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RUSH156

RUSH156

Member Since 2021
Hi all,

We just got back from the vet a few hours ago with a diagnosis of diabetes for our 10 yr old Bingley, who also was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism 6 mo ago. :( We have 4 total kitties, one of which also has heartworm.

Just starting to learn about all of this diabetes disease but his glucose levels are in the 500 range. We brought home Purina Pro Plan DM wet food from the vet and are supposed to start 1 unit prozinc 2x day starting tonight. Was not even aware that testing at home was an option until reading through this thread.

Husband has to leave for a work trip for 3 weeks so it will just be me trying to figure out the shots with the scardiest-scardy cat ever. Any tips/links from you pros out there on giving shots would be appreciated. Wish us luck. Bingley and I will both have to get over our fear of needles quickly.
 
Where are you from?
I'd advise you to wait shooting until you get a meter. Human meter is fine, choose the one with the cheapest strips.
I'll tag @Deb & Wink she'll advise you how to go from here.

Thankfully the needles is tiny, Bingley won't even feel it :D
 
@SashaV Thanks for the advice. I was just reading up on the meters! About to head out and try and grab one from the local store.

We are from the US - Ohio.

I sure hope he won't feel it! He's seriously skittish - he barely tolerates being brushed, hates having his paws handled & even loud noises - opening a can of sparkling water scares him! So I'm fearful that shots will prove a big challenge. I am hopeful after reading the tips from others about how their cats adjusted though.
 
RUSH156 said:
@SashaV Thanks for the advice. I was just reading up on the meters! About to head out and try and grab one from the local store.

We are from the US - Ohio.

I sure hope he won't feel it! He's seriously skittish - he barely tolerates being brushed, hates having his paws handled & even loud noises - opening a can of sparkling water scares him! So I'm fearful that shots will prove a big challenge. I am hopeful after reading the tips from others about how their cats adjusted though.
Click to expand...
Have you considered a feliway diffuser? It might help getting him more comfortable.
 
How are you treating Bingley's hyperthyroidism (aka Hyper-T)?
Usually it's a pill you have to give or there is a transdermal gel you put on the ears.

I'm asking, because some of the same tricks and methods you use to give Bingley his Hyper-T meds could work for the insulin shots and home testing.

Start slow, one step at a time, and get him more used to being handled and touched.

Have you ever used "clicker" training, to associate a yummy treat reward with touching or brushing your cat? You don't even have to buy a special clicker, a pen that clicks works too. Shelters use clicker training for shy cats too, it's not just for dogs.

So something like click, treat. Click, touch, treat. Click, touch, touch, treat. Jackson Galaxy has been teaching cat shelters how to use this method for a while. You can search for some of his videos on how to do this. It's not only for teaching your cat how to do tricks, but how to get comfortable with being around humans and being groomed and having their nails trimmed and lots of other stuff.

There are a lot of useful threads in the Health Links / FAQs about Feline Diabetes forum.
Be sure to check out the "Sticky" or pinned posts at the top of the Prozinc / PZI forum also.

p.s. Jane Austen fan? Bingley is one of the main characters in Pride and Prejudice.
 
@SashaV We've tried the Feliway before and it didn't really seem to have an effect on him. It might be worth another shot at this point though.

@Sienne and Gabby (GA) Oh are you in Ohio too? What part? We're a bit south of Cleveland. We ended up getting one of those Relion meters you mentioned.

@Deb & Wink Yes, he's had the pill for the thyroid issue. We've actually just been hiding it in the Greenies pill pockets (half of one each time) and he loves them. Our vet said they were doing a trial for an insulin that came in a pill form (which would have been super easy to administer for us) but they are no longer doing it.

I haven't tried clicker training yet, but will look into it. The vet said not to really give treats though...any recommendations for diabetes friendly treats?

Thank you for the support! Cannot express how much it means.

PS. Yes, definitely was inspired by Pride & Prejudice! I always thought that Bingley from the book/movie a very handsome but a bit fluffy....just like Bingley our cat :D
 
Greenies are very high carbs
Any freeze dried treats are low in carbs. Just Google freeze dried treats

26 or 28 gauge lancets are best to start with
Do you have syringes with half unit markings? We increase or decrease by 0.25 units
If not you can order them after using what you have
It just makes it easier using syringes with half unit markings



Cotton rounds to hold behind the ear in case you poke your finger, then hold it on the ear
and press gently to stop the bleeding about 15-20 seconds

Testing Bingsley is the only way to keep him safe
Withhold food 2 hours prior to testing, you don't want his BG to food infuenced
Test AMPS( AM Pre shot). and PMPS ( PM Pre shot)
Also test a few times during each cycle

@+2. Means 2 hours after insulin
@+3. 3 hours after giving insulin
@+4. 4 hours after giving
And so on until you get to PMPS
Test like above
You want to vary your test times to see how the insulin is working

We have a spreadsheet we all use to enter our cats BG on
You can look at mine to get an idea , it's at the end of everyone's post
Mine says Tyler's spreadsheet

I will give you the link when you are ready to set it up, if you have a problem we have 2 members that will do it for you, just ask.
If you ever need help with dosing or your cats BG goes to low we need to take a look at the spreadsheet
 
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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
 
Here is a list of other low carb food to try
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdfpd

What was Bingley eating before the DM?

If Bingley ever tires of the Purina pro plan here is a link above
There is nothing special about prescription foods, plus it's expensive
I don't know what the carb % is for the pro plan

Most of us feed Fancy Feast Classic Pates
They are either 2 or 3% carbs
Or Friskies Pate
 
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I know this sounds overwhelming but you will get the knack .
Just keep asking all the questions you want
You couldn't have found a better group to join
There are so many experienced members here , that helped me to get Tyler in remission with all the advice given to me
 
I'm in Columbus -- a little to far to be of hands on help.

This post has many of the links Diane provided. The info is in one place so it's convenient.

With regard to food, many of the Pro Plan foods are low in carbs. Lisa Pierson, DVM (aka "Dr. Lisa") has a wonderful website on feline nutrition. She also has a link to a chart with the nutritional values of most of the canned foods that are available in the US. It's helpful to be able to point to a site authored by a vet if your vet gives you a hard time about how necessary it is to feed your cat a prescription diabetic food. You want to use a food that is less than 10% carbohydrate. Most of the members feed their cat in the 5% range. You also want to have some cans of medium carb (10 - 15%) food and high carb (over 15%) if you need to steer low numbers.
 
Prior to this, Bingley was eating Purina one Sensitive Stomach & Skin (dry). But honestly he changes foods fairly often because he gets sick of everything after a few bags. He was a free feed baby.

He likes the wet food but mostly licks out the juice and only eats 1/2 of can or less, and then still tells me he is starving. We are trying to switch him to just one meal morning & night per vets recommendation but that means switching my other girl cat as well and neither of them are having it (did not get any sleep last night thanks to their antics until we finally caved and gave them a small amount of dry food.) I am also worried about him not eating enough.

I read the article and switching from dry to wet and will try mixing in a bit of dry food to help him swap over.

I haven't given him any insulin yet because I don't think he hasn't eaten enough of the food. The vet is not open on the weekend, and they originally gave me the option of starting yesterday (Saturday) or starting Monday, and said it's safer to do less insulin than more. I really didn't want to risk a trip to the emergency room. If he eats the whole can of wet food tonight I might consider giving him insulin? Idk if I'd be able to stay up all night monitoring him though (and I would want to check on him). So I think I will try until tomorrow morning and check in with the vet again.

I have tried like 8 times throughout the day to stick his ear and take a BG reading. I warmed his ear up with a towel, and he didn't like that either. Flinched away and cried from the needle! :( Cannot get a drop of blood to come out. I realize after watching the posted video that the needle is probably too small. It is a 32 gauge.

This is so stressful and overwhelming. I love this sweet boy so much and while it looks super easy on the videos it is just not working for me. And we haven't even gotten to the insulin yet.
 
I would go buy the 26 or 28 gauge lancets
We all feed our cats multiple times per day, the bigger meals first thing in the morning after you test their AMPS BG. Then smaller meals , maybe about 2-3 tablespoons during each 12 hour cycle up to @+6 or @+7
Just withhold food two hours before testing AMPS and PMPS
You don't have to withhold food while testing during the cycles

What does he weigh, has he lost weight
What would his ideal weight

A good rule of thumb is ideal weight times 20 for daily calorie intake. If he should be 10 pounds he needs to eat at least 200 calories a day. 10x20=200 calories

If he should be 14 pounds he needs to eat at least 280 calories a day
14x20=280 calories

Feeding twice a day is old school

If you cut out dry food altogether that could drop his BG way to low, you have to do it gradually
and have to test him during the cycles
 
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Also you need med and high carb food on hand in case he drops too low and you need to bring his BG up to safe numbers as Sienne mentioned
such as
You can also buy to have in your hypo kit because , Karo wears off quickly

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Beef Feast in Gravy 20% High Carbs



Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Chicken Feast in Gravy. 15% Med Carbs




Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Turkey Feast in Gravy. 15% Med Carbs


Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Chicken and Beef Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Or any other ones that are listed on the food chart we gave you
 
Perfect. Thank you SO MUCH. I can’t express how much I appreciate you all’s assistance and support. @Diane Tyler's Mom

He weighs 13.4 lbs. He has actually gained about a pound (lost weight during the hyper-T diagnosis) but prior to that he weighed about 14.5 lbs. Vet said his weight is good as is tho I think he’s a bit skinny.

I bought the bigger lancets - they should be here Wednesday but I may see if I can get some at a local store after work today.

I do have the fancy feast gravy lovers in my emergency kit - huzzah.
 
RUSH156 said:
Perfect. Thank you SO MUCH. I can’t express how much I appreciate you all’s assistance and support. @Diane Tyler's Mom

He weighs 13.4 lbs. He has actually gained about a pound (lost weight during the hyper-T diagnosis) but prior to that he weighed about 14.5 lbs. Vet said his weight is good as is tho I think he’s a bit skinny.

I bought the bigger lancets - they should be here Wednesday but I may see if I can get some at a local store after work today.

I do have the fancy feast gravy lovers in my emergency kit - huzzah.
Click to expand...
Hi Rachelle, any store should have the 26 or 28 gauge lancets such as Walmart, Walgreen's, any pharmacy. Have a good day
 
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