Sneakers and I

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hmjohnston

hmjohnston

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Sneakers was just diagnosed before Thanksgiving, I am looking into the disease and checking out new food ideas and checking out what others have done. She has been an all dry food cat (refusing to eat wet) for years, but has thankfully adapted to the new diet without a fuss. Since it has a big base of chicken I don't wonder why. I blend it into a paste/pate form and freeze it in ice cube trays that have 1 ounce wells. I am looking into making my own food so I don't spend $1.70/5.5 oz can every day.

Sneakers doesn't mind her shots because she gets a pinch of shredded cheese afterwards (her fav is Krogers pizza topping mix) and even comes to me when she wants it done. I wait 20-30 minutes after eating to give her the shot, so hope that is okay. I just ordered a testing kit- Trueread, and plan to monitor her levels daily. Just after the vet tested her last I switched her to Wellness's grain free cans, so I am hoping that will lower the carb levels she is getting significantly.

Changing her diet went a long way to immediately improve her demeanor- since summer she was yowling all the time for food, drinking a lot, going outside a lot, and trying to steal my food when I ate. I didn't put it together until talking to a vet asst friend at work- because she was loosing weight. After the injections started she was doing much better and starting to regain her weight.
 
sounds like you are doing everything correctly. once you start home testing you will be in even more control and this is great.

so welcome to the group and let us know how else we can help you.
 
So nice to hear that you and Sneakers are doing well. And thrilled to hear you plan to start testing!

While waiting for your meter, you can get Sneakers ready. Pick a spot where you want to test - on a bed, couch, counter with a towel or a blanket - some place you will go each time. Take her there with some treats and start messing with her ears. After a few times, add heating her ears. You can make a rice sack with a thin sock filled with raw rice. Heat it in microwave until very warm but not hot. A prescription pill bottle filled with hot water works also.

Besides the meter you will need some lancets. 30-31 gauge may come with the kit. 25-27 gauge works better for cats until their ears start to bleed well.

Be sure a treat is always offered.
 
Hi
just wondering which insulin you are using and what dose?
Carl
 
Hello to sneakers
Welcome to the forum! This is the best place you will find for sound advice, tips, and just plain furry support!
Keep posting with updated information
I feed 2 of my 3 girls home fuds by grinding chicken w/ vitamins from Dr. Lisas recipe: http://catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood#Cost
What type of insulin?
How much are you shooting?
When did you switch to lower carb foods? This could drastically change the bg numbers to a lower number....Cant wait for you to get your meter and get those numbers before shooting!
 
Poopy and I welcome you to the best place you could have found for you and Sneakers! cat_pet_icon

The folks here are super friendly and have some great experience to share. I would have been lost without them! :smile:

Keep us posted on Sneakers, and welcome again. :smile:
 
I'm back! Finals take a time and I had trouble with the meter.

Sneakers was first on humalin 40ul because that is what our vet "researched". I figure he just asked another vet what they used and went with it.
She started out at 4 units 2xday and was kept at that level until this last week when we finished and ordered new insulin- PZI 40ul as I insisted (I gathered most of my research onto a zip drive and took it with me to the vets office at one of her bi-monthly testing appointments and said "Here, this is why I want PZI.") Just before the switch she was peeing a lot less. Once she switched she was peeing more- but nothing like before. I would have a Walmart sack full each night- now less than half that and is getting less again as she gets used to the new stuff. I think her levels need to be decreased but want to read and get into the PZI forum before I start doing that.

I had trouble with my meter as the strips were damaged some way and didn't read at all- saying that they had been out of the storage bottle too long- less than 30 seconds. I've now got a a second box of strips and have tested her for a week now but still might go for a new one if it continues to give me trouble. I've read on here about Walmart's Reliant or something to that name, so might try that one next. I test once a day as Sneakers demands her food- with unsheathed claws, around 4 in the am- so not an accurate bg there. I did buy lancets and some came with the meter so we draw blood even if we didn't get a reading. And she gets a treat after that poke as well. I do test everyday when I get home for the day so she has a good 6-8 hour fast as I only leave an ounce of food out when I leave for work and I read on here today that a fast is after 4 hours- so that will help me if I am home for the day and she goes 4 hours without eating.

I know it is an ounce because I use Dr. Lisa's cat food recipe and instead of putting it into tubs that I have to thaw and make sure it is eaten in time I bought a bunch of ice cube trays and freeze it overnight and then pop them out and into freezer bags. The cubes are one ounce so that has helped me know how much she eats a day. The dry I left out all day/night and she grazed when she wanted. Now she has to wait until I get home to feed her- since I had to rattle her dish anyway that hasn't changed much :-D. (Right now I am doing only 9lbs of chicken at a time so that comes out to 12 14 cube trays and around 21 days of food at around .24 cents per day plus time to make.) I defrost it in the microwave and also add water to it- as much as half a tablespoon depending on if I do 1 or 2 ounces. I rarely do 3 at a time anytime as I have learned that she won't eat all of it and it might sit out for a long time before she gets hungry enough to go back. When I can afford a real grinder that can do bones and large amounts I will do more than 9-12 lbs at a time. I am looking for a good beef recipe to use for a change in variety for her. But she loves her chicken!

One thing I noted- Sneakers was diagnosed before Thanksgiving but was not given insulin until the Monday after it. Once diagnosed I switched her food immediately to low-carb canned food that was recommended at this site and she loved it and gained a pound back before going to the vet again to get her insulin units calibrated. She was then at the vet 3 days- the first day she was between 1 and 1.5, the second day it crept up to 2.5 and when I took her home it was 4 units. I asked if they had been feeding her dry cat food- i had sent cans with her for her food and they said they gave her a 'special diet' dry cat food from Hills. I looked it up on binky's list and it still had way too much carbs for a diabetic cat.

AND... I finally found out where the SS chart was and have successfully (HOPEFULLY) attached it. We shall see.
 
Hello! Morlei and I welcome you to the forum!
I've only been at this for about three weeks, but we bought the Relion Micro based off of recommendations from here and we love it. The meter is about $10, about $20 for 50 strips, and the lancets are cheap. Some walmarts keep these strips behind the pharmacy counter, others don't. It takes a tiny amount of blood and is easy to hold while dealing with a squirming kitty.

Becky
 
On your spreadsheet, you need to have a straight left hand bracket at the beginning, not the curvy one. Once you do that, we should be able to read it.

How can we help making testing easier? We want you to get good at it because you need a preshot number, every time, and nadirs whenever possible. That will help you see exactly how the PZI is working and make sure she is never overdosed at preshot.
 
Sneaker's SS

I copied it without the brackets so I could see it.

I hope finals went well. :-D

Some of the BGs you're getting seem a bit low - too low to be shooting what appears to be 2-3u of PZI. I'll wait for others to chime in but I'm expecting them to say you ought to drop back to 1u until you're more consistent with home testing. :smile: We don't want sneakers going too low when you aren't there to help him out, right? :-D

Last thought before I have to hit the chores....WOW! Your research is spot on and amazing! Way to go! :-D
 
Sue & Oliver-
Changed it! Hopefully it works now.
I wondered about that- when I asked my vet about it on the day she did the 106 after a full day of fasting and before I started the PZI and he said to just drop it one unit- do 3 instead of 4, becuase the strenght of the old insulin may not have been at full strength since it was so close to the end. I dropped it to 2.5 but her urine amount went up higher and I hadn't recieved the other box yet. That is a question I wanted to ask- should I just arbitrarily do less units if the bg is in the 200 range? He said not to give her any if it goes below 75 but didn't say anything about lower doses with lower numbers. I don't think he has dealt with many diabetic cats.
(Finals were good- an A and a B- Masters program at UAMS in Arkansas)

Marzecr-
I am thinkging about it. Since it isn't so much I might as well and can use them to test each other if I think something is off.


I have loved the advice on this site- I keep coming back to it rather than looking elsewhere.
 
In general, we advise new diabetics not to shoot under 200, but to wait 20 minutes without feeding and retest. And if it goes over 200 but not a lot higher, to reduce the dose.

Diabetics are considered regulated if they are in the 200-250 range at preshot and 100 and under at nadir. We worry if they are near 40 at nadir and intervene to make sure it doesn't go much lower.

Have you seen this PZI document? It is too much info to digest at once but has lots of good links.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=32799
 
Great grades! :-D

Home testing: we try to get three readings a day, minimum, and a curve when we can. The three readings are once before each shot (AMPS and PMPS), and one near the middle of the cycle (+5-+7 or so, if possible). For a curve, one reading every 2-3 hours during a 12 hour cycle. (Note: There's no need to pay a vet to do it for you as it can be done at home and it's cheaper! Woot!)

The curve will help show how Sneakers is using the insulin, or how it's working in him. Very good info to know!

You may have answered this already (so you can tell I need more coffee ~O) ), is Sneakers on an all wet, canned low carb diet yet?
 
5am? More coffee? I'd go for more sleep!
Sneakers is on Dr. Lisa's home-made cat food- so I consider it wet- and I should think it is low-carb as well. If not I need a new recipe. And I always add more water to it once defrosted- she has come to expect that.

I should be able to do three readings on the weekends easier than the weekday as I don't go home for lunch- live too far away to do it and eat. I also do sewing on the side at an alteration shop on Saturday for 5 hours but Sunday is better as I live close to church so I can run home in between and get a reading. On the weekdays, by the time I get home in the evenings it is 4:30 and her shot is between 6:30 and 7. I do take her bg at 4:30 before I feed her and it has been in the 300's, sometimes a little lower but never higher.

I am learning how to use the chart- I think I may have my numbers in the wrong area as I am putting them at the time I test rather than at her shot time. Do I need to retest before feeding her for her shot? Since it is just two hours after her fasting test I haven't been. And if she had been eating within two hours, do I need make sure she feeds again before her shot?

Her schedule- first breakfast- 1 ounce- anywhere between 2 and 4am. second breakfast- 2 ounces at 6 when I get up so I can give her a shot at 6:30. I fix another 1 ounce when I leave (7am) and it is gone by the time I get home at 4:30. I test bg and give her 1 more ounce (or two if she yowls for more but not normal). Another 2 ounces (or 1 if she had 2 earlier) at 6pm. Once last ounce at bedtime (for me) around 9pm. She has been good about that schedule, sometimes wanting more. She eats more when I am home all day- about 2 more ounces or 1 ounce every two hours.

Thanks.
 
The timing is based on the cycle. So, the ideal way to test, feed and shoot within 30 minutes or less, and then do the same 12 hours later. That plus some midcycle tests give you the most information about how the insulin is working. Does she reach her lowest point at +4 or +7? Is her morning preshot number lower than the evening, etc.

So, if you test at 4:30 but don't give the shot until 6:30, the number could have changed in that time. You want to give a dose based on the number approximately 12 hours after her previous shot, not 10 or 14. And it is vital to figure out a way to test before each shot. These kitties are constantly throwing numbers that are unexpected. If you just give the usual dose, you risk a hypo.

So now you have to figure out how to work that in your schedule. Many people who work get a test before the shot, another test as they walk out the door. Then they get an in the door test and the evening test. On the weekends, they get more numbers. Some people set the alarm and get a midcycle test every couple of nights.

It would be very helpful if you could get a curve this weekend. Start with the test, feed and shoot model. During one cycle, get a test every 2-3 hours until your evening pretest. Those numbers will help you and us figure out how the insulin is working.

I would encourage you to post on the PZI forum for dosing advice. It's a smaller group than posts on Health, but we are friendly and try to be helpful. People are on usually in the morning and evening. It might also be helpful to look at some of their spreadsheets. You can see how they are adjusting doses for various numbers.

I know it sounds like a lot of work, and it is, until you get a schedule down that works for you. Then once you get some numbers and figure out her patterns, you will have a much greater sense of control.
 
That is the conclusion that I am coming to...

Tried testing this morning before food- she ate early so it would have been a fasting bg but I couldn't get her to hold still long enough but haven't even thought about before leaving for work to get some morning level- do you give the treat before the shot/poke or after?

Will check when I give her 6am food and then when I leave for work. Testing more in the PM also sounds good. And maybe one at bedtime until she gets evened out. My vet apparently thinks 3u is okay- and that is when the numbers were 106 and 267. I have decided to drop her down to 2u until I can get some curves that indicate I need to change it higher.

I've printed off Binky's list and will get some Fancy Feast for a variety food for her to enjoy.

Thanks for all the tips!
 
At first we burritoed Oliver when testing and then offered his breakfast right after. He was willing to sit for the test on his own eventually because he knew that breakfast was next.

You can also offer a few low carb treats while you test at first. The goal is that she gets the treats after she holds still for the poke but it is harder when they are hungry.

Food raises bg levels so we want to shoot a dose right for the "real" number, not one influenced by food. If there is some way to feed her 2 hours before the poke and the shot, the effect of food would likely be gone by then.
 
Then the morning might be good. She wakes me up usually by 4:30 for her first breakfast and she gets her shot at 6:30.
I can set my phone alarm for 4:00 so I can stumble in and give her an ounce and have it gone by 6 when i can test her.

She usually isn't antsy over the ear poke but this morning she wasn't having it! This PM I got it on the first try- 464- I don't know if that is a reaction to the lower insulin today or not. And she wanted 2 ounces.
 
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