New here, please help

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rowley978

Member Since 2013
Hi everyone

I know that everyone has a story, and everyone has horror stories, etc. .. but I'm very torn about what to do about my cat whom I believe has either diabetes or a thyroid problem.

Heres my story in a nutshell. My cat, Maggy, was always very active (indoor), about 16 pounds. He's now 11, and he suddenly lost a lot of weight (about 6 pounds), pees a lot more, and seems like he's always hungry.. he hounds me every time i touch food. Yes, he's been on dry food his whole life ... I wish someone had told me the dangers of dry food a long time ago.. :(

Anyways, here's my issue. I never regularly took him to the vet. The few times he had gone when he was younger, he was pretty hard to control. Then, from ages 7 to 10, we never took him anymore. (we have 2 other younger cats also, fyi). The costs seemed too high, and they're all indoor, all fixed, and all in good health (or so we thought). Anyways, last year I found a small lump on his belly. I swallowed hard and said "we have to take him to get it checked out". Well, let me tell you, it was one of the worst experiences of my life. He was the most miserable, angry cat I've ever seen. He yelled, screamed, howled, scratched, kicked, hissed... you name it, he did it. The vet was probably 6 feet tall and about 200 lbs, and he had to call in two other people to hold the cat down with fire proof firemans gloves so he could get the biopsy.

Needless to say, we got the results, and it was nothing major... so from then on, we vowed to never go back to the vet, no matter what. The stress he endures going there can't be a positive thing. I know they don't necesarrily like the vet, but this was just out of control. I've had 3 other cats in my life, and none of them came close to the agony that he suffered going in there. It breaks my heart to even think of bringing him there.

I've searched for vets that come to your house, but I haven't found any around me.

Ive switched to canned, low carb, higher protein food already, upon reading online about it all...

I'm just very torn on what to do right now. I know that I should probably take him to the vet... but I'm just scared of him going crazy and getting so angry/stressed/anxious/dangerous. He is... well, was.. a very strong cat. I guess with his weight loss, he isn't as strong..


Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.

Steve
 
Unfortunately, you will need to have him seen by a vet for a true diagnosis. Have you been just researching online or have you called vets? You may want to also check with your local humane society and pet stores to see if they can recommend any mobile vets in your area.

For diabetes, you can try testing his glucose at home, however, if it is in a diabetic range, you will still need the diagnosis confirmed by a vet to get insulin. You could also ask your vet if there is something you can give your cat, such as a tranquilizer, in order to get him to the vet. I know there are a few members that have cats that are very difficult at the vet's office, so hopefully they can give you some recommendations.
 
Welcome Steve and Maggy! There is something you can do right now, at home. Go get a human glucometer and take his blood sugar levels. That will tell you If he is likely to be diabetic. Going forward, you can keep track of his levels and see how the new diet is helping. If he is still in high levels, you will need insulin - but let's deal with first things first.

Here is a shopping list for home testing. We have taught hundreds of people how to test over the internet. We'd be happy to teach you.


A human glucometer. Any one that sips and takes a tiny sample is fine. Some members stay away from any meter with True in the name and the Freestyle meters. Some people think they are unreliable and read lower than other meters. The meters are often free at drug stores; it’s the strips that are expensive. You can, however, buy them on ebay at less than half the price of stores. Lots of people here also like the ReliOn from Walmart. It is an inexpensive meter and its strips are the cheapest around. Try the meter out on yourself or someone else before you try it on your cat. You want to be familiar with it before you poke the cat.

Lancets and a lancet device. Usually, until the ears “learn” to bleed, a 26-28 gauge is good. Any brand will work as long as the lancets match your device.

Ketone strips. (Ketostix) Just like human diabetics use. You will sometimes need to test urine if the numbers are high.

Rice sack. Make this out of thinnish sock, filled with raw rice or oatmeal and then knotted. You heat this in the microwave until very warm but not hot. Then heat the ears before poking. You can also use a prescription bottle filled with very warm water. It provides a good surface to poke against.

Also nice to have. Flashlight: so you can look at the ears and find the little capillaries that come off the vein running down the ear. Vaseline: Put a tiny smear where you want to poke. It will help the blood bead up.

And some lo carb treats to give your kitty, successful test or not Lo carb treats


To get Maggy ready:
First pick a place where you want to test. Some people use the kitchen counter, a blanket on the floor, between your legs while sitting – whatever works for you. Take the kitty there and give him/her lots of praise while you play with his/her ears. Give a treat and release. Next time, add the rice sack (thin sock filled with raw rice, heated in the microwave until very warm but not hot) or a prescription pill bottle filled with very warm water. Lots of praise, treat and release. Finally add the lancet so he/she will get used to the noise. The hope is that when you finally poke, they will be used to the process and know a treat is coming!

Here's a video to show how we do it: Video for hometesting
 
You might look around for a cat only vet. No barking dogs, nice and quiet atmosphere. The best thing you can do for your cat is get to a vet. Other than the general checkup prodding, blood tests are quick. I leave the carrier out where my cat can sleep in it, play in it, then when it's vet time, they aren't unnerved by its presence. Maybe have some treats ready for post vet car ride, then a favorite food, toy, brush or just general attention to relieve stress.
 
A non-restraint method for assessing for diabetes is urine test strips. If you get KetoDiastix (or generic), these test for both ketones and glucose in the urine.

From my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools:
Urine Testing

A urine ketone test will identify if there are ketones accumulating since the last time the cat urinated. High levels of ketones are a medical emergency as they may be from diabetic ketoacidosis.

A urine glucose is inexact and shows if glucose was spilling into the urine since the last time the cat urinated. It does this when the blood glucose is over about 200 - 240 mg/dL.

Obtain Keto Diastix or similar product from pharmacy.
You will be looking for glucose and/or ketones in the urine.

Use a long handled spoon to obtain fresh urine sample while the cat urinates, or hold a test strip under the cat (tongs may be helpful).

OR - place some strong plastic wrap over a section of the box frequently anointed and
dip into a fresh puddle less than 30 minutes after deposit.

OR - Pick up some aquarium gravel and put it in a clean litter box.
Wait for the cat to use it.
In under 30 minutes, push the gravel aside, tip the pan, and dip the strip.

Compare test strip to color chart (this is an imprecise measure)
 
Hi Steve!

Welcome to FDMB! I'm new here myself, my sugar cat Jezzi was diagnosed March 22 with feline diabetes. You have landed in best place you could be, for answers, suggestions, tips & tricks, advice, support, opinions, and even just a hug if that's what the situation calls for.

I urge you to contact a vet, a confirmed diagnoses is your first offense. Home testing can give you an idea before seeing a vet and a glucose meter can be purchased at Walmart. I can't stress to you the importance of diet. My story started back in January when I took Jezzi in for her vaccinations. She weighted 15.7 lbs. when I noticed she was loosing weight I took her in for blood work. She had lost a lot and was down to 11.3lbs. While drawing blood they did a quick check of her glucose and it came back at 512 (or somewhere close to that, I've seen so many numbers since then I see them in my sleep!), the vet immediately put her on 6U of PZI ( insulin) twice daily. He told me they diet I was feeding her (fancy feast appetizers and Iams dry, she's was a grazer) was the best possible food I could have her on. Let me tell you, if it weren't for the caring, knowledgable and generous people on this forum, I believe the care the vet was providing would have had fatal consequents. The very first night I began home testing Jezzi went Hypo, it was very scary. But the people here actually stayed up with me, online, till almost 3am, talking me through pulling her out of danger. After that night, I stopped feeding dry food, and have found that she is more willing to eat wet food then I thought. She has ALWAYS been a picky eater and has ALWAYS had dry food available to her 24/7. I was afraid she would refuse to eat, but that isn't the case.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that these people that are on this forum really know what they are talking about. The couple of times I doubted them, I noticed a very major difference in Jezzi's BG numbers. I will never doubt them again. If you ask a question, and when (not if) they answer you and you don't understand that answer, ask them to explain. They want you to ask questions, but more importantly, they want you to understand the answer.

So, that's it Steve. I wanted to say hi, welcome you here, and give you insight to my experience here at FDMB.

LEAH & Jezzi
 
Well thank you all so very much for your replies

To the two of you that gave step by step instructions and specific items to purchase for home testing, thank you. I'm going to get on that asap.

And regarding getting Maggy to the vet, I've tried every action possible... he's sort of an angry cat as it is (to others, not to me or my wife/kids), so he just knows when somethings up. I'm going to do my best to find someone to come here to see him.

I'm going to re-read what you all wrote, and then get my shopping list ready and walk through the steps you've given me.

So far he's loving his new wet food. He gets very excited for it. He's been on dry food all 12 years of his existance, so this is almost like he's getting to have the tuna fish EVERY time I open a can for myself. (historically, when I made tuna sandwiches for myself, he got to lick the can afterwards).

I appreciate all of you being here, and its so nice to know you all care this much.

I'm sure I'll be back.

Is there a way that I can get a notification that there are relipes to my post? I actually came on here thinking there would be none since I didnt get any emails, and luckily there were 6 replies waiting for me!

Thanks again

Steve and MAGGY

p.s. just noticed the options at the bottom to "notifiy me when a reply is posted. Silly me
 
There is a little checkbox at the bottom of the page which says "Subscribe to topic". Check that.

Plus, in the User control panel at the top of the page, there are a ton of options to tweak your account notification settings, signature, viewing preferences and more. Some of those will e-mail your regular e-mail account.
 
Hey everyone

So, its confirmed. Maggy does have diabetes. I'm starting him on insulin today. I found a vet that did house calls, so that was a relief, though Maggy was pretty terrified, angry, and stressed out when they (she brought help once I told her about him) took blood.

Ive been feeding him wet food for about 4 weeks (3 weeks before he was diagnosed), and now we're going into the insulin stage.

Ive read so many different things about possible remission if given a low carb, low fat, high protein diet... but I feel that Maggy lost his weight about 2 or 3 months ago, and, according to what I've read, it may be too long of a time for him to go without diagnosis to even be possible to go into remission.

I'm pretty stressed about it all. Its sad, and I'm not putting a cost on my cats life, but its outrageous how much this costs! The cost of the box of needles and the insulin was $190 total at Costco. How long is this going to last for?

My vet is coming in about an hour to show me how to give him the shot.. and hopefully I'll be on my way after that.

I'll report back with what she said/how it goes.

--mildly depressed--
 
Not to worry, diabetes is a manageable disease and not a death sentence. But let's see what we can do to better control his diabetes or work towards remission.

First, what insulin is it? And how much? You want lantus, levemir or prozinc(pzi) for your cat. There are other insulins but they are too harsh snd don't work well in cats. The insulins I mentioned also have best chance of remission. The best time for remission is the first six months. Those insulins last 4-6months if kept in the fridge(not the door).

Second, what wet food are you feeding? Type/brand/flavor? Some canned foods are too high carb.

Lastly, did you ever buy that test kit? You are going to need it to keep him safe and to know if/when to change dose..

Wendy
 
Hi Wendy

Thanks for the quick reply

Its Lantus.

The Dr. is coming today to show me, but the bottle is 100u/ml and it says on the script to give him 1 unit twice a day.

I feed him (currently) canned friskies special diet ocean white fish pate.
It has the following info on the back regarding protein/carb/fat
10% crude protein
6.5% crude fat
.5% crude fiber

Ingredient list in order : ocean white fish, meat by-products, chicken, water for processing, poultry by-products, brewers rice, guar gum, added color, potassium chloride, salt, carrageenan, and then a bunch of vitamins are listed.

I havent gotten the test kit yet. I was going to go to walmart today to get it.

Thanks again

Steve
 
rowley978 said:
Ive read so many different things about possible remission if given a low carb, low fat, high protein diet... but I feel that Maggy lost his weight about 2 or 3 months ago, and, according to what I've read, it may be too long of a time for him to go without diagnosis to even be possible to go into remission.

I'm pretty stressed about it all. Its sad, and I'm not putting a cost on my cats life, but its outrageous how much this costs! The cost of the box of needles and the insulin was $190 total at Costco. How long is this going to last for?
Click to expand...
Hi there and welcome to our family :-D A cat can actually go into remission at any time. Coincidentally, my cat had already lost over 2 pounds when diagnosed (from 13.4 to 11.2). He was on the Lantus Tight Regulation protocol and I am thrilled to say he is now "OTJ" (our jargon for "off the juice" meaning he no longer takes insulin). It was exactly six months from the time he was diagnosed to the day he no longer needed remission. I've seen cats go into remission anywhere from a month to years!!! As for the cost; if you mean you bought a vial of insulin (and I suspect you did)--that can last over 4 months! And if your cat goes into remission, you would probably be saving thousands on vet care and diabetic supplies. Hang in there :mrgreen:
 
rowley978 said:
...Its Lantus.

The Dr. is coming today to show me, but the bottle is 100u/ml and it says on the script to give him 1 unit twice a day.

I feed him (currently) canned friskies special diet ocean white fish pate.
It has the following info on the back regarding protein/carb/fat...I havent gotten the test kit yet. I was going to go to walmart today to get it.
Click to expand...
Hi again Steve. One unit every 12 hours is a good starting dose IF you can't normal weight should be (not overweight, not underweight) is more than about 10-11 pounds. The food you are feeding him is perfect; other varieties of Friskies you can feed him (these are all pates) are Turkey & Giblets, Special Diet Turkey & Giblets, Salmon, Tuna & Egg, Mariners Catch, Special Beef & Chicken, Special Beef & Liver...and a few others. Here is a great list showing commercial foods and some composition. Find the brand/variety of food on the left side of the page and then look in column 3; those are the carb percentages--we aim for wetfood (only) with 8% carbs or less.

Here's the link: http://catinfo.org/?link=cannedfoods#Composition Scroll down to "Catfood Composition" in blue and a PDF file will open. Let us know when you've gotten the test kit. I would highly recommend going to Walmart and getting any of the Relion meters; a very inexpensive one is the Prime model and has the cheapest strips on the market ($9/50); you will go through them pretty quick if you test as often as you should be (according to his BG)....
 
rowley978 said:
...Its Lantus.

The Dr. is coming today to show me, but the bottle is 100u/ml and it says on the script to give him 1 unit twice a day.

I feed him (currently) canned friskies special diet ocean white fish pate.
It has the following info on the back regarding protein/carb/fat...I havent gotten the test kit yet. I was going to go to walmart today to get it.
Click to expand...
Hi again Steve. One unit every 12 hours is a good starting dose IF you can't normal weight should be (not overweight, not underweight) is more than about 10-11 pounds. The food you are feeding him is perfect; other varieties of Friskies you can feed him (these are all pates) are Turkey & Giblets, Special Diet Turkey & Giblets, Salmon, Tuna & Egg, Mariners Catch, Special Beef & Chicken, Special Beef & Liver...and a few others. Here is a great list showing commercial foods and some composition. Find the brand/variety of food on the left side of the page and then look in column 3; those are the carb percentages--we aim for wetfood (only) with 8% carbs or less.

Here's the link: http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf and a PDF file will open. Look for the brand/variety of food on left side of list, then look over 3 columns to a number; this is the percentage of carbs in whichever food you are looking at in the left column..

Let us know when you've gotten the test kit. I would highly recommend going to Walmart and getting any of the Relion meters; a very inexpensive one is the Prime (about $18) model and has the cheapest strips on the market ($9/50); you will go through them pretty quick if you test as often as you should be (according to his BG).... If you purchase another brand of meter, the test strips will be expensive (I'd average about $25/50)... Big price difference.

You should also test for ketones. I am going to locate a "shopping list" we give to new members...of things you need/should purchase. ...brb
 
Here's the list. I realize that the initial start up is costly, but this is one of the most loving, caring things you can do for your cat, and will help to get him regulated and possibly OTJ :-D

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10aMJygUoyodh8lMhnx65YaQmg3s18XJdhldhDKIjCsw/edit?pli=1


BTW. I see you're in MA--we have some members in that area that I think will be more than happy to help you learn how to test, measure and shoot the insulin and give you some great tips as well as educate you; of course, we have great tips, education and testing, shooting information here.

You are in good hands. Hang in there! Believe me, it does get easier. I personally should get a trophy (and recognition :-D for the "FDMB Basket Case of the Year" because I was a total mess the first few months' of Gobbles diagnosis. (Carl--feel free to thrown a trophy together for me, and let Steve know how mental I was about Gobbles :lol: :lol: :lol: I kept ya'll on your toes, huh?)
 
Thank you so much for the info.

Yes, the cost is pretty staggering but its worth it, of course.

I'm going to give Maggy his first dose tonight, I believe.

My vet, when I mentioned the food I was feeding him (the Friskies Pate), said "oh no, don't feed him that, he needs high protein low carb food" and proceeded to write a prescription for the DM purina stuff. Reading this article ( http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felinediabetes ) opened my eyes to a lot of the information I have, plus here. Anyways, I looked up the DM stuff on that list, and they're incrediby comparable in content (especially the low numbered carb column). This must be what you guys and others I have read mean about vets possibly not keeping up with things or not knowing all of the facts.

Ok, so the vet also thought that doing urine test strips would be better for me to monitor Maggy vs. the blood testing, Thoughts? He gets quite angry with anything medical, thats why she said it (and his history says it too, hence the house call vet visits vs going to the actual vet building).


Thanks
Steve & Maggy (and Sam and Bones, my other two cats)
 
In my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools are tips on urine testing for ketones or glucose. These only reflect what the body was doing since the previous void, so they aren't as accurate as blood testing.

While you do what you can to get blood tests, they can be helpful and there is a slow protocol using those kinds of indirect measures to adjust glucose levels (look at the bottom of the document). Note that the urine must be fresh (less than 30 minutes old) and uncontaminated for the testing to work. More than 30 minutes, or deposited in used litter, and it is not a valid test.
 
Steve,

I live just up the road from you in Newbury MA. Let me know if you want a home visit to walk you through the home testing and anything else. I'd be glad to help you and your boy Maggy.

The Purina DM is ok for diabetes cats. The only issue is that it only comes in one flavor and a lot of times, once the novelty wears off, cats stop eating it. Personally, I think it's the fact the first ingredient is pork liver and they get tired of eating that one flavor.
 
So I haven't started the insulin yet. I'm going to get the test kit tomorrow, and some more food, and start when I can monitor him this weekend.

I thought of something, though. How do you deal with going away on a vacation? I wouldn't know if I could let anyone give him insulin. He's not so friendly to others... Thoughts?
 
Sooner you can home test the better , especially since you have already changed to low carb wet you may already be seeng a drop in bloog glucose.

Vacation.. Giving insulin shots pretty easy. The needles are short and the cat doesn't feel it. When I go away I, or I have the vet, shave a few spots on the back of Tiggy. Then the sitter shoots him when he is eating. He won't let strangers test him but we reduce the dose to compensate.

For now though let's just get you up and running with testing and insulin.

Wendy
 
I have the needles and insulin right now in my possession, just havent started on Maggy yet. I don't have the testing supplies. I learned how to give the shot this morning, the vet came over to show me. I also watched a video on youtube about it.

I'm mostly stressed about the blood testing, and also about going for basically 4 full days within the next month or two. I know this cat diabetes thing has its peaks and valleys, and I haven't gotten comfortable with anything yet because its all so new, but this new stress is one that I wasn't ready for.

Can I just do the food, and maybe start the testing, but not start the insulin yet? I'm reallly not sure I'm portraying the way Maggy is with strangers very well. He's great with me. I can put my hands basically anywhere on him, at any time. I can pick him up, wrap my arms around him, etc. If someone he doesnt know, or smells funny, or seems "off" to him (basically everyone besides my wife and kids), he's a totally different cat. You can't even get your hand near him. I have maybe 2 or 3 friends that are able to pet him. Otherwise I tell people to stay away from him. He's bitten people and scratched them before.

Please, I appreciate your help and responses, but its not just as simple as "just have someone come do it for you, he'll be fine". I'd love to believe that, but in my heart of hearts, I know something would go wrong. And I wouldn't board him.
I'm going to ask around to see if there are any cat people near me that would be willing to come do this for me I guess.

:YMSIGH:
 
Ok here are some home testing tips...

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13c_CPZVKz27fD_6aVbsguadJKvjSrSAkD7flgPPhEag/pub

It's a steep learning curve but you get used to it, and it becomes routine .. And when you see your happy kitty you will know it was all worth it.

If you get the urine ketone strips and they are negative then for sure, let's try testing and food first. We should know within a week if the diet change is having an impact.

Tiggy is a total monster around everyone but us..he hisses, growls, yowls and scratches and bites. He has his claws. But the sitter managed to inject when he was eating, and she took it slow with him and by the end of two weeks he was letting her touch him. She would let him sniff her hand, and not push it by trying to touch him.. Went at his pace and read his body language. Ask your vet to recommend a sitter or a lab tech who could do it. Google them. Train those few family members that he does let close.

Wendy
 
Start getting your cat used to having his ears touched and rubbed. Do this several times a day, whenever you think of it would be good. The ears are where we usually test.

Give him some ear touching and rubbing before you put his food down for him. This way he knows he gets a 'reward' for putting up with the ear rubbing.

This is step one, getting him used to having his ears touched and rubbed.
 
Alright, I got my glucometer, test strips, lancets, etc. I'm going to give it a go this evening.

Just to get the order of operations correct, I should do a blood test before eating, then put out food, and then do the shot while eating (or while he's disctracted). Basically, right?

Thanks
 
That's basically it. Steps in the order test, feed, shoot.

It only gets a bit more complicated if the BG at the pre-shot test is under 200. Then you hold the food, hold the insulin and post here for help,test again in 30 minutes. If the number is rising, above 200,ok to feed and shoot. If the number is falling or not rising fast to 200, delay and test again. Worst case, you'll end up skipping a dose of insulin.

"Better too high for a day than too low for a minute."
 
rowley978 said:
Alright, I got my glucometer, test strips, lancets, etc. I'm going to give it a go this evening.

Just to get the order of operations correct, I should do a blood test before eating, then put out food, and then do the shot while eating (or while he's disctracted). Basically, right?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Yeah for the diabetic testing supplies!!! Did someone mention to you that you should take his food away at 2-3 hours prior to shot time--for when you test him immediately before giving him his insulin shot? So put the food up a few hours, then test, then give him his insulin shot immediately after the test (while or while not he is eating)... If you don't pull the food a few hours before your pre-shot test, you aren't getting an accurate reading of his blood glucose level at test time....which means it will most likely be an inflated number due to food consumed less than two hours before his pre-shot test that hasn't "cleared" his system...
 
Hmm..... pull food 2 or 3 hours before huh...

This could be tough, because my other two cats are grazers (Maggy used to be a grazer too) on dry food. Maggy isn't as interested in dry food now that he's on the seafood pate.

I'm not sure how I'd stop them from eating..? I'm going to have to relocate their food from the basement so I can monitor it I guess.

Thoughts?
 
Just one thought. If your kitty is only eating seafood pate, that could be problematic. Cats should not have fish or seafood more than once or twice a week due to mercury. Does he like any other types of pate style wet food? Chicken? Turkey? Beef?
 
Sometimes, when a member of our family has an illness, we have to change our routines to help with that illness.

I have 2 other cats. When I brought Wink home to foster, I had to change up the routines. His shot times were at 7 and 7 so everybody's meal times had to change. Wink needed his tests before he could be fed. So the other two cats had to wait to be fed until after I took care of Wink.

My cats were used to meal feeding. Free feeding works for diabetic cats too but the food ideally needs to be removed 2 hours before the pre-shot blood tests only. All other blood tests, the food influence does not matter.

Notice that I said ideally. There are some people that never remove the food before the Pre-shot tests. It does make shooting the low numbers scarier, because we do not know how much the food has influenced the pre-shot test number.

We advise new members not to give insulin if the pre-shot test is under 200. This advice is based on the food being withdrawn 2 hours prior to the test. The advice to you would have to be different and we would have to be aware that the pre-shot tests were food influenced.

For example, if you told me the pre-shot number for Maggy was 200 this evening, and you had let him eat up until the pre-shot test, I would say wait another 30 minutes, do not feed any more, see if the number has risen significantly, at least 30 points.

Your other cats will not starve if you take the food away for two hours and then put it back down after the pre-shot tests. They might make you believe they are starving by yowling their heads off. ohmygod_smile Try distracting them with play time, or grooming them, or petting and holding them. Something else they love besides food.

It's worth a try, removing the food for a couple of hours, 2 times a day.
 
Success! Well, with the routine I mean..

Heres what I did.

I came down from putting my 1 year old to bed (actual human), and Maggy was laying on a chair. I got my lancit and glucometer, and pricked his ear, and he didnt even notice. First one didn't have enough blood. I had to do it again, and again he didn't notice. 2nd one didn't register. Had to do a 3rd one, and that one finally worked, and again he didn't notice. Sadly, I was so excited that it worked, that I don't remember the exact number, but it was like 328 or something like that.

So, I went and got his food. (Noted, and I'll check out what other foods are low carb high protein for him to eat so he doesn't eat too much stuff with mercury in it). I put it in the bathroom, and went and drew 1 unit of insulin. Went in, found the spot, and gave him the shot. He didn't even move a muscle. I had to feel around for about 30 seconds to see if I could feel anything wet on him because thats how much I doubted that it actually went in.

Literally, the toughest part about tonight so far is letting the other two cats eat their food and not let Maggy have it.

Which leads me to my next question. Should I switch the other cats food to something thats low carb and high protein too? That way they will probably be healthier... and also it won't be such a problem to let Maggy eat some of it?

I feel like I didn't see the Kirkland brand of food on that list, but I'll look again.
 
Sounds like the testing and shot went very well. Welcome to the Vampire Club! :shock:

The food list we use from catinfo.org is mostly canned foods with only a few of the prescription dry foods being on there. Usually, the dry foods list the carb content on the bag. You might look there and see what it says.

Which leads me to my next question. Should I switch the other cats food to something thats low carb and high protein too? That way they will probably be healthier... and also it won't be such a problem to let Maggy eat some of it?
Click to expand...
Yes, this is a good idea. I did this food change with my two civies when I started fostering my sugarhunk Wink. Everybody now eats Fancy Feast classic pates and Friskies pates, 2 of the lower cost and readily available options.
 
Sometimes, if you do two pricks, very close together, they ooze together and form a single drop big enough to test.

In time, the ear will actually create more capillaries in the area you are poking and it gets easier to get the blood drop to form. It's called angiogenesis.

Are you holding the ear after with a piece of tissue of cotton ball to help stop the bleeding and prevent any bruising? 15-20 seconds.

Also, Neosporin ointment with pain relief can take away some of the hurt. Get the gel, not the cream. The cream will cause the blood drop to be soaked into the fur. You want to only put on a tiny, tiny dab of the Neosporin w/ pain relief and be sure to wipe off any excess.
 
rowley978 said:
...Which leads me to my next question. Should I switch the other cats food to something thats low carb and high protein too? That way they will probably be healthier... and also it won't be such a problem to let Maggy eat some of it? ..
Click to expand...

Absolutely! Canned or raw low carb is preferred due to the moisture content. I feed the 14 in my home (some belong to the housemate) Friskies Turkey and Giblet Pate - 13 oz cans are $0.78 to $0.84 per can.

If you've any die hard dry eaters that will take some time to transition to wet food, you may shift to one of the few low carb dry - Young Again 0 carb (internet sales only), Evo Cat and Kitten, or Wellness core in the gold and tan bag.

Make food changes gradually to avoid much GI upset and resultant litterbox cleaning!
 
Great job on the testing!! Make sure you warm the ear first and it helps if you have something behind it to press against like a small pill bottle lid or flashlight.

We recommend four tests a day. Always before a shot - worst thing you can do is shoot blind and the cat was low. Then one mid day and another before bed. If you cant get a mid day due to work or whatever you can get the occasional mid night and/or weekends... these will tell you how low Maggy is dropping and its that low number we base dose changes on.

So now it would be good for you to set up a spreadsheet - it will help us advise you, and help you track trends etc.. plus you can show your vet!

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207
 
okk.... so I just did a test before I was ABOUT to go to bed.. and it was 118!. Is that real? should I do another one right away?
 
When did you shoot? How many hours ago? Take another test in case that reading was wrong (which I doubt but let's be sure)


Wendy
 
You are in EST right? Ok so that test was a +3.5 (3.5 hours since his shot) . He has another 2.5hours till lantus hits its max.. Although every cat is different and the lantus peak could happen before or after then.

I am going to ask an experinced member with dosing to come over and advise..

Meanwhile do you have any high carb gravy food at home or sugar syrup?

We will probably want another test in an hour if not sooner, just to make sure he isn't going too low. And we will give small amounts of these if he is to make sure he doesn't drop too low.. . But as I said, I want more experinced eyes to take a look and advise.

Keep checking here, will be back soon.

Wendy
 
We have a little time so you could make syrup . I sent a message out to get more eyes,

Mix equals part of cold water and sugar together.put in a high sided pan over medium high and bring to a boil stirring with a wood spoon until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear... 3-5minutes . Let cool. You can put in a jar when cool as its good to have on hand when you have a diabetic cat!

Ice cream will work for now if we need it though.

Wendy
 
I just thought he was acting strange and sleeping in an odd spot randomly, but he just sprang up cuz he saw/heard a bug... caught it against the wall, and ate it. Apparently his spirits are normal! Should I test again now ?
 
95 this time. 94 was the last one


He's on to me with the pricking of his ear too. Not as easy these past 2 times.
 
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