New to all of this...

[its_grace]

Hi there! I'm 2 days fresh into this world & it is A LOT. I joined the Facebook group that you guys have & have gotten some phenomenal advice. What I'm wondering is, my boy has had 2 Vetsulin injections so far but I'm being told to test out switching his diet first to see what type of changes that makes. Would it be ok, even after giving 2 injections, to stop them & just see how he does on appropriate canned wet food for a week or two? Or, since I've already started the injections, is it not recommended to stop & then probably start again?
Backstory: He's a 12 1/2 years old indoor only cat who now weighs 8lbs (down from 11lbs), no other health issues- vet said kidney & thyroid is fine & his heart sound good, but started looking skinny, drinking a lot more & becoming VERY vocal, which is what prompted me to schedule an appointment. We went in Tuesday morning for bloodwork (vet couldn't get a urine sample) & they called me back later that afternoon saying that his glucose levels were around 525 & that he was diabetic. We went back yesterday afternoon to pick up insulin, a monitor & testing strips, when we tested his glucose then it was at 540 but that was after eating (I didn't know if I should feed him prior or not, so I did, & a stressful car ride). The tech who was walking through everything with me unfortunately wasn't very knowledgeable at all & I don't feel comfortable reaching out to them for advice. I'm probably going to look for a new vet. Like I said, the Facebook group has been wildly helpful & informative. They were able to get a urine sample from him when we were there yesterday & I'm going to call to see if they have the results yet because I was told to ask about ketones.
When I tested him this morning before feeding & giving his injection he was at 454 (I put away the food I had laying out overnight because I was told he shouldn't eat 2 hours prior to testing).
But, yeah, that's my story! Any advice on stopping (or not) the insulin after a few initial injections to see how much of a change diet alone can make would be greatly appreciated!

 

[FrostD]

Hi there,

Glad to see you over from Facebook!

We do ask to only put a post in one of the subforums. Vetsulin-specific questions would come here, but general diabetes/health stuff would go on Main Forum. As would any emergencies, as that forum gets more traffic.

To echo what others said in main forum - given his level of ketones, no I would not stop insulin. Do the diet change slowly if you can (sometimes they don't give you any other option!).

I know you have the home testing supplies, so -

You have two options:
1. Reduce to the recommended starting dose for cats on low carb wet diet - 0.5U twice a day. Advantage: it gives you a good buffer if the diet change has drastic effects. Disadvantage: if he stays high, it doesn't help the ketone situation

2. Keep the 1U twice a day but test, test, test throughout the diet change. I shared my spreadsheet with you on Facebook,.you can see how quickly things change. Advantage: little bit better for the ketone situation. Disadvantage: have to stay on top of testing to make sure he's safe, and we don't know how cooperative he'll be

Please do get a spreadsheet up and running as soon as you get tests in.

We can be a little more aggressive on dosing if need be given the ketones, but have to balance it with the diet change.