Target numbers

[DiabeticMom]

Chong, my 16 year old female, was diagnosed at the end of Jan. she is eating DM canned 2X a day. Her last dry DM food was about 2-3 weeks ago and her last Fancy Feast was when she was diagnosed. Her curve bounced all around. Her numbers pre shot are in the 200's--229 to 279. My vet is happy with that and doesn't want too much testing (ear). He wants me to start testing about 3 times a week.
An ultrasound shows pancreatitis and I am giving a homeopathic for that.
I know from a honeymoon period (she & her sister both became diabetic for about a month in June-July and both got rid of it in about a month) that her normal # is about 110 so 229-279 seems high. I'd love some feedback on that and on the lack of a good curve to base things on. She did start to get upset on the testing.
I am giving her 1 unit every 12 hours.
No one has checked for keystones and I've been somewhat warned off the strips as not very reliable but the vet doesn't seem to be too motivated to test for keystones himself.
I have to leave town this weekend myself on business. I hired someone to come stay & give shots. I'm very worried about the stress level of this and the result of this stress. This person has been here 2x. Once when I was here. Both times not very long. She will also be sleeping in my bed which is where Chong sleeps when I'm here. I've never had anyone stay overnight here alone.
So what does everyone think about all of this?
Thanks for your input & help. I

 

[dmartini4]

Hi and welcome!
I am sorry about Chong an dhopefull you will get him in remission again
We all are very big on testing here
We always test before and shot is given so we now where they are and if we should reduce
We do our own curves as stress does contribute to high numbers
If it were me I would test before I shot, as 229 does not sounds like a very high number
and who know one unit might be too much...
Lets see what everyone else says
welcome and I look forward to getting to know you and Chong
What is your name?

Denise and shakes

 

[Teresa and Poopy]

Good morning, Diabetic Mom and Chong. cat_pet_icon

Vets can be funny sometimes, can't they? :lol: Only test 3 times a week. Silly. We wouldn't do that to our children, would we? Give them insulin shots without knowing their blood glucose (BG)? Pfft. Silly vet. Especially with a history of being insulin free for stretches of time. (Once a kitty is diagnosed diabetic, they are always diabetic - either using insulin or diet controlled.)

Seriously, it's really a shame so many vets aren't up on all the research available regarding feline diabetes. But, then again, we can't expect them to spend their days researching all the trials and troubles pets can encounter - they'd never have time to treat pets! With our babies having diabetes, we do tend to spend more time learning about feline diabetes and it's not uncommon for us to end up knowing more about it than a lot of vets. And that's ok...as long as kitty benefits! cat_pet_icon

If Chong isn't thrilled with being tested, try giving a special treat after each test. Poopy will now come to me for testing, and purrs through the whole thing, knowing he gets his low carb treat afterward. And his ears are just fine. Poopy gets tested at least 3 times per day: once before each shot and at least once during a cycle. If I need to do a curve, it's more often.

As you've probably guessed, food plays a huge role in managing diabetes. We try to feed our fuzzy loves wet low carb foods. I have a link to Janet and Binky's food list in my signature that gives the values for tons of foods. One of the most popular foods low in carbs fed to many cats here...classic pate-style Fancy Feast!

Having someone come to your home to care for Chong while you're away...much better than having him stay at the vets or other kennel. Much less stress for Chong. Very good choice!

And Chong's numbers aren't bad at PS. What are they during the cycle? Having more BG numbers tells the story of how the insulin is working and gives dosing guides. (i.e., Goes low during cycle? Maybe a bit less insulin. Goes lower but not low, maybe a bit more.)

Yeah, we're big on testing (knowledge) here.

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

I'm with Teresa and Denise. We figure we would never give our 2 legged children an insulin shot without checking their bg levels first; we do the same for our 4 legged ones. It is so important to test before each shot (What if it is suddenly low - which happens often - read through some of yesterday's threads- and you give the normal amount?) And getting mid cycle numbers help you see how the insulin is working so you can adjust as needed.

Treats can make all the difference with the testing - find something she loves and offer it only then. Bonito flakes and PureBites (freeze dried chicken) worked for us.

I have never heard of ketone strips not being effective. If you read Grayson and Lu's history, she has saved him from DKA several times doing urine tests.

A regulated cat, on insulin, is in the mid 200s at preshot and in the 100s or below (but not below 40) at mid cycle. A cat is remission is 40-120 with the majority of the time in double digits off insulin.

Our PZI document might be helpful. Too long, too many links so take it in small doses, but lots of great info. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=24

Check out some of the other threads and spreadsheets on this forum. We have all kinds of cats here in various stages of diabetes.