Jack, My Man
- Thread starter Gigi
- Start date
- Status
Sharon14
Member Since 2015
Hi Gigi and Jack, Welcome! What insulin is Jack on? People here have lots of great advice on how to save money and still take great care of your kitty. What are you feeding? A low carb, canned food is best. It doesn't need to be from the vet. Most of us use Friskies, 9 lives or Fancy Feast- Pates only, not the gravy ones. Also we learned to home test our kitties glucose, that keeps them safe and saves a trip to the vet for a curve. Give us a bit more info on Jacks situation, and let's see if we can help you.
I just found out so I need to go to vet and found out what the medicine is. I also would like what you purchased at home for checking the blood and how often . There is so much I need to know but knew to look on line for a support group or some kind of help to make the transition easier for both of us.
Sharon14
Member Since 2015
Most of us use a human glucometer which can be found at any pharmacy. You'll need to purchase lancets as well to prick the ear to get the blood sample. Please keep posting and let us know what your vet says. You should start transitioning Jack to the low carb canned food, if possible, before you start the insulin. If you can't, then please make sure you are home testing his glucose before making the switch because the change in food can lower glucose numbers significantly and you may not need as much insulin!
BJM
Member Since 2010
Walmart Confirm, Confirm Micro, or Prime, and Target Up and Up are some of the least expensive glucometers out there.
You can get an unbranded version of the Confirm and Confirm Micro, called the Glucocard 01 or 01 Mini at ADW.
You'll also need matching test strips, plus lancets labelled for alternate site testing (they're 25-28 gauge and give you a better shot at getting a blood droplet.
See also my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for some other assessments which may be helpful, specifically urine ketone testing, dehydration, thirst, and hunger.
You can get an unbranded version of the Confirm and Confirm Micro, called the Glucocard 01 or 01 Mini at ADW.
You'll also need matching test strips, plus lancets labelled for alternate site testing (they're 25-28 gauge and give you a better shot at getting a blood droplet.
See also my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for some other assessments which may be helpful, specifically urine ketone testing, dehydration, thirst, and hunger.
Last edited:
Bobbie And Bubba
Member Since 2015
Hey there, the Relion Prime at Walmart using test strips that are 1/2 the price of the other Relion. After you get your meter, you will want to keep track of the numbers. If you click in any of our signatures, you will see our Spread Sheets (SS)It helps us to identify the patterns we're looking for when making suggestions on dose increases. And it helps the member here to help you with dosing for your cat. Here's some instructions on
How to create our spreadsheet If you need any help, please ask and someone will be able to help you set it up. I am including how to read it as well. It looks a bit difficult but once you understand it, it is really very easy.
Understanding the spreadsheet/grid:
The colored headings at the top are the ranges of glucose values. They are color-coded to clue you in as to meaning.
Each day is 1 row. Each column stores different data for the day.
From left to right, you enter
the Date in the first column
the AMPS (morning, pre-shot, test) in the 2nd column
the Units given (turquoise column)
Then, there are 11 columns labeled +1 through +11
If you test at +5 (5 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +5 column
If you test at +7 (7 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +7 column
and so on.
As Sharon said above in post #6, a low carb diet, any wet food under 10% carbs, is important to help keep the Blood Glucose (BG) lower. Dry food is really high in carbohydrates so if your cat is a dry food addict the sooner you can , transition, the better. Here is a chart with most major wet food and you can look to find one 10% and less. foodchart A cat's BG can lower by 100 points by just changing diet. So, it is very important that you home test and we recommend prior to each injection, AM and PM. You will not want to give insulin to your newly diagnosed cat if the number is 200 or less.
This is a lot of information being thrown at you, so I hope I haven't overwhelmed you. Please get back to us tell us what insulin your cat will be using and we can help you from there. Ask all the questions you need to; we are here to help.
How to create our spreadsheet If you need any help, please ask and someone will be able to help you set it up. I am including how to read it as well. It looks a bit difficult but once you understand it, it is really very easy.
Understanding the spreadsheet/grid:
The colored headings at the top are the ranges of glucose values. They are color-coded to clue you in as to meaning.
Each day is 1 row. Each column stores different data for the day.
From left to right, you enter
the Date in the first column
the AMPS (morning, pre-shot, test) in the 2nd column
the Units given (turquoise column)
Then, there are 11 columns labeled +1 through +11
If you test at +5 (5 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +5 column
If you test at +7 (7 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +7 column
and so on.
As Sharon said above in post #6, a low carb diet, any wet food under 10% carbs, is important to help keep the Blood Glucose (BG) lower. Dry food is really high in carbohydrates so if your cat is a dry food addict the sooner you can , transition, the better. Here is a chart with most major wet food and you can look to find one 10% and less. foodchart A cat's BG can lower by 100 points by just changing diet. So, it is very important that you home test and we recommend prior to each injection, AM and PM. You will not want to give insulin to your newly diagnosed cat if the number is 200 or less.
This is a lot of information being thrown at you, so I hope I haven't overwhelmed you. Please get back to us tell us what insulin your cat will be using and we can help you from there. Ask all the questions you need to; we are here to help.
I go Monday but want to buy the soft food tomorrow. He loves dry food so it will be hard for him. There so much information on the list of foods for cats that it is more confusing. Can you tell me a safe brand for my cat??
Lisa and Witn (GA)
Member Since 2009
What insulin did your vet prescribe? If it is Lantus or Levemir, it is more cost effective to buy the package of pens instead of a vial. With a vial, the insulin will become ineffective long before you can use it all. With the pens, you should be able to use almost every drop. One package have 5 pens and depending on your dose, could last 7-8 months. Plus if you can order it from a pharmacy in Canada, it is even cheaper than in the US.
I don't know what kind yet. I find out Monday but that would be wonderful in I can get the pens . Ill let you know on Monday can you recommend a soft cat food?
Bobbie And Bubba
Member Since 2015
Fancy Feast CLASSICS make sure it says CLASSICS (4%) because there are other ones like Roasted and they are much higher (12%) Also the 9 lives MEATY PATES, some of the flavors are Super Supper, Chicken, Chicken and Tuna.
Lisa and Witn (GA)
Member Since 2009
If it Lantus or Levemir, make sure your vet writes out the prescription for the pens and not the vial. The pharmacy will not allow you to change it.
Yeah!! thank you going straight to super Market when I get off from work. Big Help!!
So I went to the vet and his sugar level is 400 so she had me buy Insulin glargine. I will shop around for the best price. The hard part is not having money until Friday because I go paycheck to paycheck. Everyone has been great and vey helpful. If I didnt find the site I would of been so worried but knowing there are other going thru the same it does help not feeling overwhelmed. Thank you again!!
- Status