Sneakers 4-1

[hmjohnston]

Well, Sneakers seems to have made the transition well.

We've almost completed the 3 day shed fill and her numbers haven't skyrocketed at all and have stayed in the pinks and yellows (one blue but that may have been a fluke- at 2am I wasn't going to retest when it took me 3 tries to get the teensy amount of blood in the first place). I wonder why she is staying so low when on Prozinc she was all over the place- would this be her normal, low carb bg levels as a diabetic cat without the insulin to push her down and then rocket back up? I don't know. But she did have a smile going on- more mona lisa that lady gaga but it was there.

Her ketones have crept up- right now they stand between a trace and small so I am keeping an eye on them. I think the shed will start to dole out insulin to her body soon and they will go away (fingers crossed!).

 

[Vicky & Gandalf (GA) & Murrlin]

Are you looking at the ketone test strips under natural light? It can be difficult to tell the different between normal and trace unless you look at it under outside light.

I'm wondering if you can syringe some water to her? Ketones need hydration to help flush them out. Or will she eat food made soupy with quite a bit of water? She needs to stay well hydrated. Also, is it possible she has an infection brewing? Maybe we've been over this before, but ketones involve a formula of lack of insulin, poor food intake and infection to develop. The 2 likely culprits for infection in diabetic cats are oral and urinary.

Levemir usually produces a shallow curve like what you're seeing, even if you're not at the best dose yet. Even though yes the shed needs to build, it's not like the insulin isn't doing anything right now. Yes, low carb food helps too, but the insulin is working already. The low carb food helps, but it's not the reason for these lower, steadier BGs.

 

[hmjohnston]

Except for today she has been eating like a horse- always grazing and a lot of it. She likes the FF better so I might just back off the chicken for a bit. I do make everything soupy- she gets about 3/4 to 1 oz of water for every 2oz of food and I have two bowls out in separate places for her drinking pleasure. Even the stuff I put in the feeder I add water to it- plus I put extra water in the recipe when I make it. So I think she is getting enough water all around.

And the vet did a workup last Monday and said she was a healthy 16 yr old with diabetes. Kidney levels are okay- the BUN was 3 above normal but in range. She will get another test done in 6 wks to check on that. No problem peeing and she lets me rub her pretty rough along the gum line so I don't think she has anything orally going on.

I look at the strip in the bathroom where I have the best light coming in through the window. This evening it was closer to the small side- definitely pink rather than blush. The last time she showed ketones was because I dropped her insulin from 3u down to 1u and her body kind of freaked out. And since she did stop eating so much around that time so I was worried about that- but she suddenly went from ravenous to normal eating in the space of 2 days and stayed that way until she felt good enough to run around outside and find some kcc and became fully diabetic once more. I have since blocked that exit.

Good to know that the lev is working along in the background. She was a little playful this evening. I am digging a trench for an irrigation line to the garden and the wind was picking up. I let her outside when I am there so she was chillin on the back porch when the wind flopped over a grass clod and ZOOM! she was off the porch and pounced on that clod like she was 10 again :lol: . Then she wandered over to a dandelion and watched it bob in the wind for a while exhausted and that was it- no more fast.

 

[Vicky & Gandalf (GA) & Murrlin]

Aw, I love to hear how kitties feel better after on Lev for a while.

Everything sounds good. Just keep getting her to eat.

 

[Sheila & Beau GA & Jeddie GA]

The steadier numbers make her feel better. And they are steadier because that is how lev works when you start low and slowly, methodically increase the dose. PZI is a faster acting insulin so it comes on faster and leaves faster. Lev has a longer duration so it is still having effect at +12 to some degree. Getting a flat curve on lev is the first step so that's all good.