New to this whole experience...haven't got it right yet

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hot4sci

Member Since 2017
Hi All! My 14yo male cat Rocky was diagnosed with diabetes in May of this year. At that time, we were giving 3u Lantus 2x/day. Fast forward to August and Rocky ended up in the hospital with DKA and a UTI. He was there 6 days while they tried to stabilize him and figure out a new dose. They sent us home giving 1u Lantus once daily. Rocky has always been fed dry food freely. He will not take wet food at all and goes on a hunger strike rather than eat it. He has a water fountain and drinks often.

Lately I've seen a few things that concern me. He's a little slower than usual, even for an older cat. He sleeps a lot, and eats whatever we give him. He even meows for more. He gets about 1 cup a day, but still will not put on weight. Brought him in to vet yesterday. He was 8#. They did a panel to check loads of stuff. No UTI or pancreatitis, but BG was 540 and fructosamine 890. Very high! he also had trace ketones. Vet increased insulin to 1u 2x/day with intentions to recheck in 2 weeks and adjust as needed. He is good with me giving shots, but does not like going to the vet, so insulin curve is out of the question. Vet mentioned possibly self-testing, which I haven't done yet, and wouldn't know what monitor/strips to buy.

I know there are a lot of changes I need to make, but which are most important to start first (besides increase in insulin)? I need the guidance of those of you who have been in my shoes.

Lisa
 
Hello,
Welcome. Others will chime in but I'd say the most important thing right now is home glucose testing. It was the only thing that made me feel at all in control of all of this. I use the Advocate Pet Test meter but the strips are expensive. Many here used the Relion from Walmart. The strips are half the price of mine. I recently did invest in a combo glucose/ketone meter the Nova Max. Those strip are cheper too but I have not yet switched because I have more Pet Test strips. It took us 5 months to get regulated. Hang in there...you will get there. It's also really important to read alot of the old posts here. It and the people here made a huge difference.
Stephanie
 
Oh and once his numbers get in the normal range he *should* start gaining a little weight, my Tigger did and now he's just about back to his original weight.
 
I agree the most important thing now is home testing. The Relion Confirm (Walmart) is a popular meter as it uses a tiny amount of blood. While you’re at the pharmacy, pick up some ketone test strips too. Once you start testing, maybe we can help you get him on a lower carb food. There are a couple of dry foods that are low carb. One is Young Again Zero, and another is Dr Elsys. But first you must be testing, as the lower carb could drop his blood sugars.
 
Most important thing is to start home testing! Also, make sure the food he is eating is low carb. Transitioning to wet is usually possible even for a cat who has never had anything but kibble previously. In the meantime, you will want to get a low carb dry food like Young Again Zero Mature.
 
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