New Member - Shenzi

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Nisa & Shenzi

Nisa & Shenzi

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Hello! My cat, shenzi, was diagnosed yesterday. Thank you for this website and forum. I am extremely nervous and overwhelmed by the news, but determined to get her feeling better! I appreciate the help and the stories here. Glad I found it.
 
Are you thinking of home testing the blood glucose?
Here is a link on how to use Vetsulin
Make sure you feed your kitty 30 minutes before you give the insulin.
What dose are you giving?
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Are you thinking of home testing the blood glucose?
Here is a link on how to use Vetsulin
Make sure you feed your kitty 30 minutes before you give the insulin.
What dose are you giving?
Click to expand...
Thank you for the link. Yesterday I bought all the testing supplies and we tried it but failed. I couldn’t produce enough blood after 3 tries I stopped. But hopeful for today! Okay that’s good to know about the 30 min. Thank you. She is taking 1 unit.

We are currently switching from purina naturals to fancy feast chicken classics. She is new to wet food so I’ve been adding a little nutritional yeast and she loves it! She barely eats a half can though at one sitting. Im nervous she isn’t eating enough for insulin. Or maybe that doesn’t matter if her tested numbers are high enough.

Also to be clear - are there set numbers I should and should not shoot for?

What time of day does everyone feed their cat? Like 8am and 8pm? That’s what I was thinking of doing. Not sure what works for everyone to have flexibility in their lives.

Another question - I have 2 cats. She refuses wet food and will only eat dry. I will probably keep trying because it’s better for her but right now I can’t even think about. I was thinking of switching the kibble to young again. (not sure which one - so could use some advice there too) That way both my cats have high protein diets and if my diabetic cat eats the kibble that’s out she will be fine. Also for peace of mind that she doesn’t go into hypo she just will have food available. Because again she isn’t eating that much of the wet food. Or at least I think - how many 3oz cans of wet food is normal to eat a day?

We are also switching her treats to bonito flakes or freeze dried chicken. Any other advice is welcome. Crazy how the vet mentioned none of this to me. She just said she has diabetes, here is insulin. Give her 1 unit after she eats x2/day. This forum has answered most of my questions and I am soooo grateful you guys :bighug:
 
Nisa & Shenzi said:
What time of day does everyone feed their cat? Like 8am and 8pm? That’s what I was thinking of doing. Not sure what works for everyone to have flexibility in their lives.
Click to expand...
We feed our cats the bigger meal at AMPS (AM Pre Shot first test in the morning) Don't feed your cat 2 hours before that because you don't want the BG to be influenced by food. Same goes for the PMPS ( PM Pre Shot first test at night )
Most of us feed smaller meals 3 or 4 times a day, it's easier on the pancreas



About the kibble
Here are some low carb dry foods ,they are about 5 or 6% carbs
None of them are cheap
You need to order them online they are not cheap
Dr Elseys you can buy on chewey site
https://www.chewy.com/dr-elseys-cleanprotein-chicken/dp/146269?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12791446238&utm_content=Dr. Elsey's&utm_term=&show-search=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0PvU2Zj79wIVRIdbCh3JawEkEAQYASABEgIInfD_BwE

Young again on their web site
https://www.youngagainpetfood.com
Take a look at the young again zero or the zero mature

Dr Elsey's also at Walmart
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dr-Elsey...ViI3ICh0suwO_EAQYAiABEgJrOPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Dr Elsey's Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FCJHDPR/ref=twister_B09GHFJY65?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

the Dr Elsey's comes in different size bags
None of these can be bought in stores

Also
Wysong Epigen 90

If you call they will send you samples
Phone: 877-311-2287… Dr Elsey's

PHONE:
800.311.6646. Young Again

1-800-748-0188 •Wysong Epigen 90

@Nisa & Shenzi
 
Last edited:
Nisa & Shenzi said:
Yesterday I bought all the testing supplies and we tried it but failed. I couldn’t produce enough blood after 3 tries I stopped. But hopeful for today!
Click to expand...
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
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6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 10 or 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with

Try putting a thin layer of Vaseline on the ear so the blood will bead up.
@Nisa & Shenzi
 
Last edited:
Nisa & Shenzi said:
Thank you for the link. Yesterday I bought all the testing supplies and we tried it but failed. I couldn’t produce enough blood after 3 tries I stopped. But hopeful for today! Okay that’s good to know about the 30 min. Thank you. She is taking 1 unit.

We are currently switching from purina naturals to fancy feast chicken classics. She is new to wet food so I’ve been adding a little nutritional yeast and she loves it! She barely eats a half can though at one sitting. Im nervous she isn’t eating enough for insulin. Or maybe that doesn’t matter if her tested numbers are high enough.

Also to be clear - are there set numbers I should and should not shoot for?

What time of day does everyone feed their cat? Like 8am and 8pm? That’s what I was thinking of doing. Not sure what works for everyone to have flexibility in their lives.

Another question - I have 2 cats. She refuses wet food and will only eat dry. I will probably keep trying because it’s better for her but right now I can’t even think about. I was thinking of switching the kibble to young again. (not sure which one - so could use some advice there too) That way both my cats have high protein diets and if my diabetic cat eats the kibble that’s out she will be fine. Also for peace of mind that she doesn’t go into hypo she just will have food available. Because again she isn’t eating that much of the wet food. Or at least I think - how many 3oz cans of wet food is normal to eat a day?

We are also switching her treats to bonito flakes or freeze dried chicken. Any other advice is welcome. Crazy how the vet mentioned none of this to me. She just said she has diabetes, here is insulin. Give her 1 unit after she eats x2/day. This forum has answered most of my questions and I am soooo grateful you guys :bighug:
Click to expand...
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
Bron I answered some of her questions but not this one she asked

Also to be clear - are there set numbers I should and should not shoot for?
 
Nisa & Shenzi said:
Yes - I have a human meter. Contour Next One.
Click to expand...
This is from the Vetsulin information which I will post below

It’s time for my cat’s shot, but the BG is a little too low. What now?
  • If your cat’s BG is a bit below 200 mg/dL [11 mmol/L] on a human meter, consider ‘stalling’.
    • Stalling is waiting - without feeding your cat - for 20+ minutes, then retesting to see if the BG has risen to a suitable level.
    • You are looking for a number that is rising, not falling, and is high enough to give insulin.
    • If you have time, you can repeat the stalling process to see if the cat’s BG reaches a number you can shoot.
  • If you cannot stall do to time constraints, if numbers are continuing to drop or if you do not have a supply of strips and high carb food on hand, it will be safer if you skip the shot.
  • Note: As you gain experience with home testing and have gathered data to show how your cat responds to insulin, you will become more confident and better able to shoot progressively lower numbers.
  • Ask for help on the forum before giving insulin if you are unsure, as you can never ‘un-shoot’ insulin.
  • If your cat has history of ketones or DKA, or other health issues, or you are concerned, DO post on the Main Health forum for further advice.
Here is the complete VETSULIN INFORMATION
Please eat carefully and consider printing off for ease of reading.

Once you get a bit more settled I would recommend you consider swapping to a more suitable insulin such as Lantus or Prozinc.
They are longer acting more gentle insulins and the ones recommended by the American Animal Association. Vetsulin is really a dog insulin and not suitable for cats.
 
Thank you! Yes - all this information is starting to make sense. How does everyone in this group afford all the medical supplies and meds? I looked into insurance but they don't cover cats with diabetes. Of course when you need it they can't help :/
 
Also - my cat is just not eating any food. Which worries me. I don’t want to give her insulin if she doesn’t eat much. Like less than half a 3oz can at 1 sitting.

I’ve been adding nutritional yeast to make her want to eat it. It looks like it has carbs though. Not sure how to get her to eat enough.
 
How are things going? I am very concerned Shenzi is not eating. Not giving any insulin and not eating is a dangerous combination.
If she is not eating I would go to the vet and ask for something for nausea. And you need to be checking for ketones in the urine with Ketostix daily while this is all happening.
Please update us
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
How are things going? I am very concerned Shenzi is not eating. Not giving any insulin and not eating is a dangerous combination.
If she is not eating I would go to the vet and ask for something for nausea. And you need to be checking for ketones in the urine with Ketostix daily while this is all happening.
Please update us
Click to expand...
Thanks for checking in on us!
I called the vet and they said it didn’t matter if she ate a lot or a little. If she ate anything I should give her insulin… thoughts on that?
I finally got my first my glucose level- 322. Still practicing though. It’s tough. Is there a difference between the glucose and the ketones?
She has a glucose curve scheduled for Saturday - I guess that’s supposed to tell us if she is getting better or not ? That’s what the vet said at least.
 
Nisa & Shenzi said:
Thanks for checking in on us!
I called the vet and they said it didn’t matter if she ate a lot or a little. If she ate anything I should give her insulin… thoughts on that?
I finally got my first my glucose level- 322. Still practicing though. It’s tough. Is there a difference between the glucose and the ketones?
She has a glucose curve scheduled for Saturday - I guess that’s supposed to tell us if she is getting better or not ? That’s what the vet said at least.
Click to expand...
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
 
Nisa & Shenzi said:
I called the vet and they said it didn’t matter if she ate a lot or a little. If she ate anything I should give her insulin… thoughts on that?
Click to expand...
It is very important that diabetic cats eat. If they don’t, they are at risk of ketones forming in the urine and blood and this can lead to serious health problems. At the moment let her eat whatever she will eat, even if it is unsuitable for diabetic cats. Eating is much more important than what it is she eats. And she needs to eat 1/2 hour before any insulin is given. Vetsulin is a harsh insulin for cats and it is very important she has food aboard first.
And it is equally important that diabetic cats are given Insulin as not doing so can cause ketones to form in the urine or blood. So make sure she is getting food and her insulin. If she is not eating ask the vet for an anti nausea medication.
Do you think you could ask your vet to swap to a better insulin such as lantus?
If your vet is uncooperative with not wanting to swap insulins or in giving you an anti nausea medication, such as cerenia or ondansetron, I would look for another vet.
Nisa & Shenzi said:
I finally got my first my glucose level- 322. Still practicing though. It’s tough. Is there a difference between the glucose and the ketones?
Click to expand...
Well done getting a successful test done. Keep trying, you will get there I promise!:bighug:
The difference between a glucose level and a ketone test is…the glucose level tells us how much glucose is in the blood. In a non diabetic cat there is no glucose. And the way to tell if the insulin is working is to test the glucose in the blood.
The ketone test tells us if there are any ketones in the blood or urine. There should be no ketones at all. They only form when a diabetic cat is not getting enough food or enough insulin. And it is very important ketones are caught early because if unchecked they can go on the develop into DKA which can be deadly if not caught early. That is why it is important to check the urine or the blood for ketones. Did you get some ketostix from the pharmacy to test for ketones?
 
@Nisa & Shenzi
Hi Nisa in your signature where you have Shenzi's name in blue can you go back to it and after her name add SS , so we know it's the spreadsheet.
Tap on your name up top then tap on signature and add it then tap save
Thanks :cat:
 
Sorry everyone! We went on an extended vacation out of the country. We are back now - shenzi is doing well. We found a new vet who specializes in diabetes. Shenzi is now on lantus and is doing well - her appetite is back :)
 
Diane Tyler's Mom GA said:
Hi Nisa I'm glad to hear Shenzi is doing well. One question in your signature and on your spreadsheet you say you are using the Alpha Trak? Which meter are you using the Contour Next to the Alpha Trak
@Nisa & Shenzi
Click to expand...

The Alpha Trak - we switched because thats how the vet monitors and understands the numbers best for her. I switched it in my signature and my spreadsheet.
 
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