I’m brand new and I’m worried sick! Can you help me?

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Jenn & Frank Sinatra

Jenn & Frank Sinatra

Member Since 2019
Hi everyone—brand new diabetic cat owner here. I just picked up Squeak today from the man who was caring for him for about a year since his original owner died. Unfortunately, I have little to no data about Squeak’s numbers as he was not home testing. I was advised by the man and the vet he was using that Squeak takes 8u of Vetsulin bid. This morning (6am) Squeak received his 8u and was fed. At his vet appointment today, Squeak’s BG was 271. By the time I was able to test him at home
(6:15pm) his BG was 291. I gave him half of a lg can of Rawz pate and 1/4 cup of Taste of the Wild dry. I felt that 8u was too large of a dose, so I gave him 6u. I checked his BG again at 11:40pm before I went to bed (for curiosity sake) and had a BG of 47–scary! I immediately gave him the remaining pate to boost his sugar, which he ate most of. What the heck did I do wrong? It hasn’t even been 24 hours and I feel like I’ve messed up terribly.
 
You haven't done anything wrong, but you have learned the importance of home testing!! You should always have some Karo/honey/syrup in the house as well as some high carb food like Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers.

8 units is a huge dose....even 6 units is much more than most cats will need!!

I'd drop him back down even further.....most cats here start at 1U but without any data on Squeak and without knowing what's really going on, I might suggest starting at 2U so IF he needs more than most, you don't spend a lot of time working your way back up in dose.

But you do want to be testing....Always test before every shot to make sure he's high enough for insulin at all....and then test again at least once mid-cycle (like 4-7 hours after the shot) on the AM cycle and at least a "before bed" test on the PM cycle.

Also, getting the dry food completely out of his diet will help drop his numbers....but before removing the dry, you MUST be testing to keep him safe!!

We have a special spreadsheet we all use to keep track of their numbers. You'll want to start using it as you're testing so we can see how he's doing. Here are Instructions on getting the FDMB spreadsheet
 
Thank you for the primer! I definitely did some research on feline diabetes before taking him so I would have an idea about what I’d be in for, but I definitely didn’t anticipate that’s Squeak would drop so low. Makes me wonder what has been going on the last year—if you don’t test, you don’t know..and I find it really unsettling that the vet would recommend such a high dosage of Vetsulin without performing a curve test. This afternoon after the vet checked his BG he suggested adding another unit (!) twice daily—thank goodness I didn’t take that advice...but even scarier is that the man who was caring for him would have—because he didn’t home test and what the vet recommends is gospel, right? That’s frustrating. I’m mad at myself for giving him even 6u—I feel like after all the reading I’ve done, I should have known better.
 
None of us know what we don't know until we learn......it's just too bad that the vets don't know what they're talking about either!!

We trust them to know what they're doing.....it's sad that most of them have no idea.

But luckily, there's this message board and the years of experience we have to share with each other!!

You'll get this! Just put the past behind you and move forward!!
 
When you change back to 2 units as Chris suggested, I would also test for ketones which are things they show up in the blood and urine of some diabetic cats when they aren’t regulated and can lead to a more serious condition. It’s an easy test. Just buy a bottle of Ketostix from the pharmacy and collect a urine specimen and test it with the test strip. Read after 15 seconds. Anything over a trace needs vet attention.

Also when you have a moment could you write your signature please. It’s located in the top right of this page under your user name. Tell us yours and kitty’s name, insulin used and dose, type of meter used, how long a diabetic, type of food given, any other illnesses or meds and country you live in. This will them appear at the bottom of all your posts and we’ll be able to see all that info without having to ask you every time.
Good luck. Kitty is very lucky to have you.
 
First of all, thank you for adopting him. Not many people who do not have experience in taking care of a diabetic cat would adopt one.

One thing you nay want to consider is switching insulins to a longer acting one. Vetsulin has steep drops, as you have discovered, and also does not last as long in the body. Most cats respond better with longer acting insulin. Lantus and Levemir are human insulins. ProZinc and BCP PZI are animal insulins. All of these work well in cats. The Lantus and Levemir are insulins you would get from your pharmacy with a prescription from your vet. If you decide to go with either one of these, ask your vet for prescription for the pens instead of a vial. You will use the pens as many vials. The reason we suggest this is that these do have a shorter shelf life then the ProZinc or PZI. If you purchase a vial the insulin will become an effective before you can use it all. With the pens you will be able to use almost every drop. Depending on your dose, one package of pens can provide enough insulin to last nine months more. With any insulin it is advised to start low and go slow. What this means is that you start at a small dose such as one or two units and gradually increase it by small increments until you finally optimal dose. The increment would usually be about a half a unit and only increase it after a week of being at the new dose.

You are doing a great job by learning to home test and switching to a low carb diet. I know everything may seem a little bit overwhelming right now however ask any questions you may have. We are here to help you on this journey.
 
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