New Member - Going Crazy

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Deb & Wink said:
Ducote's SS kind of reminds me of @Jacque- Tiger & Jazz Man and her cat Tiger. You need to keep upping the dose with some frequency until you get out of those black numbers.

Here is Tiger's SS when he first started getting insulin. <<<<< Just click on the blue text to the left there, to open his SS. He was started on Prozinc first, as Jacque already had another diabetic cat that was using Prozinc. Moved him to Vetsulin, where we even had her try TID dosing which is really hard on the caregiver, then back to Prozinc, then on to Levemir where Tiger is doing much better.

Prodigy, talking human glucometer. This does need to go in your User Id Signature when you get a chance.

Does Ducote have access to any other pet's food? Might he be eating that without your knowledge, or even getting into some type of human food unbeknownst to you? You said you have a second kitty. Is that second cat also being fed the low carb Fancy Feast food?

Did you find the Sticky Beginner's Guide to Caninsulin (Vetsulin) in our ISG forum for
Caninsulin / Vetsulin and N / NPH ?

You probably want to print that guide out, to have as a reference and to study it and ask questions.
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Thank you so much for sharing! Tiger's SS made me feel a little relief. I have been looking at different spreadsheets and I haven't seen any with as much black as Ducote's so I thought he was the only one. Ducote did have access to other food before but I took it all away. I changed my other kitty to wet food (who is not liking this change at all) and feed them in separate rooms and I also have a 12 year old dachshund and I now only put out her food at certain times of the day while I put Ducote in another room. As of now Ducote only has access to the food that I give to him. And yes, I have read the guide twice over! I am trying to absorb everything that I can lol!
 
Liang & Nathan said:
Can a non-diabetic cat develope ketoacidosis? for example, when a cat is not eating or eating very little?
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Yes, it's possible...ketones are produced when the body starts burning fat due to lack of calories. If the cat's not diabetic, there may be other disease processes going on

It's more common for a non-diabetic cat that's eating nothing to suffer from hepatic lipidosis. If a non-diabetic cat hasn't eaten for 48 hours, they need to see a vet.
 
HDucote said:
I know that it is not a good reading yet but I am celebrating anyway.....I got my first purple today! I wanted to shout it from the rooftops! I am just crossing my fingers that he is on a better path and I will start to see more numbers besides black and red soon! :bookworm:
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heeheeheeee I remember those days CELEBRATE! We dance in your honor! wheeeeeeeee
 
I haven't had a "HI" reading in two days. Even though they were still high numbers, the meter didn't say "HI" and I took that as a win. I was very discouraged when his morning stick read "HI" today, I could have cried! I beat myself up because I had to leave my house last night and run an errand so I gave him his pm dose 30 minutes early and I was sure that I had just messed everything up when I saw his morning reading. I just now took his +5 reading and it was my his first yellow!! YELLOW! I could just cry again now but for different reasons! Who would have known when he got diagnosed that it would be such a rollercoaster of emotions. My vet sure made it sound like no big deal when they handed me the insulin through my car window and said 1 unit twice a day and goodbye. This sure has been a journey and I am not even one month in yet o_O

Question for future reference: I am currently giving 4 units and his pre checks are still high numbers (anywhere from Hi, 500's, and one time 400's). Once pre checks begin to show lower numbers (for instance 300's or 200's) do I stay with the 4 units because this means that it is working or do you go to a lower dose at that point?
 
HDucote said:
Hello. My cat was diagnosed on 5/08/20. I have been going nuts trying to regulate his numbers with no avail. I am not eating, not sleeping, researching day and night (this board has been a God send!), and I have a knot in my stomach at all times :(. My cat lost lots of weight, started drinking heavily, staying hungry, and urinating a lot. I took him to the vet for bloodwork and they said his glucose was close to 500 and gave me Vestulin 1u twice a day. I went home and ordered a glucose monitor. It came in on 5/19/20 and I started home testing. I was shocked at his numbers! I immediately made changes at home. I picked up all dry food and now feed him Fancy Feast twice a day with his doses and I used his glucose readings to change insulin doses. I did try to talk to my vet about changing doses but they are proving to be very unhelpful (I left three messages on 5/20 with no return call. I called back on 5/21 and finally spoke to someone who told me to email them my data and she would get back to me. I completed an at-home glucose curve the next day and emailed her all of the data but no response yet. I am winging this on my own). I know that it is still early but am beginning to become hopeless about ever getting him regulated. I am scared because his numbers stay "HI" for most of the day. I plugged my numbers into the spreadsheet for review. Could it be the Vestulin? Should I inquire about Lantus? Am I not giving enough time between switching doses? Am I freaking out for nothing or are all cats hard to regulate at first?
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First of all...BREATHE! You need to be able to digest what's happening and take clear, calm action instead of reactions.

We are in this together. I've been on this journey before, and the folks here became like family. You're in the right place. But every cat is different, and today is day one for my cat. I don't know what Philly's journey will be like. We will figure it out.

High numbers are scary, low numbers can be scary, too. He's likely been high for awhile before you knew it, and he was surviving. Now that you know the numbers doesn't make him any different than he was a few weeks ago. You now have tools to help him.

Take a breath and only focus on the next step in front of you. Consistency is key right now. Make changes after hearing from experienced folks here.

We all believe that vets should have all the answers because they are trained. Chances are, they've not lived with a fraction of the numbers of diabetic cats this group has. They also deal with tons of illnesses in a day where this group concentrates on one. A good vet is a valuable team member, but not the only voice that matters.

Hang in there. We can do this.
 
Beck and Philly said:
He's likely been high for awhile before you knew it, and he was surviving. Now that you know the numbers doesn't make him any different than he was a few weeks ago. You now have tools to help him.
.
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Thank you! Your words are so helpful! You are right about him probably being sick for a while. I noticed him losing weight a year ago but we had gotten a new kitty and I chalked it up to stress :(. I fear that it has gone on for a long time without treatment. I think that knowing the numbers (although very helpful and necessary) make it a bit more nerve wracking.
 
HDucote said:
I haven't had a "HI" reading in two days. Even though they were still high numbers, the meter didn't say "HI" and I took that as a win. I was very discouraged when his morning stick read "HI" today, I could have cried! I beat myself up because I had to leave my house last night and run an errand so I gave him his pm dose 30 minutes early and I was sure that I had just messed everything up when I saw his morning reading. I just now took his +5 reading and it was my his first yellow!! YELLOW! I could just cry again now but for different reasons! Who would have known when he got diagnosed that it would be such a rollercoaster of emotions. My vet sure made it sound like no big deal when they handed me the insulin through my car window and said 1 unit twice a day and goodbye. This sure has been a journey and I am not even one month in yet o_O

Question for future reference: I am currently giving 4 units and his pre checks are still high numbers (anywhere from Hi, 500's, and one time 400's). Once pre checks begin to show lower numbers (for instance 300's or 200's) do I stay with the 4 units because this means that it is working or do you go to a lower dose at that point?
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yay and celebrate the wins even if they’re small victories to us they’re huge battles because we fought them tooth and nail!!! :bighug:

To answer your question, we don’t adjust the dose based on the preshot numbers as I’m constantly reminded here. It’s based on the nadir or lowest number within a cycle, so keep that in mind :cat:
 
HDucote said:
I haven't had a "HI" reading in two days. Even though they were still high numbers, the meter didn't say "HI" and I took that as a win. I was very discouraged when his morning stick read "HI" today, I could have cried! I beat myself up because I had to leave my house last night and run an errand so I gave him his pm dose 30 minutes early and I was sure that I had just messed everything up when I saw his morning reading. I just now took his +5 reading and it was my his first yellow!! YELLOW! I could just cry again now but for different reasons! Who would have known when he got diagnosed that it would be such a rollercoaster of emotions. My vet sure made it sound like no big deal when they handed me the insulin through my car window and said 1 unit twice a day and goodbye. This sure has been a journey and I am not even one month in yet o_O

Question for future reference: I am currently giving 4 units and his pre checks are still high numbers (anywhere from Hi, 500's, and one time 400's). Once pre checks begin to show lower numbers (for instance 300's or 200's) do I stay with the 4 units because this means that it is working or do you go to a lower dose at that point?
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I'm so excited about the yellow! He may bounce and get high again just because his body isn't used to those lower numbers yet. Give him a chance to come down. Stay with 4 units longer until you start seeing mid cycle readings approaching lower end of normal... then we will say cut it back a little. You are doing great! we will want to up the dose in a couple days to try to get more of those yellows down.
 
It's a marathon. That yellow was a nice sight to see though. :). Id be good with you trying 4.5 tomorrow if you're up for it. Or you could do 4 another day. Looks like you may have a high dose kitty. When is time for a new bottle of insulin, consider getting a longer acting one like ProZinc. ProZinc stings less at higher doses then vetsulin. I used vetsulin until I hit 5 units, then it started to sting my cat and she got mad at shot time. What do you think @Red & Rover (GA)
 
HDucote said:
Question for future reference: I am currently giving 4 units and his pre checks are still high numbers (anywhere from Hi, 500's, and one time 400's). Once pre checks begin to show lower numbers (for instance 300's or 200's) do I stay with the 4 units because this means that it is working or do you go to a lower dose at that point?
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Dosing changes are based on the lows also know as the nadir. That usually happens in the middle of the cycle, around +4 to +6 with most cats using Vetsulin (Caninsulin), but you need to find when it happens for your cat. The nadir time does not always stay the same from cycle to cycle either, just to add a bit more confusion to your life.

The dose gets lowered according to the protocols we use here. So no, a pre-shot test in the 300's or 200's does not mean a dose reduction. Lower pre-shots do tell you the insulin is working, and you do not want to stop the momentum by reducing the dose too soon. Of course, a pre-shot <100 mg/dL does mean you need to stop and think about your next step. So we recommend you post here for help.

Ducote looks much better in yellow. Hope he gives you more readings like that in the future, and even some blues and greens eventually. :)
 
I have another question :bookworm:

I switched Ducote to Fancy Feast wet food twice a day. I was told that twice a day is not enough and he needed to be fed small meals throughout the day. Fancy Feast can get expensive if I gave him as many cans as he would like, so instead I bought 9Lives Meaty Pate Super Supper just to give him a tablespoon here and there when he seems hungry. I got this food because it came in the big 13oz can so I could put one of those tops that go on the can and it lasts for a couple of days. So, long story short he is getting Fancy Feast twice a day with his doses and about 3-4 tablespoons of the 9lives throughout the day. Since his numbers are staying high I was wondering if maybe the 9lives is keeping him up there. I tried to look up the carb info on this brand/type but I can't find anything. Could this be part of my problem?
 
Heather & Ducote said:
Hello. My cat was diagnosed on 5/08/20. I have been going nuts trying to regulate his numbers with no avail. I am not eating, not sleeping, researching day and night (this board has been a God send!), and I have a knot in my stomach at all times :(. My cat lost lots of weight, started drinking heavily, staying hungry, and urinating a lot. I took him to the vet for bloodwork and they said his glucose was close to 500 and gave me Vestulin 1u twice a day. I went home and ordered a glucose monitor. It came in on 5/19/20 and I started home testing. I was shocked at his numbers! I immediately made changes at home. I picked up all dry food and now feed him Fancy Feast twice a day with his doses and I used his glucose readings to change insulin doses. I did try to talk to my vet about changing doses but they are proving to be very unhelpful (I left three messages on 5/20 with no return call. I called back on 5/21 and finally spoke to someone who told me to email them my data and she would get back to me. I completed an at-home glucose curve the next day and emailed her all of the data but no response yet. I am winging this on my own). I know that it is still early but am beginning to become hopeless about ever getting him regulated. I am scared because his numbers stay "HI" for most of the day. I plugged my numbers into the spreadsheet for review. Could it be the Vestulin? Should I inquire about Lantus? Am I not giving enough time between switching doses? Am I freaking out for nothing or are all cats hard to regulate at first?
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OMG I swear, I almost thought I was reading a posting I forgot writing! My name is Heather also, but the anxiety, not eating/sleeping/stressing, desperately researching and feeling abandoned and frustrated by my vet...this board really has been a God send!! I dont have anything to add except I relate, and admire your dedication to your sugar baby-you stress because you care (:
 
Heather Bentley said:
OMG I swear, I almost thought I was reading a posting I forgot writing! My name is Heather also, but the anxiety, not eating/sleeping/stressing, desperately researching and feeling abandoned and frustrated by my vet...this board really has been a God send!! I dont have anything to add except I relate, and admire your dedication to your sugar baby-you stress because you care :)
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It is a feeling like no other! I have heard quite a few times from my hubby that I am becoming "a crazy cat lady" :stop: but for the life of me I can not stop stressing and researching until I figure this thing out. Your sweet Hwy 99 reminds me of my Ducote :cat:
 
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