Kiwi F
Member
Hi. I'm Kim and my 13 yr old cat, Kiwi, was diagnosed one week ago. Our vet is now on vacation, and the instructions we were given as she was leaving contradicted what we were already told at our appointment, and we need advice. Kiwi was my first ever cat, and is my best friend. I'm currently disabled with a serious illness, and we spend 24 hrs a day together (with my boyfriend/caregiver and two other cats). I feel like I'm making some mistakes, and I want to know what is right for him. I just need to know what to do! Sorry this is long, but because its so confusing, I want to lay it out as it happened.
I brought Kiwi to the vet last Tuesday because he was drinking a lot of water, was always hungry, had recently lost weight, and didn't seem to be feeling well (nothing specific... just a feeling I had). I was told his blood sugar was high (they weren't able to give me an exact number at the time, but said it was over 400), but had no ketones. I was shown how to do insulin injections, he was switched to Hill's W/D food (which I now realize is a problem), and prescribed Lantis insulin (one unit, twice a day). At the appointment on Tuesday, I was told to immediately switch his food, and start his insulin on Thursday, to 'give the diet time to work'. We were also told to get a certain glucose meter that we weren't able to find (ended up getting a ReliOn Meter, after doing some research).
We got a call on Wed, saying his other labs were good (with one kidney level slightly elevated due to dehydration). But his BG level was a little over 600 (can't remember exact number right now). At the time of that call, my boyfriend, who was speaking directly to the vet, asked if we should wait to give insulin because 1) we were still looking for a meter, and 2) we had already noticed positive changes in Kiwi such as a huge reduction in drinking, much less begging for food (although he ate what was given), and he seemed perkier, happier, and feeling better.... so he wanted to know if it was okay to 'see what the diet could do for him'. The vet said NOT to wait... to start the insulin, or he his high BG could do damage that can't be reversed. So we got the meter and picked up his insulin (which was VERY expensive), and had everything ready to get started on Thursday.
Here's where things get really confusing: On Thursday, not long before we planned to give his first injection, we called the vet's office, like we were instructed. The vet had already left on vacation, but we were given a message: we were told that we hadn't given the diet long enough to work, and that we should wait to give the insulin, and to keep feeding him the new food. We told the vet tech that we had asked about that the day before, and were told NOT to wait... was it possible the messages were mixed up? She said she would call the vet one time and ask our questions. We asked: 1) Did she really want us to wait with the insulin, after she clearly said NOT to wait. 2) How often should we be checking his BG? The tech called us back and said that the vet verified that we hadn't given the diet enough time and should wait to give the insulin. 2) That we should not check his BG for the next two weeks. We got off the phone not knowing what to think or do. And we've been debating, agonizing, and panicking about what to do ever since.
Since we already had the meter, we started checking his BG (even though they said not to). (Since the diet change, we've been feeding him at 8am-when we planned to give his first insulin, 2pm, and 8pm-when we planned to give his second insulin dose.) On Thurs, we tested him right before his 2pm meal. It was 503. The other days we tested before his 8pm meal: Fri- 410, Sat-390, Sun-396. It seemed like the diet was working, at first. (although, is it possible that Thursday's level was higher because it was a different time of day, and his BG has only appeared to be going down??) And in the meantime, we learned about the issues with the Hill's W/D diet, and are currently trying to pick a new food for him (and thinking about changing vets). But at this point we don't know what to do about the insulin. I'm worried about his BG being that high. But, we are also wanting to change his diet (we thought it would happen yesterday, but because the food we picked wasn't available, we're hoping to switch him later today).... and we have read that we shouldn't start insulin until his diet is changed. But are we doing the right thing? How dangerous is it to leave him at a BG around 400 (before he eats... so thats not his highest level) for another week? Should we be starting the insulin now, and leave him on the Hill's food just until he stabilizes?
Can anyone advise us on how to proceed? And can anyone tell us how dangerous his current BG level is ? and how dangerous it would be to leave him that high for another week, until his vet gets back? Or until his diet is changed? Also, besides low carbs, how important is low fat and how high should protein be? Is there anything we need to be careful of (when picking a diet) because he's an older cat (13 yrs)? I'd appreciate any advice you all have. I've been reading all week, but I'm still unclear on what to do now, and if the insulin can really wait just a little longer.
Thank you for your help (and we're glad we found you),
Kim and Kiwi
I brought Kiwi to the vet last Tuesday because he was drinking a lot of water, was always hungry, had recently lost weight, and didn't seem to be feeling well (nothing specific... just a feeling I had). I was told his blood sugar was high (they weren't able to give me an exact number at the time, but said it was over 400), but had no ketones. I was shown how to do insulin injections, he was switched to Hill's W/D food (which I now realize is a problem), and prescribed Lantis insulin (one unit, twice a day). At the appointment on Tuesday, I was told to immediately switch his food, and start his insulin on Thursday, to 'give the diet time to work'. We were also told to get a certain glucose meter that we weren't able to find (ended up getting a ReliOn Meter, after doing some research).
We got a call on Wed, saying his other labs were good (with one kidney level slightly elevated due to dehydration). But his BG level was a little over 600 (can't remember exact number right now). At the time of that call, my boyfriend, who was speaking directly to the vet, asked if we should wait to give insulin because 1) we were still looking for a meter, and 2) we had already noticed positive changes in Kiwi such as a huge reduction in drinking, much less begging for food (although he ate what was given), and he seemed perkier, happier, and feeling better.... so he wanted to know if it was okay to 'see what the diet could do for him'. The vet said NOT to wait... to start the insulin, or he his high BG could do damage that can't be reversed. So we got the meter and picked up his insulin (which was VERY expensive), and had everything ready to get started on Thursday.
Here's where things get really confusing: On Thursday, not long before we planned to give his first injection, we called the vet's office, like we were instructed. The vet had already left on vacation, but we were given a message: we were told that we hadn't given the diet long enough to work, and that we should wait to give the insulin, and to keep feeding him the new food. We told the vet tech that we had asked about that the day before, and were told NOT to wait... was it possible the messages were mixed up? She said she would call the vet one time and ask our questions. We asked: 1) Did she really want us to wait with the insulin, after she clearly said NOT to wait. 2) How often should we be checking his BG? The tech called us back and said that the vet verified that we hadn't given the diet enough time and should wait to give the insulin. 2) That we should not check his BG for the next two weeks. We got off the phone not knowing what to think or do. And we've been debating, agonizing, and panicking about what to do ever since.
Since we already had the meter, we started checking his BG (even though they said not to). (Since the diet change, we've been feeding him at 8am-when we planned to give his first insulin, 2pm, and 8pm-when we planned to give his second insulin dose.) On Thurs, we tested him right before his 2pm meal. It was 503. The other days we tested before his 8pm meal: Fri- 410, Sat-390, Sun-396. It seemed like the diet was working, at first. (although, is it possible that Thursday's level was higher because it was a different time of day, and his BG has only appeared to be going down??) And in the meantime, we learned about the issues with the Hill's W/D diet, and are currently trying to pick a new food for him (and thinking about changing vets). But at this point we don't know what to do about the insulin. I'm worried about his BG being that high. But, we are also wanting to change his diet (we thought it would happen yesterday, but because the food we picked wasn't available, we're hoping to switch him later today).... and we have read that we shouldn't start insulin until his diet is changed. But are we doing the right thing? How dangerous is it to leave him at a BG around 400 (before he eats... so thats not his highest level) for another week? Should we be starting the insulin now, and leave him on the Hill's food just until he stabilizes?
Can anyone advise us on how to proceed? And can anyone tell us how dangerous his current BG level is ? and how dangerous it would be to leave him that high for another week, until his vet gets back? Or until his diet is changed? Also, besides low carbs, how important is low fat and how high should protein be? Is there anything we need to be careful of (when picking a diet) because he's an older cat (13 yrs)? I'd appreciate any advice you all have. I've been reading all week, but I'm still unclear on what to do now, and if the insulin can really wait just a little longer.
Thank you for your help (and we're glad we found you),
Kim and Kiwi
