Introduction + Glucometer Dilemma

[doodert]

Hi there everyone :0) my name is doodert, I've recently rescued a stray cat in December who has diabetes and hyperthyroidism. He's an old boy, not sure his exact age but the doctors clocked him to be around 11-12 yrs old.

I've been giving him four units of Vetsulin twice a day, every day. I was going to the vet at first for the first few months to check up on him, but I decided it was in my better interest to forego the constant vet visits (they were very unorganized -- several times, they gave me paperwork for a cat that wasn't mine... among other mishaps on their end!) and do the glucose monitoring at home. I have an AlphaTrak device, and when it comes to administering the insulin and attempting the glucometer stuff, I have my partner that helps me hold him.

My issue is this: my feline friend takes the insulin like a champ, but the glucometer stuff is where things get tricky. With the insulin, all my partner does is gently hold him in place when I inject the insulin, and then the kitty scampers off. There is no resistance or stress. When it comes to the glucometer, however, I'm having a harder time getting him to not only stay still, but provide accurate results as well.

The first issue is that he doesn't bleed much. That sounds morbid, but I think it's just one of those things where it could just be because his ears weren't warm enough. I've tried the warm rag compress on the ears, but he gets too fidgety when I do that: ear flicking and gently batting me away. Now, he's never been hostile to me, even when we draw blood. The most aggression I've gotten from him was a tiny meow and unsheathed claws just pushing my hand away from him.

I do think that when we draw blood, though, the results are inaccurate due to the stress. It concerns me greatly! I would really like to get his insulin regulated properly, but it's hard to do so when the results always seem to go into the 490's. Every time this result happens, I don't know if I should try again the next day, because I don't know if he will get aggressive about it. Additionally, there's also the problem of that the household I'm living with can be a little stubborn and set in their ways when it comes to the feeding schedule of the cat. I was wondering if I could get some clarification on this topic as well, if possible.

Due to the high carbohydrate content in dry food, the vet suggested cutting it out completely. The issue that arises with this, is that my cat's appetite seems to be really high. I've been giving him the 5.5 oz pate cans of Friskies- I didn't want to get something high in gravy content, so I get these pates as well as the Tiki Cat brand canned foods.

He seems to eat a lot- going through several cans of the food a day. I worry that this means that he's eating too much and the insulin isn't working as much as it would? I keep getting mixed messages about this. On one hand, they tell me that I need a controlled diet for him, but I think two 5.5 oz cans isn't enough for him in a day. He eats half a can at every meal time. He usually eats 2.5 to 3 cans a day. It doesn't seem like the insulin is working effectively. He still drinks a lot, urinates just as much, and is ravenous.

I think my biggest issue is the emotional hurdle of constantly having to prick him for glucose. It's considered a necessary evil, and I would rather be the bad guy for a second rather than make him suffer through something that I can help with if I just suck it up.

Any advice on the following would be very much appreciated!!!

TLDR: having a hard time getting accurate readings from cat's glucometer testing, insulin doesn't seem to be effective in curbing his symptoms?

 

[SashaV]

4U of Vetsulin is a LOT, and way too much since you're not testing.
Is he overweight? Have you tried making it less stressful without the restraining?
Please do not change his diet before you can monitor his BG, it's very very dangerous in such a high dose.
The tricky thing is, a high BG can be a sign of too much insulin. Then the cat goes low, and the body react by releasing glucose, making the BG high. And we don't know, if we don't test.
Preferably I'd advise you to NOT give any insulin before someone can guide you through it.

 

[SashaV]

Why don't you think the readings is accurate?
@JanetNJ and @Deb & Wink can guide you about dosing.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Why don't you think the readings is accurate?

Likely because of this statement in the original p[st.

I do think that when we draw blood, though, the results are inaccurate due to the stress. It concerns me greatly! I would really like to get his insulin regulated properly, but it's hard to do so when the results always seem to go into the 490's. Every time this result happens, I don't know if I should try again the next day, because I don't know if he will get aggressive about it.

 

[SashaV]

Likely because of this statement in the original p[st.

Perhaps..
But then it is accurate, just reflecting the situation? Of course ideally stress wouldn't be influencing the numbers.
But thanks for the clarification

 

[Pookie (GA)]

Hi there everyone :0) my name is doodert, I've recently rescued a stray cat in December who has diabetes and hyperthyroidism. He's an old boy, not sure his exact age but the doctors clocked him to be around 11-12 yrs old.....

First of all, blessing upon you and your partner for taking in a stray and committing to his health care.

I'm not qualified to give dosing advice, so I won't. Hopefully, @JanetNJ can weigh in soon.

There are are a few things you should be aware of:

• As @SashaV said, the really high numbers could be a sign of kitty getting too much insulin. The liver reacts to what it perceives as a dangerous drop in blood glucose by releasing glycogen, which raises the BG. We refer to this as "bouncing." The only way to know whether this is what is happening through testing.
• High carb food will raise BG numbers. However, if he is getting too much insulin, then he NEEDS those carbs to keep him safe. Switching him to a low carb diet will almost certainly reduce the amount of insulin he needs. Since you are already giving him insulin the only way to keep him safe is to make it a gradual transition and to test throughout so you can monitor his glucose levels. You absolutely do NOT want him dropping to an unsafe level. (Have you read How to treat HYPOS - THEY CAN KILL! Print this Out!! ?)
  
• I would not attempt to limit how much kitty is eating, regardless of whether it is low carb or high carb while he is unregulated. An unregulated diabetic cannot process food adequately and requires more food than a non-diabetic cat. Once he's regulated you can worry about calories and waistlines.

I think learning to test is difficult for everyone. It certainly was for me. There are lots of tips here. What I found most helpful was 1) placing her in the bathroom sink -- it's a comfortable height for me and I can lean over her to keep her from jumping out; 2) applying a thin smear of Vaseline at the test site to keep the blood from diffusing into the fur instead of forming a droplet (make it a thin smear, though, so it doesn't interfere with the test strip); 3) if she's getting wiggly I "scoop" the blood off her ear onto my thumbnail and then test the blood from there; 4) I smile like a madman while testing -- cats (like dogs) are remarkably intuitive and will feel and feed off your frustration. Anything you can do to diffuse that tension will help. Oh yeah, I don't actually plug the test strip into the meter until I know I have enough blood. That eliminates a lot of error codes and saves test strips -- which with an AlphaTrak can be kind of painful. I put the test strip into the the slot but don't push it in so far that it activates the meter. If the meter does activate, I just pull it out slightly so that it deactivates.

Hang tight. It gets easier.

Enid

 

[JanetNJ]

The first issue is that he doesn't bleed much.

The alpha needs a teeeeeny tiny spot of blood to work. I just want to make sure... You are dipping the tiny protruding straw into the drop and not trying to scoop the drop onto the black spot, correct?

I do think that when we draw blood, though, the results are inaccurate due to the stress. It concerns me greatly!

Stress of testing isn't going to immediately skyrocket the numbers. Chances are very good that the number youre getting is accurate at home.

Switching to Friskies pate is a good choice.

Unregulated diabetics are usually very hungry.

My concern is the dose. He may be in a thing where you are giving more insulin than he needs, he's dropping too low, than bouncing back up too high again when his liver panics. He could be hungry because his bg is high, but it can make him eat when he's too low too.

What really needs to happen is a test before both shots (don't feed at least 2 hours prior to the preshot test so the number is not food influenced) then test again 4-6 hours after the shot to see what the dose is doing. I always got an evening before bed test as well. I have a video in my signature showing how I tested my cat CC at home. She was tested 4-6 times a day for over 4 years. Never bothered her a bit and her ears are perfectly fine.

 

[doodert]

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your replies. :0)

With the alphatrak, I only get a little bit - but the small amount that he usually gets is not enough! I just recently was able to hit a vein and I got a decent amount -- he was not bleeding all over, but it was a comparatively sizeable bubble of blood that I could get a reading on. I did not know about the testing strip timing out, so to speak, when I tested other times, so I wasted a lot of strips before I knew that!

Just wanted to clarify that the vet did teach me how to administer the insulin, and how to scale it based on his levels. It was their suggestion that he moved onto four units, actually! I did read up on the condition where the diabetic cat bounces back with a higher level.

I do apologize for any lack of knowledge or understanding, I have been trying my best handling this unique situation and I only want the best for my boy.

I will begin testing more frequently, before his shots and then afterwards. My concern is that I live in a household and when I am at my job, I will not be able to monitor what he eats or how much he eats when I am not there. The vet techs told me I could not give him any more kibble treats, and I understand that people in the house tend to overfeed him things.

My issue, and I suppose my frustrations as well, is that I have been getting consistently mixed messages from the vets I have been going to as of recent.

Is it okay if I test seven to eight or so hours after the dosage? I work night / early morning shifts, so I cannot be there in six or five hours.

 

[SashaV]

Vetsulin hits hard and fast, and food needs to be on board 30 minutes before the shot. It usually onset about +3 to +4. It doesn't got a long duration, so if you only test at +8 you'll miss all the action.

And by the way, you'll find a lot better information here, than at your vet's. They see a few diabetics a year, these people has helped since 1996, so I'd listen to these guys and forget everything your vet has told you.. and we won't charge you for helping

 

[doodert]

Thank you for your advice! I deeply appreciate it. Yes, I feed him before his insulin shot, he has hyperthyroid medication that he uses, that he eats with his meal (it is a pill that he eats, my partner and I usually put some of the pate on the pill or pour some of the chicken juice and he crunches it right up), and then later he gets his insulin shot. My cat was severely underweight, last time he weighed a month ago, he was gaining weight and is now 12 lbs :0)

 

[JanetNJ]

, I will not be able to monitor what he eats or how much he eats when I am not there. The vet techs told me I could not give him any more kibble treats, and I understand that people in the house tend to overfeed him things.

It's OK if he eats low carb wet food during the day, just no food 2 hours prior to the preshot test so the number is not food influenced.

I do apologize for any lack of knowledge or understanding, I have been trying my best handling this unique situation and I only want the best for my boy.

We were all new once!!!

Is it okay if I test seven to eight or so hours after the dosage? I work night / early morning shifts, so I cannot be there in six or five hours.

Any data is good but vetsulin peeks sooner. Get what info you can, and then weekends /days off try to get other times. .