Need some advice

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Sharon14

Sharon14

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Hi everybody. I need some advice. Colin was Dx in February 2015. The vet put him on 1 u Pro Zinc 2x/day. I brought him back each month for a curve and the insulin was upped by 1u each time. He is now on 5u 2x/day. I see no change in the excess drinking and urination. I found this site a couple weeks ago and have begun home testing. So far I've not seen a # below 267 and usually AMPS is in upper 300's. I have multiple cats and I think Colin was getting some of their food. I'm vigilant in picking up their bowls now and cleaning up any spilled kibble. I'm also putting them on Evo just in case. Colin gets 1 can FF AMPS, and 1/2can FF+Zobaline @+6, then 1can FF at PMPS & 1/2can at bedtime @+5. Other than the excessive drinking and urinating and the neuropathy he looks good. Coat is beautiful, no bowel problems or nausea, and he's picked his weight up since diagnosis. Can you think of anything else I can do to help him? I know this takes time, but it seems like I should see more progress. Thanks.
 
It would be great if you could get the BG test numbers you've gotten so far into a spreadsheet. In your signature, would be good to put the usual info - that he's on ProZine, type of meter & food your're giving him etc. (See mine.)

So in addition to plugging his test #s & doses into the spreadsheet, let us know what you're feeding every day & how much (in oz.) per day.
What does Colin weigh & what would be his optimum weight? Will send you a link for that in a minute.

The info I'm requesting will help us get a better read on what's going on with Colin. Thanks - and welcome to FDMB!:) - Robin
 
Sorry - just realized you did say what you're feeding (need more coffee!) - which Fancy Feast formula are you giving him?
 
Thanks for responding so quickly. Colin used to weigh 18# which was too much, so I put him on a diet so when he began to loose weight I wasn't concerned. But he became boney so I took him to the vet. He weighed 11#. He now weighs 13 and the vet thinks 12-13 is good. He's getting FF classic pate just started that this week after reading about it here. Before that it was Friskies pate 3 (or more) cans/day. He's always hungry. As for a spreadsheet I tried to set one up, but no success. I'm on an old iPad and I don't know if it's me(I'm computer illiterate) or just this iPad can't handle it. I'll try to fire up the desktop it's old too, but maybe I can get it to work. I use a relion prime meter and ordered some control solution that I saw mentioned in a thread this AM.
 
Welcome, Sharon and Colin,

I am on a laptop also but think I have figured out how to set up a spreadsheet also. Check your private conversations on the top of the page and we'll "talk".

It could be that he is getting too much insulin (which can look like too little) but we'd need some numbers first.
 
Sue and Oliver (GA) said:
Welcome, Sharon and Colin, I am on a laptop also but think I have figured out how to set up a spreadsheet also. Check your private conversations on the top of the page and we'll "talk".
It could be that he is getting too much insulin (which can look like too little) but we'd need some numbers first.
Click to expand...

Hi again, Sharon - Am so glad Sue will help you get a SS up & running (she got mine up for me, too) - will look forward to seeing Colin's!

One additional point: Colin will continue to feel hungry until his blood glucose is well-regulated. (My cat used to drive me batty, begging for additional rations!) After your spreadsheet it up & running, we'll take a look & we can talk more about what's going on with him. (That's a very good point Sue made re: possibility of too much insulin appearing as though it's not enough ... that really can happen.)
 
Hi Sharon! I see Sue and Robin have you in hand, but I wanted to jump in and say welcome!
 
Hi Sharon,

I just wanted to say that you are in great hands with Robin, Sue and Rachel. They have helped him tremendously. My cat Nicky was diagnosed with diabetes about 2 months ago and I was not seeing any progress and my vet kept upping my insulin by 1 U. He got to 3U. Nicky glucose values did not seem to go down, in fact he was crazy high - high 400s and in the 500s. I listened to the advice I got here and lowered his dose. Nicky's glucose is still somewhat erratic and I am still struggling to find patterns and get him regulated, but his glucose values are now much lower, which hopefully is allowing his pancreas to heal. I know it seems counter intuitive to lower a dose when the glucose is high but it can work. I am still trying to wrap my head around the concept but we are all learning from each other. This forum is great. Hang in there.

-Luann
 
Thanks for the encouragement. I guess I'm still really confused. I thought too much insulin meant hypo. I hope that's what it is. My vet mentioned it too, and wanted me to bring him back for another curve. Trying to be patient...
 
Hey Sharon,

Hypoglycemia (hypo) means the glucose is to low and hyperglycemia is glucose is to high. Neither is good but the hypoglycemia can be deadly. For cats I believe <40 is considered hypoglycemic with or without symptoms. But it is recommended that when approaching 50, you start treating your cat with some high carb food or gravy This is not an easy subject so don't despair about being confused. This whole thing is still confusing to me but slowly and surely I am learning. Just keep asking questions and it will soon start to become clearer. I am sure Colin knows you are trying to help him.

-Luann
 
Welcome Sharon!! Welcome Colin!!
As EVERYONE has said, you are in good/GREAT hands with Sue, Robin , and Rachel. (The Dynamic Duo comes to mind..:) )
Here's something I learned from them.
If you're home testing, there is no need to take Colin in to the vet for a curve. Glucose values at the vet are always much higher, due to stress. Plus, you could spend that $$ on any number of other things I'm sure!
I'll be watching for Colin's spread sheet!
 
Hello Sharon and Colin, welcome to FDMB! You are on the right path and are in good hands here! Good luck, it will get easier!
 
It works for me. Does it work for anyone else?

So, looking at it, Sharon, he is too high overall, but he is getting a really good drop from pre shot to nadir. And the last three days, his preshots have come down as have his nadirs. So, the insulin is working. We just don't usually see kitties on that high of a dose.

I wonder about the food. If he is even getting a few teaspoons of dry, that can bring the numbers up 100+. Is there any way to feed the cats regular scheduled meals, separately, and then put the food up? I seem to remember you have a few cats so the food thing is always difficult. Anyway to feed them all wet low carb? Friskies pates are the most popular choice for multiple cat households as it is the least expensive. And feeding everyone low carb may keep you from having another diabetic in the future.
 
Got the spreadsheet-Thanks Sue! As far as feeding, the last few days I've been very careful that Colin doesn't get any of the other cats kibble. I'm slowly getting them used to eating a few times a day rather than grazing. I've also ordered Evo for them, just in case. I give canned food (Friskies)to the ones that want it, but some just don't like it. I tried to separate Colin at feeding time but it really upset him. I currently feed the canned food eaters in the kitchen while the kibble eaters are in the dining room up on the table, and I stand there while they all eat. I noticed that usually at +2 he's higher than at PS. Is that normal? Also he seems to have 2-3 days with lower numbers then back up higher for a couple days. Today is the lowest he's been since I started testing him. Thanks again
 
Sharon14 said:
I noticed that usually at +2 he's higher than at PS. Is that normal? Also he seems to have 2-3 days with lower numbers then back up higher for a couple days. Today is the lowest he's been since I started testing him. Thanks again
Click to expand...
Yes it's totally normal that he'd be higher for first couple of hours after your AMPS/ PMPS - because food will raise his BG for awhile, whenever you give it. Then later on (timing depends on the cat, can generally be anywhere from +3 to +6) the cat's BG drops as the insulin is working - & the morning/ evening meal is wearing off. The lowest point in the 12-hour cycle is the nadir.

As for the fluctuations, this isn't uncommon either - but tends to happen less & less as your cat gets better regulated ... there are lots of different things that can cause fluctuations - something you'll learn more about as you go along, too!:)
 
Thanks Rachel. Yes, I'm sure I could get them all on wet food, but there are 14 of them, some of which are old (18-23yrs) and have been on dry all their lives. They just don't want to change! I am getting Evo, it should arrive Thurs and I'm being extra vigilant about keeping Colin away from the kibble. As time goes on we'll get a routine going-I hope!
 
Welcome Sharon and Colin. You sure are doing a great job in testing. I agree with Brenda and Tucker that you don't have to go to your vet for a curve. You are practically doing it yourself. Maybe it is just a matter of sharing your numbers with your vet.

Oh and wow, I bet you have a lively, active household with all those little kitties. I think you have the oldest kitty on the forum (23 years). Anyway, good luck on your food transition. There are some good tips on how to transition on this site.
 
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