Overwhelmed And Needing Some Advice

Nina Hopkins

Nina Hopkins

New Member
Hello friends, my only cat Dusty was diagnosed back in May/June of this year as being diabetic. We've had her on Prozinc the entire time but I just found this forum and I've realized I haven't really done my due diligence. As a little background, my cat is a 15 year old girl, weighing somewhere around 8 lbs, mostly sedentary and is the fussiest thing, hates being touched at all and hugely dislikes other people. I'm a grad student living alone and my schedule is varied at best. I switched her off dry food entirely when she was diagnosed, but recently tried putting her on a half wet/dry and rapidly realized thats not working and switched back to all wet. (She started wandering around the house meowing loudly and repetitively)

Here's my problems, first off my vet never made me aware that home testing was an option. All I was instructed to do was to feed her twice a day, 12 hours apart, and give her her shot of 1u right after. Because of financial constraints I couldn't take her back for a follow up, so I've been pretty much winging it by those instructions. What concerns me is I feel like she's underweight, I can feel her bones on her shoulders too easy, because I have no idea how much I should be feeding her. I read the intro thread for this forum and I have no idea what these home testing sheets should really look like. I also have no idea what the most important things really are for dosing.

So my questions are these, how much should I be feeding her? What should a home testing sheet look like. For dosing, what is most important, it the 12 hour timing? Is that flexible at all, and if so by how much? And can anyone tell me common symptoms of high blood sugar?

Thanks so much!
 
Nina Hopkins said:
So my questions are these, how much should I be feeding her? What should a home testing sheet look like. For dosing, what is most important, it the 12 hour timing? Is that flexible at all, and if so by how much? And can anyone tell me common symptoms of high blood sugar?
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1 if she's under weight then feed her as much as she wants. 2. We have a template here we use with Google Sheets. The instructions are there but if your are still struggling to set it up one of us can do it for you. Ideally you would want a test before each preshot and mid cycle readings when you can. 3. There is some flexibility up to an hour either way with ProZinc. When shooting early is best to test first to make sure the number is high enough. 4. Weight loss, increased thirst, generally feeling yucky. Over time high bg can damage various organs and makes them susceptible to ketones. Dental problems and uti are also common.


I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home
 
Hi Nina, and welcome!

Here is a link to the directions for the spreadsheet: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

You just have to link it - all the formatting is already done for you.

You don't need to feed 12 hours apart. Most of us feed a few times during the day instead of just at the shot times. The only thing to remember is that she shouldn't eat in the two hours before each shot.

I recommend using a human blood glucose meter instead of a pet specific meter because the test strips are much cheaper for the human meter. And as far as testing, you want to test before each shot (the shots do need to be 12 hours apart), and then once or twice during the cycle when you can. The dose is adjusted based on the lowest point in the cycle which usually happens somewhere around 4-7 hours after the shot. Once you get a few tests, we can take a look and help you figure out what to do with the dose.

Please ask as many questions as you have. It can be a little overwhelming at first, but we are here to help.
 
Hi Nina!

Welcome to the group! First off, do not beat yourself up over home testing. Many (well most) vets do no recommended and encourage home testing. I didn't know about it either until I joined the crew.

I would really encourage you to get a BG home testing kit ASAP. You do not need a fancy one or the Alpha Trak (one for pets). A regular human meter will suffice. Let me know if you need links.

When you get your BG kit you will need to do a curve. This is where you test BG on your cat for roughly 12hrs. I've heard it can be a little less, but I don't have knowledge of those. Once you do a curve the group can help you read the results and figure out what is going on.

Unregulated diabetes in felines results in weight loss. This was one of my first sings I noticed in my cat. Don't panic. You are in the right place to get help!

What kind of wet food are you feeding your cat? I would stick to a "Pate". The Science Diet stuff that the vet recommends for diabetics is costly and too high in carbs. Friskies and Fancy Feast Pate are budget friendly. There is also Nulo. This is a newer one. It does cost a little more.

Setting up your spreadsheet (SS) is also a must. This is where you input your cats BG numbers, insulin dose, or anything extra that us readers might find useful. It is FREE. You just need a Gmail account.
If you need help let us know.

You should also add a signature to your account. This helps us reference anything without having to ask you. You do this under account settings. You can look at the bottom of my post for the useful information you should post on yours.

ProZinc IMO is the most flexible. We aren't going to lecture you if you are a little late, or miss a shot. It obviously isn't advised, but sometimes life happens. At the beginning of my journey, there were days I could only give my cat 1 shot a day. I am also a Nursing student and I work full time who also lives alone. Many of us live alone and understand the struggle. It isn't easy, but we are here to help you.

High blood sugar in cats can vary from cat to cat. The more common signs are excessive thirst, increased urination, and weight loss. Note that ECID (every cat is different). Once you learn the behavior patterns of your cat you will develop a "sense" that something is off.
My cat gets overly tired when hers in high. Similar to the behavior we get when we eat too many carbs and need a nap or get the "crash" feeling.

I'm tagging a few other people who are helpful. They might have more to add.

@Kris & Teasel
@Rachel
@Djamila
@FurBabiesMama
 
Djamila said:
Hi Nina, and welcome!

Here is a link to the directions for the spreadsheet: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

You just have to link it - all the formatting is already done for you.

You don't need to feed 12 hours apart. Most of us feed a few times during the day instead of just at the shot times. The only thing to remember is that she shouldn't eat in the two hours before each shot.

I recommend using a human blood glucose meter instead of a pet specific meter because the test strips are much cheaper for the human meter. And as far as testing, you want to test before each shot (the shots do need to be 12 hours apart), and then once or twice during the cycle when you can. The dose is adjusted based on the lowest point in the cycle which usually happens somewhere around 4-7 hours after the shot. Once you get a few tests, we can take a look and help you figure out what to do with the dose.

Please ask as many questions as you have. It can be a little overwhelming at first, but we are here to help.
Click to expand...
You beat me to it! Ha ha
 
It is all overwhelming when you first start. There will probably be times if you wonder if you can really handle it. Just hang in there. With a little time and practice, you'll both fall into a routine and it'll all be less dramatic. The spreadsheet is indispensable both for you and for others trying to help you. Once you have that set up and you've ready through the stickies, it is also helpful to read through other people's threads when they are having issues. Some things that may not make sense in the beginning may become more clear when you see them in action. Good luck!
 
Hi Nina! Welcome to our little forum!

You've already gotten great info so I won't repeat all that. I'll just add that Prozinc does have some flexibility to it. 12 hours apart for shots is best but if you can't do that, you have around an hour to play with. If you know your schedule is going to be kind of wonky, we can help you try to figure out a good way to get shots in.

Please do ask all the questions you have! This is a steep learning curve and a lot to process, and we're here to help!
 
Welcome! I feed my girls four times a day and leave what's left out for them to graze on. You do not have to feed just twice a day. Older cats need a lot of high-quality protein, and it is often a struggle to make sure they eat enough to maintain a healthy weight, so your girl probably needs to eat more often. A lot of people use automatic feeders to make food available to their cats while they are at work or asleep. Or, I have seen some say that they freeze portions of food to leave out so their cat can eat them when they thaw.

Once you start home testing and get your spreadsheet set up, you will get a lot of support and advice here.
 
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