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Baby ILa's Momma

Baby ILa's Momma

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Hello!
My Name is Lauri. I am from Arizona. My cat, Baby ILa, "Baby" is a little over 13 years old. She was newly diagnosed on August 20th. It has been a nightmare. I was not given any decent instructions except, "order the insulin, one click two times a day every 12 hours, see you in two weeks for a check up." Well, my cat almost died and I almost believed them! I knew it was operator error!! and not my precious cat! Then I started reading and researching like a maniac. She had high ketones, elevated blood glucose along with the physical symptoms resembling death! I knew it was due to the mismanagement of her insulin. I just didn't know where to start except time was against me! I took her to the ER to see if she was hypoglycemic etc. She was not at the time but she was clearly not well, had not eaten, etc. They didn't offer me any advice except an $1100 treatment plan for labs. Not one medical professional told me to do my monitoring at home. They told me it would cost $4-6 grand to treat her at the ER for one day and that is was no guarantee she would make it! I took her home and was planning her funeral when I got my head back on and continued reading, ordered a glucose meter and called off work for the next 4 days to save her life. I gave her subq fluids with electrolytes 2 times a day since she stopped drinking too! I started up her insulin! 1 unit every 12 hours. She could not eat so was most definitely worried where this was heading. When the monitor arrived the next morning I began testing!! it was the longest night of our lives waiting for that monitor. She had gone hypo. I immediately mixed up sugar water and administered based on her weight. She started at a horrific 38! 15 min later she was at 93! she stood up and wobbled over to her food and ate!!!!drank water and used her litter box!! I was sobbing because had I listened to them I would have been burying her last Saturday!!! I am exhausted from no sleep but I was not going to let my precious cat go out like that! NO WAY!!
So here we are!! She has made a huge comeback! I definitely need guidance. I have been reading and reading on this forum. I am totally in the phase of trying to find the balance. I am in the process of setting up the spreadsheet so I can get help with dosing.
I am so grateful to find you!
 
Your post from the Lantus board
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dosing-guidance-for-baby-ila.293865/

I gave a rundown under my introduction on the initial forum. I added all of the info and labs that I have. I clearly need guidance on dosing, tracking etc. I am beyond grateful that Baby is still with me. I have been reading like a maniac and trying to balance and test on my own. My Vet and the ER doc has not been much help at all. Baby almost didn't make it and I know it was due to mismanagement of Insulin and not testing! Please help me as I am in need of advice moving forward. I have been off from work since Friday afternoon and I am off until Wednesday or until I can help get Baby in a safe space. She was definitely in bad space until I started taking her readings at home. Not at the urgency of my Vet. They didn't even say a word about it. Just order the insulin and give 1 unit click two times a day and see you in 2 weeks. I took it upon myself to give her fluids, insulin, and monitor her. She pulled through it all. I am horrified that I did not educate myself and realize that she needed to be tested at home immediately when she started the insulin. I know that this would not have been so awful for her. She was so very sick. She is eating and drinking again,using her litter box and trying! so am I.
I am feeding her the Royal Canin Glycobalance wet and dry food. She didn't eat or drink for 3 days!! so when i was able to bring her numbers into range she was eating and drinking on Sunday Sept. 8th. I let her eat every hour for 3 hours a small amount which was probably bad and what drove her number sky high. I have her on a 2 day schedule now. I have been checking before the administration of the insulin, feeding her then giving her 1 "click" 1 Unit dose at noon and at midnight. I do need to get her on a 6 am 6pm schedule. I need advice on the best way to do that as well.

Thank you kindly!
 
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Hi Laurie, I'm sorry what happened to Baby ILa's
I'm going to tag some experienced members for you but first I'll give you some information. I see you are using a pet meter. The last 2 color codes on your spreadsheet are for a human meter. The dark green should be 68-99 and the lime green should be BG<68. See if you can change them yourself, if not I can tag one of our members to change it for you

Most of us use human meters that's what our numbers are based on, but it's ok if you want to use the pet meter. Be right back

Relion Premier Classic Meter at Walmart for 9 dollars
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-CLASSIC-Blood-Glucose-Monitoring-System/552134103

The tests strips are 17.88 for 100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-100-Count/575088197
At least if you need more test strips you can run into Walmart and pick them up or just order them

Syringes
you can get them from Amazon without a vets script
https://www.amazon.com/UltiCare-31-Gauge-Veterinary-Insulin-Syringes/dp/B009LTE0DO

I see you are using Lantus which is good, Using the pen you can only adjust by whole units that's why we use the syringes with the half unit markings . We adjust the dishes by 0.25 units at a time and these make it easier to do that.
We adjust the dose by how low the cat is dropping,which is called the nadir not by the Pre Shot numbers. You also need to be testing at night ,
Be right back
 
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Diane Tyler's Mom GA said:
Hi Laurie, I'm sorry what happened to Baby. I'm going to tag some experienced members for you but first I'll give you some information. I see you are using a pet meter. The last 2 color codes on your spreadsheet are for a human meter. The dark green should be 68-99 and the lime green should be BG<68. See if you can change them yourself, if not I can tag one of our members to change it for you

Most of us use human meters that's what our numbers are based on, but it's ok if you want to use the pet meter. Be right back

Relion Premier Classic Meter at Walmart for 9 dollars
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-CLASSIC-Blood-Glucose-Monitoring-System/552134103

The tests strips are 17.88 for 100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-100-Count/575088197
At least if you need more test strips you can run into Walmart and pick them up or just order them

Syringes
you can get them from Amazon without a vets script
https://www.amazon.com/UltiCare-31-Gauge-Veterinary-Insulin-Syringes/dp/B009LTE0DO

I see you are using
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! I ordered the pet meter just because I didn’t know what I was doing! I will happily get a human meter. I am using the lantus prefilled click pen. I can see that I don’t have the ability to make small dose changes with that. I appreciate your help!
 
@Baby ILa's Momma
Learn how YOUR kitty is responding to insulin:
  • Onset - the length of time before insulin reaches the bloodstream & begins lowering blood glucose
  • Peak/Nadir - the lowest point in the cycle
  • Duration - the length of time insulin continues to lower blood glucose
  • How to do a Curve - a simple explanation
I gave you the link for the syringes above . Be right back

We need you to create your signature, it's information about your kitty , it's at the end of everyone's post in gray letters.
Tap on your name up top 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)
    • Bexacat or Senvelgo (if applicable) and dates
    • 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. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.

Thank you!

Do you see mine about Tyler


Here is a pic of the half unit syringes with half unit markings and how to draw the insulin out of the pen

  1. U-100 syringes with half unit markings so we can adjust by 0.25 units, even though they come in 1/2 units it makes it much easier when you have to adjust by 0.25 units ,we just eyeball it
    30-unit-insulin-syringe-markings.jpg
  1. Just take the cap off the pen and use a U100 syringes and pull the insulin out of the pen! You will see a small gray rubber stopper, insert the syringe there
    syringe-in-pen-pic-jpg.45006
 
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@Baby ILa's Momma
Have you read all the yellow stickys from the Lantus board, especially the 2 dosing methods. One is called SLGS and the other one is TR . They will both let you know when an increase or decrease is needed
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-levemir-biosimilars.9/
You can decide which one you want to follow and add that to your signature and your spreadsheet up top. Please don't forget get to add to your signature about the DKA date and ketones

If you are going to continue to feed dry food you will have to follow the SLGS method
 
Last edited:
Baby ILa's Momma said:
Hello!
My Name is Lauri. I am from Arizona. My cat, Baby ILa, "Baby" is a little over 13 years old. She was newly diagnosed on August 20th. It has been a nightmare. I was not given any decent instructions except, "order the insulin, one click two times a day every 12 hours, see you in two weeks for a check up." Well, my cat almost died and I almost believed them! I knew it was operator error!! and not my precious cat! Then I started reading and researching like a maniac. She had high ketones, elevated blood glucose along with the physical symptoms resembling death! I knew it was due to the mismanagement of her insulin. I just didn't know where to start except time was against me! I took her to the ER to see if she was hypoglycemic etc. She was not at the time but she was clearly not well, had not eaten, etc. They didn't offer me any advice except an $1100 treatment plan for labs. Not one medical professional told me to do my monitoring at home. They told me it would cost $4-6 grand to treat her at the ER for one day and that is was no guarantee she would make it! I took her home and was planning her funeral when I got my head back on and continued reading, ordered a glucose meter and called off work for the next 4 days to save her life. I gave her subq fluids with electrolytes 2 times a day since she stopped drinking too! I started up her insulin! 1 unit every 12 hours. She could not eat so was most definitely worried where this was heading. When the monitor arrived the next morning I began testing!! it was the longest night of our lives waiting for that monitor. She had gone hypo. I immediately mixed up sugar water and administered based on her weight. She started at a horrific 38! 15 min later she was at 93! she stood up and wobbled over to her food and ate!!!!drank water and used her litter box!! I was sobbing because had I listened to them I would have been burying her last Saturday!!! I am exhausted from no sleep but I was not going to let my precious cat go out like that! NO WAY!!
So here we are!! She has made a huge comeback! I definitely need guidance. I have been reading and reading on this forum. I am totally in the phase of trying to find the balance. I am in the process of setting up the spreadsheet so I can get help with dosing.
I am so grateful to find you!
Click to expand...
@Wendy&Neko
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Suzanne & Darcy

Can you look at her SS
Please read both of Lauri's posts I copied it from the Lantus board because she also posted there and I know you like new members to first post on the Feline Health Board
Thank you ladies

I see Laurie is feeding Royal Canin Glycobalance bot wet and dry

The Royal Canin wet canned food is 14% carb. The dry food is 25.3%. so assume if she wanted to transition to low carb wet only she would have to do it very slowly and monitor her kitty closely.
Can you give her advice about this

@Baby ILa's Momma
I tagged some experienced members for you

Laurie do not change any food you are feeding right now until you hear from one of the experts.
For the future most of us feed Fancy Feast Classic Pate or Friskies , I gave you the food chart link below . Most feed around 6% carbs or less ,so you can look at the food chart

Have a hypo kit ready if needed
Med and High Carb food and have honey in your house



Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Beef Feast in Gravy 20% High Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Chicken Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Turkey Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Chicken and Beef in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Good idea to mark the cans with magic marker how many carbs

Or any on the food chart. Doesn't have to be Fancy Feast just an example about the med and high carb foods



https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-

10% and under is low carb
11% -15 is medium carbs.

16- 24 is high carb.


Like I said do not change what you are feeding now until you hear back from one of the experts

Thanks for putting the labs in your SS
 
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Diane Tyler's Mom GA said:
Have you read all the yellow stickys from the Lantus board, especially the 2 dosing methods. One is called SLGS and the other one is TR . They will both let you know when an increase or decrease is needed
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-levemir-biosimilars.9/
You can decide which one you want to follow and add that to your signature and your spreadsheet up top. Please don't forget get to add to your signature about the DKA date and ketones

If you are going to continue to feed dry food you will have to follow the SLGS method
Click to expand...


Thank you so much! I am ready stickys!!! I think I made the changes on the spreadsheet and I added the info to the signature. I will get the syringes and administer in smaller increments for more ideal dosing. I don't have to feed dry food! i was reading about that too. She loves her dry food but I want to do what is best for her. Much appreciated.
 
@Baby ILa's Momma
Laurie can you add the DKA to your signature also please :cat:. 9-6-24 is that correct?
Laurie the dark green should be 68-99 on your spreadsheet ,you have 68-88
Can you fix it please .
If you ever decide to switch to a human meter you can fix the color codes again and signature
 
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Hi and welcome to the forum I am sorry you have had such a bad experience with the vets.
And well done with helping Baby recover.
As she has had DKA and ketones it is really important she eats as much as she can at the moment. We recommend she eats 1 and a 1/2 times as many calories as she normally does. You are lucky she is willing to eat. Many post DKA cats find it hard to eat because of nausea.

Looking at the spreadsheet I can only see you are giving insulin once a day? Is that correct?
Insulin needs to be given twice a day 12 hours apart.
It is insulin and food (and fluids) that will help keep ketones away, so we need to get you giving the insulin twice a day.

How often are you testing for ketones? At the moment I would test for them daily to make sure they are not coming back. Do you have a bottle of Ketostix which you can but pay from Walmart of a pharmacy? I would get them today if possible as w need to know what the ketones picture is.
 
I see she said she’s giving insulin twice a day but apparently testing only during the day. Am I right? You say one click so I guess you are using the pen that only gives whole unit doses. You will need syringes as Diane mentioned.
 
@Baby ILa's Momma
Lauri if you don't want to wait for the syringes from Amazon you can get them at Walmart
you can get U100 insulin syringes with half unit marks for $12.58/100.
You have to go into the store , you can't order them on line

Either of these 2 boxes are the ones you want (with a purple stripe)
upload_2024-4-22_23-37-23-jpeg.69946
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Hi and welcome to the forum I am sorry you have had such a bad experience with the vets.
And well done with helping Baby recover.
As she has had DKA and ketones it is really important she eats as much as she can at the moment. We recommend she eats 1 and a 1/2 times as many calories as she normally does. You are lucky she is willing to eat. Many post DKA cats find it hard to eat because of nausea.

Looking at the spreadsheet I can only see you are giving insulin once a day? Is that correct?
Insulin needs to be given twice a day 12 hours apart.
It is insulin and food (and fluids) that will help keep ketones away, so we need to get you giving the insulin twice a day.

How often are you testing for ketones? At the moment I would test for them daily to make sure they are not coming back. Do you have a bottle of Ketostix which you can but pay from Walmart of a pharmacy? I would get them today if possible as w need to know what the ketones picture is.
Click to expand...
Hi! Thank you kindly for your help! I am giving her insulin 2 times a day. 1 unit . I have not tested for ketones at this time. I will get the ketostix and test tomorrow. I will get her going on more food. Do I only feed her 2 times a day before giving her insulin? Or when she wants?
 
Baby ILa's Momma said:
Hi! Thank you kindly for your help! I am giving her insulin 2 times a day. 1 unit . I have not tested for ketones at this time. I will get the ketostix and test tomorrow. I will get her going on more food. Do I only feed her 2 times a day before giving her insulin? Or when she wants?
Click to expand...
I’m glad you are giving the insulin twice a day. Can you update the spreadsheet to reflect that please?
Can you put the results of the ketone tests into the remarks column of the SS please?
The routine is to test, then feed, then give the insulin.
With feeding give 2 good meals before the dose and then offer a snack every couple of hours. It’s important she gets 1and a half times the number of calories she normally gets. Don’t give any food for the 2 hours Preshots because we don’t want the Preshots to be food influenced.
 
Diane Tyler's Mom GA said:
@Wendy&Neko
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Suzanne & Darcy

Can you look at her SS
Please read both of Lauri's posts I copied it from the Lantus board because she also posted there and I know you like new members to first post on the Feline Health Board
Thank you ladies

I see Laurie is feeding Royal Canin Glycobalance bot wet and dry

The Royal Canin wet canned food is 14% carb. The dry food is 25.3%. so assume if she wanted to transition to low carb wet only she would have to do it very slowly and monitor her kitty closely.
Can you give her advice about this

@Baby ILa's Momma
I tagged some experienced members for you

Laurie do not change any food you are feeding right now until you hear from one of the experts.
For the future most of us feed Fancy Feast Classic Pate or Friskies , I gave you the food chart link below . Most feed around 6% carbs or less ,so you can look at the food chart

Have a hypo kit ready if needed
Med and High Carb food and have honey in your house



Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Beef Feast in Gravy 20% High Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Chicken Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Turkey Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Chicken and Beef in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Good idea to mark the cans with magic marker how many carbs

Or any on the food chart. Doesn't have to be Fancy Feast just an example about the med and high carb foods



https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-

10% and under is low carb
11% -15 is medium carbs.

16- 24 is high carb.


Like I said do not change what you are feeding now until you hear back from one of the experts

Thanks for putting the labs in your SS
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! I can get lower carb food tomorrow. That is not a problem at all. I appreciate all of your help!
 
@Baby ILa's Momma
Hi Lauri, please add ketones back to your signature
You can just put DKA & Ketones 9-6-24
Just want to be sure you read what Bron and Sheba said above about how often to feed your kitty.
Only asking because I didn't see you liked it so I wanted to be sure you read it
 
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