Newly Diagnosed

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Colette

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Hi,my name is Colette and my sweet cat Cheesy(lol I'm terrible at names) just got diagnosed March 30. Currently she is on 3 units of Caninsulin twice a day. After reading post here about home testing I went and bought a glucometer yesterday. She was testing hi on the meter when first diagnosed. So yesterday I tested her before her shot and she tested 11.9mmol/L, +4 at 3.1mmol/L,+8 at 5.3mmol/L and again preshot at 12mmol/L. She used to be on dry food before and I switched her to wet after reading on the forum. Here is where my problems start. She was off of food before she was diagnosed and hasn't gotten her appetite back. She has issues with constipation and I think this is bothering her too. I have been syringe feeding her before her shots. This morning she did drink some tuna juice on her own. Anyadvice from anyone would greatly be appreciated.

Colette and Cheesy
 
Adding a bit few milliliters of water to the canned food will help with constipation, as will using a tiny bit of Miralax. Others with experience will be able to share what dose has worked for their kitty, though you may want to check with your vet, in case something else is going on.

Lots of folks have tips for "inappettance", including but not limited to:
FortiFlora sprinkled on food
grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on food

You can do searches on these forums, too, if no one posts very quickly: the search box is in the upper right corner of the web page.
 
Just wanted to say hello and welcome. I'm sure you're already figuring out that you've come to the best place for help with your diabetic cat. I knew next to nothing at first and was overwhelmed and stressed. This forum and following the great advice/protocol really helped me turn Max's health around. Sounds like you are already implementing some of the great advice. Yay for learning to home test.

To convert blood glucose mmol/l (Canadian measure) to mg/dl (US measure), you multiply by 18 (sorry, I'm in the US and more familiar with the US measure). When I multiply your +4 reading of 3.1 X 18, I get 56 mg/dl. That's kind of low for a +4. Anyway, you might consider reducing the dose tonight based on your pre shot test. The diet change may already be helping out and reducing your cat's need for insulin and lack of appetite could be contributing. Feel free to post your numbers and ask for advice.

I'm too much a newbie to have much advice on your questions on appetite and constipation but have seen some recent threads with good suggestions if you want to search.
 
Hi and welcome :)

Where are you located? I'm in Alberta...

3 units is generally way too high for a starting dose, and those preshot numbers are definitely not super high, so I'd seriously consider having a talk with your vet about that dose. Honestly, starting at 1 unit twice a day and working your way up by 0.5 unit increments is much safer.

Jen

edited to add: ericksdale? where's that? I'm originally from Brandon
 
Thanks all for the advice so far. I will continue to do searches to find out more info.
Jen I live on a farm around 100 miles north of Winnipeg. She started off on 1 unit, then 2 then 3 all in the one week. But she was testing hi at the vets ( probably due to stress) My Vet does seem to be very good and willing to listen. He agrees home testing would be more stress free. Anyways I will continue to do some tests tonight and go from there. Thanks !!!
 
Agree with everyone that your dose is causing a steep drop and low numbers early in the cycle. Canninsulin (Vetsulin in the US) is famous for steep drops and not lasting the whole cycle. Here is some info on your insulin viewtopic.php?f=19&t=302 I am with Jen. Start over with one unit twice daily, test and collect data and increase if you need to.

You have other choices of insulin in Canada. Most people here use Lantus, Levemir or PZI. They are mild, long lasting insulins and much easier on a kitty's system.
 
Hi Colette. And welcome.
My cat J.D. has been diabetic for a long time, and we are using Levemir.
I always find inappetance to be scary, especially because I am gone to work for 11 hours a day, and don't know what is happening with my cat.
Whenever my cats turn up their noses at their meals, I can almost always get them to eat by sprinkling a little FortFlora on their food. Also, crumpled freeze dried salmon treats or crumpled freeze dried chicken treats on top of their food will often get them to eat it. Other people here have used parmesian cheese sprinkles. I have also used appetite stimulants prescribed by my vet at times.
I wish you the best of luck. And, you have come to the very best place for help, guidance, and information.
Ask any questions you want, we're here to help your kitty get better.

(((hugs))) and hang in there.
 
Your vet may be lovely, but in all likelihood is moving too fast. Various veterinary journal articles and even the canadian veterinary association agree that stress at the clinic may influence blood glucose test results. For this reason, it is entirely possible that your cat's blood glucose levels were inflated. and even if they weren't, it takes a body a few days to adjust to each new dose. so your vet raised too quickly and by too much.

good intentions aren't always right, and a more cautious/logical approach really is better.

Wish I knew someone in your area. We had someone in Winnipeg but I've not seen her post in ages.

I had to go a bit against my vet in the beginning. I read a lot, treated her opinions with respect but also questioned them. In the end, you are responsible for your pet's health and you have every right to play a role in the decision making.

You don't know us, we aren't vets, we aren't always right, but collectively we have seen 1000s of diabetic cats and have developed some pretty good skills at treating this disease.

Jen
 
Let us know how the tests went yesterday. Think we all want to help Cheesy. She may be very sensitive to vet stress, and, now that you're testing at home, you'll want to base her dose on your tests. Also, the diet change can reduce the amount of insulin needed. You can call your vet with Cheesy's #'s and ask for advice and post on the forum. With the numbers you said you got the other day, the concern is that Cheesy may be going lower than what you or your vet would like.
 
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