Is it supposed to be this easy?

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bigdogmom1

Member Since 2013
I posted here a few days ago asking for input on what are the most important questions to ask my vet in dealing with Simon"s (Siamese) new diabetes diagnosis and got lots of nice help. I read a lot of the previous posts and the information on this website and thought I was prepared for a big "to do" in treating Simon.
I know this is still early days with his treatment but I a happy to report (and a little amazed also) that Simon is being a great guy with his shots and the insulin seems to already be making him feel better.
He had his curve done at the vets on Thursday and was a bit of a stinker while there. Simon has a big "stranger danger" mentality and I guess he was so frightened, even with kind people trying to reassure him, he shut down and refused to eat all day. His 4:30 glucose was 47 so the vet gave him Nutrical to bring his blood sugar up. Of course by the time we got home he was ravenous and gobbled up his dinner! When it was time for his 8:30 shot I gave him a bowl of Friskies pate which he started to devour. Since he was eating well I gave him his 3 units of insulin (Prozinc) as he ate. As I tented his skin for the first time ever (for me) he turned around and looked at me as if to say "whaz up" and went back to eating. He didn't even notice as I gave him the shot, just kept on eating!
I have made an antique console radio his "special spot" and by this evening he trotted right up to it, jumped up, started eating, I gave the shot without even a glance from Simon, he finished his meal and away he went. As a side note I got a call from my vet this a.m. and he wanted me to reduce the insuline to 2 units thru the weekend "just in case" so we wouldn't have a meltdown over the weekend when his help wasn't available.
I guess what I'm trying to ask is - is this going too easily? I must admit I was a little nervous about caring for simon but in only two days he has learned to go to his "special" feeding/shot place twice a day (he also loves to be brushed and this is his brushing spot), doesn't even care a bit about the shots and already seems less hungry, drinks less water and thus urinates less. He even seems more playful than he has over the last month. Of course I haven't dealt with hypoglycemia yet but I'm prepared with Karo syrup and a needleless syringe as recommended by my vet.
I haven't done a blood sugar check yet. I'm working my way up to that because Simon is a little touchy about having his ears touched. While he is in his "spot" I have started rubbing his ears to get him used to it. I tried a paw stick and I guess his pads are too tough! He didn't really even notice, just tried to put his foot down but I never could get but just a speck of blood. My glucometer uses very little blood but this was just not enough.
So what do you all think? Am I in for a rough ride later on or could this stay as easy as it seems? I would really love some input. Thank you, Linda and good old Simon :RAHCAT
 
Hello linda,

It sounds like Simon is doing well but you do need to start testing his blood to keep him safe, especially since I believe you only feed the friskies classic pâtés (?correct?) which are low carb. Testing tips are below.

Plus do you check his urine for ketones once or twice a week?

Wendy

Testing tips

- ear needs to be nice and warm. Dont rush this stage. I like to use massage because my guys like ear rubs but many people here use rice in a sock that they warm in a microwave or a warm wet washcloth..
- go in at a 45 degree angle with the lancet (or use lancing device if you dont have luck with the lancet). Some people do two little pricks side by side to get enough blood.
- hold a small hard thing under the ear to press against - pill bottle, plastic bottle lid , flashlight, anything.
- hold the ear firmly just below the wound to help "dam" the blood so it wells up
- press and hold the wound afterward for a good 15-20 seconds
- use neosporin to finish
- important - give him a treat whether you are successful or not!!!

Maybe watch this video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8 and review these tips. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=85113

Wendy
 
Good job Linda! Hope you can try the bg blood testing soon. This is the :thumbup safeguard for Simon.
 
Sounds to me like you're off to a great start! I don't know that it's supposed to be that easy, but I would count yourself lucky that Simon seems to be taking it in stride. As Wendy said, the hometesting is very important. It's good that you're getting him used to having his ears touched - that seems like a good way to go about it. Please don't wait too long to get some tests in. I did and nearly lost my boy.

Welcome to the boards! We look forward to getting to know you and Simon!
 
Thanks for your replies. I will be starting on the hometesting soon, per my vet but for now (just two days in) he wants Simon to live his life as normally as possible. He is an older cat and doesn't take well to strife and I appreciate my vet trying to keep Simon's life simple for now. For now he mainly wants me to watch him carefully for any signs of hypoing and treat as directed. Dr. H. knows me well and knows I could get a little too over zealous in the BG testing so wants to take it easy.
As for the food, Dr. H. didn't want any changes for now other than small meals several times a day, basically when he acts hungry. Simon is a big cat and lost 4 pounds recently and the vet wants to see him put some weight back on for now thus no dietary changes. He is allowed dry food but he rarely eats it. I had stocked up on Friskies pate after reading the information on the forum before I knew we wouldn't be changing his diet . He has been eating Friskies shreds and other Friskies canned so I didn't think the pate would be a big change so I have started giving him that. He is really liking it a lot so I will continue giving it to him.
He goes for a weigh-in and BG test on Monday and we are hoping for a little weight gain and good BG numbers. If things haven't progressed as expected the vet will change his approach.
I'm always open to the opinions of others and this forum sounds like a great resource for me. There are a lot of people here who, thru experience, know a lot about feline diabetes. I have already learned so much from reading the resource information and many of the blogs. I can't wait to read more. Thanks to all the dedicated experts here who are so willing to share with newbies like me. I'm sure I will be back frequently to read up on things and ask questions. Thanks again, Linda and Simon (a very good boy!) :YMPEACE:
 
Hello Linda and Simon,

Sounds like you're doing brilliantly! :-D

Others here have mentioned the importance of hometesting, so here are a couple of links that explain a bit more about it. The first link explains why it's important to hometest:
http://www.sugarpet.net/reasons.html
And the second link has some great pics and basic info about how to do it.
http://www.sugarpet.net/bloodtst.html

You're doing absolutely the right thing by getting Simon used to having his ears touched. You could also try giving him a little treat after touching his ears to get him to associate ear-touching with treat giving. They learn really fast. And my cat loves test time because it means he gets a chicken treat!

Again, well done, Linda. Simon is lucky to have you looking after him.
 
Hi Linda,
It sounds as if things are going well.
I would encourage home testing asap. Couple of reasons...
If he's improving numbers-wise, even though you reduced to 2u, that's still a higher dose than some cats ever need. Starting at 3u was pretty radical actually. The 2u dose could become "too much" if his bg levels have gotten better.
The other reason is his diet. Even though you still offer dry, if he isn't eating much, then his numbers won't be as high. Same with the canned. If he was eating shreds, they are higher in carbs than the pates. Again, his levels would be lower.
You're doing the right thing by offering low carb food, and it will help him get better. But it could also lower his insulin needs, and the only safe way to know that is to know his BG number before you give him a shot. You also need to know how low it goes when the insulin reaches peak effect about 5-7 hours after the shot. That tells you if the dose needs adjusting.

When you bring him to the vet on Monday, if you aren't planning to start home testing, please don't let the vet increase his dose based on just one blood check. One test is just a snapshot, and can also be influenced by stress. If he's at all stressed by the trip, it would be higher artificially. Dose adjustments should only be made based on sufficient data, not a moment in time.

Just my thoughts...
Carl
 
Let us know what the vet says. I don't think blood testing is "strife".. Most cats get pretty used to it and don't bother about it.mmany cats are older on here when first diagnosed and the ear testing did no harm and didnt upset them.

It's a good thing you are getting him used to his ears being touched. Are they generally warm or cool to touch? Will give you an idea of how it will be to home test. I really like the idea of giving him a treat after you do it, as you will also be giving a treat after you test!

Also I do recommend you test his pee twice a week for ketones. It's a dip strip you stick in his urine. We have techniques.

That's great you changed his food to friskies pâtés.. You have stopped the dry and shreds entirely? That could be making him feel better too.make sure you mention that to the vet.. It may impact his dose.. And his thoughts on home testing.

Wendy
 
I agree with the others who have posted. 2-3 units is a high starting dose; we suggest .5 to one unit. We figure it is better to start lower and increase slowly, as the blood glucose numbers suggest, than to start high and risk giving too much insulin. Sometimes vet start with higher doses because the cat tested high at their office, but we know that stress increases levels in most cats and most cats are stressed at the vet. It is particularly concerning because of the switch to wet low carb food. When we switched Oliver from dry to wet, his levels dropped 100 points overnight. If we hadn't been testing and had just given him the usual dose, he would have hypoed.

We are concerned about your waiting to hometest. You don't need your vet's permission to test; it is the best way to keep Simon safe. You can find out today how low the insulin is taking him and whether the dose is too high. Can we help you learn how? We have taught hundreds of people over the internet. You have already gotten the preliminaries down - a place where testing and shooting will happen, association with calm, good feelings there and treats. Now start messing with his ears, praising him and giving him treats. Then add the rice sack or a prescription pill bottle filled with very warm water and start warming his ears.

We have a shoppping list for hometesting and lots of tips that helped us get started. We would be happy to help.
 
For urine ketone testing, plus some supplemental ways to monitor him, see my signature link on Secondary Monitoring Tools.
 
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