My kitty doesn't seem to be getting better.

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acsmith1972

acsmith1972

Member Since 2016
Fluffer has been a family member for almost 14 years. I was there when he was born. He's been like a best friend to me. His normal weight was 24 pounds. His mother was a Tortoise shell, and he seems to be part Maine Coon. His mother was an outdoor cat. Anyway, his favorite activities were eating, sleeping, cuddling, eating, kicking the wall, and eating. I usually got him a hair cut every 6 months or so from the long hair and didn't really notice the weight drop till after his mosy recent cut. He had dropped to 15 pounds. The vet checked everything, it wasn't his pancreas, no tumors, but, obviously, diabetic. He's been on the insulin that starts with the letter V. Not sure the name right now. 2 units twice daily. In the week since he started he stopped peeing as much, stopped drinking crazy water, and gained 3 pounds. I checked last night and he's at 11 pounds and looks lethargic. He goes for a day of monitoring tomorrow, but I can't lose this guy. He and his sister are family. I'd do anything for them. The vet had said the dry food was okay, and for wet food, ironically, he only likes Pate. How do I ween him off the dry crap? They're both free-fed. I work crazy hours, 70 a week. Set meal times are hard to do. Is there anything I can do like today when I'm home tonight to help him? Would kitty milk be okay? I want to cheer him up and make sure he's okay for his visit tomorrow. I'm assuming stopping the insulin would be bad? Help! Thanks.
 
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Welcome.
- Sounds like you are using Vetsulin. Vetsuli is reallu for dogs and does not work OK for most cats since it does not last 12 hours.
Good insulins are the human Lantus and Levemir and the pet insulins ProZinc and BCP PZI. For those two human insulin it is best to get the 5 pack of 3 ml disposable pens via a 10 ml vial. Although per ml the vial is less expensive most cats will not use up a 10 ml vial before the insulin goes bad/becomes ineffective.
- Most of us here test our cat's blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
With home testing you can find out what is going on so the insulin dose can be adjusted as necessary.
Vet stress can raise BG by 100 or more points (USA) so home testing is better and also saves money.
- A low-carb canned is best. No reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb canned
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/
Dry is the last choice, even for the low-carb dry foods like Young Again Zero Carb and Evo Turkey and Chicken cat and kitten food.
- Here is a link to home testing blood sugar
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
 
acsmith1972 said:
He's been on the insulin that starts with the letter V
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The insulin is Vetsulin. It seems from your post that he's only been on it a week. Am I correct?
acsmith1972 said:
2 units twice daily.
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This might be too high a dose and it could be causing his blood glucose to go too low. That can make him weak, listless and lethargic.
acsmith1972 said:
a day of monitoring tomorrow
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You can easily learn to test blood glucose at home and we can help. A day of monitoring at the vet's is expensive and it can cause the cat to be stressed. This can lead to higher blood glucose levels and if the vet decides on a new dose based on those numbers it might be too high.
acsmith1972 said:
I can't lose this guy. He and his sister are family. I'd do anything for them.
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You don't have to lose him. We can help you learn the skills you need to keep him safe and healthy.
acsmith1972 said:
The vet had said the dry food was okay,
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Wrong a hundred times over!! The wet pates like Friskies, Fancy Feast, etc. are what we suggest that people feed their diabetic cat.
acsmith1972 said:
How do I ween him off the dry crap?
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If you feed only wet pate, would he eat that happily? Doesn't sound like he's a kibble addict from what your post says. There are automatic feeders that can be used.
acsmith1972 said:
I work crazy hours, 70 a week
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Insulin is best given twice a day 12 hours apart. Some types have more scheduling flexibility than others.
acsmith1972 said:
Is there anything I can do like today when I'm home tonight to help him
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Feed him pate. Come back here and begin looking over the general info on home testing, etc. Take it in small bites because there's a lot to absorb. It's very overwhelming at first but you'd be surprised how quickly you can learn the skills and get up to speed. And you can ask any questions you have here. There's no such thing as a stupid question.
acsmith1972 said:
Would kitty milk be okay
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I don't know its carb content.
acsmith1972 said:
I'm assuming stopping the insulin would be bad?
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You shouldn't stop the insulin but I'm sure you'll be getting advice on here to lower the dose, learn to home test, and wean him off all dry food before any dose increase is considered. :)
 
The vet, not our regular (we had a coupon for a free VCA vet visit) said the other insulin is expensive and doesn't keep. Price isn't a huge obstacle, but it is this month. This new vet seems nice, but we'll go back to our regular vet soon. We live in Fairfield, CT so it's super expensive out here.
 
acsmith1972 said:
the other insulin is expensive and doesn't keep.
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If it's Lantus, it can be purchased with a prescription from a vet from Marks Marine Pharmacy in Canada for a much better price. It can last 3 to 6 months if properly handled and kept in the fridge. ProZinc is expensive on both sides of the border but will last 2+ months if properly stored and handled. It's my understanding that Vetsulin, the one you have, has to be replaced monthly.
 
acsmith1972 said:
said the other insulin is expensive and doesn't keep.
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Other insulin does keep very well if stored properly. Most people here get it from Canada as it is way more affordable than in the U.S. A box of 5 pens is the best deal and can last well over 6 months depending on dose and care. You will need a script for it. You would use regular insulin syringes and pull up your dose just like you would from a vial.
 
Welcome to you and your kitties.

acsmith1972 said:
The vet, not our regular (we had a coupon for a free VCA vet visit) said the other insulin is expensive and doesn't keep.
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If the other insulin is Lantus (aka insulin glargine) it is expensive in the US but many members here order it from Canada for a fraction of the US price. See this thread for details (scroll down to the end of the thread).

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/insulin-from-canadian-pharmacies.49608/page-2#post-1344374

After a vial or cartridge of Lantus is opened it is good for about 6 months provided its properly handled and refrigerated. Most cats need only a small dose so it can take several months to use up a single pen cartridge.

FYI if Lantus is prescribed there's also a supply closet here where you can often get Lantus cheaper. Here's the link:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/supply-closet-for-sale-or-free.15/

If you have a choice of insulin then it is helpful to know that doses of Lantus, Levemir or Prozinc are typically gentler in action and longer-lasting than Vetsulin in cats (and may significantly improve chance of achieving diabetic remission if following a suitable treatment protocol).

acsmith1972 said:
How do I ween him off the dry crap? They're both free-fed.
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Here's a link to vet Dr Lisa Pierson's tips for transitioning cats from dry to wet food:

http://catinfo.org/docs/TipsForTransitioning1-14-11.pdf

Because your boy has started insulin treatment then you need to be closely home monitoring his BG levels BEFORE AND THROUGHOUT the diet transition: BG levels can fall significantly and quickly during the changeover so care is needed with insulin dose. More important safety information about this from Dr Pierson here:

http://catinfo.org/?link=felinediabetes


Mogs
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acsmith1972 said:
His normal weight was 24 pounds [...] He had dropped to 15 pounds. The vet checked everything, it wasn't his pancreas, no tumors, but, obviously, diabetic. He's been on the insulin that starts with the letter V. Not sure the name right now. 2 units twice daily. In the week since he started he stopped peeing as much, stopped drinking crazy water, and gained 3 pounds. I checked last night and he's at 11 pounds and looks lethargic.
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The lethargy and additional weight loss are concerning. It is good that you're taking him to the vet tomorrow.

Have you checked for ketones in the urine? (Keto-diastix or similar are available at pharmacies or other places where you can get diabetic supplies). Helpful links:

Are you testing for ketones?

Urine testing tips

For information: if a trace positive ketone result is obtained call vet straight away for advice; if any higher than trace kitty needs to be taken to a vet immediately for emergency treatment to reduce ketone levels and prevent DKA.

Check to see whether your little fella is properly hydrated. (Pull up the scruff of the neck and check the gums. If the scruff doesn't 'snap back' or if the gums are sticky these signs point to dehydration which can make a cat feel lousy and possibly lethargic.) If you need to encourage him to drink more, poaching a breast of chicken in water it will create a flavoured broth which may tempt him to take in more fluids. With the lethargy present, if he is dehydrated I recommend you give your vet a call to get prompt advice on how to proceed.


Mogs
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The vet called. Fluffer is spending the day there getting monitored. Apparently his blood sugar has gone down some. But they'll watch him all day. One concernine thing is they told my wife his belly feels doughy. Same as last week when they didn't have an issue with that. They asked about his poop and pee, which from what I've seen looks normal. He is peeing less. They asked if he's vomiting, she said not as much now. In the last week one time as opposed to every other day before. I think that's from eating too fast. Anyway, now they want to do Xrays. This is a really bad week for this. We're already up to $800 in vet bills for the last week. Do you guys think he can go two weeks without the Xrays? If it's life or death I'll obviously do it now. If it's exploratory maybe it can wait two weeks till we have more money on hand? No idea what they'd be looking for now. Hopefully nothing serious. I would think losing 40% of his mass would be why his belly is doughy, but that's just me. I also noticed lots of dandruff this las week. His coat was looking better but now it's looking matted again. Maybe a bath is in order?
 
I hate this new vet. I'm bringing him back to our regular vet. Fluffer also has a cauliflower eat that gets infected and has dental issues. So this new vet''s solution? "He seems unhappy, so if we can't manage that we need to talk about euthanasia." I told her no, that's not happening. I'm not killing my cat because the vet doesn't have the answer. My baby still cuddles every night, puring like crazy, and he still comes down two flights of stairs when he hears us come home, he still loves his treats, he loves us and we love him. Bad vet, bad!
 
acsmith1972 said:
I hate this new vet. I'm bringing him back to our regular vet. Fluffer also has a cauliflower eat that gets infected and has dental issues. So this new vet''s solution? "He seems unhappy, so if we can't manage that we need to talk about euthanasia." I told her no, that's not happening. I'm not killing my cat because the vet doesn't have the answer. My baby still cuddles every night, puring like crazy, and he still comes down two flights of stairs when he hears us come home, he still loves his treats, he loves us and we love him. Bad vet, bad!
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acsmith1972 said:
The vet called. Fluffer is spending the day there getting monitored. Apparently his blood sugar has gone down some. But they'll watch him all day. One concernine thing is they told my wife his belly feels doughy. Same as last week when they didn't have an issue with that. They asked about his poop and pee, which from what I've seen looks normal. He is peeing less. They asked if he's vomiting, she said not as much now. In the last week one time as opposed to every other day before. I think that's from eating too fast. Anyway, now they want to do Xrays. This is a really bad week for this. We're already up to $800 in vet bills for the last week. Do you guys think he can go two weeks without the Xrays? If it's life or death I'll obviously do it now. If it's exploratory maybe it can wait two weeks till we have more money on hand? No idea what they'd be looking for now. Hopefully nothing serious. I would think losing 40% of his mass would be why his belly is doughy, but that's just me. I also noticed lots of dandruff this las week. His coat was looking better but now it's looking matted again. Maybe a bath is in order?
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Diabetes can affect coat condition. As blood glucose levels come down over time his coat will improve. If he's not urgently ill I think you could wait 2 weeks for Xrays.
 
Air is blue over here after what that vet said! :mad:

Two things jump out at me:

* initial weight gain after starting insulin followed by return to weight loss. (I am assuming that Fluffers is still eating well.)

* initial improvement in coat condition followed by deterioration in coat condition again.

This would point me to ask the vets to look closely at the Vetsulin dose.

Did you introduce ANY lower carb food into Fluffer's diet since he started on the 2IU dose of Vetsulin? If yes, then the 2IU dose might be too high as a consequence of the reduction in carb load.

Cats insulin needs change and if the dose isn't adjusted it can end up either too high or too low - and both too much AND too little insulin can lead to BG levels increasing. If it were my cat on Vetsulin I would look for BG checks to be run before giving any insulin (to make sure it's safe to do so) followed by blood glucose checks every hour for the next 4-5 hours to see whether the cat was going low (or having very large BG drops) very early in the cycle. Sometimes too high a dose of Vetsulin can really tank BG levels early in the cycle (sometimes as early as +1.5 hours after the dose was given) and if a curve is run where the first test is +3 hours after the injection such lows would be missed.

Make sure the vets check Fluffers for ketones today!!!

As to the lethargy, high blood glucose levels can make a cat feel depressed and lethargic. Wide swings in BG can make a cat feel lousy and lethargic. Low BG can sometimes manifest as lethargy. Vetsulin disagrees with some cats and can also cause low mood and lethargy (which typically resolves when the cat is switched to another insulin which agrees with it better.) Ketones can make a cat feel lousy and lethargic, as can pancreatitis (they can look really wiped out before treatment starts). Dehydration can make a cat lethargic. All of these can be addressed so I hope the vets will run appropriate diagnostics to determine whether any of these factors might be making Fluffers feel poorly at the moment.

As a precaution I'd also suggest asking the vets to run another pancreatitis blood test today. If they offer the SNAP fPL test they should be able to get a Yes/No result today. (The Spec fPL needs to be sent to an external laboratory but it returns a numerical result indicative of severity of any inflammation present.)

Rooting for Fluffers in the Shire.

(((Fluffers)))


Mogs
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It's still early days in Fluffer's treatment. You need to find the right dose of insulin and have a routine of testing BG at home in a systematic way: before food and shot AM and PM and one other test at least during a cycle a few hours away from shot time. We also recommend setting up a spreasdsheet like we use here. It's viewable by other members and it's how we see what's going on with Fluffer so we can offer advice.

This basic approach will definitely help you get your guy feeling better. Sound like a plan?
 
Yes, except I have two free-fed cats with different eating habits and I work 12 hours a day 7 days a week. I can definitely do the spreadsheet and shots twice a day but before meals is really hard. Also, would making their food be a better option than friskies pate and dry food?
 
acsmith1972 said:
Yes, except I have two free-fed cats with different eating habits and I work 12 hours a day 7 days a week. I can definitely do the spreadsheet and shots twice a day but before meals is really hard. Also, would making their food be a better option than friskies pate and dry food?
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If you treat Fluffers with a long-acting insulin like Levemir or Lantus it would be easier to accommodate a grazing-based feeding schedule. With his being underweight at the moment free feeding is actually recommended (per Vetsulin website). With Vetsulin typically hitting hard and fast early in the cycle you really need to make sure a cat has eaten quite a substantial feed about 20-30 minutes before administering each dose so the feeding schedule would be more restrictive.


Mogs
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acsmith1972 said:
Yes, except I have two free-fed cats with different eating habits and I work 12 hours a day 7 days a week. I can definitely do the spreadsheet and shots twice a day but before meals is really hard. Also, would making their food be a better option than friskies pate and dry food?
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You need no food for 2 hours before BG testing in order to have a valid number to determine whether a planned dose is too high or not. That has to be the case AM and PM or you're shooting insulin blind. This could have disastrous consequences. There are many people on here with schedule constraints who have found that timed feeders that respond to each cat individually via a chip in a collar work well. These feeders allow you to give meals at timed intervals and the only cat a feeder will open for is the one wearing the proper chip.

No dry food is recommended. Friskies pates are fine. There are people who feed homemade food but you need proper recipes and have to add suppplements. Given your schedule, commercial canned is much easier.

Looking after a diabetic kitty is doable but does require adjustment on your part and a willingness to try new ways of doing things. It can take some ingenuity, trial and error. You can always post on this forum asking how others manage with a very full work schedule. I'm sure you're not alone.
 
I can open his wet food before I do the shot then wait twenty minutes or so to give his dosage. He typically eats the wet stuff for 5 minutes then ignores it. He also likes fresh dry food on top of a bowl of fresh dry food. He's a silly one.
 
I called his regular vet and told them everything. His next visit will be there. This just all happened at the worst time for all if us. We'll be more careful to have a kitty emergency savings account after this.
 
Did the vets get a ketone check done today?

It's really important to keep a regular check on ketones in general but especially when a cat is poorly and not yet regulated. Early detection of ketones greatly simplifies treatment and helps prevent DKA. (For information, DKA is potentially life-threatening and very expensive to treat.) A quick and simple urine test is all that's needed to help keep a kitty safe.


Mogs
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Did the vet give a reason for increasing to 3U????? That is a lot of insulin, and a big jump from the previous level (here, we recommend changing insulin doses in steps 0f 0.25-0.5 units).

Have you already given tonight's shot? I'm hoping some of the experienced dose mavens can step in here, but if it were my cat and I were the one holding the syringe, I would be very very cautious about giving that much insulin if I weren't able to monitor blood glucose. Fluffers definitely needs some insulin, but you want to be sure you can keep him safe, too, and I don't think I understand the vet's logic about recommending that high a dose at this point.

Hang in there, keep asking questions!
 
My opinion is that a jump to 3 units is far too large. Your lab report says the blood glucose was 454 as measured at the clinic. It might well be lower at home. You must eliminate all dry food and accumulate BG data going forward to see if the dose he's already on is correct.
 
They did the complete check at the vet today. That was their advice. According to my wife he's really happy now, went right to the food dish. I have no more money this week to buy any of this stuff to do it myself. I'm going to follow what they said and see how it goes. I talked to the regular vet who asked for his blood work. They can do the follow-up there and x-rays are cheaper by $100 at our usual vet. I should've started this there.
 
@acsmith1972 -

Home testing before giving insulin and grabbing what mid-cycle tests one can manage is the only way to get a more accurate picture of whether an insulin dose is safe and whether it is actually working effectively to help the cat to get better. I recognise that we harp on quite a bit about home testing here but that is solely because we see every day how much it can improve insulin treatment outcomes because it takes guesswork out of the equation.

We know how much you love and want to help Fluffer to feel better. As soon as you can afford it I suggest you pick up a Relion Micro or Relion Confirm glucometer* and matching test strips from Walmart. They're very widely used by US members because they work with a very small blood sample and the test strips are affordable (and far cheaper than pet meter strips). It is possibly the best Christmas present Fluffer could get this year! :)


Mogs


(* Note: Human meters are perfectly adequate for home monitoring a cat's BG. A cat-specific reference range needs to be used in conjunction with human meters. Details available here when you need them.)

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If you want to keep fry out all day for them to graze on, then consider young again zero carb food. You can get it online at Youngagainpetfood.com. They will send a free sample if you ask for it. Doesn't cause bg spikes at all. This food and Evo Cat and Kitten are the ONLY diabetic friendly dry options. I credit young again food with helping my cat into remission.
 
acsmith1972 said:
I hate this new vet. I'm bringing him back to our regular vet. Fluffer also has a cauliflower eat that gets infected and has dental issues. So this new vet''s solution? "He seems unhappy, so if we can't manage that we need to talk about euthanasia." I told her no, that's not happening. I'm not killing my cat because the vet doesn't have the answer. My baby still cuddles every night, puring like crazy, and he still comes down two flights of stairs when he hears us come home, he still loves his treats, he loves us and we love him. Bad vet, bad!
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Good grief what is it with some vets!? So thankful you are on top of things!
 
The vet said they don't have to stop eating dry food, just that it needs to be low carb. The Friskies they eat seems to be low carb. I've tried other better dry foods and they hate it. We recently did a taste test: ten bowls with the boxes or bags behind them. They ignored the stuff like Purine One, Iams, etc, and devoured the cheap stuff. The same applies to wet food. They'll ignore it if it isn't on par with the low end. Newman's, for example, they hate. They're strange. Our kitries just seem to like cheap food. Fluffer seems a lot better. He was chasing Luna the other night and the laser pointer. He's going up and down stairs a lot more and purring loudly when it's wet food time. In a few days I'll make an appointment with our original vet.
 
acsmith1972 said:
The vet said they don't have to stop eating dry food, just that it needs to be low carb. The Friskies they eat seems to be low carb. I've tried other better dry foods and they hate it. We recently did a taste test: ten bowls with the boxes or bags behind them. They ignored the stuff like Purine One, Iams, etc, and devoured the cheap stuff. The same applies to wet food. They'll ignore it if it isn't on par with the low end. Newman's, for example, they hate. They're strange. Our kitries just seem to like cheap food. Fluffer seems a lot better. He was chasing Luna the other night and the laser pointer. He's going up and down stairs a lot more and purring loudly when it's wet food time. In a few days I'll make an appointment with our original vet.
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Friskies dry is not low carb at all. Ideally a diabetic cat's food should be under 10%. The prescription dm isn't even as low as ideal at 12%. The only low carb dry is young again zero carb at less than 1% and Evo Cat and Kitten which is believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) is about 4-5%. Friskies dry is somewhere in the 30% range. Way too high to feed a diabetic.
 
The carbs in this food are around 34%.
My mom gave it to her cat before he had kidney problems. It has too many starches in it and made her kitty worse.
 
It's a good pet meter but the test strips for it are much more expensive than those for human meters, hence why the majority of members here use human meters to test their kitties.

If you're in the US Walmart Relion Confirm and Micro glucometers are very popular with members here. The strips are affordable and they work with only a small sample of blood.

(Note: Human and pet meters need to be used with different BG reference ranges. Both are perfectly acceptable for monitoring cats' BG levels.)


Mogs
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acsmith1972 said:
Is this a good kit to buy to test at home?
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The AlphaTrak is a great meter but there are some disadvantages you should consider....the replacement strips are often about $1 EACH .....and if you run low on them at 3am on a Sunday morning (when our kitties have a tendency to drop low), there's no way to get more of them until you can either get to a vets office or get them online and wait for shipping

Most of us here use human meters like the Relion Confirm or Micro from WalMart (if you live in the US).....the strips are affordable ($35.88/100) and those two meters take the tiniest sample size (which is important on "new" ears)

You can also get strips any time you need them!!

All our protocols were written with human meters in mind so we're all very comfortable understanding how to use them and interpret the results.
 
So when you do the reading with the human ones are the numbers the same or do you have to adjust it for a cat? Like is a 400 still a 400?

Also, do you guys test your cats every day? I already inject Fluffer twice a day now and he's starting to run away when he sees me get the needles. He does the same thing when I go to clean his ear, though. All he has to do is hear the water then hear a paper towel rip and he runs. lol
 
We also hear a lot of people get more error messages with the Prime than with the Confirm or Micro

If you have to use several strips to get a reading because of error messages, the cheaper strips aren't so cheap anymore.

The main number you need to know is the "too low" number.....On a human meter, below 50 is your "time to act".....on a pet meter, it's 68

At low numbers, they're very close....as the numbers go up, the pet and human meters really don't compare...but "too high" is "too high" whether it's on a human meter or pet meter

You always want to test before shooting.....it's the only way to know if they're high enough to get any insulin at all!!....and then if at all possible, it's important to get a mid-cycle test on the AM cycle (to see how low they're going) and a "before bed" test on the PM cycle. Most cats go lower at night, so it's really important to get that last test to be able to sleep well and not worry
 
Here's something I wrote up for others that needed help with testing...maybe it'll help you too!

It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you. Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!

You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!

It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well.

When you're first starting, it's also important to use a lower gauge lancet, like 25-28 gauge. Most of the "lancet devices" come with 33 gauge lancets and they are just too tiny to start with. The bigger lancets (that are lower numbers) make a bigger "hole". As you poke more and more, the ears will grow new capillaries and will be easier and easier to get blood from...we call it "learning to bleed"

Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!
 
I personally love my alphatrak meter because I like that in getting the same readings as the vet. It is pricy though but that trade off was worth it to me. If price is a concern then get a human meter but realize your reading will be much lower than your vet.
 
I'm inclined to get the Alpha and maybe the other human ones like the one from Bayer, too. But what does it mean the reading will be lower with the human ones? Like do you have an example like x=y?
 
acsmith1972 said:
Like do you have an example like x=y?
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No....there's no direct correlation other than the one example of 50 on a human meter = 68 on a pet meter

If you can afford the AT, then that's fine.....Most of us can't, especially with as often as we test....even if I only tested China 4 times a day (the 2 Pre-shots and 2 mid-cycle's), it would cost me $120 a month just in strips...and most of us test more than that!!

What's most important is learning the "scale"....on a human meter, normal numbers are 50-120....on a pet meter they're 68- about 150.....at those levels, the pancreas can heal and (hopefully) resume working again!
 
I don't think I'd test Fluffer 4 times a day, but I'm making a vet appointment soon to follow up with our regular vet and I'll see what he says. I trust him. he's a great vet. Fluffed is definitely happier since the increase. He's eating a lot more and gaining some weight and he's playing again, chasing Kuna around. I love when they play hide and seek. It's so cute. But he's still drinking lots of water. I want to talk to the vet about switching his diet. Maybe I can do a low carb food if I lower the dosage he gets of insulin.
 
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