Newly diagnosed and full of questions

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lrteach

Member Since 2013
Good morning,
My cat, Mittsy, is a 12 yr. old indoor Tuxedo recently diagnosed with diabetes. I didn't know about this site until we started on this journey so I have probably made some errors according to what I've read here . She was diagnosed through a simple blood test, the vet had me start her on the prescription dry food but also sent along the prescription wet food if she didn't like the dry. She wasn't a fan of the dry but ate it, she ate the wet since all I've had her on previously was dry with wet as an occassional treat. But no longer likes the wet prescription food either.
We did the food bit for 2 weeks to see if it made any difference, brought her back, rechecked her blood sugar and it was still high - 355. This past weekend I started her on insulin named Humulin N, 2 units 2xday. That is going OK but I'm not sure how I know if it's making a difference yet - 2 days of injections.
Based on the posts and the videos at this site, I have purchased the glucose meter/strips/lancets/antibiotic cream. Not the ketone strips because I don't know where I'm looking in Walmart to find them. They weren't with the diabetic supplies. Anyway, I'm not opposed to testing her blood sugar numbers.
Here is where I really need advice. I work full-time and I'm not sure how to keep this routine going at a uniform pace for Mittsy. How often do I check her blood sugar? Do I check it before I go to work, give her food and her insulin? Do I check her at night then when I feed her, check her blood again?
Questions about the feeding, also. She greatly enjoys the FF solid stuff. I want to make sure she's getting enough to eat. I give her a 3 oz. can AM, another 3 oz. can PM. But she did lose 2 # since last year's wellness check-up and she had been a normal weight cat (now down to 9#5oz). Do I fill her bowl again in the AM right before I leave so there is one to nibble on?
Since I've already started on the injections should I continue?
 
Good morning! Glad to see that you are working on making Mittsy better! First thing I would like to say is that Mittsy's weight loss is more likely from her being a diabetic. I know that Spot lost an lot of weight before being diagnosed. Here's an explanation:

When your cat has diabetes, her pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin, a
hormone necessary to control glucose (sugar) levels in the blood. The process
begins as food is digested, and sugar enters the bloodstream. This blood sugar
is essential for the body’s energy, growth, and repair, but it is the insulin from the
pancreas that allows sugar to get from the bloodstream into the tissue cells, like
those in muscles, where the cat’s body can process it. If there isn’t enough
insulin, the sugar remains in the bloodstream where it is useless to the body; it
then gets filtered out in the urine. A lot of water goes out with the sugar, which is
why diabetics produce a large volume of urine.
Therefore, diabetic (or borderline diabetic) cats drink excessive amounts of
water, to avoid dehydration. And because their bodies lack the insulin to convert
the sugar in the bloodstream into useable fuel for the muscles, the body
automatically switches to using its own fat and protein as a source of energy,
which is why diabetic cats usually lose weight as a result

Have you checked out the food charts yet? FF pate (classic) is a great option for feeding a diabetic cat. You want to make sure that the carb content is 10% or lower. Dry food is a no-no. The prescription cat food is not necessary and is expensive.

Re: your insulin. Truthfully, Humulin may not work on your kitty and personally, from my own experience, is not a good insulin. It's a fast working insulin. Lantus or Levemir are much better, if you can get your vet to switch. Spot was on Humulin for quite a few months and after sever months of prodding from my other FDMB friends, I switched him to Lev. BIG difference. Check out my spread sheet and see. I was up to 7u of Humulin and saw no change in his bg's.

Checking blood sugars: ALWAYS check before administering insulin ALWAYS!! After a week, you can do a curve, which is every two hours for a 12 hour period. This can be done on a week end when you have all day to do so. I also work...full time, part time, and over time (lol). I test at amps, then when I get home from work, pmps and again before I go to bed. I sometimes get one more in during the day on the weekends. My mom is home at times when I am not, and if I ask, she will do a test.

I'm hope I was able to answer some of your questions. I'm sure that others will be around to chirp in also! Good luck with Mittsy!
 
Welcome! Deb covered a lot of the important stuff. With Humulin, you do want her to eat before you give her the insulin as it can be harsh in the beginning of the cycle. One of the complaints with most people who try it is that it drops the car lower early in the cycle and then goes back up before 12 hours. We consider it a shorter lasting insulin. Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc are milder and longer lasting.

Having said that, we have some cats get regulated and into remission on HUmulin. But you will need to be testing. That way, you can see whether it is lasting long enough for Mittsy.

We urge you to test before each shot so you know she is high enough for the dose you have planned. (we suggest starting on a lower dose of .5 to one unit and slowly increasing as needed. 2 units is a high starting dose.) If you have a day off soon, I'd suggest getting a full cycle of numbers. Then you'll have an idea of how long the H is lasting, how much she drops how early and when her lowest point in the cycle is. That will give you a good picture of how it is working (or not) and how you can work with it.

Let us know if you need some tips for testing or how else we can help.
 
I work full time. I test my Chester in the morning when I wake up, give him his shot and feed him breakfast (pretty much all at the same time. From what I've read, you probably want to feed before you give the shot of Humulin (we're on Lantus). When I come home at night (which is about 12 hours later) I test, shoot and feed him dinner.
I'm lucky - my husband stays at home, so Chester gets lunch, and we give him a bed time snack, too. We can't leave wet food out for him because we have seven cats and SOMEBODY is going to scarf it all down before Chester has a chance to get back to any leftovers. If yours is an only cat, you could do what some people here do. They freeze portions of wet food and, in the morning they put down one fresh and one frozen. That way kitty can snack on the frozen over the course of the day while it thaws. You could do the same in the evenings, if you think she might need extra food over the night.

I STRONGLY suggest testing before every shot. That way you know that your kitty's BG is high enough for the shot. We're still getting Chester regulated and his numbers bounce around quite a bit these days. Some days he's over 400 at shot time. Sometimes he's down toward 120-130. That would be too low for him to get his shot safely (especially if we're not going to be around to monitor him!!!). Some people with lots of experience and data will "shoot low to stay low", but I certainly would NOT recommend that if you're just starting out.
Extra tests are important as well, because they tell you what the insulin is doing over the course of the shot. Sometimes my husband will get a lunch test or I'll run an extra before bed. We try to get extra tests on the weekends, and that's usually when we run curves.

Testing is annoying for them, but they can definitely get used to it. Chester knows the Phrase "test & treat!" and will come running to our spot on the couch. Just make sure you have lots of low carb treats. Chester really likes freeze-dried chicken and shrimp.
 
What kind of FF are you feeding? The Fancy feast classic pates are the ones we recommend since many of the other flavours arent low in carbs. See here: http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf

Its great that you are testing - can you set up a spreadsheet? It will help us and you immensely to see whats going on. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

Here is a calculation for how much to feed as a rough guide - increase or decrease based on weight changes. You can get the calories in food from the chart I mentioned above.

How much to feed? Required calories per day = [13.6 X ideal weight in lbs] + 70


Wendy
 
Hi!
We just starting testing our kitty this past Thursday. I'll let you know what our vet advised us.

First of all, as soon as Tisha was diagnosed the vet said to put her on a wet food diet. You don't need to buy expensive wet food either (unless you have a picky kitty like ours ;-) ). We were told that Fancy Feast is not a good choice as apparently sugar is added to it, which is not what a diabetic cat needs. Basically Fancy Feast is like the McDonalds of cat food. However we live in Canada, and I've noticed other people on the board say that Fancy Feast is ok, so maybe it's made differently in the US. Regardless, wet food is the best.

Tisha's new routine is she is tested, fed, and receives her insulin twice a day, 12 hours apart. My kitty is an early riser which means I have started getting up earlier. She starts demanding breakfast around 6am (or earlier). I get up, put in my contacts, test her glucose with an Accu-Check Aviva meter and lancet (I lancet manually and don't use a pen). I record her reading and then feed her. While she's feeding I administer her insulin shot. I do the whole routine again 12 hours later.

In regarding to feeding, see what the feeding instructions are on the can as far as how much to give for the weight of the cat, and go from there. Probably best to base it on what your kitty's weight should be, not what it actually is. We're feeding Tisha Purina Pro Plan Adult cat Chicken & Rice, and Chicken & Liver. They're small cans so I give her 1.5 cans of the Chicken & Rice for her breakfast, and then the rest of the can throughout the day for a snack, then 1.5 cans of the chicken and liver for dinner, and the rest for a snack.

In regards to ointment, I just e-mail my vet about it today and she advised to wait until after lancing to apply the ointment, as if it gets in the blood sample it can throw off the readings. She said if I do apply it and Tisha decides to try and lick it off the pain reliever may cause her to drool like crazy, which makes sense as it could make her tongue numb.

On a side note my husband and I were advised that it's better for one of us to do the testing at first, as apparently different people can cause the cat to give different readings. They pick up on our moods, scent, etc, which can alter the readings.

I posted earlier asking for advise about lancing, and Wendy&Tiggy past on this link https://docs.google.com/document/d/13c_CPZVKz27fD_6aVbsguadJKvjSrSAkD7flgPPhEag/pub

I've also found this link to be helpful http://www.sugarpet.net/bloodtst.html

I was told by a few members on the board not to hit the marginal vein but the capillary leading off the vein to the edge of the ear. The "sweet spot" is all bruised up on my kitty right now so I asked my vet if it is ok to test on the vein, and she said every kitty is different and to aim for where Tisha bleeds best. Apparently the cat's ears become better bleeders after a while, and it becomes easier to test in the "sweet spot" and not directly on the vein. Also I've been advised that warming the ear up makes a big difference.

Hope this helps! I'm still worried about doing a good job lancing my kitty's ears, but no doubt it will get better.
 
I thought I would clarify a few things Terri said :

We do like fancy feast pates since they are low carb but she is right they probably arent the best quality. My vet said they are made from offcuts etc of meat instead of good cuts. But if you think a cat in the wild eats all the mouse including the stomach, I dont know if that matters. If you are worried about quality the list I mentioned above has a lot of choices - Wellness grain free is better quality for example.

Terri - who told you that FF has sugar in it??

Also Terri - I think some of your foods are too high in carbs! Remember its not just about dry - its more about the carb content. We recommend under 10% carbs for diabetic cats to keep their BG down. As you know high carb food spikes their blood glucose. And according to Dr Pierson who researches these with the manufacturers (see my link above on food) the Purina Pro Plan Adult cat Chicken & Rice is 16% !! (unless you are feeding the brown rice one which is ok) The Chicken & Liver is 4% though which is good.

I have never had any issue with ointment affecting the blood results.

Lastly - I would try and avoid the vein. It is more painful and can cause more bruising and potentially scarring. If you have problems to start its ok to do, but I would try to graduate away from that if possible.

Wendy
 
Also I wanted to add, since you have made the move to wet you will likely see a drop in blood sugars since carbohydrates are a big culprit in spiking blood sugar and contributing to diabetes .. so its important to get testing asap to ensure you arent overdosing the insulin.
 
Thank you for all the helpful advice and suggestions. I'm checking in to tell you that testing for the first time was a disaster. I read everything, got the supplies ready, had some little treats ready. Mittsy HATES to have her ears touched which was news to me! I did hang in there long enough to get a poke, enough blood to put on the strip. I put it in the machine and got an error message - E01 which is something about the meter having difficulty reading the strip!
I did feed her since this would be the time she would typically get fed. It's not in the time range yet to give her the insulin according to what my vet wants me to do.
So, should I wait a couple hours and try again?
Thanks for any ideas,
Linda
 
Try the meter on yourself to make sure it is reading right.

We had to put Oliver in a kitty burrito at first. We'd wrap him up in a towel with only his head showing. After a week, he gave in because he knew treats were coming. Some cats are happier having their paws poked, but I wouldn't give up on the ears yet.

Are you warming the ear with a rice sack or a prescription pill bottle filled with very warm water? That's really important at first.

What size lancet? We suggest 25-27 gauge.

Are you aiming for the little capillaries that run off the vein toward the edge of the ear? (Put a flashlight behind her ear to see them.)

If she is moving away, you can get the drop on your fingernail and test from there.

Keep trying. Lots of us didn't have any luck at first. We poked poor Oliver for an entire weekend before we got a drop.
 
Its probably an error due to not enough blood. Check out the tips above that Terri gave you and Sue suggested.

Many newbies have issues so hang in there, you can do it. Make sure you always give a treat whether successful or not and practice rubbing the ears and giving a treat when not poking him

How does he feel about his feet being touched?
 
I know exactly what you did wrong, the strip goes in the meter first, then you poke, then use the strip to sip up the blood like a little straw. If the strip is out of the meter when you fill it with blood and then try to insert it, the meter thinks it is a used strip and won't read it..Don't feel bad, did that too when I started testing, and actually it is easier to hang on to kitty and the meter than it is to just hang onto the strip. You can also get the blood drop on a clean fingernail and test it from there if she is really squirmy.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
My cats are fed Friskies pates, Fancy Feast classics and raw food.
They love Friskies, particularly fish flavours - I mix flavours together so they will eat them.
None of them will touch the more expensive brands :sad:

Most cats don't seem to like their ears being touched initially! Once they start associating it with a yummy treat, things start to change.

I used Lantus with Honey and decided on my own 12 hour schedule - I found 6am/6pm worked best for me as I could get Honey sorted before scarey-children got out of bed in the am.
I'm not sure how humulin times work but it would be better to find a schedule that works best for you.

With lantus, we don't feed for at least 2 hours before a test - to avoid a food spike in the readings. I would assume humulin is the same.
I would look at changing to one of the recommended insulins: Lantus, Levemir or ProZinc - there's a higher remission rate with them (my Honey being an example).
 
With N while you don't want her to have eaten 2 hours before the test, it routine goes a little different than with the long lasting insulins...You will want to test, feed, and wait about 30 minutes to shoot...with Humulin N they have to have food on their stomachs to cushion the initial hit from it. It hits hard and drops BGs fast in the very beginning so you want to make sure they will eat and it will stay down before shooting...with the Ls and Prozinc we can test, feed, shoot all at once.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
OK, just from your posts I know what I did wrong. I didn't have the strip in the machine ahead, thought I could put the strip to Mittsy's ear then put in the machine. So next round the strip will already be inserted and then I'll put the strip to the drop and should be good to go!
What is a normal reading supposed to be anyway? I'm guessing it's not the same range as people.
If her range is in the normal for cats, do I not give her the insulin dose tonight?
 
Normal cat is 50-130. but if she is under 200 I wouldnt shoot since you dont know how she is going to behave. Over time you may learn her patterns but its too early now to tell. But test her and come back here and post if you arent sure and hopefully someone will be around to advise. What time is the shot due?
 
Wendy&Tiggy said:
Terri - who told you that FF has sugar in it??

Also Terri - I think some of your foods are too high in carbs! Remember its not just about dry - its more about the carb content. We recommend under 10% carbs for diabetic cats to keep their BG down. As you know high carb food spikes their blood glucose. And according to Dr Pierson who researches these with the manufacturers (see my link above on food) the Purina Pro Plan Adult cat Chicken & Rice is 16% !! (unless you are feeding the brown rice one which is ok) The Chicken & Liver is 4% though which is good.

I have never had any issue with ointment affecting the blood results.

Wendy
Click to expand...

Tisha's first vet (a few years ago) told us that Fancy Feast was the equivalent of McDonalds for cats. Our current vet just said they don't recommend Fancy Feast because sugar is added. But again, we're located in Canada, and so the formula could be different, as foods aren't always produced exactly the same for every country (for instance Gatorade in the US has a higher slat content then in Canada).
Good to know about the ointment Wendy!
 
I am in Canada too and my vet recommended fancy feast. I have never heard of it having sugar in it. The flavours are the same as the US and a year ago I contacted Purina and they gave me the % carbs in the pates. In the same range as the US. So I would be very surprised if there was sugar in them. I dont see it on the ingredient list either and usually those are disclosed. I am going to ask some fellow Canadians to chip in here.
 
I believe that 99 1/2% of the cats on this board are on either Prozinc PZI, BCP PZI, Lantus or Levemir. N is rarely used anymore and those who have vets that start their cats on N and find FDMB quickly see and learn that N just isn't doing it. You need to test first, then feed and wait at least a 1/2 hr. before shooting N. Fast acting and short duration insulin. Starting out at 2 units, especially with N, is a risky starting dose. I know, 2 units doesn't sound like much or even look like much, but many cats are doing well on just .5 of a unit on the other insulins. One thing I want to mention is that increasing N insulin to get better numbers is not going to do it. It will not extend the duration .........it will just risk your cat going too low. Hopefully, with testing, you and your vet will see that you need to get a better insulin than N.
 
Hi. Just wanted to welcome you to LantusLan (LL). You are in the right place for a diabetic cat. You'll find the folks here supportive, helpful a d knowledgeable.

Our vet started PurrFace on Humulin N @ 3 units twice a day (BID). We noticed that PurrFace's numbers were like a roller coaster. The number would drop the first 2 to 3 hours after the shot and then shoot up. We could tell when the swings would begin by his actions. He also had dandruff prior to diagnosis and still had it. After a month on Humulin N we asked the vet to switch him to Lantus. He said he wasn't familiar with it and always uses Humulin N. it was a Driday so my wife (DW) asked him to do some research on Lantus over the weekend and we would discuss it again. Monday morning at 7:45 he called excited about Lantus and switched PurrFace. He recommended 2 units BID but we stated at 1 unit BID. That was in September and so far he hasn't gotten 2 units yet.

You've already received plenty of info on testing so I'll just add that the more you test two things will eventually happen....#1 you will become more comfortable and better with it and #2 your cat's ears will become "better bleeders.". Be sure to switch ears each test and ALWAYS give your kittie one of his/her favorite (diabetes friendly) treat after the test. We always give him some extra "good boy" time.

You are going to be overwhelmed with information. Don't panic; absorb what you can when you can. As time passes you will learn. I'd suggest that you read the "starred" notes on the tight regulation page. There is a lot of info there.

Again welcome and don't let it get overwhelming. Don't hesitate to post if you have a question we will all help. Consider using the tight regulation page because it is more active.

Have a great day.
 
Waving hello and welcome from Nova Scotia!

No, canned FF in Canada does not have sugar added (just read the label). The dry stuff might - and that *IS* the equivalent of Mcdonald's, so maybe that's what your vet was thinking. The pate forms of the canned is good. Friskies' pates are also good.

The reality is that there's nothing magic about the prescription food - it's just a low carb canned food. It's actually far too high in liver to be the main source of food for a cat, and has pretty poor quality ingredients compared to many brands you can buy at Walmrt! Also, most cats get quite bored with it over time.

It may ease your mind to know that the vet who holds the patent on Purina DM canned actually tells her own patients to eat Fancy Feast.

And incidentally, the BG range *is* almost the same as for humans. You'll see US BGs posted here a lot- divide their numbers by 18 to get the Canadian/European numbers. Oh- and Ketostix *should* be with the diabetic supplies. Maybe they were just out, or they keep them behind the counter with the test strips.

Welcome aboard.

(PS : I removed the 911 icon from your post since it's a red flag for emergencies... and I think you're doing great! :smile: )
 
First of all, as soon as Tisha was diagnosed the vet said to put her on a wet food diet. You don't need to buy expensive wet food either (unless you have a picky kitty like ours ). We were told that Fancy Feast is not a good choice as apparently sugar is added to it, which is not what a diabetic cat needs. Basically Fancy Feast is like the McDonalds of cat food. However we live in Canada, and I've noticed other people on the board say that Fancy Feast is ok, so maybe it's made differently in the US. Regardless, wet food is the best.
Click to expand...

I am not sure which Fancy Feast food your vet meant but I am in Canada and looking at the ingredients on cans of 2 pates, Turkey&Giblets and Chicken..... nope, no sugar type ingredients at all.

You need to check with your vet because there are tons of cats who are extremely carb sensitive and their numbers would reflect even the tiniest amount of sugar.

The same goes for meds, if you get some mixed in a syrup.... you want to make it crystal clear that it's an unsweetened syrup used, or you will see your cat's number creep up higher while on the meds.

The BG numbers don't lie, and if there were any amounts of sugar, you would see it in the numbers.
You can see the list of ingredients in the Fancy Feast foods online.

There are other foods that have ingredients like pumpkin would have a bigger effect on BG, and that's given to cats often if constipated.
 
I checked with my vet again and it's Friskies they don't recommend, not Fancy Feast. :oops: Sorry for the misinformation!! Apparently Friskies has the most additives, including sugar.
 
Still struggling with the whole bg testing. I haven't gotten a reading yet because a: I don't seem to find the spot to get enough blood to fill the test strip, b: Mittsy is not a happy camper over me fiddling with her ear. So I used another suggestion of wrapping her up like a burrito in a towel until this owner gets the hang.
On the positive side I reduced the insulin down to 1 unit instead of 2 based on comments I read here, I went to Petco and bought the freeze-dried treats to give her when I attempt the ear thing. I gave her the treat even if I wasn't successful.
Someone suggested freezing a can of FF so she could nibble on it during the day while I'm at work. I did do that also - bugger to get that thing out of the can this morning!
Tonight I have one more question. I've noticed that Mittsy's back legs don't seem to be as strong right now and that she won't walk as far. Is that tied to the diabetes or something else? Her appetite is fine, she's drinking water, she'll tolerate playing with a toy if she's in the mood.
Thank you for all the help. I feel like I will be much more knowledgeable when I go see my vet next week for a progress monitoring visit.
Linda
 
You will get there!

Maybe take the fancy feast out of the can before freezing ;) ?

She probably has neuropathy - high BG damages the nerves in their legs. However as the BG gets under control it should get somewhat better. Plus people here give their cats methylcobalamin a form of vitamin B12 which seems to help. The cat version is called zobaline. Takes a couple of months to take effect and it helps more if the BG is more under control. I would definately give it a try!

Did you check out all the testing tips? What meter are you using? Some meters need more blood than others. And what size lancets?
Wendy
 
WalMart and Shoppers, etc., all sell Webers vitamins. Look for Methyl B12 - NOT regular B12. (It will say Methylcobalamine on the front). 1-3 tablets a day, dissolved in a teeny bit of warm water and mixed in her food.

Don't buy the Jamieson brand - unfortunately, it contains Xylitol, which is a sweetener that is toxic to cats.

You can also check local health food stores - just watch for the Xylitol.

The BG testing will come. We believe the ears "learn" to bleed. Patience and rewards (for both of you!) are the key. Are you warming the ear first? Cold ears won't bleed.

Oh- and Friskies pates? No sugar added. And on sale for 53 cents for the 156g can at WalMart this week.
 
Terri & Tisha said:
I checked with my vet again and it's Friskies they don't recommend, not Fancy Feast. :oops: Sorry for the misinformation!! Apparently Friskies has the most additives, including sugar.
Click to expand...

There are tons of flavors in Friskies; which flavors do you mean have sugar?
The ones that are grilled, marinated, or with gravies and sauces are not fed regularly.
The pates are the ones people feed.

I feed mostly Friskies pates to my two cats on insulin and neither of them were sick from the food or had their BG jump from any sugar, so if you can list which specific Friskies flavors we should check...
I am in Canada, so I am guessing I feed the same Canadian stock as you.

What food is your vet claiming is good to feed a diabetic cat?

Gayle

ETA:
Go to the site and look up the ingredients for the foods, and post which ones have sugar of any sort listed in the ingredients.
http://www.friskies.com/Cat-Food
I checked one pate that I fed and there was nothing of a sweetener listed.
 
Finally after 3 days of tryiing to get blood from Mittsy I was successful tonight. Her number was 365 so I went ahead and gave her the insulin. I had already cut her Humulin from 2units twice a day to 1 unit based on what I read here and how she was acting - so lethargic, finding a spot to just be away from everyone.
I am wondering if I should continue what I'm presently doing - giving her low carb wet food, continuing to test and then giving her an injection. I just don't like seeing the reaction to the insulin but the number shows she needs something.
I have a vet appt in 4 days.
 
Good job on the testing! What do you mean you don't like the reaction to the insulin? What reaction?

Can you get a test in a few hours to see how low she is going?

Lastly can I ask how much the insulin was and what size bottle you got? Does it have an expiry? I am wondering if a better insulin like lantus would be better .. For the cat and maybe your wallet..
 
Hi,
I'm a newbie too. My cat Molly was diagnosed in January and was briefly on insulin (lantus). Luckily for her switching to wet food and home testing was the key and she is now diet controlled. I could not have done it without the help of this board and in particular Wendy!
Just keep checking in here. These guys know their stuff. Vets have to deal with such a variety of animals and conditions, they are not so familiar with the most recent recommendations.
My cat eats mainly FF pates I give her several small meals through out the day, mixed with water. When I work, I use a timer dish with frozen food (usually combo of friskies pate and FF...more cost effective) popsicles that thaw over the morning.
For the testing...you will get there, it just takes time. I bought a little led flash light from the dollar store to shine behind her ear so I can see where to stick. Afterwards she gets boiled chicken bits (we freeze batches of this)....She is a boiled chicken addict now, she sits in the morning waiting to be stuck now just to get the chicken!!!!
I check her BG weekly now that she does not need insulin, however I still pretend every morning that I'm sticking her so she stays in the habit of being held and her ears touched etc.
I know this is rambling, but the point is that the people here will guide you correctly just keep doing what your doing (((((hugs)))))
 
Here's an update on how things are going with Mittsy cat. Her bg this am was 238 so that is down from the 365 the night before or is that due to readings being lower in the morning?
I haven't been able to get a reading this pm - just can't get enough blood sample. I looked at the box of lancets and realized it was 33 and after going back to reread suggestions I realized that I need to get a smaller gauge. So that could explain why I'm having difficulty sticking her and getting enough of a sample, right?
If that's correct, where do I get different lancets? I live in a small rural town - is there somewhere online I can order them?
Wendy, you asked how much of the N I have - 10 ml for a 100 units according to the vial.
 
A bigger lancet might be easier ie 28g or 29g. How much did the vial cost if you don't mind me asking, and does it have an expiry on it?
 
Interesting! Lantus for 150 units/15ml (5 pens) is $99 from Costco. I always assumed vets prescribed humalin because it was cheaper. Lantus is a better insulin. If you finish the bottle, and I hope you don't and instead go into remission, I would strongly advise you switch. lantus is a better insulin which is easier on the cat and has a higher chance of remission!

Anyway let us know how you get on in testing...

You could try here to buy lancets... http://www.diabetesdepot.ca/lancets.html
 
lrteach said:
The vial was $115.00, expiration is 5/2015
Click to expand...

Novolin N (the same as Humulin N -- they are the same drug with different manufacturers) is about $26/100 unit vial at Walmart if you have a Walmart close or know someone who can make a pick up for you and keep it chilled in transport. It does NOT require a prescription (in most states.)

Here are some retail prices:

http://www.goodrx.com/novolin-n

My vet upprices it to $45 if you buy it at his office (It says Walmart/Relion right on the label, lol) If I go to a second vial --I'm consulting with another vet next week to see about a change to one of the better-for-cats insulins, -- I'll buy it at Walmart.
 
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