Newly diagnosed and not eating

Status
Not open for further replies.
blcknwhitecat

blcknwhitecat

Member Since 2012
Hi Everyone! I'm so relieved to have found such a wealth of knowledge on feline diabetes on the internet. I've been going through the material on the website so I know what to expect with my newly diagnosed cat Neko (cat in Japanese :smile: ). Even with all the material though there's still a few things I'm not sure of. I've put down below a brief outline of what's been happening in Neko's life - and certainly over the last few days (even months) it's been fairly busy!

  • February 2012 - After noticing significant weight loss Neko is taken to vet. Diagnosed with megacolon. Neko undergoes a colonoscopy and a large portion of his colon was removed. Neko's poo is now more akin to cow patty and recovers very well. We expect his weight to go back up to normal (around the 4 to 5kg mark).

    May - I notice a rash on both of neko's front legs which he keeps on licking. Vet says it is infected and gives Neko a shot of cortizone. Rash subsides.

    Early July - I notice Neko's getting a bit slimmer but put it to the back of my head as June was a busy month in general and Neko was otherwise doing well.
    Late July - We return from a 3 week holiday and I find Neko has gone down to 3kg!! :shock: House sitter says he has been eating a lot, but his lack of weight and that niggling feeling I had from earlier makes me take him to the vet asap.

    July 30 11am - Diagnosed with diabetes. No ketones yet in urine but vet says he was on the cusp and that he would have collapsed in the 48hrs if not brought to her. Vet injects Neko with 2 units on caninsulin intramuscular (pardon if I don't get the lingo right - she injected him somewhere around his back legs) and gives him fluids. Vet instructs me to give Neko diabetic food, Royal Canin dry, and 2 units of caninsulin every 12 hrs.

    July 30 7pm - After calling and checking with vet we decide to start Neko's insulin injection cycle at 7pm that night. We check that he had eaten too - he had grazed through the afternoon. I give him his 2 units.

    July 30 11pm - I check on Neko and find him under the blanket covered in drool in complete shock - he is in hypoglycemic shock. We rush him to the emergency vet.
    July 31 - Emergency vet tells me that Neko was very sensitive to caninsulin and that the dose was too much.
    August 2 5pm - Neko is discharged from hospital and we are told to give him 0.5 units of Lantus every 12 hours. Vet is not quite satisfied with Neko's BG curve, but is hopeful Neko will respond to the insulin better at home.
    August 2 7pm - I administer 0.5 of Lantus insulin. For the rest of the night Neko is well but does not eat.
    August 3 7am - Neko has not touched his food.

And so here I am. After reading some of the posts here I'll be heading out to buy some wet food (Fancy Feasts it is!) or roo meat (we're in Sydney) that hopefully Neko will eat. In the meantime, I opted to skip his morning shot as he hadn't touched his food through out the night. Hopefully by 10am he'll have eaten..but if he doesn't....does anyone have any ideas on what I could do? Is my only recourse to try him on different kinds of food and only give him his shot once he starts eating again?

-Steph and Neko
 
I'm in exactly the same boat as you right now. My cat was just discharged at 2PM today, had his insulin at 6PM (1u), and hasn't eaten more than a few bites. I'm sure he's fine, but I'm feeling so paranoid!
 
It's nerve racking isn't it! Specially since the last time I gave him a shot I found him in shock a few hours later...hopefully he'll start eating soon. All the best to you and your furry one too Phedre :smile:
 
Hi Steph,
I am new to all this too, with Phoebe only being diagnosed and beginning treatment 3 1/2 weeks ago.
It looks like we are the only ones on the board at the moment..I am in Sydney as well. Can I ask where in Sydney you are located?
It is a concern to me that the initial vet injected the insulin into the muscle. That just doesn't sound right to me. And doing so at 11am and then recommending you start injections within 8 hours?! This doesn't sound like a careful approach to me.
I think I would be looking for a second opinion from another vet.
The first vet we saw said she had lost weight in the first week and we shoudl increase food, but the primary vet (and now the only one we'll see) said she needed less food to reduce her weight.
Don't be afraid to ask questions..if the answer or the vet's manner doesn't make you more confidant, look for another vet!
Also any vet that recommends dry food at any time, but especially for a diabetic cat should be avoided in my opinion.
Cats are obligate carnivours, dry food full of "fillers" and cereals is just not good for them!
Diet should be high in protein, low in carbs. I feed raw but a wet canned food is another option, or as a transition phase to trying raw feeding.
Good luck with Neko...I hope he is feeling much better soon!
 
Hi Steph,

It is a concern to me that the initial vet injected the insulin into the muscle.
Click to expand...
That struck me as odd too, but it isn't unheard of. It does cause quicker absorption of the insulin however, so it would have acted faster and pushed the numbers down more quickly.
My cat, Bob, received all but two days worth of shots over 10 weeks into the muscles of his legs, which is why what your vet did doesn't freak me out. But it isn't "normal" or the recommended way to shoot insulin. I've only seen one other kitty here in the past 14 months get shots that way.

Since that shot, Neko has been getting his shots "Sub-Q", correct?

Carl
 
Hi Phoebes mom,

Thanks for the response! We're in Chatswood so we're thankful there's a number of vets to choose from around our area. The initial vet that we saw has been Neko's vet for more than 5 years now and we've always found her to be very knowledgeable. I can see where the concern would be regarding the gap (or lack of) between the very first two insulin shots. I think our vet's concern was that at the point I brought neko in the morning his blood sugar was through the roof and had to be brought down immediately. She also mentioned the importance of getting into a rigid cycle so it's easier for our cat to cope and for our own sanity - hence even though the first shot was administered around 11am, we gave the second shot at 7pm so that we could give another shot on 7am the following day....well, little did we know...
Nonetheless, I'm definitely open to seeking a second opinion from other vets in my area, regardless of the care and advice we received so far, our current vet IS quite expensive (for me personally, we were hit with $775 for the initial diagnosis on Monday, but that may be standard without insurance?). If we could find a careful and caring vet who doesn't break the bank, of course I'd be happier so I will be keeping an eye out.

Do you mind sharing with me what kind of wet canned cat food you use? I might see if I can find something similar, but it would be a good starting point as I'm not sure if the foods most of the members here recommend are available in Aus.
 
Hi Carl,

Yes that's correct, well I've only administered 2 shots to Neko so far and both of them have been just under the skin. When he was admitted into hospital I'm not sure if that's what they did though..

So to sum up:

Monday 11am - Vet administeres caninsulin 2 units intramuscular
*7pm - I administer same dose under the skin of Neko's front right back (sort of behind his shoulders).
Tuesday - Thursday afternoon - Neko is in hospital
*Thursday 7pm - I give Neko 0.5 of Lantus under the skin again in roughly the same area.
 
Steph,
Are you testing his blood glucose at home? Is he still not eating much?
Carl
 
WE have some Aussie members (one is in NZ I think), and I sent her a private message to see if she can stop by and help you with food options.
 
Hi Steph,
I understand the point made regarding intramusclular shot to get the level down more quickly if it was dangerously high; it does seem to me that if she was using that approach she should have kept Neko in for observation and stabilisation. Adding another shot to the mix so soon afterward would seem to me to be a presciption for insulin shock! I'm not a vet, however, so she may have her reasons...I would be keen to have them explained in your position, though.It would seem that the approach was contrary to what all the people here have recommended in terms of careful, slow approach, and resulted in an emergency dash, which I'm sure cost even more.
I must say the initial diagnosis cost seem excessive to me!!! Even with diagnostic blood tests, and starting supplies of insulin and needles our bill was $317. We are located in Randwick.
I think it is worthwhile to do a bit of research amonst your local vets. Although all have a general knowledge there are vets with special interests. With some it is cancers, others it may be diabetes. Call vets and ask if they have vets with a special interest in feline diabetes or if they can recommend someone who does. Often they will have a website with a blurb about each of the vets in the practice and their special interests.
I have been a raw feeder since my girls were kittens, feeding human grade meat. It is only after a year adding some dry to the diet on the recommendation of another vet ( to supplement diet and ensure all vitamins and minerals) that Phoebe developed diabetes. I do NOT think this is a conicidence!
A good wet canned food, if you are unable to raw feed, is Fancy Feast "Classic Recipes"
The Classic Recpes ones are protein rich with no cereal or rice fillers. That is not the case for all the Fancy Feast food so watch the labels and go for the Classic Recipes. I checked the labels on other Fancy Feast and it still had a very high carb content.
Let us all know how you go.
 
Thank you so much everyone, for all the input.

Carl - I've only read about home testing today, but it does make sense so I'll be looking to get some supplies asap. And as for 11.49am, he's still not eating...

To all the other Aussie/Kiwi members who've dropped by, thank you for your help! Any good food recommendations are always appreciated. For the moment my fiancé has dropped by coles to pick up some roo meat, which I hope he'll take to. I'll check on the Fancy Feast Classic at coles during my lunch break :)

The tip about specialist vets also hit home so we'll definitely be looking around. Thanks again everyone! More (hopefully happy!) updates when I get back from work.
 
Some ideas to get him to eat

Some cats can't "get" the texture of the wet food. Add some warm water and mix it up so it's a little soupy.
Sometimes if you offer some food on your finger, they will start eating.
Put some Parmesan cheese on it.
Put on some tuna juice
If he likes tuna or chicken, try those. Tuna packed in water. Chicken baked with no spices.
 
A really quick update: my fiance went out and bought some raw roo meat and Neko has scoffed it down. This was around noon today and he hasn't vomited it out as he usually does when he gorges on food very quickly. I also found some Fancy Feast Classic Recipe (Prime Chicken Filet) at Coles too, but Neko only licked off the gravy and didn't do much else.

It's 7pm and now and I've just given him another 100g or so of roo meat. At 8 we'll give him his 0.5 of Lantus.

The dry food remains untouched..so I guess we'll be looking for various kinds of raw meats for him over the weekend, along with an alternative vet for a 2nd opinion. If anyone has any recommendations on vets around the North Shore area in Sydney, please do let me know.

Steph and Neko
 
Hi from Melbourne. There are some better food brands like Evo and Ziwi Peak. Though I'm not sure of spelling of the latter and have had trouble finding it for LB. You probably should try lots of food temptations. I've given up budgeting now as the vet bills dwarf whatever the food costs.
 
Hi Steph,
I'm taking care of a newly diagnosed cat as well. Sounds like you guys have had quite a time. That's great that he's eating the raw meat! Just wanted to mention, in case you're not aware, that feeding only meat is not a balanced diet for a cat - they need to have bone for calcium too. Dr. Lisa Pierson's Making Cat Food page is a good place to start and there's more resources listed here (Question 2.3)

How old is Neko? Is he still having diarrhea or constipation since the surgery?

Folks on FDMB have encouraged us to home test blood sugar, which is really key for knowing whether it's safe to give your cat a dose of insulin. Especially when you're switching to wet food, it's important to test because that will probably decrease the amount of insulin he needs.

Take care,
Jamie
 
Hi Jamie!

Thank you for the response and the resources you've shared. I'll definitely be reading through the material. Neko is 12 years old this year.
At the moment Neko is also eating well and regularly.

I give Neko about 100g of roo meat twice a day, once in the morning then in the evening at about the same time. I give his insulin shot roughly 30min after he's eaten. He gets hungry in between so I've taken to giving him a can of Fancy Feast Classic as well, maybe 3 or 4 hours after the Roo meat - I guess what I'm trying to do is make sure he has food in his stomach before I give him his insulin. Having said that, I'm not sure if I'm on the right track with his diet, I've read that too much food can ruin the effect of the insulin, but both our regular vet and the emergency vet did not say anything about implementing a schedule to his diet so I hope this won't cause any issues. In terms of nutrients as soon as I get through the reading I'll start looking into giving him a more balanced diet.

With Neko's poo, we were told that with all post megacolon surgery, where a cat's colon is drastically shortened surgically, a permanent symptom is soft poo. So I don't think Neko's having an upset tummy (phew!). Although, having said so, all these things going on with Neko's body could be overlapping and perhaps he IS having an upset tummy...*sigh*

I have a vet appointment today at mid day, so all of this discussion has given me a nice long list of questions to ask!

Jaime, with your comment "Especially when you're switching to wet food, it's important to test because that will probably decrease the amount of insulin he needs." does this mean the effects of the insulin aren't as effective? Neko's dosage is already 0.5, i worry that he is not getting the most out of an already tiny amount.

Thanks,
Steph and Neko
 
Jaime, with your comment "Especially when you're switching to wet food, it's important to test because that will probably decrease the amount of insulin he needs." does this mean the effects of the insulin aren't as effective? Neko's dosage is already 0.5, i worry that he is not getting the most out of an already tiny amount.
Click to expand...

I think Jamie was saying the opposite... when you switch to all wet and low-carb diet, that alone should drop Neko's blood glucose, and lower his insulin requirements. The same dose of insulin would be more effective, because the BG would not be as influenced by carbohydrates. So we advise closely monitoring the blood glucose when you switch to low carb, so that you can see how low his BG goes as a result of the diet change. Yes, .5u does sound like a tiny amount, and it sure does look like a tiny amount in the syringe. But a large percentage of kitties receive very low doses of insulin, some never going higher than 1u or 2u. My cat, Bob, at one time was getting 4u twice a day. But that was a lot higher than most of the kitties I've watched on the board. There are a few people right now trying to figure out how to lower their cats' doses to less than .25u, so they are getting literally "drops" of insulin per dose.

Carl
 
Carl thank you for clarifying. Apologies if I'm misunderstanding or confusing some of the information, it's been a busy week and on top of everything else, we're also moving house in less than a week! :shock:

What you said definitely makes sense, I guess I shouldn't underestimate the effects of a low carb diet! Our nearby cattery where we used to board Neko every now and then may have a spare glucometer lying around. I might ask them if I could borrow it for a while until I can find one online. It would be interesting to see for myself how much Neko's BG fluctuates, I think that would also alleviate a lot of anxiousness I've been having 1 or 2 hours after I give Neko his shot.
 
Hi there! (from over the ditch in NZ!)

Glad you have had some good advice and have some food that Neko will eat (the roo meat!)

All the cats I have had have really scoffed down the raw meat I get (really tender horse meat that I'd be almost tempted to eat myself!) and raw has to be a great choice for a diabetic.
You know about the Fancy Feast choices (the "classic" ones) and I think you have Whiskas over there (with the purple label)? We have it here in NZ and it is made in Oz. The loaf style one is OK I think - it was fed by another Kiwi on this Board in the past and I think she had found it out to be low carb.

All the best with keeping Neko eating! This business is a bit scary at times, especially at the beginning, but if you can get on to the home-testing you will have the reassurance of knowing where you are at.
 
Hello everyone! Thanks Allie for the tip on raw meat! You're right, it is scary and at times overwhelming, but everyone's quick replies to my post have been very reassuring and supportive, I couldn't have found a better online resource on Neko's diabetes. You guys rock!

I took Neko to the vet yesterday for his check up; they measured his BG and it was 16 (24 when he brought him in on that fateful Monday when he was diagnosed). This was at 12pm, Neko had eaten 100g of roo meat and was grazing on a can of fancy feast since 7am and he'd had his insulin shot at around 8am. He's also gained weight since a week ago, so that sounds really promising to me as he was slowly transforming into skin and bone until he was diagnosed.

Vet reckons continue on with 0.5 lantus and that Neko can have as much food as he wants through the day. Roo meat and now we're trying Ziwi Peak, which someone suggested earlier as a great canned alternative. Vet mentioned that eventually we'll need to introduce more vitamins and nutrients into his diet, but at this stage she's looking for weight gain and less peeing.

I did finally go out and buy a glucometer: Accu-check Performa Nano - a nice simple looking machine, although I'm worried I'm going to go through the lancet drums very quickly and rack up some extra expenses there. I'm meant to test him just before his evening insulin shot and ring the vet with some results. I tried it on myself last night with the lancet setting on 2 (low penetration) and it wasn't so bad. The lancet pen itself was a bit tricky to figure out, and when I tried it on Neko's ear (on the same setting) it didn't really prick him? Same for his paw...
I need to comment now that at this point I knew that I could scratch off any medical profession as a career choice as drawing blood makes my stomach tumble :oops: . It was such slow going with me fumbling around with Neko's ear, paw, the glucometer and lancets..that Neko sat on my lap flicking his tail as if to say 'wake me up when it's over..'. LOL His patience with me is almost patronising.. :lol:

Suffice to say, I didn't get a reading last night, but I will try again tonight. I'll probably change the penetration setting on the lancet pen to a 5 or 6 and try it on Neko's paw as I understand they mind it less there.

If anyone has any resources on how to be less of a wuss when using lancet pens of this particular drum kind , please do share! Overall, I'm optimistic that Neko's on a brighter path towards remission or at least towards a healthier quality of life.
 
Hi there!
I trust Hilary won't mind if I paste this from a post she made to Phoebe's Mom - about hometesting, with a link. There's a video there, I think.

I actually never managed to home-test Myrtle, who was semi-feral, so am not much help, myself. Good luck with that! :smile:

Hope this link works! (Or go back to Phobe's Mom's thread)
************************************************



Our kitties get lots of love and treats for "putting up" with this and most of them actually come out to be tested on their own 'cause they want those treats . Here is a collection of great links that "Carolyn and Spot" pulled together about hometesting. See what you think ... it truly is the best way to not only keep Your cat safe but also really get a handle on this disease and help him to live a healthy life with FD (feline diabetes).

Home testing Links
 
Don't give up on the ear so easily, not many people get it the first time. If you have to go the paw you have to but there are some concerns that you risk infection doing that (still better than not testing though!). The ear is very easy once you get used to it. I felt really ill when I first started with vyktor but we both got used to it very quickly and in the end he would purr or even sleep through his tests. Most of the videos etc. show people using the lancing device from the outside to the inside of the ear. I did the opposite and went from the inside out, a) the inside ear is less hairy so you get a better drop of blood that you can see more easily and b) with a little practice I could easily judge when I was in the right spot based on how much of the hole where the lancet comes out of I could see.

Food for Australian sugar cats is as follows:

NO FANCY FEAST - the version we have here is different from the Classics in the US and it is high in carbs. I used that for bumping Vyktor's BG up when he was getting a little low.

Ziwi Peak is excellent ingredients wise (the best) but I notice it gets Vyktor a bit constipated so I don't feed that to him as his sole food and I mix it with water when I give it (it's a good idea to mix all the food with water really)

Natures Gift - usually you want to avoid anything with 'gravy' but their gravy varieties are fine

Whiskas - LOAF VARIETIES ONLY

Ultimates (not the varieties with rice)

and don't give seafood meals than twice a week. The krill oil in the Natures Gift non-seafood varieties doesn't count as a seafood meal.

Good luck with the testing. Once you have that under control you may want to join one of the Lantus forums - tight regulation (best chance of remission and the busiest forum) or relaxed.
 
Hi Vyktor - thank you for all the information. I've gone and watched some of the home testing videos on youtube and I think I'm a tiny bit braver and educated on what to do. I'll try again tonight.

I'm rather disappointed in myself not realizing sooner that our FF Classics were not the same at the US! Well, thankfully I have a few more tins of Ziwipeak left, although they're not exactly cheap. With Whiskas, do you mean this particular one? http://www.whiskas.com.au/ProductDetails.aspx?id=3&catid=8#adultProduct

I'll plan a visit to Coles again and see if they have any Whiskas or Ultimates to substitute the FF.

Stephanie and Neko
 
Hmmm - the FF "classics" we get here are certainly made in the US according to the label. You'd think they'd be the same where you are.

We have the "purple" Whiskas (Australian-made?) in your link, and the loaf style ones were fed by someone here who had a diabetic cat. (My diabetic cat wouldn't eat it, though!)

You sound like you are making good progress and I'm sure you'll get the hang of the hometesting and be an expert in no time!
 
We are new here too, just diagnosed last Thursday. The first week is crazy but we're calming down a little. We started testing the first day after I read the Lantus protocol can lead to remission in cats newly diagnosed. The first couple of tests were stressful but also comical, my husband and I trying to figure out how to get a wiggling cat to sit still (cooked chicken bites), tolerate a warm sock of rice on his hear (more chicken bites), MULTPLE ineffective sticks while trying to figure out the depth on the lancet pen (more chicken bites), and slobbering blood all over the test strip (even more chicken bites). I knew we'd laugh later at our initial ineptness (and I do!) We're getting much better now, and Leo actually follows us up to his room to get his monitoring because it involves CHICKEN! :-D

There's a lot of great info here - I keep seeing great posts and then I can't find them again - I'm starting to bookmark them so I can find them later.

Welcome and good luck with Neko!

Lisa and Leo
 
Trying to post from my phone for third time getting briefer and briefer ! Yes on the whiskas but only the loaf varieties. You can save the FF to use when you need to bump Nero back up, a teaspoon would do the trick for Vyktor. FF cans here similar colours and names but not the 'classics' I looked at importing but quarantine issues
 
Hi everyone!

Thanks for dropping by with more valuable advice and information. After two evenings of unsuccessful attempts, I'm excited to say that I've succeeded in testing Neko's BG as of last night! :-D

It took a while, but once I got his ear warmed up I could see his little vein at the edge of the ear and it was a only a matter of aiming and pricking with the lancet pen. I was told by my vet to get a reading before his evening insulin shot and he read 23.3. Which unfortunately is still very high. I'm hoping a factor in the high reading was the stress I was causing Neko by trying to prick his ear... :roll:

Having said that, I got my hands on some Whiskas Loafs and Neko's eats those too! All this while I notice that Neko's been gaining weight which is promising.

I think, now that I've gotten over the learning curve of using the lancet pen I'll be heading over to one of the insulin threads mentioned above.

More readings and questions to come!
 
Whoo hoo, congratulations and welcome to the vampire club. It just gets easier from here because you know you can do it now :-D See you in Lantus Land...
 
Allie & Myrtle (GA) said:
Hi there!
I trust Hilary won't mind if I paste this from a post she made to Phoebe's Mom - about hometesting, with a link. There's a video there, I think.
Click to expand...

:-D Nope, don't mind at all. Considering I poached this from someone else a long time ago. ;-)

Anyway, here is the link that didn't translate:

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

Also, if you are up to you, you could try poking without the lancet device and doing it freehanded. That's how I do it, as I could never get the darn device to work properly.

The secret to free hand poking is that you want to put something other than your finger behind the ear, because if you do pierce the ear, you don't poke your finger. I use a warming sock behind the ear and hold it there as my brace.

Additionally, you want to hold the lancet at an upward 45 degree (ish) angle. I found this stops you from piercing and allows you to have more control.

101_0669.jpg


You want to aim for the sweet spot.

sweetspot.jpg


And if your cat has dark ears, then a good flashlight is needed. I used a small handheld in my mouth as a spotlight on the ear so I could see what I was doing.

I almost forgot to explain the warming sock.

Take a sock any sock and fill it with approx 1/4 cup of rice, dry beans or oatmeal (I prefer oatmeal).

Knot the top of the sock - so the stuff stays in

Place in microwave for 15-30 seconds until warm to touch

Place behind cat's ear to warm it up and get the blood flowing.

Keep it there as your poke buffer and test

See, easy breezy.....
 
Hi Everyone!

Thanks to all the resources online and Neko's patience with me, I've been improving on collecting his blood glucose. I find that using the hot wet towel in a zip lock really helps get a good dot of blood! What a great tip.

A lot of things are happening at our house right now (we're moving, getting married and I'm going part time at work!) so I haven't been able to do a complete curve yet or fill in the spreadsheet. However I have started reading up on curves and some of the other material in the Lantus forum as well.

At the moment I've just been checking Neko's BG before his evening insulin shot.

So far it's been:

Tuesday 23.3
Thursday 18.9
Friday 23.3

I hope to get more consistent readings from him, but when I rang my vet to let her know these readings she was positive about Neko's progress (also especially since he's gaining weight, is more active and pees less) and that I should get some more readings over the next few nights. Once he's at a lower reading, then we can look to reduce his 0.5 lantus to once a day. Once we've moved, I think next week I'll start monitoring via the spreadsheet. Right now, I think we've settled into a routine and he's adjusting to the 7am/7pm schedule.

Neko himself is a lot more active and inquisitive. We're moving house and he keeps jumping in and out of our boxes. It's nice to see him back to his usual self although I know we still have a long way to go. I didn't expect it to be an easy road, but I glad we're moving along nonetheless.

Regards,
Stephanie and Neko
 
I should get some more readings over the next few nights. Once he's at a lower reading, then we can look to reduce his 0.5 lantus to once a day.
Click to expand...

But what if he doesn't get a lower reading? His preshot numbers are still quite high and you would not want to reduce the dose in those numbers. You also do not want to shoot once a day... Lantus only lasts approximately 12 hours. Shooting once a day would have him in good numbers while the insulin was effective, and then sky high again when it wore off. That is risky, diabetic ketoacidosis can come on fast with not enough food and not enough insulin. You need to start testing before each shot, and getting a test or two in the middle of each cycle (between 4-6 hrs after the shot) would REALLY help us help you. The longer you wait to get him under proper control, the more damage is being done do his body.
 
Hi Ry,

Thanks very much for dropping by with some feedback.

Neko's numbers aren't ideal, and neither is my monitoring of his BG at this stage. I do fully intend to test him and get AMPS, PMPS and some in between readings as well. However as I've mentioned before there are a lot of things going on in my small family's life at the moment, coupled with all the accumulating vet fees ($775aud +$1800 from the hypo hospitalisation + $3000 left over from the megacolon surgery) it's become plain to me that at least until we're somewhat settled into our new house I'll need to take care of my other responsibilities in order to take care of Neko.

I completely understand the need and urgency to regulate Neko by closely monitoring his BG but unfortunately at the moment my time is divided and I'm a bit confused as our vet's stance is to continue the 0.5 lantus twice a day every 12hrs. I wouldn't lower his dosage without consultation to once a day if the reading was still high. Only when it was consistently much lower would we even think about lowering the dosage. And even then I assume we'd also need to factor in his diet, his blood pressure, weight, ketones (if any) etc.

Apologies if the BG readings I'm posting are not as comprehensive and it's hard for other members to get a good picture and give feedback. I'll definitely take that into account and try to get as much BG readings as a I can in the next few days, but please bear with me as I try to navigate the next week or so (hopefully days).
 
Hi everyone!

I've jumped straight into it today and although I missed Neko's AMPS reading, I did one at +4 (AM shot was at 7am) and now his PMPS test. Spread sheet below if anyone's interested.https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkS8yAxivx0sdGVFV1RTRXVtSUlGMmtQNk42QTBsZ2c

As you can see as of a few minutes ago Neko's BG read 5.9. He's bee eating Whiskas loafs throughout the day, napping, exploring and looking quite good today.

Do you think 5.9 is too low to give 0.5 lantus? His +4 was 3.4...

I'm actually really surprised at the 5.9 because until a day ago he was in the 20s! :shock:

What do you all think?
 
I decided to skip the shot last night. With a reading of 5, i just wasn't comfortable giving him anything. Neko's AMPS this morning read 11.3.

I wasn't sure whether to give him 0.5 or 0.25 or if at all so I called my vet - she advised to skip the morning shot. In the evening Neko will mostly likely be around 18 or 19 and she said I can continue on one shot every evening. I wish I could test him in the middle of the day today, but unfortunately no one else is at home and I have to be at work.

I'll test him before his evening shot tonight and a few hours later.
 
Neko's doing really well! his BG consistently going down! I'm not starting him on one 0.5 Lantus shot every evening :mrgreen:

Can I just say, that the Whiskas Loafs are great!! I think Neko's doing very well on them and it's helping me manage his diet without breaking my bank.

Here's to hoping Neko's BG keeps going down down down......:)
 
Thank you Hmjohnston!

I've been doing tests and updating neko's spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... k42QTBsZ2c

Neko's doing well and on the 14th he went one whole day without insulin! I was expecting to give him his evening shot but when I did the PMPS test he read 4.3!
This morning his reading reasonable low as well. I'm hoping in the evening I'll have a repeat of yesterday.
 
Just keep testing... maybe the food change and some insulin is what Neko needed to jump start his pancreas again *fingers crossed*

Just remember- no more dry food at all or the numbers will rise.

Neko will be considered OTJ after 14 days of testing and no insulin. Then you can lower the testing to once a day, every other day, once a week...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top