Newbie to forum and FD (intro, food questions, etc)

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ChloesMama

ChloesMama

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Good morning from NYC!

Chloe was my sweet 16 present almost 10 years ago. After peeing all over the place at my parents house after they took in 2 kittens in 2005, they said she had to go. My boyfriend was kind enough to take her in (I already had 2 cats in my apartment), and she has been here since July of 2008. Here we are now, with my boyfriend who never owned a cat in his life, and a newly diagnosed diabetic kitty.

My Chloe girl (10 years old) was just recently diagnosed on Monday 1/18/10. We took her to the vet for frequent urination/drinking. He did a quick strip test to test her urine and the color changed immediately. Blood results the next day showed her level at 593. Started 1 unit of insulin 2x a day, and switched to canned wet food (Chloe was always a picky eater and only ate this silly dry food). The insulin is a small sample bottle, with tape over it that says insulin...so I can't quite see the type of insulin yet. We go back on the 28th 7 hours after an insulin shot to test her numbers again.

I've been reading up on the boards and the site for a few days now, and just have some questions. I had my boyfriend buy a scale for his apartment. The vet said how important is was for her to maintain her weight. She weighed in at a little under 10 lbs last week, but now she's at 10.5. Is that too much of a jump? We feed her half a can of wet food in the morning and half at night. She seems hungry, though, and waits to be fed like she never had before.

Should we be giving the shot before or after she eats? She seems to be more calm after she eats, and has gotten into the routine of going over to her bed, lying down, and waiting for the shot. The last few times I gave it (it's so nerve wracking, gosh), she didn't even jump away.

Also, the vet put her on Hill's Science Diet m/d canned food. I've been reading the food chart and saw how high in CARBS it is! But it's high in fiber, which the vet said she needed. He said if she didn't like this food, to try any food that was a senior diet (which meant it was higher in fiber). He mentioned NOTHING about carbs, which I'm surprised at. The food chart shows other brands (I've been hearing a lot about Wellness), but they aren't as high in fiber as the one I'm giving her now. What's essentially more important? The fiber or the carbs?

Also, I have no clue how to dispose of these syringes! I feel like I should have a sharps container like they have at the doctor's office, but where in the world do I get one of those?

Okay, I'm sorry for the insane bombardment of questions..but you guys seem to have such a wealth of knowledge and I'm feeling very overwhelmed and nervous for my poor cat and don't want to do anything which might hurt her.

Many thanks,
Jess and Chloe confused_cat
 
Welcome Jess!

First things first--please call the vets office this morning and ask what type of insulin they gave you. Then tell them you need a sharps container. My vet provides the container free of charge, but that isn't the norm. You can also clip off the syringe portion into a container with a lid and toss the plastic part in the trash if the sharps container is too expensive.

Second, more and more vets are teaching their patients to test their cats blood before giving a shot. It's the only safe way to give insulin. Here is a collection of links to help you get started: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

Third, M/D as you perceived is much too high in carbs for a diabetic. 10 years is young so don't worry about the fiber for now. My Lucy has eaten Wellness for the past 5 years (she's 20). It's a good food and should additional fiber be needed you can use Miralax sprinkled over the top of the Wellness.

Are you and your BF doing OK with this?
 
Welcome!

Bombardment with questions is the right way to go! Looks like you have already done a lot of reading and learning. Glad you got off the dry food. Unless Chloe has other issues, can't imagine why the fiber would be important? I would go by the carb content; it will help so much with the diabetes. Also, with your budget, if you get off the "prescription" food.

Unregulated kitties are literally starving, so at first you may need to feed more. As the insulin starts to work with her body, she will need less.

You can shoot while she eats - we did that with Oliver and he never noticed! The reason we usually give the insulin near feeding is that some insulins hit hard and we want food on board. Which brings me to my next question - can you call the vet and find out the type of insulin? There are several insulins used by people on this site and they react differently. It will help us to know what kind.

I got a large plastic milk carton and filled it up with the used syringes. When full, I took it to the vet and they disposed of it for me.

We will start pestering you to hometest. It is so important that you know where Chloe's blood glucose is before you give the shot, and how the insulin works in her body. Here is a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8 and my favorite site with info: http://www.sugarcats.net/sites/harry/bgtest.htm

Read and print out stuff you want to reread. Ask lots of questions. We were all in the same place you are and we are just paying it forward.
 
Welcome to the forum Jess. You have come to the right place. We have all been in your shoes. I was so overwhelmed at first. This disease is very manageable. You can do it.

There is so much knowledge here, many many years of experience with feline diabetes. Your are starting out great by gathering as much info as you can.

A couple of the members have a "welcome post" with a lot of information that covers the basic topics. I'm sure they will be here soon to share that with you.

Maybe I can help with a couple of your questions.

As far as the feeding....many of the members free feed their diabetic cats. I do. They often need several small meals a day. They always seem to be hungry. So a diet of the low carb wet food is good. For the management of diabetes, the carbs need to be low, or else the blood sugar will be high.

For the sharps containers, you can buy them along with a case of the syringes. You can go to hock's at the top of this page. Many people get theirs there.

You REALLY need to start to hometest. We can help you with that. All it involves is taking a tiny bit of blood from your kitty's ear and testing it with a human glucometer, just like diabetic people do. At the very minimum you should do it before each insulin shot, so you know if it is safe to shoot.

Once again, welcome! Many others will be here soon.

Edited to add: Looks like 3 of us were responding at the same time...I hope I don't sound like a broken record. :-D
 
ChloesMama said:
The insulin is a small sample bottle, with tape over it that says insulin...so I can't quite see the type of insulin yet.
Click to expand...

Call the vet and ask what insulin was prescribed. It's important to know what insulin your cat is one. Some insulins are better choices for cats than others.

Are your insulin syringes U40 or U100? It will say so right on the syringe barrel or the packaging.

ChloesMama said:
Should we be giving the shot before or after she eats? She seems to be more calm after she eats, and has gotten into the routine of going over to her bed, lying down, and waiting for the shot. The last few times I gave it (it's so nerve wracking, gosh), she didn't even jump away.
Click to expand...

It depends on the insulin. With some insulins you need to feed some food before giving the insulin. The food will sort of soften the effect of the isulin. With gentler insulins, such as Lantus, it doesn't matter if your cat eats first or not.

ChloesMama said:
Also, the vet put her on Hill's Science Diet m/d canned food. I've been reading the food chart and saw how high in CARBS it is! But it's high in fiber, which the vet said she needed. He said if she didn't like this food, to try any food that was a senior diet (which meant it was higher in fiber). He mentioned NOTHING about carbs, which I'm surprised at. The food chart shows other brands (I've been hearing a lot about Wellness), but they aren't as high in fiber as the one I'm giving her now. What's essentially more important? The fiber or the carbs?
Click to expand...

There's nothing in prescription food that will help your cat. At least your vet was right in giving you canned instead of dry food. Take look at the ingredient list. It's a bunch of low quality ingredients and the food costs a lot. Here's an article that discusses why prscription foods are pretty much useless for most health issues: http://content.theamericandogmag.com/in ... n&Itemid=9

http://www.catinfo.org has more info on proper nutrition for cats.

Carbs are more important at the moment than fiber. Feed a high carb diet and the blood glucose levels will remain high despite insulin, and the pancreas will continue to be stressed out to the max, and it becomes harder to well regulate the diabetes. A low carb diet is best. Most people here feed canned food. Others feed a mix of canned and RAW. Others feed only RAW.

Wellness is a good low carb choice. Be sure to choose the grain-free ones. They have a little yellow "grain free" triangle on the cans. The CORE varieties are also good. There are lots of other low carb brands of canned food that you can feed.

ChloesMama said:
Also, I have no clue how to dispose of these syringes! I feel like I should have a sharps container like they have at the doctor's office, but where in the world do I get one of those?
Click to expand...
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Most pharmacies sell quart sized Sharps containers over the counter. Ask your pharmacist if you don't see any. You can also buy online from pharmacies such as Hocks.com
 
It sounds like you are enough since the cat is gaining weight. If you do not want the weight increase you might want to decrease the amount a little.

Regarding syringe disposal,it all depends upon where you live. Try looking at the website for your jurisdiction. For me, all I have to do is to put the syringes in a leakproof, unbreakable container. When it is full I just tape it shut and put it in the regular trash. My locality disposes of trash by incinerating is a co-generation plant.
 
The Fiber recommendation is "old school" Vets only get a few hours of training in school about diabetes, and then it is covering treatment in all animals - not just cats.

LOW Carbohydrates are the most important factor as far as nutrients go for diabetic cats.

Also, NO dry food is good for cats - cats need the moisture from canned or raw food.

Pet food manufacturers load the food with grains because it is cheap and easy. Not because it is the most appropriate food for the critter.
 
You all are so wonderful for responding this quickly. Thank you, thank you!

We called the vet. She is on Pro Zinc Insulin...which I'm guessing is the PZI insulin. They said to give her the shot while she's eating or right after. Chloe seems to just to her bed for the shot after she eats, so I think we'll stick with that routine.

My bf and I are both vegetarians, so buying raw meat and trying to prepare and give it to her kind of makes my stomach turn. I will look into finding Wellness food at this local pet food store (Petsmart doesn't have it, I practically live in that store).

I'm also looking at the different types of glucometers. Money is KIND of tight for me, so I don't want to get an insanely expensive one (looking at www.cvs.com right now). I guess when I go to the store and read the boxes, I'll see the size of the drop of blood the machine requires, yes? I think that's an important part of me deciding which type to get. The smaller the amount of blood needed the better, or so I've been reading.

So, essentially, she should be pricked TWICE every time she gets insulin? So pricked in the morning before shot and at night before shot? Her poor ear is going to get so sore...

Also, I MIGHT be noticing a bit of neuropathy (or it's just me freaking out about everything, but I'm pretty sure her gait is a bit off). Once she's more regulated, this should fade away, yes? Or will she need that special kind of b12 vitamin?

She just seems so hungry. The doctor said how important it was for her to maintain her weight. The 1/2 can in the morning and then at night has made her gain almost half a pound. We did weigh her after she ate, though, so maybe that affected things.

We're doing the best we can over here. We found out Chloe's news on Monday, and I found out yesterday I have to have sinus surgery in a month. Pretty overwhelmed...but trying to deal. Thank you for all the advice and support :)
 
You are doing great. PZI is good gentle insulin. Yes, we want you to test before each shot to see that it is safe to give insulin and in what dosage. To help figure out that dosage, and where the insulin takes her blood sugar, you need to also take a test around 5-7 hours after she has the shot. You are looking for her nadir - or the lowest point the insulin takes her during the cycle. That helps you determine whether the dose is right or whether it is taking her too low or if it isn't making a big enough difference. Their ears get used to the pokes. And you can use neosporin in the beginning to lessen the bruising. And we figure it is a lot less painful than a hypo!

Lots of people here use the ReliOn from Walmart. It is the cheapest and has the cheapest strips. Sometimes you can get a meter for free at the drug store, but it is the strips that are expensive. We got a free Precision Xtra which we loved, and we ordered strips on ebay which were not expensive. You can get a free newbie kit from Cindy and Mousie (on the stickies at the top of the page) but it will take a few days.

Here's some info on neuropathy: http://www.felinediabetes.com/weak-back-rear-legs.htm Neuropathy

You are doing great. You can't learn everything today. You can do this; we will help!
 
ChloesMama said:
Good morning from NYC!
She weighed in at a little under 10 lbs last week, but now she's at 10.5. Is that too much of a jump?
Click to expand...

When the vet said 'maintain weight', s/he probably meant not to LOSE a lot of weight.

Many un-regulated diabetics lose a lot of weight 'til they are too thin.
 
Chloes Mama,
We also use Prozinc and here is a bit of information I can share:

Prozinc is a brand new, FDA approved, PZI type insulin that was released around Thanksgiving 2009. It is only for cats.
It is mass manufactured, very stable (I've dropped it 2x), and is suppose to be ok to use until empty in most cases ( too new for me to tell on that).
Dose is supposed to be very similar to other PZI products, with a slow steady long nadir and a 12-24 hr duration. They say most cats need 12 dosing.
I think the web site is prozinc.com and they have some great info and videos for newbies which might help you.

Best of luck!

For the sharps container, prozinc has a "starter kit" that includes info, needles and a sharps container. Ask your vet.
In the meantime, I've used a metal or super thick plastic coffee can cat_pet_icon
 
Also about the food, I think you said she was used to dry food before, and now you feed canned only. The canned IS better for your kitty now, as you have learned.

I'm pretty sure dry food has a higher calorie count ( no water) so she may require a bit more canned food quantity than you are used to feeding when she had dry food. You may want to give her 3-4 meals per day.
 
IF your vet won't take the sharps, you can get a needle clipper. They have it at Hocks.com, which is also a great source of syringes and testing supplies. The small, cheap device clips off the needle and stores it inside. You can then throw away the rest of the syringe. http://hocks.com/hocks-healthcare/hocks ... 83796.html

If money is a problem, you can get a free meter. Near the top of the list of posts is one called "Request a Starter Hometesting Kit". Look there.
 
I can't do this, I really can't. I've been semi okay with giving the shots. The BF just tried twice and couldn't..got frustrated and nervous and left me in the bedroom with her. I tried a few times..but I can't get the force needed to prick the skin. I get shaky and weirded out and now she's growling, she even hissed and almost bit me. She's never, in 10 years, growled at me.

My face is burning hot and I'm just at a loss. The dr. said the skin is paper thin and that's just BS. I can't seem to penetrate the skin on the first try. I've tried pinching the skin to try and numb the nerves around it..still growling. She just ate a bit more and is back on the bed with me. I'm very close to tears. How am I supposed to do this twice a day for her whole life???
 
It gets much easier. Fast. We've had the occasional person who couldn't get a test for love or money in the morning, but a situation developed that required frequent testing that day, and by evening the person was getting every test easily. Usually things aren't that dramatic, but my point is that the testing goes from "impossible" to "easy" faster than you would dream possible.

Are you using a lancet device or are you freehanding the lancet (without a device). I am guessing from what you say that maybe a device will be easier for you at the beginning. Set it at a high number. Cats' ears aren't very sensitive at all, and in any case, getting a test with one deeper prick hurts less than doing a number of too-shallow pricks.

I find that I have the best success when I set the device on the deepest setting (highest number) and then swoop in, prick, and get out all in one motion. (I am close to retirement age, and neither the steadiness of my hands nor the keenness of my vision would win any prizes, but even so, this routine is quite doable for me. I find that if I try to get the device lined up just right before I hit the "prick" button, it doesn't work. Fast in and out works better.)

Keep trying. Don't be afraid to poke hard or set the device as if for callused fingers, in human terms. The prick will hardly hurt your kitty at all, but your anxiety or taking too much time over the whole thing could indeed annoy the cat no end.
 
Chloes Mom,

Where are you trying to give her the shot? The scruff (the back of the gead/neck) seems to have the most loose skin and my Webber doesn't even feel it when I shoot him there.

ETA (edited to add): maybe I misunderstood. Are you trying to test CHloe or give her the shot of insulin?
 
Megans Mom, thanks for the advice, but I wasn't even testing her.. I was trying to give her the insulin. She was just diagnosed this week and I'm learning about glucometers now. I'm going to go to the pharmacy tomorrow to get one.

If I'm having such a hard time with the actual insulin shot, I have no idea how this ear pricking is going to go. I let her sit for a few minutes after her growling episode, she ate a bit more, then jumped on the bed beside me. She laid on her side, I pinched the skin to numb it, and just went in with the needle. Got it..and she didn't even move. She was so annoyed at me trying to give the shot 15 minutes before, and then barely twitched when I did it. What gives? Sigh. At least she has the insulin now.

I think I'm going to go with the CVS brand TrueTrack glucometer, then order additional test strips from overstockdrugstore.com. I also found out that a local pet food store has both EVO and Wellness canned cat food. Going there tomorrow as well :)

My head is throbbing from this ordeal before. Tylenol time for Mama.

Edit: Paige - - I'm giving her the shot kinda on her side. I'm trying to alternate spots and sides, so she doesn't develop granulomas. I've read that giving insulin shots in the scruff of the neck isn't ideal because the blood flow there isn't as good as other parts of the body, so the insulin doesn't get spread through the blood stream. I keep seeing people using this tenting technique, but Chloe's fur is kind of thick and stuff, and I don't feel comfortable doing that unless I see the skin. I don't want a "fur shot," as I keep reading about. My dr. spread the hair away from her skin, told me to hold the syringe like a dart or pencil, and just go in fast and dispense the insulin. Easier said than done, doc. Hmph.
 
Yes I have read that about the scruff as well. But until you feel more comfortable giving the shots you may want to try the scruff a couple of times. Most of us have used that location as well when rotating. I find that my Webber does feel it a little more when I shoot on his side, but I have had two weeks to get used to it. Yes, the tenting technique is the way you want to go, but you want to insert the syringe sort of at a 45 degree angle to the skin or a little more parallel. You don't want to insert the syringe straight down like a dart (sorry I may have misunderstood that description about the dart :? ) What you want to do it get the insulin under the skin and not into the muscle. I am sure you have heard all this before but I just want to tell you again just in case you were not told. Did you watch the video link that someone posted earlier? It really helped me. My Webber has long hair and at first I trimmed some of his hair short so that I could see where his skin was.

I promise you it will get easier. I was a basket case the first time I had to give Webber his shot.
 
It's frustrating because the vet said nothing about being parallel, or tenting or getting it in the muscle. He just told me how to hold it, let me try once with water, and that was it. He told me to hold it like a dart of pencil, and just go in with it into her side. I mean, the guy has been a vet for almost 40 years, but after all I've been reading...I'm really starting to doubt his technique. And the fact that he gave me m/d Science Diet which has lots of carbs in it. Come on, now, I'm a librarian...didn't he think I'd do my research?

Basketcase doesn't even cover how my BF and I just were. He looked ready to explode and just left the room. After two failed attempts my face was beet red and hot. Oy vey.
 
Hi Jess,

I'm in Brooklyn, a former West Villager, and I don't like the advice you are getting from your vet. I am sending you a private message with my phone number if you would like to talk. I'll be home all day today (Sunday) and until noon tomorrow.

Gia & Quirk (GA)

Guilt trips are a detour from life
 
The Prozinc web site has very good videos on the shot technique. You really should check it out right away.

the website is prozinc.us

You may have had trouble last night because it sounds like you poked him a few times with the same needle. If you look at a used needle under a microscope it gets messed up after one stick. I've noticed that the second stick with the same needle goes in MUCH harder than the first. After 2 sticks you need to toss the needle and start over with a new one. It has something on the outside also that helps it slide in easily. this is gone on stick #2

We all have been through the needle anxiety... and we all got through it.. you love your cat and you CAN do this :-D
 
If you need someone from the FDMB to come to meet you to help you learn injections and testing in person, there are probably people in your area that could help. Try starting a new post asking for help in your area, of course you need to give a general idea where that is, and then PM private message the details if you decide you need to proceed with someone.
 
Slowly but surely I'm learning. Funnily enough, I went to the speciality pet food store and met a woman who has a diabetic kitty. She's also a nurse and we chatted about foods and testing and she gave me her phone number. She said she wouldn't mind showing me good injection techniques and how to test. And Gia is also from my area and reached out to me in a private message. You're all so wonderful and supportive, it's truly amazing. That's 2 women in one day who let me know that if I need help, they would be there. I want time to pass so that I can do the same for another newbie.

We came BACK home to check Consumer Reports on glucometers and have decided on the OneTouch Ultra Mini. We will get refills from Hocks, to support this site.


The woman in the pet store said that her cat suffered from ketoacidosis (I think that's right? too little carbs?) and pancreatitis. Apparently, the EVO 95% venison and the Wellness had too much fat and her cat developed pancreatitis from it. And she wasn't getting enough carbs. I got a few cans of Wellness (no grain) and left the EVO behind. She even knew about this site! And Janet and Binky's food list, haha. She got me worried about buying Wellness and EVO, though, but I guess what happened to her cat won't necessarily happen to Chloe. She said some types of Fancy Feast are okay, like roasted chicken flavoring. I just want to get Chloe off the Science Diet m/d ASAP, and maybe increase her to a can and a half a day instead of 1 can. The food says 1 can for 6-8 lb cats and she's 10.5 lbs.

It's all so much to take in. Oy.
 
ChloesMama said:
I'm giving her the shot kinda on her side. I'm trying to alternate spots and sides, so she doesn't develop granulomas. I've read that giving insulin shots in the scruff of the neck isn't ideal because the blood flow there isn't as good as other parts of the body, so the insulin doesn't get spread through the blood stream. I keep seeing people using this tenting technique, but Chloe's fur is kind of thick and stuff, and I don't feel comfortable doing that unless I see the skin. I don't want a "fur shot," as I keep reading about. My dr. spread the hair away from her skin, told me to hold the syringe like a dart or pencil, and just go in fast and dispense the insulin. Easier said than done, doc. Hmph.
Click to expand...
I shot Maggie for YEARS in the scruff with no problems. No pinching - just tent and shoot.

Maybe the needles the vet gave you are too thick - that might cause some discomfort. What gauge insulin needles are you using? The gauge is the thickness of the needle: the higher the gauge number, the thinner the needle. Common gauges range from 28 to 31.
 
Let's see...the bag of syringes the vet gave me say they're 1/2cc syringes for U-40 insulin. 1/2" needle 29 gauge.

I think I'm going to try tenting the extra skin on her side and injecting that way. I'm trying to get my BF to do it a bit more since she lives with him, but he's very nervous.
 
I'm decidedly not an expert, so if somebody contradicts me, they're probably right.

That said, I'm pretty sure that ketoacidosis doesn't come primarily from too low carbs. A few kitties develop ketones on ultra-low carbs and do better with very slightly higher carbs, but that's still within a context of pretty low-carb food. Some combination of insufficient food, insufficient insulin, or presence of an infection is the usual reason ketoacidosis develops.

In cats, fat in the food doesn't necessarily cause pancreatitis. Some cats are sensitive to dietary fat (I have one), but most aren't (I have one of those also). I feed Wellness to the one that isn't fat-sensitive, and he is doing beautifully. Even mine that is fat-sensitive just vomits from too-fat food; she hasn't developed pancreatitis.
 
"Diabetic ketoacidosis is a complication of diabetes that occurs when sugar (glucose) is not available as a fuel source by the body and fat is used instead. Byproducts of fat breakdown, called ketones, build up in the body." See the following for more info:
https://health.google.com/health/ref/Di ... toacidosis
Jean and Megan said:
I'm decidedly not an expert, so if somebody contradicts me, they're probably right.

That said, I'm pretty sure that ketoacidosis doesn't come primarily from too low carbs. A few kitties develop ketones on ultra-low carbs and do better with very slightly higher carbs, but that's still within a context of pretty low-carb food. Some combination of insufficient food, insufficient insulin, or presence of an infection is the usual reason ketoacidosis develops.

In cats, fat in the food doesn't necessarily cause pancreatitis. Some cats are sensitive to dietary fat (I have one), but most aren't (I have one of those also). I feed Wellness to the one that isn't fat-sensitive, and he is doing beautifully. Even mine that is fat-sensitive just vomits from too-fat food; she hasn't developed pancreatitis.
Click to expand...
 
It takes at least two of three factors for DKA to develop' not enough food, not enough insulin, an underlying infection. No one of these factors alone can cause DKA.
 
This is another idea that you might find useful since you and your bf are both involved in her care. It might prevent an accidental overdose one day if you are both sometimes giving the injections.

Every time I open a new bag of syringes, I take a sharpie and write S, M,T,W,Th, F, SA on the caps (x 2 obviously). If I goof up a needle, drop it, etc, then I take a new one from the last day in the bag. Its not foolproof, but it has been helpful in a busy life, or when you have a pet sitter, or 2 caregivers. It might stop you from accidentally both giving the injection, or knowing it was forgotten.

This is going to sound unbelievable to you right now, but there have been times i question myself if I already did the shot that day
:oops:
 
Thanks for the DKA info. The woman in the pet store made me nervous about giving her wet food that was TOO low in carbs.

I'm noticing that Chloe is barely drinking her water. Is this because she's getting the majority of her water from the wet food? Or is this, perhaps, a complication of some sort?

BF is going to feed her now (going to try the Wellness food and increase it just a bit, to 3/4 of a can, because she seems to be really hungry), then attempt the shot.

That is a good idea, Nancy, thank you! The BF and I don't live together, but do work together and are basically with each other all the time. I think we're okay on giving shots and such, but I also bought a notebook today to keep track of everything. I've seen everyone adding spreadsheets to their info, which I guess I'll start once I get the Glucometer tomorrow (family stuff came up and I couldn't get back to CVS today). Trying to figure out what all of the abbreviations mean on the spreadsheets is a little hard, but I think I kind of have it down :)
 
The lack of drinking water is most likely due to the switch to wet food. None of my four kitties ever drink out of their water bowls anymore. Especially since I add additional water to the cans too. It is normal, cats thirst response is not very strong anyway. But it is good to still leave out fresh water every day for those times CHloe may get thirsty.
 
It also might be that her bg is coming down, so she isn't spilling as much excess glucose from her kidneys, so she's not as thirsty. When you start to test you will know a lot more. Please get that meter....

The spread sheet on FDMB is really, really helpful and I encourage you to get it started ASAP.

The colors at the top are just a quick visual of the range of numbers ( ie all numbers in the 200's are yellow) These automatically turn the proper color when you enter them.
The first column is date, second is AMPS (or AM preshot BG reading), the +1---+12 are the number of hours post shot. This helps you see trends, and find the nadir or peak of insulin activity. The next is PM preshot (PMPS) and the very last column is for notes, which really help you understand why you might see a strange BG reading ( ie kitty had eye infection today)

I managed to figure it out using the info in the tech forum, and I know you are probably a lot more tech savvy than I am! :-D
 
Oh, and U stands for the number of units you administered.

Last night when you had so much trouble piercing her skin, you probably had damaged the tip of the needle without even knowing it. They are so delicate, even inserting it in the bottle more than once will dull it.

I try to be very careful not to touch the needle to anything so I don't contaminate the insulin from germs on anything it touches, and so I don't dull the needle.

How did it go tonight? :?:
 
It took Peter awhile to psych himself up to do it...he had to leave the room twice, then come back in. Switching to Wellness went okay, she ate most of it. She got the shot finally, which is good too. Ever since she was diagnosed on Monday, I've only slept at my house once. I miss my bed... sigh. I'll be staying here again tonight, and tomorrow morning on way home, will get the meter. We're both librarians and have different shifts every day, so tomorrow I'm 12:15-8:15 and Peter is 10-6, so he will give the am shot, then I'll test glucose (or try to) at night and give the pm shot. We're just going to have to alternate all the time, because of our schedules. But when I have my surgery in February, he's going to have to do it all the time, as I can't leave my house.

It's one thing to see people using the tenting technique in a video, but it'd be another to see someone do it ON Chloe. We're so nervous to try that way.

Will start spreadsheet tomorrow, I promise. Thanks for all the explanations :)
 
I just wanted to say that it is perfectly okay to shoot in the scruff. You might find conflicting information on this but there are a lot of cats on this forum through the years that have shot that way with no long term problems.

I have shot Tigger that way for close to seven years. Just pull up some skin and shoot parallel to the body into the tent. Rotate from right, middle to left side of the scruff for each shot (the area between the shoulders).

We have a vet tech on the forum who shot her cat in the scruff for over ten years, no problems.

My Tigger would not tolerate shooting in the sides at all. Some people are able to do it that way as well as the flank but Tigger would have a fit if I tried that. Like a lot of people we shoot him while he is eating.

So if the scruff is easier than give it a try. You will get there. It does get easier, believe me.
 
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