GA New Member - Boots, Newly diagnosed diabetic & Pancreatitis

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BootsB

BootsB

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Hi All! I've been lurking for a couple weeks as I suspected Boots had diabetes due to polyuria. I changed his diet early-September from wet food in the morning and Hill's Science Diet kibble to 100% wet food. That decreased some of the polyuria and I also made an appointment with a new vet as we are switching vets. Unfortunately, he had some issues that had to be treated by the urgent care vet before we could get into the appointment. On 9/29 I took him in as he had vomited a few times the night before. The vet diagnosed him as diabetic. Luckily from researching I knew what kind of insulin to ask for. I started insulin at 1 unit that evening per the vet's recommendation. The next day he seemed worse, so I again took him to the urgent care vet where they diagnosed him with pancreatitis. That doctor told me to decrease the dose to .5 u. He was prescribed Cerenia for nausea, an appetite stimulant, gabapentin for pain and we were able to get a bag of IV fluids to do SubQ treatments at home. I'm happy to report that after a very rough week (SOOO much worrying and sleepless nights), I think he is past the pancreatitis. So now I can focus on getting his BS regulated. I should also note that in January 2024 at the vet he weighed 17 lbs. He now weighs 14.5 lbs. The weight loss has slowed now I believe.

Anyway, his chart is below. I know I made some mistakes in the beginning switching his dose from 1 to .5 (per the second vet) and then back up to 1. I've been consistently at 1u for 4 days. I thought we were looking good yesterday morning but in the afternoon his numbers went up again. I just need reassurance that I'm on the right track. Should I do a curve tomorrow or give it a few more days at the 1u. Thank you for your support and reassurance. We're not happy to be here but we are happy we found this group!

Questions/Concerns -
- Are we on the right track? Should I do a curve soon?
- Should future messages be posted in the Lantus forum? I posted here since it's my first post.
- We are going away this weekend (terrible timing I know) and I won't be around for his Saturday pm shot and Sunday am shot. I can draw up the shots and have my son give them. But I'm worried about him being able to test him before the shot. I am doing my best to train my son this week. Any tips for leaving our kitty in the care of others?
 
BootsB said:
Hi All! I've been lurking for a couple weeks as I suspected Boots had diabetes due to polyuria. I changed his diet early-September from wet food in the morning and Hill's Science Diet kibble to 100% wet food. That decreased some of the polyuria and I also made an appointment with a new vet as we are switching vets. Unfortunately, he had some issues that had to be treated by the urgent care vet before we could get into the appointment. On 9/29 I took him in as he had vomited a few times the night before. The vet diagnosed him as diabetic. Luckily from researching I knew what kind of insulin to ask for. I started insulin at 1 unit that evening per the vet's recommendation. The next day he seemed worse, so I again took him to the urgent care vet where they diagnosed him with pancreatitis. That doctor told me to decrease the dose to .5 u. He was prescribed Cerenia for nausea, an appetite stimulant, gabapentin for pain and we were able to get a bag of IV fluids to do SubQ treatments at home. I'm happy to report that after a very rough week (SOOO much worrying and sleepless nights), I think he is past the pancreatitis. So now I can focus on getting his BS regulated. I should also note that in January 2024 at the vet he weighed 17 lbs. He now weighs 14.5 lbs. The weight loss has slowed now I believe.

Anyway, his chart is below. I know I made some mistakes in the beginning switching his dose from 1 to .5 (per the second vet) and then back up to 1. I've been consistently at 1u for 4 days. I thought we were looking good yesterday morning but in the afternoon his numbers went up again. I just need reassurance that I'm on the right track. Should I do a curve tomorrow or give it a few more days at the 1u. Thank you for your support and reassurance. We're not happy to be here but we are happy we found this group!

Questions/Concerns -
- Are we on the right track? Should I do a curve soon?
- Should future messages be posted in the Lantus forum? I posted here since it's my first post.
- We are going away this weekend (terrible timing I know) and I won't be around for his Saturday pm shot and Sunday am shot. I can draw up the shots and have my son give them. But I'm worried about him being able to test him before the shot. I am doing my best to train my son this week. Any tips for leaving our kitty in the care of others?
Click to expand...
Hi, and welcome, I tagged a Lantus expert to help you with dosing, if you are leaving someone else to care for him you need to make sure to follow the Latus protocol of test, feeding and dosing, a feeding schedule, etc and a HYPO kit in case needed, this should include KARO Syrup or honey, some medium wet carb food between 12-15% carbs and dome High carbs between 15-18% , in case of very low numbers, I'll tag several members for you:bighug::cat::cat:
@Suzanne & Darcy
@Sienne and Gabby (GA)
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
 
Hi and welcome.
A couple of things first… if your kitty has heart issues I would double check with the vet about giving subQ fluids.
It can be contraindicated with some heart issues.
And I notice you have written ketones in the remarks column of the SS but nothing else. Does that mean you are testing for them or that they are present?

If you are doing SLGS you need to hold the dose at 1 unit for 7 days and then do a curve. But things could change if ketones are present so we need to establish that first up.

About going away for the weekend, we can help you with a dose close to the weekend. And an option is you could have a freestyle libre meter fitted so your son could monitor the BGs while you are away.
 
We have not given SubQ fluids since Saturday. The urgent vet who gave the treatment and prescribed the in home fluids is located at our current vet and they have his records and report from the cardiologist. Now did they take that into account is another question…

I have been testing for ketones and they have always been negative. I’ll rewrite the comment to make that more clear. I’m paranoid about ketones so I try to test regularly.

Great idea on the monitor for the weekend. We have an appointment with the new vet on Thursday and I will bring that up.

I will continue to hold the 1 u dose. It’s difficult because I want him to feel better. But I need to remember the “go slow” part.
 
Great you are testing for ketones. Keep it up
I understand you want your kitty to be better… I get that completely… but remember diabetes is a marathon not a race and it takes time.
Yes you are on the right track.
You are hometesting, giving a good insulin, testing for ketones and feeding a low carb food. Now you need to take a big breath and try and relax and keep doing what you are doing. I know this is hard to do but patience is what I learnt most about feline diabetes.
In saying that, if you are worried about something always follow it up. Trust your instincts.
 
I would hold the dose for a week starting on Friday. One other consideration -- If you can't get Boots outfitted with a Libre and your son hasn't mastered home testing, you may want to reduce Boots' dose slightly since you'll be gone. Whenever I would travel, I would reduce my cat's dose even though I had a great catsitter.
 
Unfortunately we had to have Boots put to sleep today. He was in heart failure with a collapsed lung and a blood clot in the other lung. His underlying heart condition was made worse by diabetes and his body just couldn’t keep up. Thank you for your advice and assistance. You all are a great service to those looking for help and I wish you the best.
 
so sorry for your loss of sweet Boots. i have been in your shoes and it is so hard to accept, but you were doing your absolute best for him. may all the wonderful memories you have together be a blessing to you. :bighug:
 
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