Infection, diabetes super high at home

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Cat mom

Cat mom

Member Since 2017
I've read that the BG numbers will be higher at the vet due to stress. Well, his was 401 at the vet and he was COMPLETELY stressed out, even panting! The Alphatrak 2 comes in with some ridiculously high numbers. I bought it on Amazon new and I returned it because I thought it had to be broken. I bought a new one and it has the same ridiculously high BG results always higher than the vet and he's on insulin now! I know there is a setting for cats and the number on the strips is 93, so I set it at 93. Could there be any other setting #'s for cats on the Alphatrak? I just cannot believe his BG is as high as it reads. It doesn't make sense. Any help with this would be appreciated.

On another note, he's had an ear infection and the vet rx'd Tresaderm! I read here that is a NO because it has steroids, I took him off of that now. I wonder if Tresaderm could have caused higher BG. I can't believe she prescribed it. He also had a high WBC and she put him on Clavamox. Are infections w/high WBC's common in diabetic cats? I just don't know if there is more going on here, although the vet thinks diabetes is the cause of all his symptoms.

Truth is my vet didn't even catch the high WBC, I did! I assume it's related to the ear infection she did notice upon his exam his ears were infected, but never a mention of the high WBC when all the blood tests came back. I asked for a copy of test and said, "Hey, he has an infection!" She nonchalantly said, "We could put him on antibiotics" I said, "Yes, of course!" My vet only prescribed one week of 62.5 Clavamox, I don't know if it's the right abx or even long enough and I don't know how to tell if the infection is gone.

I am finding that diabetes is a very specialized area and not all veterinarian's know what they are doing, including my vet. An example, the first thing I found in my "crash course" was to get the cat off dry food. I presented that idea to my vet who said, "No he can snack on dry food". I knew she was wrong and during the night I'd leave dry food out and by morning Summer's BG would be close to 600. So I said enough is enough, dry food is gone.

All of my cats have always eaten (in addition to dry) Trader Joes canned foods. I've now studied their food and was so happy that the Trader Joe's Tuna which is for cats has zero carbs. Another food they like from Trader Joe's is 5 carbs. What is the max amount of carbs a diabetic cat should have per day?

I don't know how long I will continue this I am literally putting pills down his throat, poking him to make him bleed and then giving shots. At his age (15), I honestly don't know if I should be doing this.... putting him to sleep may be more humane. It's just horrible. I love him dearly and I can't stand to see him like this and to keep adding to his stress, I don't know how long I will allow myself to do this to him. What a horrible diagnosis diabetes is. :(

Making this all worse, my dad is bedridden under the care of Hospice right now, I am care taking much of the time and I've a chronic serious illness battling Lyme Disease (which is my area of expertise/training/advocacy on my own site/forum) and now a diabetic cat. <big sigh> :banghead: And I am fairly sure one of my other cats could also be diabetic, I even afraid to test her glucose.
 
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Both stress and infection will raise blood glucose. The dosage of the Clavamox is correct, as is the length of treatment - I do not know whether or not it will treat his ear infection. I know my cat has taken it for UTIs.

Yes, diet plays a big part in blood glucose control.We recommend canned food that has 10% carbs or less, and no dry food at all. Her is a list that may be helpful to you: http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

What type of insulin is your cat taking, and what is his dose? Pet meters always have higher readings than human meters. A lot of us use human meters, they are much less costly, as are their test strips, and the strips are much more readily available. Our protocols here are geared toward human meters.

FD need not be a death warrant for your cat, it is eminently treatable! We will be glad to help you and your kitty find your way through this.
 
With the infection and high BG levels it's a good idea to get some "Ketone" test strips from your local pharmacy. You dip them in a urine sample or put it under the stream as they go. If he has anything over trace ketones it's an automatic vet visit. It's not guaranteed that he will develop ketones but could especially with the infection and high BG. I too thought in the beginning that this could be a death sentence for my cat because the vet had me thinking it was super expensive (think cancer treatment level expensive) and he was "so old"... only 9.5 years old then...
Knowing the type of insulin and how much you give will help us help you. Testing before his shot and mid cycle tests or more will help you see how he's reacting.
When they're high numbers it could be from TOO MUCH or TOO LITTLE insulin. Only way to tell is to get some mid cycle tests done and see where he's at.
My cat has chronic ear infections and ear canal polyps. Always had itchy and infected ears no amount of tests or food trials could solve. Vet actually suggested he had a "fetish" for itching his ears! (my face must have told him my thoughts) He quickly change it to obsessive compulsive disorder type itching. The most recent treatment suggestion for Chuck was removing his ears and ear canals. It's an 8 hour surgery and he probably wouldn't survive it at his age along with diabetes. I declined.
He does the best on Otomax. Tresaderm hurts him. Stings and burns- he will cry and dig his ears til they bleed and then some. Otomax makes him dig them a bit more but I distract him til he's forgotten about the gunk I just put in them. I do not know if that has steroids in it but when he gets it I don't see a difference in his numbers.

I hope you can find strength and hope in this forum. There is a TON of info on here and I believe the BEST place to really get a handle on your cat's diabetes. If you think your other cat may be diabetic. I suggest testing asap. Even if it's just at home. The sooner they start treatment the better chances of going into remission.

Cutting dry food out completely can drop numbers by the hundreds. My cat's dropped 250 points just from no more dry food. He was getting half wet and half dry. So cutting it out for all your cats could help prevent it in them too.
 
Squalliesmom said:
OMG! I think I'd have to find another vet!
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I did...that was the vet who started him at 7 units twice a day. He also suggested de-clawing his back feet. The other vet even put him in check on that one.
Moral of the story: Not every vet knows what they're doing and it's best to get a second opinion.
ETA: If you look up "Nana the earless pibble" she had the ear canal and ear removal surgery done. I can't get enough of her. The surgery makes them deaf. Can't imagine a deaf Chuck! haha
 
StephG said:
I did...that was the vet who started him at 7 units twice a day. He also suggested de-clawing his back feet. The other vet even put him in check on that one.
Moral of the story: Not every vet knows what they're doing and it's best to get a second opinion.
ETA: If you look up "Nana the earless pibble" she had the ear canal and ear removal surgery done. I can't get enough of her. The surgery makes them deaf. Can't imagine a deaf Chuck! haha
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Wow, you have certainly had enough experience with extreme vets!
 
Ok looked over your welcome post. In my area Lantus is cheaper than ProZinc PER UNIT. It's about 27 cents per unit for prozinc and 11-12 cents per unit for Lantus if ordered from Mark's marine that is suggested on the forum. About $160-170 shipped for 5 pens which is 1500 units and in my area a 400 unit (10ml) vial of prozinc was $110.
If you need help affording things you might have some luck with Diabetic cats in need (DCIN). I'm not sure what all they cover but it could be somewhere to start.
I don't have any experience with Novolin so I can't help you out there but to say that most cats are a bit all over the place when they first start.
Have you considered using a human meter? I use the ReliOn prime. It was $9 from walmart and you can get 50 strips for $9 or 100 strips for $18. There are other ReliOn brands that are cheaper too that take a smaller blood sample than the prime. Those strips are just a bit more expensive than the prime. You could use the AlphaTrak for his curves if the vet requires pet specific meters.
 
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