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PipSqueakins

PipSqueakins

Member Since 2015
Hello fellow diabetic kitty lovers. I'm new to this forum and pretty new to the whole world of feline diabetes. My cat, Pippin, (male, 13 years) was diagnosed in April '15. He got up to 7 units of insulin 2x/day until he crashed this past Wed evening with a hypoglycemic event. We rushed him to ER hospital, where his BG was 26. We haven't given him insulin since then and went out and bought a glucose meter, which I've had all kinds of problems with. Will keep trying though! I've switched him to wet food, but he just won't eat it anymore. He's been inside all night and all day and now tonight just sleeping. Gets down to eat but sniffs at it and walks away. Last time I got a reading was Friday at the vet, his BG was 156. Anyway, look forward to learning from all of you and hopefully watching my kitty get better!

Good to meet you!
Valerie
 
Welcome to FDMB.
He needs to eat. Two or more days without eating risks hepatic lipidosis which can be fatal. Making food switches gradually tends to work better than sudden changes. If he's a dry food fanatic, switch slowly by first moving to a lower carb dry food such as Evo Cat and Kitten or Young Again 0 Carb. Then work on the canned food transition again.
 
Yes, he definitely needs to eat! This is actually not a sudden change...been trying to make the switch for a few months, with some success here and there. He's just so finicky - one day he'll eat it, the next he won't. But, after this hypo event, it felt more important to get him off as I don't want him yo-yoing up and down. Last night I saw that characteristic shake to his head that reminded me of his hypo behavior, so I gave him crunchies, which he ate. I'll look for the food you mention and hope he will eat it while I keep trying wet food. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Hi Valerie. Sorry you have a need for this forum.
Have you tried warming the food a little bit?
If you find the glucometer difficult, you can sneak around after poor Pippin and use Keto-Diastix for urine testing. However, I have not always had accurate results with these and they won't help for getting onto hypos quickly. Glad you picked it up and that Pippin is OK.
 
Hello Valerie and Pipsqueakins. Welcome to you both. :)

It can take a little time to get the hang of home testing, but it is the best way to help you keep your kitty safe on insulin. Key tips are to make sure the ear is warmed long enough to improve blood flow to the test area, and also to smear a thin film of Vaseline or Neosporin ointment onto the test area so that the blood droplet will bead up instead of wicking into the fur. Here are a couple of forum stickies to help you improve your testing technique, and also a link to tell you how to set up a Google spreadsheet in which to store your test results. The spreadsheet is an invaluable tool to help you monitor BG patterns and it will help you with both regulation as well as safe dosing. Sharing the spreadsheet will enable experienced members here give you better suggestions when you need help.

Home Testing Hints and Tips (includes how-to videos)

Testing and Shooting Tips (includes a very useful diagram of the ear to show the 'sweet spot' for getting samples more easily.

How to Set Up a Spreadsheet and Link it to Your FDMB Forum Signature

In addition to the spreadsheet link, it is helpful to put both of your names, insulin and glucometer type, plus brief details of any other health issues/medications. Have a look at other members' signatures to get an idea of what to include.

In addition to home blood glucose monitoring, we also recommend using urine test strips to monitor regularly for ketones (e.g. Keto-Diastix). Monitoring of urine glucose levels is very crude, and does not help with gauging whether an insulin dose is safe.



Mogs
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You can find EVO Cat and kitten at some specialty pet stores. Young again zero carb can only be ordered online.They will send you a sample if you request it. Something else you might try is primal freeze dried. You may be able to get samples at pet stores that carry it. My friend's cat that was a dry food junkie liked it, even when rehydrated.
 
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