, folks in the US use a slightly different form of measurement, so those of us in 'the rest of the world' ( :lol: ) can multiply our numbers by 18 to get a US number (or conversely US numbers can be divided by 18 to get a 'rest of the world' number). What sort of blood glucose numbers are you seeing in your cat?

I don't use the same insulin as you, but a lot of forum members here do use Lantus, so you can get lots of advice on that here. My understanding is that it is an excellent insulin for cats. Dr Jaqui Rand in OZ did a lot of pioneering research on using this with cats.

There are other Australians on the forum, and you may find this recent post about suitable foods for diabetic cats in OZ useful:
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=64843#p967112

As to the sudden spike in numbers, well it's hard to know what has caused that... Yes, food can certainly cause spikes in numbers. But so can other factors like illness or infection, constipation, furballs.... Another quite common reason for a spike in numbers could be 'rebound', or what is sometimes referred to as 'a bounce'. This can happen when the blood glucose has dropped either too low or too fast. 'Too low' doesn't necessarily mean dangerously low (although it could be); it may just be that the blood glucose dropped too low for the cat's comfort. But the body can respond to this by releasing glycogen into the cat's system to raise blood glucose levels. It may also release substances into the bloodstream that try to keep the blood glucose levels higher. This can look like temporary insulin resistance.

It's very important that diabetic cats eat. Do you have any idea why he's gone off his food? Does he have any other symptoms at all? Does his breath smell odd (like peardrops..?). It may well be that a vet visit is needed... I would strongly suggest that you get some ketostix or ketodiastix from a pharmacy and test your cats pee for ketones. Does your cat use a litter tray..?

Oh, and what is your name? And your cat's name?

Sorry for all the questions, I do hope I've not overwhelmed you!

Eliz
 
Would you please put some more information in your user control panel, profile, edit signature? There is some information you can put in that free form text box. Whatever you put in there will show up at the bottom of each of your posts. You can see an example at the end of my post to you.

Some items that other members put in there are their name and their cats name, date of diagnosis, any other health issues, glucometer brand used, insulin type used, special diet restrictions due to other health issues. Be sure to note that you are using the Lantus. There are lots of people on this board that use insulin and have lots experience in using it.

Think of this information in your user control panel as a quick and ready to hand method for those advising you to get some very basic information about your cat.

Another item I like to see is a location added to your profile. It can be as basic as the country you live in, maybe the state/province if you are willing to share that. We have members in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and other places. There may be someone close to you that can help you with this sugardance.

Yes, I see in this post where you said you are in Australia. If you update your profile, it will appear in each post. That way, you won't have to say every time, and we can give you more country specific advice on meters and food and such.

edited to correct insulin name.
 
Deb & Wink said:
Be sure to note that you are using the Novolin. There are not many people on this board that use that anymore or have much experience in using it.
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Is the kitty on Novolin? I thought it was Lantus... Maybe I'm having a particularly 'blonde day' today....?
:dizcat
 
My bad, she did say she was using the Lantus. Have corrected my post.

I'm the one having the blonde day, although my hair is starting to turn gray so I could call it a senior moment! ;-)
 
Regarding the blood glucose numbers themselves, folks in the US use a slightly different form of measurement, so those of us in 'the rest of the world' ( ) can multiply our numbers by 18 to get a US number (or conversely US numbers can be divided by 18 to get a 'rest of the world' number). What sort of blood glucose numbers are you seeing in your cat?
Click to expand...

I often whip out my trusty calculator to multiply those' rest of the world numbers' to a more familiar format. If we can get her to set up a spreadsheet in the world format, us backward hicks in the US can just click on the other tab and the spreadsheet gets automatically translated into our more familiar numbers.

Setting up the spreadsheet instructions here: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

Is the way that I test at the moment okay or should I be testing at different times
Click to expand...
To go back to a more serious note on the spreadsheet, setting this up helps us to help you better in caring for your cat. On this spreadsheet, you track the insulin dosage, BG test numbers, food given if you want, anything else you want to put in the Remarks column that you think may be helpful. Until we can see some of your test numbers, I don't know if the way you are testing is good or not, or if a few more tests would be useful.

If you have been using insulin for while, you don't have to enter all those numbers on the spreadsheet. A couple of weeks of the most current data would be helpful for now. Would you be willing to do that?

Is Lantus the best insulin or would the cat specific variants be better?
Click to expand...
Lantus is a very good insulin for a cat and we have a lot of experienced users that can help figure out what is going on with your cat.

How much insulin is your cat getting now?
 
Sorry for taking a while to get back here, the day after I posted I took my baby to the vet where they did a full check and ran full blood tests to see exactly what was going on. Then I got a phone call that broke my heart, I was told he's in renal failure with little hope which had me crying for 2 days straight. Since then, I hit the good old internet and have started my reading, I now understand it's Chronic Kidney Disease and things may not be as bad as I thought (which was one week left with him).

Okay getting ahead of myself, back to answering a few questions. I have no idea how the whole diabetes analysis goes, Milo was off colour, having issues urinating and was disorientated and it all came on very quickly hence the quick rush to the uber expensive animal hospital. I usually take a lot more care to find out details of tests, results etc, but at the time was trying to scrape the money to be able to afford his treatment (which was exorbitant), all I know is that they had him at the hospital and did blood and urine tests overnight (Friday night), the first of which showed a urinary infection but no sugar issues, they sent him home early the next morning. That day he seemed fine but then again at about 8pm that night (Saturday night) the same thing happened again and I rushed him back, he stayed in the animal hospital all night, then all day Sunday and I picked him up on Monday where they were more interested in getting their money than in the diagnosis. Basically I was told he had diabetes (his sugar was around 25 mmol/i), they gave me one tube of insulin, 5 needles and 3 tins of Hill's prescription m/d diabetic food and to go straight to my normal vet for more details. I went straight to my vet, but he was a bit ruffled and had never used Lantus, so told me i'd have to bring the kitty back every week to get his sugar tested to make sure things were okay.

This didn't sit well with me, I worked with Diets in human hospitals for over 10 years so knew that his sugar really needed testing before insulin was given...I then just took a guess at the second testing time of 4 hours as I knew he should be tested again a certain amount of hours after insulin and food (so thank you for the +5 - +7 times). It also didn't sit well because of the financial factor, after the huge hit of the first diagnosis and with health issues myself, I simply could not afford such constant vet expenses, even for my boy :sad:. I discussed this issue with my vet who is very good with keeping costs down helping out where he can, so we kept in contact and I took Milo in once a month and as things went well, the times he went in stretched out as his diabetes seemed regulated up until recently. Milo didn't like the prescription food very much, but was eating enough to satisfy the requirements, after doing some reading I decided to trial grocery store wet food with no cereals and low carbs to see if he would like it more and how it would affect his sugar levels. What I found was that the prescription food sent his sugar levels high, between 15-20 four hours after insulin and food; whereas the grocery store food kept it at a pretty stable 6-9 four hours after insulin and food.

Milo is an inside kitty mostly since his diagnosis and either uses his litter tray or he usually urinates down the shower or bath drain hole (no idea why he does this, he was never trained to). Recently (past 7ish days) he has started urinating in unusual areas, his thirst increased and he went off his food for about a week (still eating but no where what he usually did). Over the past month, his usually stable sugar levels of 9-12 before insulin and then 6-9 four hours after insulin and food, spiked to being 12-16 before insulin and 9-15 four hours after insulin and food. I increased his insulin to combat the rise, taking extra care to watch him and his behavior. When I took him to the vet on Saturday morning (27th April, 2013), he had a physical check up which showed normal temperature and no obvious issues or distress, so the vet suggested a full blood scan and also gave him an antibiotic injection as it was a Saturday and he didn't want to risk any infection festering over the weekend while we waited for the blood results. The vet rang me back Monday afternoon to tell me that he had bad news and that Milo was in Renal failure, and asked me to bring him in the next morning (today). He received an injection (unknown) and some powder to add to kitty's food (Ipakitine) twice per day.

Since Saturday, Milo's appetite has increased back up to nearly what it was before, though his sugar is a little bit all over the place:

Saturday:
06:00 - 12.6
10:00 - 12.6
18:00 - 19.9 (did hourly after this and gave 1ml extra of insulin) <-(possibly stress from vet visit?)
20:00 - 12.5
Sunday:
06:00 - 10.2
10:00 - 9.2
18:00 - 11.3
20:00 - 10
Monday:
06:00 - 11.2
10:00 - 9.9
18:00 - 11.3
20:00 - 10
Tuesday (today):
06:00 - 12.6
10:00 - 11.4
18:00 - 12.5
20:00 - 12.4

Gahhh, i've rambled on and am not sure if i've answered everything or not or where I even am at the moment. I now have a million questions to ask my vet about the new kidney disease issue...all the questions I should have asked today but didn't know! He goes back for another blood test next Tuesday to see how his kidney function is, so I have my handy list here now and know a lot more than I did 48 hours ago (watch out vet!). I just need to work out how to feed him with this added diagnosis. I understand his sugar is the main priority, but also trying to cut back on protein, sodium and phosphorus...arghhh! Please tell me if this wasn't clear, I feel as though I rambled all over the place...a bad habit. So sorry, and thank you for your time and help...it's really appreciated!! Oh and has anyone else got a furry baby with diabetes and CKD that can give me any help or hope? :cry:
 
Oh and yes, I already do a spreadsheet for his results, it has:
date, time, BGL, insulin, food, comments.

I am giving Milo 2mls (eek, this is really bad, it's the second little bar on his insulin needle, sorry at the vagueness of this), he was on 1ml steady for almost a year when a month ago his BG levels were consistently higher, I raised it to 1 1/2 then up to 2 to try and combat the higher readings, it has to some extent been successful but his sugar hasn't been as regulated as I would like.

Sorry for not answering this in the last post, i'm not sure what else I missed sorry. Just give me a kick!

EDIT: doh, after reading through a few posts I see what you mean about the spreadsheet now...I don't know how to do that and attach here or where it is on here. I also have no idea how to attach the spreadsheet or a profile for Milo in the signature. If anyone can give me 'how to do it' especially one for the idiot (me) I would greatly appreciate it. Again, thank you!!!
 
We have a standardized spreadsheet with color coding. The more experienced members here can look at that standardized version and see trends by looking at the numbers and the color coding.

Since you are in Australia, if you fill out the world version that will make more sense to you. There is a second tab with US numbers that you do not want to add anything to. That US tab will automatically take the numbers from your world version and translate them to numbers more familiar to US members. Yes, our backward country should really go to international standards but that hasn't happened since the 1960's when I was back in grade school. Not holding my breath here so I still rely on the US tab to understand the BG numbers.

Here is a link that explains how to create the standard format spreadsheet and link it into your signature in the user control panel. http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207 for future reference, the how to topic is over in the Tech Support, Announcements section, 3rd topic down called "How to Get a SS and Link in your Signature *updated 2/13/12"

If you do that setup, anyone that wants to help you can simply click on the spreadsheet (SS) link in you signature to view your SS. Much easier than having you put in an attachment every time you do an update to the ss.

If you have a lot of data, enter the most recent couple of weeks of data and then as time permits, you can enter older data if you want to.

Hope to see this SS in your signature link soon!
 
Hi, just want to say Welcome! and... You are clearly not an idiot, seems to me you're doing everything in your power to take care of your baby, I say BRAVO! :)
 
Thank you so much for the replies, I will come back in the morning to make my first attempt at setting up those links(it's nearly 11pm in my part of the world) and my eyes are telling me to run off to attempt to get some sleep. Hope everyone and their furry babies is having a wonderful day/ night!!
 
You might start another thread asking about renal disease. Some people here deal with diabetes and kidney issues and may have treatment and diet ideas for you.
 
BJM said:
Lots of good info on CRF here: http://www.felinecrf.org
Click to expand...


That's the wonderful site i've been camping out at for the past 2 days, it's pretty darn awesome! I'm just trying to track down what my boy can eat, they only have the US and UK foods on there :sad:. But i'll get there and at the moment my main priority is to keep him eating, his sugar regulated and make sure he keeps drinking...I almost think he's rolling his eyes at me, I practically follow him around with a bowl of water of late. Okay now off to see if I can work out this spreadsheet thing!
 
Okay, I think i've managed to do the spreadsheet and attach it to my signature, but it won't let me add comments to the spreadsheet...any ideas? Thanks!
 
We can see it and it looks great. But the one attached to your signature is probably the read only. The only one you can edit is the first one you got from Goggle (the url is different). So go back to Goggle, find it and save it to your Favorites so it is there for you to access daily.
 
Got it, thank you so much! Put some comments in, not sure exactly what's helpful.

I also read through some of the other links and information...I am such a newb to all this, there is so much I don't know about Lantus, diabetic cats...well everything in general! My vet is great, but he's not a great talker, so I was basically just told insulin twice a day with food and what I do know is only what i've read online. I'm in information over-load at the moment, all this new stuff (half of which I don't understand yet) and then on top of that all the information regarding the kidney disease. This is hard. I'm now stressing majorly about what i'm feeding him, if the insulin they've told me to give him is correct, even if the meter I use is okay...oh and did I mention ARGHHHHH!?! I need to sit back and take deep breathes and start his treatment from the beginning again I think...it's a pity the vets I went to weren't too helpful.
 
I'm in information over-load at the moment, all this new stuff (half of which I don't understand yet) and then on top of that all the information regarding the kidney disease. This is hard. I'm now stressing majorly about what i'm feeding him, if the insulin they've told me to give him is correct, even if the meter I use is okay...oh and did I mention ARGHHHHH!?! I need to sit back and take deep breathes and start his treatment from the beginning again I think...it's a pity the vets I went to weren't too helpful.
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Oh yes, understand that information overload too, too well. It was back in January when I was going through this same ordeal. In a month, you'll feel like an old hand. In two months, you'll be posting in other peoples condos. In three months, you'll be walking new people through the steps.

Welcome to the wild, wild world of caring for a sugarkitty!

What do you need more help with right now?
 
Don't worry you are doing great! You have a good insulin and are testing which is a great start. I don't know much about Australian foods however I found this

There is a sticky in the Insulin Support Group forum for Lantus that has a link to specific meters for various countries, Australia included. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/view ... =9&t=18139

There is a ton of other good information in this sticky so I would recommend you look it over.

Food recommendations
for diabetic cat friendly foods in Australia check vyktors profile. I'm not sure if I've updated yet (posting from my phone can't check ) to say that woolworths select brand in the little plastic tubs not the tins is also ok.

I copied this from Vyktors profile on the foods:
Food
Brand Name: Ziwipeak Formula: Lamb is his favourite but is also given the venison Consistancy: Canned

Also Whiskas (loaf varieties only), Natures Gift and occasionally (because all formulas contain fish) Ultimates (not the one with rice) and Woolworths Select (in the plastic tubs only)
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Thank you so much for that food information!! I'm usually the one who stands in the pet food isle for half an hour reading the information on tins and get weird sidewards looks from the staff as to what i'm doing (or they might think i'm stealing cat food! :roll: ). I've been looking and buying the cereal free types with the lowest carbs I can find (usually under 10%)...but now have the added stress of looking for food that is also low sodium, phosphates and protein. Well i'm not worrying too much about the protein at the moment, I have to consider his dietary requirements as a diabetic before I stress too much about the renal issues on top.

I'm still a little in shock with the renal failure diagnosis I got 2 days ago, the vet has told me there's no hope, but after reading up a lot, the diagnosis just doesn't make sense. So here I am with a whole heap of questions and have to wait until Milo's next vet appointment on Tuesday next week. All the reading i've done about the renal side of this says I have to encourage him to drink a lot of water and make sure he keeps eating, so i'm just doing that for now and keeping an eye on his BG levels.

Another thing that worries me is my total lack of knowledge when it comes to Lantus as an insulin. I've just been given the vials and told to give him shots twice per day with food...but it seems there's a lot more to it than that. Also I got very confused with the link to the BG meters, I'm now not sure if the one I use is correct and if i'm getting correct readings for a kitty, the vet said just get any human one and go from there...seems it's not that easy!

My boy is a big eater, he has one tin of food with insulin and usually at the +4 if his sugar is below 8-9 I will give him a top up of a little fresh meat or something like that...he seems to think he should be able to eat 24/7. Since he became a diabetic i've found it hard to keep up with him at times, my hubby, 2 children and a grandson (1y/o) live at home and it's so hard to actually know if something has been left out accidentally. He's been known to eat bread, pancakes, biscuits, do a rubbish bin scrap raid...almost anything to get some extra food. I try to keep on top of it, but with ill health myself sometimes the rest of the family aren't as vigilant with him.

Miley has had a bit of a bare/ hairless belly since he was about 7 or 8 (he turns 16 on August 31st)...vet said it was over grooming and nothing to worry about. But since his diabetes diagnosis he's lost a lot more...almost his whole tummy and up his sides, also where they had drips in his 2 front legs and under his chin is still bare from nearly a year ago when he originally spent time in getting treated. His thick black coat has become a little course and very rusted, only his head and back of neck is now black, the rest a very orangey brown...the vet said it was just hormones and nothing to worry about...though I do.

I'm so sorry if this is a little all over the place, my brain is a bit weird and tends to jump all over the place...my family has a fun time with conversations! Thank you again for your time, I really appreciate it!
 
I sent a message to another australia member. Maybe they can help figure out foods and meters etc.....

My fiance has family there but none of them have kitties so they would be useless i am sure. :-)
 
I think i'm going to sound like THE biggest idiot around...I can't seem to find how to get back to Milo's spreadsheet to edit the info... *slaps head* THIS is the reason my hubby says I should be banned from going near computers! :oops:

EDIT: Oh and I just saw I filled out the US spreadsheet instead of the worldwide one! What next?!? Another thing, the values written across the top of the spreadsheet, are they the BG levels that are common around those times? If so that is AWESOME! Exactly what I need as Miley's levels stress me at time...i'm one of those weirdo cat mumma's that makes sure he's still breathing when he sleeps too long...(but if you saw the way he half opens his eyes while in a deep sleep, you'd understand...he looks dead!).
 
Spreadsheet - the numbers across the top?
Do you mean the coloured number ranges? If so, that's just a key for the automatic colour coding in the cells.

Unfortunately, there are no common bg numbers with cats - every cat is different :-D
They like to keep us guessing!
 
UGH, and here I was hoping that it could be that easy!

Okay, I think I got the proper spreadsheet connected now...finally, sorry about that!

It seems my kitty is having issues with that colour coding then, he seems to be right out of wack according to it...well that's fitting as he's always been a little wacky (A LOT!)! Well I need to take a breather from this and from reading and to try and get my brain to slow down, time to pick the hubby up from work...oh the joy of peak hour traffic!

Thanks everyone for all your help and the info, it's greatly appreciated and some of it is starting to sink in.
 
your spreadsheet seems a little weird...the numbers on the US and World tabs look the same, except for today's +7.
The US ones should be a converted value of the World ones - I assume you're entering on the World tab?

Its just that most of us are in the US and its easier to follow that format.
 
After reading on here that the +7 is a better time to do readings, i've started doing the +7 during the day, I hope i'm asleep at night so that's my excuse for not doing the PM +7. I'm not sure what I did wrong...is there something wrong with today's AM +7


EDIT: Hmm...the spreadsheet looked fine when I clicked on it, but then when I signed in I saw what you meant, I hope it's fixed now...sorry about that.
 
hi from the other side of the country. I see u have already been directed to vyktor's profile for appropriate foods for little aussie diabetics. I'm afraid I can't help at all with info about how any of them work with kidney issues though. I don't think u need to be concerned about your meter though I haven't heard anything bad about that one and lantus is the only good insulin available in Australia for cats so you're all good there too. if you start a new post with CKD and diabetic in the subject line u should attract the eyes that know about such things even though they generally have different foods available they may b able to help u based on the ingredients. I'm not on the board very much anymore due to my computer dying but if u need any help with any Australia specific stuff feel free to send me a pm which my phone alerts me to.

I can't access your spreadsheet from my phone but what you want to do with testing is try to establish when nadir is so u don't want to just be testing at +7 necessarily. nadir will vary greatly between cats so you want to get some tests across the most likely times to try and establish when your cat's is - which will b subject to change! because I can't access your spreadsheet I can't see if you've done that already and that's why you think it's around 7 so apologies if I'm telling u something u already knew.
 
Your spreadsheet works great although everything is coded in green for some reason so maybe your husband can help fix that?

The meter you have is perfectly fine. Until you get him regulated you could probably feed him more canned food but just keep an eye on his weight.

Lantus is a great insulin. Here is some reading on it.
Storing and handling:http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=151
The protocol we use :http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1581

+0 - PreShot number.
+1 - Usually higher than PreShot number because of the last shot wearing off. May see a food spike in this number.
+2 - Often similar to the PreShot number.
+3 - Lower than the PreShot number, onset has started.
+4 - Lower.
+5 - Lower.
+6 - Nadir/Peak (the lowest number of cycle).
+7 - Surf (hang around the nadir number).
+8 - Slight rise.
+9 - Slight rise.
+10 - Rising.
+11 - Rising (may dip around +10 or +11).
+12 - PreShot number.
 
Hi and welcome!

Bebe Kaye said:
EDIT: Hmm...the spreadsheet looked fine when I clicked on it, but then when I signed in I saw what you meant, I hope it's fixed now...sorry about that.
Click to expand...

What you want to share is the published link. To get this, within the online spreadsheet, go to File -> Publish to the web. Check the box to "Automatically republish when changes are made" and copy the link displayed under "Get a link to the published data." It should start with "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub...."
 
Hope everyone's had a wonderful day and THANK YOU all for your help! My grandson turns 1 on Saturday and his mummy (my daughter) is sick, so have spent the day doing a lot of running around or I would have logged in here sooner! I will start a new thread in the hopes someone knows a little more on how to deal with the kitty's diabetes and renal issues together...i'm still quite lost about the whole thing.

Wendy&Tiggy said:
Your spreadsheet works great although everything is coded in green for some reason so maybe your husband can help fix that?
Click to expand...

I've no idea why the SS is coming through with that green colour...did I do something wrong? I will ask the hubby if I can catch him between work and bed and see what i've done wrong (technology just hates me and breaks itself...i'm innocent!). Actually looking back at it now, when I first started the SS I accidentally filled in the US one, then went back and filled in the worldwide...maybe I need to delete all the numbers and put them back on, maybe that will sort it out .

Wendy&Tiggy said:
The meter you have is perfectly fine. Until you get him regulated you could probably feed him more canned food but just keep an eye on his weight.

Lantus is a great insulin. Here is some reading on it.
Storing and handling:http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=151
The protocol we use :http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1581

+0 - PreShot number.
+1 - Usually higher than PreShot number because of the last shot wearing off. May see a food spike in this number.
+2 - Often similar to the PreShot number.
+3 - Lower than the PreShot number, onset has started.
+4 - Lower.
+5 - Lower.
+6 - Nadir/Peak (the lowest number of cycle).
+7 - Surf (hang around the nadir number).
+8 - Slight rise.
+9 - Slight rise.
+10 - Rising.
+11 - Rising (may dip around +10 or +11).
+12 - PreShot number.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for the insulin information, so far it looks like i've accidentally been doing thing right lol. I'm a little confused by the bit about feeding him more tinned food...do you mean that I can increase what I already feed him...because he would LOVE that! I'm really worried about over feeding him...he's always been a pretty big boy and at the moment he around 5kg/ 11lbs. He's lost a little weight since his diabetes diagnosis and a little more over the past few weeks, but nothing too drastic. My vet told me that a reading of 20+ is high but i've read some other SS's over the past day and see some cats get regular readings of that. I've always adjusted what he eats each day depending on his levels ie. 5-8 BG = 2 tins, 1 tin for anything over at the AMPS and PMPS and then if his +4 test is reasonable (under 13BG) I would give him a top up of tin or fresh meat. I'm now trying to get into the habit of doing a +7 in the AM but most nights am asleep. So i'm guessing from the list you wrote that for a few days or so, do hourly BG tests to see how he's traveling...what will that do and should it follow what you wrote? Thank you for the help!


I'm going back over some of the questions that I missed answering.

TheBowHuntress said:
also, are you using u-100 syringes? how much is your cat's ideal weight supposed to be?
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I'm using u-100 insulin needles for Milo that i buy from my local chemist...they're a lot cheaper there than buying through the vet.

I think I got through them sorry if I missed anyone...it's been a very longggg day!
 
Phew! Been a rough week and a bit, i've been in hospital and my poor furry sugar baby has been a little neglected. I know he missed me because since I got home today, he hasn't let me be...including coming in to the bathroom every time I go lol! Now to get back on track and hopefully tomorrow I will get to do hourly BG levels...is that a curve? Anyway, I just filled out Miley's spread sheet with the info that the kids wrote down...seems they weren't quite as vigilant with his testing :roll:, so I've filled in what I can. Hope everyone and their furry little ones have been doing well!
 
You do not have to do hourly BG tests for a curve. A curve is every 2 hours, for 12 hours, starting with the AMPS and ending with the PMPS. Or starting at PMPS and ending at AMPS, if you are a night owl. ;-)

The chart that was included shows the typical reaction in a cat being given lantus. Yes we call it a curve, but it is not the 'testing curve' we do taking BG readings every 12 hours. Yes, a little confusing.

Sometimes, getting those odd numbers like the +5 and +9 can give you some useful information. That is why the chart shows different typical reactions for each hour of possible testing.

Hope you are doing well after your return from the hospital. Sending healing vines and get well soon vines to you.
 
Thanks so much for that info! Today's not such a great day, I thought I would be feeling better but still in bed...oh well, looks like that darn housework shall have to wait! On the bad side, Miley isn't getting his curve done today.

There's something wrong with Milo, nothing I can put my finger on, but his behaviour is off...I guess that comes with living with our furry pals, after nearly 16 years, I can tell when everything's just not right. He has a very high almost whiny meow and isn't all over me like he has been for the past month...maybe with me being away he's giving me the cold shoulder. My youngest daughter is also away and he usually sleeps with her every night...so maybe distressed over us being gone, he doesn't seem to like anyone being away, but he's always been like that with the kids. His appetite is a little over the top, but his sugar is still going well...to the best of my knowledge. It worries me that he's having tummy pains and is confusing it with hunger (from the kidney failure)...I wish he could tell me what was wrong lol. Oh well. I'm still trying to work out his food, it's hard to make the diabetes and CKD diets work together. I just can't seem to find any foods that work from both lists that I have so far. I guess I shall trudge on and while his BG levels remain fine and he is still eating, I guess I shouldn't stress too much...from what i've read, appetite is a huge thing to keep up in the latter stages of CKD, so his eating isn't a bad thing.
 
When your gut tells you something is wrong, you may be right so keep a close eye on him.. Check his peeing and pooing etc too. See how much he is eating and drinking. Check his BG. It could just be because you weren't home but it could be something else so just watch and see... Hopefully it's nothing.
 
His urine is very clear, but then he is drinking a LOT of water. He's eating really well, more so than before I went into hospital, and his BG apart from being a little on the higher side for him, is still not too bad...especially considering he's had more food than usual. His abdomen seems to be a little bloated, but it was like that at last vet visit and vet checked it and said it was fine, though he seems a little tender today...when I touch his tummy, it quivers a little. I moved from my bed downstairs to watch him more closely and he won't sit up next to me like he usually does, he's just laying under the coffee table, and he's still got a bit of a squeaky meow. Guess I'll just keep watching him and see how he goes.

Thank you for your reply, the support on this forum has been just wonderful, I've been going it alone for the past 11 months with no idea if I was doing things right and it's nice to have some help.
 
This is going to sound weird, but Milo has never to my knowledge coughed up a fur ball in his nearly 16 years. Or maybe he has but has been very discreet about it and disposed of it himself lol. I know he should have...especially considering he's a very thorough groomer.

Milo finally decided to come up and sleep next to me, he's still very purry, but his pupils are very large (but then this isn't new with him)...usually when he gets huge pupils like that, his sugar is low, but it's on the higher side for him, I also think his breathing is a little off, nothing huge just not right...it's so stupid, I feel like a moron, but I just know something's not right. Guess i'm just a weirdo cat lady lol. confused_cat
 
No, I thought they only showed up when there were high readings...ugh I feel like an idiot! I haven't got any strips to test but will try to get out tomorrow...my vet isn't the kind I can just ring up. Miley is starting to lose weight even though he's eating a lot, I don't have scales so it was one of those things where it took being away to notice he was getting a little boney. I am going to do my darnedest to get him to a vet this week, he really needs that BP done and I need to start him on subq's for his kidneys. I just have a bad feeling he's starting to get close to his time.

I feel so silly, my own health is getting in the way of his, I even forgot to give his Am shot...I tested him and fed him and it wasn't until I gave his PM shot that I realised the new box of needles hadn't been opened and I used his last one last night. I don't know, I may have to start setting myself some reminders on the phone until I'm more 'with it'.
 
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