So overwhelmed.

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Girlface

Girlface

Member Since 2013
Hello,

I have a 6 year old Maine Coone that we adopted from a shelter 2 years ago. Last august he started urinating on our floors with increasing frequency. We were finally able to diagnose him with feline diabetes in January. He is now on Authority (the chicken flavor), 1 can in the morning, 1/2 can at 6 pm, and 1/2 can at 10 PM. He cries all the time for food, and is constantly hungry. He weighed 17 pounds, but is down to 15.5 pounds since starting his diet. I did a lot of research on canned food to find one with no byproducts with less than 10% carbs. I don't know whether to give him more food or not.

We clean the 4 litter boxes we have in the house once a day. He will still urinate outside the boxes several times. He drinks all the time. He is on 1 unit of Lantus insulin (We use the lantus solostar pens) Q12H, which he tolerates very well while he's eating. We test his glucose using an Alphatrak2 meter, and it is constantly in the 400's. I'm supposed to test him twice a day, but he hates it and the strips are cost prohibitive. I'm supposed to do a glucose curve at home tomorrow, which is going to be a joy.

It is an endless cycle at our house of cleaning up urine, injections, crying for food. It is exhausting, and I just want him to get better. Does anyone have any advice on food and testing?
 
Well for starters if you have a Walmart near you, you can get a human meter that is going to work just as well for testing his BGs...Yes a human meter and the Alphatrac do read differently but we can help you figure out the difference (on average the Alphatrac reads about 30 pts higher). But the strips for Walmart's Relion Confirm or Micro (strips are interchangeable) are $20 for 50 which is much cheaper than what you are paying now.

With Lantus you really need to be testing at least 4 times a day, before each shot, then about midpoint between those shots or at +6 (6 hours after shot) which should be about when he is going his lowest on the insulin. This is important since Lantus is dosed off the nadir or the lowest point in the cycle ( the 12 hours between shots), not the preshots. It could be that he is going too low and his body is reacting and bouncing up into the higher numbers again, or it could be that he just isn't getting enough insulin..both of which are impossible to tell without those midcycle test. Then the last test of the day is what I refer to as a lights out test, a quick spot check before heading to bes at night just to make sure he isn't dropping too fast or too far.

As far as hating to be tested..Are you giving him treats before and after his tests? Most cats actually learn to enjoy being tested when treats are involved because they figure it is a fair exchange for a little prick to the ear to get a yummy treat that they really love and only get at test time. I know I adopted both of mine as diabetics and they will race me to their test spots when they hear the meter beep on because they know they have a treat coming if the sit still and let me test. The treat doesn't have to be fancy just low carb and something they love...My one guy isn't food driven but loves to be brushed so for him his treat was an extended brushing session, my girl will crawl over broken glass for a bite of boiled (no spices) chicken breast so that is what I use for her. She comes running and jumps in her spot now when I shake the container that I keep her chicken bites in.

It also maybe your technique. Are you aiming for as close to the edge of the ear as possible? The edge of the ear has very little feeling in it, but further in on the ear hurts.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Also if you want to give us a general location ...just city and state we might have a member that is close enough to you to pop by and give you some hands on help with testing...Sometimes it is much easier if you have someone that has been doing it for awhile to walk you through it a time or two.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Hello, and welcome to FDMB,

And here's a (((hug))) for you, because it sounds like you're having a really tough time. But the good news is that it does get easier. And your cat can be happy and healthy again!

Newly diagnosed diabetic cats are often ravenous because they can't utilise the food they are eating. So, if he is hungry, do feed him more. As his blood glucose numbers get better his appetite should decrease naturally.

The Alphatrak IS expensive, and most people here use meters made for humans. I'm guessing you're in the US? I'm sure you'll get suggestions for a meter that is much cheaper to use. And advice on US foods too.

Well done, you, for hometesting. Are you rewarding your cat with a treat either during or after the test? Cats quickly learn to associate testing with treats and that makes life a lot easier. ;-)

What is your name, and your cat's name?

Edited to add:
Ooops, cross posted with Mel (she types faster than me!) Sorry for duplicating some info. :roll:
 
Thank you for the welcome. My name is Whitney, and my cat's name is George (I will love him, and squeeze him, and call him George). We live in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

I am rewarding him with some freeze dried liver treats that I got from the pet store right around the corner from me, AARF. He loves them, but he still hates the tests. We've only been testing for about a week. I have also discovered through research that the Freestyle Lite strips are usable in the alphatrak meter, and they are $24 online for 50. I tried it this morning, and got the same reading on both strips. We are testing on the outside of the ear, where I can see the blood vessel. I can try closer to the tip to see if he tolerates that better.

Should I take him up to 3 cans/day? I think it's important that he lose weight, but I'm beside myself over him crying.
 
Right now while he is unregulated let him eat all that he wants. Right now he can't fully use the food that he is eating so he is going to be ravenously hungry. I wouldn't worry about his weight right now, on a good low carb diet if he needs to lose he will, right now he needs more food because he can't use what he is eating correctly, insulin is what unlocks the cells of the body so they can absorb the nutrients in the food.

When I first adopted Maxwell my big Maine Coon mix he as eating 3-4 (5.5oz) cans a day once he became regulated and then went into remission his hunger became more normal, to where he now eats about 1 1/2 to 2 cans a day

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Hi Whitney (and George)

Just sending you a big hug from a fellow Georgia resident (in Roswell, so not too far from you.) I am so sorry you are feeling overwhelmed, and can sympathize as I am in a similar boat. (My cat Owen has been really sick and lately my life has been one long cycle of going from the vet to the e-clinic and back, with periodic interruptions - work and sleep - while trying not to cry all day.)

Let's hope we both get our kitties back to good health and normal lifestyles, and maybe have a chance to catch up on sleep one of these days. It really is exhausting but I think you will find that George will get used to the testing, and it will get a lot easier. Neither one of my guys minds it a bit anymore and it's gotten very easy, and our days of having to constantly clean up so much are in the past as well. It may be that your guy needs a bit more insulin to get his numbers under control for a while. Once you get George regulated things will be a lot better, and I am sure you will get there soon!

Meanwhile my vet tells me that it's fine to feed 4-5 cans a day if necessary, for the reasons others have posted already.

Hang in there,

Susan
 
Thank you so much for all the advice. I am in graduate school here in Georgia, and that combined with the stress of taking care of George has been overwhelming.

I talking with my boyfriend, Dan, and we are going to start feeding him more, and testing him more often. Is it alright to try to test him while he's eating his wet food? He seems to ignore everything when he goes for his food.

The Authority that we are feeding right now is in 6 oz cans, I think we are going to try 3, or even 4 cans, and hopefully once we get the results of the glucose curve tomorrow he can get more regulated on his insulin.

We can do this.
 
As long as you are testing right as he is eating you should be fine, just don't want him to have eaten first and then test because food will elevate his BG readings.

With my girl the way we do it, is I have a place just for her testing because I'm not always feeding her a meal when I need to test her, so I get all my stuff ready to go, then I get her treats out, shake the container, and she comes running and hops up on her testing spot. She gets her first treat then, while she is munching that, I gentle put her on my lap, give some cuddles and kisses, then test, let her go back up on her testing spot..(her spot is the pull out ledge on my computer desk), give her another treat while telling her what a wonderful girl she is.

You might want to work on getting him into a routine where at first he just gets a treat for coming to the spot you choose for testing (because there will be days that you will need to test and not serve a meal) Once he figures out that he gets a treat for going to that spot, then start adding the testing and a treat. He will get the hang of it pretty quickly. While you may not be able to train a cat (or so they say) you can definitely make them think it was their idea. :lol:

It does get easier, really it does. And think of it this way George already knows you and trusts you. With my two diabetic babies I adopted them as diabetic and started testing them within the first few hours that they were home with me, they didn't know me from Eve but know where they both are right now? One is sleeping on my lap making me type one handed and the other one is purring up a storm next to the computer screen. :-D If I can do it with two stranger cats you can certainly do this with a boy that loves and trusts you.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Hello Whitney, Dan, and George,

Welcome to FDMB, Rex and I (Rich) are new here also! I am not exaggerating when I say this place is a God send!
The generosity of the members with their time just blew me away. It does get easier, now my Rex kitty lets me test him while he is sleeping. :razz:

To help with cost I found Walmart has the best prices for diabetic supplies and you can use the affiliate link at the top of the page to support FDMB.

Please feel free to reach out to me, Still new but so willing to help!

Again Welcome
RichNW & Rex

Updated: I usually hang out in LANTUS (GLARGINE) - Tight Regulation
 
Thank you so much everyone for all the support and especially the tips about ear testing. Things got a lot easier once I started warming up his ear, feeding him more treats and reassurance, and stopped using the lancing device. We were able to do the glucose curve today, and all the data is below

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AhJaKFwRl0x1dE5nNjNsTzJyMTU0eHh5MkhpMzdjMVE&output=html

He has been crying a lot less since being increased to 3 cans of food. We will be speaking with the veterinarian about the glucose curve on Monday, but any advice on first glance?
 
Congrats on the tests! Good job! And great to see a spreadsheet too.. Can you add the link to your signature?

Even though you are using the freestyle strips they are still expensive.. The Walmart relion is like $16 for the meter and $9 for 50 strips.

You don't need to spend money on a curve at the vets if you are doing it at home, plus the vets tend to be inaccurate since cats are usually stressed there which raises their BG.

However Can I invite you to post on the lantus tight regulation forum? http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=9
There are many experienced eyes there who will be better able to advise you. They may need a couple more days data though. For example a +2 tonite, and tomorrow amps, a spot check midday and PMPS would be great. He may be coming down from a bounce and we will know that better tomorrow.

Let me know

Wendy
 
I second switching meters to a Relion if you need to save money (who doesn't?). You can use the Arkray test strips in most - I get 250 strips for about $70 on American Diabetes Wholesale. I use the Relion Micro - the Relion Confirm is also a commonly used meter by members of the message board.

Keep up the treats after pokes... Kazi liked those AND being loved on for a minute or so after. She was squirmy at first, but she has gotten used to the routine now and holds still while we test and give shots. I don't even follow up with a treat anymore... butt scritches are still mandatory though. ;-)
 
Just following up to see how things are going.. I dont see any updates to the spreadsheet for the last few days.. is everything ok?
 
Yes, I'm very sorry. I'm in my 3rd year of pharmacy school, so I update it sporadically. We keep his numbers in a written log that we can easily keep track, and I'm going to put them in the spreadsheet periodically. I actually heard back from the Vet today, and based on his curve she wants me to use this chart:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/1qdxwemg ... sp=sharing

And then curve him again in 3 weeks. Tonight was his first night on 2 units.
 
I am going to get an experienced member over here. We don't usually use sliding scales like that with this insulin because of the way it works. I would like them to give you their input on this.

However please try and get some tests in tonite, it's his first night of insulin and you don't want any nasty surprises.
 
I REALLY would like to see you get at least a couple of tests in tonight... 2 units is a big dose to start out at.
 
Hi Whitney! I'm glad the testing is going more easily. It is hard for everyone at first. i freehand too, much easier for me than the device. One thig that helps w/ freehand testing is to hold the lancet at a 45º angle, just barely prick the ear and turn slightly. Lancets are faceted and actually make a slice rather than a puncture. Twisting opens the slit slightly and it bleeds better. Putting pressure on afterwards presses it together and stops the bleeding.

As for the siding scale, not w/ a depot insulin like Lantus or Levemir. They form a reserve under the skin and need to be dosed consistently. Sliding scales were used w/ the older fast acting insulins. Unfortunately, now a days many vets have heard about the good results w/ Lantus, but haven't really learned much about it. They treat it like they did the older insulins. Come over to the Lantus forum. There is a lot of information about Lantus in the permanent posts (we call them Stickies) on the tob of the list.

Since Lantus forms a reserve, the depot. it requires several days of consistent dosing before you are seeing the full effect of the dose. Changing frequently doesn't allow the depot to stabilize and while it is filling BG numbers can be very erratic.
 
I'll echo all the others..... Lantus and Levemir are insulins that are NOT dosed on any sort of sliding scale. You will run into problems and have difficulty regulating your cat.

If you were using PZI or Prozinc, then the scale works fine.
 
So, as an update, I did post on the Lantus forum and got a little advice. I made my profile easier to read and updated it with all of his #'s I've collected. He's doing great as of right now, just ate another 1/2 can of food. Wanted to thank all of you for sticking with me.

~Whitney and George
 
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