"Remission" but BG is 220?

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Aliciakuy

Member Since 2019
My kitty morton has been in diabetic remission for over a month and testing usually above 150 but under 200 on the alpha track reader. Today when he got his blood drawn to check up how hes recovering after acidosis, sepsis and pancreatitis last month his bg is 220 this afternoon. He isnt on any insulin and he eats orijen dry food and grain free treats and he had quite a bit before his appointment. Should I be worried?
 
The sample was taken at the vet, so I'm sure he was pretty stressed, that could raise the numbers a bit and if he had eaten less than 2 hours before the appointment that probably had an effect, I would monitor him closely for a couple of days , try and check him 2-3 hours after he ate to see if his numbers go down on it's own.

Good luck hopefully it was just food and stress
 
His internal medicine specialist advised to get some urine test strips. Do you have a good brand or a link? I have the ketone test strips ... I have to somehow get a bg on him and figure out how he will let me he absolutely loses his mind and doesnt let me touch him after
 
Here's something I wrote up for others for testing...maybe it'll help you too!

It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you.

Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!

You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!

It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well

For new kitties, using a heavier gauge lancet is also really helpful. A 25-28 gauge lancet pokes a bigger "hole" than a 31-33 gauge lancet does, so look for "Alternate Site testing" lancets that are usually a lower number

Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!

There are more testing tips here:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
 
His internal medicine specialist advised to get some urine test strips. Do you have a good brand or a link?

Urine glucose testing is better than nothing, but it's really not going to give you much useful information because what you're testing is how much glucose has accumulated since the last time he pee'd, not what's going on inside his body right now.

These Ketodiastix strips do both glucose and ketones

220 on the AlphaTrak while the cat is under stress at the vet's can be totally normal. Once he's home and relaxes, that should come down.
 
Have you tried him on Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein Chicken or Young Again Zero? (both kibbles but under 5%....the Dr. Elsey's Salmon is about 9%)

Still not recommended, but better than the Orijen. Both companies will send samples if you call and ask them.

We've had a lot of members who had problems with the Young Again causing really stinky poop and raging diarrhea but some haven't had that issue so you might try the Dr. Elsey's first.
 
Have you tried him on Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein Chicken or Young Again Zero? (both kibbles but under 5%....the Dr. Elsey's Salmon is about 9%)

Still not recommended, but better than the Orijen. Both companies will send samples if you call and ask them.

We've had a lot of members who had problems with the Young Again causing really stinky poop and raging diarrhea but some haven't had that issue so you might try the Dr. Elsey's first.

Thanks for all the info. I have the dr elseys chicken but he prefers orijen. I've even left out two bowls one with elseys and one with orijen and he wont eat at all if an unfamiliar smell is left on the floor he will just keep trying to bury it then bury his favorite food and walk around meowing. He really is slow in the head sadly. hes been off since he was 4 weeks old.

I wonder if it could be his Pet tinic? It has corn syrup .. he has been on it since Sept 9 and the next day his blood was taken for labs and his bg was normal though.. he is also on pred I'm not sure it I said that but 2.5mg one day and half of that the next. He is being weaned off yet again.

The food thing is just this big issue. I wish he was like my fatty and ate everything. Even if my fat boy is unhappy about the food choice he will eventually eat it later.

I will mess with his ears gently on the kitchen bar counter that is where he gets all of his pokes at (b12 shots weekly). I just dont know how you keep yourself from piercing their ear when they fly at you freaking out! I highly doubt he is in pain because I hold him at the vet every 2 weeks for blood work and I hold his vein off and he just sits propped up on his own not even caring and i dont even have to hold him down hes like a person getting bloodwork.

Are there any store brand treats you recommend? I dont eat meat and dont even know how you would cook it :( he likes the wholelife freeze dried chicken treats but his vet is against it because of how weak his immune system is he could get sick from it being raw.
 
I just dont know how you keep yourself from piercing their ear when they fly at you freaking out!

I pierced China's ear so many times that I joked about buying her a pair of diamond stud earrings. It's not a big deal.....they heal (and a little Neosporin with pain relief ointment can help with that!)

Are there any store brand treats you recommend? I dont eat meat and dont even know how you would cook it

I'd buy chicken tenders from the grocery...put in a baking pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Chop up, put most in the freezer and leave some in the fridge...refill as necessary from frozen stock.

Most of us use freeze dried treats with a protein source as the only ingredient. I've never heard of one single cat getting sick (and we've had some very sick kitties here, including ones on immunosuppressant drugs) I think your vet is over-reacting a bit
 
I pierced China's ear so many times that I joked about buying her a pair of diamond stud earrings. It's not a big deal.....they heal (and a little Neosporin with pain relief ointment can help with that!)



I'd buy chicken tenders from the grocery...put in a baking pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Chop up, put most in the freezer and leave some in the fridge...refill as necessary from frozen stock.

Most of us use freeze dried treats with a protein source as the only ingredient. I've never heard of one single cat getting sick (and we've had some very sick kitties here, including ones on immunosuppressant drugs) I think your vet is over-reacting a bit


Oh are there chicken tenders without the batter or maybe I could cook and just peel it off? It sucks too because he really liked that one brand of food that was either raw and in the freezer or they had the freeze dried option. Primal! But my vet said it's very bad. Even my tech friends said no raw food the salmonella risk isnt worth it especially for Morton. So I'm conflicted. He loves them just dry and crunchy. I took the whole life chicken and put some water on it to make it soft and he didnt want it
 
Oh are there chicken tenders without the batter or maybe I could cook and just peel it off?

In your meat section of the grocery store, there should be chicken tenders, chicken breasts, chicken thighs, legs, and wings.....just look for the package with the smaller pieces...they're usually marked "tenders" or "tenderloins"
 
Okay will do. Hopefully he eats them.. he loves nutritional yeast though maybe I can sprinkle some on it. Thanksgiving is coming up and I always bring home turkey to one of my cats he is obsessed. Maybe morton will enjoy too.

So testing bg tonight...when? He most likely wont want food again for another 6 hours (he eats around midnight for some reason)
 
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