Six weeks after diagnosis, Stinky is doing great!

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colleenlindsay

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You guys! Tonight Stinky's blood sugar was 132 when I tested!

You may remember that I was having a hard time testing his blood sugar at home because I couldn't get blood from his ear. I went to Walgreens where a very nice pharmacist got me a new lancing device with a 28 gauge tip. The 33 gauge of the Delicas just weren't working.

I tested his urine last night with a Ketodiastix, and he had no sugar in his urine at all. Tonight I successfully tested his fasting blood glucose and it was at 132. The last time I was able to successfully test his blood glucose was about ten days ago and it was at 300. Talked to the vet and she doesn't want me to give him any ProZinc tonight. (He has been on one unit twice a day for about six weeks.) Tomorrow I am supposed to test him in the morning, and if his blood sugar is above 132, give him only half a unit of insulin.

Is it normal for a cat to have their blood sugar drop so fast? I should be happy, right? >worrywart<

Stinky seems happy. He's galloping all over the house. He has all kinds of energy tonight!
 
Wow! That is great news!!! You've got the BG going on, the testing down, the ketone tests... and the success that many of us dream of!

Just out of curiosity, is Stinky eating canned lo-carb food? If so, was he eating that before DX?

Sounds like you're staying on top of his situation - AND that he's doing very well to stay healthy for you! Glad to hear about the ketones. Although they're apparently more of a concern with higher numbers, I heard tonight (after a weekend of ketone watching and flushing out w/ SubQ fluids), that even cats in the 200s can have ketones!

You may be one of the lucky 35% who go into remission! I certain hope so! Congratulations on successful management of his health! dancing_cat

Lu-Ann
 
Congrats, from one Stinky to another! My Stinky was OTJ about 6 weeks after he was diagnosed in Oct. of last year, and has been doing really well ever since. I even went so far as to adopt another diabetic cat in January, since we already have the supplies & know how to take care of him. :)
 
Grayson & Lu -

Stinky and Buddy had always been on a wet/dry combo - Evo Dry for the past 6 years, and then twice a day they each got 1.5 ounces of wet food. I wasn't as cautious about their carbs with the wet food previously, as Buddy was prone to crystals in his urine and the vet wanted me to just make sure he ate wet food, period. Stinky, however, was addicted to Feline Greenies, which are little carb bombs.

They are now both eating 3 ounces of Fancy Feast Classic (switched out occasionally with Wellness, and Hill's m/d for variety) in the morning. Instead of the giant bowl of Evo I used to leave, I now leave them 1/3 of a cup to last the day. They usually only graze on that, and at least half is still left when I come home. In the evening, they get 1.5 ounces of Fancy Feast and 1 ounce of Gerber Turkey and Gravy baby food as a treat. It's really high protein, and it's what got Stinky through his initial bad two weeks after diagnosis. I also found a freeze dried chicken treat that they both like, so the Greenies have been replaced by that.

I gave Stinky one half unit of insulin this morning, at the doctor's suggestion, although I was not able to successfully get a blood drop from his ear. But he seems to be doing fine.

I'll test his again when I get home and see if I can get a blood drop.

I hope this streak of luck continues! I'm traveling for business this weekend and a super nervous about leaving my guys with the catsitter. (She knows how to give shots but not test blood yet.)
 
Colleen glad to hear the good news about Stinky!! I know what you mean about the worrying - even with my cat well regulated when I get a high or low reading I still get concerned. I guess its just that a cat Mom's work is never done. Jan
 
I know that I shouldn't get too excited about one reading, and that I should do a curve, but the truth is I'm rarely at home long enough to do a proper curve through the day. (And I do seem to have real trouble getting blood from his ear, especially in the morning. Poked the poor little guy six times today before giving up. He was not very happy with me.)

Also, I have no idea when ProZinc peaks.

I see you all using these spreadsheets but they make no sense to me when I read them. My vet has me using a much simpler chart. Is there someplace on here where that spreadsheet is explained?
 
HI Colleen, I havent setup the spreadsheet - since I test twice a day I just keep a log and its easy to see how her numbers are trending. On the poking here is what works for me - after I warm up her ear I have a small flashlight and I shine the light up through the bottom of the ear. That way I see the blood vessels and know where to poke so I'm not doing it so blindly. Jan
 
Okay, so although I was not able to get a blood draw from him this morning, I did manage to get one this evening and it was 149. A little higher but still not bad. He had half a unit of insulin this morning, so I gave him a half unit again tonight. He had a ton of energy, was bounding all over the house, jumping on the fridge, playing whack-a-mole with my head, really more energy than he's had in months.

Supposed to hear back from vet tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous as I'll be traveling for work Friday, Saturday & Sunday and my although my catsitter knows how to give shots, she doesn't know how to get a blood glucose. Want to make sure I get clear instructions from vet on how much insulin she should be giving him while I'm gone.
 
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