Introducing Bandit - a new patient on Senvelgo and his worried mom Kshennya

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Kshennya

Kshennya

Member Since 2024
Greetings all.

I want to start off by saying that in the couple weeks since I got the diagnosis of diabetes for my guy Bandit I have been doing a LOT of research, and I am so happy to have found this forum. I have read several articles here that have been very helpful.

Background on me: I am a data obsessed science nerd entering this data heavy space. I was a Biology major in school, did some volunteer work early as a vet tech when I was younger and now work in Pharmaceuticals (for humans *chuckle*). My father was type 2 diabetic so I grew up around injections, always carrying candies or the like in case of hypoglycemia, etc so I have an idea of the basics from a human perspective. I plan to get a meter and start testing both glucose and ketones.

My cats: I have 3 cats - Bandit (the newly diagnosed diabetic), Kilo and Nano. They are all siblings as we scooped up an entire feral liter to adopt them out (and ended up keeping 3) and about 13 years of age.

Bandit specifically: My vet recommended trying Senvelgo as he was not previously treated with insulin to see if he responds. My father took similar drugs before he needed to go to insulin and I understand the concept they work under, so decided a liquid once a day would be a benefit if it works. He started on this 4 days ago now. SO far so good other than he HATES the taste and neither he nor I have been enjoying the forced giving of meds, but I am sure we will find our groove. I have been using ketone urine strips to test him for ketones and to date he is negative, which is fantastic. I plan to test him daily for a bit and I know this is the most likely time for issues.

What I am seeking help on: Meter and monitoring. Basically, I am getting so much mixed info I am getting stuck in analysis paralysis. I understand with insulin the need to test and monitor is MUCH more exacting and vital. However - I want to keep data and trend for him. Testing glucose in his urine will be almost meaningless - the drug is SUPPOSED to increase the glucose content as it stops reabsorption by the kidneys to remove it... so blood testing is the only way I can see how he is actually doing. Given that, it seems to make sense to test blood ketones also. I have seen a few meters that do this, and a couple recommended here as well - but trying to make sure I have my ducks in a row to order the "right" stuff, get tracking and build my spreadsheet.

Thanks to anyone who reads my novel! :)

~K
 
Welcome!

The only question I can answer is about glucose meters. Most of us use human meters. There’s no need to get a pet specific meter as those test strips are much more expensive. The majority of folks here use Walmart’s ReliOn because it’s fairly accurate and the test strips are very affordable. It’s also easy to get at any Walmart pharmacy versus having to wait to order it online and get it shipped.

I’ll let others chime in about the rest. I’d love to see a pic of Bandit!
 
Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
Welcome!

The only question I can answer is about glucose meters. Most of us use human meters. There’s no need to get a pet specific meter as those test strips are much more expensive. The majority of folks here use Walmart’s ReliOn because it’s fairly accurate and the test strips are very affordable. It’s also easy to get at any Walmart pharmacy versus having to wait to order it online and get it shipped.

I’ll let others chime in about the rest. I’d love to see a pic of Bandit!
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Thank you! Do you know if ReliOn makes a combination Glucose and Ketone monitor? I seem to have only seen glucose. I have been using their ketone urine strips, but was hoping to avoid two meters... or do folks stick with urine testing for Ketones?
 
An alternative to Senvelgo is Bexacat, which is a pill and a SGLT-2 inhibitor. I don't know if people pill the cat or crush it into food. I think I've heard some do the latter. Just suggesting as an alternative if the taste of the liquid is a barrier.

Some of here are data obsessed science nerds too. :p Kitties on Senvelgo are fairly new to us, would love to hear more. Keep us posted.
 
Lots of users of the NovaMax here. But I've also seen the others mentioned too. You might want to check two things. First, how big a blood drop size do they need - smaller is better. Also, how much do the test strips cost and how easy is it to get replacements quickly.
 
The NovaMax came on the market after the Precision Xtra. At this point, both have even around for some time. There are members here who use the Keto-Mojo and I don't recall hearing any complaints.

Like Wendy, you may want to look at overall costs. In particular, if you plan to use the same meter to test blood glucose, how does the cost compare to using a meter like the Relion when it comes to strips. The cost for the Relion strips (glucose only) is about 17 cents per strip.
 
Also, if you use a Libre, the dedicated readers for the Libres accepts both BG and keton test strips. The advantage is that it uploads BG ear stick and ketone reading to you LibreView graphs
 
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