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Dawn Dulle

Dawn Dulle

Member Since 2020
Hi, I'm Dawn and my 14-year-old cat Chester was just diagnosed with diabetes. His BG was 347. I'd like to try to get him into remission and need info on how to do that, where to get insulin and a test kit from and how to use the test kit. I've had diabetic animals before, but it was over 20 years ago and did not know how to get on into remission or use test kits.

Thank you for your help,

Dawn and Chester
 
Hi Dawn and welcome!

what insulin you use will determine the protocol we work with here. Lantus and prozync are the 2 insulins with best remission rates so I’d opt for one of them. They’re also long lasting and gentler and better for cats.

As for home testing, good for you!! Most of us here use human meters and those are the numbers we’re used to interpreting when giving dose advice. If you’re in the US, Walmart’s ReliOn Prime is a great affordable and reliable option and the test strips are the most affordable at $17 for 100. The meter costs $9. You can also get the Walmart lancets and we recommend to start with a larger gauge so a 28 or 26 until you get the hang of it and then most of us go down to a 30 gauge.

here is a link to review with some basics about the forum:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/

what food are you feeding Chester? Diabetic cats need to be on a low carb food diet to increase their chance of remission. Most of us feed fancy feast pate or Friskies which are very low in carbs. We strongly recommend that you don’t do any food changes until you’re home testing because it can significantly drop their bg numbers. We also have lots of tips on testing to make it easier and less stressful on both you and Chester.

welcome again and ask as many questions as you need! :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Dawn and Chester WELCOME TO FDMB We are glad you found us! We are going to do our best to help you help your extra sweet Chester. You've already received excellent advice. I'm going to send you to a place to help you get more acquainted with how things work around here:
New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

Since youre not new to this kind of journey It may be a bit different than any journey you've experienced in the past. Now you have us! Theres a wealth of information here with good people to help you navigate it all. We are dedicated to helping all our extra sweet kitties survive to thrive.
WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY:bighug:

This is the bast darn site on this planet to help you learn everything you need to know about feline diabetes.
jeanne
 
Thank you all so much, everyone! I am ordering my Lantus today and will go to Wal-Mart and get the testing kit you recommended! I talked to 2 of my friends last night that got their cats into remission and got their advice on what foods to feed and other tips. I'm hoping to pull this all together very soon as Chester is drinking tons of water and peeing all over the house. It's just going to be difficult because I have 8 pet cats and 6 of them now have medical issues, including one severe asthmatic who is on inhalers twice a day and massive doses of prednisone, one in Stage 2 kidney disease, another male with urinary issues, a 20-year-old with hyperthyroidism, and various other ailments, so as you can see I am feeling VERY overwhelmed and depressed by this new diagnosis and just don't know how I'm going to feed 8 different cats different kinds of food and keep up with all these different medicines. Right now it seems like a very daunting routine. :(
 
Sorry you didn't get a reply last night, Dawn. Wishing you good luck with the testing today. Be sure to apply a thin film of Vaseline or Neosporin ointment to the test site before doing the poke to help the blood sample bead up (wipe off any excess ointment with a cotton pad or tissue first) and warm Chester's ear for far longer than you think it needs. If you don't get a sample at first, warm the ear more. (Makes the world of difference to success rate.) :)


Mogs
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Okay! Well, after about a half hour of attempting to poke the poor boy, and poking MY finger in the process (guess I should have checked my BG!), and stabbing his ear about 6 times and his paw twice and getting nothing (I seriously think this lancer thing is defective) I finally got enough blood to get a reading! (After 3 needles and 2 test strips) Interestingly, his BG was only 153 and that was after only one shot of insulin and half low-carb food and half regular food, so I did not give him another shot this morning. I figured that would have sent him into a hypoglycemic seizure and I was not going to be home all day to keep an eye on him. I assume that was the right call to make?
 
Congrats on getting your first reading! :)

Assuming a kitty is not prone to throwing ketones, for newly diagnosed cats who don't have much BG data yet we recommend a general 'no shoot' limit of 200 (higher on a pet meter). Decision to skip was this cycle was correct.


Mogs
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Okay, so I get it right, no shots if under 200, correct? And what about the Vaseline on his ear? I smear it on and then wipe it off and then lance it or lance it and then wipe it off?
 
Correct. The general rule is no insulin if preshot BG is under 200. That said, if BG is lower but not far below 200, you have the option to stall without feeding, wait for 20 minutes and test again. If the second test is over 200 then you're OK (BG is high enough and levels are on the rise).

For the BG test:

1. Apply Vaseline to test area.
2. Wipe off excess to leave the thin film behind.
3. Warm the ear really well.
4. Do the poke.


Mogs
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I'm not sure whether or not you're using a lancing device to do the poke. It can be tricky to aim them at the right spot. Some of us use just the lancet to 'freehand' the poke.

Here is the method I used. Perhaps it might give you some ideas to include in your own testing technique.
  1. Fold a sheet of kitchen paper in four lengthwise and cut it up into 1" strips. You will use these to cushion and support the ear during the test.

  2. Put a thin film of Vaseline or Neosporin ointment (not the cream!) onto the edge of the ear to help the blood sample bead up instead of wicking into the fur. (Wipe off any excess.)

  3. To get a blood sample you need to increase the blood flow to the ear, so make sure the ear is really, really, really warm (but not hot) - especially in the early days of testing. (Note: With repeated 'poking', more capillaries form in the test area, so it becomes easier to get samples reliably.)

  4. Once you have the testing area of the ear well warmed, wrap a strip of folded kitchen paper round your index finger then place finger under the sweet spot area of the ear you're testing to support it during the poke.

  5. Use your thumb and middle finger to lightly but firmly grip the ear and paper strip in place so that the edge of the ear is taut but not overstretched; the little bit of tension will make it easier for the lancet to break the skin surface (and it helps to keep kitty's head from moving around too much).

  6. When using a lancet 'freehand, make sure the bevelled side of the lancet is facing upwards. Hold the lancet at a slight angle to the ear similar to the way you hold a pen when writing, not perpendicular (easier to see where you're aiming and also makes skin prick easier).

  7. When it comes to the actual poke, prick the sweet spot on the edge of the ear in a similar way to how you might quickly prick a balloon with the tip of a needle to make it pop. If you aim as close to the edge of the ear as possible you are less likely to hit the marginal ear vein.

  8. When using the glucometer, bring the test strip to where it j-u-s-t comes into contact with the blood droplet and hold it there. The strip should then 'sip up' the amount it needs to run a valid test. Most meters beep or give a visual cue to let you know that enough blood has been collected on the strip.

    If your cat is a wriggler, try collecting the blood sample on the back of your (clean) fingernail and test it from there.

  9. After the test, fold the paper strip over the edge of the ear and apply gentle pressure to the test area for about 20-30 seconds to minimise bruising.

  10. Keep praising your cat throughout the process and reward with a favourite diabetic-friendly treat.
With a bit of time and practice you'll be able to work out a technique and a routine that works best for yourself and Chester.



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Mogs
.
 
Welcome to the best place you wish you never had to find. Sorry you didn’t get any responses last night. You will want to set up a spreadsheet as it’s the best way to keep track of the bg and we look at the spreadsheet to give dosing advice. Someone will give you the directions very soon.
 
I looked at that spread sheet stuff last night and it looks way too complicated for me, sorry. I'm keeping a handwritten notebook.

Thank you SO much for the info on using the lancet! The problem I'm having is that when I click it the needle does not pop out above the cap and I keep having to take the cap off and pull the needle out. It's not sitting down at the bottom like it's supposed to.
 
It would be beneficial to all concerned if you could set one of these up.
FDMB SPREADSHEET INSTRUCTIONS
Seriously having a spread sheet will give you faster help also a signature will keep us from asking the same questions over and over would you mind setting this up as well?
  • Click on Signature. This is where you will put information that helps us give you feedback.
    • There is a limit of two lines which may include two links; you may separate pieces with commas, dashes, | etc. This is where you paste the link for your spreadsheet, once it is set up.
    • Add any other text, such as
    • Caregiver & kitty's name (optional)
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
    • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.

If you have trouble with any of these things please ask. We have very good folks here willing to help.
thank you
jeanne
 
Hi again, Dawn.

Glad the freehanding tips were helpful to you. :) It took me a long time to try the freehanding method but I was glad I did because it made getting blood samples much easier.

Dawn Dulle said:
I looked at that spread sheet stuff last night and it looks way too complicated for me, sorry. I'm keeping a handwritten notebook.
Click to expand...
I can understand how intimidating the spreadsheet looks at first viewing - especially with all the colours - but, as Elise says above, once it's set up all that you need to do is fill in the boxes. All that colour coding will then happen automatically without you needing to do anything else. :)

I recognise that it can be a tad overwhelming for new members like yourself to suddenly get bombarded with requests to set up a spreadsheet for recording of your insulin doses and BG readings, but we ask this so that we can help you better. While the insulins we use are few, each kitty will have its own style of response and the spreadsheet is set out in a way that makes it easier for you and anyone helping you to understand how Chester is using his insulin. This in turn will enable members responding to your posts to make more helpful suggestions geared specifically to Chester's needs.

Here's a helpful link which gives additional information:

Understanding the spreadsheet grid

I hope the above helps make the spreadsheet look much less complicated. I promise you it's really easy to use, and there's plenty of help available for set-up if you need it. :)


Mogs
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I would have major problems figuring out a spreadsheet. I'm dyslectic. Numbers and lines confound me. But I also know there a good people here to do it for me. If you are interested please let us know. In a blink of an eye it can be set up.

Oh and I dont have a spread sheet because my diabetic kitty passed away before they were brought to this forum.
 
Ok, sorry, I'm a little confused. Are all the Friskies brands on here ok for diabetic cats or do you have to read all the percentages and figure out which ones are ok?
 
Dawn Dulle said:
Ok, sorry, I'm a little confused. Are all the Friskies brands on here ok for diabetic cats or do you have to read all the percentages and figure out which ones are ok?
Click to expand...
Here's the link to the sortable version of Dr. Lisa's food chart:

2017 Dr Pierson's Sortable Food Chart

Once you've opened the link:

1. Click on COMPANY in the column headers.

2. In the spreadsheet menu click on Data.

3. From the drop-down list, select Sort Sheet by Column A, A-->Z.

This will sort the list so that all Friskies varieties will appear together. Scroll down the list to find them.

* General feeding - Low Carb: Any Friskies variety under 10% carbs.

* Hypo Toolkit additions - Medium Carb: Varieties from 10-15% carbs.

* Hypo Toolkit additions - High Carb: Varieties >15% carbs. (Note: A couple of cans around the 20% mark are good additions.)


Mogs
.
 
Yes, there are values, but IDK what the values mean. IDK which flavor I can feed or not. The list is not just for diabetic cats, I presume, b/c it has gravy brands on it, so that's where I'm confused. What values am I looking for? IDK what "hypo toolkit" means either.
 
Hi Dawn,

Per my previous post, for day-to-day feeding you need to select foods from the list that are under 10% carbs (see the headers at the top of the columns in the list to see which one has the carb % values).

You also need to keep a few cans in the house of medium and high carb foods (see my previous post for the carb % of these foods). Medium and high carb foods are used to raise BG levels if a diabetic kitty's running low (see Jeanne's link to the hypo toolbox above for further information). Should it ever happen that Chester did get into low numbers you can post here for help and members assisting you will be able to guide you through when to feed medium or high carb food to bring BG back up to safe levels. Also, if you haven't already done so please read and familiarise yourself with the following document:

How to Treat Hypos

It's a good idea to print out a copy of the above document and leave it somewhere where you can easily grab hold of it if ever it's needed.


Mogs
.
 
Thank you, yes, I did read it and I have had 3 previous diabetic animals and always pulled them out of hypo situations with just Karo syrup. And I do have lots of other high-carb foods here that my other cats eat, so I am good on that.
 
Hi, everyone! I just wanted to thank you all for your invaluable help!! Chester is now on Day 15 without insulin! I understand that he might be considered in remission now. Is that correct? And, if so, how often should I test him from here on out?
 
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