Welcome Beth and Elmo.
Deep breathes Beth! You have come to the right place for any and all support you need. We have a wonderful community not only well versed in feline diabetes but in most things cat. We can provide tips and tricks for keeping costs down, home testing, switching diets, provide recommendations/opinions about dosing and most importantly, be that "ear" or "shoulder" we all need at times when things just aren't going as we wish they would. It will get easier with time and we will do all we can to help you on this journey.
You are already well on your way to giving Elmo the care he needs and I am happy to hear you have already changed his diet and are home testing. Both are simple yet vital steps toward getting Elmo on the road to better health.
Vetsulin was originally developed for dogs who have a slower metabolism than cats. In most cats Vetsulin only last 8-10 hours of each 12 cycle but some cats do just fine with it, some even going into remission. It also can cause sharp drops in BG and have kitty bouncing from highs to lows and back to highs all in one cycle. There are other insulin options available if need be but before you start thinking about switching perhaps we can get you to set up a spreadsheet to track Elmo's readings. If you could plot in the readings you have taken to date or even for the last month or so, it would give folks here more information to offer suggestions/opinions as to what might be happening with Elmo and how to get him more regulated.
The instructions for the spreadsheet are
HERE and
THIS document explains how to use it. We don't use clock times here but rather deal with shot time (AMPS aka AM pre-shot test and PMPS aka PM pre-shot test) and how many hours post shot for other readings because we have members all over the planet in different time zones.
You can also set up a Signature (the lighter grey text at the bottom of my post) containing information about you and Elmo. You can include info like Elmo's date of diagnosis, age, diet, other health issues (hyperthyroid), type of insulin, dose of insulin and the meter you are using (AlphaTrak) and your location so if you need any product recommendations, they are appropriate for you. When you get the spreadsheet set up you can add the link for it into your signature so folks here can view it whenever you need some suggestions/opinions of what's happening or what to do. Having this info readily available keeps us from continually asking you the same questions and ensures you get pertinent advice in a timely fashion.
To set up a signature, just hover your mouse over your user name in the upper right corner of the screen. A menu will appear and you click on "Signature" in the left column. A text box will open where you can type in the information you choose to share. The signature only allows for 3 lines of text so we separate different bits with a "/" or "|". If you have any problems with either the spreadsheet or signature just holler and we'll help you out. I know this is a lot of "homework", but it really will set you up to get the most out of what this forum has to offer.
Last but certainly not least, I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your 19yr. old fur baby. I have an 18yr old myself and I know how precious these creatures are especially when we have shared so much time with them.
