New here - Laura and Seffie

[Laura and Seffie]

Hi all,

Seffie is my almost-12-year-old, almost-16-pound spayed female cat. She'd had an ear infection, and a few days before her final follow-up exam for that, I'd noticed that there was a lot more urine than usual in her litter box. I wasn't seriously concerned about diabetes because she'd had a senior panel done in December, and her glucose had been 150 at that time. But it turned out her blood glucose was 315 and there was glucose (and bacteria) in her urine. They ran a fructosamine test on the same sample, and it was a whopping 579.

She's been on Lantus (1 unit every 12 hours) for about a week, plus Clavamox for her UTI, and she has a Freestyle Libre 2. So far, things seem to be going pretty well -- for the last few days, her glucose has stayed between 250-300 (so I suspect the vet will increase her Lantus dose), and her urination is much closer to normal (however, the vet said the increased urination could have been because of the UTI, so it's not clear whether the improvement means better diabetes control or is just due to the UTI clearing up).

Seffie seems to think the shots are just me being weird and slightly annoying, but not worth getting up and walking away from. She thinks the Clavamox chews are treats, and the Libre doesn't seem to be bothering her. The one thing I am a little worried about is whether removing the Libre is going to hurt -- a week in, and it's still affixed as securely as it was the first day.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@Laura and Seffie
Welcome Laure and Seffie, sorry no one has gotten back to you yet.
By the way she's a beauty
I'll go ahead and tag some members for you
@Wendy&Neko
@tiffmaxee
@Suzanne & Darcy

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@Laura and Seffie
Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help
The blue link will also explain how to create our spreadsheet where we enter our cats BG tests and how to use the spreadsheet ,it's easy.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

She's been on Lantus (1 unit every 12 hours) for about a week, plus Clavamox for her UTI, and she has a Freestyle Libre 2. So far, things seem to be going pretty well -- for the last few days, her glucose has stayed between 250-300 (so I suspect the vet will increase her Lantus dose),

With Lantus we increase or decrease by how low the dose is taking them, not by the Pre Shots.
We increase or decrease by 0.25 units at a a time
Do you have the U-100 syringes with the half unit markings, having these makes it easier to do that.
It's always good to have a back up hand held human glucose meter for a back up, since the Libre is considered a human
We can teach you how to test and give you a suggestion on what meter to buy if you're interested
Here is the link to read all about Lantus, please read all the yellow stickys that are there.
I have to tell you if it wasn't for this site and me taking the advice from the members here I know Tyler wouldn't be in remission for 3 years already ( knock in wood) He is now food controlled.
Just keep asking questions
Here is the link for Lantus
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-levemir-biosimilars.9/

 

[Veronica & Babu-chiri]

Hi and welcome to the forum

You are off to a very very good start and I'm glad she's doing ok and you are lucky she is so coperative, the UTI could be making her blood glucose numbers slightly higher so once it has cleared her numbers may get al bit lower, that doesn't mean she won't need insulin and monitoring, just something to take into account

What is she eating? Diet is really important for diabetic cats you need to give low carb food

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Tagging @Staci & Ivy who can answer your questions on the Libre - she's used them for a long time.

I echo what Veronica asked and said. Food is key and getting rid of the UTI can make a big difference in blood sugar numbers. Was a urine culture run to see what bacteria is causing the UTI, and to make sure she's on the right antibiotic?

 

[Staci & Ivy]

The one thing I am a little worried about is whether removing the Libre is going to hurt -- a week in, and it's still affixed as securely as it was the first day

Hi Laura and Seffie, welcome! Seffie is beautiful! I can try to help with the Libre as Wendy mentioned. I began using a Libre 2 a year ago and in May switched to Libre 3. I use them constantly but double check with a Contour Next handheld meter when Ivy drops low, especially when the Libre reads “Lo”.
As for your question of removing the Libre, you have to do it very carefully and very gently. There is something called Brava spray, which I ordered from Amazon, which is recommended. I also use coconut oil and baby oil, and I very gently using a Q-tip, go round and round to loosen the adhesive/sensor. It takes me about 5-10 minutes.
I suggest you check out the Facebook group which has all the important information and tips on using installing and removing a Libre.

Also, if your vet used glue to install the Libre (which it is advised NOT to use glue) then be extra careful removing the sensor. Their skin is very fragile. I never use any glue to install the sensor but I do use a tegaderm cover over the Libre. And my kitty wears a top to cover the sensor or she would pull it off. (Not all cats bother the sensor. )
Let me know if you have other questions.
Best of luck!

 

[Laura and Seffie]

Thanks, everyone!

Seffie was previously eating Pro Plan Weight Management dry and way too many Temptations and Greenies; I'm transitioning her to Royal Canin Glycobalance dry and have cut out the snacks (I've been reading about the advantages of wet food, but she's a kibble junkie and I'm not ready to spring that kind of difficult change on her just yet).

I'll check out that Facebook group!

Yes, the vet had the lab do a urine culture and sensitivity test before prescribing antibiotics. They'll also take another urine sample at her next appointment to verify that the infection has cleared.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Royal Canin Glycobalance (either wet or dry) are not good options for diabetic cats - still too high in carbs. It is about 23% carbs, where diabetics should have low carb food or 10% or less. A couple low carb dry options are Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein, Young Again, and Wysong Epigen 90. If you transition to a low carb food, do it very slowy, as her insulin needs could drop. And when you get around to it, some tips for you: Transitioning your cat from dry to wet food

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Unless your cat is a dry food addict, we encourage you to transition your kitty to a low carb, canned food diet. We consider low carb to be under 10% carbohydrate although most of the members here feed their cat in the range of 5%. This is a chart of most of the canned foods available in the US along with nutritional information. We lean toward canned food due to the high moisture content. Cats have a low thirst drive and the canned food provides them with moisture. Given that diabetes is hard on the kidneys, getting the additional moisture into your cat's diet is helpful to their health.