Introduction of Tommie & Sweetheart

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Tommie

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My name is Tommie and I am new to this forum so wanted to introduce myself and my fur balls. I have 4 rescue cats, 2 girls and two boys. They are all healthy at this time and the info on this forum will help keep them that way. I am interested in this forum because I am fostering a newly diagnosed diabetic male cat, Sweetheart, we rescued from the pound. Sweetheart is a huge all white cat, who is indeed a sweetheart. He loves to be held. I volunteer for an animal rescue group and all my cats are rescue cats. The hope is to get Sweetheart stabilized, maybe even off insulin and into a loving adoptive home. I have read a lot of the topics on this forum and find them very helpful. I just wanted to introduce myself and Sweetheart. I am an RN and comfortable with the shots and glucose testing with a meter. So far however I have not been successful getting a drop of blood to test. Thank you for this forum and all your present and future help. Tommie & Sweetheart
 
Bless you for fostering and rescuing your kitties, Tommie. Welcome!

We all have tips that helped us get blood the first time. One thing that was vital for us was to warm the ear. Put uncooked rice in a thinnish sock and knot it. Put in microwave until very warm but not hot. Hold against the ear - sometimes it takes a minute or too.

It also helps to have something to poke against - some people use the rice sack. We liked a small makeup sponge.

A thin smear of vaseline can help at first also. It makes the blood bead up.

Don't give up! it is like the ear learns to bleed.

What kind of diet are you able to give Sweetheart? Wet lo carb can really make a difference (www.catinfo.og)
 
I had to just use the lancets without the device to get any blood. Never had luck with the device.

Be sure to get prepared for hypo events. There is a lot of information on what to have on hand and what to do. It saved my cat.
 
Welcome and how wonderful of you to help Sweetheart! There are some questions that may help us help you in the future. How was Sweetheart diagnosed? What insulin are you using and how much are you giving him? And if you post where you live (just state and town) someone may be close enough to help you learn to test.
 
Just wanted to say hello. It's great you help rescue so many kitties. I got my kitty Max as a rescue and am so glad that he was saved for me to find. I'm sure you're already figuring out that you've come to the best place for help with your diabetic cat. The advice I've received here has been invaluable and has really helped me turn Max's health around. For testing, I found rubbing the ear gently from base to tip (1 direction) before I poked seemed to help get the blood flowing. Also, like Sue said, be sure to get the ear good and warm. I found if Max's ears were even just a little cool, it was really hard to get that drop of blood. Someone else that was having a hard time said the same thing. They figured out they weren't warming the ear long enough, and once they did that, testing was a lot easier.
 
Welcome Tommy...and bless you for caring for sweetheart.
Did you see our video for testing...i'm going to find it and link it for you now...also our canned food list for 7 carbs and under.
i'll get that too just in case.
brb
lori
and tomtom too!

ok, link for testing....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8
and link for canned food......http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html

we also reccomend raw meats ..natures variety comes in raw rabbit, raw chicken...all made up like a hamburger patty and easy to serve.
 
Hi Tommie,

This is great that you'll be fostering Sweetheart. What type of insulin are going to use? What food does he eat. Have you seen the link with videos on hometesting, they might help you with getting a blood test. Warm the ear with a warm wash cloth or a cotton sock filled with a little white rice, toss in some catnip for aromatherapy and microwave the sock for 15-20 seconds, warm, not hot, hold that against the ear to get the blood flowing. Once you use the lancet and strike the spot, you can "milk" the spot, push from either side going toward the spot to push out a little more blood.

Looking forward to hearing more about you and Sweetheart
 
Thank you all so much for the helpful suggestions re warming the ear before sticking. I did try that with rice and sock warmed in microwave. Still not getting a drop and I had watched the video when I first found this forum. I did try the vaseline on the ear as suggested but still no drop--there is blood, but just at the lancet site. Maybe I am using too small a gauge lancet. I am using 28 gauge.

Re Sweetheart's diet--his vet, who is treating Sweetheart, mostly as a courtesy since he does a lot of the vet work for our rescue group, wants Sweetheart on Science diet W/D. I now know this is one of the worst because of the high carb count. I have look at the canned food chart and used the carb calculator I found through this forum, so I am transiting Sweetheart to high quality, low carb wet food. I am also transiting my other cats to the same. They have always eaten Wellness Core, but I know wet will be better for them. The problem with Sweetheart is just getting him to eat. I did read the article on transitioning to wet food. Problem is in his previous foster home (she could not keep him because of the stress it caused her other cat) he had been eating Friskies and dry Science Diet W/D. So I am trying to balance him just eating so he can get his insulin and gradually switching to low carb food.

I am using Humulin N at the present time. Sweetheart was diagnosed about a month ago, I have had him for less than a week. When diagnosed, his BGL was about 600. I am taking him in next week for another blood test and the vet said he may want to change to different insulin.

Sweetheart, my other furballs and I live in Fountain Hills (which borders Scottsdale) AZ
 
oh yes tommie, do have sweetheart switched to a different insulin by all means. that one is at best...sub par. levemir, lantus or pro zinc are the most common here. they have different needs. pro zinc is easiest in that it requires less testing and is less demanding of a strict 12/12 schedule. levemir is easier to use becuase altho the strict 12/12 it is a hardier insulin in terms of how you treat it. you can shoot insulin back into the vial to get just the right dose and it is not terribly sensitive as is the lantus which is the biggest used insulin here. that one requires very careful handleing and very regimented scheduling and testing.
hopefully you'll get to have your choice.
 
how far is scotscale from tucson? i'm thinking marjorie and gracie
 
YEA!! I was able to get a drop of blood for testing--twice in fact. I took all the suggestions and put them together along with the UTube video and it all came together with minimal stress for me and it seemed like none for Sweetheart. We will see the vet this week and I will keep you all posted re insulin changes. The first time I got blood for a test his BGL was 150 and he had eaten only a few bites. I did not give him insulin concerned about a hypo event. Then this morning his BGL was 325 and he got his 3.5units. Sometimes he will eat on his own, but when he doesn't I have discovered if I put him in my lap and put the bowl under his nose, he will eat--whatever it takes.
Tommie & Sweetheart
 
OK, now that you are moving along with the testing, getting better at it.

Next you want to take some mid-cycle tests. Say 4 hours after shot, and maybe 6 hours after shot.

We call these +4 and +6.

The object is to find out how LOW your kitty's BG is going.

This is to learn if the dose is appropriate or if it's too much insulin.
 
I am starting to keep track of BG, insulin dose and times. I downloaded the spread sheet and will use that. Also thanks for the info about mid-cycle tests.
 
tommie instead of just downloading it can you also keep it on your signature so we can look at it too? you may want to consult with us from time to time and it helps being able to see the whole picture. :razz: we all have ours up as well.
lori
 
The vet kept Sweetheart for over a week doing glucose curves. He is still on Humulin N. He was not eating. I think I overwhelmed the big boy. He had had too much change in too short a time. So I am starting over and taking it slower. He is eating--mostly Science Diet w/d and i/d which his vet believes in. I am trying to wean him to lower carb food. He still gets a little of his dry (also SD w/d), but is eating mostly the wet twice a day.

The main problem is Sweetheart is being cared for by the vet who does a lot of pro bono work for our rescue group. He is really a good vet, very caring. The only problem, is he is not very open to the concepts of this forum. Since he is not my regular vet and he is treating Sweetheart mostly for free, I do not feel I can object too much. So I plan to just take it slow and hopefully get Sweetheart in the best shape possible. Once Sweetheart is very comfortable here and eating healthier food, I will resume blood tests and post the results and maybe if I can show the vet good results he will come around. Always open to any suggestions on how to approach a skeptical vet.
 
Tommie, N is not the greatest insulin and W/D is old school thinking for diabetic cats. Junk IMHO and loaded with carbs. With N insulin, Sweetheart needs to eat a good 1/2 hr at least before shooting so there is food in the tummy. N is fast acting, short duration and food needs to be on board. Please, keep up with the testing at home to help avoid a hypo if you are slowly switching foods. The vet may be great with helping rescued cats but listening to him on W/D is not going to help Sweetheart. You can do your own curves at home and save Sweetheart the stress of a vet visit. Hopefully he will switch Sweetheart to either Lantus(Glargine) or at least ProZinc.

Bless you for taking Sweetheart in to foster and treat but I have to warn you......getting him fairly regulated or maybe even off insulin it is still going to be hard to adopt him to someone who has never had a diabetic cat. If he should go off insulin and someone adopts him, it will have to be stressed to them how critical canned food will be and that there is a chance, down the road, he will become diabetic again.

Sorry to read the vet doesn't like forums like this because there is so much he could learn. Please let us know how Sweetheart does.
 
Tommie, I live in Sweden and since we don't have any of all that food list fudz here as you have in US, my Simba is eating Science dry food m/d with 15 % carbs in for diabetics.

Simba has been having diabetes for 5 years since 2006, and at first our vets at our animal hospital also said w/d for diabetics, but have now changed their guidelines to m/d. That makes it to International consensus when it comes to Hill's products.
You can present your vet with that.
 
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