ocat new here

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ocat

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Hi.
Ocat was diagnosed two+ months ago. He's (now) on glargine 1.75 units BID. BG now well controlled between 50 and 120. Hard going at first as both his initial diet (high carb food for diabetic cats!) and short-acting insulin were working against him. Ocat was diagnosed quite late and suffers from some peripheral neuropathy. He's on methylcobalamin and taurine supplements -- progress has been slow, and indistiguishable from progress made during the time he was off the methylcobalamin. But it's early days for euglycemia -- and i know it takes time.

Was glad to see the information on accuracy and precision of syringes as tighter control should be possible if we can work out how to consistently deliver a sub .25 dose (or even a .25 dose precisely it appears!). I've been trying to find a syringe (any syringe) more on the order of 0.1ml, but they just don't seem to be available.

Currently in the process of getting him onto homemade food.
-Craig
 
Hi,
He's on canned only, actually only Fancy Feast Kitten (he's 16) Ocean Whitefish feast at the moment. All the ingredients for his food are in the fridge, so if all goes well he won't be eating canned tomorrow...
-Craig
 
That would be great. I tried to switch mine to raw, Tucker does not like it, but a few others will eat it.
 
If you do a web search for microsyringes, you'll find them ... and they are typically made of glass and designed to be autoclaved between uses. Plus you would have to convert from microliters to units.

I've been told by a nurse with some 20 years experience teaching a doses and calculations class I am taking 1/2011, that a disposable 1 mL TB syringe may have more precise markings, to .001 mL. I'll believe it when I can see a real life TB syringe.

IF this is true, then you would have to do the conversion to be sure of the correct units.
For U-100, which is 100 units in 1 mL:
0.01 mL = 1 unit
0.005 mL = 1/2 unit
0.001 mL = 1/10 unit

Again, this is true if and only if a 1 mL TB syringe measures to 0.001 mL
 
Hi,
He wasn't so happy with the homemade food. In the end the first feeding was only 10% homemade (90% his old canned food) and even then it took him hours (after he was hungry) to decide it was OK to eat. We did manage to get about 25% homemade into his next feeding and he didn't turn up his nose so long first. So progress.
-Craig
 
Hi BJ,
Thanks for the info. I've tried to find a disposable tuberculin syringe with 0.001 markings, but no luck yet -- and that would seem unlikely in a 1ml syringe (unless it's glass). Might try some other brand of 0.3ml insulin syringes (using BD now) as it appears there are better ones around...

Or maybe just make a precision injection gun :-)
-Craig
 
Congrats on starting homemade! Most cats don't immediately jump on board, so take your time and make the transition gradual. Powdered chicken livers (I know Feline Instincts sells one), freeze dried shrimp treats (crumbled on top of the food) or Fortiflora can really help persuade kitties to try something new. You can also try different recipes to help!

Stick with it... I can say that there are few things more satisfying than watching your cat happily chow down on a meal you have lovingly created from scratch to help them reach their optimal health.

Good luck with that and the syringe issue! Hope you find something that will work for you!
 
Hi,
Was able to ramp up the percentage of homemade food and Ocat is on 95% raw now. Much easier than i expected from his initial refusal to touch his old food with just a tiny bit of the raw added...
-Craig
 
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