Onre is getting better need guidance on next steps

Status
Not open for further replies.
Onre

Onre

Member Since 2017
I have dealt with some very nice vets but they are really nebulous about explaining how to care for her. My cat has started eating Fancy Feast chicken we are up to at least 4 ounces today. She is getting super tired of the AD syringe feedings but I am thinking maybe I should keep up at least one feeding a day. I am dealing with two vets at two different practices. One raised the insulin to two units a day which seemed to be helpful she was gone today so I called my regular vet wondering if I needed to syringe feed and if not when could I give her shot if she has not quite eaten 3 ounces of food yet. The response I received was to cut back to one unit of insulin and if her appetite does not continue to increase to bring her in. Both vets are discouraging home testing unless she shows unusual behavior. I have an Advocate monitor. On syringe feeding we were on 12 hour schedule but now she is grazing. I have to stir her food often and encourage her to eat. I am lucky or unlucky depending on how I wish to view it that I happen to be looking for work at the moment so I am home often and can monitor her. I do need to get her stabilized if I get a job offer obviously I need to get to work.

How do I get her stabilized and how much Fancy Feast Chicken classic does she have to eat to be stable? Will grazing be ok to keep her stable? How much of this food does she have to eat to give her the shot and be safe?
How long do I need to around after a shot to be sure she is ok? Would you continue Sub Q fluids if she is beginning to drink? What about a once a day syringe feeding. She has been recovering from pancreatitis, and fatty liver. She was DKA when we brought her into the emergency vet. Now she is sociable and fairly happy and working on cranky which is a natural part of her disposition. (thus the name Onre -ornery)
 
Onre said:
I have dealt with some very nice vets but they are really nebulous about explaining how to care for her. My cat has started eating Fancy Feast chicken we are up to at least 4 ounces today. She is getting super tired of the AD syringe feedings but I am thinking maybe I should keep up at least one feeding a day. I am dealing with two vets at two different practices. One raised the insulin to two units a day which seemed to be helpful she was gone today so I called my regular vet wondering if I needed to syringe feed and if not when could I give her shot if she has not quite eaten 3 ounces of food yet. The response I received was to cut back to one unit of insulin and if her appetite does not continue to increase to bring her in. Both vets are discouraging home testing unless she shows unusual behavior. I have an Advocate monitor. On syringe feeding we were on 12 hour schedule but now she is grazing. I have to stir her food often and encourage her to eat. I am lucky or unlucky depending on how I wish to view it that I happen to be looking for work at the moment so I am home often and can monitor her. I do need to get her stabilized if I get a job offer obviously I need to get to work.

How do I get her stabilized and how much Fancy Feast Chicken classic does she have to eat to be stable? Will grazing be ok to keep her stable? How much of this food does she have to eat to give her the shot and be safe?
How long do I need to around after a shot to be sure she is ok? Would you continue Sub Q fluids if she is beginning to drink? What about a once a day syringe feeding. She has been recovering from pancreatitis, and fatty liver. She was DKA when we brought her into the emergency vet. Now she is sociable and fairly happy and working on cranky which is a natural part of her disposition. (thus the name Onre -ornery)
Click to expand...
Hello. First and foremost, start home testing asap. It is the only way you can be 100% safe when giving a shot. Plus it helps with dosing. It's very easy once you learn. I watched a YouTube video and was doing it that night and I've never looked back.

My cat eats approximately 2 cans of FF a day. She just grazes on it all day until 2 hours before her shot, when I take it away. I would want her to eat at least 1/4 of one of the small cans before I shoot. Like 3 tbsp.

How much is your kitty eating preshot?
 
I would say today she ate nearly half a can before her shot and I encourage her to eat after her shot. What glucose level are you looking for before giving the shot? The vets say the glucose level could vary throughout the day so unless she is acting funny it's not worth testing. I have done some testing but backed off after more than one vet ( 3 actually told me that). I know people on this forum are testing. I need life to be livable for both me and my cats. She did start to get leary after having her ear poked often.

I don't get why they do the 12 hour twice feeding plus shot bit. I have always thought frequent small meals are better for blood sugar issues.
 
Onre said:
I would say today she ate nearly half a can before her shot and I encourage her to eat after her shot. What glucose level are you looking for before giving the shot? The vets say the glucose level could vary throughout the day so unless she is acting funny it's not worth testing. I have done some testing but backed off after more than one vet ( 3 actually told me that). I know people on this forum are testing. I need life to be livable for both me and my cats. She did start to get leary after having her ear poked often.

I don't get why they do the 12 hour twice feeding plus shot bit. I have always thought frequent small meals are better for blood sugar issues.
Click to expand...
Most ppl on here let their cats graze. Some do the 12 and 12. Guess it works for them. Half a can is plenty before a shot. Are you doing TR or SLGS? It would depend on what number you would shoot at. I do TR, so I shoot anything over 90. SLGS is anything over 150. I think. There's some links in the forum.

I think vets discourage home testing mostly because they lose out. My vet highly recommended it.
 
I am not familiar with the abbreviations you are using yet. I have read some of the materials plus some Dr. Pierson's site. I will continue to read as I can but I am trying to gain knowledge from people like yourself to get Onre on the right track as quickly as possible. One other concern is to get her to gain weight three weeks ago she was a hefty, dense cat (but not fat) but she is a shadow of her former self. The fatty liver really took away her body fat.
 
Onre said:
I am not familiar with the abbreviations you are using yet.
Click to expand...

A lot of our "slang" is listed in THIS THREAD

GinnyBarr said:
Are you doing TR or SLGS? It would depend on what number you would shoot at. I do TR, so I shoot anything over 90. SLGS is anything over 150. I think. There's some links in the forum.
Click to expand...

If she's using Novolin N, there is no TR (Tight Regulation) or SLGS method (Start Low, Go Slow)....these dosing methods are used with Lantus or Levemir

If you're using Novolin, we don't suggest shooting anything under 200 until you've got enough data to really know how your cat is doing on it. Novolin is a harsher insulin and not one that most cats do well on (although some do)....It tends to drop them quickly and then wear off after 8-10 hours instead of lasting 12-16 hours like the better insulins like Lantus, Levemir and ProZinc can
 
Last edited:
She is on Novolin N I am not sure I will be able to change at this point due to cost.Maybe in a few weeks. With the change from two units of insulin down to one it seemed like she ate and drank all night long. She easily ate one can of Fancy Feast chicken. She drank despite the fact she had 100 mls of fluids before bedtime. She acted like she didn't feel good today and may have been in pain. I checked her with our Alpha Tral monitor at 9am her shot was at midnight and she was at 366. She probably ate another can by noon. I am going to have to write down how many cans I am losing track. Her number was 389 at noon. When she was on two units I checked her after a few days of doing and she got down to 154 and later in the day 57 (near 7pm) She was still getting syringe feed at the time every 12 hours with AD food. I digress back to today: It's near 6pm and she has eaten another can of food and is starting on another. I am letting her eat as much as she wants since she is so skinny. She has been hiding from me today even so far as to hide in the closet. I asked the vet to get new pain meds there is only one vet on duty so they could not accommodate us.
 
Onre said:
She is on Novolin N I am not sure I will be able to change at this point due to cost.Maybe in a few weeks. With the change from two units of insulin down to one it seemed like she ate and drank all night long. She easily ate one can of Fancy Feast chicken. She drank despite the fact she had 100 mls of fluids before bedtime. She acted like she didn't feel good today and may have been in pain. I checked her with our Alpha Tral monitor at 9am her shot was at midnight and she was at 366. She probably ate another can by noon. I am going to have to write down how many cans I am losing track. Her number was 389 at noon. When she was on two units I checked her after a few days of doing and she got down to 154 and later in the day 57 (near 7pm) She was still getting syringe feed at the time every 12 hours with AD food. I digress back to today: It's near 6pm and she has eaten another can of food and is starting on another. I am letting her eat as much as she wants since she is so skinny. She has been hiding from me today even so far as to hide in the closet. I asked the vet to get new pain meds there is only one vet on duty so they could not accommodate us.
Click to expand...
There are many resources in getting insulin at a better price. Novolin is definitely harsh from what I've read. You can check the for sale threads in this forum or there's a very reputable pharmacy that many ppl on this site buy from. The prices are unbeatable. Lantus, which is one of the best is something along the lines of 5 pens for $169. I haven't ordered from them yet, but I plan on it.

https://rxcanada4less.com/
 
I know you don't have to refrigerate insulin but is it affected by being shipped in the heat during the summer or getting frozen in the winter?
 
Actually most vets recommend keeping insulin refrigerated. My vet had always told me it lasts longer that way. Yes, insulin can be affected by heat in the summer and if it freezes while being shipped it's no longer viable. It's usually shipped in a cold pack with styrofoam or something similar to keep it cold.
 
Onre said:
I know you don't have to refrigerate insulin but is it affected by being shipped in the heat during the summer or getting frozen in the winter?
Click to expand...
Best to refrigerate it. It will last longer. These companies take every measure to make sure it gets to you properly. :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top