Sweet Tango - Newly diagnosed - help with food, please

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Update on Tango. Went to Vet yesterday, and the reading was 410 :( I was so disppointed, since it came up as 220 at home just a few days earlier. I understand that the reading can be much higher at the vets due to stress, but last week at vet it was showing 311, so now I’m confused. Other than being tired his appetite is great and no ketones or anything. I do like my vet. He said he wants me to wait a few days, test him at home, and then depending what the number is, he mentioned bringing my glucose meter into vets office, and we can test on his meter and mine. Still no insulin yet. This is already costing me a fortune.
 
Have you managed to get many other readings? That might help you to get a better idea of what’s going on at home and reduce the need for vet visits.

I liked my vet also - she literally saved Sophie’s life. That being said, I wasted A LOT of money relying on her advice to get Sophie regulated. I probably spent close to $1000, if not more. Sophie’s diabetes did not get well controlled until I just started testing her myself and following the advice from groups like this one. She hasn’t seen a vet for a diabetes related visit in months and has never been better
 
First reading at vet - 439
2nd reading at vet - 311 last week
3rd reading at home last Sunday - 220
4th reading at vet yesterday - 410

I am going to test him again at home
 
I gave him a drop of canned tuna in water before his appt yesterday because he was hungry. I can’t inagine that could have cause his numbers to go up so high?
 
I don’t think the tuna would have affected him. The more you can test at home, the better. I would think at least once a day, if not a few times throughout the day if you can, to see how his blood glucose varies
 
Sarah&Soph said:
Have you managed to get many other readings? That might help you to get a better idea of what’s going on at home and reduce the need for vet visits.

I liked my vet also - she literally saved Sophie’s life. That being said, I wasted A LOT of money relying on her advice to get Sophie regulated. I probably spent close to $1000, if not more. Sophie’s diabetes did not get well controlled until I just started testing her myself and following the advice from groups like this one. She hasn’t seen a vet for a diabetes related visit in months and has never been better
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That great to hear that Sophie is doing so much better!
 
Sweet Tango said:
I gave him a drop of canned tuna in water before his appt yesterday because he was hungry. I can’t inagine that could have cause his numbers to go up so high?
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Our diabetic kitty's BG is very sensitive to food. Hoping someone more experienced will chime in about just how much food plus a stressful vet visit could make a cat's BG rise ... but I've seen it happen with ours.
 
Hi there. Not sure if I should start a new thread or not... but I’ll go ahead and ask my question here. So I tested my kitty at home today and he was 243 - - still without any insulin. I know that the rule of thumb is they should be 230 or below not to shoot...but should we even get started with insulin given that his numbers are so low, or should I continue trying to get his numbers down naturally first??
 
What kind of meter are you using, human or pet? Typically the no shoot number for people who are just starting out is 200 but I think that’s on a human meter. It’s not that 200 is a “good” number that doesn’t need insulin, just that that’s the recommended number until you know how insulin affects your cat and how low they’ll drop. I believe that 243 is still above the renal threshold where glucose spills out into the urine, and ideally you want them to be below that

Starting a new thread that is specific to your question about dosing might be a good idea and bring in more eyes and advice!
 
I am using a Relion Prime (Human meter). I am just wondering if I should keep working on trying to get his numbers down first, since he’s very close already and we’ve never used insulin. If I do start, I am thinking we would want a very very low unit because I wouldn’t want him to go hypo.
 
Sweet Tango said:
I am using a Relion Prime (Human meter). I am just wondering if I should keep working on trying to get his numbers down first, since he’s very close already and we’ve never used insulin. If I do start, I am thinking we would want a very very low unit because I wouldn’t want him to go hypo.
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I’m not sure how long its typically advised to wait for the diet change to take effect before deciding to start insulin. But I definitely think it would be a good plan to start low, always better to start low and increase than to start too high! It could be that diet was a main part of the need for insulin and now his pancreas just needs a little boost to start working properly again
 
Sarah&Soph said:
I’m not sure how long its typically advised to wait for the diet change to take effect before deciding to start insulin. But I definitely think it would be a good plan to start low, always better to start low and increase than to start too high! It could be that diet was a main part of the need for insulin and now his pancreas just needs a little boost to start working properly again
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That makes a lot of sense !! :)
 
Sweet Tango said:
So I tested my kitty at home today and he was 243 - - still without any insulin.
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what was the timing of this result relative to eating?
If it was less than 2 hours after any kind of food the number may be food influenced.
If longer - most likely it is true #.

Is it possible to take multiple tests thru the day and note the food intakes - carbs% and volume fed?
It'll help assessing the BG levels.

Another thing to try is to take a test prior to his meal - just before you serve it - and then repeat the test 3 hours later without any additional food - and no snacks - to see the difference? Many cats whose Pancreas is still somewhat working show lower numbers past eating. It would be very encouraging sign.

DO not take too long before deciding on insulin. The numbers in 200s are not bad at all but higher then what you'd normally want to see. So far what you were getting at home is certainly hints at lower starting dose then ST would get if only vet tests were taken into consideration.

If there was no dry food / only wet Low Carbs was fed in past couple of days and the numbers remain around 200 at home then you are very close to the decision time. Wishing the best of luck.
@Sweet Tango

PS. Good to see you posting here!:)
 
He eats small meals during the day. He did have a small amount of FF about 1 1/2 - 2 hours prior to testing. Not sure if that influenced his numbers. I still can’t test by myself. I had a very kind and experienced person come by to test him.
 
Sweet Tango said:
He did have a small amount of FF about 1 1/2 - 2 hours prior to testing. Not sure if that influenced his numbers
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If the FF food was Pate then no, I do not think there was any food in that # and the 243 is his true number.
If the rest of numbers are like that then he needs insulin.
Sweet Tango said:
I still can’t test by myself. I had a very kind and experienced person come by to test him.
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You'll get better with testing at home, just need some time to get used to it.
I never held a lancet or a needle in my hand when Ducia got Dx and was terrified at the prospect.
Today I can test with my eyes closed.
Everyone gets better at it with practice.
 
Tanya and Ducia said:
what was the timing of this result relative to eating?
If it was less than 2 hours after any kind of food the number may be food influenced.
If longer - most likely it is true #.

Is it possible to take multiple tests thru the day and note the food intakes - carbs% and volume fed?
It'll help assessing the BG levels.

Another thing to try is to take a test prior to his meal - just before you serve it - and then repeat the test 3 hours later without any additional food - and no snacks - to see the difference? Many cats whose Pancreas is still somewhat working show lower numbers past eating. It would be very encouraging sign.

DO not take too long before deciding on insulin. The numbers in 200s are not bad at all but higher then what you'd normally want to see. So far what you were getting at home is certainly hints at lower starting dose then ST would get if only vet tests were taken into consideration.

If there was no dry food / only wet Low Carbs was fed in past couple of days and the numbers remain around 200 at home then you are very close to the decision time. Wishing the best of luck.
@Sweet Tango

PS. Good to see you posting here!:)
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Thank you!! Yes. It’s reached a point where a decision needs to be made. Also, I believe that with numbers over 230 and no Insulin, there is still a risk of keytones.
 
Sweet Tango said:
Also, I believe that with numbers over 230 and no Insulin, there is still a risk of keytones.
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Precisely!

Another point to think about is that the glucose starts to leak into the urine if the renal threshold is surpassed.
The renal T # is vary per cat but many vets say it anywhere between 200 and 250.
My Ducia's personal threshold is just over 170 on Relion. ECID.
The glucose in urine in warm environment is like a breeding paradise for Urinary Tract bacterias - hence the increased risks of UTI infections which happens to FD cats way too often. Some extra water mixed into wet food daily is good prophylactic - it makes them pee frequently which flashes out the Ketone bodies (if any present) and the excess of Glucose in urine.

Have you thought what kind of insulin you might be getting?

We have here several sub forums dedicated to this or that insulin - a lot of experienced people to share their knowledge regardless of what you'll get. (I use Lantus and like it a lot) . Each sub forum has info in the yellow starred Sticky notes at the top - take a look as different types of insulin require different approach and handling in daily dosing and BG testing. The caregiver's own schedule -be it life or work- is to be taken into consideration to get the most out of insulin therapy.
 
Well he is still urinating a ton. I am not sure if it’s due to the diabetes, or the water I am adding to the wet food, or both!! I was told that Lantus and Levemir are both good, but Levemir is more gentle, so that’s the one I prefer to go with.
 
Sweet Tango said:
Well he is still urinating a ton. I am not sure if it’s due to the diabetes, or the water I am adding to the wet food, or both!!
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I think it is both. And it is very typical for unregulated diabetics.
Sweet Tango said:
but Levemir is more gentle, so that’s the one I prefer to go with.
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That's awesome choice! :) Never heard anyone complaining about it (unlike Lantus, btw).
See you in Lantus & Levemir Land then!
 
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