? Need Advice

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Lu Lu

Lu Lu

Member Since 2022
Need advice.

It's so strange fluffy doesn't want to eat a lot he ate about a tablespoon of dry food. He was at 96 last night so we didn't give him his insulin shot. He ate about a table spoon of dm dry food with some ur dry food just to get his numbers slightly up.
He hasn't got insulin since 5am yesterday.
3:30pm 120 when he was at the vet 11.10.23
5:30pm 96 on 11.11.23
11:30pm 97 on 11.11.23
5:30am 80 on 11.12.23

He hasn't thrown up since yesterday 5/5:15pm
We took him to the vet to figure out why he was throwing up the doc said it was just a tummy ache and gave us antivomit meds. He still threw up the next day. He's on those meds once a day till Sunday. Not sure what to do it wasn't our regular vet.
 
Also the steroid has been in him am hour and he is eating more of his food. Idk what to do.
 
There are a lot of reasons a cat will vomit and I don’t think any of them can be determined with a physical exam only. Not sure what the vet based the upset stomach diagnosis on. Did he do blood work or suggest and ultra sound? What’s the anti vomit he prescribed? When I had this issue with Minnie her vet had me take her for an ultrasound. That can help determine IBD, pancreatitis, all of which cause vomiting. I’d suggest looking into that. You may need a specialty vet appt
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
Hi, sorry to hear about Fluffy throwing up a lot.

as far as what do do, without a spreadsheet setup members here are limited in what advice they can give. In order to get best assistance from the feline diabetes experts here, please set up a spreadsheet and your signature.

See this post here: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/
Click to expand...
I don't understand how to do a spreadsheet. I always failed at using a spreadsheet.
 
Ale & Minnie (GA) said:
The numbers above are within the regular range that doesn’t require insulin. How was his diabetes diagnosed and how long ago? What insulin is he on and what dose? If you could setup your signature too, it would help us with some of these basic questions.
Click to expand...
We found out March 3, 2022 that he had diabetes. It happened because of his steroid he needs for his itp they had him on 15mg!!!! Now he is on 2.5mg once a day. The doctor on Tuesdays ran blood tests and urinalysis. For some reason I cannot upload them on the page. I'm just very scared because he didn't have insulin since yesterday morning. He hasn't thrown up since yesterday at 5pm.
 
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If you can set up your signature that will be helpful I can give you the link but this might be easier for you
signature
click on your name up top above where it says sesrch and then tap on the word signature and add this information
  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
    • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom.
 
Lu Lu said:
I don't understand how to do a spreadsheet. I always failed at using a spreadsheet.
Click to expand...

Are you home testing your cat ?
I could give you the link to set up the spreadsheet but if you have trouble I will tag Bhooma
@Bandit's Mom
To contact you to set it up
Just a little explanation on how it works, also you can look at other members spreadsheets to see how it looks, just go to any members post and at the bottom of their post it will either say their cats name or a link tap on that .
Mine says Tyler's spreadsheet

We also use a spreadsheet to track our cats BG so we know how the insulin is working and how low they are dropping so we know when to either increase or decrease the dose
We adjust the dose by 0.25 units at a time . We don't adjust the dose by going by the Pre Shots

About the spreadsheet
AMPS - means AM Pre Shot the first test you take in the AM ,you need to withhold food 2 hours before testing so it's not food influenced

Units is where you would put how much insulin you gave
+1 is one hour after giving insulin if you were to test then that's where you enter his _BG number
+2 two hours after giving insulin. ditto
+3 and so on until you get to PMPS - PM pre shot withhold food 2 hours before testing

+1 same as you do for AM cycle

We don't give times because we are all in different time zones that's why we use the + numbers
I'll give you the link to set it up , if you have trouble just ask and we have a member who will gladly do it for you


You can look at any members spreadsheet to see what it looks like, it's at the end of everyone's signature just tap on it

Here is the link if you want to give it a try
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/
 
Lu Lu said:
doctor on Tuesdays ran blood tests and urinalysis. For some reason I cannot upload them on the page. I'm just very scared because he didn't have insulin since yesterday morning. He hasn't thrown up since yesterday at 5pm.
Click to expand...
The upload isn't working
You can just take a pic of the blood work and paste it here
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Are you home testing your cat ?
I could give you the link to set up the spreadsheet but if you have trouble I will tag Bhooma
@Bandit's Mom
To contact you to set it up
Just a little explanation on how it works, also you can look at other members spreadsheets to see how it looks, just go to any members post and at the bottom of their post it will either say their cats name or a link tap on that .
Mine says Tyler's spreadsheet

We also use a spreadsheet to track our cats BG so we know how the insulin is working and how low they are dropping so we know when to either increase or decrease the dose
We adjust the dose by 0.25 units at a time . We don't adjust the dose by going by the Pre Shots

About the spreadsheet
AMPS - means AM Pre Shot the first test you take in the AM ,you need to withhold food 2 hours before testing so it's not food influenced

Units is where you would put how much insulin you gave
+1 is one hour after giving insulin if you were to test then that's where you enter his _BG number
+2 two hours after giving insulin. ditto
+3 and so on until you get to PMPS - PM pre shot withhold food 2 hours before testing

+1 same as you do for AM cycle

We don't give times because we are all in different time zones that's why we use the + numbers
I'll give you the link to set it up , if you have trouble just ask and we have a member who will gladly do it for you


You can look at any members spreadsheet to see what it looks like, it's at the end of everyone's signature just tap on it

Here is the link if you want to give it a try
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/
Click to expand...
Ok I will try to teach myself. I just need to take care of my mental health right now and take a breather. The stress is getting me sick. When it comes to fluffy we literally started the gliucose testing because his blood issue has gotten a little better because he has a ITP. So when we would prick his ear it would bleed way too much. But now that I got a gut feeling to start testing since his itp is better we started yesterday. I am going to test him again at 5:30pm to day because he eats at 5pm
 
Is that the name of your meter lifestyle lite , I googled it and it doesn't come up
Do you mean FreeStyle Lite Meter?
Also can you add to your signature that Fluffy is on steroids and date he was Fluffy was diagnosed
To do this tap on your name up too, tap on signature , add info and tap save
 
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Lu Lu said:
So when we would prick his ear it would bleed way too much. But now that I got a gut feeling to start testing since his itp is better we started yesterday. I am going to test him again at 5:30pm to day because he eats at 5pm
Click to expand...
Yes always poke around the tip area
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
c2b8079a-b471-4fa6-ac36-9ac1c8d6dcca-jpeg.57072
fec17d29-5ab4-44a8-912b-3a91944c3954-jpeg.57073

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with

A video one of our members posted, she is using a pet meter ,strips too expensive plus you have to code it
A human meter is just fine, most of us use human meters ,that's what our numbers are based on
When you get your meter can you add the name of it to your signature and spreadsheet


VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Can you take a pic then copy it then paste
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Yes always poke around the tip area
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
c2b8079a-b471-4fa6-ac36-9ac1c8d6dcca-jpeg.57072
fec17d29-5ab4-44a8-912b-3a91944c3954-jpeg.57073

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with

A video one of our members posted, she is using a pet meter ,strips too expensive plus you have to code it
A human meter is just fine, most of us use human meters ,that's what our numbers are based on
When you get your meter can you add the name of it to your signature and spreadsheet


VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar
Click to expand...
I'm getting the sweet spots. I'm definitely am warming up his ear 100%. It's just we worry cause he does bleed a lot because of itp this morning he bleed way more than last yesterday. I appreciate all this help thank you.
it on here
Click to expand...
 
What size lancet are you using? Poor baby. If you are using a 26 or 28 gauge lancet that might be too thick, since he bleeds a lot because of having ITP you can try a 30 size lancet it's thinner. It might help
 
They are super thin think they are 30. Also the freestyle lite is the name of my neighbor gloucose meter. I'm waiting for my own meter in the mail.we were using a pet meter but that one fail A LOT. I'm thankful for my neighbors because the test strips are expensive.
 
When are first learning to test, it's best to start with lancets that are 26 or 28 gauge (thicker), then move to the thinner ones once you get better at it and kitty's ears learn to bleed. Lots more tips on testing here: Hometesting Links and Tips - includes numerous links, instructions, pictures, & videos

Is he still vomiting regularly? Is so, how often and what does it look like? Gross I know, but it tells something about what caused it. I made a "vomit" log for a kitty for my vet.
 
What I'm more interested in is why the 911? We save the 911 for medical emergencies. I'd like to know more about vomiting if that is the issue.

There are thinner lancets if you are successful getting blood with a 30 gauge. Most people don't in the beginning.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
What I'm more interested in is why the 911? We save the 911 for medical emergencies. I'd like to know more about vomiting if that is the issue.

There are thinner lancets if you are successful getting blood with a 30 gauge. Most people don't in the beginning.
Click to expand...
I apologize in the morning his number was at 80. I'm new to all this I didn't know the rules. My doctor still wanted me to give him 2 units of insulin when his level was at 96 & 80 gloucose.
 
the "GA" in your thread title stands for "Gone Ahead" and is only to be used if the kitty has passed on. I sure hope that is not the case, please remove it when you get a chance as it sounds like Fluffy is still with us.

Great pictures of Fluffy loving that sunny spot! Dose amounts generally should not be based on the pre-shot number but on trends and data from tracking Fluffy's BG over time. Shooting 2U @ 96 or 80 might be fine or it might not be, it is hard to say without more data.
 
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I've changed the GA to a "?". I am so happy you thought to ask us instead of just giving the 2 units of insulin the vet suggested! Good call.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I've changed the GA to a "?". I am so happy you thought to ask us instead of just giving the 2 units of insulin the vet suggested! Good call.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much. I'm not on a pc and using my phone so everything is a little strange here. I don't always have access to a PC. I am not giving him Insulin tonight. His number on the freestyle lite was
At 5:30pm it was 108 on the human test and 255 on the pet advocate. Then 71 and 182 on the pet test advocate at 6pm. I'm refraining from his insulin tonight. The reason I didn't do the spreadsheet yet is because he isn't on the insulin. Thank you for all this advice and all the help.
 
Hi @Lu Lu, I can help set up your spreadsheet. Will send you a PM with the details I need. Look for it in the Inbox at the top right corner of this page.

Btw, DM dry is very high in carbs. If Fluffy is a kibble addict, there are low carb options in dry food as well – Young Again, Dr. Elsey’s Cleanprotein and Wysong Epigen 90.
 
Hi Lulu,

You sent this message to me via PM, so I am sharing it here so others can see it as well.

Lu Lu said:
1.11 5:30 pm 96 Human meter Then Lo on cat meter
1.12 5:25am 80 human meter
1.12 5:25 pm 108 human then 255 cat meter
1.13 5:10am 87 human Then Lo on cat meter

Each time we test it's 20 to 30 mins after eating he has not had insulin since 1.11.23 5am

He does take a steroid in the AM only 2.5 for his ITP. The only reason it was 5:10am today is because he woke us up to eat at 4:45. I'm half asleep. He got his food at 4:45am and his steroid at 5am. I didn't give him insulin again this am. I feel like our baby is in REMISSION. Feeling happy and frustrated because the AM hours I'm shaking when I do his test and always nick myself. But I manage to eventually get his reading done. Will be using a different test sometime this weekend or next week because someone is sending me the Relion Premier tester. He has not vomited since Wednesday.

Posting this here because it was something I said on FB.
Click to expand...


Lu Lu said:
I tried all those brands he didn't like them or they caused him stomach upset.
Click to expand...
Have you tried transitioning him slowly? That might prevent tummy upsets. A cat in remission is still a diabetic cat and high carb food can cause him to fall out of remission. He won't eat any wet food? Only dry?
 
We tried everything with the certain foods. He also has IBD and whenever we change his food he gets diarrhea. The DM has been treating him extremely kindly. He got diabetes because his dosage was a 7.5mg twice a day!!!! Then we switched vets and we weened him down to 2.5mg once a day. Starting tomorrow it will be every other day on the 2.5mg and I will see how he does. We found out he had the ITP when his node bleed happened for an hour and we rushed him to emergency. That happened during the peak of covid.
We tried most of the low carb diets. But we wanted to keep him on the dm because it is working well for him. This is the first time in a long time he had stomach upset. He was on the science diet IBD food the name escapes me. I'm on like an hour of sleep and been trying to fall back asleep.
 
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