Newly Dignosed with 2 ?'s

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Jenn & Baxter

Jenn & Baxter

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Hello everyone. My name is Jennifer & my big brown cat is "Baxter". He is a 14 yr old Himalayan, weighs 11 pds. Baxter has lived with me for 5 years. He was the neighbors cat. Long story short...he knew where the love was. He never thought twice about turning back once he was at my house. I do know in his early years he probably ate "JUNK FOOD". His brother died of KD. He was digosned with FD 1 week ago (Nov 12). Little did I know what a emotional rollercoaster this was going to be. Since Baxter was dignosed I have spent countless hours (crying) reading, & reading, printing & highlighting trying to educated myself about FD. At this point I think I might know more then my vet. I printed the information about TIght Regulation & took it to my vet. He never heard of it. So I left the info with him. We talked about it on fri & he told me that since Baxter wasn't regulated on insulin that we should wait to try that protocol.
I am hoping that some members could please help me. Even though I have read so much material on FD I still feel so lost & have the fear I am going to kill my best friend.

Baxter's Specs:
Food: Blue Buffalo wet Salmon. He has eaten BB for about a yr, but I was mixing wet w/dry. Been off dry for 4 days. Feeding times have always been 8am & 6 or 7pm.
BG #'s: When first digonsed: 468. On 11/18 he was test 4 times his lowest was 290 & highest was in the low 400's.
Insulin: PZI 1.5 twice daily. On 11/16 vet told me to lower the dose to 1.0 twice daily # was 183 when tested.
BG Testing: Performed by the vet. I went to Walmart to purchase the Relion monitor, but they were sold out of everything to go with it.(Just a reminder why I don't like WalMart). I am going to a different location tomorrow.

Here are my questions:
1. He threw up about 3 hrs after his insulin shot. I gave him about 2 tbsp of wet food about 30 mins after throwing up. He is acting normal. Do I give him the normal dose of insulin at his AM feeding?
2. At what point can I start Tight Regulation? I have read the success stories. I can be 100% committed. I don't work. I plan on making it my full time job to try to make Baxter part of those success stories.

Thank You,
Jennifer & Baxter
 
Welcome to the board. You've come to the right place to help you and Baxter.

There will be people on soon who are more experienced and can help you with your specific questions.

You sound very committed, and that is a good start for you to be able to help your Baxter. You are definitely going to want to get started testing Baxter. Many of us use the Relion meters....I know at the Walmarts I go to, you can just pick up the meter on the shelf, but for the testing strips, you have to go up to the pharmacist and ask for them......

So, be reading up on how to test, start loving on Baxter's ears, because they will be getting a lot of attention real soon; you'll want to make sure to warm his little ear up before poking him, and he'll get used to it. I think once kitties start feeling better, it hits some of them that it's because of all the new stuff you've been doing to them, and start feeling grateful for it.

And Breathe....that is the mantra here....you just keep breathing, and ask your questions, and you will be given good guidance here on how to take care of your sugarcat.
 
Hi Jennifer,
Welcome. First off, I'm curious to understand what you believe "Tight Regulation" is and also what protocol you have read and expect to use? There is a particular method/protocol with PZI called a sliding scale which works well for some cats, but takes commitment from the caregiver and considerable amount of BG testing. Protocols for the longer acting insulins Lantus and Levemir are different, however, which is why I want to make sure you're speaking about the right protocol for tight regulation with PZI.

You need several weeks worth of blood glucose data to help understand your insulin's action in your cat to use tight regulation well, there is no particular recipe for every cat, we like to say Every Cat Is Different here. There are charts of blood glucose ranges to use TR with PZI, however, it may need tweaking for your cat. You also need to understand hypoglycemic symptoms and how to treat them as the possibility for low numbers is greater with TR.

I don't know how many users in the PZI insulin support group section use TR, but you might introduce yourself there. http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=24

Your vet did well to advise you to lower the dose. Starting dose on any insulin should be no more than 1U and the fact that you changed his diet also can lower his numbers considerably.

Make sure he eats before giving his AM shot. You should feed and wait a half hour before giving the shot, to make sure he's not going to throw up again.

Please get a BG test kit and once you learn how to test and have BG numbers to report we can help further. Wal-Mart's Reli-On is a good brand, I'm sorry you had difficulties. The only things you need for testing are the meter, test strips and lancets to pierce the ear with. Did the kit not come with the strips or a few lancets? We have a program to send meters to people at very low cost, http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=19541 but it's probably quicker to go out and buy one. Be aware the cost of the strips can be prohibitive for some, that's another reason the Reli-On is recommended. Also you can get strips for most all meters cheaper on Ebay.
 
Jennifer, just a note of caution...I do not recommend anything like TR to people who are just starting out. The whole starting out process can be overwhelming and I think that it is better for human and cat to learn the basics and focus on getting the cat healthy before taking it to the next level. If you go too hard in the beginning, it can backfire emotionally and you can even end up overdosing the cat in your haste. I'm not talking about moving so slowly that the cat's health is negatively impacted...so there is a bit of a balancing act required.

just my two cents

Jen
 
Thank you so much for your advice. Getting him regulated is my first goal. I want to take each step at a time. I don't want to mess anything up. I am going to purchase a monitor today. Going to start home testing. I have been playing with his ears more over the last 5 days to get him ready. He loves his ears rubbed so I am hoping it goes well.
I hate the feeling of giving him insulin & not knowing whats going to happen. I end up checking on him every 30 or so minutes. My nights are so late because I go & check on him. I feel like I can't go anywhere in fear that I won't be home if something happens to him. I know home testing will help put some of these feels to rest.
 
Adding my 2 cents ;-) He may not even need TR to become regulated ( I always call it well controlled for the day) or even go OTJ but......don't become so fixated on trying to get him OTJ that you forget to enjoy life. He may never go OTJ no matter what you do or try and then again he may go OTJ without you even trying. I've always considered it a gift if it happens but there have been, over the years, people who have become so frustrated because their kitty continually needs insulin no matter what they do. I know Mishka will never go OTJ, not after 8 years, but I am thankful she is in great health. Vinnie went OTJ quickly and Hope is OTJ after 4 1/2 years but only because we think it is connected to her heart condition.
 
Hope, Thank you so much for your words of comfort. You said your cat has a heart condition? What kind? Baxter has a heart murmur.
 
ditto what Hope said. If you are checking on him every 30mins and having a hard time leaving the house then you need to try and chill a little and yes, home testing will give you a greater comfort level. Just remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint, and that if you wear yourself out then you will be of no help to either of you. My cat went off of insulin inspite of the fact I didn't test for the first couple of months. Other cats will NEVER go off of insulin no matter what is done. get your cat feeling better, then work on the fine details.
 
Hi Jenn,
Welcome to the board!
I am going to hazard a guess and say you are probably talking about the Hodgkins' Tight Regulation protocol? And maybe you have read about it at yourdiabeticcat''s website? Or maybe diabetic cat care?
If that is what you are referring to, I am not aware of any kitties currently here that are using it. In the PZI support group forum, you will find people who do use a "sliding scale", some who are on a 2 shots per day schedule (every twelve hours) or 3x a day, (every 8 hours). The scales they use are much more conservative than the Hodgkins scales, but there are least people who would be familiar with the concept using PZI.

As Hope and others have said, it may not even come to the point where you have to consider it. Baxter may react very well in the early stages of treatment, and you are taking the terrific "next step" by deciding to start home testing.

Is it the strips that walmart didn't have in stock? The lancets are really not that big a deal unless you use the lancing device that comes with the meter. If not, you can buy any brand and use the lancet "free hand". The strips can sometimes be found on ebay cheap too. The meter should come with maybe 10 of them to get you started. They are also sold under the generic name of "glucocard 01", so if you google that, you can find lots of online places that sell them.

What I really wanted to let you know is that even though you might feel overwhelmed at the moment, and are worried just like I was at the beginning of this "sugardance", this won't last long. That feeling will go away within days. Once you get that first successful ear poke (yes, you will take great joy in the fact that you made Baxter BLEED! believe it or not!) that's a big hurdle. But every time you do it, it will be easier. Every time you see his number go down it will get easier. When he starts reminding you that it's time for a test - which he will do - it's going to make your day. The secret to success with testing is to make sure and give him a nice low-carb treat after each and every poke, whether you get blood or not. When he realizes that a tiny ear prick means a yummy treat, he'll come looking for the tests. He'll also learn very quickly that testing and insulin shots make him feel better, and the extra loving he's getting is really great. No matter how closely you feel that you and he have bonded since you got him, it is going to amaze you how much more close you get to each other. In that way, feline diabetes is a blessing in disguise. When Bob was diagnosed, he wasn't even "my" cat. He was a momma's boy. Now? He owns me.
So take a few deep breathes, and take care of yourself most importantly. Baxter needs you at the top of your game, so don't stress, don't go without sleep, try not to obsess. This is going to get better, sooner rather than later.

Read this, and print it out and stick in on the fridge, or the bathroom mirror - someplace where you can't miss it in the house. It will help:
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=33671

You've found the best place you could ever find for support and advice in the world. Now that you are here, you will never be alone with this,
Carl and Bob in SC
 
Jenn, Hope has RCM (Restrictive Cardiomyopathy). She had been on IDEXX PZI for 4 1/2 years and suddenly stopped needing insulin. Off we went to IM specialist and Cardiologist. She had some whacked out liver values so she was put on Marin, Denosyl and eventually Ursodiol for gall bladder. Then the Cardio vet did the echo and ekg and discovered the heart problem. No one can tell me if heart trumps diabetes or why she stopped needing insulin but forward almost 5 years and she is still off insulin, on all her meds and heart meds and is doing great cat_pet_icon
 
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