Stressful Erratic Test Results

[Brananas]

hello - recently my 13 year old calico was diagnosed with diabetes. We've been trying to regulate with insulin for 2 months now but it's so erratic. One day it'll be 20 (am aware this is far too low, we were at the vet for this reading, she's fine now) and the next she'll be 384 (this was the very next day and all she ate was the diabetic cat food.

When I was feeding her canned food it was just as erratic.

Both of my cats (both 13, littermates) were free eaters of dry food until recently. Sady (my diabetic) will eat any food put in front of her, she's always been like this. Henry my trooper non diabetic hates change in food and until recently only ate dry food. I switched them both to 2x a day feeding of the diabetic dry. The schedule change has ben rough on all of us. Then went to 2x a day fancy feast chicken feast. On both foods there's been no regulation of her insulin levels. I go to the vet 2-3 times a week to test and she's not had one week of good numbers.

Now my non diabetic henry won't eat the wet or his old dry food he enjoyed. He'll go days missing feeding times because he just walks away. I've put him in his own space for over an hour and he doesn't eat. I can't leave his food out as Sady will eat it.

We're back to 3 units of vetsulin twice a day for Sady - were at 6 but she got so low in the afternoon. But I'm stressed that all this change for her is going to harm him but catering to both is a challenge. It can be an extra hour of time to feed/inject/continuously separate the cats.

I'm thinking that I should feed the dry diabetic food (both like it and it was a good transition) which is only 1/3 cup for the whole day so 1/2 of a 1/3 2x daily and 1/4 can of the fancy feast for each feeding for both. ($60 a bag needs to last more than a month) but with her numbers being erratic And her going so low it seems not sufficient.

I am honestly adjusting to feeding times. Is my hardship with that schedule what's causing her to go so low? Or is it food?

Does anyone have any better suggestions for food due to the high cost of feeding both the diabetic cat food? (Remembering that feeding a can of fancy feast the one cat won't eat but the diabetic will) is it okay to feed dry one day and canned another (I think I can get him to eat something in gravy)?

I'm just all over the place with this and stressed due to the cost of 2-3 vet visits a week until she levels and she hasn't even gone in for her curve yet because she hasn't been consistently leveled. That's going to cost $49/test that whole day so like 4-6 tests. I'm paying it but suffering in other financial areas because of it and just need some advice. I love my vet, but my sanity and my cats health are in need of a better sustainable solution. I work and feed cats or go to the vet currently, this isn't sustainable for me mentally, financially, and all the up and down has got to be just as stressful to Sady (and even henry honestly) I just moved to a new state 3 months ago (Sady was diagnosed a month into being here) and have no support system or really even know anyone in the area. This has been a long haul, luckily I found a good (yet costly) vet, but new job, life situation, and cat diabetes may be the test of my will I wasn't ready for.

Long post but am in need of some advice as I'm going in solo and with no experience in this, everyone I talk to says their cat regulated easily and they feed fancy feast chicken feast. Seems easy Enough! So I can only guess it's my lack of ability to have a strict schedule (always within 10-14 hour window) or it's food related. But then the non diabetic Henry's food issues throws another log on the fire.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this babble.

Make it a great day!

 

[TempestsMum]

Hey there Brananas,

I feel your frustration here so let's try to deal with one thing a time.

Food issues. I'm guessing your in the USA or Canada? If you look at the top of the forum here there's a fantastic pinned post that shows you all the different foods that are good for diabetic kitties. It's really recommended you don't feed dry as even the diabetic ones are high in carbs. There are a couple of people I think have had success with youngs zero, hopefully someone will jump in there as I'm from the UK.

Repeatedly changing food can make the bg levels fluctuate which is why most people stick to one type. I think fancy feast is a popular one but with the low carb flavours. I feed three different brands because my kitty gets bored easily they are all low carb. She gets fish ones twice a week and poultry/meat in jelly the rest of the time. If I tested her every day (she is in remission so I don't) on her current diet I would likely also find slight fluctuations because each of the three types of food is a slightly different carb level. (All are under 8%)

If you want to feed them separately you can buy microchip feeders which means only the cat assigned to that bowl can gain access. They are expensive but well worth the peace of mind.

I think it's really important to find a food your cat or cats love and stick to that while you work on getting the bg regulated. And I think you will be surprised at the results.
Give yourself time, stop running about like a headless chicken and take some deep breaths. I prescribe some tlc for yourself - go make a cup of tea or coffee, grab a cookie (or cake) and stop everything for 10 minutes! you are doing much better than you think you are and with a little help from your friends (on here) you are more than capable of doing this. I promise!

I'm unsure why you have 2-3 vet visits a week? That sounds like a ridiculous amount to me...
You can do your own curves at home, for free! again I'd be wondering why they are expecting you to do that, other than put more money in their pockets...

x

 

[Yong & Maury GA]

Love what Tara wrote for you!
Was in the middle of chiming in when I had to take care of something and check on my boy. So will just add on a few things. Sorry if we're overwhelming you more .

I go to the vet 2-3 times a week to test and she's not had one week of good numbers.

This could be contributing to her numbers remaining erratic. Kitties can get very stressed when going to a Vet even once and take a day or two to settle back down, much less 2-3 times a week. If you are interested in home testing, as Tara mentioned, you will save some money and get more accurate numbers where she's at home and less stressed.

We're back to 3 units of vetsulin twice a day for Sady - were at 6 but she got so low in the afternoon. But I'm stressed that all this change for her is going to harm him but catering to both is a challenge. It can be an extra hour of time to feed/inject/continuously separate the cats.

Glad you dropped back from 6.0U, that's a moderate dose. What was your starting dose for Sady? How often and by how much were the increases done? Sounds like whole units but I'm not sure on time frame.

I'm thinking that I should feed the dry diabetic food (both like it and it was a good transition) which is only 1/3 cup for the whole day so 1/2 of a 1/3 2x daily and 1/4 can of the fancy feast for each feeding for both. ($60 a bag needs to last more than a month) but with her numbers being erratic And her going so low it seems not sufficient.

Honestly, if you can get the both on a low carb (LC) wet food diet, it's the best idea. I do use the Young Again Zero Carb dry food, Tara mentioned, but it's only available in the U.S. Which diabetic dry food are you using? Sounds like prescription from the Vet but which brand?

I am honestly adjusting to feeding times. Is my hardship with that schedule what's causing her to go so low? Or is it food?

If you can get a Spreadsheet started and fill all the BG (blood glucose) readings you've obtained in it, we might be able to answer this question better. HERE are instructions to understand said spreadsheet. If you're not tech savvy, don't worry/be embarrassed, just ask for help

Does anyone have any better suggestions for food due to the high cost of feeding both the diabetic cat food? (Remembering that feeding a can of fancy feast the one cat won't eat but the diabetic will) is it okay to feed dry one day and canned another (I think I can get him to eat something in gravy)?

Young Again Zero Carb is the most popular dry food if you really need one and it's fine for a non diabetic. There is another relatively new one made by Dr. Elsey's (known for litter ). Both of these are only available in the U.S. and are purchasable online only. Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein Chicken may get into stores some day.
If Henry prefers the gravy type foods, which aren't great for the sugar kitty, Sady, I do have a list I've shared with a couple members that are still lower carb options for non-pate lovers. My boy is one of them . Let me know and I'll gladly post it!

I'm just all over the place with this and stressed due to the cost of 2-3 vet visits a week until she levels and she hasn't even gone in for her curve yet because she hasn't been consistently leveled. That's going to cost $49/test that whole day so like 4-6 tests. I'm paying it but suffering in other financial areas because of it and just need some advice. I love my vet, but my sanity and my cats health are in need of a better sustainable solution. I work and feed cats or go to the vet currently, this isn't sustainable for me mentally, financially, and all the up and down has got to be just as stressful to Sady (and even henry honestly) I just moved to a new state 3 months ago (Sady was diagnosed a month into being here) and have no support system or really even know anyone in the area. This has been a long haul, luckily I found a good (yet costly) vet, but new job, life situation, and cat diabetes may be the test of my will I wasn't ready for.

Once again, re-enforcing that home testing can help some of this financial burden, use the money towards your own test supplies and less trips to the Vet. Many of us have only taken our kitties in to the Vet for other health concerns: UTI, Pancreatitis, Cold, other infection, etc and manage diabetes at home.

Long post but am in need of some advice as I'm going in solo and with no experience in this, everyone I talk to says their cat regulated easily and they feed fancy feast chicken feast. Seems easy Enough! So I can only guess it's my lack of ability to have a strict schedule (always within 10-14 hour window) or it's food related. But then the non diabetic Henry's food issues throws another log on the fire.

You'll find kitties here that are NOT easily regulated with Fancy Feast classics . The sugar dance is not easy but it's because we're treating a condition, not a cold that comes and goes away with a little medicine. Diabetes is the kitty's natural body unable to produce a necessary hormone, insulin. We like to say "it's a marathon, not a sprint". All insulins prefer a 12/12 hour schedule but with one like Vetsulin, you do have up to an hour of flexibility. Once you get into a routine, it will become kind of natural.
Regardless, we will gladly help you out with your kitties as well as YOU

Thank you all for taking the time to read this babble.

Anytime! Venting/Ranting/Crying is all allowed here

Last thing is to setup your Signature, as it is also where your Spreadsheet will go if you decide to start home testing.

 

[TempestsMum]

Thank you Yong! And thanks for jumping in, my knowledge of food over there is very limited.

Absolutely agree about the bg levels and vets visits. I personally feel a curve done at a vets is basically useless as it doesn't give a true reading, unless you have one very laid back kitty!

I never once had a vet do a curve for me, and when we reached remission I offered to let my vet do a fructosamine test and he took a good look at my SS and said no need! Tempest saw him twice, once for her yearly blood test ( which is how we picked up the FD) and second to sort out insulin etc.there was a Third time but not really for anything specific so Im Not counting that as it was just to put my mind at rest and to have him look at her teeth and make sure she was definitely ok.

She goes back in a few weeks for her bloods and dental exam before she goes under anaesthetic to have them cleaned. That's why I find it astonishing to go 2-3 times a week... poor kitty my cat couldn't cope with that.

 

[JanetNJ]

Once I started home testing it eliminated the need for my cat to go back to the vet (except yearly physical). It's much less expensive, more accurate, and easier to tweak the doses.

Cats should start on 1 unit, and the dose adjusted by no more than half a unit at a time. It seems your vet raised the dose much too fast.

We can help with learning to test and dose.

Is that something you would be willing to do? I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC.


The dry diabetic food isn't great at 16% carb. Wet is beat but young again zero carb or Dr elsley's clean protein are two good dry choices. Maybe putting a little of the dry on top of the wet would entice your non diabetic to eat it.


You don't have to feed only twice a day. You do want to feed before a shot, but most hive several small meals throughout the day and night. Just no food 2 hours prior to the preshot test. So if you are testing you would do no food for 2 hours, then test, feed, shoot.