Hi, newbie needing help tackling high BGs

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Teri & Elvis

Member Since 2013
So I have been reading and learning from this site for the past month (since Elvis was diagnosed) and it has been beyond helpful. I wanted to do an introduction, say thank you and ask for advice (per usual).

I am doing home monitoring, finally successfully, and I am finding that his BG is so insanely high too frequently. Before he gets his shot he is pushing 550-600 or more on the glucometer. I haven't been able to complete a full curve yet, but do mini, mini curves that shows he drops considerably within the next few hours, but still relatively high being his lowest has been 274. But I am so concerned about these high numbers. I will soon attach a spreadsheet to my sig so that others can see what I am talking about. Additionally, he is a black cat that is currently speckled with mucho dandruff. I am sure the stress of all the new shots, glucose tests, etc... is stressing him out, but I am concerned that there may be something more. Are there skin problems often associated with diabetic kitties? I am thinking about taking olive oil and rubbing it below the fur for moisture and soothing, but not sure if this would be a good idea.

So thank you so much for being here and any guidance and suggestions are appreciated!
<3 Teri & Elvis
 
Re: Hi, You're Rad, and I would appreciate help :)

Also... can he miss a shot at this point? My vet told me previously that occasionally that was ok, but with these high numbers I am not so sure. I only ask because my job requires me to travel and although I would usually hire somebody or take him to a PetHotel, if it's only one or two the vet said it was ok. What is the consensus? Thx
 
Re: Hi, You're Rad, and I would appreciate help :)

Welcome Teri,
So glad you are reading everything you can and testing. Good for you! That is great.
First to answer your last post. It is not good for him to miss a shot with such high numbers.
Great you are setting up a Spread Sheet. There is much success on this board of cats going into
remission or being healthy on a very low dose of insulin. The people on this site are committed to
teaching and supporting you to getting your cat regulated. You will not be alone.
So let the path begin.

What food are you feeding? wet or dry? and what brand?
Most likely the dandruff will become less of an issue
with a diet change. Also if you are feeding dry and if you change to a low carb. wet. His sugars will
come down. These links should help with that.
http://felinediabetes.com/diet.htm
http://catinfo.org/docs/Tips%20for%20Tr ... -14-11.pdf
http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Food%20Char ... -22-12.pdf

What insulin does your vet have him on?
Your cat is at at some high numbers and at risk for ketones. Here is link
about ketones http://www.felinediabetes.com/ketones.htm
I think right away, you should buy some ketone strips and test for ketones.
A little rinsed fish gravel in dish pan (for a kitty box) *some of us catch the pee with a ladle,
*other shape a cup out of foil.

Ok, hope I didn't overwhelm you. You have tackled for most peope the hardest part..the testing.
You are doing a great job and Elvis is one lucky fellow!
Shelly
 
Re: Hi, You're Rad, and I would appreciate help :)

Hello there, I heard that diabetes can cause the dandruff problem but also he probably just isn't cleaning himself so well since he doesn't feel well. I wouldn't rub olive oil into him as it could cause diarrhea.

What type of insulin is he getting? Lantus? Pro zinc?

And also I would like to know what food (wet dry?) and brands you are feeding

Thanks!
Wendy
 
Re: Hi, You're Rad, and I would appreciate help :)

Thank you for the information.
Elvis is taking 2.5 units of Lantus twice a day. I bought the diabetic dry and leave a little bit of that out for him (which he doesn't like) but feed him wet food twice a day before his shot. He eats half a can of the Fancy Feast that is listed on one of the food lists. Sometimes I will mix in some turkey, or some tuna with it to make sure he is getting enough since those cans are so tiny.
I read a bit on the Somogyi effect. I am wondering if this may be occuring, but not sure.
 
Re: Hi, You're Rad, and I would appreciate help :)

Hi Terri,
My sugarkitty, Bob also had lots of dandruff at first, but as his condition improved that went away. I think in his case it might have been, at least in part, due to his being very dehydrated at the beginning.

Great that you're putting a spreadsheet together. It will really help you, and all of us, make sense out of his numbers. The high numbers might have something to do with "bouncing" from low numbers at some point in his cycles that you just haven't been able to catch on your meter yet.

Or there might be "something else" going on. Any recent infections or any dental problems detected?

We'll help you figure this out!

Carl
 
I would stop feeding the diabetic dry as long as you are testing (preshot and midday numbers). Diabetic dry is high in carbs 18% and above ...its not helping his blood glucose!

Once you get a spreadsheet set up we will be able to have abetter look and see whats going on

Wendy
 
Teri & Elvis said:
Thank you for the information.
Elvis is taking 2.5 units of Lantus twice a day. I bought the diabetic dry and leave a little bit of that out for him (which he doesn't like) but feed him wet food twice a day before his shot. He eats half a can of the Fancy Feast that is listed on one of the food lists. Sometimes I will mix in some turkey, or some tuna with it to make sure he is getting enough since those cans are so tiny.
Click to expand...

The dry food is keeping your cat's blood glucose levels too high. Dry food is one reason why many cats end up diabetic in the first place. Since your cat does't care much for the dry food, don't feed it. You can return it t the vet for a refund. Be sure to monitor blood glucose levels carefully once the dry food is gone from the diet. Blood glucose levels may drop quite a bit and the insulin dose may need to bre reduced to prevent a hypo.

Two cans of FF a day isn't enough. An unregulated diabetic is always hungry so food should be available all day. A few mini meals throughout the day works well for most cats. A programmable timed feeder works great for this purpose.

Yes, FF cans are small and with some diabetic cats needing a few of those little cans per day it adds up in cost. Will your cat eat other brands of low carb food? There are lots of brands available in larger sized cans, such as Friskies and Wellness. Some people feed both FF and another brand or two.

Have you seen the food shopping lists some people have put together with suggestions?
Dr. Lynne's Wet Food list
List of low carb gluten free Fancy Feast
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=84885
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=81687
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=84512

Here are the more extensive food charts:
Dr. Lisa's new food chart http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Food Chart Public 9-22-12.pdf
Binky's canned food charts
Pet Food Nutritional Values list
Hobo's Guide To Nutritional Values

Look for foods under 10% carbs on the above four charts
 
These lists are so helpful! I will need to take a copy of the canned list next time I go shopping.

I have been getting the impression that I wasn't feeling him enough. That's why I was leaving the dry perscription food out. I will stop putting that out and increase the canned food, which he is NOT picky about at all, feeding him wet food all the time is a dream come true for him. Would 3 or 4 cans of Fancy Feast (2-3 of the larger brand cans) a day suffice do you think?

Carl & Bob said:
Or there might be "something else" going on. Any recent infections or any dental problems detected?
Click to expand...

Regarding infections, he was diagnosed with a bladder infection when we found out he had diabetes. So he was on antibiotics and I think it has cleared up. He has been off those for about 2-3 weeks now.

Here is his SS (which I see is commonly attached to sigs).
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub ... utput=html

Thanks so much!
 
Just wanted to mention that my Stanley (also a black cat) had alot of dandruff prior to be being diagonsed with diabetes. Once we started the insulin and he began to feel better, he started grooming himself more and the dandruff qucikly disappeared.
 
What weight is he? You can work out how much he needs using the food links provided above and this formula:

Required calories per day = [13.6 X ideal weight in lbs] + 70

You do need to do more tests though. We need to work out how low he is dropping, if its too low he could be bouncing high during the day, or the dose could be too low but we won't know without more data, can you get some tests around +5 to +7? Maybe set your alarm?


Wendy
 
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